First, where are all the pirates? All the pirates I see are heading for a town to sack it. Don't pirates attack shipping in the open ocean? What if I'm playing as a peaceful trader for the English. If we're at war with France, shouldn't I fear someone labeled a French raider? Nah, they leave me alone and hit the AI shipping. Uh oh, here comes a pirate! No, don't worry, he's heading for Barbados to sack it. I feel like all interaction with the AI is because of something I initiated. It would be nice if the AI attacked me some time. Other than pirate hunters, I mean. I'd like to be out, minding my own business, and have some Dutchman attack me simply because my country's at war with Holland. Rather than me sailing around him to get a favorable position, I'd see him pull up on the weather gauge, then boom! I'm in the attack screen, like it or not.
Next, sloops. They claim in the manual and elsewhere that sloops are so shallow of draft to be able to sail over reefs without a problem. Funny then how every time one of my sloops, mindlessly piloted by AI in my little fleet, runs over a reef I hear that awful crunching sound. First, you'd think the AI would be a little smarter to avoid the reefs (the AI is smart enough with their own ships, yet when commanding other ships in my fleet the AI is dumb as a rock despite me steering my flag ship around the reef). Even when the other ships in my fleet are exactly the same as mine, same upgrades and everything, they lag behind, then run over those reefs. Crunch! I thought sloops were able to sail over reefs. What gives?
Last point, getting old. I had a guy who at Rogue level retired at age 35 because he was in poor health and his swordfighting showed it. There came a point when the fat stupid merchant captains were giving me a run for my money on deck and so I decided it was better to be a bishop that sit in a Spanish prison. So then my next guy chose Medicine as his career trait. So you would think this guy would last much longer, especially as he found and bought the medicinal herbs early in his twenties. Yet when he hit age 35 he dropped into poor health anyway! Luckily, I had done all the fightin' that needed done by then so I spent the next six years sailing around, rescuing grandpa, dancing with my wife and some other ladies, and finding all the final lost cities. So being in poor health didn't slow me down much, but the point is Medicine skill plus herbs got me just as far as no skill and no herbs. And in both cases I probably got hit in sword fights about the same, never spent time in jail on either guy. So what was the point of Medicine and the herbs?
Am I alone here? Or does this happen to everyone? Looks to me like the moral of the story is 1) the Caribbean is a safe place for free trade with no piracy going on whatsoever, 2) never keep more than your flagship as they're all a bunch of idiots and 3) don't bother buying herbs or taking medicine skill as it amounts to nothing.
Next, sloops. They claim in the manual and elsewhere that sloops are so shallow of draft to be able to sail over reefs without a problem. Funny then how every time one of my sloops, mindlessly piloted by AI in my little fleet, runs over a reef I hear that awful crunching sound. First, you'd think the AI would be a little smarter to avoid the reefs (the AI is smart enough with their own ships, yet when commanding other ships in my fleet the AI is dumb as a rock despite me steering my flag ship around the reef). Even when the other ships in my fleet are exactly the same as mine, same upgrades and everything, they lag behind, then run over those reefs. Crunch! I thought sloops were able to sail over reefs. What gives?
Last point, getting old. I had a guy who at Rogue level retired at age 35 because he was in poor health and his swordfighting showed it. There came a point when the fat stupid merchant captains were giving me a run for my money on deck and so I decided it was better to be a bishop that sit in a Spanish prison. So then my next guy chose Medicine as his career trait. So you would think this guy would last much longer, especially as he found and bought the medicinal herbs early in his twenties. Yet when he hit age 35 he dropped into poor health anyway! Luckily, I had done all the fightin' that needed done by then so I spent the next six years sailing around, rescuing grandpa, dancing with my wife and some other ladies, and finding all the final lost cities. So being in poor health didn't slow me down much, but the point is Medicine skill plus herbs got me just as far as no skill and no herbs. And in both cases I probably got hit in sword fights about the same, never spent time in jail on either guy. So what was the point of Medicine and the herbs?
Am I alone here? Or does this happen to everyone? Looks to me like the moral of the story is 1) the Caribbean is a safe place for free trade with no piracy going on whatsoever, 2) never keep more than your flagship as they're all a bunch of idiots and 3) don't bother buying herbs or taking medicine skill as it amounts to nothing.
" border="0" alt="keith.gif" /> What would be cool tho is if your ship is in bad health (smoking) other ships try and attack you! <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/yes.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="
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