For the record, we don't expect everyone to agree with each other. Frankly, you don't even need to like each other. But there really are ways to discuss and debate these disagreements without it devolving into a digital slap-fight.

Consider this an official request to the participants in this to spend less time working on your witty defamations, and more time discussing the topic at hand.

This is an important thread; I'd rather not be forced to close it.

Best,
Aether

I said it might be possible. That doesn't mean it's actually true.

Certainly guns and armor are important considerations in ship balance, and something we do take into account. However, if I can't get you in my firing arcs, then all the cannons in the world don't matter. Generally, our big picture view is: ships of the line can, with enough time, and if they get to go in a straight line, run down any smaller warship. Smaller warships can out accelerate and out turn ships of the line.

Pirates, like all MMORPGs, is a HUGE game. I don't pretend to know ever corner of it. So if what I'm about to say is wrong, please call me out.

My perception is: in a one on one fight a properly equipped and skilled privateer in an Master Craft Capricieux will beat a properly equipped and skilled naval officer in a Mordaunt most of the time (assuming roughly equally skilled captains). When Taelorn and I tried this several times, switching sides between attempts, we found this to be the case. The caveat is that right now, because the Capricieux's speed is too low (which is fixed 1.2), the Mordaunt can probably just set his sails and run away.

The second problem with that scenario is that it requires a 1 on 1 fight, which is almost certainly not going to happen to a naval officer in a Mordaunt. So where does this leave Privateers? In the dangerous position of trying to pick off one Mordaunt from a line of battle. This is a much harder proposition. We're hoping that some of the ship and skill tuning Taelorn did in 1.2 will help make this somewhat easier, but I'm prepared to believe that we'll need to do more. Certainly we will continue to monitor the situation, and make more changes as we see the need.

Finally I wanted to note that, for me personally, sailing ships of the line is boring. I don't like the experience. In battle, both PvE and PvP I want to sail a Frigate or smaller, so it's important to me personally that ships other than the behemoth SOLs are viable in PvP. However, the line of battle is a popular tactic for a reason: it works really well. This is unlikely to change, and fighting a line of battle is always going to be a challenge for non-SOLs.

Just a quick note to let folks know that we are reviewing the final applications and will notify everyone before the week is up.

Best,
Aether

Fixed that for you.

Best,
Aether

/facepalm

Yeah making 200 MB log files could cause some serious performance problems. The logs you mentioned are all things that are being fixed - the vert bar one I am pretty sure is in 1.2. Also in 1.2, we have a number of changes to logging to make logs only spam a limited number of times and an option to turn off logging.

In the meantime feel free to delete those really big log files.

@Araxus

I'm going to take a look at your ticket now

Based on the descriptions of people's problems, I'm getting the sense that many players are not taking the follow up mission to "Just in Time" (where you capture the Algerians in the xebecs). The Agent has a mission called "Reporting for Duty" which sends you to one of the admirals. This starts you down the quest chain that involves your love interest, the Algierian Consulate, and the rest of the plot.

Try filing a support request.

That question is answered here.

Two reasons:

1) Every flag and sail that is allowed into the game is reviewed by actual humans. That's why they don't get into the game instantly.

2) We literally can't filter every potentially "wrong" name -- it's a technical impossibility. But we can do a better job auto-filtering text than anyone can do auto-filtering graphics -- that technology doesn't exist yet.

So either some discrepancies are going to exist between User Content and character name processes, or everyone would have to wait a few weeks to actually roll a character for the game. Obviously, the latter isn't acceptable to anyone. So we're left with different processes for different kinds of content. Potentially frustrating at times, but all compromises are -- and both character naming and User Content represent our best compromise between "anything goes" and "you only get pre-fabricated stuff."