Details on ship operations?

[wanderon]

Is there some detailed info on operating your ship anywhere? What the different job slots infer -which ones are most or least important  and/or easiest or hardest to fill - what to do with wounded crew (it doesn't appear they are being healed at all even when in rest slots atm altho I suspect thats a bug).

 

Why does one of the crew whine about not having a boatswain every time we enter a storm when there is currently a boatswain at the helm? (I don't see any other slot that indicates it is for a boatswain).

 

If I hire a sailor at Dunnage why do I have to go to Nekataka in order to swap him into the crew (when my crew is currently full when I hire him).

[daver]

I'm not as far along in the game as you, I'm doing a lot of quests in & around Neketaka, just turned level 9 (my 2nd character, started new game when patch 1.2 came out).  Been as far away as the pirate fort to complete "Blow the Man Down" quest, and working on the mapping quests for the cartographer, and had 3 ship to ship combats.  I'm also still using the Defiant as my ship.

 

-As far as detailed info, there is the tutorial section in the journal that lists basic instructions.  It's not very detailed, but does contain some info.  Maybe something more on the Wiki.

 

-Most sailors you hire have two job qualifications, like deckhand & cannoneer, or deckhand & cook, ect.  Some only have one, they are usually more experienced & also cost more to initially hire.  Most common is deckhand, less common are navigator & surgeon.  Obviously, the positions on the ship should be filled by the crew member with the appropriate skills.  Don't know what happens if you say, put a cook in a cannoneers job.  Maybe the eventually learn that position?  Most critical to me is the Navigator, and there seem to be fewer of those sailors than the others.

 

-injured sailors should be put in the 3 reserve slots on the lower right of the ship.  To heal, they require a surgeon to be employed in the surgeon slot, & 1 medicine per day for the required amount of days listed to heal.  But I think you're right that this may be somewhat buggy, as I had I sailor (the Xuirp that I recruited) that required 10 days to heal, but never did.  I eventually swapped him out for another sailor from my reserves from the ship management tab.  That was a game with the 1.1 patch, haven't seen it happen with 1.2.

 

-I've never seen the crew complain about not having a boatswain, so I have no idea on that.

 

-As far as swapping out sailors from the reserves in the ship management inventory, I've never had to return to Neketaka to do that.  Although, I can't verify that you can do it at sea (which wouldn't make sense), but maybe have to be docked at a port.

 

You may know most or all of this already, but thought I'd list the little that I've discovered in case it helps.

[no1fanboy]

The most important thing you need to know is never engage in ship combat. Just close to board every time.

 

Unless you want your entire party to get keep killed due to boredom

[handsomenat]

 

Why does one of the crew whine about not having a boatswain every time we enter a storm when there is currently a boatswain at the helm? (I don't see any other slot that indicates it is for a boatswain).

 

Not every ship has a slot for a boatswain. Sloop doesn't. Putting a sailor with some ranks in boatswain at the helm doesn't make him an acting boatswain but a helmsman. Boatswain coordinates the deckhands.

[wanderon]

 

 

Why does one of the crew whine about not having a boatswain every time we enter a storm when there is currently a boatswain at the helm? (I don't see any other slot that indicates it is for a boatswain).

 

Not every ship has a slot for a boatswain. Sloop doesn't. Putting a sailor with some ranks in boatswain at the helm doesn't make him an acting boatswain but a helmsman. Boatswain coordinates the deckhands.

 

Thought that must be the case guess I need a bigger ship  

[wanderon]

I notice in my larger ship (Dhow) I still don't get an option to fire except when the two ships are parallel - if my nose is pointed towards the enemy side I don't have an option to fire but I have had enemies fire on me in that manner - is my ship still too small for that option or is that never going to be an option for the player ?   ( or only the enemy?)

[anathanielh]

I notice in my larger ship (Dhow) I still don't get an option to fire except when the two ships are parallel - if my nose is pointed towards the enemy side I don't have an option to fire but I have had enemies fire on me in that manner - is my ship still too small for that option or is that never going to be an option for the player ? ( or only the enemy?)

Some ships have front/back facing cannons (Usually lighter ships). The dhow does not, but it’s still a powerhouse when lined up.

[wanderon]

Anyone have suggestions on types of cannon and how to configure them optimally?

 

With six slots to work with do you set up differently on each side? Perhaps longer range on port and shorter on starboard? 

 

Do you have a favorite cannon type and if so do you use it exclusively or continue to mix it up with several types?

 

What about sails and hulls?  Favorites? Mix them up?

 

Do you upgrade the other options like helm, anchor etc - seems very expensive to me with minimum gain?

[anathanielh]

My favorites are double bronzers (high dmg high reload 250-350 range) and wyrmtongue cannons (higher chance of starting fires 0-400 range). I just have one side for each type of cannon.

 

Typically I use wyrmtongues for most engagements because of it’s generous range, but if the enemy isn’t charging me, taking the time to set up with double bronzers can shred through enemy ships.

 

For sails and hulls I use whatever gives the most health without sacrificing too much speed.

 

You’re best holding off on helm, anchor, etc. upgrades until later in the game when you have more money. (They typically provide bonuses to how fast you move on the world map, and are not entirely necessary)

Edited July 19, 2018 by anathanielh

[wanderon]

I have a mix of cannon atm and am experimenting with them - I have a mix on both sides ( 3 per side on my Dhow) including the one you get from WM, a couple of the low range high damage ones (0-250) and one long range (400-600?) altho most battles I only use one volley then turn to face them and run in to ram them and meet on deck for a free for all - especially after we got the Dhow which takes much longer to complete a turn.  So far we have beat them all tho a couple were close (on Classic). Just figured out today I could take a turn to move my wounded out and replace them with back-ups to keep my guns operating. 

[anathanielh]

I have a mix of cannon atm and am experimenting with them - I have a mix on both sides ( 3 per side on my Dhow) including the one you get from WM, a couple of the low range high damage ones (0-250) and one long range (400-600?) altho most battles I only use one volley then turn to face them and run in to ram them and meet on deck for a free for all - especially after we got the Dhow which takes much longer to complete a turn.  So far we have beat them all tho a couple were close (on Classic). Just figured out today I could take a turn to move my wounded out and replace them with back-ups to keep my guns operating. 

Mixing cannons is good too. Just remember to not fire cannons that you know aren't going to hit to save ammo and save on reload time.