Let's talk about the REAL problem with this update...

  • Moen Drip
    Ship Mate
    Insider

    There was absolutely no reason to nerf the gunpowder barrels so severely. What once was a deadly explosive to be feared has turned into a popcorn f@rt. My friend and I did several tests last night and they have reduced the damage and range by what seems to be almost 50%. Hitting a sloop with a barrel from below will no longer drop the mast, hitting a barrel while holding the ladder will not drop the mast and does only 1 damage to the capstan and wheel. Planting a barrel at the top deck in front of the cannons will no longer drop the mast either, likewise by planting the bomb on top of the wheel. The only way to drop the mast is to plant it within a very small radius. The effects on Brigantines and Galleons are even more noticeable and disappointing.

    Was the power of the powder kegs really that much of an issue? The only complaint I heard about them recently was the random spawn ones floating alongside supply barrels. If that was the case why not just remove those barrels? I would like to see the barrels set back to their previous strength, or at the least add a higher probability of finding mega kegs in the wild.

    What do you guys think?

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  • Biter Wylie
    Seafarer

    Typical Rare. Just make the game worse with every update.

    Remove all challenge from the game must be their strategic vision.

  • ClosingHare208
    Marauder
    Insider

    @biter-wylie so what if people didn't complain then they wouldn't nerf anything

  • Biter Wylie
    Seafarer

    Deleted by Biter.

  • ClosingHare208
    Marauder
    Insider

    @biter-wylie said in Let's talk about the REAL problem with this update...:

    Deleted by Biter.

    what?

  • Kaloudz
    Commander
    Insider
    Founder

    IMO. Gunpowder SHOULD be deadly, lethal, and devastating. If these stats are true, they need reverting or buffing immensely, immediately.

    You can see the horizon for miles at any point on the map. You can see in all directions at pretty much any point on the map. You can see ships coming a great distance away, at almost any point on the map.

    If you’re daft enough to let someone get close enough to board you with gunpowder, you deserve to meet Davy Jones. Gunpowder should, and has always, been a showstopper.

  • D3ADST1CK
    Vanguard
    Insider
    Founder

    Damage is localized now, so it does the most damage directly around where the keg explodes rather than just randomly applying max damage to everything within the blast radius.

    @kaloudz said in Let's talk about the REAL problem with this update...:

    If you’re daft enough to let someone get close enough to board you with gunpowder, you deserve to meet Davy Jones. Gunpowder should, and has always, been a showstopper.

    Gunpowder still does what it always did - put holes in the ship. The ship damage update added additional things that could be destroyed and the gunpowder affected these things. This has been adjusted now so that you can't get all the holes and all the ship damage in one shot.

    However, gunpowder still does more than it originally did. It is still a showstopper.

  • ClosingHare208
    Marauder
    Insider

    @d3adst1ck but the ship should go down like a scuttle since new ship damage then titanic

  • Moen Drip
    Ship Mate
    Insider

    @d3adst1ck I totally get that but by "localizing" it they have in essence reduced the effectiveness. It isn't even a slight dial down, they went from a 50 caliber to a BB gun.

  • Glannigan
    Sailor

    The Gunpowder was the one thing that was balanced! It was the “Equalizer”.

    I can’t believe they messed with it! A sign of a good crew was being able to quickly recover from a Powder Keg or Two!

    A bad crew, 1 keg would sink ya.
    Oh well, guess I’ll just have to start stocking up on Mega Kegs!

  • Kaloudz
    Commander
    Insider
    Founder

    @d3adst1ck Totally hearing you my friend, but, a ship should go down like a bag of bricks when hit on the ladder and/or onboard. Localised damage should not come into it when detonating in those circumstances. The core mass of damage should cover a ship as it always has.

    I assumed by localised damage, that they were referring to conditions such as gunpowder exploding near the ship, in which I agree, localisation was needed. Judging from the OPs stats, the central mass of damage no longer has the range it should.

  • ReapingLegion
    Commander
    Insider

    I did drop a barrel beneath a brig yesterday and both their masts got destroyed.
    Maybe just luck?

  • Scrubber89
    Commander
    Insider
    Founder

    I wondered why my gunpowder attacks weren't effective last night.
    Me and my crew are terrible at pvp with combat and guns and the gun powder under the hull trick was our way of leveling the playing field. Now we have nothing. Great.

  • Moen Drip
    Ship Mate
    Insider

    @reapinglegion must have had a keg below their deck or their masts were already damaged i.e. held up by one plank. Hit the sloop, brigantine and galleon all dead center, front and back from below last night and not a single mast dropped. I was able to basically circle a volcano for a full eruption cycle last night without my masts falling once.

  • MarsMayflower
    Captain
    Insider

    Imo, barrels were doing too much damage by popping holes AND dropping your mast and damaging your wheel and capstan. I'll wait and reserve judgement after I've played this update a bit.

  • ButteryBarnacls
    Marauder
    Insider

    From the release notes: Explosive Damage on Ships – When ships are affected by explosions (gunpowder kegs, volcanic rocks etc.) they now use a new more realistic damage model using an inner and outer blast radius. This new setup ensures that greater damage is applied closer to the explosion, and less damage further away.

    I think I'll get on later and set some kegs off around my ship and see how this new mechanic works.

  • BETRAYME84
    Master
    Insider

    I haven't had a chance to play the update yet, but I hope this news doesn't take away the fun of this game. For instance, I "left" a buddy at a skull fort as I sailed to the nearest outpost to sell my three reapers chest. Another "PL" started closing in on me quickly, and I panicked and docked the Brig in the outpost not giving us much of a fighting chance. Said "PL" rolled up and blasted our ship to pieces, but I managed to sell my chests. My buddy comes back to give me a hand, but alas the "PL" leaves and was talking smack through the megaphone..."GG guys, GG guys". We looked in the water and Lo and Behold there we see our powder keg. My friend and I swim out, he grabs the keg, and I grab an empty fruit crate. We start swimming out towards the ship, and the "PL" U-turns! Now we are excited, and I tell my friend I am boarding with the crate under the guise of a keg. The "PL" shoots at me although I am not the threat, my buddy boards the other side and sets the keg off below deck. It was the sweetest revenge! The "PL" and myself meet in the ferry, and he proceeds to call me obscenities. How are we to create these wonderful moments with nerfed Kegs?

  • Murl0cR41d3r
    Marauder
    Insider

    I rather they be removed entirely.

  • WinsterZ
    Commander
    Insider

    Gunpowder barrels were not so deadly before anniversary update. Before, it just did 4 holes in the ship and that was it. It wasn't even the bigger holes that it started to do after anniversary plus it disabled completely whole Sloop and almost also Brig. This was one of the major topics and complains after this new ship damage mechanic introduced in Anniversary.

    I have a feeling that basically all major feedbacks for Anniversary are starting to being looked at just now. It started at all Tall Tale fixes, now moved to ship damage (plus anchor some time ago) and what's left after is Arena matchmaking.

  • Boxcar Squidy
    Captain
    Insider

    Well, my favourite tactic with these has always been to carry at least 8 and drop them behind me after goading someone into a chase.

    Lure them through some rocks and onto a bunch of kegs. Hillarious.

    To me, this nerf doesn't effect my go to tactic. It might even shift the meta towards them being used in new and interesting ways.

    The board, keg and guard method hasn't really been shaken up that much since launch. This might do the trick.

  • Little Squash
    Commander
    Insider

    @foul-expulsion
    Does gunpowder blowing up in the crow's nest still drop the mast?

  • Papy Pitch
    Commander
    Insider

    @little-squash a dit dans Let's talk about the REAL problem with this update... :

    @foul-expulsion
    Does gunpowder blowing up in the crow's nest still drop the mast?

    Yes, of course.

  • DISLEX fx
    Captain
    Insider

    The gun powder barrel nerf sounds awesome! I am excited! It sounds like the barrels went back to normal before they made them into nukes.

    Some explosion under water shouldn't drop masts on the ships. That was so dumb, in my opinion.

    I don't know how long you have been playing, but these crazy explosions are new-ish.

    It sounds like barrels now damage what they are near. That's perfect.

  • Foxdodge
    Champion
    Insider
    Boatswain
    Founder

    For a while, the most effective tactic available for sinking ships has been the use of gunpowder barrels, by simply boarding. This method has detracted from the overall scale and quality of naval combat that engagements used to provide. By addressing the balance of gunpowder effectiveness in relation to ship damage, it will offer players with more rewarding and engaging naval combat experiences.

    Ship battles will be epic again.

  • RealStyli
    Vanguard
    Insider

    Yeah, I don't see the downside to this. It seems to be a step in the right direction from what I can tell.

  • ReapingLegion
    Commander
    Insider

    @foul-expulsion Then i've must been lucky.

  • contentzilla
    Ship Mate

    @foul-expulsion said in Let's talk about the REAL problem with this update...:

    There was absolutely no reason to nerf the gunpowder barrels so severely. What once was a deadly explosive to be feared has turned into a popcorn f@rt. My friend and I did several tests last night and they have reduced the damage and range by what seems to be almost 50%. Hitting a sloop with a barrel from below will no longer drop the mast, hitting a barrel while holding the ladder will not drop the mast and does only 1 damage to the capstan and wheel. Planting a barrel at the top deck in front of the cannons will no longer drop the mast either, likewise by planting the bomb on top of the wheel. The only way to drop the mast is to plant it within a very small radius. The effects on Brigantines and Galleons are even more noticeable and disappointing.

    Was the power of the powder kegs really that much of an issue? The only complaint I heard about them recently was the random spawn ones floating alongside supply barrels. If that was the case why not just remove those barrels? I would like to see the barrels set back to their previous strength, or at the least add a higher probability of finding mega kegs in the wild.

    What do you guys think?

    Rare is getting bored with the endless "balancing" of the weapons and combat mechanics so they've moved onto GP Barrels. We shall all need to look forward to the endless nerfs and buffs to GP Barrels and hopefully some day Rare will be able to "balance" them to. Next will be the nerf of Fishing Poles, cuz they just too strong yo doggie.

  • Ghostpaw
    Legend

    @contentzilla Yep. Feels more like Disneyland Adventure (ages 5 and up) with every patch. Hopefully for the remainder of those still playing, there are enough for Rare to justify keeping the game going for a while. It has been watered down too far for me, and based on the new list of demands and feedback, I see no reason it will change. Happy sailing everyone. I think I’m done with this title.

  • Vaca Hombre
    Champion
    Boatswain
    Founder

    @ghostpaw

    Hmmmmm.... sounds fun. =D

  • Lethality1
    Vanguard
    Insider
    Founder

    As a solo slooper, this is a welcome change. It was simply not possible to recover from 1 keg with all of that damage.

    There already is a higher probability of mega kegs popping up in the world than there was, so it works out.

  • ReapingLegion
    Commander
    Insider

    @foul-expulsion They diden't have anything.

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