White flags in the Sail-to menu

[Cpt Fabris]

A stupid question to ask:

In game I occasionally when in the sailing mode encounter ships which show up on the 'sail to' menu as having white flags. If I attack and sink 'em my personal rep nose-dives considerably. So what does the white flag mean? I thought ships that had struck their colours were represented by their usual national flag but outlined in green on the menu?
Admittedly I rather foolishly thought the ships French, having changed the french ensigns to pure white (of course now I know that it doesn't affect the menu icons, which still have fleur de lise d'or on them).

 

[Pieter Boelen]

For all I know, white flags mean "surrendered". Nation flags outlined in green mean that that nation's ship is friendly to you. You should be able to board surrendered ships, but attacking friendly nation's ships does drop your rep. Not sure if this all works exactly as it should though...

 

[Cpt Fabris]

Ahh, so white flags does mean surrender (or rather 'struck their colours'). Explains why I get very bad rep for attacking them. Thanks for that. I now know how to identify friendlies.

A few things do seem odd though:
1. Not all ships who have struck colours are able to be boarded no matter how close you get to them.

2. Occasionally, a ship with struck colours lurks around the place it surrender for ages (as in even after sailing to a different island and coming back it is still in the same place.)

3. Bizarrely last night I got attacked by a British ship that had struck colours in an engagement where fighting Spanish warships with me flying a British flag and helping against the Spanish. Not being able to board it I left. Then came back after some R&R in Redmond, encountered the same ship off Redmond port, flying a white flag suddenly, and then attacking me. I return fire and suddenly hey presto I'm the baddest man in the entire archipelago. I think it called the ship a 'No Nation' one for some reason. Certainly wasn't originally.

 

[Pieter Boelen]

I wished Nathan Kell was still here. He made that mod. Unfortunately, he's gone now and I reckon he's the only one who'd know how to properly fix it. <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/modding.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="" border="0" alt="modding.gif" />

 

[Merciless Mark]

if im not mistaken it sounds logical, depending on the situation, if its a british and french fleet batteling, and you are british and a british ship strikes its colors, then it wouldnt be very good if you went and boarded a ship on your own side would it?

 

[Cpt Fabris]

Well, no boarding a British ship would be considered bad, but then why would they attack me with provocation whilst in 'surrender mode' when I am still flying a British flag? Short of a mutiny on board I sure can't explain it. Rather a drag to go from Hero to zero (oh, alright 'horror of the high seas'...) in one broadside.

Still, can't complain...I <i>am</i> the baddest man in the caribbean.
<img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/whippa.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="" border="0" alt="whippa.gif" />

 

[Merciless Mark]

I tend to avoid getting a bad rep, it becoems even nastier when your ships starts taking a load of damage and you have no port to repair in!

 

[Cpt Fabris]

<!--quoteo(post=142453:date=Mar 19 2006, 12:24 AM:name=Merciless Mark)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Merciless Mark @ Mar 19 2006, 12:24 AM) [snapback]142453[/snapback]</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->
I tend to avoid getting a bad rep, it becoems even nastier when your ships starts taking a load of damage and you have no port to repair in!
<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

You want to get yourself a decent crew matey, they'll fix your ship right up. And probably avoid fighting any military vessels if possible. Me? I head for the pirate island...get some repairs, get drunk and gamble in the tavern, visit some hookers...lovely stuff (well what else does a pirate do with his booty eh?)
<img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/pirate_plain.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="3" border="0" alt="pirate_plain.gif" />

(Edit)
Damn...getting stranger. Sailed to Isla Muelle with rep of Rascal, under Spanish flag. Fort doesn't fire on me, neither do Spanish ships, but I don't get the option to moor at the port. And if I select the fort in the sail-to option my ships all open fire on the seemingly sleepy fort. Really can't work this one out. I can still behave as normal in town if I moor at Oyster beach and walk into town, but why not moor at the port?