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Need Help The automatic skill system

Skyworm

Skyworm

Privateer
Storm Modder
Hi there,

this question is about the automatic skill system. I think I got the basic idea, but still figure how it really works.

I understand that my character will advance in skills he does use.
Also, he will more likely advance in skills with a green hook at them, based on the setting when I start a story.

But something still is strange.
I have of course some officers, "specialists", like a gunner, a bootswain etc.
Now, when batteling another ship, and firing guns at it, sometimes I improve my skills. But, to my suprise, always the skill of the main character, instead of the skill of my gunner.

Does this mean, my officers will never improve their skills with this system? Or just accidentally? Or, worse, that I do fire my ships guns myself, despite the fact I do have a gunner for this purpose, with much more skill than myself?

Thanks.
 
I think your officers should also improve, but it may be pretty slow. Also, I vaguely remember there is an Ability you need before they start sharing your experience.
 
When you hire an officer like a gunner who is better at cannons than you, then his skills will be used.
Your officers also increase their skills with experience. If they go with you on land they will advance faster, but never as fast as you will. This is good and bad as they might get killed on land. You might want to leave the valuable gunner aboard ship and take a bosun with you on land.
There is an ability called "shared experience" at the bottom of the list that you will be wanting to be checking as soon as possible. You will also be wanting to check it for them as well.
 
Since your officers contribute their skills based on position, you only need to take good fighters ashore with you.
 
Thanks again.

So, just to be sure I understand right:
- My officers will generally advance much slower than I do, the "shared experience" skill will help imprtoving this.
- specialists like "gunner" or "bootswain" will advance only in the specialty they are assigned for, for example, a designated gunner will only advance in gunnery and accuracy

So, I'd better get some guuys good in melee combat with me at shore. Now does this mean, I'll need to exchange my party everytime I enter or leave my ship, or is this not necessary? More precise, will I profit from my gunners skill even if he is not in my 4 man shore party? Will I profit from a merchants skill, even ig he sits safe on my ship, while I am at the local merchant buuying stuff?

The last time I played PotC was with build 13, and I remember then I had to have an officer with me to get his skill bonus.

Great thanks again.
 
Skyworm said:
So, I'd better get some guuys good in melee combat with me at shore. Now does this mean, I'll need to exchange my party everytime I enter or leave my ship, or is this not necessary? More precise, will I profit from my gunners skill even if he is not in my 4 man shore party? Will I profit from a merchants skill, even ig he sits safe on my ship, while I am at the local merchant buuying stuff?
Click to expand...
This was completely rewritten for Build 14. Swapping of officers is no longer required.
 
Your officers will not advance as fast as you will and some will advance faster than others. But it will not be "much" slower.

No. They will advance most in the skills the used most. If you want to improve an officer's melee skill, then you will take him with you in places where you are likely to get into fights. What does not kill him makes him stronger.

The officers no longer need to be part of your shore party to let you use his skills.
 
Heya there,

just some additional things I stumbled over.

Generelly, I like this new skill system more than the one in build 13. Also, I like it that melee combat is more difficult now. I remember being surrounded by 5 opponents in build 13, blocking anything, and killing them one by one. Not very much realistic.

But now it seems it is a bit very hard.
Any highwayman or even a ships captain, who struck his colours (later below about that), but then insisted on a duel, kills me outright. My actual character is now lv 13, and I keep a sharp eye on my equippement, so bet if there is anything that can be baught for protection, I buy it. Me and my officers also wear excellent blades and pistols, all razor sharp due to frequent visits at the shmith ... but nonetheless, most brigands cut me down with two or even one hits, well, one did it even with bare hands.

Yes, my melee skill is low, which is the weak point in my stats, but since melee combat almost everytime results in sudden death, I don't see a reasonable way to improve it.

Perhaps it is though that at low levels nothing else should be done but honest trade ... but even this does not work well. And all other forms of money making include melee fights.

Speaking of it ...
When a badly damaged enemy vessel strikes colours, showing this bright white flag, I understand this means surrender. That's why I can't keep firing at them. But why in seven hells does the captains then insist on a duel, hacking me in two pieces, after striking their colours? I understand it was a tradition at the age of sails, to give the superior captain the sword, but it's new to me that this is meant by thrusting it into him ;-)

No offense meant, but this is somewhat strange. Ok, it might be a very nice trick, but in a world, where striking colours means a trap in about 90% of all cases, one would keep firing on surrendering ships. At least I would.

But then again, perhaps I'm doing something wrong or have missed a point, any helt is appreciated.

Thanks.
 
I share your pain. :rumgone Melee is very difficult and all fights have to be planned out in advance. Yes, it is normal to die from a single strike and if your opponent is better than you, then your block makes no difference. In my last game I won my first fight against a surrendered captain and then lost 6 in a row. When I lost count I was approaching 50% at 8 out of 18 or so. Always save before boarding a surrendered ship!
Actually, melee is not too bad at first, but at level 12 there seems to be a step up in your opponents skills and combat does become nearly impossible until level 16, when the golden cuirass becomes available. There are some things one can do to improve your chances though.

Have you talked to Toff about his daughter yet? He is in the tavern at Kralendijk. You can get a superior sword from him.
Bartolomeu O Porteguese is in the tavern at Cayman. You will die at least a dozen times completing his quest, but his sword is exceptional.
The Dutch and Portagee town guards carry great swords. I give the Dutch swords to my officers and the Portagee swords to my crew. Harvesting the swords is a good way to build up your melee skills too. :dance
There is an opium den in Port Royale. Go there and get all of the tatoos. They seem to help.
Use the special weapons like grenades, poisoned throwing knives, ether bottles, and cobblestones liberally. Incantations and chanting can't hurt. Just remember that you are very human and act accordingly. :duel:
 
Arr, thank you mate. That's at least some things to try out.
Is the Toffs doughter quest open in the devlin storyline? I'll look into it.

With those special weapons - I admit I don't use them, because I just prefer the classic pistol and sabre way. Perhaps I'm too straightforward in this, but I don't like the thought of pirates using grenades. Yes, I know they are historical, the just don't fit into my picture of pirates ;-)

I'm already planning fights (and avoiding them when possible). I try to seperate opponents or attack, when some of them are further away - often the case with highwaymen. But a close together group of 3 or 4 of them cuts through my officers like a hot knife through butter, Usually I'm best off, when there is some distance when the fight begins, and time to fire pistols once or better twice.

Thanks for your help.
 
Toff's Daughter and pretty much all other sidequests are only in the Standard storyline, unfortunately.
 
Ah thanks, I already suspected this. No problem with it.

But now we are talking about storylines ... with build 14 I first played the Jack Sparrow storyline, and very often encountered big battles in harbours, and lots of ships at bays. This seems to be totally different in my actual devlin storyline - is this dependant of the time of 1550s, that's say less traffic there in the carribean?
 
Yes. There are less ship types in the early period. But every island should still have 6 ships around it.
 
Less ship types of course, since some are not yet invented ;-)

But it seems to me there are les ships, or at least less ship near ports in this period. In that Jack Sparrow campaign, I ran right into a port battle - in most cases pirates vs. fort - almost every 2nd or 3rd time I met a port. And I didn't encounter it even once in this campaign.
 
Hmm. I have not played this time period in a long time. This needs to be looked at. But in that time period there were few pirates, and they were Englishmen.
 
It might even be historically correct that there were less pirates in the 1550s than, say, in the 17th century. I remember the "golden age of piracy" was from early to late 17th century.

Oh well, I just stumbled over another part of the skill system.

With now using iron man and open seas, you can imagine I'm doing a lot of sailing. Nonetheless, my sailing skill is at 3, buffed with items to 6, reduced by ship classed by one to an overall 5 effective.

I would have expected it climbing better with that lot of sailing I'm doing. But I remember having read something about that in the open seas thread too.
 
You are at level 13? By the time you get to level 30 you will be doing just fine. By level 40 you should be mostly maxxed out.
 
I'm just comparing. In my first campaign with buiild 14, that hoist the colours story, I was maxed out at level 16. With open seas, it *is* slower climbing in it, despite the lot of direct sailing I do.
 
The Open Sea Mod decreased the amount of sailing experience you gain, if I recall.

The number of ships is not period-dependent, only the type of ships encountered.
 
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