13 questions, but no woman on board. Yet

[padrobo]

Hello to everyone!

I have a couple of questions on various things. Some may be bugs or just features I haven't yet understood.
Briefly, my experience on the game is small.. I played the stock version ages ago for a bit and now I am using the latest mod.

By the way, congratulations and thank you very much for it! Although, I don't remember everything that is changed or added from the stock version, it's obvious that it is a lot.

I understand that some of my questions may be answered, if that is the case, excuse me.

My gameplay so far is the Hawk's story in realistic difficulty and flying a personal flag all the time so far.

Onto my (many) questions!

The first ones are about officers:

1) I am still trying to understand their impact and use on the game. Some roles are pretty straightforward to me but others not. A table or something with the skills that each officer utilizes would come in handy.

2) Should I give to my navigator or a companion a spyglass, a compass, books and stuff like this, or it doesn't make any difference as opposed to swords etc?

3) I commanded my companion to attack a ship but when his cannonballs finished he stopped attacking even though he had plenty of grape and chains in his ship and was close enough to shoot. Bug or should I give them only cannonballs?
A note though; I don't think he was fully qualified to captain a ship because I got that message about it -that I ignored- when I placed him as a captain.

4) I am still confused with the chests mechanic... I get that I must have weapons, protective gear, medic stuff (potions too?) and ammo/powder in my cabin's chest in order to be used during boardings. But I found out that in the gunpowder chest there is also a lot of small arms ammo. I thought that only powder should be there for the cannons. Also when I interact with this chest, I get a message that my shore party is equipped which makes me wonder if I should add there bandages etc.
Also, should I fill the main chests of my other ships with weapons etc. too?

5) I usually find random items in the crew's chest. Does anything in there serve a purpose? Am I free to take them and leave these chests empty?

6) I am in possession of a clock that in its description says it is hanged in my cabin and originally put it in the chest. But I think it only works only if I had it on me and equipped, right?

7) When I am informed for my food and rum provisions in the case I own multiple ships, is this for all of them or only for my flagship? Should I carry the provisions in all of my ships (as I am doing for realism) or it doesn't make any difference?

8) When I am trying to smuggle, there are always coastguards ships on the meeting point 24 hours a day rendering any info about the patrols useless and me trying to exploit the game mechanics for not getting caught. Should I try to approach at a safe time from the land? This happened early in the game at Bonaire.

9) After successfully smuggling unnoticed, when I got to the tavern, an official proposed me to sell cheap some contraband left in exchange for favor. I didn't noticed any difference though but I am not 100% sure. Is it supposed to raise my standing with the nation or just my reputation?

10) My relations with France are Hostile and 2 pistols crossed appear in the relations tab. Yet, when I capture french ships that do attack me first (clearly as I am an enemy), I get a ship log entry of a NOT legitimate capture. So I need Letters of Marque even in this situation? If I don't have one, am I free to plunder and sink the ship? Am I, at least, free to just sink it with my cannons?
As a side note, I think there is a text bug here, because when I capture a ship and swap it immediately as my personal ship, the log entries are referring to my original ship. I got really impressed when I read that my newly captured ship's hull and sails were in excellent condition and its name was ''Sea Horse''!

11) I noticed that even though I have not built anything, there were 2 occasions that 2 NPCs treated me as their boss. A woodcutter and a workshop guy I think. In the second occasion I even got some sort of mutiny from the workers there with screaming etc. but nothing else happened (I think!) Bug? My only related actions with the buildings was to ask one officer about them, but I lacked resources anyway, so I didn't build something.

12) Personal wealth? Where is it used?

13) Is there a way to increase the fonts of the messages that appear on the top left? It's really a shame that I am using a lower resolution just for this. Also, is this possible for the cheap compass too on the lower left? I get that it's a cheap compass, but I can't even distinguish where North is, I didn't expect to point it where I most desire anyway!


That's it for now I guess... a lot of them for sure!

Thanks anyway!

 

[SillyWilly]

Howdy Matey I'm not the most experienced on this forum but I've played this mod for quite a bit so I'll throw in my two cents. For everyone reading please feel free to correct me and add on!

1) Look on the "Passengers" tab when you press "F2". Each officer's role will have a highlighted skill in Green and Orange. The highlighted skills are the ones they provide to you as the captain. The non-highlighted skills don't do anything. Example: a Navigator has the "Sailing" skill as Green and the "Luck" skill as Orange. This means the navigator is providing his sailing and luck skills to you but not the other skills.

2) You can give books, items, etc to your passengers if they give buffs. Like the higher end compasses give a +1 to sailing, so if you give that to your navigator he will get +1 to his sailing!

3) Not sure on this one because I always wait before starting to get a fleet or even a second ship. Looking at a new game looks like you need to have a 5 in Leadership before you can get a fleet but I'm not sure on the penalties for that?

4) You should put in Weapons/Armor/Ammo/Medicine in the weapons locker so that your boarding parties can you use those items. The other two chests are for personal use unless I am mistaken here?

5) Free stuff

6) Yep you need to go to the Items screen in your inventory and equip the clock like all other items!

7) I have always had food and rum on all of my ships so I don't know if it is just the captains ship or not?

8) I hope you got the Island's coast guard schedule beforehand! The schedule tells you your window for when to do the deal!

9) This helps your standing with the Nation but I haven't messed with it too much to be honest. I'm either a full on pirate doing smuggling or an honest sailor doing cargo quests lol.

10) If you attack any nation (other than the pirates) without a Letter of Marque that is technically piracy even if they are hostile to you! My suggestion is if you want to attack non-pirates then become a privateer with their enemies. So to attack the French you should join the British!

11) I have the buildings stuff set to off so I can't help here sorry!

12) Buy better stuff like ships, items, etc.

13) Not sure on the font but as you increase in level better items will become available! Until you get the "normal compass" you can see the wind direction by your flag on the mast!

 

[Grey Roger]

1) I am still trying to understand their impact and use on the game. Some roles are pretty straightforward to me but others not. A table or something with the skills that each officer utilizes would come in handy.

Boatswain: uses "Grappling" skill and perks, and is also the only officer type to use "Musket Volley". A useful officer to have in your shore party as he is particularly good at fighting, and the most advanced boarding perks require that he has the fighting perks first.
Gunner: uses "Cannons" and "Accuracy" skills and perks, also gives you and your shore party officers free ammunition.
Navigator: uses "Sailing" skill and various sailing-related perks.
Quartermaster: uses "Commerce" skill and perks. If you have chosen to pay the crew by dividing plunder, you can talk to your quartermaster, while on the ship's quarterdeck and while the ship is moored, to do the dividing.
First Mate: uses various skills and perks, especially "Leadership", and is also the only officer type to use "Sail Master".
Carpenter: uses "Repair" skill and perks.
Surgeon: uses "Defence" skill and "First Aid" perks. The surgeon's "Defence" skill is used to calculate healing of wounded crew - even your own "Defence" skill will not help here.
Master at Arms: very similar to Boatswain in that he's good at fighting and therefore good to have in your shore party. He's also the only one to use the "Landing Party" perk, which allows you to attack colonies that don't have forts.

2) Should I give to my navigator or a companion a spyglass, a compass, books and stuff like this, or it doesn't make any difference as opposed to swords etc?

Yes, officers can benefit from skill items the same way that you can. Not just the navigator - other officers will benefit from appropriate skill items too.

3) I commanded my companion to attack a ship but when his cannonballs finished he stopped attacking even though he had plenty of grape and chains in his ship and was close enough to shoot. Bug or should I give them only cannonballs?

The AI does seem only to use cannonballs. An independent AI may also switch to chainshot if its morale has dropped and it wants to run away. Companion ships don't do this. So you may as well give them just cannonballs.

The message about a captain not having high enough skills to command a ship just means that he'll suffer penalties to his Leadership and Sailing skills. So do you if you try to command a ship beyond your ability.

4) I am still confused with the chests mechanic... I get that I must have weapons, protective gear, medic stuff (potions too?) and ammo/powder in my cabin's chest in order to be used during boardings. But I found out that in the gunpowder chest there is also a lot of small arms ammo. I thought that only powder should be there for the cannons. Also when I interact with this chest, I get a message that my shore party is equipped which makes me wonder if I should add there bandages etc.

Chests can be filled with random equipment. The only significant chests are the ones in your own cabin. You can put most of your skill items and books into the Ship's Chest and you'll still get their bonuses without having them clutter up your inventory. Put weapons, armour and medical items into the Weapons Locker for your crew to use in boardings. You don't need to worry about ammo.

Cannons use powder and ammunition from the cargo hold, not the Weapons Locker.

6) I am in possession of a clock that in its description says it is hanged in my cabin and originally put it in the chest. But I think it only works only if I had it on me and equipped, right?

Yes, the clock only works when you have it equipped - it's one of the few items which won't do you any good if it's in the Ship's Locker.

7) When I am informed for my food and rum provisions in the case I own multiple ships, is this for all of them or only for my flagship? Should I carry the provisions in all of my ships (as I am doing for realism) or it doesn't make any difference?

Food and rum are shared across the whole fleet. For most purposes it doesn't matter if you have supplies on every ship or if you have one big galleon carrying all your food and rum. The exception is the shipyard - if you talk to the shipyard owner, each ship is checked and if it doesn't have any food or rum then it will automatically and immediately buy a minimal supply.

8) When I am trying to smuggle, there are always coastguards ships on the meeting point 24 hours a day rendering any info about the patrols useless and me trying to exploit the game mechanics for not getting caught. Should I try to approach at a safe time from the land? This happened early in the game at Bonaire.

You must have the ship at the beach otherwise the smugglers won't do the deal.

There can be coastguard patrols on land and at sea. They're independent - you could get a land attack, a sea attack, both, or neither. You can talk to a soldier in the tavern and bribe, gamble or persuade him to tell you when it is safe, though he won't always tell the truth. If the time interval he tells you is relatively short, such as about 1 hour, he's probably telling the truth. If he gives you a wide time interval of several hours then he's probably lying. If you think he's lying then try to go ashore in the middle of the night, it's not completely safe but you're less likely to face coastguard patrols than in broad daylight.

And if you're going to make a career out of smuggling, get something fast and manouevrable such as a schooner, then try to outrun the coastguard.

9) After successfully smuggling unnoticed, when I got to the tavern, an official proposed me to sell cheap some contraband left in exchange for favor. I didn't noticed any difference though but I am not 100% sure. Is it supposed to raise my standing with the nation or just my reputation?

It improves your status with the nation. It has no effect on your reputation. And it has the advantage that you don't risk being caught by the coastguard.

10) My relations with France are Hostile and 2 pistols crossed appear in the relations tab. Yet, when I capture french ships that do attack me first (clearly as I am an enemy), I get a ship log entry of a NOT legitimate capture. So I need Letters of Marque even in this situation? If I don't have one, am I free to plunder and sink the ship? Am I, at least, free to just sink it with my cannons?
As a side note, I think there is a text bug here, because when I capture a ship and swap it immediately as my personal ship, the log entries are referring to my original ship. I got really impressed when I read that my newly captured ship's hull and sails were in excellent condition and its name was ''Sea Horse''!

You do indeed need a Letter of Marque to legally take prizes or sink enemy ships. Of course, you are free to plunder or sink ships without one, it just means you're a pirate and not a privateer.

11) I noticed that even though I have not built anything, there were 2 occasions that 2 NPCs treated me as their boss. A woodcutter and a workshop guy I think. In the second occasion I even got some sort of mutiny from the workers there with screaming etc. but nothing else happened (I think!) Bug? My only related actions with the buildings was to ask one officer about them, but I lacked resources anyway, so I didn't build something.

There are some buildings already in place, such as a shack on Speightstown pier. That's probably the one which triggered the ambush. These have nothing to do with whether you have done any building of your own.

12) Personal wealth? Where is it used?

It contributes to your fame, and there should be an option somewhere to donate some of it to the crew.

13) Is there a way to increase the fonts of the messages that appear on the top left? It's really a shame that I am using a lower resolution just for this. Also, is this possible for the cheap compass too on the lower left? I get that it's a cheap compass, but I can't even distinguish where North is, I didn't expect to point it where I most desire anyway!

Changing the fonts for screen messages would be tricky and would probably mess up the display for some other people. The cheap compass is indeed cheap rubbish, you should just about be able to see North as well as the wind direction, but that's all. For a clearer display, buy a better compass!

 

[padrobo]

Many thanks for the quick and helpful replies!

Let's procced to some comments and clarifications needed:

1) Both the replies on this should appear in-game somewhere I think.

Gunner: uses "Cannons" and "Accuracy" skills and perks, also gives you and your shore party officers free ammunition.

About the non-measured perks like the gunner's one that gives ammo; I think this applies even if they are not member of the shore party, right?

Yes, officers can benefit from skill items the same way that you can. Not just the navigator - other officers will benefit from appropriate skill items too.

But, I suppose, if I give my companion a crappy spyglass and a cheap compass that do not have measurable bonuses, he will not sail any better.

You can put most of your skill items and books into the Ship's Chest and you'll still get their bonuses without having them clutter up your inventory. Put weapons, armour and medical items into the Weapons Locker for your crew to use in boardings. You don't need to worry about ammo.

I though that only the Weapons Locker gives the bonuses on everyone. I started using the Ship Locker as a store place for just readable books and things I felt keeping for a while. I think I had tried putting the blade care kit (+1 melee) in both chests and didn't get myself the bonus. Does the crew during boarding get it when in the Weapons Locker? All of them or just one guy?

8) I hope you got the Island's coast guard schedule beforehand! The schedule tells you your window for when to do the deal!

There can be coastguard patrols on land and at sea. They're independent - you could get a land attack, a sea attack, both, or neither. You can talk to a soldier in the tavern and bribe, gamble or persuade him to tell you when it is safe, though he won't always tell the truth. If the time interval he tells you is relatively short, such as about 1 hour, he's probably telling the truth. If he gives you a wide time interval of several hours then he's probably lying. If you think he's lying then try to go ashore in the middle of the night, it's not completely safe but you're less likely to face coastguard patrols than in broad daylight.

I had beforehand learned a time window from a soldier that it turned out to be true as it was a pretty short one (1hour plus I think) and moreover, when I killed the coastguard I found the book with the patrols that confirmed it along other time windows. After that, I reloaded and was observing the coast which had ships non stop there. I tried to break off from their view and return later (both night and day) and still the ships were there...
I suppose when there are ships a coastguard intervention is certain let alone the land coastguards.

It improves your status with the nation. It has no effect on your reputation. And it has the advantage that you don't risk being caught by the coastguard.

I am still confused with the relation between these things, but I think there is a thread elsewhere addressing how you can be a Horror of the Seas and simultaneously very friendly with a nation. I will look it up, my main question now is about the risk you mentioned.
Less risk be intercepted in the first place or just getting forgiveness by the soldier?

10) If you attack any nation (other than the pirates) without a Letter of Marque that is technically piracy even if they are hostile to you! My suggestion is if you want to attack non-pirates then become a privateer with their enemies. So to attack the French you should join the British!

You do indeed need a Letter of Marque to legally take prizes or sink enemy ships. Of course, you are free to plunder or sink ships without one, it just means you're a pirate and not a privateer.

But I got a job from a governor sinking that specific french ship! I think it attacked me first too!
I didn't noticed any change at my relationships tbh as I was already in war with France. What is supposed to happen in this scenario?

13) Not sure on the font but as you increase in level better items will become available! Until you get the "normal compass" you can see the wind direction by your flag on the mast!

Exactly, my flag is good enough for starters! But I hoped I would get a simple North indication which I can't as the letters are too small.
I feel this compass should have only one indication, only N, in the same size and place, but without the other points and let you mentally imagine them.
I started using known lands to double-check my compass instead of the other way around!
Anyway, I upgraded already!


And 2 new questions:

How the ''days out'' of my crew are calculated? I thought it was simply when not at sea but I noticed that the days where increasing even when docked in a neutral port. Not always thankfully, but still it baffled me.

What exactly the F11 button does?

 

[padrobo]

Ok, seems I have clarified something about the chests.

If I put an object that does not need to be equipped like the blade care kit or a lucky ring in the chest Opposite of the weapons locker the bonus applies.
If I put it in the chest by the wall it's useless.
I though it was covered in the tutorial somehow but I didn't get it apparently.

Now I just use the chest by the wall to store books that doesn't seem to have any practical use like the sea phrases. Or does it and I miss something again?

 

[Grey Roger]

About the non-measured perks like the gunner's one that gives ammo; I think this applies even if they are not member of the shore party, right?

Yes. If you have a gunner, whether he's in your shore party or not, he gives you free ammo. His job is on the ship, not on land! He gives you the ammo when you're back aboard ship and he can get at his stores. (Which, incidentally, are not related to any stocks of powder in either the cargo hold or in any chest.) Likewise, the surgeon heals wounded crew regardless of whether he's in your shore party or not.

But, I suppose, if I give my companion a crappy spyglass and a cheap compass that do not have measurable bonuses, he will not sail any better.

Correct. If an item doesn't provide a bonus, giving it to an officer won't give him a bonus.

I though that only the Weapons Locker gives the bonuses on everyone. I started using the Ship Locker as a store place for just readable books and things I felt keeping for a while. I think I had tried putting the blade care kit (+1 melee) in both chests and didn't get myself the bonus. Does the crew during boarding get it when in the Weapons Locker? All of them or just one guy?

Not all items give their bonuses when they're in the locker. You can't use the kit to sharpen your blade while it's in your locker! Officers only get bonuses from items which theyre carrying, not in lockers. Crew don't get bonuses from items at all, apart from weapons and armour in the weapons locker. When you board (or are boarded by) an enemy ship, each crewmember in the boarding fight takes one sword, one gun and one armour from the weapons locker. (And medical items too, though I don't usually put those in the locker so I don't know how many they take.) If there are no guns or armour left, some of the crew won't get any. And if there are no swords left, they get a default cutlass. When the fight on that deck is over, any crew who survive put their weapons and armour back. Then, when you go to the next deck, the same happens again. Any crew who didn't survive the fight don't return their equipment to the locker, so remember to go round looting all corpses, especially those of your crew - you have to retrieve their weapons and armour yourself, then put it back in the locker next time you are moored somewhere.

I had beforehand learned a time window from a soldier that it turned out to be true as it was a pretty short one (1hour plus I think) and moreover, when I killed the coastguard I found the book with the patrols that confirmed it along other time windows. After that, I reloaded and was observing the coast which had ships non stop there. I tried to break off from their view and return later (both night and day) and still the ships were there...
I suppose when there are ships a coastguard intervention is certain let alone the land coastguards.

Not all ships near the island are coastguard. If you got a true time from the soldier, or if you have a patrol schedule which hasn't become obsolete, then there won't be any coastguards ashore or at sea. There may be other ships, though.

I am still confused with the relation between these things, but I think there is a thread elsewhere addressing how you can be a Horror of the Seas and simultaneously very friendly with a nation. I will look it up, my main question now is about the risk you mentioned.
Less risk be intercepted in the first place or just getting forgiveness by the soldier?

Reputation is nothing to do with nation status. You can indeed be Horror of the High Seas and Admiral simultaneously - you're the sort of officer who gave empires a bad name! Or you can be Hero and hostile to all nations, in which case you're probably the sort of heroic pirate seen in any number of classic Hollywood films.

If you're friendly with a nation then its ships and forts should not attack you. If you're Hero then you should be able to trade in any store or shipyard belonging to any nation - you might be on the other side but you're a really great guy and they like you. If you're Horror of the High Seas then you can also trade anywhere, the storekeeper is quaking in his boots and is not about to argue if you're willing to buy stuff rather than threaten him!

But I got a job from a governor sinking that specific french ship! I think it attacked me first too!
I didn't noticed any change at my relationships tbh as I was already in war with France. What is supposed to happen in this scenario?

The governor will ask you to sink a ship which is hostile to his nation. That should normally mean the ship is hostile to you as well, so of course it will attack you.

There is a minimum relation level. If you're already at -119 to France because you've already been attacking its ships, it won't go any lower.

And 2 new questions:

How the ''days out'' of my crew are calculated? I thought it was simply when not at sea but I noticed that the days where increasing even when docked in a neutral port. Not always thankfully, but still it baffled me.

It depends on how you're paying the crew. If you're paying salary then it's the time since you were last in port. If you're paying by dividing plunder then it's either the time since you switched payment or the time since you last divided the loot. This is important because after about 90 days, they start getting impatient and morale may start to drop. If you have high Leadership skill, or if you have a lot of gold in reserve so they can expect a nice fat share, they'll be a bit more patient and may wait up to another 90 days. Then you'll notice your crew morale dropping faster than a brick thrown overboard and you'd better pay them ASAP if you don't want a mutiny!

What exactly the F11 button does?

It re-initialises various stuff. You don't need to use it in general gameplay. It can be useful if you've downloaded a recent update which added new items or ships but you want to continue a game in progress; you'll need to press F11 for those changes to take effect in your game.

 

[Grey Roger]

Ok, seems I have clarified something about the chests.

If I put an object that does not need to be equipped like the blade care kit or a lucky ring in the chest Opposite of the weapons locker the bonus applies.
If I put it in the chest by the wall it's useless.
I though it was covered in the tutorial somehow but I didn't get it apparently.

Now I just use the chest by the wall to store books that doesn't seem to have any practical use like the sea phrases. Or does it and I miss something again?

All books give some bonus, though not all have it in their descriptions. "Handy Sea Phrases" gives you +1 Leadership.

There may be three chests in the cabin. I'm not sure about the one on the wall. But there's an easy way to be sure. Press F2 to look at your skills - the number on the left is your basic skill, the number on the right is the skill modified by any relevant items. Put all your books into a chest, then check your skills again. If they've changed, that's the wrong chest. If they're still the same, that's the ship's locker where you can put some items and still get their bonuses. Again, put an item into the chest, use F2 and check your skills; if one of the numbers on the right has dropped, either it's the wrong chest or that's an item which needs to be in your possession to give you the bonus, like the blade care kit.

 

[padrobo]

Yes. If you have a gunner, whether he's in your shore party or not, he gives you free ammo. His job is on the ship, not on land! He gives you the ammo when you're back aboard ship and he can get at his stores. (Which, incidentally, are not related to any stocks of powder in either the cargo hold or in any chest.) Likewise, the surgeon heals wounded crew regardless of whether he's in your shore party or not.

Is there any value to have the quartermaster with me in the shore party? I think I get the commerce boost anyway, I don't know if it helps the goods to get delivered quicker.

Not all ships near the island are coastguard. If you got a true time from the soldier, or if you have a patrol schedule which hasn't become obsolete, then there won't be any coastguards ashore or at sea. There may be other ships, though.

Those looked like warships that belonged to the authorities for sure and weren't moving at all throughout the whole day and night. I consider the schedule up to date as I got it immediately after intercepted from the soldier. Anyway, I will try at another island again in the future to see if it it will play out differently. Preferably one with reduced patrols.

The governor will ask you to sink a ship which is hostile to his nation. That should normally mean the ship is hostile to you as well, so of course it will attack you.

Not necessarily hostile to me it seems. I got another job like this that involved a spanish ship. Spain was indeed hostile to him but not to me at the moment. I did the job to see how it will go and of course Spain became hostile to me as well when I captured the ship.

Generally, an attack without a Letter of Marque seems to be still illegal even though it is a part of a job.

In the same event, I tried fiddling with the flags and I found that I couldn't get my second ship to change to a false flag. Only to a pirate one from the quick menu but my intention was to attack under another's nation flag. The merchant I was accompanying had immediately followed my example but not my companion!
Do I have to notify my companion for a possible flag change as I do with the merchant beforehand?

It depends on how you're paying the crew. If you're paying salary then it's the time since you were last in port.

I am paying them with salary but the days were not always resetting when in port.


Regarding the weapons Locker; should I fill my companion's ship too? And even an accompanying merchant's one?

All books give some bonus, though not all have it in their descriptions. "Handy Sea Phrases" gives you +1 Leadership.

Now, that was a big missed one from my part heh! I hadn't noticed that one even when carrying the book. I will check every book I have after this.

I may have encountered a bug though, because as soon as I put all these items in the ''good'' chest when I go to the port on foot the game crashes... It seems my inventory will be a mess again unless it's only happening in Jamaica.

 

[Grey Roger]

Is there any value to have the quartermaster with me in the shore party? I think I get the commerce boost anyway, I don't know if it helps the goods to get delivered quicker.

You'll get the benefits of the quartermaster's skills and perks regardless of whether he's in your shore party. The main benefit of having officers in your shore party is that they'll fight alongside you. They'll gain Melee experience when they do. So it's worth keeping the same officers in your shore party, which in turn means that if the quartermaster was one of your first recruits and has been gaining Melee experience, keep him in your party. Otherwise the best officers for the shore party are the boatswain and master at arms.

Those looked like warships that belonged to the authorities for sure and weren't moving at all throughout the whole day and night. I consider the schedule up to date as I got it immediately after intercepted from the soldier. Anyway, I will try at another island again in the future to see if it it will play out differently. Preferably one with reduced patrols.

They might be warships and they might belong to the nation which owns the island, but if you're there when it's supposed to be safe, they shouldn't be coastguards.

Not necessarily hostile to me it seems. I got another job like this that involved a spanish ship. Spain was indeed hostile to him but not to me at the moment. I did the job to see how it will go and of course Spain became hostile to me as well when I captured the ship.

Generally, an attack without a Letter of Marque seems to be still illegal even though it is a part of a job.

Indeed if you attack a Spanish ship, Spain will take notice! But attacking a ship as the objective of a governor's mission should be legal even without a Letter of Marque - one purpose of those missions is to raise your standing with the governor's nation and make the Letter of Marque cheaper to buy!

In the same event, I tried fiddling with the flags and I found that I couldn't get my second ship to change to a false flag. Only to a pirate one from the quick menu but my intention was to attack under another's nation flag. The merchant I was accompanying had immediately followed my example but not my companion!
Do I have to notify my companion for a possible flag change as I do with the merchant beforehand?

That's odd. Companion ships should automatically change flag to match yours. You don't need to notify them, in fact there is no dialog option to do so. The reason for notifying the merchant is because if you don't, and if you then switch to a flag hostile to him, he thinks you're betraying him and will fight you. And the reason for that was precisely so that unscrupulous pirate players can betray and attack the merchant they're supposed to be protecting!

I am paying them with salary but the days were not always resetting when in port.

Do the days reset when you leave port? Anyway, if you're paying by salary then it's not that important, you just need to have the money to pay the salary at the end of the month. The number of days is only really important if you're paying by dividing plunder.

Regarding the weapons Locker; should I fill my companion's ship too? And even an accompanying merchant's one?

No, because they can't board anything. Only you can board or be boarded, so only your crew will need to fight in boarding actions.

I may have encountered a bug though, because as soon as I put all these items in the ''good'' chest when I go to the port on foot the game crashes... It seems my inventory will be a mess again unless it's only happening in Jamaica.

Try deleting the file "options", which you'll find in the top level of the game installation folder - not in "PROGRAM" or "RESOURCE". This file sometimes gets corrupted which can lead to various weirdness. If you delete it, the game will create a new, clean file, and if you changed anything such as controls or realism settings then you'll need to change them again. (A useful trick is to delete the file, start the game, set everything the way you want it, then quit at once and make a copy of the "options" file, which is then a clean file with all your preferred settings. Next time there is weirdness, or even as a routine precaution, delete "options", then make a copy of that copy and rename it back to "options".)

By the way, since the title of this thread ends with "no woman on board. Yet", you may want to consider the sidequests Sabine Matton and The French Pirate in the Tavern.

 

[padrobo]

I forgot to ask before about the personal wealth. How it is obtained? I haven't yet spotted any pattern and I have something around 2000 I think now.

Indeed if you attack a Spanish ship, Spain will take notice! But attacking a ship as the objective of a governor's mission should be legal even without a Letter of Marque - one purpose of those missions is to raise your standing with the governor's nation and make the Letter of Marque cheaper to buy!

Maybe it was logged ''not legal'' only in the text then and I didn't get a hit in my relations with the nations aside those involved? Next time I will write down the exact numbers to see what's going on.

And the reason for that was precisely so that unscrupulous pirate players can betray and attack the merchant they're supposed to be protecting!

Hahah I will try this in the future for sure.
For now I am just an honest merchant; yet too proud to get attacked and just flee. Plus, I am exploring this governor jobs as you saw.
Anyway, to sum up the flags with the mentioned Spanish ship:

I have an ''unrecognized'' status and I am neutral with both Spain and Holland that are at war with each other. Then I get the job from a Dutch governor to sink the spanish ship.
If I want to maintain my relationships with Spain I should fly a Dutch flag, for example, before attacking. I can also board under this flag and get away with it?
And lastly, if I spot the ship with my common spyglass -let's say 600 yards- is it too late to change the flag usually at this distance?

Do the days reset when you leave port? Anyway, if you're paying by salary then it's not that important,

Not as I noticed, that's why I got nervous about the morale but if you say so I'm fine!

Only you can board or be boarded

Ok, I thought they can be boarded too. This means that a Boatswain will be completely useless if placed as an officer (not captain) on board a companion ship?

I will take everything they have from their chests then, merchant's included!
By the way, this guy doesn't have any rum on board nor I can give him. I hope his crew morale is somewhat unaffected form this as he is an NPC.

Try deleting the file "options"

Another one I have read about and forgot it. Thanks, I 'll try it.

By the way, since the title of this thread ends with "no woman on board. Yet", you may want to consider the sidequests Sabine Matton and The French Pirate in the Tavern.

Heheh I will in the future! I put the title this way as I noticed I had 13 Qs initially, which in many countries is considered bad luck and because the people back then generally were believing this for women on board too probably. I think, I have also spotted a thread that offers a workaround for having women officers.

 

[Grey Roger]

I forgot to ask before about the personal wealth. How it is obtained? I haven't yet spotted any pattern and I have something around 2000 I think now.

When you switch crew payment to dividing plunder, you get a share as well. That goes into your personal wealth.

Maybe it was logged ''not legal'' only in the text then and I didn't get a hit in my relations with the nations aside those involved? Next time I will write down the exact numbers to see what's going on.

I've tried a governor ship hunting mission myself. There was nothing in the ship's log about the attack being illegal. The number you want to check is your relation to Pirates. Unless you started off as a pirate yourself, your relation to Pirates should start at -90. If, after you've sunk or captured an enemy ship, your relation to Pirates has changed to -89 then it was an illegal attack, and if you keep doing it to the point where the relation with Pirates is up to -59 (Wary), you become a pirate yourself. Additionally, you can buy Merchant Licence (or get one for free at the start of the game if you begin as a Merchant). This tells the world that you are a peaceful, honest merchant. Just two illegal attacks will strip you of that licence.

You don't have to be a peaceful merchant, you can have both a Merchant Licence and a Letter of Marque at the same time, in which case you can legally attack enemy ships and not lose the licence. (In reality the East India Company issued Letters of Marque to some of its captains precisely so that they could legally take prize ships.)

Anyway, to sum up the flags with the mentioned Spanish ship:

I have an ''unrecognized'' status and I am neutral with both Spain and Holland that are at war with each other. Then I get the job from a Dutch governor to sink the spanish ship.
If I want to maintain my relationships with Spain I should fly a Dutch flag, for example, before attacking. I can also board under this flag and get away with it?
And lastly, if I spot the ship with my common spyglass -let's say 600 yards- is it too late to change the flag usually at this distance?

If you attack that Spanish ship then you'll lose your relationship with Spain regardless of which flag you fly. The way to remain friendly to Spain is to refuse the mission! You can try again with another governor, or you can visit the same governor again after some time, and you may then be offered a mission to attack something else. It's always legal to attack pirate ships regardless of whether you have a Letter of Marque.

If you can identify the other ship, especially with a modest spyglass, then he can probably identify you.

Ok, I thought they can be boarded too. This means that a Boatswain will be completely useless if placed as an officer (not captain) on board a companion ship?

The boatswain is better than nothing. Besides, once he's put in command, he changes to Merchant Captain, Privateer Captain or Pirate Captain (depending on whether you are a privateer with a Letter of Marque, a merchant without a Letter of Marque, or a pirate who has been attacking ships illegally). He probably won't have much Sailing skill but he'll learn on the job.

By the way, this guy doesn't have any rum on board nor I can give him. I hope his crew morale is somewhat unaffected form this as he is an NPC.

If you can't exchange cargo then it must be a quest ship. Is this a ship you're escorting? You should always be able to exchange cargo (including food and rum) with any non-quest companion. In any case, apart from checks in a shipyard, rum is shared among the fleet, so all ships' morale should be fine if your own ship has enough to go round.

Heheh I will in the future! I put the title this way as I noticed I had 13 Qs initially, which in many countries is considered bad luck and because the people back then generally were believing this for women on board too probably. I think, I have also spotted a thread that offers a workaround for having women officers.

There's a setting in "PROGRAM\InternalSettings.h", FEMALE_OFFICER_PERCENTAGE, which controls the chances of finding a female officer for hire in a tavern. Beyond that, there is no workaround - the game is not entirely realistic here, female officers are treated exactly the same as male officers and have no effect on luck or morale. (There is one slight difference if you play a female character. There's an option with Sabine Matton that is not available if you're a male character.)

 

[MrMister]

Regarding the doubts about being caught smuggling by the coastal ship:

Somebody correct me if I’m wrong, but said ship catching you is just a roll of the die (affected by a perk and maybe the time of day, I think).

If you roll unlucky, a detachment mets you there on the coast and the ship *spawns* and is hostile.

Being caught has nothing to do with any coastal ships being near the beach when you moor or the likes. The ship first maybe detects you, and if it does, then it is there. In this order.