Looks as good as Kate Upton carrying a six-pack. :D
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2F2.bp.blogspot.com%2F-fLAOW9feG6I%2FU25JWa2NbVI%2FAAAAAAAAB9g%2FMpASzb65AK0%2Fs1600%2Fkate-upton-drink.jpg&hash=2c5d578b21aa13d3f4ca2b6f3a06ec28e5fa355a)
Waiting for it to be feature complete.
I've been shying away from grindy games like WoT and WT while they're in pre-release since all your progress will get wiped. Possibly more than once.
After doing closed beta for WoT, WT, and World of Warplanes (amongst other MMOs before that), I'm done with getting burned out on the grind shortly after their official release. :-\ Gotta make it count.
Admittedly, my willpower to avoid extra grind in the early access is being tried with all the great vids of the PvP action.
Their pre-order stuff got temporarily shut down when PayPal flipped out for some reason and put a lock on their sales account. Supposed to be up and running again in the next couple days but will still be a waiting game since they only send out Alpha access keys to pre-orders once a week or so.
Even if I don't play it much this early, it will be a nice change of pace from WT and simming.
After watching the video I am hooked. Looks much more challenging than WOT which I am pretty much burned out on, although it held my interest for a very long time!
I've been playing Naval Action some since December. The current state is similar to WoT in that you do damage and accumulate that in order to unlock the next ship up in the line. I don't know if the game will work that way once it is finished. Currently, I've got the frigate class Surprise opened up for me.
I've enjoyed the battles. There is a lot more to keep track of with wind direction and sail/rudder orientation than in a tank, and I frequently find myself coming up into the wind and getting in trouble. It is slower as you are maneuvering around at a distance, but once you get in close it is fast and furious. Keeping track of where other ships are when you are trying to aim your broadside and repair damage can get a little overwhelming for me as I get tunnel vision and I've had several collisions with both enemy and friendly ships. Those will completely ruin your day, especially if it is a friendly, since I feel stupid, or a bigger enemy because I'm sinking.
The community is definitely more mature than WoT, I haven't seen any name calling. Mostly there isn't a lot of chatting during the game, I think people are concentrating. Sometimes, you have to wait a bit for a game, as there aren't so many people in the lobby at any given time.
Overall, I've enjoyed the game so far, but I'm a very amateur sailing ship person, so if you are into the fine details of this genre, you may not like it as much.
Is it online only like World of Tanks?
Quote from: Rayfer on January 21, 2015, 10:39:41 AM
Is it online only like World of Tanks?
They specifically plan on having some kind of open world or overarching faction meta-game. I dunno the details but I think it may at least be something like players warring for their chosen nation's supremacy. Like I said, I don't know the details, just that they're planning on making it more than just one-off battle grinding.
Quote from: Rayfer on January 21, 2015, 10:39:41 AM
Is it online only like World of Tanks?
It sounds to me like their plan is an open world similar to Elite: Dangerous.
Currently you can do player vs player, just like WoT, or player vs environment, where it is you or a group of humans against the AI. The battles can take up to an hour, but there is no world to live in, just one battle at a time.
Naval Action is an exciting, realistic, and beautifully detailed naval combat game immersing players into the experience of the most beautiful period of naval history - when sailing ships ruled the seas. (https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fdogsofwarvu.com%2Fforum%2Findex.php%3Faction%3Ddlattach%3Btopic%3D162.0%3Battach%3D30%3Bimage&hash=19d62754304dd4457b2bacb2d48ab003b1272433)
Official ste: http://www.navalaction.com/#ageofsail (http://www.navalaction.com/#ageofsail)
Official forum: http://forum.game-labs.net/ (http://forum.game-labs.net/)
Official Blog: http://www.navalaction.com/blog/ (http://www.navalaction.com/blog/)
Server Status: http://forum.game-labs.net/index.php?/topic/649-server-status-updates-servers-are-on/ (http://forum.game-labs.net/index.php?/topic/649-server-status-updates-servers-are-on/)
Pre-Order: http://www.navalaction.com/preorder/ (http://www.navalaction.com/preorder/)
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/Navalaction (https://www.youtube.com/user/Navalaction)
Payment Model: Pay once
Game Status (13/01/15): Early - Alpha. Play is limited to PVE + PVP online
Steam: Yes
Online Multi-player only at this stage.
Your Graphics card must be DX11 Compatible and have Shader 5 at least!A great fan made promo videoSystem requirements: Video card: Game requires a video card with full DX11 and Shader Model 5 support with at least 1GB of video memory.
nVidia gtx 460 and higher or AMD Radeon HD 6450 and higher are required.
nVidia gtx 660 and higher or AMD Radeon R9 270 and higher are recommended.
Intel GPU is supported from Intel Iris 5200 and higher but not recommended due low visual quality and performance.
Operating system: Windows 7 and above
Memory: 4GB RAM, 8GB recommended
Combat and gunneryRealistic ballistics and cannon performance of the period. Every cannonball is tracked in the air and after it hits the target. One shot can hit the stern, damage the rudder, then hit the cannon carriage, injure crew, ricochet from the floor and hit the opposite side. Listing and wind affects the shooting distance and will require change of tactics.
Weapons: All major types of naval artillery are implemented: from long guns to carronades, and mortars (of course limited by the ship role and its hull). Fort and land batteries will provide support during port battles. Fire ships and branders will also be present in the game.
SailingAdvanced wind and physics model provides for realistic portrayal of ship's performance in the age of sail. Yard angles, ship angle to wind, cargo, fittings and ship condition affects speeds and turning rates. Correct tacking, boxhauling, clubhauling and other elements of the age of sail sailing are possible. Hidden ship characteristics will allow to gradually uncover potential of the vessel – every ship in game will be unique.
Damage model: Leaks, splinters, loose cannons, demasting, raking, fires and all other hazards possible in that era. Damaged ship fittings and modules will change behavior of the ship.
Open world prototypeWe are continuing development of the open world prototype.
Naval Action will feature one of the largest sandbox maps in history of age of sail games. You will be able to write your own story by building the trading or military empires for their nations or guilds. Because game will not have levels or classes you will have full control over your fate and character development.
Current ship line-upNaval Action will feature accurate hull models, sail plans, guns, internal modules and parts, historical speed, turning and heel performance. Ships from trading ships and smugglers to small gunboats to large 100+ gun first rates will allow the player to experience every possible role of the Age of Sail period.
5 more models are in development including 140 gun Santisima Trinidad.
Schooner
Royal Armed Yacht
Heavy Corvette
Leda class Frigate
74
Navy Cutter
Light Brig
Frigate
Super-Frigate
1st Rate
>:D
Oh, look! It's a schooner!
If it's from Oklahoma, it's a Sooner Schooner.
Knew I couldn't resist this one. Was just a matter of how long. Just answered that question earlier.
Hopefully I'll get the activation key in before the weekend. :))
Their pre-order was back up yesterday. I did so.
They mentioned sending more Steam activation codes out daily until Friday (tomorrow) to get caught up and then it will go back to once a week.
I may check it out this weekend. Go rake someone in the rear. :D
And then board them? Or just keep raking? :-X
Just took the leap and pre-ordered. I'm usually not a first-day buyer any more, much less pre-order, but I have been so jonesing for a naval game lately that I am playing Pirates of the Burning Sea again - and this one is by the makers of Ultimate General Gettysburg, which I love, so it was a no-brainer.
Quote from: glen55 on January 22, 2015, 12:59:05 PM
Just took the leap and pre-ordered. I'm usually not a first-day buyer any more, much less pre-order, but I have been so jonesing for a naval game lately that I am playing Pirates of the Burning Sea again - and this one is by the makers of Ultimate General Gettysburg, which I love, so it was a no-brainer.
I enjoyed PotBS for a brief time, due to it's naval warfare. But the meta-game was slowly ruined and the developers didn't help it any.
I received an email about the PotBS rights changing hands, and that we needed to go manually switch over our old accounts to a newly created one with the new company. But after attempting to do that a few times over the period of a month, I gave up. The promised account transfer tool never showed up and still wasn't there the last time I had checked, approximately 1-2 weeks before the deadline. ::) I wasn't planning on going back at the time anyway.
From what I understand,
Naval Action will have some similar open world MMO setup eventually. Which is nice as long as they don't try to create an overly complex player run economy that doesn't have enough players regularly creating stuff to meet demand, like PotBS did. Just one example of how that thing went downhill. :-\
I would probably be happy with Naval Action if it was like WoT/WT with some extra single-player and co-op options. The open world stuff would just be extra awesomeness.
It's the open-world promises of Naval Action that make it drool-worthy. But i hope they don't go for an exclusively player-based economy. That is so hard to make work.
Got my Steam key for the Beta.
Looks like that ass rakin' is gonna happen this weekend. Anyone else been playing it recently?
Will server population determine the longevity this game? I don't like to take the risk given that this is niche.
Quote from: jomni on January 22, 2015, 08:33:16 PM
Will server population determine the longevity this game? I don't like to take the risk given that this is niche.
Being a MMO/BA, yes in some ways. It has PvE of course, so I'd imagine server population would mainly just affect the PvP facets. The PvP is what attracts me about it though.
Judging by the quality I've seen thus far, I imagine it's not something that will die off shortly after release. Admittedly, it's nowhere near finished but I expect there will be a regular population for a long time once it's finished. Hell.. even PotBS had a steady PvP population for years, even after it's overcooked player-run economy tanked and the devs kept changing stuff that drove part of the player base away.
I just finished playing a simple 1v1 PvE battle to make sure all is running well. Have to force Vsync on in my vid card settings now but all was well. I imagine the PvP battles are fun but take awhile.
Quote from: Nefaro on January 22, 2015, 08:46:22 PM
Quote from: jomni on January 22, 2015, 08:33:16 PM
Will server population determine the longevity this game? I don't like to take the risk given that this is niche.
Being a MMO/BA, yes in some ways. It has PvE of course, so I'd imagine server population would mainly just affect the PvP facets. The PvP is what attracts me about it though.
Judging by the quality I've seen thus far, I imagine it's not something that will die off shortly after release. Admittedly, it's nowhere near finished but I expect there will be a regular population for a long time once it's finished. Hell.. even PotBS had a steady PvP population for years, even after it's overcooked player-run economy tanked and the devs kept changing stuff that drove part of the player base away.
I just finished playing a simple 1v1 PvE battle to make sure all is running well. Have to force Vsync on in my vid card settings now but all was well. I imagine the PvP battles are fun but take awhile.
I am not a huge fan of PvP, unless there are VERY strong controls against ganking..what is your impression in this regard? Also, is there sufficient gameplay for a single player to stay interested, in a single-player mode?
I'm not sure what ganking is?
The current gameplay is just a group of ships vs another group of ships, one group will be all humans and the other will be either humans or AI depending on if you choose PVP or PVE. If you enjoy the manuevering of the ship and shot selection then you should enjoy both modes.
If you want more than combat, I'd wait and see how the open world works out. Personally, I like the combat and I feel like I've gotten my $40 out of the game even if the open world never materializes, although I certainly hope it does!
I played a couple games tonight and there were over 200 people on the server which is the most I've seen on a weeknight. I haven't played on a weekend for a while, so I suspect it is higher than that now.
Quote from: DennisS on January 22, 2015, 09:31:06 PM
I am not a huge fan of PvP, unless there are VERY strong controls against ganking..what is your impression in this regard? Also, is there sufficient gameplay for a single player to stay interested, in a single-player mode?
Red summed it above. There is only PvP and Co-Op battles right now, with a small selection of ships. The game isn't complete, so knowing how the open world part plays (which isn't in yet) is anyone's guess.
I like how the naval battles are modelled. They're a pretty good approximation and the multi-player battles already look like fun. That's the only reason I picked it up early - for some occasional team battles while it's in development.
Quote from: RedArgo on January 22, 2015, 10:23:38 PM
I'm not sure what ganking is?
-> snip
It's a MMORPG term for high-level players rampaging on newbies. In this game it would mean you're cruising along in your beginner yacht with 4 4-pounders when suddenly you are set upon by a Constitution-class frigate.
Quote from: glen55 on January 23, 2015, 12:15:19 AM
Quote from: RedArgo on January 22, 2015, 10:23:38 PM
I'm not sure what ganking is?
-> snip
It's a MMORPG term for high-level players rampaging on newbies. In this game it would mean you're cruising along in your beginner yacht with 4 4-pounders when suddenly you are set upon by a Constitution-class frigate.
Yeah. Considered griefing by many.
Quote from: Nefaro on January 22, 2015, 07:35:04 PM
Looks like that ass rakin' is gonna happen this weekend.
Gus to aisle 4 please.
Quote from: glen55 on January 23, 2015, 12:15:19 AM
Quote from: RedArgo on January 22, 2015, 10:23:38 PM
I'm not sure what ganking is?
-> snip
It's a MMORPG term for high-level players rampaging on newbies. In this game it would mean you're cruising along in your beginner yacht with 4 4-pounders when suddenly you are set upon by a Constitution-class frigate.
Ahh, thank you, so that's what has been happening to me all these years, now I can put a name to it.
In the current state of NA, this would be unlikely to happen. There are two basic battle fields, light ships and all ships, so just stay in light if you are in a small ship. Also, you can't pick your teams, there is a simple match maker that tries to keep the teams even, so there is currently no way to join up with a bunch of experienced players and prey on newbs or me.
Normally, the big ships ignore the small ships until all the other big ships are gone, frequently not firing on them even when the opportunity is there. This may change as the composition of players changes though.
I don't think you can even join the "All Ships" matches at first until after you get some levelling done.
It only shows Light Ship PvE and PvP available for my noobidity right now, after just starting. With the Yacht and Lynx available.
Maybe they changed which battle types are available for smaller ships. You used to be able to join regular PVE/PVP with any ship, but they have been steadly changing options..
I know you can only join Trafalgar with a frigate or bigger, but I've never tried that mode. I think it only goes at certain times during the day.
There is also a duel mode where you can go one on one against another human in the same ship. I guess you'd want to plan ahead with an opponent to get in that mode.
Damn.. just had a decent showing in a 1v2 match.
My Lynx against two player Lynxes. Figured I was as good as dead. Got some good hits with ball shot on the way in but my main tactic was to get in close and initially upwind with double shot loaded. Sunk one guy fairly quickly that way but they were shredding me with chain to my sails the whole time. Severely damaged the second Lynx enough to make him flee out of range for a very long time while he was repairing. Unfortunately my sails were in such a poor state, I couldn't keep up. Match ended after the timer reduced the playable zone and left me outside, missing a mast at that point. The last guy still wouldn't get close.. just waited the timer out. >:(
Did enough damage in the Lynx to unlock the Cutter after four matches.
Easy game to play while imbibing, so it's been getting some time today. Rum ration'd. O0
Yeah I was wondering about how effective it was in the game to use different types of shot. Whether chain and grape was worth it or just use solid shot for effect. And does the wind ever change mid battle?
Quote from: Sir Slash on January 25, 2015, 03:51:19 PM
Yeah I was wondering about how effective it was in the game to use different types of shot. Whether chain and grape was worth it or just use solid shot for effect. And does the wind ever change mid battle?
The type of load matters. I have only used Chain shot once, when attempting to chase that guy and slow him down. Haven't used grapeshot since I've been avoiding boarding. I've only been sailing one of the two noob ships so they have very little crew. Boarded once to check it out and the Brig had wayyy more than I did.
I don't think the wind changes during the fight but I could be wrong. There are definitely different kinds of weather currently in there. Have had a couple battles with very heavy seas which make gunnery extra difficult.
Sounds great. Thanks Nefaro.
I've seen videos of people fighting in the middle of a storm, but I haven't seen one yet. Only been in around five battles though, and two of those were in heavy seas.
The way they did the gunnery is really cool. It relies on player skill to get the proper range and lead to score hits. Requires a little practice but you'll catch on quick after you know the hotkeys. There is no tutorial so here are the basics:
RMB - Cannon view
Shift - Eyeglass 'zoom' view - must hold down , best used to spot where your shot falls short or long of target for better ranging and to get a better gauges of where the enemy ship is heading at longer distances.
LMB - Fire full broadside.
Space - Fire one cannon per press. Used to get the range before firing the rest of the broadside with LMB.
1/2 - Select Shot Type for Port/Starboard guns.
3-6 - Repair Options and Crew Task Focus.
w/s - Raise/Lower Sails. Self-explanatory. Stop/Dead Slow/Slow/Half/Full levels IIRC.
a/d - Rudder Left/Right.
Pretty easy, right? Not so fast. Unlike games such as PotBS, this one actually has some better sim modelling. For example, if you're running to fast with the wind abeam, your ship will heel over on it's leeward side. So much that you can't elevate your guns high enough to reach your target so you'll usually want to lower sails in order to slow down and lessen it. You'll also sometimes have to time your gunfire near the apex of the upswing, such as in heavy seas or using a short quick turn towards to heel back just a bit extra for more elevation before firing. So the wind & sea state provide a notable effect on your gunner and you'll have to adjust sometimes.
I'm not sure whether the large Liners with numerous gun decks can have their lower leeward gun decks forced closed in heavy seas but it wouldn't surprise me if they do, or is planned.
You'll also lose speed quickly, heading into the wind, and if you're not going fast enough when you first try to tack through then you may end up being blown backwards until you recover. This is one of the complaints I've heard about stuff like PotBS - still being able to sail forward directly into the wind for too long. No issue with that here.