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Crew Morale?

C

CaptainToad

Landlubber
hey there, great game, nice forum. thanks for all the good tips.

one query that i do have though, is what are the best ways of keeping up morale? i have the loot and concertina, all specialists, and eveb on short journeys the morale quickly goes down.

i was wondering if there is any ways of preventing this.

also, ive noticed that on some ships i try and board, the other pirates are buccaneers, and they use cutlasses, wheras mine are simply pirates, and use a rapier. how do you promote your own crew?
 
How many men do you have and what is your difficulty level?

The more men you have the harder it is to keep them happy - this exists at any difficulty level. The only way to keep them happy is by making some sweet money.

The difficulty level just makes this happen faster. I try not to sail with more than `100-150` men. This can get tricky in the higher levels a couple blasts from an enemy cannon will toast you.
 
The other thing to consider is time at sea. How long have you been at sea without dividing the plunder? If you don't keep them swimming in loot, they'll get testy after they've been out a while.
 
I have it on adventure captain. Well, im just sailing around abit at the moment but to kill these bigger ships i do seem to need 200 or so crew. The lower the crew the longer they stay happy? Or do I need to keep looting all the time and have lots of gold and that will? Is there nothing else like buy a parrot I could do to keep them all happy? <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile.gif" />

Thanks so far,

Captain Toad
 
<!--`QuoteBegin-CaptainToad`+--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(CaptainToad)</div><div class='quotemain'><!--QuoteEBegin-->I have it on adventure captain. Well, im just sailing around abit at the moment but to kill these bigger ships i do seem to need 200 or so crew. The lower the crew the longer they stay happy? Or do I need to keep looting all the time and have lots of gold and that will? Is there nothing else like buy a parrot I could do to keep them all happy? <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile.gif" />  

Thanks so far,

Captain Toad[/quote]

I just got the game, but the manual mentions crew enhancements like getting a cook to boost morale. Also something about musical intruments to help keep the crew happy.
 
Im not sure but I have problems keeping crew morale up as well. i usually sail with 300 men on my ship of the line (I think thats how many men it holds at max), but many times I have to sail with less, andwhile visiting ports to find enough men to keep my ship fully staffed, the morale starts to drop. I have everything I can have to boost morale and it doesnt seem to make any real difference.

I also found it odd, when I was heading into margurite port (land was in sight, I was only a couple days away from it, yet the crew mutinied and took one of my ships and some gold), this jst infuriated me, it showed that the crew had no logic at all, in that the game should have seen I was sailing into the port (where I was planning on D&P, and just hung in there for the last 2 days or so) and taken the plunder in town.

Anyway, I really dont feel that having all the enhancements really do much at all towards keeping up crew morale.
 
Maybe they thought you were heading to town to sack it?

The enhancements DO make a difference in morale. But the most important factors are cash per man ratio, time at sea (since the cruise started - see your status screen) and the amount of action they get.

Keep them busy with attacking and sacking and keep the gold flowing and divide the plunder when they get unhappy and you won't have any problems.
 
Been at sea for ages now it seems without having morale probs....this is most due to having a lot of gold and constantly attacking ships....which sure pieved off the spanish <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/icon_wink.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=";)" border="0" alt="icon_wink.gif" /> but never mind....look at it like this....keep ya crew sufficent to man ya main fighting ship and give em plenty of action.....fact is...they will get killed <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/icon_eek.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":shock:" border="0" alt="icon_eek.gif" /> and thenyou recruit more.....get some killed... recruit more <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/bounce.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":b:" border="0" alt="bounce.gif" /> you get to keep gold without dividing it.... keeps em happy as you are always getting new crew who never get much of the plunder in the end <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="xD:" border="0" alt="laugh.gif" /> <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/par-ty.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":cheers" border="0" alt="par-ty.gif" /> <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/w00t.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":woot" border="0" alt="w00t.gif" /> <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/hi.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":gday" border="0" alt="hi.gif" />
 
Crew morale is decided by four factors:

1) The number of crew divided by the amount of food (ie. insufficient excess food will cause morale problems - fighting over the scraps)
2) The number of crew divided by the amount of gold (ie. a large amount of gold will keep them glued - promise of riches)
3) The amount of time since you last divided the plunder / left for sea.
4) Extra items/people such Cooks, Quartermasters, special items, etc

Short version: Keep plundering and increasing your gold, keep plenty of food on board to feed them (at least 3 months or more worth), and try to accumulate as many special crew/items as possible. Avoid long stints without action as the crew will get bored and become unhappy (unless you have a very high amount of 1, 2 or 4, or 3 is very low)
 
I'm not sure if it did or not but it seemed to me that before getting the unique items that aid with the wind and stormy weather, my crews morale would suffer if attempting to use a storm for speed as well of course as the ship taking a whacking <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="xD:" border="0" alt="laugh.gif" />
 
Just keep the riches flowing. I have 280 men and they are content. They turn happy at around 250. And I have been at sea for 202 months.

This is at Swashbuckler level. It is all about the money. The money compared to the number of months at sea as far as I can tell. Having musical instruments and a cook helps too.

Quite frankly I think it is a bit too easy. I played the game only once, all the way on Swashbuckler. And I got to Governor on my first try, without ever having to devide up the plunder. And I even f**ked around most of the first couple of years.
 
Hmmm, the biggest one ship haul that I managed to get was 20k, that was from a named pirate I think. But shortly after that the crew was getting angered and I had to dock and D&P which left very little since it was a total crew of about 300+/-

I'll have to see how long I go out for, maybe Im just not taking other ships fast enough.
 
<!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->divide the plunder when they get unhappy<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
the point is, it's unproductive to divide and plunder. you lose 6 months, you lose gold, you lose missions, you lose quests, you lose ships, you lose cannons, you lose food, need i say more? it's a drag to divide and plunder and morale drops too damn fast to have to experience it as often as you do. the cook, cooper, quatermaster and musical instruments all help but if you're sailing looking for something and not attacking everything that moves!, morale drops too fast. they need to tweak it so as not to necessitate divides as often as they happen cuz losing all that stuff screws up your game.
 
Sure, it IS unproductive to spend six months refitting your ship after you divide the plunder. But, it is a necassary evil and quite "piratey" from a historical standpoint. Them boys just want to blow off some steam ya know?

I can typically stretch a cruise out to about 2.5 years before I need to divide the plunder (on Adventurer level). I don't find that to be "too often" though. If anything, it allows me to get smaller and faster so that I can chase down treasure maps and the like. I usually track down treasure maps and lost cities and such right after I divide the plunder. This way, I have a small crew who is generally happy and I can spend 6 months running around the spanish main, against the trade winds if need be, looking for the easy money. Once I have no more easy targets, then it's off to put an armada together to start sacking towns and such.

But to each his own I guess. I don't mind the plunder dividing. Adds some suspense. "Oh man, I am so close to being able to sack Panama but my crew is getting rowdy and I know that by the time I get there and back, they'll be mutinous!" It contributes alot to the "right place at the right time" factor in this game. Which to me is what gives it some replay value.
 
Cap'n Toast you seem to play very much like myself <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/par-ty.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":cheers" border="0" alt="par-ty.gif" /> Personally I find the dividing and plundering and "inconveniences" that the game throws up a nice kickstart for a new idea as to what to do next.

Not to mention as Pirates roaming the sea in a big ship with a massive crew it seems only realistic that only action and loot would satisfy their hungry mits, while a small half manned sloop's crew would probably go much further on a small reward <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/keith.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":keith" border="0" alt="keith.gif" />

I think a defining point of a computer game is that within the world itself nothing is perfect, or it loses a massive reality aspect................... =kills his umpteenth Baron Clone <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/unsure.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":?" border="0" alt="unsure.gif" /> = <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="xD:" border="0" alt="laugh.gif" />
 
How I fix morale problems!

Keep em drunk and then if all else fails attack a well guarded city with your complaining men, that normally fixes any complaining (wicked laugh) <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/onya.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":onya" border="0" alt="onya.gif" />

Oh and for anyone that survives the onslaught and still complains I give them a one way ticket to davey jones locker (wish you could, but can't in Pirates) in Cutthroats I used to make a scond ship dump a large percent on the ship and then turn it into a fire ship (laughing loudly) <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="xD:" border="0" alt="laugh.gif" /> <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="xD:" border="0" alt="laugh.gif" />

Used to fix em everytime <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/dev.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":d:" border="0" alt="dev.gif" />

All jokes aside the top option (although unethical, does work, when you want to drop the numbers in your crew just prior to sharing the wealth) bet your all glad you don't serve under my command. Blackbeard has nothing compared to my kindness <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/hi.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":gday" border="0" alt="hi.gif" /> <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/dev.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":d:" border="0" alt="dev.gif" />

But on a more serious note, if you want to play game properly, keep crews small, keep the money up and don't keep em at sea long, oh and you can also buy instruments and stuff to help keep morale up, although I do prefer my earlier sugestion <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/par-ty.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":cheers" border="0" alt="par-ty.gif" />


Argghhh!

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


p.s. hope it was okay to mention Cuthroats, was a good replacement whilst waiting on Pirates.
 
Listen guys, I don't understand you having all those problems with crew morale.

ATM I have been at sea for 252 months. Yes I have never divided up the plunder. Not once. And I have never felt the need to. I have 420 crewmembers ATM... yeah they are unhappy, but I have never had any desertations or mutinies. If I lower my crew to around 350 they get content. I have 722K gold. Actually I don't really attack any ship I see, I do fight quite a bit... but I have taken many long trips across the map to do some of the special quests. Long trips where I haven't bothered to fight atall.. and I haven't had the problem with moral. As I said above, I guess it is all about money.

I am sailing around in a large frigate with all upgrades. It gives me 375 men in sea battles, and that is enough to make most other ships strike their colors without me having to shoot at them.

I just reached the point where I dunno how to get any more fame. My guy is 39 and I get 126 points when I retire.


This is Swashbuckler level, and I didn't play any of the other skill levels (except apprentice for 10 mins when I started out). So I don't have experience at other levels. Maybe there is more loot to be had on Swashbuckler??
 
Yes it obviously is all about the money, on your game each man will get roughly `1500-2000g` when you divide and plunder, whereas on my game with 300 crew they will each only get 40g because I only have 12k gold.

I am generally prudent about whom Im attacking, I usually go after everybody but the french, but I usually only bring in small amounts of gold from anyone ship, maybe 700 here, 1500 there, not much at all before the crew gets disgruntled and makes off with one of my ships and some gold.
 
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