Guide New complete guide for ships on POTC New Horizons

[Grey Roger]

It will indeed probably not affect a game in progress because the variable in question, ITEM_REALISM, is checked by "PROGRAM\ITEMS\initItems.c" when setting the bonuses for gems and Indian trinkets. Starting a new game should get the bonuses back.

Incidentally, with ITEM_REALISM set to 0, those items do give their bonuses in Realistic mode. You just don't see the bonuses in the items' descriptions.

 

[HellSailor]

The new game fixed the problem. I found an idol that gave me +1 repair right at the start of a new game. It's odd that I had that issue. Maybe I started a new game on realism, and then changed inmediately to arcade once I found different characteristics because of the realism mode. In any case, thanks for the quick response!

 

[Homo eructus]

A couple of pointers on the Spanish version. They're very minor things. I haven't read the whole thing in detail but it looks good. Excellent work!

Ingame, I translated "tier" as "clase". The word tier has made its way into gaming lingo even in Spanish, so it's okay if you want to keep it that way in the guide, but it could lead to confusion.

Lugre (Modelo 1 and Modelo CT) The "and" is untranslated.

The word "bricbarca" can be both masculine and feminine, but I used the feminine form ingame, so for the sake of consistency, it probably should be "Bricabarca europea", "bricbarca inglesa" and "bricbarca híbrida". Or change the ingame names, but we should settle for one option.

This is a minor correction for both versions. The naval ketch/queche de guerra is a two-masted ship, not one-masted as described.

 

[HellSailor]

Ingame, I translated "tier" as "clase". The word tier has made its way into gaming lingo even in Spanish, so it's okay if you want to keep it that way in the guide, but it could lead to confusion.

Alright then. For consistency, I will choose "clase" instead of "tier" for the guide. I know tier can also work, but I wasn't sure if you were still using tier for the Spanish translation.

Lugre (Modelo 1 and Modelo CT) The "and" is untranslated.

It will be fixed. Bad thing for me to miss it.

The word "bricbarca" can be both masculine and feminine, but I used the feminine form ingame, so for the sake of consistency, it probably should be "Bricabarca europea", "bricbarca inglesa" and "bricbarca híbrida". Or change the ingame names, but we should settle for one option.

Actually, I was also going for the femenine version, but Word sees it wrong, saying that it should be the masculine version instead. I thought I was wrong. Nevertheless, this will be fixed as well.

This is a minor correction for both versions. The naval ketch/queche de guerra is a two-masted ship, not one-masted as described.

Wow. How could I not see that?! I thing the issue was that, because the naval cutter has impressive maneuverability, being a one-masted ship, and the naval ketch has also very good maneuverability, I thought it was also a one-masted ship by failed logic. Will fix this soon.

 

[HellSailor]

Updated the first post with the new changes and fixes found by @Homo eructus .

 

[Pieter Boelen]

It will indeed probably not affect a game in progress because the variable in question, ITEM_REALISM, is checked by "PROGRAM\ITEMS\initItems.c" when setting the bonuses for gems and Indian trinkets. Starting a new game should get the bonuses back.

How about F11 for Reinit?

Actually, I was also going for the femenine version, but Word sees it wrong, saying that it should be the masculine version instead.

Masculine ships?
Yikes.
That don't sound right...

 

[HellSailor]

How about F11 for Reinit?

I tried that before writing here, on this thread, but it didn't solve the problem. The only way was to create a new game.

Masculine ships?
Yikes.
That don't sound right...

Well, spanish has some interesting ways of calling ships. For example, as said by @Homo eructus , the word "Bricbarca" (Barque) is used mainly with the femenine article, refering to it as "La Bricbarca". However, you can also use the masculine version, "El Bricbarca", but it is generally not used, as it sounds pretty strange for spanish standards. The predominant rule, in this case, is to use the femenine article.

Other ships only use the masculine version, like "El Lugre" (The Lugger), "El Bergantín" (The Brig), or "El Galeón" (The Galleon). There also ships that only use the femenine version, like "La Goleta" (The Schooner), "La Pinaza" (The Pinnace), or "La Carabela" (The Caravel).

There is even one special case in which you can have both "genders" for a same ship. This is for the sloop. In spanish, you can call this ship "El Balandro", in masculine, or "La Balandra", in femenine. In my case, I thought the sloop could only be used with masculine nomenclature, thus, calling the sloop "El balandro" always, but @Homo eructus reminded me that the femenine version can also be employed, so now I'm not sure which one is predominant...

 

[HellSailor]

Well, since this is my thread, I think I might post it here than everywhere else.

For a good period of time my activity on these forums will be very limited, since I'm going to start a new job, and for me this is special, because it is going to be a very good-earning job, and I will earn a lot of experience, which is something I need here if I want to progress on better jobs. The situation here in my country is somewhat terrible when looking for jobs, especially on my autonomic community, so having this opportunity is something truly miraculous. This doesn't mean I won't be active at all; but it means I will not be able to do a lot more things for this lovely community of enthusiasts that have exploited a diamond in the rough.

This is not a farewell, but a see you soon. I'm glad seeing one of my personal projects being included for future releases, with the intention of helping new and veteran players to understand better all the ships that exists on this game. Now @Grey Roger or anyone else of the staff can feel free to include this final version of my guide, as this will be truly THE FINAL one.

See ya on those blue horizons. Good luck for the deals on those merchants, good hunting for the privateers, good service for the naval officers, and enjoy your mugs of rum, you filthy pirates!

 

[Grey Roger]

Good luck in your new job, @HellSailor! And thanks for the Ship Guides, which will indeed go into the next update - both the English and Spanish versions of the Guide.

 

[Homo eructus]

¡Enhorabuena!

 

[HellSailor]

Hello there! Things are going pretty well in my life, and now I'm more or less stable for the time being, with more free time to spend. Personally I would like to do a couple of things for the community:

First of all, I would like to update my ships guide to the latest version, because when I released my final version then, it wasn't fully well written, and there were some mistakes for both languages. So that's one thing I would like to adress. My goal is to finish it by the end of next week. For that, I would like for @Grey Roger to give me a heads up if there has been any major updates on ship statistics or new additions (like the privateer lugger I saw on the screenshots thread), to compile that information, and update it.

The second thing would be to do a guide but for melee and ranged and weapons (including things like cobblestones, bows, and throwable objects). This new guide will be described further in a separate thread. My intention is to go with a scheme like this, for melee weapons:

· Name of the weapon.
· Minimum and maximum damage values.
· Piercing / penetration percentage.
· Blocking percentage.
· Price of the weapon.
· Periods in which it appears.
· Availability of the weapon (Including its probability to find on random events and fights, like boardings).
· In-game description.
· Information.

For ranged weapons:

· Name of the weapon.
· Minimum and maximum damage values.
· Accuracy (and explaining how it does affect on hitting foes).
· Reload speed.
· Amount of shots at your disposal before reloading.
· (Check why firearms don't wear or break out if not repaired or cared about, unlike swords).
· Price of the weapon.
· Periods in which it appears.
· Availability of the weapon (Including its probability to find on random events and fights, like boardings).
· In-game description.
· Information.

With all of this, maybe we can find mistakes or balancing issues that need to be adressed, like what happened to ships earlier. Let me know your opinions!

 

[Grey Roger]

Here's "Ships_init.c" with the new privateer luggers.

And here are their interface pictures: PO_Lugger, SP_Lugger, NL_LuggerP, FR_LuggerP, RN:LuggerP:


Performance approximates that of "KetchNavy" because the stats supplied for the original ship are similar to GoF's stats for its ketch, which in other respects resembled PoTC's "KetchNavy". Compared to other luggers, it has a bit less cargo space and more crew to help with boarding. It's available in all periods except "Early Explorers" because the basket-like bow looks too modern for the 16th century.

 

[Jack Rackham]

@HellSailor, for ranged weapons you could add ammotype and ammobag/powderflask quiver etc if you want.

 

[Grey Roger]

· (Check why firearms don't wear or break out if not repaired or cared about, unlike swords).

Blades wear out when you block with them. You don't block with firearms so they don't trigger the same mechanism.

Not all blades wear out either. Most are defined by calls on "InitBlade" in the main blades section of "initItems.c", e.g.:

n = InitBlade(n, "blade1",  "blade1",                  6,  11,  0.90,   1,   63, 15.0, 18.0, 14, 13,  "",        0,     0,    PERIOD_COLONIAL_POWERS,      PERIOD_NAPOLEONIC); // Sabre//BB

The '0' before the period limits is the one which allows WeaponsMod, which is what allows weapons to deteriorate. Some of them have a '1' there, disabling WeaponsMod, so they can't deteriorate, e.g.:

  n = InitBlade(n, "MerchantsBlade","MerchantsBlade",   22,   9,  0.90,   1,   59, 10.0, 15.0, 13, 14,  "",        0,     1,    PERIOD_GOLDEN_AGE_OF_PIRACY, PERIOD_NAPOLEONIC); // Merchants Blade (SuperDurnius)//BB(defensive)

And some blade are specially defined, e.g "bladeFD", and won't deteriorate either. (Which is why, when I'm high enough level and have completed the "Angelique Moulin's Father" sidequest, I always use Francis Drake's sword in preference to Nicholas Sharp's Sabre.)

 

[HellSailor]

Here's "Ships_init.c" with the new privateer luggers.

And here are their interface pictures: PO_Lugger, SP_Lugger, NL_LuggerP, FR_LuggerP, RN:LuggerP:
View attachment 41438 View attachment 41440 View attachment 41437 View attachment 41436 View attachment 41439

Performance approximates that of "KetchNavy" because the stats supplied for the original ship are similar to GoF's stats for its ketch, which in other respects resembled PoTC's "KetchNavy". Compared to other luggers, it has a bit less cargo space and more crew to help with boarding. It's available in all periods except "Early Explorers" because the basket-like bow looks too modern for the 16th century.

Many thanks! I will include this ship onto the list. I imagine there has been no further changes to ships' stats since the final release of the guide, right?

@HellSailor, for ranged weapons you could add ammotype and ammobag/powderflask quiver etc if you want.

Thanks for remembering me that. I will include that as well onto the guide.

Blades wear out when you block with them. You don't block with firearms so they don't trigger the same mechanism.

Not all blades wear out either. Most are defined by calls on "InitBlade" in the main blades section of "initItems.c", e.g.:

n = InitBlade(n, "blade1",  "blade1",                  6,  11,  0.90,   1,   63, 15.0, 18.0, 14, 13,  "",        0,     0,    PERIOD_COLONIAL_POWERS,      PERIOD_NAPOLEONIC); // Sabre//BB

The '0' before the period limits is the one which allows WeaponsMod, which is what allows weapons to deteriorate. Some of them have a '1' there, disabling WeaponsMod, so they can't deteriorate, e.g.:

  n = InitBlade(n, "MerchantsBlade","MerchantsBlade",   22,   9,  0.90,   1,   59, 10.0, 15.0, 13, 14,  "",        0,     1,    PERIOD_GOLDEN_AGE_OF_PIRACY, PERIOD_NAPOLEONIC); // Merchants Blade (SuperDurnius)//BB(defensive)

And some blade are specially defined, e.g "bladeFD", and won't deteriorate either. (Which is why, when I'm high enough level and have completed the "Angelique Moulin's Father" sidequest, I always use Francis Drake's sword in preference to Nicholas Sharp's Sabre.)

I remember that. Most of the melee weapons, like swords, worn out after blocking too many times. With the blade care kit, it significantly reduces the wear on the weapon, needing more of an extensive use and blocking in order to lose quality and strength. That's also one thing I must add onto the new guide.

So, if guns don't wear out with its use (Like I think it happens in real life), why do you encounter firearms that are worn or badly worn? If it's not going to wear out because of it's constant use, I don't see the point in putting the wearing out status on firearms.

Where should I look into when searching for a list of all melee and ranged weapons, @Grey Roger ? Like with ships, I would need also the images for the weapons, and all the detailed information for it.

 

[Grey Roger]

Many thanks! I will include this ship onto the list. I imagine there has been no further changes to ships' stats since the final release of the guide, right?

The current version of the guide is dated 15th March 2022. I'm not sure whether anything changed between then and the oldest updated version of "Ships_init.c" which I have, dated 14th June. (There are a lot of differences between that version and the January 2022 version, including your revisions to arcade stats. )

You could get WinMerge:
WinMerge - You will see the difference…
That allows you to compare different versions of files, or even compare entire folders and show all the files which are different between them. In particular, you could use it to compare the version of "Ships_init.c" I uploaded in post #132 with the version you have now. Or upload your current version, then I'll do the comparing - I have WinMerge installed and use it routinely for preparing updates.

So, if guns don't wear out with its use (Like I think it happens in real life), why do you encounter firearms that are worn or badly worn? If it's not going to wear out because of it's constant use, I don't see the point in putting the wearing out status on firearms.

In reality, firearms might wear out if not cared for properly. There's no mechanism for them to age in the game so they won't deteriorate. But it does mean you can pick up poorer quality weapons, and that gives the gunsmiths a reason to exist. (There's no mechanism for you to deteriorate with age or due to injury either, yet you can find characters with legs or eyes missing, or with grey hair. )

Where should I look into when searching for a list of all melee and ranged weapons, @Grey Roger ? Like with ships, I would need also the images for the weapons, and all the detailed information for it.

You'll find all the stats in "PROGRAM\ITEMS\initItems.c". Special weapons such as Francis Drake's sword ("bladeFD") or the poisoned throwing knife ("pistolpdart") have "itm.picTexture" and "itm.picIndex" lines in their definitions. "itm.picTexture" is the file in "RESOURCE\Textures\INTERFACES" which contains the item's interface picture; "itm.picIndex" is the individual picture in that file. Regular weapons are in lists of "InitBlade" and "InitGun" calls, including "picTexture" and "picIndex" columns - add the word "items" to the "picTexture" value to get the filename, e.g. "blade1" has "picTexture" 6 and "picIndex" 11, so you'd look in "items6.tga.tx" and find the 11th picture. Weapons with varying qualities have further pictures in "+1", "+2", "+3", "-1" and "-2" versions of the file - you'll find the pictures for an excellent "blade1" in "items6+3.tga.tx", for example.

 

[HellSailor]

The current version of the guide is dated 15th March 2022. I'm not sure whether anything changed between then and the oldest updated version of "Ships_init.c" which I have, dated 14th June. (There are a lot of differences between that version and the January 2022 version, including your revisions to arcade stats. )

You could get WinMerge:
WinMerge - You will see the difference…
That allows you to compare different versions of files, or even compare entire folders and show all the files which are different between them. In particular, you could use it to compare the version of "Ships_init.c" I uploaded in post #132 with the version you have now. Or upload your current version, then I'll do the comparing - I have WinMerge installed and use it routinely for preparing updates.

I think I will share with you my ships_init.c file I have on my game, since I don't have a lot of time free time myself today. I just figured out that I had an earlier version than what is now published. That's why I couldn't find that new privateer lugger. Oops. IIRC, the guide is supposed to be updated as of right now to the 28th February version.

In reality, firearms might wear out if not cared for properly. There's no mechanism for them to age in the game so they won't deteriorate. But it does mean you can pick up poorer quality weapons, and that gives the gunsmiths a reason to exist. (There's no mechanism for you to deteriorate with age or due to injury either, yet you can find characters with legs or eyes missing, or with grey hair. )

Alright then. I will take into account this feature when elaborating the guide for the firearms.

EDIT: By the way, when I updated the last version of the mod, the privateer lugger wasn't available in ships_init. Was it released on the latest update?

 

[Grey Roger]

Your "Ships_init.c" is the same as mine except for the privateer luggers, so you shouldn't need to change anything else. The privateer lugger was only recently completed by @Rider88 (have a look at Released - Privateer Lugger), then I had to adapt it to PoTC, so it's not even in the November update. I'm hoping to put out one more update this month and if I do, the privateer luggers will be in that. So if you revise your Ship Guide to include them from the "Ships_init.c" in post #132, it should be fully up to date with that December update.

 

[HellSailor]

Here are both the english and spanish updates of my ships' guide. I will have to update the release date version when the new mod update will be published. @Grey Roger , when do you expect to be a new mod release this month? That way, I could put the proper date to match with the release.

 

[Grey Roger]

Thanks!

Perhaps don't bother changing the date to match the update's date? Either leave the date on which the documents were created, or leave out the date entirely. Or put the date on the filename, not inside the document, then I can change it (if I remember!) when I upload the update.