Go with the story or go Free Play

[Talisman]

You could make up your own version of this by doing the following.

Start as Jack Aubrey - sell his starting ship and buy a sloop or other small ship - then borrow some money from a Bank / Loanshark & don't pay it back.

Go and work for the governors of a country and get promotions.

After a while the Loanshark will send Bounty hunters after you because you have not repaid the loan - So you will start being attacked randomly on land ( I think it also happens at sea with pirate vessels being generated - not sure though )

 

[Armada]

All frigates from the light frigate to the USS Constitution are class 5, except for one corvette which is class 6.

Actually the Constitution class frigates are 4th Rates; 54 guns place the ships comfortably in that category.

 

[BobbaFett]

Well.. to be honest I only play New Horizons and Hoist The Colours, I haven't tried the others yet lol but I voted for Hoist The Colours, since I play that more.. then New Horizons.. but anyway awesome mod He-he
-BobbaFett

 

[Peter Willemoes]

I always append my own set of files to a new release, so I will be able to start up as my favourite character with all my preferred items and officers in my own ship - and go to sea in an instant. I never play the storylines and only go to land when I need more gunpowder. I like this kind of freedom.

To cite Microsoft: "Where do You want to go today?"

 

[Captain Armstrong]

how do you do this? would it be fairly simple for someone with no modding experience to do?

 

[Pieter Boelen]

Should be pretty simple, though it depends on how much you want to set up.
Have a look at PROGRAM\Storyline\JackAubrey.c and PROGRAM\Storyline\JackAubrey\StartStoryline.c ; open with Notepad.
Change whatever things you want, then start your storyline.
Note that I chose Jack Aubrey (Master & Commander) because it offers 100% free play;
you can do the same with all other storylines, excepting Jack Sparrow.

 

[KevO44]

I like to play New Horizons but I change the model to Jack Aubrey and change the ship to the HMS Surprise. Seeing as how you spend most of the game working for the British gov't it sort of works out. But instead of changing my flag I always sail a British flag. That makes visiting hostile islands a lot more dangerous and exciting.

But when he's not saving the world from pirates and French tyranny, in my adventures Lucky Jack also makes a side living smuggling contraband aboard the Surprise

 

[Akella Fan]

I usually launch the New Horizons quest. I finish it and then do freeplay with the Black Pearl . The other quests are not finished (as far as I know) and I don't want to play through them until they are properly finished.

 

[Pieter Boelen]

Jack Sparrow, Bartolomeu, Assassin and Hornblower are all very playable; even more so when the next Patch is released for the three former ones.