Merchants/transports
Posted: Thu Jul 14, 2005 3:37 pm
Here is a posting from a thread that should also go here as a bug/fix request?
I looked through the C++ code and the numbers seem to be in order. The only place in the quick combat that distinguishes merchants from other ships is the place that gives them their penalty to attack and defense.
ORIGINAL: Mr. Z
This is apparantly the problem then. If the code does not distinguish between a merchant/transport and a warship then of course they will behave like any other warship in a naval action.
AND THIS is the problem! Merchants and transports SHOULD not behave like warships - they should always go into the retreat box unless facing Privateers when they would fight if they couldn't get away (I.E. the enemy has the wind gauge.)
In the case of retreat, the merchants should take moderate losses unless they win the fight - this is the ONLY TIME where their penalties and country ratings matter as in all other cases they get away or are 'taken/sunk'.
I would suggest that transports/merchants ALWAYS run with the wind gauge or fight without versus privateers.
In all other cases against fleets they should run and most likely always escape without loss since warships are much slower (perhaps the occasional 10% loss as prizes due to bad luck/seamanship or more without the gauge).
If they are with friendly fleets, they should always go into the retreat box and get away due to the 'screening' value of the fleets (perhaps with the occasional 10% or so loss due to bad luck.)
Merchants/transports versus enemy merchants/transports would always result in no effect and BOTH will retreat to their previous areas (again, perhaps a small random chance of a few ships lost on both sides due to grounding/bad luck/weather).
This will put the transports into their proper role which is to be escorted by fleets and merchants which should always run unless caught by a privateer in which case they fight. This will also make privateers more realistic as they will actually have a chance to do their historical role and capture/sink merchants.
I looked through the C++ code and the numbers seem to be in order. The only place in the quick combat that distinguishes merchants from other ships is the place that gives them their penalty to attack and defense.
ORIGINAL: Mr. Z
This is apparantly the problem then. If the code does not distinguish between a merchant/transport and a warship then of course they will behave like any other warship in a naval action.
AND THIS is the problem! Merchants and transports SHOULD not behave like warships - they should always go into the retreat box unless facing Privateers when they would fight if they couldn't get away (I.E. the enemy has the wind gauge.)
In the case of retreat, the merchants should take moderate losses unless they win the fight - this is the ONLY TIME where their penalties and country ratings matter as in all other cases they get away or are 'taken/sunk'.
I would suggest that transports/merchants ALWAYS run with the wind gauge or fight without versus privateers.
In all other cases against fleets they should run and most likely always escape without loss since warships are much slower (perhaps the occasional 10% loss as prizes due to bad luck/seamanship or more without the gauge).
If they are with friendly fleets, they should always go into the retreat box and get away due to the 'screening' value of the fleets (perhaps with the occasional 10% or so loss due to bad luck.)
Merchants/transports versus enemy merchants/transports would always result in no effect and BOTH will retreat to their previous areas (again, perhaps a small random chance of a few ships lost on both sides due to grounding/bad luck/weather).
This will put the transports into their proper role which is to be escorted by fleets and merchants which should always run unless caught by a privateer in which case they fight. This will also make privateers more realistic as they will actually have a chance to do their historical role and capture/sink merchants.