Demasting exam need to be removed for new players

[Marlinspike]

I'm an experienced player and I find the Demasting Exam to be very difficult. For new players, it is impossible.

I believe the problem is that the AI, rightly, goes to battle sails, which effectively buffs the masts. The Demasting Exam was created before battle sails existed, so back then the Demasting Exam was doable for a new players.

Please give the Demasting Exam a try yourself if you disagree.

[0strum]

It does not need to be removed as it can simply be skipped and retried at a later point. Skipping the demasting exam has zero impact on regular gameplay and skipping the demasting exam does not prevent any new player from moving on to the final exam.

Yes, it's tricky to pull it off, I can't even remember how many dozen times I had to restart it... but as it is not mandatory, it isn't a problem, merely an annoying challenge.

[Marlinspike]

You can't unlock the Boarding and Endurance Exams until the Demasting Exam is completed and I believe (not 100% sure) there are rewards for completing the Endurance Exam.

It's very bad experience for new user to face unreasonably difficult task.

But, like you say, I recommend new players skip the exams and go right to the Final Exam, which is reasonably difficult and rewarding for the new player.

[Marlinspike]

Notice in this video, which was recorded over a year and a half ago, the AI does not go to battle sails, enabling relatively easy demasting. Nowadays, the AI goes to battle sails and maneuvers, making demasting nearly impossible for a new player.

https://youtu.be/f-Wjpo4XTO4

[0strum]

Well if demasting were easy we'd all have to use mast thickness and mast HP upgrades all the time ;-)
I tried the demasting exam the "normal" way a couple of times but it isn't worth it. If youreally want to pass it, you just load the exam, single fire one broadside worth of guns, cancel, load in fresh, rinse and repeat until you've managed to fell a mast.

[Corona2172]

I get what you are saying, since AI has changed since then, but as a new player I only had to take it 3 times before I succeeded with 2 minutes to go. I've met a lot of other newer players who likewise have recently completed all of it. So, I wouldn't necessarily say that it is 'impossible'.

[Hunter]

Lmao your solution to the issue is to skip 3/4’s of the tutorial and “come back to it later”

[Louea]

I was on beta test
And since the release i already completed all tutoriel achivment demast include
Im restarting the game and actually i try 20t this tutorial and i cant ...
Ok after 250h of playing since the beta im back to 0 experience witch new gameplay ok np

But something goes wrong
The only way to demast was using chain like all pirate game on the past not only to destroy sails
But after destroy 1 mast
The server ask to destroy the 2nd with chain but you havent amo at this time to completed the tutorial if you start chain mail to demast

Why theyre are limited amo for 2min battle ?

This part need to be fixed the balance experience was not correct for a tutorial

A manoeuvring guide should be more interested on the tutorial than a demast mission with no sens and balance

[CAT_life2]

The problem here is as I see it the devs are, Trying to balance the PVP vs the masts....and the Demasting exam is for a older version of the game by about year. I got the impression that people were using unlimited Cannon balls to grief new players on PVP, now cannon balls do not work on masts at all. When I passed it a year ago I just used normal balls and accurate shots into the mast heads, that did work well until it was patched out (also let you miss some more).
In away the Mast damage is so slow and unreliable is almost nerfed out of the game. There is a small use if you intend to board, but trying to dismast a warship is a waste of time and exercise in frustration. It is sad because that part of the game engine is very good and made for some very fun damage on enemy ships. I think they would of been better of to make shot a buy able item, that would take cargo space and make it super light and cheap, but having ships run out of shot would keep things like cutters killing 1st rates because of limited shot....I also think that ships should needed food and water, and shot. The effect of holding station too long should degrade the ships performance and would encourage players to return to port for resupply and refit. I think it also would make players think about the cargo they chose to bring.

[grecnyj]

Originally posted by Marlinspike:

I'm an experienced player and I find the Demasting Exam to be very difficult. For new players, it is impossible.

I believe the problem is that the AI, rightly, goes to battle sails, which effectively buffs the masts. The Demasting Exam was created before battle sails existed, so back then the Demasting Exam was doable for a new players.

Please give the Demasting Exam a try yourself if you disagree.

I've been a player for about a year or more now. Tried the Demasting dozen times, etc.
Got sunk or ran out of time, each and every time.
Now I know why!!!

[CAT_life2]

Well any software the training stuff seem to lag far behind the development stuff. I would also say since after you pass training it is gone. Or I do not know how to access it anymore so out of sight out of mind. I am not going to fault the Devs too much on the broken Exam. they have other sins we blame them for that are more pressing.
I was able to pass that exam a year back, but it was not easy, far harder then it needed to be to teach a concept that doesn't seem to matter much in game. The time limit seems the worst part...though that doesn't matter because cannon balls do not work on masts
Whey I was new and bit off more then I could chew I would run down wind firing at sails to just do enough damage to keep a speed advantage to escape...some times I would take down all the mast and be able to kill an AI I other wise couldn't miss doing damage to mast with cannonballs