Pirates of the Burning Sea: Bonny server

[Mysterio]

Nah, you can take another nation’s ship with no penalty and there are no “National” flagged ships yet, as far as I can tell.

The pirate PvP ship flag comes up when you take a ship that’s exclusive to another class. That sounds like he took a Freetrader exclusive snow.

Taking a nation’s ship does not flag you for PvP with that nation; using it as your primary ship does.

There are 4 versions of the Curieuse Snow:

Curieuse Snow: Level 13, available to all careers
Curieuse Snow (Civilian): Level 15, available to all careers
Curieuse Snow (Fallback): Level 18, available to all careers
Curieuse Trader’s Snow: Level 16, available only to Freetraders

We would need futher clarification from Skipper on which version his bud was sailing.

Also, where is it mentioned and confirmed that “the pirate PvP ship flag comes up when you take a ship that’s exclusive to another class?” I’m trying to understand what will and will not get me into trouble…not that I’m avoiding the trouble, mind you. After all, I am a pirate. :-)

[Mark_Asher]

Nah, you can take another nation’s ship with no penalty and there are no “National” flagged ships yet, as far as I can tell.

The pirate PvP ship flag comes up when you take a ship that’s exclusive to another class. That sounds like he took a Freetrader exclusive snow.

Anyhow, last night after midnight (EST) the British (after waiting for hours after they’d actually gotten within 50 points of the target) triggered contention again for Port of Spain.

Pretty cheesy tactic for people who are in the forums speculating that the Spanish will be too cowardly to show up. Yeah, great, lose your first battle to half as many ships so make sure to trigger a contention battle so late that most folks won’t be able to either make it or stay through the whole thing.

We’ll see how it goes I guess but that’s well past the bedtime of most of my Society and there was considerable grumbling.

Shadowbane handled this kind of thing well, I believe. One side had to set a bane on a town, and then the town owners had to respond by scheduling the time for the battle. This way neither side had complete control over things, and both sides knew when the battle would start.

[Skipper]

We would need further clarification from Skipper on which version his bud was sailing.

Also, where is it mentioned and confirmed that “the pirate PvP ship flag comes up when you take a ship that’s exclusive to another class?” I’m trying to understand what will and will not get me into trouble…not that I’m avoiding the trouble, mind you. After all, I am a pirate. :-)

It was indeed the trader version. Also, he had a debuff which we should have understood but was a bit strange. Something to the effect of “Invalid ship - PvP.” He took that for “aww man, this ship blows, it can’t be used in PvP.” To be honest, it’s poorly worded, but there was an indication, he just didn’t know.

We took it from a French convoy of NPC’s, but were also attacked (by chance I think) by a group of French players. Also note that I wasn’t PvP flagged, we were just killing NPC’s around the area. So all of a sudden he pops into combat and I was left baffled. He tried to run, but one of the ships had about a 2-3 knot speed difference and eventually caught up.

[Brian_Rucker]

Taking a nation’s ship does not flag you for PvP with that nation; using it as your primary ship does.

There are 4 versions of the Curieuse Snow:

Curieuse Snow: Level 13, available to all careers
Curieuse Snow (Civilian): Level 15, available to all careers
Curieuse Snow (Fallback): Level 18, available to all careers
Curieuse Trader’s Snow: Level 16, available only to Freetraders

We would need futher clarification from Skipper on which version his bud was sailing.

Also, where is it mentioned and confirmed that “the pirate PvP ship flag comes up when you take a ship that’s exclusive to another class?” I’m trying to understand what will and will not get me into trouble…not that I’m avoiding the trouble, mind you. After all, I am a pirate. :-)

Taking a ship means using it to me. Pirates don’t get commendations or pennants. They board the ship or break it up on the spot for salvage. If you mean “taking” in the sense of breaking a ship up for salvage I can see where the confusion is.

And, no, you don’t get auto-PvP flagged as a pirate unless you’re using a ship that’s exclusive to another class. He took the Trader’s Snow. That’s the only way this could have happened.

[JM1]

Taking a ship means using it to me. Pirates don’t get commendations or pennants. They board the ship or break it up on the spot for salvage. If you mean “taking” in the sense of breaking a ship up for salvage I can see where the confusion is.

And, no, you don’t get auto-PvP flagged as a pirate unless you’re using a ship that’s exclusive to another class. He took the Trader’s Snow. That’s the only way this could have happened.

We get pennants.

[Skipper]

Zoning in, it turned out that the 3 of us were up against 3 vessels - a well balanced fight. We stuck to the original target but it was a night battle and our ranged shots weren’t really doing a great deal of damage. My setup - designed for chasing down runners and boarding weaker ships - was simply failing to make a dent on ships that didn’t really care about being slowed. They had an excellent mixture of abilities that enabled them to repair quickly and added extra defensive abilities to their allies. Repeated attempts to cripple a ship simply failed, and we were starting to take some damage we couldn’t shrug off.

Splitting up, we managed to get their main damage dealer seperated slightly and the 3 of them were strung out. We focused on the closest ship, moving around so that we could fire from several angles. Realising his teammate was in trouble, the middle ship (the weakest of the three, I think) raced forward to support - only to see all 3 of us suddenly surge forward and trap him on all sides with nowhere to go. 3 volleys of close-range / anti-crew ammo later, I board and he’s despatched after a fairly protracted boarding battle (he was sneaky!).

Sadly the rest of them got away, simply because my Corsair can’t sail downwind very well and so I couldn’t get into range to use my Cut Shroud.

So, in a 3v3 we ended up with a kill and no losses. Not a bad start…

I had a lot of fun in that fight. I was awed by how well we wrangled in the one that you killed. It was amazing to watch both in what happened and how it came together. A perfect V of me and you holding her in place with Dutch lined up directly perpendicular to her bow. Awesome. Also, she was in the smallest ship but was the highest level at 22. The others were 21 and 17. They used their cooldowns to great effect. Something they had spread the damage out across all armor, which greatly reduced any attempt to sink directly. Notice homeboy’s armor here in the pic. Equal damage across the ship. Literally our only chance WAS to board. We did the poorest when we were split up, and we also didn’t have a sprinter, which I think might be needed for more serious PvP engagements. My take-away from this was that I need a dedicated PvP ship with it’s own setup. I think the society also needs more gunships, and a sprinter or three.

Also a quick screenshot of us pursuing the straggler who was the last to get away…

[JM1]

Yeah, in both our encounters it was notable how good the opposition were at both abilities and reducing damage via other means. They tend to pick the heavier boats, too.

I do have a dedicated sprinter, my Sleek Corsair does 22knots in the right wind but it’s a fairly expensive setup. Firepower is something that we’re going to struggle for as a nation I think, although we do have some pretty neat skills. Wonder if it’s worth looking at a dedicated close-range setup, as our enemies seem to win the long-range fights…

[Brian_Rucker]

We get pennants.

It’s the same but different. When a National Privateer or Freetrader “Salvages” an abandoned derelict, it’s a different skill with a different name for us, they don’t get parts and resources like Pirates do they get a pennant (or commendation for NOs or Privateers with a certain skill) or some other token that can be traded in for a reward. Sometimes pirates will get pennants too but that’s as loot and not an automatic return from each and every ship.

[JM1]

Gotcha.

[Skipper]

Yeah, in both our encounters it was notable how good the opposition were at both abilities and reducing damage via other means. They tend to pick the heavier boats, too.

I do have a dedicated sprinter, my Sleek Corsair does 22knots in the right wind but it’s a fairly expensive setup. Firepower is something that we’re going to struggle for as a nation I think, although we do have some pretty neat skills. Wonder if it’s worth looking at a dedicated close-range setup, as our enemies seem to win the long-range fights…

Believe it or not, 22knots is good but they have even faster ships as a base, it’s part of the deal for Free Traders. Not to mention skills that help that even more, plus mods. Homeboy’s ship there was capable of over 17 knots before mods, while our Corsairs are only 15 or so before mods. Adding to that, our advantage is against the wind (leeward) and he had the wind directly at his back. Good sailing on his part, and not much we could do.

According to the Prima guide, the non-level 50 ships that are the fastest base speed are:

#6 - Hermes Sleek Packet Boat (17.25)
#7 - Santiago Traders Galleon (17.25)
#8 - Hallifax Mastercraft Schooner (17)
#9 - Lancer Naval Cutter (17)
#10 - Triton Interceptor Frigate (17)

The problem is most of those either suck in the guns department, or aren’t as useful for boarding combat. Overall though, the guide has helped a lot evaluating ships for me.

[Mysterio]

And, no, you don’t get auto-PvP flagged as a pirate unless you’re using a ship that’s exclusive to another class. He took the Trader’s Snow. That’s the only way this could have happened.

I wonder what the design rationale was for this behavior. Interesting.

[JM1]

Believe it or not, 22knots is good but they have even faster ships as a base, it’s part of the deal for Free Traders. Not to mention skills that help that even more, plus mods. Homeboy’s ship there was capable of over 17 knots before mods, while our Corsairs are only 15 or so before mods. Adding to that, our advantage is against the wind (leeward) and he had the wind directly at his back. Good sailing on his part, and not much we could do.

According to the Prima guide, the non-level 50 ships that are the fastest base speed are:

#6 - Hermes Sleek Packet Boat (17.25)
#7 - Santiago Traders Galleon (17.25)
#8 - Hallifax Mastercraft Schooner (17)
#9 - Lancer Naval Cutter (17)
#10 - Triton Interceptor Frigate (17)

The problem is most of those either suck in the guns department, or aren’t as useful for boarding combat. Overall though, the guide has helped a lot evaluating ships for me.

The sleek corsair is 16.75 and accelerates faster, though.

[Skipper]

Yeah, in both our encounters it was notable how good the opposition were at both abilities and reducing damage via other means. They tend to pick the heavier boats, too.

I do have a dedicated sprinter, my Sleek Corsair does 22knots in the right wind but it’s a fairly expensive setup. Firepower is something that we’re going to struggle for as a nation I think, although we do have some pretty neat skills. Wonder if it’s worth looking at a dedicated close-range setup, as our enemies seem to win the long-range fights…

Believe it or not, 22knots is good but they have even faster ships as a base, it’s part of the deal for Free Traders. Not to mention skills that help that even more, plus mods. Homeboy’s ship there was capable of over 17 knots before mods, while our Corsairs are only 15 or so before mods. Adding to that, our advantage is against the wind (leeward) and he had the wind directly at his back. Good sailing on his part, and not much we could do.

According to the Prima guide, the non-level 50 ships that are the fastest base speed are:

#6 - Hermes Sleek Packet Boat (17.25)
#7 - Santiago Traders Galleon (17.25)
#8 - Hallifax Mastercraft Schooner (17)
#9 - Lancer Naval Cutter (17)
#10 - Triton Interceptor Frigate (17)

The problem is most of those either suck in the guns department, or aren’t as useful for boarding combat. Overall though, the guide has helped a lot evaluating ships for me.

[Skipper]

Yeah, in both our encounters it was notable how good the opposition were at both abilities and reducing damage via other means. They tend to pick the heavier boats, too.

I do have a dedicated sprinter, my Sleek Corsair does 22knots in the right wind but it’s a fairly expensive setup. Firepower is something that we’re going to struggle for as a nation I think, although we do have some pretty neat skills. Wonder if it’s worth looking at a dedicated close-range setup, as our enemies seem to win the long-range fights…

Believe it or not, 22 knots is good but they have even faster ships as a base, it’s part of the deal for Free Traders. Not to mention skills that help that even more, plus mods. Homeboy’s ship there was capable of over 17 knots before mods, while our Corsairs are only 15 or so before mods. Adding to that, our advantage is against the wind (leeward) and he had the wind directly at his back. Good sailing on his part, and not much we could do.

According to the Prima guide, the non-level 50 ships that are the fastest base speed are:

#6 - Hermes Sleek Packet Boat (17.25)
#7 - Santiago Traders Galleon (17.25)
#8 - Hallifax Mastercraft Schooner (17)
#9 - Lancer Naval Cutter (17)
#10 - Triton Interceptor Frigate (17)

The problem is most of those either suck in the guns department, or aren’t as useful for boarding combat. Overall though, the guide has helped a lot evaluating ships for me.

[Skipper]

I agree JM, it’s a nice ship, I love mine. :)

I know it’s yellow with the wind directly behind it though, isn’t that less than max speed? Either way I think you kept up with him, but couldn’t overtake him. You pulled away from both me and Dutch if I remember right. I have (or had) zero speed mods on my sleek corsair.

[JM1]

I was in my bog-standard Corsair for that one sadly.

It was Dutch who was chasing him down - I had too much sail damage to keep up at the start! Shame, because as soon as I get in range they’re not escaping from Cut Shroud…

The Sleek is speed/grapple kitted to the max, almost to the point where I’m afraid to use it in PVP! However I’d be deeply impressed if anyone managed to catch me.

The yellow bars are slower, yeah. Basically some ships handle against the wind or across the wind much much better than others. One of the reasons I love my Heavy Cutter is that it’s damn fast downwind (only one yellow bar).

[flyinj]

Ok, I’m getting a bit more established. I have the initial warehouse with a wood and gravel farm, and I’ve just established an iron mine in another city.

The most harrowing fight I’ve had so far was the quest to get my Salvage ability at level 10. The three enemy ships completely destroyed my sails, and I was barely able to repair them enough to board two of them, and then finally sink the third. I had about a sliver of main hull left in the end… and the battle must have taken an hour.

It’s great fun so far. My only complaints are the extremely long travel times you have between ports when there isn’t a current (and even with a current it can take forever). It’s -exactly- like it was in Pirates… this game is basically Pirates converted almost exactly into an MMO. Which is a good thing.

How long it’s going to hold up for me, I don’t know. I’ve played a lot of Pirates. Almost 5 different versions of it. And I do love me some Pirates, but I can only take so much of it. Having the MMO carrot of constantly getting little upgrades definitely helps the formula… and the metagame of taking over entire ports in player raids and the economy are compelling.

How compelling the constant naval battles will be after three months is a bit worrisome.

Altogether though, a big thumbs up from me. If you like Sid Mier’s Pirates, you’re going to love this.

[LionelThompson]

How long it’s going to hold up for me, I don’t know. I’ve played a lot of Pirates. Almost 5 different versions of it. And I do love me some Pirates, but I can only take so much of it. Having the MMO carrot of constantly getting little upgrades definitely helps the formula… and the metagame of taking over entire ports in player raids and the economy are compelling.

How compelling the constant naval battles will be after three months is a bit worrisome.

Altogether though, a big thumbs up from me. If you like Sid Mier’s Pirates, you’re going to love this.

After three months, I too will be wondering if I’ll still be with it, only because very few games have held me for that long (EQ, EQ2, and UO with LOTRO close behind), but definitely do not discount the fun that grouping provides in this game. When my time is short, I’m content to run a few missions or check on my factories, but when grouped, and especially in pvp, when, if you lose, YOU LOSE YOUR BOAT, adds an intensity to the game that keeps my rapt attention.

[Yaltan]

I’ve joined up on Bonny as French Freetrader “Guillaume Flauberge”, currently level 6 and working through the tutorials. I’d love to join the society; I’m pretty clueless about how most things work at this point (wasn’t in the beta).

By jaikin at 2008-01-28

[Lorini]

They are all pirates, so you can’t belong to their society. Each faction can only belong in societies/groups with their own faction. So you can only belong to Spanish societies.