I'm willing to try this out (certainly seems more urgent than the maltese crypt rebalancing I was intended to tackle, so I'll push that off until later and try this).
However, first, I want to make sure I understand what is needed, and a plan of action is agreed upon, so I don't waste time on something people don't want.
After reviewing this thread in detail, I think:
PRINCIPLES (from reviewing past comments in this thread)
1) The idea about soldier weapons only applying to some of the solider decks (first, or maybe first 2) Pieter had in the first page makes sense. I think we should implement that, but would need to ask for someone else to do that part, as I wouldn't know how.
2) I think we do need new weapons for soldiers. It is absolutely correct that using the officer versions cheapens the officer rewards, and doesn't make sense, and there is a scarcity of good choices right now especially in some time periods. Also, it is too hard to balance the stats properly from the existing choices, as against gold cost and fighting ability. I think it will be much easier to create new stats that make sense and fit perfectly.
PROPOSAL
1) I make makeshift soldiers weapons by the following method: find a graphic currently in the game that looks about right for the period/nation, probably using many of the current recommendations for initial ideas, then copy over its current GM files with the new name, list the same graphic in the iteminit, and use wikipedia and such to write the item describe entry. I think I should be able to find a currently existing model that fits, especially since I won't have to care about the stats at all during this process.
2) These new soldier weapons would have names appropriate to what I can find might have been issued during the period, and will have stats defined that make them slightly higher tier than comparable swords the player would be seeing at the same level. Their resale value would be on the low end, but reasonable. They wouldn't be the highest tier necessarily, so there might be some expensive really good blades on the high end of that level range that perform a tiny bit better (depending on era and such).
However, where there is a perfectly appropriate sword already present (which there do seem to be a few), I will keep that one. But I anticipate mostly making new ones.
3) All swords should have quality forced to be "average", so no fine or good ones. This would reflect standardization and mass distribution, and means that the player wouldn't really be able to stock up on extremely powerful weapons for his crew by claiming them (unless willing to sit at the blacksmith), because while the weapons themselves are slightly higher tier, they would be only be comparable to the "Fine" quality weapons otherwise available at the level (and less good than fine versions of the best). Additionally, with average quality, they will wear out eventually, limiting the effect of one boarding if it happens when the player is lower down in that level tier.
4) We skip pirates and let them have random weapons, variety is good for them anyway, they should be using whatever they could find.
5) Guns are done somewhat randomly, with a range of 2-3 options, including some small percentage getting the grapeshot area of effect weapons like musketoon at the appropriate level (we could limit it to only 20% or so for the area of effect stuff like the musketoon, but it should be sometimes present I think, otherwise unfair advantage for the player). Basically, guns would have slightly greater variety.
WHAT I THINK I NEED TO DO
1) Research the history of swords used by these nations and periods, using sources like wikipedia to create items describe text description and appropriate names
2) Copy the GM files, add the new weapon line to the items init file
3) Use Pieter's post number 48 code as a template, and expand it out to cover the various cases of periods and player level.
IMMEDIATE QUESTIONS if I am to go ahead with this
1) How do I force the weapon to always be of average quality? For example this line from Pieter's example code, what would I have to change to ensure it is "average"?:
case ENGLAND: SoldierBlade = "blade11"; break; // ARF: Highlander (available from The Spanish Main)
2) Other than adding in the items by giving them one line in items init, copying over the GM files from the sword whose graphic I am reusing, and adding a couple of lines to itemdescribe, do I need to do anything else to add a new sword if I am reusing existing models (basically, the first 3 files I posted for the Baker Rifle mod thing, the two GM files and the items init file including the extra line, plus the item describe)? I figure the Baker Rifle was more complicated because of the whole rifle hip thing, and I want to make sure these are the only needed steps.
3) Other than filling out and duplicating the code in Pieter's post number 48 above for each time period/player level case, is there anything I would need to do otherwise?
4) How do I use Pieter's code example when defining a random chance for 2 different guns to be picked? Could you write an example for me, with a 80% chance placeholder gun 1, 20% placeholder gun 2?
BIG INITIAL QUESTION
Is there anything else? This, I think I can handle. It will probably involve adding some 20 new swords to the game, with resued graphics, but I can do so quickly enough by the method I described. People would have to be ok with reusing the graphics though, because creating new for each one would be too much, and I don't think I can do this properly working entirely restricted to current blades. Later, someone could always create new graphics for them, but we would have to be ok with reusing for now.
So please approve, disprove, or post specific revisions, and let me know whether I should go ahead.
(note: if it is approved or approved with revisions, this will take me a couple of weeks to complete, because I want to spend time reading up on the military history of each nation and creating accurate swords, rather than just what seems to fit)
