Intro
I brainstormed on this concept and I really like it since it has potential from where it is now. (and no i didn’t use chatgpt, i just thought and expanded off it with experience)
This has a bunch of possible concepts so I’d really appreciate it if someone were to repost this as an actual post than it existing in a comment (idk how and don’t wanna).
For a simple suggestions, I’d reduce the base damage resistance to 25% and a 30% resistance to kb.
For a more complex change to expand on this concept, i’d first adjust the starter buff to a 10% damage reduction and a 20% kb reduction.
- To balance this out, i’d introduce customization to the buff items as new boat items: both to strengthen the buff as more investments go in the ship, and freedom to adjust the effects.
First
So firstly, I support reducing the base buff to 10% damage reduction and 20% kb reduction in order to open the possibilities to boarding/ambushes in the first place.
- I say this as boarding/ambushing people on ships is a real life strategy (source: it probably happened).
- As a result, keeping the buffs strong enough purely for the purpose of shutting down the possibility of an on boat battle is like not acknowledging the existence of boarding a ship like it never existed in the first place.
- It’s like a ship game but pirate ambushes just simply don’t exist, and the existence of a crippling chain shot is questionable as it synergizes more towards the goal of catching up to board.
The original buffs make the user functionally immortal, so keeping the buffs low gives an opportunity to boarding ship playstyles: ships specifically built to be fast and a better purpose to use crippling-themed cannonballs.
- Additionally, it’d open up the niche/off-meta possibility of using lower level ships to chase/swarm a bigger boat.
- I can picture a situation where a warship with 1 very strong guy gets swarmed by a cluster of smaller sailboats who all board the ship at the same time.
- I believe this would fit very well into the game (assuming that smaller ships are faster and larger ships)
Second
Now by itself, 10% damage reduction is still very bad. To balance this out and add in a few more ideas, the buff should have both the freedom to customize and the option to invest as it’d benefit the diversity and control in both PvE and PvP.
The user’s ship is like their mobile fortress, so adding a buff would grant the user a higher degree of control over their domain.
- As of now, the ship does not have a noticeable presence to both the game and the user themselves, even as the captain.
- The only customizable ship aspects that announce a creative expressionism are the sails, figurehead, paint, light source, and the crew member vanity, all of which have 0 noticeable impact. Name one time you’ve passed by a ship and remembered one of those.
- Adding a customizable buff not only grants a noticeable presence to the ship in the form of an advantage, but gives the user a comforting degree of control on what they get to do.
- For example, whether they choose to have a higher regen, slightly more damage, slightly higher speed or mana regen, the choices are endless; all of which have a noticeable impact compared to the negligible sail or the afk crewmembers.
- Additionally if the buff starts out weak, then allowing the chance for it to grow in power gives a better sense of investment as the ship grows.
- In conclusion, adding a customizable buff will be a very nice aspect to the PvE experience as an key quality of life feature.
From a user standpoint, there’s honestly not much to do with the ship, especially in PvP where anything about the ship barely matters in an actual fight.
- A customizable buff will benefit and reward the options in battle in 2 main ways: the class build, and the playstyle build.
- The class build is the customization of a user’s stats, like Power, Defense, Agility, and more.
- The playstyle build is the customization of the user’s options in battle, whether they go more aggressively, defensively, dodge this or defend that.
- For example, a speed buff will benefit a glass cannon build; one who wants to unleash decisive killer attack, a gel-like buff will benefit an attrition build; one who wears down and outmaneuvers the enemy, and a classic defense or power build will fit almost every class like a tank or generalist.
- Because the buff is probably localized to the boat, this will introduce a plethora of new opportunities.
- For example, one playstyle can simply be to stay on the boat; a defensive, reactive playstyle where being the first one to attack requires risk and preparation.
- Another playstyle can playstyle can be to play alongside the boat; to oppress and suffocate the enemy by keeping the ship to move along the flow of battle, or to cut off an escape route like a mobile fortress.
- In conclusion, adding a customizable buff would widen the possibilities of a battle by incentivizing the role of a ship in a battle to improve possible builds, playstyles, and even the planning of a situation for both the defender and attacker wherever they find themselves in, whether ambushed at a city or in the middle of the ocean.
Third
Some potential problems I can think of a boat buff are how would it work and how could it be abused. Here are some live action ramblings:
- The boat buff would have to extend a bit past the boat, or else the buff would constantly and spontaneously appear and disappear.
- Even with a range extension, I really hate the idea of a buff just being activated and deactivated in rapid succession, so there’d probably have to be a duration.
- Logically, being on the boat should have an infinite duration, but leaving the boat shouldn’t.
- If approaching the buff radius refreshes the duration, there’s a chance that people would be in the middle of fighting but quickly dash in and out just in range to get that extra buff, something I don’t like.
- One idea could be to have a radius, but you’d have to stay next to the buff radius for a certain amount of time for it to apply, like 10 seconds. This would make approaching the ship for a quick buff less abusable and more as an integrated risky playstyle.
- If the duration is too long, there’s a chance that the enemy aggressor will pull in close enough to quickly engage a fight while the buff lasts, which would be unfair.
- This can probably be solved by either making the duration very short but infinite in the boat radius, or having the buff deactivate by some unknown requirement, perhaps by approaching another boat?
- Another possibility is that durations are twice as long while out of combat, but are immediately removed when combat is activated.
- This way, the aggressor will lose their buff if they intended to prolong and engage with it, while the defender would keep their buff as they’d be on their ship.
- There would still be the problem of the aggressor then dashing back for the buff, although then they’d need to stay within the buff radius for 10 seconds as a penalty.
- If two ships are right next to each other, I suppose each would have their buffs apply to the respective players.
- This would benefit sluggish but powerful ships using the oppressive playstyle to maneuver their ship as a walking advantage, which would also require some complicated ship parking and timing.
Here are the refocused better ramblings:
- There has to be an advantage to someone being on their ship and someone not being on their ship, since one random enemy dashing towards your ship and fighting on equal terms is just strange.
- To combat this, the defender will gain a buff while the aggressor won’t. This will incentivize sinking the enemy ship to deactivate their buff beforehand.
- If two people are fighting but keep their ships parked nearby for the intent of refreshing the buff, then staying in the buff radius for a prolonged time is more risky and cumbersome as it reduces the range of movement for the user, benefiting enemies to predict where they will be next or AoE/lingering attacks.
- If two huge ships are fighting in the ocean, then one possibility is to physically bring the ship close enough for an on boat battle, with both boats serving as the arena.
- If that were to occur, then it’d technically be equal grounds for each person so either each person has a buff or doesn’t if the presence of both attacker’s boats are nearby.
- If a slow boat got ambushed by a speedy boat, then the defender would have to have a buff as the aggressor is choosing their battles.
- Because the aggressor decided to bring their speedy boat, then they should be rewarded compared to a person who swims to the other boat.
- Therefore, both people have their buffs, but the aggressor has a slightly weaker buff adjusted to a speedy boat, compared to the slower fortress boat incapable of ambushing a speedy boat.
Fourth
I using by Conceptualizer profession, I conceptualized a couple of possibilities
A few ideas I can think of for the form of the buff include: Rune Engravings, Buff Siege Weapons, fitting Tailored Modifications and Potion Type: Incense.
Rune Engravings
- I just added this since it makes sense to engrave ships with runes.
- Runes give the vibe of something hardy and immovable, yet simplistic like a rock.
- Therefore, the buffs can reflect very simple single Stat buffs.
- This also has the theme of those Stat amulets and Jeweling gems, so there could be a Ship Buff Item like Arcane Gem Projector which takes amulets or gems and turns them into a Ship Buff.
Buff Siege Weapons
- Probably some sort of thing where on activation, apply heavy buffs to the user or around the ship.
- This can take the form of a buff applying shockwave or a passive buff aura
- I think this should be separate from the Ship Buff Slot, as the Siege Weapon determines a ship playstyle like a Mortar so taking a Buff Siege Weapon means your ship has less weapon options.
Tailored Modifications
- The only thing I could think of are those scenes in media where a guy on a ship uses the ropes to their advantage, like swinging across or climbing up them.
- Therefore, I thought of Tangling Ropes = speed/agility improvement, a simple suggestion.
Potion Type: Incense
- This would definitely be related to potion crafting.
- However, I really don’t like the idea of having Incenses be TEMPORARY, as potions are not long lasting.
- Additionally, people would just mass produce them and slap them on their ship, an idea I hate.
- Therefore, I’d support the crafting of an Incense Stick item, and a separate Ship Buff Slot for a Brazier that can be interacted with to apply a buff upon SELECTING an Incense Stick in the inventory without consuming it.
- Additionally, I DO NOT support the idea of a Madness inducing Incense, cause I don’t want to play the game with distractions and nausea.
- There could also be different types, like a hazy variant where it increases the tolerance for leaving the ship at the expense of a weaker effect, or some other type that incentivizes staying next to the ship.
- For context I used Minecraft Bewitchment Mod as reference/inspiration (idk if incense and braziers are related)
Snack Bar = stamina/regen/base stat improvement
- This might fit as it’s like food but on demand cause it’s a snack bar.
- Maybe you’d quickly take a bite during a fight, so it’d justify this lol.
- The main thing I like about this is that it’s related to craftable foods, so it can scale with food crafted in some way.
