Best way to fight sea battles?

[br8nd4n]

Hi,

Finally got the game working last night after having to upgrade my graphics card, but only got chance to play for an hour. I got attacked by a few scurvy pirates but ended up sailing round in circles until distance ended the skirmish. I have a few questions:

Regarding sea battles, I know how to load the cannons and I know how to fire them at pirate attackers; however do you aim manually or is it all determined by your accuracy level, quality of cannons, ability of canoneers etc. and all you really have to do is get in range and have them broadside to your ship whilst hoping for the best as you press space bar?

Also, do crew automatically reload with the last ammo you had after firing or do you always have to manually command a reload?

Is on deck or 3rd person view best for battles?


Thanks for all your help.

 

[Thomas the Terror]

You can aim on deck, than accacuary doesnt count

 

[hollidca]

Hi welcome to Potc
In 3rd person the aim is determined by cannon and accuracy skill. Crew do automatically reload with the last ammo you used. I think 3rd person view is best for battles because it means you have a full 360 degree view without obstacles.
At fist battles are hard, but after a while it's easy enough if you use the right strategies. My favourite is to try and stay out of their line of fire and head straight at them then cross behind them, give then a good broadside and then turn to follow them and board them or keep crossing the stern and blasting the decks with broadside shots.

 

[skull]

Welcome aboard mate, Us ethe wind to your advantage, attack from their stern. I sail a small fast ship to take advantage of the larger ships using these tactics. I use 3rd person view for distant battles and 1st person view for in close battles. Use chainshot to tear there sails, pepper em with grapeshot to reduce crew, board an capture, then loot an plunder is very lucrative for coins in yer pocket <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/par-ty.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="" border="0" alt="par-ty.gif" />

 

[ledhed]

If you are fighting alone ..DONT use first person shooting..it takes much practice.

Use the wind to adavantage by your ship type ...unless you have a Galleon or Cravelle...then just die like a man .


If you have a Fleet...TAKE ALL THE GRAPE off your other ships..
the A.I. is on drugs and will happily shoot grape shot all day until you sink and they die .

Board and fight....seems you cant transfer crew unless you have the other ship SURENDER...so if you lose men U R SCREWED....when u win no option for even one guy to join crew....and the spawn rate for NPC pirates is INSANE . LOL.
So Board when you have other ships in fleet you can spam Crewe from....or you can OVERWHELM other ship.

If You Board a war Galleon with a Brig...without decimating the crew...you may win the battle but lose thr war.

 

[dab]

haha Wow, I didn't know that so many people use the 3rd person view for battles. Sounds like I should try it sometime. I've always stuck with the 1st person view because I enjoy the authenticity of it. Aiming the cannons can be a little tricky that way, but you learn to work around that.

The first thing I like to do is hire a gunner who will bring my gunnery skill up, that way my shot will be closer to the mark. Then I aim according to the shot I am using. If I am using bombs/cannonballs I aim right at the level that my sites turn red or even a little lower as to hit more of the hull. If you aim too high the balls will fly over the deck of your enemy and splash harmlessly into the sea beyond.

Then if I am using chain/knippels I like to aim a little bit higher than when my sites turn red. That way you tear up the sails and demast your enemy.

My favorite thing to do is gain the weather gauge/get up wind of them, load my guns with grape, and then charge them before they can get very many broadsides off at me. Then I line myself up to board them, poor my broadside of grape into them at point blank range and board them.

Good luck with whatever you do! And remember, practice makes perfect. <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/par-ty.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="" border="0" alt="par-ty.gif" />