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Where are my cherished ships

This by time limited blocking can be really interesting and game will be challenging even more. Mybe too much with it. One will have to practice his perception much more. But when some pirate captain has 1000 points of health it will be really feat to kill him. But I can hardly imagine how I will be resisting to some bands and boarding situations becase very often I am invaded by 5 bandits or enemy simultaneosly and they always cleverly try to surrender me and this permanent block is the only thing that holds me alive together with automatic replenishing my health from my potions which I carry in my inventory. So, it seems to me it will be sensitive issue. For that reason I think it should be implemented into the game only optionally again. I think some people will like it and use it and some people not. <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile.gif" />
 
The time blocking will have a toggle on it, because I know there will be people who won't like it. I will also add a value that you can change, so that increasing this value will make the effective blocking time be longer. That way, you should be able to tweak the mod to your liking without actually turning it off. It should make the game more challenging and interesting. It should not make the game unplayable. <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/no.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":no" border="0" alt="no.gif" />
 
Hey Pieter,

For what it's worth, I think your idea on the time-limited blocking sounds excellent!

I can imagine it will make the swordfighting much more dynamic and interesting. It will be less predictable, and certainly more dangerous - like a swordfight should be. *grin* Keep up the good work, and good luck on your upcoming exams.

<img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/me.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":onya" border="0" alt="me.gif" />

Cheers,
H.M.M.
 
Anyone who thinks this is a good idea should try boarding a larger ship on one of the higher difficulties. When you find yourself alone against 13 enemy crewmen with 700-1200 hit points each, you might rethink the idea.

Hook
 
That´s exactly what I mean Hook. But as an optional alternative we could have it, I think. But the question is if the enemy would have limited block too. I hope so. This would reduce some adverse consequences, but only partially. <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/mybad.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":facepalm" border="0" alt="mybad.gif" />
 
The enemy already uses limited blocking. Even if the effects applied to enemies, I don't think they block long enough for them to take effect.

But when you have that many against you at once, they aren't going to block at all. They won't need to. <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile.gif" />

Hook
 
I will try to make this mod some time. I have an idea of how it could work, but it'll be a looong time before it'll get made. It will have a toggle and a scalar on it so everybody can have it the way he wants.

About the boardings: I think that if you are on your own and you encounter 13 very strong enemies, you are <i>supposed</i> to die. If you can survive that, then the balancing isn't done realistically. I wonder if we can add a new feature to the game: If you die during boarding, you will be captive aboard the enemy ship and you would have to try and flee or get the enemy crew to mutiny against their captain. That could make for some pretty interesting gameplay and it would make it so that you can continue the game if you die during boardings.
 
I think the boarding as it works now is very good and anything should be change on it. For me this is the best version of boarding I ever played here. I think any supplementary changes could only spoil it. I am afraid that what you suggest Pieter here could end in loading game of many players as it is for example after killing on the land. I never used this situation when I apprear in taverns room without my things and so on. <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/huhh.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":eek:k" border="0" alt="huhh.gif" />
 
<!--quoteo(post=165381:date=Oct 4 2006, 04:46 AM:name=Pieter Boelen)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Pieter Boelen @ Oct 4 2006, 04:46 AM) [snapback]165381[/snapback]</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->
About the boardings: I think that if you are on your own and you encounter 13 very strong enemies, you are <i>supposed</i> to die. If you can survive that, then the balancing isn't done realistically.
<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
You don't start out on your own against 13 enemy, you start out with 6 friendly boarders, all of whom get killed almost immediately. It's hard enough to stay alive yourself, even with a solingen rapier, golden armor and the toughness perk. Your crewmen haven't a chance. Your officers don't have a chance either. And the way it is now, once in a while you'll die.

The game *has* to be winnable. It may take a lot of effort and some luck to win, but you can't put the player in a situation where he will always die no matter what, and no matter how much experience he has playing the game. For that matter, I don't even know if it's possible to win a boarding at the hardest difficulty, at a high character level against a larger ship. I know it's quite hard at difficulty 3.

Try to avoid it? Well, sometimes the enemy boards you.

Hook
 
I think that you might possibly end up in situations where you cannot win. For example when you are at a low player level and you try to board a Manowar with your Tartane. You might maange to board the ship, but you would die unless you'd use cheats. But it would be nice if you could continue play when you lose the fight just like you can on land.
 
I am sorry Pieter but I don´t see anything nice in that. But sometimes you can lose your boarding and it is possible in curent game. By my opinion the worst thing is rework something that works really good. There is so many another new things that could be add into the game.... <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/piratesing.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":shock" border="0" alt="piratesing.gif" /> <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/dunno.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":shrug" border="0" alt="dunno.gif" />
 
I never said that boarding should be reworked. I said that if you die during boardings, you should be able to continue play after all. You might not care for that, but some other people might.
 
Hm, you should ask a question to yourself. Will be some people here who would like it and use it? And furthermore maybe even in that case can arise some risk that something about boarding will be spoiled again. Is it worthy do something about boarding in case it works perfectly? The price can be too high. Anyway you are chief modder and you can do what you want. But if I would you I would let it be as it is now <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/mybad.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":facepalm" border="0" alt="mybad.gif" />
 
Hook: <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/hi.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":gday" border="0" alt="hi.gif" />

Point well taken on the boarding difficulty. I'm thinking if we were to implement something like the limited-blocking in swordplay, to make the swordfight more challenging and less predictable - then surely we'd have to rebalance things a little by making the enemies themselves a little less tough. This way, instead of hacking away predictably at 1000+ hp opponents, it might be a more dynamic swordfight versus 400hp adversaries. Anyway, I think it would be an intesting option - as long as we can balance it, right?!!? <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/duel_pa.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":ixi" border="0" alt="duel_pa.gif" />



Rad: <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/rolleyes.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":rolleyes:" border="0" alt="rolleyes.gif" />

You seem to be missing the point. What Pieter is proposing will only affect what happens to you AFTER YOU DIE DURING A BOARDING. If you don't die, there will be <u>no change</u> to what happens now. If you do die, instead of having to restart a saved game, I think it would be very interesting to become a prisoner on the enemy ship and have to work yourself out of that nasty situation.

And really, at the end of the day, it will be a mod that you can simply turn off. Or you can just ignore it and restart your game ANYWAY if you don't like being taken prisoner by the enemy.


Cheers all, and good sailing
H.M.M.
 
Well, personaly I like this idea of being captured. But it shouldn't occure so often.


I must admit that I'm always reloading my savegame when I get to the tavern upstairs after being killed. I don't like the thing as it is now. During a fight, for exemple, the game should wait until the fight is over. If all your team have been defeated, then you will maybe end in the tavern. (but if you are a well-known pirate you are more likely to end hung near the towngates...). And if your team win, then you may regain consciousness in your cabin, with your doctor healing you. Or all your team could try to run away, seing that you've lost, if they are less then the others, or if their isn't any officers with strong fighting or leadership skills in your team.


(And if there were the change-of-Pchar option, and that your character had been captured at sea... Well, you could just play one of your former ally ship and have a special quest to set free your former P-Char, or to get back his former ship. For exemple, after having sunk the blackpearl, playing as Danielle to rescue Nathanael if he has been captured.)
 
<!--quoteo(post=165479:date=Oct 4 2006, 12:48 PM:name=Capt. H.M. Murdock)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Capt. H.M. Murdock @ Oct 4 2006, 12:48 PM) [snapback]165479[/snapback]</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->
Hook:
Point well taken on the boarding difficulty. I'm thinking if we were to implement something like the limited-blocking in swordplay, to make the swordfight more challenging and less predictable - then surely we'd have to rebalance things a little by making the enemies themselves a little less tough. This way, instead of hacking away predictably at 1000+ hp opponents, it might be a more dynamic swordfight versus 400hp adversaries. Anyway, I think it would be an intesting option - as long as we can balance it, right?!!? <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/duel_pa.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":ixi" border="0" alt="duel_pa.gif" />
<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Someone else is going to have to rebalance boarding. I've put too much time into getting it to work as well as it does.

The same thing is going to happen the first time you encounter bandits outside of town. Four of them, one of you. The only thing that keeps you allive now is the ability to block until you get an opening to hit without being hit.

People need to play the game at high difficulty. See what it's like. Then come back and tell us about making changes like this.

Imagine multiple opponents. Now imagine them at a character level twice yours. Now imagine them with various perks... like critical hit and pro fencer. Further, imagine them with some of the most powerful swords in the game. No, you won't run across this scenario playing beginner difficulty. But you will if you play at higher difficulty.

Pieter, if you like this idea, go for it. But start a game, play a while, get up to level 10 or 20, get some good equipment, change the difficulty level to at least adventurer, then go into the jungle until you encounter the group of 4 bandits. Save the game, then fight the bandits. Adjust the balance on the blocking until you can defeat the bandits, reloading as necessary. The bandit scenario is good because you'll have to fight all 4 at once with no bottleneck to limit them to attacking you one or two at a time.

Hook
 
Exactly, Hook. Let anybody try to play at Swasbuckler difficulty and will see the game is well ballanced. <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/mybad.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":facepalm" border="0" alt="mybad.gif" />
 
I only play on Swashbuckler and I will definitely second what Hook is stating. I think the mod is a very interesting idea, and don't have a problem with it, but when you play on Swashbuckler, even if you are much better than the enemy in boarding, it is very easy to lose it. I've often engaged smaller ships who I've dismasted and killed all their crew by grape and still lost, even though I have heroic morale vs poor. When you are fighting in those situations, the last thing you want is your block to go down! This is not to say that we should make the higher difficulties easier, because that is the whole point on playing at those levels, but to further handicap the player would be unfair. <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/bounce.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":b:" border="0" alt="bounce.gif" />

Of course, if it is made toggleable, the entire discussion is moot. <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/whistling.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":wp" border="0" alt="whistling.gif" />
 
<img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/poet.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":hmm" border="0" alt="poet.gif" />

Well Gemtlemen, I feel that I have to side with you as well in this incident. My first turn off in POTC was going into the dungeons when I wasnt ready.....even if you get two skeletons wailing away at you....their is a very small opportunity to get a counter hit in before they both wail at you again, and again, and again.......it is next to impossible...many times I would stand there and take the hits and wonder...what I had to do to get out of this mess.....and never come back. Over time I avoided the Dungeons....not that they werent a great source of Stuff and Gold...but as a challenge great, as a frustration and reloading the game after I Died a horrible and almost certain Death every time, it got so I didnt want to go there...and I thought Officers would help....they never made it out alive either...I could run away, they never did....

Imagine me standing there now.....waiting for My Blocking to go down in another four seconds....three.....two.......one.......oops another restart or load game again!!!

Great idea, my Brother and Son do not like POTC because of the swordplay.....Brother prefers Pirates, my Son Metal Gear....(wow!!) anyway, it is hard to balance the swordplay, if I could pick a way that I would like to see...something like Pirates.....he who hits his opponent enough times to drive him back or kill him....wins. This means blocking enough or getting through his blocks...and remember NOT ONE of us actually gets past their blocks (AI) in POTC....we have swords that have a Piercing ability and when you hit his block it actually goes thru his blocking sword hitting him instead and causes damage because our sword is rated above his sword or something. So First...we have to make it so they dont block some of the time, and we hit them when their guard is down, tricky that......but I defy anyone to actually time his sword thrust to go pass a Skeletons block!!! And if we go by his when he goes for a thrust we get hit as well.....neat....kinda like a Lose Lose scenario if you ask me. So to sum up the Moral of this story! If we lose the block...even for a second....the Skelleys WIN..... End of the World...Armageddon....GAME OVER

Just My Two Cents Worth
 
<img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/poet.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":hmm" border="0" alt="poet.gif" />
You are right ofcourse! Look at the HP of the skeletons
and than look at yours!! The advice is to stay away 'till
your HP go up or you have enough potions to drink.
<img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/duel_pa.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":ixi" border="0" alt="duel_pa.gif" />
 
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