Skirmish Revision


1)Increase Skirmish Points Storage based on Skirmish Tactics level (IMPLEMENTED)
Every level increases storage by 5 per level. (Maximum 172 points stored)
Skirmish points are only added to recently active players (active at least once in past 14 days)

2)Reduce turns needed for Skirmish (PENDING APPROVAL)
Right now you need 4 turns per skirmish.
Suggestion is to reduce this to 2 instead.

3)Fleet Number Specific Skirmish Protection (IMPLEMENTED)
1 Skirmish defend per 10 sailing fleets owned.

Example: Someone with 80 fleets, will be prone to receive 80/10 = 8 daily skirmishes
Result is always rounded upwards (ie for 1 fleet 1/10 = 1 daily skirmish)

4)Skirmish Insurance Law Revision (PENDING IMPLEMENTATION)
The insured amount will be per day (not per skirmish) to allow better control.

5)Evasion chance revision (IMPLEMENTED)
Evasion will be equal to 10% + number of skirmish defends today * 3

6)Skirmish Points Earning (PENDING APPROVAL)
1 Skirmish point per 10 successful plunder attacks.

7)Black Flag players earn an extra 5 Skirmish points per day (IMPLEMENTED)

1) Thank you! Much appreciated :-)

2) Reducing the turns per skirmish from 4 to 2 is nice for me, obviously. It makes skirmishing quite profitable per turn. More so than most other actions, I think. Is it too much, though? I haven't really thought it through yet. It gives skirmishers more options to do other things, though, since not "all their turns" are spent on skirmishes. It also makes it more tempting to max out skirmish tech (I actually haven't yet, just for this reason: It would require too many turns per day). Would be nice to hear some other players' thoughts on this.

3) If there are to be any change to the evasion chance, there should also be some change to the maximum number of skirmishes against any one target, in my opinion. With maximum five skirmish attacks against any one target each day, changing this will not matter much. A large trader being skirmished 5 times a day (4 being successful) will hardly notice the dent in profit. Increasing the escape chance so only 3 out of 5 attacks are successful will hardly matter at all.

Of course, with a much higher limit on skirmishes per target (or no limit), it would be another story, and an increased evasion probability would matter a lot. This would also make it possible to use skirmishes as "weapons" in cases of war - or to drain gc from a target. Could become too powerful. I'm not really suggesting this, just saying that with todays limit of 5 skirmishes per target, I don't really see the need for a change in the evasion probability.

Once we short out the evasion thing in a way, we can discuss about raising the limit. A limit is very important though, at least as things currently are.

not being a skirmisher myself...is there any risk to the skirmisher? Or is the skirmishee the only one at risk. I don't consider losing skirmish points as a risk. Does the skirmisher gain danger? Or is this a free kick on goal for the skirmisher?

Having to maintain a more expensive fleet to protect from skirmishing is putting more burden on the skirmishee than on the skirmisher. However if the point is to keep the merchants as sacrificial cows for those unwilling to work hard for their gold coins, then again, I think you are hitting your mark with deadly accurate precision.

Psycodad, this is what happens when you skirmish:

1) You lose a skirmish point (even if the target escapes)
2) You gain 6 danger (even if the target escapes)
3) Target can be skirmished one less time this day (even if the target escapes)
4) You lose 4 turns (NOT if the target escapes)
5) You gain hostility towards target's nation (even if the target escapes)

In addition, there is a chance the attacker may lose the skirmish, since he can't see the target fleet setup - it may carry escort. Points 1-5 still apply. I'd say the "danger" lies in three things: A) Chance to lose, B) Gaining danger and C) Possible retaliation. Personally I think gaining danger is the most important factor. A skirmisher will almost always be visible on the plunder boards. Retaliation is not that probable, since a skirmish is a very "nice" form of attack (doesn't hurt target a lot). And even though the chance to lose is there, one eventually gets a feel of which fleets carry what kind of escorts (to new players, though, I bet this can cause some trouble).

Thanks for the explanation...however, I still feel that the skirmish utility is nothing more than a public welfare program for pirates. Encouraging a nefarious lifestyle and promoting anarchy.

Thank goodness our society has hardworking merchants who provide the funding pool for those who choose not to apply themselves to honest and good works.

This is an open call to those who have strayed down the path to perdition...turn from your evil ways and learn the value and sense of accomplishment that comes from hard work and success without causing harm to others.

Pyschodad


PLM

Pirate
Lives
Matter

thank Captain Jack for the handouts everyone

Points 1 and 2 sound like this to me...
Cha Ching is
The sound of gold coin in me treasure chest.
Cha Clunk is
The sound of your gold bars in me treasure chest.
Point 3 is applicable. Speed should play a factor.
But what do I know?

Psychodad wrote:Thanks for the explanation...however, I still feel that the skirmish utility is nothing more than a public welfare program for pirates. Encouraging a nefarious lifestyle and promoting anarchy.

Thank goodness our society has hardworking merchants who provide the funding pool for those who choose not to apply themselves to honest and good works.

This is an open call to those who have strayed down the path to perdition...turn from your evil ways and learn the value and sense of accomplishment that comes from hard work and success without causing harm to others.

I seem to recall a suggestion that those who do not use their skirmishes points in blatant greed-driven assaults upon peaceful traders would have a way to redeem them for shiny prizes of a different ilk : was this notion lost in space, or was it a fiction of me tequilla-ridden fevered brain ?

One notion that does come to mind is this : you can redeem a number of skirmish points, say 5, and gain an instant evasion of the next skirmish attempt upon you : a sort of counter-curse type thang.

We can call it ' Watchmen' : : an extra few hands who scan the seas for skirmishers creeping up on you : it would last 24 hours.

The evasion would count as one of your five-a-day.. and very healthy too!

We have not forgotten this suggestion. We have avoided it