Alright alright.
IF… and it’s a big IF boats are added again, here are my ideas:
There will be two types of water. This will be marked with two separate colors, light and dark blue. The lighter water can be traversed by all manner of small ships, yet sailing into the darker waters in a light vessel will cause your ship to take constant damage.
Lighter vessels thus need to use an “island hopping” strategy to move around. However, lighter vessels have the advantage of being able to go up suitably wide rivers. Bluewater vessels will be unable to.
There will also be TRADE. Yes trade. At ports, one will be able to buy Cargo from sellers at the ports. These come in two types: Deliveries and Goods. Deliveries give greater rewards but must be delivered to the location specified in their description. Goods can be sold anywhere. The further away the buyer from the seller, the more profit you make (for Goods that is). You will also take longer to get there.
Lighter vessels:
Rowboat: Cheap and easy to use, but relatively slow and when you stop pulling on the oars the boat stops moving.
Sailboat: No need to row, the sailboat lets you sail around.
Fishing Boat: The first boat that can be equipped with a net, which gathers fish slowly while you sail. Very slowly, as you can only use a single basic Fishing Net.
Barge: Slow, but can carry Cargo, allowing players to make profits off of trading. Not very seaworthy.
Raider: A fast, small boat, equipped with a single Cannon. Can fire cannonballs and various other weaponry.
Bluewater vessels:
Merchantman: A large, slow vessel, equipped with two cannon and capable of carry a large amount of goods.
Clipper: An incredibly fast unarmed vessel, the fastest in the game. Capable of carrying a suitable amount of goods.
Trawler: A medium vessel that can use fishing nets of higher quality and quantity than the fishing boat.
Corvette: A light vessel that can fire cannonballs from its three Cannon, two in front one behind.
Frigate: The first real combat vessel, 6 Carronades and 2 Cannon. 3 Carronades per side and a cannon in front and behind. Carronades have less range and firepower than cannon, but have faster reload.
Cruiser: A heavy vessel with 8 cannon, 2 Carronades, and 1 Chaser. With the chaser installed in front, 4 Cannon a side, and 2 Carronades in the rear, this ship is armed to the teeth.
Third Rate: A heavily armed ship of the line, 10 Cannon, 4 Carronades, and 1 Chaser. Slow and sturdy. 5 Cannon a side, 2 Carronades a side, and the Chaser mounted in front.
Second Rate: With two tiers of cannon, a Second Rate ship of the line is capable of shredding all but the heaviest vessels with its enormous firepower. 14 Cannon and 4 Carronades will destroy anything that faces this behemoth. 7 Cannon and 2 Carronades a side.
First Rate: The heaviest and deadliest ships to ever sail the oceans, a First Rate ship of the line has 18 Cannon and 10 Carronades. These are the crown jewels of a navy, and can blow any other vessel out of the water.
Upgrades: Ships can be upgraded in several categories, depending on the ship. Basic ones include Hull, Sails, and Rudder.
Now here’s a question: why would you use a lighter vessel when you can use a First Rate ship of the line?
First Rates are incredibly powerful, but are slow and hard to maneuver. A fast and intelligent Corvette captain can avoid the flanks of cannon, sail up behind the behemoth, and board it.
Furthermore, if your goal is profit, a Trawler or a Merchantman or even a Clipper will suit you better. First Rates can carry a very small amount of cargo, but it’s relatively small.
Maintenance: These costs include Cannonballs, Sails, and General costs. The larger the ship the greater the costs. Light vessels have significantly less costs than Bluewater vessels. Nonetheless, the overall maintenance costs are pretty low unless you run into a tornado, or get into a fight involving lots of cannonballs.
Crew: In Taverns, one will be able to hire Mercenaries to safeguard their ships. Mercenaries will shoot arrows and throw daggers at the attackers if the ship is damaged, and will board the enemy ship if given the order (don’t give the order randomly or they’ll jump in the water and drown). They will also attack any enemies of the opposite reputation. Bad rep players can hire pirates to do the same job.
Locations to purchase and upgrade ships: Bad reps can do so at isolated ports with Pirates nearby. Perhaps there could be permanent ports as well. Good reps will be able to do so at most ports and harbors.
Obstacles and Challenges: Certain Wandering Bosses may spawn in the ocean, either on their own ships or floating across the water. Pirate ships may also appear. Bad reps will face ships of the Magic Council and Mercenary ships. And sharks. Never forget the sharks.
Customization: Paint! Although expensive, one can paint their ship and dye their sails. Ships can be named and renamed, and decorative figureheads and other ornaments may be attached, including multicolored lanterns.
Miscellaneous: Compasses are included on all ships. Astrolabes and maps may also be purchased, allowing better navigation. Spyglasses and lanterns may also be purchased. Extremely expensive Magic Cannons built with arcanium alloys can be bought as well, and cannonballs they fire become even deadlier. Magic Cannonballs can also be purchased, far more destructive than Magic Cannons firing normal Cannonballs, but being single use, they are inefficient. Boarding ropes can also be bought, allowing you to grapple another ship and bring your vessels together.
All in all I hope these ideas will make sailing the ocean a fun thing to do. You can fight, trade, and fish while getting to places. It will also be faster than walking or running, even if you are using a First Rate.
Originally posted elsewhere now deleted.
