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Best Starting Strategy for Build Mod 13 Final?

Goatman455

Landlubber
What boat is the best to pick? Which is the biggest? <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sailr.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":sail" border="0" alt="sailr.gif" /> Also, what is the best nationality and starting strategy?
Thanks
 
There is no such thing as best nationality. BUT it is easier to start with portugese, because they are neutral with everybody except the pirates. The hardest is pirates, because they are hostile to everyone, so you can't really make port. Except at the pirate ports, and that are only 3 ports with 1 smuggler village
 
in my opinion, the best ships are the bermuda sloop, the ketch, and the lugger VML. and i'd add the gunboat in there as well because it's so much fun to use. <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile2.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":))" border="0" alt="smile2.gif" /> the bermuda sloop is very fast and VERY big, but is relatively lightly armed. however, despite it's low number of cannons, their caliber is pretty high for such a ship. the lugger VML just looks plain awesome, and the ketch is just your average sloop with two masts, making it a bit safer to use in combat.
 
<!--quoteo(post=230414:date=Jan 2 2008, 07:58 AM:name=Morgan Terror)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Morgan Terror @ Jan 2 2008, 07:58 AM) [snapback]230414[/snapback]</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->...the ketch is just your average sloop with two masts, making it a bit safer to use in combat.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
It is also just a little bit faster.
 
<!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->the best ships are the bermuda sloop, the ketch, and the lugger VML<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

Yes, they're a good base to build a trade fleet. My advice would be to get one of these and do trade jobs (or act as a merchant). Build a fleet and save up for something bigger (Fleuts are a good choice when you have the speed abilities) and you'll be printing money. It's too easy being a merchant.
 
I find a Portugese commission to be invaluable. Whenever you're in trouble (ship badly damaged/out of ammo/about to run out of food), you just run up the old Portugese flag and you get through. That's why whenever I have a bit of money, the first thing I do is buy myself into the Portugese navy. I also usually leave myself some cash at their Conceico (spelling is off, I know) island.
 
You don't need to be part of the Portuguese navy to fly their flag <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/pirate_plain.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":p3" border="0" alt="pirate_plain.gif" />
 
that's true, but it DOES get you into any port, unless you've turned the random relations mod on when you have build 14 alpha 6. of course, being in the portugese navy just makes it easier for you to get away with flying the portugese flag. however, the portugese aren't very good for making your naval career, as you have little sources to gain reputation. the dutch are a far better side to be on, as they have a lot of enemies, and so do a few other nations. you'll be promoted so fast you don't know what to do with all that cash! i've always prefered the privateer's life above the merchant. although i do do trading runs once in a while whe i have some REALLY big ships, although smuggling is far more profitable, and i prefer smuggling when i have high luck.
 
But if you're not, it's a fake flag, you could be recognized and could be in trouble. <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/dev.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":d:" border="0" alt="dev.gif" />
 
well, if you're with the portugese you might as well not be at war with anyone. that's something i've been wondering about, by the way: if you've joined the portugese, you're part of the portugese, so you're not at war with anyone. but if you fly your personal flag, some nations would still attack you when you are technically not at war with them anymore.
 
I should've clarified, I usually go with Dutch or French and then buy myself a second commission in the Portugese. This way I have a main career and Portugal is my "backup".
 
of course. it's always a good idea to buy as many LoM's as is possible without generating nationality conflicts, so you can rake in the greatest profit. in fact, what you can sometimes do is just keep on going until you reach a high rank, resign your military career with that nation, and then start over again so you get the land bonus twice!
 
Does anyone think we should prevent the player from getting two LoM's? And perhaps have the player lose his title and land when he resigns? At least when he resigns on bad terms.
 
i think that the latter idea could be a good idea, although annoying. for instance, i've had it happen more than once that i accidentally hit the wrong ship in a battle because i was shooting at a hostile ship behind it and lost 400 relation points. but i know you can turn that off. as for the first idea, no, don't think we should. the player should be able to join multiple nations, if those nations aren't hostile to one another.
 
<!--quoteo(post=231142:date=Jan 3 2008, 02:30 PM:name=Pieter Boelen)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Pieter Boelen @ Jan 3 2008, 02:30 PM) [snapback]231142[/snapback]</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Does anyone think we should prevent the player from getting two LoM's? And perhaps have the player lose his title and land when he resigns? At least when he resigns on bad terms.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

I agree with that. Serving two nations at the same time shouldn't be possible (or at least not openly - you could do that secretly... Pretending to work for Redmond Governor and helping the French at Oxbay being secretly paid by them for exemple...). Letters of Marque and Privateer job were strictly codified. Some nations are maybe at peace for now, but who knows they won't turn ennemy later?

I once suggest that when you are serving a nation as a privateer you shouldn't be able to pay your crew with regular salary, but you should have to divide the plunder in a town belowing to the Nation you serve, and about 1/5 (more, less?...) of the boonty would go to this Nation. The purpose of Privateers was of course to disturb an enemy trading routes & econmy, but extra incomes for the country was another idea.
 
wasn't deviding the plunder more of a piratical activity? although giving the nation you serve an income makes sense, paying your crew a salary would make sense too as you're now part of a navy.
 
<!--quoteo(post=231236:date=Jan 3 2008, 01:13 PM:name=Morgan Terror)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Morgan Terror @ Jan 3 2008, 01:13 PM) [snapback]231236[/snapback]</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->wasn't deviding the plunder more of a piratical activity? although giving the nation you serve an income makes sense, paying your crew a salary would make sense too as you're now part of a navy.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

Well, in Cutthroats: Terror of the High Seas (a fun old pirate game if there ever was one), the way it worked was whenever you captured a ship or stole goods from towns/ships, as soon as you returned to a port of the nation from who you got your Letter of Marque, those goods and ships would be converted to cash, the government took 1/5 and you had the ability to buy back ships captured/cannons/goods, etc. Now that I think about it, there are some good features on player vs governor interaction that could be borrowed from that game.

Governor generates random quests for you of a personal nature which raise your standing with him (deliver letter, deliver people, kidnap people for him, capture pirate for trial, etc). These merely improved your standing with the specific port and not the nation (ie, goods in that port 25% cheaper, etc)

You could get caught by a hostile power and then thrown in jail to await trial. There you could bribe the judge to let you go by offering him treasure or otherwise you'd be hung (this could be simulated by modifying the existing loanshark, so that you get a promissary note whenever you deposit money)

There are probably more I'm missing, but then again, I played the game many years ago.
 
<!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->But if you're not, it's a fake flag, you could be recognized and could be in trouble<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

Everyone loves to gamble <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/dev.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":d:" border="0" alt="dev.gif" />

I do think just one LoM should be allowed. It would also be good if you could actually join the navy of a nation. Basically all costs taken care of but you receive orders and have to make to with the vessel you are given. Naturally as you rise in rank you are given more prestigious vessels. I'm basically doing this myself with house rules: work my way up the classes, no capturing vessels, no building squadrons, no crew pay (turned it off) etc. When I play as a privateer I allow swapping vessels but only if I have the crew for it (I don't use enemy officers or crew). Also set salaries to 5x when a not part of a navy although as a merchant I was still easily making the crew payments.

I use quite a few house rules when I play. I've also turned off surrender and all spyglass info apart from distance. I've greatly increased the distance at which enemies force you to run instead of the cheap "go to" or jumping back to the map and it has lead to some very close calls. I also only use vessels, crew and officers from the nation I serve.
 
Cool. <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sailr.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":sail" border="0" alt="sailr.gif" />
 
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