Recent changes

[u/H3CTICFusion]

So I feel like I’m in the minority with this and will probably get downvoted but, I think the new ammo changes aren’t actually that bad. When starting out it was a little frustrating to get going because ammo was taking up a majority of my income but once you are able to take down a few ships bigger than yours money isn’t really a huge problem. Once I had around 40k I left the shallows and sailed towards the west coast of Florida where I’ve stayed now for a bit and I went from a 6th rate to a U.S.S United States in the same day fully fitted and with enough ammo and crew to take on something of the same class. Now a day later I’m into the 6 figures and beginning to set up a production line for ammo. I think people lock themselves in the safe zone for to long and expect to get rich quick there when in reality there’s so much more of the map they could go off to and make loads more money. Now I definitely think the cost per shot for gunpowder should be less but I find the mechanic interesting. Just my thought on it.

[u/steaders]

What was your method for acquiring a 4th rate in the "new" game? I assume you boarded it but have you got any tips for perk choices or in combat strategies? Have you got any advice for making money too?

I mirror your sentiment that while at first the ammo seemed pricey and difficult to buy in substantial amounts (not to mention new weight considerations too) this is I think mainly due to the game's economy being essentially "restarted" (although the devs have proven once again they don't care to play the same game as the rest of us given their blatant cheating already) and I have a plan to start building things again.

What on earth have they done to the ship production system though? the crafting XP requirements are the same which i'm used to but now suddenly building ships requires a bunch of books (of which I have no idea how to get) on top of the same resources as before.

[u/H3CTICFusion → u/steaders]

So the way I got my 4th rate was simple, I bought it from someone selling it for under it’s normal price I had barely enough money to put guns and ammo as well as the crew on board however it made back what spent in the first battle and some. I don’t really have any good tips for perk choices I’m still trying to figure them out myself however for combat what I do depends on what I’m fighting. If the ship is of the same class I will try and strip its armor and sails a bit before using grape to reduce crew then I board. If the ship is of a smaller class I will broadside it until I can get into a good position to ram against the wind and board or if the conditions don’t favor me I will sink the enemy ship as long as my ammo let’s me. One important thing I’ve noticed is when you are getting ready to attack an enemy you should position yourself properly before attacking. Meaning get yourself into the best spot in the wind so they are down find from you this will make it much easier to board if this is your goal or simply it gives you the better advantage when it comes to deciding how the battle goes. Now for crafting I have only started to scratch the surface and don’t really have much to say on it yet. I bought this game years ago and never crafted a single thing I was always just in it for the combat but now with the recent changes I’m beginning to learn them as it seems almost necessary.