Boat System

Mingus · Post by **Mingus** » Thu Dec 04, 2003 11:02 pm

The last boat thread has been lost some how, so I'm starting this new one till it is found. To those that posted on the old one can recall what they wrote, feel free to jot down your posts again for the benefit of all.
Thanks

Mingus · Post by **Mingus** » Thu Dec 04, 2003 11:03 pm

PVP or do you mean Ship vs Ship? they differ a in actual engagement.

I am thinking ship to ship fights made not to destroy the boat but more to hurt the PC/mobs on board. You bombard each other till one of the ship's stop dead, then the one still moving can either board or keep firing. The Mobs/Pc on board take damage and for now should just go unconscious. Then when the boarding sequence of the fight starts all those that are knocked out don't participate in the boarding or defending of the ship. In other words, you have a crew of 100 mobs and 50 go down in the Ship melee, then that just leaves you 50 to board or defend, and goes the same for PC's, the unconscious thats weren't aided will remain so till after the battle. How much damage taken depends on this ship and crew. Bare minimum wearing pirates on a sloop will take more damadge than fully armed maries and a war galleon. But being that the sloop can run circles around the galleon, it will probobly make more successful strikes.

About restriction, How about running flags? With access to certain harbormasters you can run that ports flag on your ship and enter that port with out question. Besides Evermeet, do you think Waterdeep would let a Luskan Ship enter its harbor? No way! Same thing goes for all the other ports that have rivals. eg ZK vs Hillsfar ect. With this the code/imms can restrict a players movement to how he/she RP's/XP's and make it more real. the flags will be place automatically the next time you board your ship, so as not to have players buying flags for other players. And special flages like the skull/crossbone or a white surrender too.

Since a player owned boat will be thier home and shop in one. If a trade system is put in place where a captain can make more booty from running cargo from different ports than from slaying beasts and hawking the eq, then players will have an insentive to own one.(and be able keep it) Think of a group of WD watch members making the WD patrol fleet each with his/her own boat. The RP possobilities are endless. Sea engagements can be made just for the cargo with out the excess carnage, the winner takes the others hold upto their limit. Hence the pirates can make a living of just being pirates and selling their ill gotten goods at what ever port allows them in. Think out side PK for a bit and make this an opportunity to make an addition to the mud that leaves the regular Hack/slash of mobs to the side. How about the RP of just running the ship, With a few PC on a boat, the captian calling out orders and the crew emoting the actions?

A little about initial engagements. When two ships meet(since the square is set up to be 30 sq miles) each ship captain declares, through a command, whether they want to flee or engage. Flee means that ships just sails on by or if persued flees from the other. Engages means just that, the ship is gonna manuver close to the other. Now according to the ship you maybe able to flee or engage easier or not. A sloop will out race a galleon. Each ship having defence and speed differances and maybe HP for the Mob ships. There will be a lag pause till both captains declare their actions, so as not to have someone spamflee all the time. If one captain doesn't declare the prog will kick in after a minute or two(to compensate for lag and linkdrops) and initialize what the other commanded. The lag scease when all parties declare and that starts the engagement sequence. Again fleeing depends on your boats speed so with a sloop you will probaly excap all of the time unless someone engages you with another sloop. Then it would mostly fall on the die cheching both captains seamanship skills/trade.

A little about cargo/holds. This too depends on the boat , the smaller and faster it is the less it can hold and also the less crew you can have. Once you reach its limit, its like trying to shove moor things in your pack or carry more past your strength. To relieve this, simply go to some port and sell off your goods.
Not another room persay like the cargohold/PC storeroom but more of a listing that would be the ships supplies hold. Bring up the list through a command to see what your boat has to repair it self and feed the crew. Not bartered goods just an inventory that will allow ships to be maintained. ie Canvas for sails, lumber for masts and planks, food for the crew, rope ect ect. All purchasable at the harbormaster along with the trade goods. Just like the coin a PC has to pay his hierlings, so to this is a must for any boat. What does this mean? no food and the crew will jump ship and it runs less efficient.(ie slower, not as good in combat, ect) No supplies and your ship wstart to break down so even with a full crew it will run less efficient. No dead in the water ships, just getting any where in such conditions will be a pain through movement lag.

If I didn't mention this before the ship's speed and size will determin the lag between room movements. And weather if the code allows.

Kirkus · Post by **Kirkus** » Fri Dec 05, 2003 2:18 am

So if a player owns a dwelling now, you are saying they can't buy a boat since a boat is a characters dwelling and shop all in one. I don't think I like that. If some wealthy adventurer turn merchant owns a house he can't own a boat, that kinda sucks.

Glim · Post by **Glim** » Mon Feb 23, 2004 6:26 am

Was just bored and reading back, and looking at this and ya know, this isnt that bad of an idea, I think its a bit too complicated, but maybe I can help it a bit. Or not, ya know hehe

A boat would be kinda like a horse, many people could mount it and they all wouldnt drown. The captain would be the only one who could control it.
It would have a hold, (no cannons, powder cannons are rare cause they are from lantan and they blow up more often than not =) If you wanted to do a little pirating, all you would have to do was kill everyone on that boat, then you would have to try and pick the hold if it was locked. It could have a place to put flags and banners and the like. Increasing and descreasing speed would depend on sails.

Maybe if a boat gets attacked it could spawn a crew or something.

I think this could also be changed a bit to have caravans.

Boats would add some RP for all those Umberlee followers, and for all the other water gods too. Now, all the pirates and sailors can offer rides, wages and crew and the like.

I dont think it would be considered like another dwelling, same as a cart isnt a dwelling, I dont think it would even really be an app thing. Just really expensive hehe.

Drakenor · Post by **Drakenor** » Sat Mar 20, 2004 2:49 am

Boats, how do you use them? I saw a boat at a store in waterdeep and wondered how would you use the boat? Would you merely have to have it in your hands or would you have to type something like get in boat or mount boat or something?

Algon · Post by **Algon** » Sat Mar 20, 2004 3:52 am

Not to long ago I bought a boat and tried everything I could think of to use the boat. Not sure, but I think I heard somewhere that the boats like that had the code taken out for some reason. So that would pretty much make to boat useless. But that is just hear say.

Gwain · Post by **Gwain** » Sat Mar 20, 2004 4:20 am

Boats have been disabled I think...not sure though.

Aegin · Post by **Aegin** » Tue Sep 07, 2004 5:23 pm

Something I think would be cool, although prolly a major coding issue, and therefore not feasible, would be PC Merchants and Merchant ships.

For example, PC-1 works hard, saves up 100 plat or so, and buys a small ship. Now, he harbor in Waterdeep, and goes ashore, finding a warehouse that needs stuff moved. He buys pre-packed crates of Waterhavian Wine, put it on his ship, and sails to Calimport, where Waterhavian Wine is a local favorite, and makes a profit. He buys pre-packaged crates of Chultan Teak wood, and sails back to Waterdeep, where all the nobles are demanding that wood for funrniture, and sells it for a profit. This all assumes he can avoid the pirates and sea monsters en route, and afford the taxes he has to pay at each port.

The next trip, as well as his cargo, he decides to take passengers as well, for a little extra profit.

Now, someone else has also saved up for a ship, except they spent 200 plat for theirs, and got a larger, faster one. So now we got competition.

Obviously, this is a rough outline, and would need to be refined alot to make it fun and balanced, but overall, I think it could add to RP, as it also would allow for Pirate PCs, and more sailor PCs, Privateers, and hired adventurers to take care of the Pirate Problems.

Any other ideas?

Kirkus · Post by **Kirkus** » Tue Sep 07, 2004 7:34 pm

I think your idea is solid but not going to happen for quite some time. At least not in the way you are wanting it. The first problem I see is that we don't have ships, they have been under discussion for somewhere between 2 to 5 years. Even if we came to an agreement as a mudding community they would have to wait to come in till after the new player creation comes in. Now don't get me wrong I think it is a great idea. I would only suggest that you rethink how an overland merchant might do things and go that way for right now. A merchant can always buy a ship later.

Aegin · Post by **Aegin** » Tue Sep 07, 2004 8:14 pm

Yeah, I'm aware it will be well after the character creation comes in.

The purpose of the thread was to get a dialogue going about ideas for something new like this, moreso than why it ain't gonna happen anytime soon.

Besides, I don't want a merchant so much as I want a ship

Also, if some ideas start being batted around, then it will make it easier for the admins to take an idea and run with it if there are already a bunch of good ideas in the thread.

Beshaba · Post by **Beshaba** » Tue Sep 07, 2004 10:44 pm

Actually, there was a general opinion offered on player owned ships. It was decided that they would (if they are implemented) follow the same basic guidelines as a dwelling, including the same price structure.

The level of effort of such a thing would be very, very high.

Kirkus · Post by **Kirkus** » Wed Sep 08, 2004 10:56 pm

Now that this has been tacked on to the boat discussion, I want to ask again my question from a long time ago. If you own a dwelling can you own a boat? I love the idea of being able to travel the world in a boat, trade goods accross the realms but not at the expense of owning a dwelling.

Beshaba · Post by **Beshaba** » Wed Sep 08, 2004 11:09 pm

That was answered in the original thread that disappeared. A ship would be part of the alottment of rooms that you are permitted for a shop/dwelling.

Belose · Post by **Belose** » Thu Sep 09, 2004 4:39 am

I think it would be a good way to incorporate the woorworking skills. You would have to have some place to store all the planks and season the wood, and then have the skill to actually be able to construct a ship... and considering the time lag of sucessfully mining or smelting or such as that, can you see your character being lagged for a month or two of game time? But I could see people actually willing to do that to have their own ship. I would also think you would combine your ship building area into your area to store your ship when offline like stables or somesuch...Or perhaps someone could build a marina that works like stables. I'd be willing to invest in that...

And if people spent that kind of time to master the skills to build a ship, there would be some GREAT grouping opportunities for cargo shipping like mentioned earlier in the thread...I already have my ship idea from the old thread... just can't find Esmervan to talk to him about it...hehehe