Boarding Boats?

**$harpy06** · March 23, 2009, 05:02 AM

How come its soo hard too. Sometimes they dont board at all, they throw the ropes over to the other ship but then dont board. Is this all bugged?

**PlacidDragon** · March 23, 2009, 05:04 AM

Basically bugged to hell, yes.

Hopefully they'll fix it at some point

**tokaiser** · March 23, 2009, 05:12 AM

If its not bugged then there is somthing really wrong. It simply sucks atm. The enemy can keep firing upon you while your unable to do anything but send grappling hooks and watch sailors commit mass suicide. Usually I follow up by turning the game off then

ing about it on the forums, thats if I havnt tossed my keyboard out the window and put the mouse in the garbage disposal.

**the_mango55** · March 23, 2009, 08:30 AM

Originally Posted by tokaiser

If its not bugged then there is somthing really wrong. It simply sucks atm. The enemy can keep firing upon you while your unable to do anything but send grappling hooks and watch sailors commit mass suicide. Usually I follow up by turning the game off then

ing about it on the forums, thats if I havnt tossed my keyboard out the window and put the mouse in the garbage disposal.

Well boarding in general is bugged, but the enemy still being able to fire on you makes sense and is probably working as intended.

They should be able to fire until the fight reaches the cannons, although reloading should be slower while being boarded.

**Tepok** · March 23, 2009, 05:09 AM

only use: to capture routing ships.

Crewmen often commit suicide when boarding too... Jumping from the top mast, or in water...

**Mechstra** · March 23, 2009, 05:53 AM

Rough seas really mess up boarding. Also, disparate ship sizes can make boarding problematic. Trying to board a galleon with a sixth rate in rough seas after I'd killed much of the galleon's crews resulted in the two ships being locked together but very few of my crew able to reach the enemy ship, and the successive broadsides by the galleon sank my sixth rate.

Didn't see it as a bug, though. Definitely made sense in the context.

**$harpy06** · March 23, 2009, 06:20 AM

Originally Posted by Mechstra

Rough seas really mess up boarding. Also, disparate ship sizes can make boarding problematic. Trying to board a galleon with a sixth rate in rough seas after I'd killed much of the galleon's crews resulted in the two ships being locked together but very few of my crew able to reach the enemy ship, and the successive broadsides by the galleon sank my sixth rate.

Didn't see it as a bug, though. Definitely made sense in the context.

That does make sense, thanks for the reply

**blank** · March 23, 2009, 07:05 AM

Originally Posted by Mechstra

Didn't see it as a bug, though. Definitely made sense in the context.

Did the fact that your ship couldn't shoot back also make sense?

**The_Dude** · March 23, 2009, 07:09 AM

well, the fact that they keep shooting you while boarding most definitely is a bug. seeing how cant shoot back and stuff.
alltough in my experience this doesnt happen all the time. only if the two arent "locked together" properly.
for example when both ships face in pposite directions i had this happen pretty much every time i tried to board. when they fact in the same direction it rarely happens.

**Mechstra** · March 23, 2009, 07:37 AM

It's not a bug - your ship's crew abandons the guns to attempt to board the enemy ship, whereas the enemy ship's crew is on a defensive footing rather than gathering and attempting to board you in return.

**The_Dude** · March 23, 2009, 07:40 AM

Originally Posted by Mechstra

It's not a bug - your ship's crew abandons the guns to attempt to board the enemy ship, whereas the enemy ship's crew is on a defensive footing rather than gathering and attempting to board you in return.

so why doesnt it happen all the time ?

**StromRen** · March 23, 2009, 07:42 AM

When my first rate boraded a brig, alot of my men jumped from the taller first rate onto the deck of the brig. They died instantly

**Mechstra** · March 23, 2009, 07:55 AM

Originally Posted by The_Dude

so why doesnt it happen all the time ?

It's happened every time for me. The crew of the ship that's boarding the other always leaves their guns. So that they can actually board with more than just the marines.

**TheBlobThing** · March 23, 2009, 08:03 AM

Are you guys positive they die when jumping from one deck to another? I've had them fall down and lie there for a bit, but they always get up again.

**MrOsterman** · March 23, 2009, 08:03 AM

My gut is that it's not bugged, it's just really difficult to do and that it needs TWEEKing.

I've had some success with boarding actions and I *think* it's the only way I've managed to capture a ship. I ended a battle yesterday against the Spanish, and all three of the enemy ships and not only routed but surrendered. Now granted all three were dismasted too. But when it was over it showed that I had captured nothing.

On the other hand, I've boarded a few times and in all cases where I was successful, I was able to claim the surrendered ship as a prize. That is provided it didn't sink before the battle was over.

I think the AI for boarding does need work as I think it does the "each man gets his own thoughts" kind of thing and when the sailor thinks "I'll jump over there now" he forgets that a fall of 30 feet will kill him.

Mr. O

**Matsky** · March 23, 2009, 08:08 AM

I've read you get most problems when you try to board a ship with a much larger ship (and I've experienced it myself with an Admiral's 4th Rate against a Pirate Galleon). Your own sailors end up leaping off the masts, right over the ship, and down to Davey Jone's Locker, en masse. Definitely a bug. As a result I just make sure the ships surrender by carronading them for a bit to get them worried (and sink their Sloops/Brigs which I don't want), then taking down their masts and grape-shotting them into submission. If there's much smaller ships in the fleet (like Sloops or Brigs) you may end up accidentally pounding too much so they sink, but I've never lost a larger ship yet (never had any problems capturing the ships after the battle either).

**Umbrae** · March 23, 2009, 08:14 AM

Originally Posted by Matsky

then taking down their masts and grape-shotting them into submission. If there's much smaller ships in the fleet (like Sloops or Brigs) you may end up accidentally pounding too much so they sink, but I've never lost a larger ship yet (never had any problems capturing the ships after the battle either).

Twice I have set a large ships sails on fire with ball n chain shot... so you can make a big ship go boom on accedent with chain shot too.