Disaster while boarding Pirate ships - what went wrong?

**schmellenmuff** · March 23, 2009, 01:21 PM

Playing as Great Britain on VH/VH, I attempted to board several pirate ships that I had outmanned each somewhere in the 2:1 to 3:1 ratio. This was my first attempt at boarding any ships, so I was surprised to see my ships surrendering one by one during each boarding process.

Any idea what happened? My ships weren't badly damaged (theirs were), and I had a large numerical advantage in every boarding attempt. Are Pirates better hand-to-hand fighters or something? Does the attacker need an even greater manpower advantage when boarding?

thanks!

**Terafis** · March 23, 2009, 01:31 PM

It's the vh combat setting - it gives huge morale bonuses to the ai, and morale penalties to you - any sort of melee with high melee troops (which includes pirates) and you face morale problems

**Monglor** · March 23, 2009, 01:33 PM

Pirate crews are hard as nails, presumably because they know that if they get captured they get hanged. Also because they are pirates and the only thing that can beat them is ninjas.

**zoolandr** · March 23, 2009, 01:41 PM

I've also seen reports about boarding being very poorly designed. If you zoom in on your ship, you can watch your sailors climb up your masts and hurtle themselves either straight into the sea or fall to their deaths when they hit the other ship's deck. There have been a few threads about people losing, or nearly losing, with 3 to 1 odds in their favour.

**coman** · March 23, 2009, 02:05 PM

Hell, must be nice to be able to board. I crash to desktop every time my boarding action begins.

**SgtBanter** · March 23, 2009, 02:25 PM

Originally Posted by coman

Hell, must be nice to be able to board. I crash to desktop every time my boarding action begins.

I have a similar sort of problem. It doesn't crash though, the boat just either sinks or sets on fire so I can't board the ship and capture it

**MyKingforahorse** · March 23, 2009, 02:44 PM

Originally Posted by coman

Hell, must be nice to be able to board. I crash to desktop every time my boarding action begins.

Muss with your detail settings, I had to notch mine back from Ulta for everything to mostly work right

**Keline** · March 23, 2009, 03:53 PM

Originally Posted by Monglor

Pirate crews are hard as nails, presumably because they know that if they get captured they get hanged. Also because they are pirates and the only thing that can beat them is ninjas.

If you mean Night-Ninjas, you're wrong and we both know it. Not even British Night-Ninjas could defeat the pirates.

**themoob** · March 23, 2009, 03:23 PM

I've captured pirate ships before.

Hell, I captured THE Queen Anne's Revenge

**Stymie Jackson** · March 23, 2009, 04:12 PM

Good luck taking pirates in boarding. They have massive bonus.

Try it in MP. Take a galleon, board any ship. They will win hands down if their ship doesnt sink first. I did a test with Guerra, where we turned off fire at will, and boarded a pirate galleon and a swedish galleon. The pirates slaughtered them, and lost 20. Twenty. I kidd you not.

Ever fight pirate melee units in the game, with your land army? They kick major butt. Same with boarding...pirates just are awesome in hand to hand.

**Monglor** · March 23, 2009, 05:16 PM

Best plan if you want to board a pirate ship in reasonable condition is knock the hell out of the sails, then get in front of it and introduce the crew to a dirty faceload of canister shot. If you're in front of the enemy ship they feel trapped and will surrender quicker than if their escape route is clear, even if they don't have any sails anyway.

**AgentMulder** · March 23, 2009, 05:17 PM

My problem is either...

A.) Suicidal crews that jump from masts/rigging
B.) Crews that refuse to board, or can't deploy the planking somehow
C.) Having a full crew get massacred by 20 men

Never secured an enemy ship yet.

**Stymie Jackson** · March 23, 2009, 06:28 PM

Guys usually dont jump to their death. But they do get shot off the rigging by the other ship's crew that are armed with muskets.

Pirates seem have a lot of muskets, or are just better at using them. Boarding however is seriously bugged, so far as actually closing with a ship and getting your lads on it.

**the_mango55** · March 23, 2009, 08:44 PM

Pirates seem to have extremely high morale, they keep fighting even when they are a few cannonballs away from the bottom of the ocean.

I wouldn't board them until they start routing, or at least until they start wavering. If you manage to take out their sails, just park your ship in front or behind and grapeshot until there's almost nobody left.

**MyKingforahorse** · March 23, 2009, 09:58 PM

As stated pirates get a melee bonus on the ground, which pretty obviously translates to the sea as well. Another instance of a stat never shown in game at any point.

My suggestion would be to demast em, roll up along their rear and grape them until they decide its not worth it.

Got myself "The Flying Dutchman" that way

**alteropptatt** · March 24, 2009, 02:52 AM

I have the same problem when boarding any ship. I have never succesfully boarded an enemy ship that hasn't surrendered. Doesn't matter how few of the crew are still alive, they still slaughter my poor marines...

**Switch** · March 24, 2009, 12:28 PM

I'm sure I can't board a ship once it's surrendered. Mousing over a surrendered ship simply presents me with a cross (both for firing on and boarding). Is this normal?

**Monglor** · March 24, 2009, 12:48 PM

I would imagine since it's all about morale that playing on VH/VH would make boarding really tough. Personally I board people a lot with no problems, even if I haven't taken the sails. What I would say is most important is that you've reduced the enemy gun complement though because there's a good chance you'll eat an entire point blank broadside, maybe even two of them. I've had more than one ship shot to bits by the victim during a boarding party. I've done it to the AI though as well, so all is fair.