With the recent-ish announcement about the logbook, I noticed that most of the commands shown (at least those that were visible in the sent video) mostly focused on utility chat commands. The addition of chat-based crew commands is a great start—especially for immersion and function like carrying supplies or following the player. But in a game centered around combat, naval warfare, and legacy, I feel like the current commands risk underselling the potential of crew interaction.
The problem/solution:
I thought this was a huge missed opportunity for some very interesting tactical and strategic mechanics that could make the crew system a lot more interesting. So, here are some ideas for crew commands that would make them feel less like a group of porters and more like your right-hand men following beside you on the war seas.
Command system:
Allow commands to be spoken, but introduce a wheel similar to the emote wheel for commands for quick access mid-combat. This will feel more like making tactical orders to your crew and not struggling to type something while being stabbed repeatedly. To make it less overwhelming, different command wheels could be set to keybinds or the current wheel can be quick-swapped. (E.g, hold N to open up the command wheel and disable attacks, then use Q/E to swap between wheel modes.)
All commands listed would only take effect to the crew that is nearby or following you.
Combat mode commands:
- “Crew, Attack!" / “Open fire!”
Orders crew to engage nearby enemies, switching to aggressive AI.
- “Hold your fire!” / “Stop!”
Orders crew to stop attacking.
- “Disengage!”
Orders crew to stop attacking their current opponent and come to you or return to position, but does not let up the command to attack.
- “Focus fire on (this)!”
Orders crew to attack a specific enemy that the player’s cursor is hovering over/nearby, or the name of what they want them to attack.
- “Attack them!” / “Attack this clan!”
Orders crew to attack a group of people, specifically in a clan or team, with the cursor hovered over them or the name of the clan/enemy type they want their crew to attack.
- “Board that ship!”
Orders crew to board a recently sunken ship and attack everyone on board.
- “Flank them!”
Orders crew to move around and flank enemies from the sides.
Defense/Tactical mode commands
- “Defend this position!”
Orders crew to defend a certain location from others, attacking anyone who comes too close.
- “Guard me!”
Orders crew to form a perimeter around you, and focus on keeping enemies at a distance.
- “Return to position!”
Orders crew to return to the last position they were told to defend.
- “Cover me!”
Orders crew to defend you while you are charging an attack.
- “Take Cover!”
Orders crew to seek terrain blocks out of the line of sight of enemies, prioritizing hiding from any charging enemies.
- “Brew here!”
Orders crew to drink from a brew that your cursor hovers over. Deckhands and Quartermasters take priority.
- “Stand close!”
Orders crew to stand close to you, specifically for when applying AOE potions and whatnot, or when needing them to stay close together to hide in an ambush.
Ship/Exploration commands
- “Return to ship!”
Orders all crew to return to your ship.
- “Harpooners, Fire!” / “Fire on my mark!”
Orders deckhands to take up weapon positions on the ship and use them to shoot at your cursor.
- “Protect the ship!”
Orders crew to attack anyone who boards your ship, except allies.
- “Scout the area!”
Orders crew to follow you and highlight chests for 5s. Crew might respond to finding a chest with “Found something!” or “Found some loot!” They could also highlight enemies in red for a little longer and say “Someone/Something is here!”
- “Scavenge for materials!”
Orders crew to collect nearby items on the ground.
Spirit Commands
- “Barrage/Volley!”
Orders crew to fire repeatedly at your cursor for 5s, following its path. Their attacks will be a bit weaker during this, and you will be stunned.
- “Phantom Orders!”
Orders crew to take spiritual commands, allowing you to make commands without other players seeing them.
Additionally, Spirit users could command their crew from afar. Just an interesting thought on spirit interactions with NPCs and crew, Though this is debatable.
Note that you should not be able to bring crew to bosses; maybe your character will say “Wait here!” and disable commands until you return. At most, 5 Crew members should be capable of following you – any more might risk performance/balancing issues, especially if everyone starts having their crew follow them around.
