My experiences with playing the newest Modpack

[Rad]

Hi Pieter and others. I have started to play the newest version of the Modpack. I have installed game + Build 12.1 + Modpack + Modpack update + New islands + new islands update.

I have installed new sound from Master & Commander too but I didn´t like it and for that reason I disabled it.

Even though I have quite good newer computer Barton 3200 XP+, RAM Corsair 1GB, HD Hitachi (IBM) 160GB, GeForce 6600 GT and Sound Blaster Audigy II I was surprised how in some places, where several large ships shoot at me my game jerked because of all the time increasing blast effects, smokes, fires, aditional sounds and so on. For that reason I selected blast effects number 1 which aren´t so huge and demanding for hardware. I disabled aditional sounds too and I think then the performance increased a little. Pieter, I think you modders should remember that all the performance of the game is constantly with every new mod slowly decreasing and you should try to optimalize it (if you are able) as much as possible and be moderate with all the blast effects and fires and smokes. Anyway I think the efects version with flying woden debrised all the time and in so ample degree is very exaggerated and impress very unnaturally. The less is sometimes more.

I am at the ninth level now. I must tell you that despite of many problems before my real starting of the game I managed to eliminate them mostly by setting of the file BuildSettings.h. I still don´t like many things in the game because I prefer rather more action style of fight and all the playing than buying wheat or distingush my ship. I am very glad that so much items is tweakable in the game now. I think without this possibility I would abandon the game before I would start it, I think. I would be very glad, Pieter, if you could describe all the tweaking functions more detailed yet ( at least what about the headlines concerns) because the headings are mostly in abbreviations and sometimes I really don´t know to what purpose they exactly serve. I think it is quite real to do it. Despite of all the problems I think the game slowly improves lately.

I like very much the real cannons in the game that are here now because they ballistics is very good and range is satisfactory too. For that reason I think any further mod of guns isn´t necessary even desirable already, because if anything is good already, every futher "improvement" can make worse it. I would only remove all the low calibres 4,6 and maybe 9 too from the game because ships of those times were armed as much as possible and any merchant ship with guns of calibres 4 -9 would have no chance against any pirate invading. Those small calibres was used at the smalest boats as for example at gunboats or as a complementary guns on the decks where was often on a revolving gun-carriages and was used against crew shoothing grapes or even various iron scraps or spikes. What stroke me was the fact that when I would want to buy cannons of smaller calibre that I currently have I must to pay for them. It is illogical and it never was this way in the game. I don´t like it. And I would be glad if it would be somehow more dictinctly marked what concrete gun calibres the ships currently use. It is somehow hazy a little and not too apparent.

To be continue...... <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/hi.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":gday" border="0" alt="hi.gif" />

 

[Admiral Lord Nelson]

I seem to have lots of problems with the post mod pack. On one mission where you have to take that british sloop to greenford to have the troops unloaded to the cave. it bugs out and doesnt allow me to pull out my sword or any one else to pull out there sword. Every time I tried the same bug happend. I ended up having to guide the sloop infront of a french ship so it could be sank just for that mission to work. Sadly i've ran into a problem that I cant avert now. In the mission where I have to talk to that smuggler about raoul rames. He wont talk he just says hes busy. and theres not another thing I can do. Pieter do you know how to get around these problems. as I never had them before the modpack

 

[Rad]

This is bad because it is bug in the main storyline. I will see if I will encounter it. <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/unsure.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":?" border="0" alt="unsure.gif" />

 

[Pieter Boelen]

If I say I have hardly any coding knowledge, I mean it. I can hardly do any bug-fixing at all, let alone streamlining the processing of the code. I know it would be very nice if the code could be optimized and it might even be very needed as well; but I can do it. <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sad.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="" border="0" alt="sad.gif" />
However: I have not encountered any truly bad performance on my computer yet. But I do admit I have hardly play-tested anything lately. Too busy. <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/piratesing.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="" border="0" alt="piratesing.gif" />

It's also true about the BuildSettings.h decriptions. They're sometimes quite vague. I know Nathan and Inez were working on a piece of code to change the settings easily, but it doesn't seem to be getting much nearer to completion, so I might replace the current descriptions with clearer ones when I have the time. Good idea. <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/me.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="" border="0" alt="me.gif" />

 

[CatalinaThePirate]

I just did the escort-to-Greenford mission and did not encounter any problems at all. <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/dunno.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="" border="0" alt="dunno.gif" /> Maybe you have a corrupted save, Admiral Lord Nelson. <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/unsure.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":?" border="0" alt="unsure.gif" />

 

[Rad]

Hi, Pieter, Catalina and all others. Cat, it is nice to hear you again here. I am glad you are back. You wasn´t here too much lately.
Today I played all the day. I confirm to myself the new sound effects quite slower the game. So I would recommend to let them disabled.

The new islands looks very perspectively even though they are unfinished and and when I was at some of them my computer got stuck several times at various places. It is a little pitty all the new towns that was already created are only the compilations of the old towns. But I know it is difficult to create something completely new. But it would be fine to have some different styles of towns architectures and forts by the nations as it is in Sea Dogs. And I firmly hope it is only the beginning of something new that will lift up all the game on the higher level. I believe in that. I encountered a strange video bug in the game yesterday. I don´t know by which it caused, probably by this new islands somehow? I don´t know. From time to time Nathaniel start as though fly above the ground and heads somewhere out of the blue. And he can´t be stop in any case, only by loading the game. Did you encounter something like that in this newest version? I have got the new video card GeForce 6600 GT and it seems to me it works very good, so I think something was spoiled in the game a little, maybe because of these new islands. One important remark. As this archipelago is fair larger now it would be very desirable to rework the map´s view a little in the style so as it could be watched from larger distance because I constantly don´t know where I am and where the remote islands lie now.

I don´t like new spyglass mod and I consider it completely useless and even undesirable, but I can admit maybe somebody can consider it funny. But I like to have the more exact datas because having them to my disposition I can lead my fights. (condition of enemies hulls, sails and crew.) Fortunately it can be disabled.

I think the Blacksmith mod is very good now and works well and even after a long time aversion I had a fancy for the tailor mod because I use it not for Nathaniel but for my officers. More nice women, please. <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/icon_mrgreen1.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="" border="0" alt="icon_mrgreen1.gif" /> It is very pleasant to convert some male officer into a beautiful lady. The opium den is good, maybe some plot around him could be somehow extended in the future.

I like the system boarding and fighitng now. After very long time I consider it very satisfactory and adequate. It is quite real when after some shoting at enemy´s ship she hauls down her flag and surrenders. And anybody can decide whether sink this ship or capture it. Even boarding works well now. I am very positively surprised by it.

What disappeared from here is possibility to change the types of sails. I liked it and I regularly used the red sails. I think it should be returned into the game.

All the time I complained that when I wanted to talk to anybody had to circle around him/her quite often. Now it works perfectly but it seems to me somehow too much. When I am going anywhere a lot of people stops me and says me all the time anything but the worst is they say all the time the same about three tips-off. I think it would be good if anybody talked to me willingly but only in the case when I would push the action key (spacebar or enter). And if anabody from you was able devise some new witty tip-offs, or something funny or informative it would be very good.

And please, could anybody make up some large colored doorplates which would be distinctly visible from larger distance, so as I need´t find tailors´, blacksmiths´ but even store, tavern, shipyard if I would want to walk round the town sometimes and not to use every time the icons menu? I know, they are here but not too much striking.

I like all the sea very much now. It is really almost perfect. All the great waves, flashes of the sea level, nice coloured bottom by shores, sharks and so on are great. But please, don´t reduce the waves how anybody wanted. All the huge atmosphere would disappeared. But neither don´t increase them already. They are just right now. Only in several cases of some storms, sometimes the sea level is too calm despite of the strong wind. I think in this cases the waves should be increased. Or can be sea calm when weather is bad and wind is strong? I think not.

To be continue.... <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/hi.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":gday" border="0" alt="hi.gif" />

 

[Admiral Lord Nelson]

Like I said im ok with it all except the fact that you can only go so far in the storyline before you cant go any farther.

Another thing I noticed is never ask the redmont governer for jobs. You'll get to fight pirates for a while untill you start fighting these neutral ships that all have the same captain (some dude with an eye patch and a beard)
Well it decreases your national relations and makes your letter of marque void. So yeh thats somethin that needs fixen too <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/par-ty.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="" border="0" alt="par-ty.gif" />

 

[CouchcaptainCharles]

Thanks for your constructive feedback, Rad. As for people talking to you in the streets without invitation: the point of that is not the -admittedly often meaningless- dialog but that some of the people are pickpockets who steal from you. Furthermore in hostile towns you may be recognized and attacked. If you don't like that (which I can quite understand) you can swithc it off with this Buildsetting option:

#define PATROL_ADRESSING 1 // Set to 0 to prevent patrols and pickpockets from adressing you

BTW, having your sword drawn should also deter people from talking to you.

 

[Rad]

Hi, CCC, I am greeting you. It isn´t this way as you think. I don´t want to eliminate anything from that. I know it isn´t useless and wouldn´t want to switch off it because the game is more interactive at least now. I had rather in my mind if you or anybody else could invent some further tipps-off or informations or anything else which would be funny or something similar ir will be good, nothing more. I know it isn´t easy but some people are talented for something like that. If I would have some idea I would send it to you. And if I would have some idea for a PoTC larger quest who would be able to realize it? Could you give me your e-mail adress? <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/hi.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":gday" border="0" alt="hi.gif" />

 

[Pieter Boelen]

<!--QuoteBegin-Rad+Oct 5 2005, 11:40 PM--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Rad @ Oct 5 2005, 11:40 PM)</div><div class='quotemain'><!--QuoteEBegin-->One important  remark. As this archipelago is fair larger now it would be very desirable to rework the map´s view a little in the style so as it could be watched from larger distance because I constantly don´t know where I am and where the remote islands lie now.
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Pressing the "Tab" button should put you in a free camera mode, which is zoomed out further and which you can move using the mouse. However: It's a bit hard to keep track of which boat is yours in this mode, because the camera doesn't follow your boat, like usual. But you could give this a try... <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/unsure.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":?" border="0" alt="unsure.gif" />

<!--QuoteBegin-Rad+Oct 5 2005, 11:40 PM--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Rad @ Oct 5 2005, 11:40 PM)</div><div class='quotemain'><!--QuoteEBegin-->What disappeared from here is possibility to change the types of sails. I liked it and I regularly used the red sails. I think it should be returned into the game.
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This option hasn't been removed. It has been moved to a different place, so if you don't know where to find it, you might think it's removed. Go to the F2>Ship screen, then click the sails (in the upper part of the interface screen). When you click that, the button to go to the "Choose sails" interface should apear in the lower part of the screen. Hope you can find it. <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/me.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="" border="0" alt="me.gif" />

<!--QuoteBegin-Rad+Oct 5 2005, 11:40 PM--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Rad @ Oct 5 2005, 11:40 PM)</div><div class='quotemain'><!--QuoteEBegin-->All the time I complained that when I wanted to talk to anybody had to circle around him/her quite often. Now it works perfectly but it seems to me somehow too much. When I am going anywhere a lot of people stops me and says me all the time anything but the worst is they say all the time the same about three tips-off. I think it would be good if anybody talked to me willingly but only in the case when I would push the action key (spacebar or enter). And if anabody from you was able devise some new witty tip-offs, or something funny or informative it would be very good.
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You can change the chance for this happening in BuildSettings.h. The define "CITIZEN_STOPCHANCE" is the chance that a citizen will stop when you come near, so that you can initiate conversation yourself. Set to 0 so that they will never stop and set to 1 so that they will always stop. Chance between 0 and 1 will make them sometimes stop. The define "CITIZEN_TALKCHANCE" is the chance for citizens to start talking to you themselves. It works the same at the "CITIZEN_STOPCHANCE" define. You could try setting it to 0 and then you should always have to initiate conversation yourself.

 

[Rad]

Pieter, I know very well this Tab switch and I use it all the time. But it isn´t sufficient now. I thing there should be implemented such scale yet so as all the archipelago was on the screen in one moment. Maybe even complete new map could be made up even 2D active map would be sufficient. I don´t like this 3D map. I like map the type of Sea Dogs. What about sails concerns I will see. I really couldn´t find it even though I tried to find it. And as I already said above I don´ want to disable this talking. I think it would deprive the game of something which is good and important. I wanted only so as they talk to me only after my pushing enter or spacebar and add some new whitty, funny or any new talks so as people did´t talk all the time the same things. But on the other hand it is better when they talk to me by theirselves than I had to circle around them and they eluded me. <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/mybad.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="" border="0" alt="mybad.gif" />

 

[Rad]

I found this setting sails and set my favorite red sails. It is good tweaking. Maybe it could be somehow extended a litlle in the future. Once I have seen ships with dark green sails. It was green frigate with this dark green sails. It looked nice. Thanks Pieter.

I still miss many ships in the shipyards that I have known form the past. Please, How could I open my shipyards for all the ships? I don´t like those resctrictions what about appearing of those ships concerns.

Do you know anybody the quest "The Saga of the Blacque family" at Falaise de Fleur? I tried to play it somehow in the past and now too but I don´t know how to proceed. This blond girl tells me that her father is ill and that I will hear about her family sooner or later or something similar. And this is all and every time I am not able to find out anything elese.

In my logbook appeared finding two treasures one at Tursks and the second at Cuba. I tried to find them but it seems to me they don´t work yet. Or am I mistaken?

 

[Swindler]

<img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/hi.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":gday" border="0" alt="hi.gif" />

<!--QuoteBegin-Rad+Oct 7 2005, 11:38 AM--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Rad @ Oct 7 2005, 11:38 AM)</div><div class='quotemain'><!--QuoteEBegin-->Do you know anybody the quest "The Saga of the Blacque family" at Falaise de Fleur? I tried to play it somehow in the past and now too but I don´t know how to proceed. This blond girl tells me that her father is ill and that I will hear about her family sooner or later or something similar.
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You have tro talk to her father at the port, then to Orable Caron and then to the harbour master.

Cheers!

 

[Doober]

I don't think the treasure quests fully work yet, the times I've tried to get them, my computer froze up. <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sad.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="" border="0" alt="sad.gif" />

 

[Rad]

Thanks Swindler very much for you advice. I will do it.

Doober, my computer froze up too or I didn´t find anything so far.

<img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/buds.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="" border="0" alt="buds.gif" />

 

[Rad]

Today I discovered some strange things. I received some quest at Isla Muelle´s shopkeeper to deliver some cargo to Conceicao in the course of one month. I was there after 12 days but this Conceicao´s shopkeeper didn´t want anything from me in any case. I had to sell this cargo regularly. What happened here.

And another more strange thing. I chased some pirate Pinnace which is quite slow ship on my fregate which has speed 15,6 knots and I can´t to catch her in any case. Both the ships were in very good condition. Only when I took down two of their masts I could reach her comfortably.

And all the pirate ships rather eluded me now even though they are three ones and I am single which is a little strange. In previous versions it was completely inversely and every little ship attack my MOW very furiously as a kamikaze. I think something in between would be good. <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/mybad.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="" border="0" alt="mybad.gif" />

 

[Rad]

Just now I discovered very unpleasant bug. If I wanted to replenish my destroyed cannons so when I let my ship repaired my cannons stayed broken. So I must buy the same type of cannons which I have but insted of paying only for destroyed cannons I pay for all 42 my cannons. It is very bad. Do you know anybody how to repair my broken cannons and pay only for those who was replenished? <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/whippa.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="" border="0" alt="whippa.gif" />

 

[Screwface]

When did your computer freeze up in the treasure quest?
If the quest entry is not closed in the quest book, you haven't find the chest yet.

Be careful, sometime the information about the treasure is volontary false, that's normal. The encounter can sell you a false information for money. There isn't a treasure each time !

 

[Rad]

Hm.... I have in my logbok two informations about treasures at Cuba and at Turks. But it somehow doesn´t work properly yet. My computer froze several times by these new islandas but I don´t remember where exactly. <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/mybad.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="" border="0" alt="mybad.gif" />

 

[Screwface]

did you click on the information in your quest book to show the detail ? The information about the treasure is more precise !