Single Player Ship Concept

  • Ahoy fellow Pirates!

    I want to open by saying that this ship concept is purely conceptual; as much as I'd like Rare to consider it.
    It also has nothing to do with changing the current small ship**
    This is for the Solo artists.
    I love having choices, and ship variety has a big part of defining who you are as a Pirate Legend.
    It would be amazing to have the option to set sail in a solo, 2 man, 3, or 4, no 6, 8...16 man Man-O-War?
    No, wait, let's get back on track for now.

    I had to start my concept by mapping out the Sloop; I used this screenshot as a reference:
    alt text
    I then drew this:

    And this:

    Now, I really love the 2 man sloop, and I personally never had an issue sailing by myself, hoarding treasure, or sinking galleons.

    ** The only thing I would change would be to move the bell onto the bow-side of the Mast, so you don't accidentally ring it when trying to climb up to the Crow's Nest.

    My friend brought up that the Sloop is still a little intimidating for a newbie; and it could still be reduced to something smaller, and more simple for the lone Pirate.

    From here, I had to think about the pros and cons of having an even smaller ship.

    Pros:

    • Harder to see on the sea
    • Very Maneuverable
    • Can go into more shallow waters
    • No need for Plank
    • No bell on Crow's Nest
    • No Brig
    • No Voting Table
      Cons:
    • Less Storage
    • Less Firepower
    • Less Hull space for Treasure
    • Water will flood quickly from Hull Damage
    • Water will flood rapidly in Storms/Rough Seas

    Some interactable objects on the ship would have to be moved and tailored to suit a single player ship.

    Here's what I came up with:

    Notable Features:

    • Single level hull, shorter and thinner than a Sloop.
    • Triangular sail with forward boom (Same amount of Controls).
    • 2 Rudders, for sharp corners. (Same Wheel Rotation, Harder Corners.)
    • 1 Ladder on the Stern (between the rudders), to prevent easy boarding.
    • 1 Cannon on the bow, with restricted firing angles to keep skill-cap.
    • Voting board, as apposed to a table for multiple voyages.
    • 1 of each "Supply" Barrel, Cannonballs far away from Cannon.
    • Ammo stash far from Helm to prevent easy resupplies while sailing away.
    • No bowsprit to give the cannon space. (Figurehead Optional.)
    • Kept the Crow's Nest for the surveillance aspect.
    • Helm Railing is solid to prevent Map-Peeking at the Helm.
    • "New" Single-Player Anchor.
    The Anchor would have to be interacted with, and pushed away or pulled toward the user (with some resistance/rumble for controllers)

    I made a size comparison for the two:

    And finally:

    I'd love to hear any questions, feedback, ideas, suggestions, criticisms.
    Let me know what you think below, and I'll try to get back to you!

    Cheers,
    ch3wiie

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  • @ch3wiie That's great work! One thing I'd like to point out is that the Solo-man Sloop is not for new players. Selecting that option clearly states "For a longer, more perilous journey" and " recommended for experienced pirates only".

  • @shadowstrider-7
    Oh absolutely, I agree 100%. No newbie should start the game solo and expect it to be easy.
    This isn't meant to be any "easier" either, just a smaller more accommodating ship. :)

  • This is a pretty awesome little ship. I'm hoping that eventually everyone starts off with a small ship and needs to reach certain milestones and purchase larger ones as time goes on. That way we have something to progress towards. Really love the concept, hopefully we see something like this in the future!

  • @ch3wiie I love your idea, though! I very sincerely doubt we will ever see anything smaller than the Sloop, but you never know! What would you call this ship/Pirate dinghy?

  • @psych0-knightro
    Thanks! I'm definitely hoping for player owned ships on release too! :D

  • cool man... that's a realy great work. devs should look upon this

  • @shadowstrider-7
    Mm, this is something I've been trying to figure out.
    The names I came down to are:
    Gunboat (The Smallest Ship in AC4:Black Flag)
    Cog (An old small Viking ship). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cog_(ship)

    Open for suggestions though! :)

  • @ch3wiie

    Front mounted cannon would break balancing in current ship engagement.

    If you can gain on a target ship while being able to shoot, it would become the primary attack ship.

  • @stem589
    But you can't sail and fire, since it's a solo ship.
    The firing-angle is restricted so you don't have much room for error on aligning your ship, and the cannon balls are on the other side of your ship so you have to be efficient!

  • This looks great! It would be really cool to see such a great idea in the game.

  • That's actually pretty good! I like your idea!

  • Hey great work I mentioned something simular in the general feedback thread but in my opinion the cannon should be at the back because i don´t think you should engage a fight alone you should use it for escaping

  • @ch3wiie This fantastic work thankyou for sharing it. Somethings that stick out to me and some of my own thought. One level definitely, one cannon fron t and rear only ( fighting is only a last resort), no time penalty with working anchor, and above all make them the fastests boats of all so you can out run everybody.

  • @tipsy-jack @shaggiedo
    I thought about that, but a reverse facing Cannon is probably more unfair than a forward facing one, since being able to "steer, flip, shoot, flip, steer, flip, reload shot, shoot" would probably be more annoying than the one or two cannonballs you got in your stern from the soloship, and you realize all you have to do is turn to avoid the cannon fire.

  • i really like the idea, especially the front facing cannon, but my only concern is space for cargo. especially if you were working for the traders guild, you would need some space for the various animals and such. also, with so little room for water to build up, i would imagine the ship would sink very easily.

  • @mistavanvleck
    I made the whole "Limited Cargo" as an idea to deter people from trying to tackle larger challenges by themselves (that they should be doing with others) or be able to stack up tons of treasure/supplies without other people seeing all of it laying on your deck.
    Yes, water flooding was a stated Con ;)

  • @ch3wiie Ok, that makes sense. Sorry, i must've missed the con list there. Either way, great idea!

  • @ch3wiie That's actually a VERY good idea. But... with two things.

    One, why not have a streamlined hull with a bigger central rudder? that's be better than having two rudders.

    Second, Why not have a spanker sail? The sail in your diagram seems... off to me. And knowing this bc I learned a lot about ships the past 6 years, a spanker sail would be much better. Or, just have the sail on the back of the mast and then you're fine.

    Overall, the smaller ship kinda reminds me of the yacht. A small ship with 2 sails (Spanker and Jib), leeboards to prevent heeling over and drifting when sailing against the wind, and very shallow draft.

  • @cheatingpirate
    Thank you for your insight!
    I wish I knew more about sails.. I wanted to keep it to one sail, since that's how the sloop operates; just smaller. I did experiment with a couple different sails but I like this one you referenced. I'll do another mock-up in a bit.
    That ship does look like it's better suited for a crew of 4-8 where mine is actually just 1 person. It'll take some adjusting.
    As for the rudders..I just liked the hidden ladder approach.

  • Love the designs. I mentioned on a different thread that something like a pinnace from Sid Meier's Pirates would be ideal for solo. A quick agile ship, but the trade-off being it would take on water quickly if hit.

  • @originalzulkai
    Very nice appeal on this ship; thanks!
    Here's what the Pinnace looks like for anyone that is curious:

  • @ch3wiie
    I love that idea. I've played solo on the sloop during beta, and I have to tell you it is challenging. Having a even smaller ship could be helpfull for those quick get a aways when you see that 4 crew galleon appear on the horizon.

    Great work.

  • Great concept and very well thought out, @ch3wiie

  • @ch3wiie Well this IS a real ship. And I thought of something else. the Lateen sail. Pretty similar to what you want.

  • @ch3wiie plus different kinds of the pinnace, like a full rigged pinnace for example. (Which could be good for 3 man crews.)

  • @cheatingpirate
    I never claimed it wasn't a real ship, just stating it's much larger than I aim for.
    I like the Lateen sails, I'll try them out!
    Thanks again for the insight, it's good to have someone with real knowledge about ships/sailing.

  • Nice work ! Alot of time put into it and it's amazing that you spent your time "creating" another type. But honestly i don't think a smaller ship would be needed. I think a medium sized one is what it's needed , to replace the 2man sloop. Maybe you'll make one of those? And i strongly suggest creating a new shape , ignore the existing one. Keep it up!

  • @ch3wiie Yeah I know it's larger. but the hull shape and sail plan seems to match well with your ship idea.

    Plus looking at the hull again, it doesn't look good under water. it isn't streamlined in the back, which will make the turn rate horrible. It has to gradually go back to narrow towards the back, then have a huge rudder for tighter turns.

    also with the lateen sail... there is a bit of a complication. how to move them from side to side. turns out that the sail would have to hug against the main mast, which might be a lot of work for Rare.... so a spanker sail would be a better option.

  • Love this idea, had a vision of a gunboat style when i first played and they announced the sloop was coming.
    Love the detailing but had some suggestions for you to consider :

    Extend the length and drop the stern for a more streamlined feel.

    As the ship is single level, from what i see, there is no need to raise the rear, although if your looking for an underside, maybe place an opening in front of the mast with a little ladder.
    By dropping the back you'll open the field of view and maintain streamlining.

    Rotate the mast to have your sail out to stern, just think it looks better in reverse.

    Off center the stearing would allow room to place the capstan and voyage table within the rear, again just opinion.

    Finally move the map to mid ship, more allong side the mast, as there is no cannon here or ladders, the sides of the boat could be used more effectively.

    Still love it though, can really see you've put some serious time in to it.

  • @ch3wiie
    Great job shipmate!

  • @laughsmaniacaly
    Thanks for the suggestions!
    I have a few reasons I made things the way they are:

    • Intentionally 1 level hull with raised rear, so you can't be on the bow and see directly behind you (same as the other ships)
    • The Boom allows the sail to swing from side to side, I tried the backwards facing sail and it seemed off for some reason. :\
    • Centered Wheel so you can't see directly in front of you (same as other ships)
    • The Map is intentionally where it is, to block you from being able to see it while on the helm
    • There's no voyage table needed!
      I tried to keep with the style of the game (kinda condensed ship) look. As well as maintain the basic functionalities and layouts they have for the other ships.
  • @ch3wiie said in Single Player Ship Concept:

    ** The only thing I would change would be to move the bell onto the bow-side of the Mast, so you don't accidentally ring it when trying to climb up to the Crow's Nest.

    The number of times I rung that dang bell....

  • @tokin1 You an' me both Cap'n

  • @ch3wiie suppose those are fair points, would be good to see this in game

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