Has attacking forts been intentionally made harder?
In Build 13, I could take Greenford with a frigate. It was tough, I usually had to use "Emergency Repair" to stay afloat, but I could do it.
In Build 14 Beta 3, I managed it with a flushdeck frigate, though again it was tough and I barely managed to finish off the last guns before they finished off the Mefisto which I'd kept as a companion ship ever since capturing it.
In Beta 3.1, I had no chance. The fort was knocking out 3-4 of my guns with every salvo, I was sometimes knocking out one of the fort's guns in a salvo, Mefisto was nearly sunk and I wasn't much better off. Due to the "improved" skill and perk system neither I nor my best gunner had "Professional Cannoneer", though the gunner had all the other gunnery perks plus "Cannons" and "Accuracy" both at 9, while I had the "Professional Defence" perk and "Defence" skill at 10. So I gave up, loaded an earlier saved game and went to look for something bigger, then tried again when I'd taken a Fleuron from a French group. First I berthed both the Mefisto and my flushdeck frigate so they wouldn't get sunk. Then I attacked the fort. This time I was knocking out 2-3 fort guns with each salvo, while the fort wasn't knocking out my guns as regularly.
So it seems you need a battleship or equivalent to take Bridgetown, making a nonsense of the crewman who rushes into the tavern to announce the arrival of Silehard's fleet by complaining that he's never seen such big ships. He has to have been on such a big ship in order to get to this point.
I have to wonder whether the alleged 24 pound carronades really are behaving as 24 pounders. The Fleuron was carrying genuine 24 pound guns and was doing far more damage than the frigate, bearing in mind that it only has about double the broadside (19 vs. 12 before the fort's guns knock out a few).
In Build 13, I could take Greenford with a frigate. It was tough, I usually had to use "Emergency Repair" to stay afloat, but I could do it.
In Build 14 Beta 3, I managed it with a flushdeck frigate, though again it was tough and I barely managed to finish off the last guns before they finished off the Mefisto which I'd kept as a companion ship ever since capturing it.
In Beta 3.1, I had no chance. The fort was knocking out 3-4 of my guns with every salvo, I was sometimes knocking out one of the fort's guns in a salvo, Mefisto was nearly sunk and I wasn't much better off. Due to the "improved" skill and perk system neither I nor my best gunner had "Professional Cannoneer", though the gunner had all the other gunnery perks plus "Cannons" and "Accuracy" both at 9, while I had the "Professional Defence" perk and "Defence" skill at 10. So I gave up, loaded an earlier saved game and went to look for something bigger, then tried again when I'd taken a Fleuron from a French group. First I berthed both the Mefisto and my flushdeck frigate so they wouldn't get sunk. Then I attacked the fort. This time I was knocking out 2-3 fort guns with each salvo, while the fort wasn't knocking out my guns as regularly.
So it seems you need a battleship or equivalent to take Bridgetown, making a nonsense of the crewman who rushes into the tavern to announce the arrival of Silehard's fleet by complaining that he's never seen such big ships. He has to have been on such a big ship in order to get to this point.
I have to wonder whether the alleged 24 pound carronades really are behaving as 24 pounders. The Fleuron was carrying genuine 24 pound guns and was doing far more damage than the frigate, bearing in mind that it only has about double the broadside (19 vs. 12 before the fort's guns knock out a few).
