The Complete Sailors Guide To Privateering

[FireBat]

The Complete Sailors Guide To Privateering​

(also known as A book mod)​

A pre-release​

This is what DarkHymn and myself have been working on. It will be adding 63 skill and attribute increasing books, as well as maybe some 20 more books for the shear sake of humour/loot. Each attribute/skill will have 3 books dedicated to it, Each one increasingly more effective than the last. If the player owns all three books for that skill, they will have a total of 70 bonus points in that skill/attribute.

Below is a small sample of what these books can do.

However, to keep the game balanced (and lets face it, realistic) all voodoo and idol items will no longer influence skills or attributes. The only items giving bonuses now are our books and the outfits.

I can hear shouting at the screen.

What says the pirate can read?!?!

I figure that a pirate being able to read is slightly more plausible than a statue influencing a pirates skill.

So what is the point of this post you ask.

Quite simply, we want your opinion on how these items should be priced, whether they can be looted, or found exclusively at stores, and how rare these books should be,
When you vote for the various options, please type up your answers in a post here. If you can explain your answers, please do so, that we can see your reasoning.


As well, further down the line we want to make these books 'readable'
IE when the book is equiped, then the book is 'read' and the attribute bonus is gained. Thargarr has created a great example of what we are looking for.

This is a chance for you folks to influence how this mod is made, and to shape the balance of the game.

On behalf of Darkhymn and myself
Thank you for your input

 

[FireBat]

The reason for this post to express how i feel the books should be presented.

I feel that while the low ranked books should be not too expensive, that the level 2 and 3 books should cost quite a bit. The low ranked books IMO should be fairly common, while the level 2 and 3 books should be increasingly difficult to find. Lastly, all these books should only be available for purchase. Perhaps the lowest ranked books could be found very rarely, the fictious screaming people have a point, a sailor/pirate being able to read would be rare, and therefor the higher ranked books (which probably have bigger words would only be found in stores.

These are just my opinions, and I welcome all other input!

 

[Thagarr]

As I have stated before in the development thread, this is a great mod idea and FireBat and DarkHymn have done a fantastic bit of work on the code! Awesome work gents!

In my opinion, the books ranked 1 should be available for purchase as a rare item and fairly expensive for a low level player, say $1,000 to $2,000. Still affordable with a little work, and just enough to wet the players appetite!

Books ranked 2 should be even more rare, and MUCH more expensive. Somewhere ranging between $20,000 to $30,000, or maybe even higher! Possibly only available from only select merchants on two or three islands, or maybe have to be "acquired" from a rich governor.

Books ranked level 3 should be almost impossible to find and maybe even unavailable for purchase, or so outrageously expensive it would take quite some gameplay time to even come close to reaching the purchase price! Maybe $500,000 plus! I think these would be a great idea for story and random quest lines! I don't think these items should ever be lootable, with the exception of maybe at the end of a quest or story line.

As for pirates not being able to read, perhaps we need an "Illustrated Illiterate Pirate Reading Primer" book for like $500! :

 

[modernknight1]

Gents, I'm certain tons of pirates were illiterate, ergo, they weren't able to get ahead of those that were and relied on natural ability or sheer luck. For myself, and I'm certain many others here, we are interested in the Gentlemen of Fortune and there are MANY examples of very well educated pirates and privateers as well as professional naval officers, merchants, etc...in the historical record. Think about it. When they put together and signed "articles" and made pacts, they were relying on the literate among them to perform those services. One of my favorite scenes from countless old pirate movies where the new recruits/able seamen were signing on (paraphrased) "if you can't write your name, make your mark here in the ships register". "I can write my name..."

If you want to be an illiterate pirate, then don't pick up or use the manuals. As for me, I will go the way of the great bucaneer William Dampier....that guy read all the manuals and it not only allowed him to have uber nunchucks skills, but also allowed him to level up to like the 7 millionth level.....YEAH MAN!!!

MK

 

[Darkhymn]

In my opinion, the first tier should be relatively common, relatively cheap (maybe around 2k-5k gold), and both available for purchase and lootable, say at a rate similar to some of the lootable idols (chac-mool)

The second tier should be more expensive (10-20k), only available for purchase, and moderately rare (like excellent map rare, maybe?).

The third tier should be extremely expensive (100-200k) and extremely rare, because the bonuses - particularly when added to the other books - are so overbearingly high. I'm aware that realism would state that no book would cost more than a ship, but due to the nature of the bonuses these books currently give, realism needs to take a back seat to balance.

Edit: There's a new version on the FTP. It is identical to the previous version, except that I have weeded out what I believe to be the last spelling and syntax errors in the descriptions. Note that while the mod should at this point be entirely playable, it is not ready for use on your primary install.

 

[Luke159]

I'm in love, you guy's have done a fantastic job with this. I look forward tnot only to seeing it in game but trying to find the damn things. You know the 2nd book could be made to be as rare as the tellescope aka the best spyglass. i'm still yet to find one of those in any of my games i have only ever found the excellent spyglasss. I have found the excellent map more often than the excellent spyglass too and my characters rank is 13 and he's has the excellent spyglass and has done since rank 12. I'm finding them in at least 3 out of every 10 ships i loot thats how common they are now. I haven't found any for sale at stores though. So i think the second book could be as rare as spyglass 5 is and the third should be made available from the govener upon been granted a letter of marque, that as we know can take a long time nd that can be tweaked even more to make it take longer than it already does, which incourages people to do the govener quests rather than buying a letter of maque for the diplomat at the pirate settlements.

 

[Darkhymn]

If the player owns all three books for that skill, they will have a total of 70 bonus points in that skill/attribute.

Currently, this number is 60. +10, +20, and +30.

I have succeeded in making a book display a texture by telling the game to treat it as a map. It continues to give bonuses as usual. Readable books are officially a reality. As of right now, I have 42 books in need of ideas, and perhaps alternate textures to compliment Thagarr's excellent contribution.

The books are as follows:

Tier 1:
Being a Bosun for Dummies - A very simple guide to being a Bosun. Includes pictures. (+10 Leadership)
A Dagger is Not For Shaving - An illustrated diagram showing how daggers are held, and how they are used. (+10 Light Weapons)

The Cutlass is Your Friend - A book detailing how easy it is to wield such a weapon (Nothing is stated about being effective with it). (+10 Medium Weapons)

The Sharp End is the Blade - A heavy weapons diagram showing which end the handle is. (+10 Heavy Weapons)

Rum Bottle Shooting Gallery - A how-to guide on setting up your own firing range. Don't empty the bottles yourself. (+10 Pistols)

You Put the Horseshoe WHERE?! - Get the maximum from your good luck charms. Don't sit down too quickly. (+10 Luck)

Barrels, Bushes, and Other Hiding Spots - Top 5 hiding places you pass by every day. (+10 Stealth)

North is That Way - Basic navigational instructions. Includes a rusted compass with no needle. At least you'll know WHY you got lost. (+10 Navigation)

Iron-sights for Idiots - Align the post with the rear sights, align it all with what you want to kill. What else is there? (+10 Accuracy)

Your Balls Are Important - A detailed manual on the loading of cannons, complete with itemized checklist so you never forget to bring ammo! (+10 Cannons)

Boarding Bring List - Because it's embarrassing when you forget to bring your sword. This book will help you remember to pack your bags properly. (+10 Grappling)

Darth's Defence Diagrams - A picture book showing where to set traps to keep enemy boarders at bay. (+10 Defence)

Ship Repair Without Nails - Yes - using horse hoof glue - save thousands in repair bills, and without the hammering noises! (+10 Repair)

Bargaining for Beginners - Lists key phrases like; Can't you do better? How about if I pay you later? and how much!?! (+10 Trade)


Tier 2:
Preventing Mutiny: A Beginner's Guide - A checklist detailing what a captain must do to prevent mutiny. Includes aids to remind one when payments are due, and step by step instructions of how to get possible mutineers to walk the plank. (+20 Leadership)

Effective Stances - Authored by an Italian Maestro, this book emphasizes utilization of footwork to maximize agility with light weapons. (+20 Light Weapons)

*Rapiers: More Than Just Toothpicks! - While a good cutlass is the standard, sometimes you just need a quick poke! (+20 Medium Weapons)

Heavy Weapons Workout Manual - A collection of exercises tailored to strengthening muscles used when fighting with heavy weapons. Includes diagrams and dietary recommendations. (+20 Heavy Weapons)

101 Reload Drills - This manual focuses on the art of the rapid reload. Includes tips regarding where you keep your powder, in addition to drills for every situation! (+20 Pistols)

Zig and Zag... At the Same Time! - Written by Captain Jack Sparrow, whose wild movements are known to dodge incoming bullets, and whose incredible acrobatics (without even a spot of rum!) are renowned throughout the Caribbean. (+20 Luck)

You're Only Who You're Pretending to Be - Even the best disguises can be outed, but changing your bearing, adopting a limp, and speaking with a foreign accent can all add to your charade. (+20 Stealth)

Sextant is Not in the Kamasutra - Directions on how to use this navigational device. (+20 Navigation)

If You Can See It... - ...you can shoot it. Aiding cannoneers in hitting the 150 foot Ship-of-the-Line that they keep missing. (+20 Accuracy)

Knipples, Nails and Knives - In a pinch, almost anything will work as ammo. This is a catalog of ammunition, covering application and effectiveness. (+20 Cannons)

Black Bart's Bumper Book of Boarding - Always tie a rope to your grappling hook. Don't board ships with knotted pine decks if you have a peg leg, and always let your men go first. (+20 Grappling)

Bandages and Cauterizing - A first-aid manual showing how to stick wounds and pull rounds from wounded soldiers. (+20 Defence)

Morgan's Missing Mizzen - Detailed description of how Captain Henry Morgan repaired his mizzen-mast at sea using only his headscarf and his first mate's peg leg - illustrated - a must for those sea skirmishes and storms. (+20 Repair)

Bribery for Beginners - A how to on cramming coin into the right pockets. (+20 Trade)


Tier 3:
British Command Manual - A detailed manual to aid Captains in ensuring that their word commands respect aboard their vessel. (+30 Leadership)

**Talhoffer's Manual of Light Weapons - Illustrated treatise detailing the application of martial arts to light weapons. (+30 Light Weapons)

**Talhoffer's Manual of Medium Weapons - Illustrated treatise detailing the application of martial arts to medium weapons. (+30 Medium Weapons)

**Talhoffer's Manual of Heavy Weapons - Illustrated treatise detailing the application of martial arts to heavy weapons. (+30 Heavy Weapons)

More Bang for Your Buck - How to load your weapon with just the right amount of powder. No sense in blowing your hand off. (+30 Pistols)

Make Your Own Luck - Discovering false bottoms in chests and learning where to look on corpses will greatly increase the jingle in your pockets. (+30 Luck)

Hiding in Plain Sight - Changing your flag is not enough. Quickly changing your ship's name can help. Having spare uniforms from a variety of nations can really throw the enemy off your tail. (+30 Stealth)

Stars Aren't Just for Lovers - Complete with a fold out astronomical chart, this manual details how to read the stars to get where you need to go. (+30 Navigation)

Degrees to Distance - Outlines the calculations necessary to hit a target at range. Contains a handy fold out chart. (+30 Accuracy)

Cannoneer Training Manual - Outlines various drills, including instructions for pre-loading cannons safely, and which end aims out. (+30 Cannons)

Strike Fast, Strike First - The first to begin boarding is generally the victor. To that end, this book offers a number of helpful hints, including strategic placement of boarding weapons, having boarding hooks prepared, and making sure to overtake the enemy cannon deck as quickly as possible. (+30 Grappling)

Tricky Defence Tactics - A very detailed manual on strategic trap laying. Includes the use of oil slicks, caltrops, a bed of nails, and a swinging can of pitch. (+30 Defence)

Can We Use This for Parts? - Blueprints of various vessels, captioned with new and interesting things to use in your repairs - including port hatches, floorboards, and the captain's cabin door (not recommended) - and how they may be utilized. (+30 Repair)

United Provinces Trade Manual - Originally in Dutch, this handy manual has been translated into all of the languages of the Caribbean. This manual points out ports and traders willing to overlook taxes, and provide great deals. (+30 Trade)


* I really like this title, but it is clearly more suited to light weapons. Suggestions on which light weapons manual to replace with it? If I do make that change, we will also need a new tier 2 medium weapons description and title.

**In a future version, I may replace these with titles of actual Talhoffer treatises. Tips as to which might be the most pertinent are welcome (Looking at you, MK ).

While I'm aware that the British spelling of Defence (Modern Defense) is no longer considered correct. However, it seemed more fitting for the era.

Writing this post, I have almost certainly weeded out all remaining spelling and syntax errors. The new version is in my directory on the FTP.

Edit: I would also like to point out that I have removed the RPGUtilite.c entries of all of the old idols/totems/trinkets except for the clothing outfits. I can't see this causing any problems, but if anyone thinks there is a more prudent way to do it (setting all values to '0' but leaving the entries, perhaps?) I would like to hear it.

I have left out the code making Being a Bosun for Dummies readable in the version on the ftp. I need to optimize the code first, and probably won't upload it until I have implemented it on a wider scale. I suspect the first few releases of this mod will not contain readable books.

Edit Two:

I'm in love, you guy's have done a fantastic job with this. I look forward tnot only to seeing it in game but trying to find the damn things. You know the 2nd book could be made to be as rare as the tellescope aka the best spyglass. i'm still yet to find one of those in any of my games i have only ever found the excellent spyglasss. I have found the excellent map more often than the excellent spyglass too and my characters rank is 13 and he's has the excellent spyglass and has done since rank 12. I'm finding them in at least 3 out of every 10 ships i loot thats how common they are now. I haven't found any for sale at stores though. So i think the second book could be as rare as spyglass 5 is and the third should be made available from the govener upon been granted a letter of marque, that as we know can take a long time nd that can be tweaked even more to make it take longer than it already does, which incourages people to do the govener quests rather than buying a letter of maque for the diplomat at the pirate settlements.

Thank you. I'm rather proud of how well the mod is coming along, and I'm excited by the prospect of a formal release in the very near future. I'm sure FireBat feels the same, as this is his brainchild. I think your idea for the second book is probably right about spot on. As for the third, I'm not sure that it should require questing. I could see it also being available in that way, but I think it should still be available in the shops, just incredibly rare and expensive. This way a player won't be penalized for not questing, but questing will be doubly rewarding, as they will get the books for free, and potentially even earlier than they would otherwise be able to.

 

[Thagarr]

Awesome news Darkhymn!

I am really looking forward to seeing these in game! :mm

 

[Darkhymn]

Awesome news Darkhymn!

I am really looking forward to seeing these in game! :mm

Well, thanks largely to you, here it is!

Our first fully functional, readable book. Now we only need 41 more, plus the 21 planned P.I.R.A.T.E.S. books.

 

[Pieter Boelen]

When it comes to the thought of pirates being unable to read, why don't you code in some new abilities, such as "Basic Reading", "Moderate Reading" and "Advanced Reading". You would only be able to get the book skill bonus if you've got the required ability. This would simulate learning how to read for your pirate character.

I won't comment on the availability thing, since I never really played CoAS properly. However, I think your thoughts are on the right track anyway.

 

[Darkhymn]

I'm pretty sure the mod is beyond playable at this point. I've given everything prices, left the first tier lootable and I believe fairly common. Other two are not lootable and are rarer / more expensive. I'm about to start play testing it more extensively shortly.
Anyone else who would like to give it a whirl...

Rar --- Zip

This does not contain the code for readable books. Won't post those until they're all readable, probably.

Edit: Occurrence of the bottom tier of books is far, far too high. I am testing a new rarity value at the moment and will upload a new version soon, hopefully.

 

[sharjin]

i think all books should have a chance to appear in any shop the first tier should be semi rare loot the 2nd tier should be a very rare loot item and the third only in shops as for prices i say tier 1 2000-4000
tier 2 20000-50000 and tier three 300000-500000

 

[Thagarr]

Awesome news Darkhymn!

I am really looking forward to seeing these in game! :mm

Well, thanks largely to you, here it is!

You and FireBat deserve all the thanks my friend! Together, your awesome coding skills have brought all the pieces together in one place!

By the looks of the screen shot though, I do need to do a bit of adjusting to the book graphics wise, I wasn't sure exactly how they would look in game. I'll aim for getting at least one book done a day, hopefully we can have the first tier skill books ready by next weekend sometime.

 

[Thagarr]

When it comes to the thought of pirates being unable to read, why don't you code in some new abilities, such as "Basic Reading", "Moderate Reading" and "Advanced Reading". You would only be able to get the book skill bonus if you've got the required ability. This would simulate learning how to read for your pirate character.

Another great idea Pieter! Gives me an excuse to work on a proper "Illustrated Illiterate Pirate Reading Primer!"

 

[Darkhymn]

Well, thanks largely to you, here it is!

You and FireBat deserve all the thanks my friend! Together, your awesome coding skills have brought all the pieces together in one place!

By the looks of the screen shot though, I do need to do a bit of adjusting to the book graphics wise, I wasn't sure exactly how they would look in game. I'll aim for getting at least one book done a day, hopefully we can have the first tier skill books ready by next weekend sometime.

One thing to keep in mind is that tx converter will resize the image to 1024x1024 if it is not already that size, which of course will result in a loss of quality. Once I have the mod balanced in a way that makes it playable, I may start writing for the books myself, as well.

 

[FireBat]

If more than one person is going to write books, I think it would be a good idea to keep posting which ones that person is starting so as not to be writing something that someone already has.

 

[Thagarr]

One thing to keep in mind is that tx converter will resize the image to 1024x1024 if it is not already that size, which of course will result in a loss of quality. Once I have the mod balanced in a way that makes it playable, I may start writing for the books myself, as well.

Thanks mate, I forgot about that part!

FireBat, I am planning on just doing the tier 1 books, but if anyone else would like to give them a go, that's fine with me.

 

[Pieter Boelen]

2048x2048 is also possible for textures, I think. Or 1024x2048 or something. I do recommend trying to keep size down to some extent. Experiment with the compression settings in the TX Converter as well and see if you can put a compression on that gives smaller filesize but doesn't make the images look too bad. Otherwise, modpack size can go through the roof real quickly.

 

[Darkhymn]

2048x2048 is also possible for textures, I think. Or 1024x2048 or something. I do recommend trying to keep size down to some extent. Experiment with the compression settings in the TX Converter as well and see if you can put a compression on that gives smaller filesize but doesn't make the images look too bad. Otherwise, modpack size can go through the roof real quickly.

Yes, I was aware of the 2048x2048 option. However, since his original images were smaller, I just suggested the closest option. Currently the textures for the books are about 2MB each, which has something to do with the conversion process... The original files are about 200kB, the tga files are 1.3MB to 1.4MB, and the tx files are 2MB to 2.2MB... Making them about 10 to 11 times their original size... I'll see what I can do about reducing that a bit, but I think the problem lies in the poor conversion algorithm used by tx converter. The real question is why the developers chose to use .tx at all, since it really is just a made up file extension tacked on to the end of a standard non-proprietary common texture file.

 

[Pieter Boelen]

The .tx format allows compression of the .tga files. By default the TX Converter generates uncompressed files which can be pretty darn big as you've discovered, but it also allows you to generate compressed files. That's worth experimenting with.

I wonder... now that we've got the source code, could we make the game read .tga files instead of .tga.tx? If we could, would we want to? Or would we lose the ability to compress the files? Would .tga files load faster or less fast in the memory than .tga.tx file? I really don't know...