Discussion The Captains Quarters: An Ongoing Captaining Discussion!

LesPaulObsession

LesPaulObsession

Wanted Pirate
Hey all, if you know me in game, you know that I eat, sleep, and breathe sailing, so I figured I would conjure up a discussion for ship captains and crew members alike! Don't let the thread name fool you, any seafaring scallywags are allowed aboard this discussion! I personally wanted to begin, with a few things to pay attention to in a ship captain and why. Sometimes we make strange requests, and don't really have the time to explain it.

-Only Sinking Hunters/Warships: Sometimes a captain will request you only open fire on hunters or warships. This is usually due to them needing a certain type of ship material. I.e. he or she may need a lot of Iron *cough cough* @Sky Kiwi *cough cough* which are found in their largest quantities, inside standard ship materials. While another captain may be hurting for Oak, so they will put the crews focus on warships, because warships drop rare ship materials, which is the only way to acquire Oak. This goes hand in hand with de-masting the ships you aren't focusing on, to keep them out of your way.

-Ceasing Fire: Pretty straight forward, but very important. A captain's reason behind this command could be anything from not wanting any extra attention from enemy ships, to needing repairs immediately.

-Aim for the Sails/Masts: Simply put, it slows the enemy down. However this is quite beneficial to anyone aboard. Rep is awarded based on the number of times you hit a target. So, by de-masting ships, you're soaking in all those extra reputation points, by getting extra hits. It also makes the captain's life much easier, and makes looting much more efficient!

-Refusal to Port: This is (for me) never a means to be rude. A captain sets sail with a goal. Whether it be materials, or gold, or quests, there is a reason. Most captains will avoid porting, until they have reached their goal. That being said, many captains will wait for anyone who disconnects, to return, to receive their cut of the loot. We may be pirates, but most of us will be more than happy to wait for you to get back!

-Backup Captains: These people are extremely important. Sometimes captains will appoint specific people to take the wheel in the unfortunate event of a game crash. These pirates are often appointed for several reasons. They're trusted by the captain, possibly personal friends, maybe they're in an online chat, where they can coordinate what is happening in the captain's down time, or even all of the above. If I ever appoint a backup captain, I always inform my crew, so that they don't interfere with said pirate. This keeps the ship afloat, which in turn, keeps you and the captain happy, and nets you a good payday!

Hopefully this information is of some use, and I would love to see this discussion open up with other captains and crew members. Feel free to share tips, tricks, and your favorite loot spots. Discuss your ship upgrades, and why it helps you on the high seas. If I ever update the original post, I will comment, to inform everyone. Fair winds mates, and have a round on me!
 
LesPaulObsession said:
This is usually due to them needing a certain type of ship material. I.e. he or she may need a lot of Iron *cough cough* @Sky Kiwi *cough cough*
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Hahaha... Hahahahaha.... Hahaha I hate my life.

This is a great idea for a thread! I have something to add to this if that's alright!

-The Big Four: There are certain ships out there that any captain worth his salt either avoids entirely, or handles them in a specific way (usually by keeping their distance). A lot of you know which ones I'm talking about, namely anything with explosive broadsides. These four ships are the EITC Corsair, EITC Juggernaut, Cerberus, and Battle Royale. If your captain doesn't target these things himself, as a crew member you should follow the general rule of not attracting their attention. Though this obviously doesn't apply to the warship, hopefully your captain is careful around her!

-Crossing the Deck: Anyone who has sailed with me knows you need to be in good shape. Namely cardio. That's because instead of sticking to one side of the ship, I like to give the enemy ships the side they prefer. Hunters and Warships will try to get on a specific side of your ship. While the captain can do some funky maneuvers to try to force the enemy ship to switch preferred sides, it doesn't always work and it puts you in more danger than necessary, while not necessarily saving any time. The advantages to putting a ship on its preferred side are massive - namely the captain can keep it close to the ship in a very easy position for the cannons to shoot at, while the captain's ship will take minimal, if any, damage. This makes sinking hunters especially much faster, although more effort. It also has the benefit of letting crew members stuck with nothing to shoot at have a chance to grab a cannon, though I usually lock my ship once one side is full. Not all captains do this, but a few do - including myself - so I figured I'd add it here. I've been meaning to post a video explaining this, and how to tell what side to put an enemy on.
 
Sky Kiwi said:
Hahaha... Hahahahaha.... Hahaha I hate my life.

This is a great idea for a thread! I have something to add to this if that's alright!

-The Big Four: There are certain ships out there that any captain worth his salt either avoids entirely, or handles them in a specific way (usually by keeping their distance). A lot of you know which ones I'm talking about, namely anything with explosive broadsides. These four ships are the EITC Corsair, EITC Juggernaut, Cerberus, and Battle Royale. If your captain doesn't target these things himself, as a crew member you should follow the general rule of not attracting their attention. Though this obviously doesn't apply to the warship, hopefully your captain is careful around her!

-Crossing the Deck: Anyone who has sailed with me knows you need to be in good shape. Namely cardio. That's because instead of sticking to one side of the ship, I like to give the enemy ships the side they prefer. Hunters and Warships will try to get on a specific side of your ship. While the captain can do some funky maneuvers to try to force the enemy ship to switch preferred sides, it doesn't always work and it puts you in more danger than necessary, while not necessarily saving any time. The advantages to putting a ship on its preferred side are massive - namely the captain can keep it close to the ship in a very easy position for the cannons to shoot at, while the captain's ship will take minimal, if any, damage. This makes sinking hunters especially much faster, although more effort. It also has the benefit of letting crew members stuck with nothing to shoot at have a chance to grab a cannon, though I usually lock my ship once one side is full. Not all captains do this, but a few do - including myself - so I figured I'd add it here. I've been meaning to post a video explaining this, and how to tell what side to put an enemy on.
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Great tips! Wish I'd have thought of 'em m'self!
 
My tips are: Don't sail solo, with your flag raised, into a group of enemy ships... my friend sank that way. RIP his light frigate!
But yeah, having a CREW would help big time, though I often solo in my war sloop. That leads to tip #2!

My biggest tip is:Sail with a crew They don't have to be random people, ask guildies and friends! Though having any help, random person or not, is good. It is a bit easier to repair too, when you have a crew.
 
Captain Bren said:
My tips are: Don't sail solo, with your flag raised, into a group of enemy ships... my friend sank that way. RIP his light frigate!
But yeah, having a CREW would help big time, though I often solo in my war sloop. That leads to tip #2!

My biggest tip is:Sail with a crew They don't have to be random people, ask guildies and friends! Though having any help, random person or not, is good. It is a bit easier to repair too, when you have a crew.
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Truth! I always crew up, and dedicated my guild entirely to fantastic sailors, gunners, and repairers. Sailing with a crew is great for SO many reasons. Rep boost, safer runs, longer runs, I could go on. Interact with people! TLOPO is a social game! There are some GREAT crew members out there, and sail long enough, you won't need to open your ship to public anymore, because you'll have enough regulars to man your ship. Great advice mate! Love it!!
 
WilyJaymes said:
"CaPe TAn wE R FuLl on CarE gO AnD My hOuSe iS oN fIrE anD I hAve 23 sEcOnDs lEft to PlaY pOrt pLz"


Also, if you are level 45-50, that's not the same thing as reaching retirement age. Get your salty butt on a cannon and do something.
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These are all sad but true lol fortunately, the queuing system alleviated the first issue, most people leave and come right back
 
WilyJaymes said:
"CaPe TAn wE R FuLl on CarE gO AnD My hOuSe iS oN fIrE anD I hAve 23 sEcOnDs lEft to PlaY pOrt pLz"
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2e49f2e9a67109ceb3ff8c9bc742f060.jpeg

I'm sorry, I couldn't help myself. When I read that, the first thing I thought was this meme, and not long after, it was born lol. But yeah, like I said earlier, I think the queuing system has helped fix this issue, in many ways.
 
You magnificent scoundrel...god it's beautiful. Let's raise it into a fine young meme.

Also, let it be known that many a member of the noob species don't seem to realize queues are so short and can easily rejoin. But at least they provide a source of comedy!
 
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Aye, and as I mentioned. If you're ever aboard my ship, I try to make sure you get your loot. So if your time is up, jump in the queue and come back! I don't mind staying at sea for a few minutes longer
 
LesPaulObsession said:
Aye, and as I mentioned. If you're ever aboard my ship, I try to make sure you get your loot. So if your time is up, jump in the queue and come back! I don't mind staying at sea for a few minutes longer
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Any captain that doesn't do this doesn't deserve to have a ship! The cannons do all the hard work, we have all the fun. Pretty rude to take away their spoils.
 
Sky Kiwi said:
Any captain that doesn't do this doesn't deserve to have a ship! The cannons do all the hard work, we have all the fun. Pretty rude to take away their spoils.
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Agreed, but sad as it seems, I'm sure there are captains out there who do this. Seems inconsiderate to me, taking advantage of the gunnery crew, and then porting when one of them has to reset their time
 
Sky Kiwi said:
Any captain that doesn't do this doesn't deserve to have a ship! The cannons do all the hard work, we have all the fun. Pretty rude to take away their spoils.
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I agree, but it's arguable that us captains only have all the fun. The leaders (the competent ones anyway) have to manage quite a bit. They must have spatial awareness of the positions of enemy ships, all potential obstructions, and both gunner and broadside angles. They also have to simultaneously manage the crew, answer questions, and entertain guests (not required, but I do it to keep morale up). I think that takes a good bit more brain RAM than aiming a boom stick.

If you ever see me gunning, it's because I got lazy and want to relax on an easier job. Lol
 
WilyJaymes said:
I agree, but it's arguable that us captains only have all the fun. The leaders (the competent ones anyway) have to manage quite a bit. They must have spatial awareness of the positions of enemy ships, all potential obstructions, and both gunner and broadside angles. They also have to simultaneously manage the crew, answer questions, and entertain guests (not required, but I do it to keep morale up). I think that takes a good bit more brain RAM than aiming a boom stick.

If you ever see me gunning, it's because I got lazy and want to relax on an easier job. Lol
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That's WHY it's more fun! But yes, I'm the same way lol. After sailing for an extended period of time I'll jump on random ships just to take a break.
 
Fair points mate, very fair points. Captaining can be exhausting work, but I do think, for me, that's part of the appeal. I feel like I've really worked for what I earn after porting. Plus, it's always great to hear the crew excited, and thrilled at their success. We may have tiring work, but it is very important. That being said, I always try to thank the crew members for their hard work, and always, always, ALWAYS thank by name the people who went out of their way to repair my ship, those players are fantastic, and often times don't get the credit they deserve.
 
LesPaulObsession said:
Fair points mate, very fair points. Captaining can be exhausting work, but I do think, for me, that's part of the appeal. I feel like I've really worked for what I earn after porting. Plus, it's always great to hear the crew excited, and thrilled at their success. We may have tiring work, but it is very important. That being said, I always try to thank the crew members for their hard work, and always, always, ALWAYS thank by name the people who went out of their way to repair my ship, those players are fantastic, and often times don't get the credit they deserve.
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Yup, I try to do the same thing too.

Some of them I went so far as to put their names in my signature! lol
 
I kinda like that idea! We should find some way to make like, a Sailor's Cult "Accolades" thread or something, to make sure everyone gets as much recognition as possible. Including our honorary members, and they know who they are! This comment also served as a wee little bump. I want more people to pop in and leave their two cents on sailing, or gunning, or repairing, come aboard, it'll be fun!
 
Other folk need to get a grip on spatial awareness to prevent other people sinking to the battle royale or other one hitters. Lost a few good cargo runs at times because soloing captains wanted to get a tag. Unfortunately.
 
Hernandez said:
Other folk need to get a grip on spatial awareness to prevent other people sinking to the battle royale or other one hitters. Lost a few good cargo runs at times because soloing captains wanted to get a tag. Unfortunately.
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I was talking about this one just last night. The problem is, people don't actually see other player ships in their actual location - the position syncing in sailing is terrible right now. As a result, you can kind of crash into the empty air around other ships. If it looks like it'll be a narrow miss, it's definitely going to be a crash.

The area directly in front of a ship is usually its actual location.
 
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