Yesterday I had a day long break and could finally play a bit, and I figured out how easy it is to demast enemy ships with manually aimed cannonballs. Very fun.
However, the problem arises in how the demasted AI behaves.
The AIship file will tell a wounded AI to retreat, and there is no check in place to see if they are at 0 sails. Consequently, the demasted AI ships picks a line and heads straight along it at a snail's pace trying to retreat, leaving the player free to park his ship is the diagnal corner blindspot of the AI and just sit still while firing volley after volley and experiencing no return fire.
If a demasted AI ship is not yet ready to surrender, it should cease retreating and do its best to apply the rudder and try to get an angle to fire at the player. Doing the snail's pace retreat in a straight line makes it a bit too easy.
Also, being demasted should give a significant morale hit to the AI to make them more likely to surrender.
Btw, side question, but am I correct that it is easier to break the AI ship's mast with normal cannonballs instead of chain? Not sure if it is the greater range making manual aiming easier, but I got that impression after trying both. Only ever demasted one ship with chain, while with normal cannonballs the masts were coming down much more reliably.
However, the problem arises in how the demasted AI behaves.
The AIship file will tell a wounded AI to retreat, and there is no check in place to see if they are at 0 sails. Consequently, the demasted AI ships picks a line and heads straight along it at a snail's pace trying to retreat, leaving the player free to park his ship is the diagnal corner blindspot of the AI and just sit still while firing volley after volley and experiencing no return fire.
If a demasted AI ship is not yet ready to surrender, it should cease retreating and do its best to apply the rudder and try to get an angle to fire at the player. Doing the snail's pace retreat in a straight line makes it a bit too easy.
Also, being demasted should give a significant morale hit to the AI to make them more likely to surrender.
Btw, side question, but am I correct that it is easier to break the AI ship's mast with normal cannonballs instead of chain? Not sure if it is the greater range making manual aiming easier, but I got that impression after trying both. Only ever demasted one ship with chain, while with normal cannonballs the masts were coming down much more reliably.