Fixed Modifying the US Topsail Schooner

[Hylie Pistof]

I can try again. I actually suspect that somehow I triggered the bow wave and beeping as I was deleting ropes, renaming ropes, and installing new ropes when I first noticed it. If it starts beeping again I will just remove that one bad sail and call it good.

 

[Hylie Pistof]

I copied the US_Schooner47 from another install and it does NOT beep, so it was something I did to cause it.

 

[Pieter Boelen]

I can try again.

Thank you very much!

 

[pedrwyth]

Here are the amended gms to remove bad ropes

 

[Pieter Boelen]

Here are the amended gms to remove bad ropes

Is that based on the Beta 4 version of the rigging or the one I posted earlier in this thread?
I've got no clue if there is any difference between the two, but I figured I'd double-check to make sure I use the ones compatible with your update.

 

[pedrwyth]

Based on your posted version as you requested

 

[Pieter Boelen]

Thanks! I tested her and indeed no more errors.

That technically makes this thread "Fixed". Any further improvements are a bonus.

 

[Armada]

@Hylie Pistof, if you do try to improve the rigging, I'd definitely suggest using a lower yard to tether the topsail to instead of trying to attach the ropes to the hull itself. The reference photo Pieter posted shows a good example to aim for.

 

[Pieter Boelen]

@Hylie Pistof, if you do try to improve the rigging, I'd definitely suggest using a lower yard to tether the topsail to instead of trying to attach the ropes to the hull itself. The reference photo Pieter posted shows a good example to aim for.

I found that photo based on Hylie's own description. Pretty sure he knows it better than my quick image-searching-skills may suggest.

 

[Hylie Pistof]

Yes I have seen that picture before and did mention that I want to replace that whole mast. But this is a very low priority ship and most likely I will not get around to it this year as there are many more important ships to work on.

 

[Pieter Boelen]

Yes I have seen that picture before and did mention that I want to replace that whole mast. But this is a very low priority ship and most likely I will not get around to it this year as there are many more important ships to work on.

Fair enough. At least she doesn't beep anymore and generates no log entries either.
So at least she isn't broken anymore; just inaccurate on her rigging.

 

[Pieter Boelen]

I just encountered this ship in the game:

That is the "US_Schooner47" with the following national encounter chances:

   //Nation
   refShip.england = 0.1; //
   refShip.france = 0.1; //
   refShip.holland = 0.0; //
   refShip.portugal = 0.0; //
   refShip.pirate = 0.0; //
   refShip.spain = 0.0; //
   refShip.america = 0.4; //

So here's my question: Why are England and France in there?

@Armada, @Hylie Pistof and/or @Grey Roger, any idea?

 

[Armada]

Maybe to make more widespread use of the black and white paint scheme (which other countries did use)? Can't remember if that was a deliberate decision we made, though.
If you've stuck to black and white for US ships only, then you may as well make that ship US-exclusive.

 

[Pieter Boelen]

I think black-and-white hull may be in use elsewhere, but the black-and-white masts are US only.
Maybe that is why she didn't have her black-and-white masts anymore until I restored that last month.

 

[Grey Roger]

Check if any other ships match it for performance. It may simply be the only ship of its type - looking through "Ships_init.c", it seems to be the only schooner type ship with a weight under 150, and only "US_Schooner47" and the "Hannah" types are under 200. Besides, "Schooner1" is also black and white - in fact, both "Schooner1" and "US_Schooner47" use the same texture, "bortoutshoonrAM.tga.tx". And that one is used by everyone, with near even probabilities all round (everyone is either 0.2 or 0.3).

There is quite a lot of ship sharing, especially in the later two periods when there isn't as much variety in general. Until I retextured several ships for specific French and Spanish use, most of the frigates were in British paint and used by almost everyone. Anyone who objects to "Schooner1" and "US_Schooner47" being in American paint and used by multiple nations is welcome to do the same for them.

@Pieter Boelen: what year is it in that game? If it's some time between 1794 and 1800 then a supposedly American ship under a French flag could be historically accurate. America declared neutrality in the war between Britain and revolutionary France, and also declared that since its debt to France was with the previous government, it wasn't going to pay. France didn't like that at all and privateers, and later French naval ships, started seizing American merchant ships, leading to the Quasi-War. I think you've just seen one of France's prize ships.

 

[Pieter Boelen]

You're right! Schooner1 and US_Schooner47 DO share their hull texture.
Then the only differences are the rigging and mast textures.
Then DEFINITELY the US one should be US-only.

But why are they sharing that hull texture anyway?
Shouldn't we give Schooner1 her stock game hull texture back?

 

[Grey Roger]

You're right! Schooner1 and US_Schooner47 DO share their hull texture.
Then the only differences are the rigging and mast textures.
Then DEFINITELY the US one should be US-only.

Except that the US one is, as I said, significantly lighter than almost every other schooner in the game - the only other schooner under 200 tonnes is "US_Hannah", which is also shared with everyone else except pirates, who have their own version. If you're going to make it US-only then first make some retextured versions for other nations - in reality the US wasn't the only nation with a schooner with displacement in the 100 tonne range. The French had one - in reality it was captured by, from and again by America, and if someone retextures it to look French then I'm going to capture it for Britain and give it to Hornblower - it was the real Magicienne, the ship Hornblower uses to land troops on Martinique. (See the Wikipedia article on USS Retaliation for more details.)

 

[Pieter Boelen]

I expected a short answer on this one. Now that apparently there is a bit more to-do here, I've moved all related posts to the original thread about this ship model.

If you're going to make it US-only then first make some retextured versions for other nations

Last month, we were suggestion REMOVING that ship altogether on account of her inaccurate rigging.
Now, not only are we saying to keep her, but that we need MORE of them.

I'm confused. What is it that we want now?

 

[Pieter Boelen]

For clarity's sake, here are the facts:
- US_Schooner47 works now again, but her Topsail Schooner rigging is not quite historically accurate
- She used to have normal wood for her masts; I restored her "US white masts" in November
- She is set to appear in America, English and French encounters rather than only American ones
- I already replaced the Schooner1 with her stock game texture again so that these two ships no longer share the same hull texture

Now here are the questions:
- Would it be OK to set her to US only? I think they were the most likely ones to have such Topsail Schooners.
- If not, do we really want different paint schemes for her? A black-and-yellow English one and a red-and-black French one?
- And if she is indeed to be more common in that way, should her rigging not be changed to be more accurate?

 

[Pieter Boelen]

Unless anyone gives me an alternative, I am limiting the US Topsail Schooner to US encounters only.
If we want her to be used more, I'd first like to see her rigging improved and then we can make some alternate skins.