I have been running experiments on the cannon damage model, and I think I've come up with something worth testing.
These are the numbers I have been using for base damage on the various shot types:
Balls: hull 4, rig 2, crew 4
grape: hull 1, rig 6, crew 6
chain: hull 1, rig 10, crew 2
bombs hull 5, rig 3, crew 4
This seems to get the basic feel described in written accounts from the period. Cannonballs tearing through a hull should produce a good deal of flying debris that would result in heavy casualties. No shot type should just cause ships to "sink" immediately. With these numbers, it is still possible to sink a ship, but it looks like it should sink - crew is devestated, guns and masts shot off, etc. Ships don't just go down like you drilled a hole in the bottom. The actual time of the conflict isn't much different, but the outcome looks like a different animal entirely. I have not completely tested this, so it may still need adjusting, but so far, the results look promising.
Anyone wanting to help me on this, just punch these in and see what I mean.
I still would like to test a model where maneuver capability was directly relative to sail condition. The latest sailing models seem to have turn rate unaffected by sail condition, and this greatly reduces the effectiveness of chain shot. (If your enemy can still effectively turn to fire, what's the benefit in slowing him down?) I do not know how to code that, so I would need some help. I will test it, if somebody else can write the code.
I also stumbled over something about the disappearing crew bug. Certain ships seem to have numbers, like a max crew number, that just surface during the boarding screen. For example, something called a "heavy frigate" seems to revert to a crew of 91. The game numbers are 84 minimum, and 354 max. However, every time you board, it goes back to 91 max and the others just jump into the ocean or something. Some ships have this bug, and others do not. I'm not sure what to make of it, but I figure that realizing it is attached to particular ship models is a good start.
These are the numbers I have been using for base damage on the various shot types:
Balls: hull 4, rig 2, crew 4
grape: hull 1, rig 6, crew 6
chain: hull 1, rig 10, crew 2
bombs hull 5, rig 3, crew 4
This seems to get the basic feel described in written accounts from the period. Cannonballs tearing through a hull should produce a good deal of flying debris that would result in heavy casualties. No shot type should just cause ships to "sink" immediately. With these numbers, it is still possible to sink a ship, but it looks like it should sink - crew is devestated, guns and masts shot off, etc. Ships don't just go down like you drilled a hole in the bottom. The actual time of the conflict isn't much different, but the outcome looks like a different animal entirely. I have not completely tested this, so it may still need adjusting, but so far, the results look promising.
Anyone wanting to help me on this, just punch these in and see what I mean.
I still would like to test a model where maneuver capability was directly relative to sail condition. The latest sailing models seem to have turn rate unaffected by sail condition, and this greatly reduces the effectiveness of chain shot. (If your enemy can still effectively turn to fire, what's the benefit in slowing him down?) I do not know how to code that, so I would need some help. I will test it, if somebody else can write the code.
I also stumbled over something about the disappearing crew bug. Certain ships seem to have numbers, like a max crew number, that just surface during the boarding screen. For example, something called a "heavy frigate" seems to revert to a crew of 91. The game numbers are 84 minimum, and 354 max. However, every time you board, it goes back to 91 max and the others just jump into the ocean or something. Some ships have this bug, and others do not. I'm not sure what to make of it, but I figure that realizing it is attached to particular ship models is a good start.