Mod Request: Crew Size adjustments

[Croaker]

I see now that we have some experienced modders paying attention to COAS, so I make a request to adjust the crew size in game. I find it really breaks the immersion level of the game to enter a tavern on a small island in the middle of the night and be able to recruit 2000 expert sailors who are ready to go without preparation.

IMO, crew size on ships should be drastically reduced by at least a factor of 10. They seem very high to me, but can someone tell me what historically acurate levels are? Acomplishing this feat, I can easily do myself with a tweak to the ship.ini, but I realize that also various other battle mechanics need to be changed so my small crew isnt completely wiped out in one grape volley, and that I don't know how to change. Additionally, fort and quest enemy numbers would also need to be reduced to make those battles possible with a smaller crew.

Ideally, my the crew size of my brig goes from 500 to around 50. They are much more durable, but they also gain experience much slower and when I lose 10 men in a battle, I feel a sense of loss. When I visit a small tavern, I don't find 10,000 sailors, but maybe 3 or 4 if I am lucky.

An advanced verstion of this mod might even change the way they are recruited from a generic hire from the bartender to individual conversations with people in the bar or around town. Perhaps this can easily be achieved with a dialogue option in the current officer hire conversation to "hire as cewmember" at a reduced price, vs/ "hire as officer"

Thanks for reading

 

[Azura]

I think that it's nice idea. From myself i will add that crew salaries are way too big and the whole money system of this game is unrealistic. In those times there were a lot of different currency but they were all coins and having 1000 coins was like having lot of money. As for the crew in those times sailors paid in advance for the possibility of getting aboard and they received their salaries after journey when the captain sold what he wanted and received money. Only soldiers were receiving constant salary and pirates were usually joining for free hoping to get good loot and they were dividing loot according to the rules they decided before. I think that whole economic and salary system of the game should be changed and if anyone can do it and want to do it i would be really grateful.

 

[El-Capitan]

I've been changing/testing the crew sizes on ships to be a little more realistic, and been looking for the info. on crew all over the place. I havent come across the code for crew avail. in taverns yet, but then again havent been looking for it. It would make it more realistic to change that. It should be relatively easy ( compared to other ideas I want implemented). If anybody has any ideas, please share.
I like the idea of recruiting crew from other areas other than the tavern. This would add immersion to the game and be a change of the 'usual'. I also would like to add that once the hero reaches 'Captain' rank Ladies and rich Gentlemen around town approach the player to ask if they would consider taking their son to sea with him as a midshipman. Would be another way to add low level officers. Or promote from within the crew(I read that idea on a post on piratesahoy somewhere a while ago). Jonathan Aldridge added to the dialogue options in the captain's cabin for his rum mod. Much in the same way JA did this other options might be added. I think that the 'knocking' sound clip(played when trying to enter a locked door in town) could be played...dialogue option comes up...."Enter" or "I dont wish to be disturbed!".....a ship's officer would then enter the cabin(like fighters follow cap'n to the cabin) and say: "Captain, Mr. such&such distinguished himself in that last action and exhibited leadership. I recommend he be promoted." Vioila- new officer.