Too many 1st and 2nd Rate ships

[tillackt]

Within the context of the British campaign (medium difficulty both with/without adaptation) I’m finding what feels like an excessive quantity of 1st and 2nd rate ships and some method of bringing this to reasonable quantities should be considered.

This latest campaign just after Grand Hiver I have for example
- 9 x first rate (incl 144 gun, Ocean class and 6 x Victory)
- 4 x 2nd rates
- 9 x Bellona 3rd rate (gave away a few Bellona trophy)
And what frigates there are are now useless, even the 3rd rates are useless.

There is still at least 5 more large scale battles incl Battle of the Nile which really should just be 3rd rates, so I shudder to think all remaining battles are now just all 1st rate v’s 1st rates.

I think a few ideas are needed to bring things more into line with historical reality??

For example the game already has a ship weight displacement so all 1st rates = 240, 2 rates = 200 and 3rd rates are 160.

Certain battles could specify 1 ship of 240 or less, 1 ship of 200 or less and all remaining ships of 160 or less could give variety and purpose of keeping smaller ships still valuable.

Or just make 1st and 2nd rates far, far fewer in the game?

[mag8five]

Devs please make 1st and 2nd rates rare - as they were in the Age of Sail!
I'm playing the British campaign on medium without adaption and encounter lots of 1st and 2nd rates, but almost no 74's!
The reverse would be historical correct!

If you're anxious to bore your players by an abundance of 74's ...
- add national specifications (e.g. by means of upgrades)
- add another 74's model (e.g. the Redoutable)

But spaming 1st and 2nd rates doesn't solve the (boredom) problem!
It does killl the immersion to boot!
So please decrease the flood of 1st and 2nd rates and make them (very) special again!

[tillackt]

Also instead of using 1st and 2nd rates to create challenges make the enemy ships 2 and 3 star veterans with good upgrades instead of just basic rookies.

Alternatively when the battle is “Eliminate” enemy fleet, well maybe ai ships should withdraw and try to escape once they are getting beaten up instead of stubbornly fighting to the very last?

[Rogalas Dorn]

Yall are barking up the wrong tree. They aren't going to move on this. I've been trying for over a year. Someone will be along shortly to tell you to use more fire ships.

[tillackt]

Except it’s not a case where I’m saying “I can’t win it’s too hard “, I am defeating and capturing the entire enemy fleet.

I’m just saying all battles from now on will be nothing but all 1st rates against 1st rates which is no challenge but rather tedious and totally unrealistic.

[mag8five]

And it would decrease the fun of this game unnecessarily!
Such a fix (making first and second rates much more rare encounters) should be very easy to do!

[mag8five]

Imo even the additional implementation of another 74 model, like the Redoutable could still be done reasonably!
I mean imo this game features an amazing scope of 5th rates and 1st rates (keeping in mind that such beasts were rare).
Why shouldn’t they add another model of the most used SOL type of the 18th century?

[tillackt]

So I just finished Battle of Copenhagen. The Dutch had 9 Santimissima class a few Ocean class first rates and a few tiny Victory class and a 2nd Rate to match my 2 Santimissima , 2 Ocean class and 6 little Victory class first rates. It wasn't a problem as I captured every last one of them, accidently sunk a little merchant ship that got in the way.
I understand that for balance the AI needs to provide a challenge but I don't think having 11 Santimissima's in one battle alone worked, now I have 13 x Santimissima class ships in my whole fleet plus 7 x Ocean class as backups and a hoard of piddly little Victory class toy boats you just give away to the admiralty because they cost too much to hang on to.

This is on medium difficulty with adaptation on. The AI literally can not throw anything bigger at me now. I really suggest that the AI needs to look and making difficulty more balanced and more reasonable by using ship upgrades, better guns and better quality enemy crew, while significantly reducing the number of 1st and 2nd rates totally.

Many of the earlier battles can be fun, challenging and sometimes quite difficult when there is variety in the battle, but it can get to this point where at the end of chapter 4 there is nothing much left to do???

[Ninjasquirrel]

Dude, your fleet is too crazy lol. That's why you're seeing so many santissima classes. I mean, say the AI comes out with a balanced historical fleet of maybe 1 1st rate, 1 or 2 2nd rates, and a bunch of 3rd rates, even fully upgraded with 100 stat officers, it'll still be too easy.

Originally posted by tillackt:

Many of the earlier battles can be fun, challenging and sometimes quite difficult when there is variety in the battle, but it can get to this point where at the end of chapter 4 there is nothing much left to do???

Tone down your fleet and keep the fun going for longer

Btw, imo victory class is better than ocean class.

[tillackt]

I’m suggesting if the ai never had presented those ships in the first place, so our fleet can’t get that big.