§BlackBeard§
Landlubber
Welcome to the Naval Tactics of Age of Pirates 2
This topic will provide Brief history behind Tactics, But i will also provide you with why these Tactics are Used and why.
First I'll start with a Small history lesson for those few who like their history
Early history
Since ancient times, war at sea had been fought much like on land: with melee weapons and bows and arrows, but on floating wooden platforms rather than battlefields. Though the introduction of guns was a significant change, it only slowly changed the dynamics of ship-to-ship combat. The first guns on ships were small wrought-iron pieces mounted on the open decks and in the fighting tops, often requiring only one or two men to handle them. They were designed to injure, kill or simply stun, shock and frighten the enemy prior to boarding.[1] As guns were made more durable to withstand stronger gunpowder charges, they increased their potential to inflict critical damage to the vessel rather than just their crews. Since these guns were much heavier than the earlier anti-personnel weapons, they had to be placed lower in the ships, and fire from gunports, to avoid ships becoming unstable. In Northern Europe the technique of building ships with clinker planking made it difficult to cut ports in the hull; clinker-built (or clench-built) ships had much of their structural strength in the outer hull. The solution was the gradual adoption of carvel-built ships that relied on an internal skeleton structure to bear the weight of the ship.[2] The development of propulsion during the 15th century from single-masted, square-rigged cogs to three-masted carracks with a mix of square and lateen sails made ships nimbler and easier to manoeuvre.[3]
Gunports cut in the hull of ships had been introduced as early as 1501, only about a decade before the Mary Rose was built. According to tradition the inventor was a Breton shipwright called Descharges, but it is just as likely to have been a gradual adaptation of loading ports in the stern of merchant vessels that had already been in use for centuries.[4] Initially, the gunports were used to mount heavy so-called stern chasers pointing aft, but soon gun ports migrated to the sides of ships. This made possible coordinated volleys from all the guns on one side of a ship, broadsides, for the first time in history, at least in theory. Guns in the 16th century were considered to be in fixed positions and were intended to fire independently rather than in concerted volleys. It was not until the 1590s that the word "broadside" in English was commonly used to refer to gunfire from the side of a ship rather than the ship's side itself.[5]
Naval tactics throughout the 16th century and well into the 17th century, however, was focused on countering the oar-powered galleys that were armed with heavy guns in the bow, facing forwards, which were aimed by turning the entire ship against its target. Though far less seaworthy than sailing vessels and highly vulnerable to boarding by ships that rode higher in the water, the galleys were a serious threat due to their ability to aim accurate heavy gunfire low in the hulls of larger sailing ships.
Now we get to Tactics and Throughout this part i will give My own Opinions as to where, When and Why to use these Tacics.
Naval tactics in the Age of Sail were primarily determined by the sailing and fighting qualities of the sailing warships of the time. Three factors, in particular, constrains what You as a Captain can do.
>The first constraint was that, like all sailing vessels, sailing warships cannot sail directly into the wind. Most could sail not much closer than 70 degrees off the wind. This limits the maneuverability of a Ship or Fleet during Engagements at close quarters. Holding the weather gage, i.e. being upwind of one's opponent, conferred considerable tactical advantage.
>The second constraint was that the ships of the time carried their guns in two large batteries, one on each broadside, with only a few mounted to fire directly ahead or astern. The sailing warship was immensely powerful on its sides, but very weak on its bow and stern. The sides of the ship were built with strong timbers, but the stern, in particular, was fragile with a flimsy structure round the large windows of the officers’ cabins. The bows and, particularly, the sterns of the ship were vulnerable to raking fire. Raking another ship by firing the length of a ship from either the bow or stern caused tremendous damage, because a single shot would fly down the length of the decks, while the ship being raked could not return fire with her broadsides.
(For this reason it's always within your best interests as Captain to stay at a 45 degree angle of the stern or bow, I say a 45 degree angle because at that angle your in what I call the 'Opponents Dead zones')
>The third constraint was the difficulty of communicating at sea. Written communication was almost impossible in a moving fleet, while hailing was extremely difficult above the noise of wind and weather. So admirals were forced to rely on a pre-arranged set of signal flags hoisted aboard the admiral's flagship. In the smoke of battle, these were often hard or impossible to see.
(This constraint you do not need to worry about, Seeing as Age of pirates 2 does not have this system)
In this next section i will Give examples and Tactics that I use when engaging Opponents and why
(Tactics may change if your On Dramatic or Realistic game settings)
When i go into a naval engagement I make it a Priority to Put some Distance between my Ship and the Opponents, The reason being is that when you enter an engagement with no knowledge of what your facing then you will soon regret that decision.
Here is a small Scenario in which I describe and explain my reasons for using the tactics i'll use.
I've entered the engagement with the opponent and I've found myself within my comfort distance i.e Within their firing range. This allows them to Automatically begin firing upon my Ship and this will lead to unwanted damages at the start of the engagement. This is something i don't want so instead of placing myself in that position I Make a hard turn to either Port or Starboard depending on the opponents position at the time.
I sail for about a minute or two too get far enough away but to keep them within my line of site. This now enables me to Use the Spyglass to then get a Pre-battle look at the ship. This will help provide me with well needed information that will intern help with my decision to finally engage the opponents ship.
This is what I look for when i use my Spyglass.
>Speed - what speed the ships doing gives an insight to the speed required to out maneuver it.
>Cannon Cal' - this will let you know what fire power this ship is capable off.
>Amount of crew - Tells you how much they have.
When i have this information and I'm satisfied that my ship and have a chance then i begin my approach, Though i tend not to rush as I've found haste is never going to help when wind is concerned.
When I get to within firing range of the opponent I make sure to come in from the Stern of the ship, staying in a 45 degree angle as it helps a lot, not only for the survival of your ship but to also allow time for you to load Grapeshot if you haven't already.
Grapeshot is used to kill off the opponents crew to make sure if and when you board your crew will suffer less or no damage at all. But it also helps to Slow down the opponents reloading of their cannons and how fast they can change their sails to Full canvas or only Half canvas.
When in the 'Opponents dead zones' make slight adjustments to your heading and rake the opponents ship with full broadsides to gradually take down your opponents crew and therefore their fighting strength.
When you have finally dealt with the crew and are satisfied that their no longer of your concern, then it is time to choose your next move. You can either board and possibly make the crew and Captain surrender and then loot and sink the ship.
(If this the case then theres no longer need to read on)
If you choose to carry on attacking the ship then what i usually do is to head for a safer distance and prepare to open fire with my Cannon balls to take down the ships hull life (The red bar) until it reaches a satisfactory level. This is however do not make just sinking it my intention, not at all. Actually it provides safer environment shall we say when I finally board the opponents ship.
Why? you ask.
When you use Grapeshot on the crew it takes down the Captains and crew ability to fight of any real attack during a boarding, however some will fight even then and so to ensure they don't try this, We carry on attacking the opponents ship to take down it's hull strength.
But what if Boarding isn't and option for me? you ask.
>If your low on crew yourselves and the opponents ship still has their full complement of men then you have 2 choices available to you. First is to try and rake their ship with Grapeshot's to even the odds of the engagement. This takes time and patience and yes you will use a lot of ammo doing so, but in the end it's worth it.
>Or you can 'Run Like Smoke N'Oakum' Which means for those who haven't heard this saying before 'Take flight quickly' and try to survive the constant barrage coming from the Opponents ship which will most likely give chase.
Now that the basic tactics and reasons behind them has been explained shall we move on!
This is a list of items you should always keep on board your ship at all times.
>Food - This is to feed your crew of any size so Amounts that will last you for a while be needed and are recommended as the ships have rats, and they like to feast.
>Medicine - This is to keep your crew alive, and healthy, after engagements medicine will be of short supply. So i suggest restocking regularly.
>Weapons - These will arm your crew during boardings and port attacks so carrying decent amounts is recommended.
>Sailcloth - This will help repair the sails if they've been damaged during an engagement or during a storm.
>Wood - This will help with repairing the hull after engagements and storms.
>CB - Damages the hulls of opponents ships.
>KS - Damages the sails of opponents ships.
>GS - Damage the crew of the opponents ship.
>ES - Damages a bit of everything on the opponents ship.
ETC.... Includes items that you can sell while visiting ports to gain money.
This topic will provide Brief history behind Tactics, But i will also provide you with why these Tactics are Used and why.
First I'll start with a Small history lesson for those few who like their history
Early history
Since ancient times, war at sea had been fought much like on land: with melee weapons and bows and arrows, but on floating wooden platforms rather than battlefields. Though the introduction of guns was a significant change, it only slowly changed the dynamics of ship-to-ship combat. The first guns on ships were small wrought-iron pieces mounted on the open decks and in the fighting tops, often requiring only one or two men to handle them. They were designed to injure, kill or simply stun, shock and frighten the enemy prior to boarding.[1] As guns were made more durable to withstand stronger gunpowder charges, they increased their potential to inflict critical damage to the vessel rather than just their crews. Since these guns were much heavier than the earlier anti-personnel weapons, they had to be placed lower in the ships, and fire from gunports, to avoid ships becoming unstable. In Northern Europe the technique of building ships with clinker planking made it difficult to cut ports in the hull; clinker-built (or clench-built) ships had much of their structural strength in the outer hull. The solution was the gradual adoption of carvel-built ships that relied on an internal skeleton structure to bear the weight of the ship.[2] The development of propulsion during the 15th century from single-masted, square-rigged cogs to three-masted carracks with a mix of square and lateen sails made ships nimbler and easier to manoeuvre.[3]
Gunports cut in the hull of ships had been introduced as early as 1501, only about a decade before the Mary Rose was built. According to tradition the inventor was a Breton shipwright called Descharges, but it is just as likely to have been a gradual adaptation of loading ports in the stern of merchant vessels that had already been in use for centuries.[4] Initially, the gunports were used to mount heavy so-called stern chasers pointing aft, but soon gun ports migrated to the sides of ships. This made possible coordinated volleys from all the guns on one side of a ship, broadsides, for the first time in history, at least in theory. Guns in the 16th century were considered to be in fixed positions and were intended to fire independently rather than in concerted volleys. It was not until the 1590s that the word "broadside" in English was commonly used to refer to gunfire from the side of a ship rather than the ship's side itself.[5]
Naval tactics throughout the 16th century and well into the 17th century, however, was focused on countering the oar-powered galleys that were armed with heavy guns in the bow, facing forwards, which were aimed by turning the entire ship against its target. Though far less seaworthy than sailing vessels and highly vulnerable to boarding by ships that rode higher in the water, the galleys were a serious threat due to their ability to aim accurate heavy gunfire low in the hulls of larger sailing ships.
Now we get to Tactics and Throughout this part i will give My own Opinions as to where, When and Why to use these Tacics.
Naval tactics in the Age of Sail were primarily determined by the sailing and fighting qualities of the sailing warships of the time. Three factors, in particular, constrains what You as a Captain can do.
>The first constraint was that, like all sailing vessels, sailing warships cannot sail directly into the wind. Most could sail not much closer than 70 degrees off the wind. This limits the maneuverability of a Ship or Fleet during Engagements at close quarters. Holding the weather gage, i.e. being upwind of one's opponent, conferred considerable tactical advantage.
>The second constraint was that the ships of the time carried their guns in two large batteries, one on each broadside, with only a few mounted to fire directly ahead or astern. The sailing warship was immensely powerful on its sides, but very weak on its bow and stern. The sides of the ship were built with strong timbers, but the stern, in particular, was fragile with a flimsy structure round the large windows of the officers’ cabins. The bows and, particularly, the sterns of the ship were vulnerable to raking fire. Raking another ship by firing the length of a ship from either the bow or stern caused tremendous damage, because a single shot would fly down the length of the decks, while the ship being raked could not return fire with her broadsides.
(For this reason it's always within your best interests as Captain to stay at a 45 degree angle of the stern or bow, I say a 45 degree angle because at that angle your in what I call the 'Opponents Dead zones')
>The third constraint was the difficulty of communicating at sea. Written communication was almost impossible in a moving fleet, while hailing was extremely difficult above the noise of wind and weather. So admirals were forced to rely on a pre-arranged set of signal flags hoisted aboard the admiral's flagship. In the smoke of battle, these were often hard or impossible to see.
(This constraint you do not need to worry about, Seeing as Age of pirates 2 does not have this system)
In this next section i will Give examples and Tactics that I use when engaging Opponents and why
(Tactics may change if your On Dramatic or Realistic game settings)
When i go into a naval engagement I make it a Priority to Put some Distance between my Ship and the Opponents, The reason being is that when you enter an engagement with no knowledge of what your facing then you will soon regret that decision.
Here is a small Scenario in which I describe and explain my reasons for using the tactics i'll use.
I've entered the engagement with the opponent and I've found myself within my comfort distance i.e Within their firing range. This allows them to Automatically begin firing upon my Ship and this will lead to unwanted damages at the start of the engagement. This is something i don't want so instead of placing myself in that position I Make a hard turn to either Port or Starboard depending on the opponents position at the time.
I sail for about a minute or two too get far enough away but to keep them within my line of site. This now enables me to Use the Spyglass to then get a Pre-battle look at the ship. This will help provide me with well needed information that will intern help with my decision to finally engage the opponents ship.
This is what I look for when i use my Spyglass.
>Speed - what speed the ships doing gives an insight to the speed required to out maneuver it.
>Cannon Cal' - this will let you know what fire power this ship is capable off.
>Amount of crew - Tells you how much they have.
When i have this information and I'm satisfied that my ship and have a chance then i begin my approach, Though i tend not to rush as I've found haste is never going to help when wind is concerned.
When I get to within firing range of the opponent I make sure to come in from the Stern of the ship, staying in a 45 degree angle as it helps a lot, not only for the survival of your ship but to also allow time for you to load Grapeshot if you haven't already.
Grapeshot is used to kill off the opponents crew to make sure if and when you board your crew will suffer less or no damage at all. But it also helps to Slow down the opponents reloading of their cannons and how fast they can change their sails to Full canvas or only Half canvas.
When in the 'Opponents dead zones' make slight adjustments to your heading and rake the opponents ship with full broadsides to gradually take down your opponents crew and therefore their fighting strength.
When you have finally dealt with the crew and are satisfied that their no longer of your concern, then it is time to choose your next move. You can either board and possibly make the crew and Captain surrender and then loot and sink the ship.
(If this the case then theres no longer need to read on)
If you choose to carry on attacking the ship then what i usually do is to head for a safer distance and prepare to open fire with my Cannon balls to take down the ships hull life (The red bar) until it reaches a satisfactory level. This is however do not make just sinking it my intention, not at all. Actually it provides safer environment shall we say when I finally board the opponents ship.
Why? you ask.
When you use Grapeshot on the crew it takes down the Captains and crew ability to fight of any real attack during a boarding, however some will fight even then and so to ensure they don't try this, We carry on attacking the opponents ship to take down it's hull strength.
But what if Boarding isn't and option for me? you ask.
>If your low on crew yourselves and the opponents ship still has their full complement of men then you have 2 choices available to you. First is to try and rake their ship with Grapeshot's to even the odds of the engagement. This takes time and patience and yes you will use a lot of ammo doing so, but in the end it's worth it.
>Or you can 'Run Like Smoke N'Oakum' Which means for those who haven't heard this saying before 'Take flight quickly' and try to survive the constant barrage coming from the Opponents ship which will most likely give chase.
Now that the basic tactics and reasons behind them has been explained shall we move on!
This is a list of items you should always keep on board your ship at all times.
>Food - This is to feed your crew of any size so Amounts that will last you for a while be needed and are recommended as the ships have rats, and they like to feast.
>Medicine - This is to keep your crew alive, and healthy, after engagements medicine will be of short supply. So i suggest restocking regularly.
>Weapons - These will arm your crew during boardings and port attacks so carrying decent amounts is recommended.
>Sailcloth - This will help repair the sails if they've been damaged during an engagement or during a storm.
>Wood - This will help with repairing the hull after engagements and storms.
>CB - Damages the hulls of opponents ships.
>KS - Damages the sails of opponents ships.
>GS - Damage the crew of the opponents ship.
>ES - Damages a bit of everything on the opponents ship.
ETC.... Includes items that you can sell while visiting ports to gain money.
