Guide The tips thread

[Kikirik007]

Hi, I would be like some advice.

1) You know that in vanilla game you can't play for Pirates (faction). I can put up pirate flag anytime and "then" I'm pirate, but when I connect to some battle on the map between Pirates and some nation Pirates also attack to me. Maybe I have bad relationship or secret perk but in CMV 3.2 I can play for Pirates but I have same problem. Pirates also attack to me in battle. And I don't know why. Can you help me please how I can make good relationships with pirates or why attack to me when I'm pirate too?

2)Is any mod what adds Pirates faction to vanilla game?

3) I tried CMV 3.2 but in game options I can't choose options of the CMV mod. Why don't working that?

4) I didn't know about game Sea Dogs: To Each is Own... What is different between this game and COAS? It looks same.

Thank you very much and I'm sorry for my English.

 

[Pieter Boelen]

I didn't know about game Sea Dogs: To Each is Own... What is different between this game and COAS? It looks same.

Maybe this helps: Need Help - Landlubber's guide to games and mods?
Apparently it is also a really, REALLY difficult game!

 

[SD:TEHO]

I can only answer to point 4 but maybe it´s better than nothing.

Sea Dogs: To Each His Own only uses the platform/scenery from CoAS but the story and quests are completely new, only a bit related to the ones in CoAS and the graphics (colors and contrasts) are better. Also there is much more to do in TEHO (more quests and DLC´s). You should also be informed that TEHO is originally made for the ones who were complaining about CoAS is not hard enough. So be prepared for hardcore gaming if you should want to try it.

 

[Pieter Boelen]

Sea Dogs: To Each His Own only uses the platform/scenery from CoAS but the story and quests are completely new, only a bit related to the ones in CoAS and the graphics (colors and contrasts) are better. Also there is much more to do in TEHO (more quests and DLC´s). You should also be informed that TEHO is originally made for the ones who were complaining about CoAS is not hard enough. So be prepared for hardcore gaming if you should want to try it.

What I wonder about, does SD:TEHO have a linear main quest and/or side quests?
And is it possible for players to ignore any main quest and do free play if they want?

 

[SD:TEHO]

TEHO has a linear main quest which sometimes can be interupted as long as you want if you don´t have a timed mission at that moment and also linear sidequest´s and DLC´s. It seems to me that nothing is non linear in this game but you can also only play sandbox like LarryHookins prefers.

 

[Pieter Boelen]

TEHO has linear a linear main quest which sometimes can be interupted as long as you want if you don´t have a timed mission at that moment and also linear sidequest´s and DLC´s. It seems to me that nothing is non linear in this game but you can also only play sandbox like LarryHookins prefers.

Brilliant! Thanks.

 

[Flagris]

Greetings, gentlemen (of fortune or of any other business you would prefer).

I'm quite new in these waters so I would be thankful for some advice, if you don't mind. And I just chose what seemed the most appropriate topic for such questioning so if I was wrong don't blame me hard.

Being Russian, a history lover and an Age of Sail admirer I, of course, played games of Sea Dogs series in times where they had been released and during the years after, from time to time. My first game in the series was the predecessor of CoAS (that was never released in English, known as Корсары: Возвращение Легенды (Sea Dogs: Legend Returns)) that was made by the same guys who made the first Russian PotC mod/remake and to whom Akella gave permission to develop some kind of remake of its not-so-succesful Age of Pirates: Caribbean Tales. I think I like this SD:LR even more than CoAS (that is some kind of standalone addon to SD:LR in fact).

PotC still doesn't appeal me as much as it seems to appeal many other players so I used to play SD:LR and CoAS. There are no really significant mods for these games in Russian community safe a vary dubious 'modpack' for CoAS and the popular TEHO thing. To be honest I don't like them both (TEHO especially).

So I set my sails to international waters. Now I did purchase Maelstorm engine and I am to decide what mod to try. I prefer the sandbox style of gameplay (that's why between Russian versions I like SD:LR more, CoAS narrowed its previous freedom a bit), and I don't like long scripted personal questlines much. The visual perfection is not so important as well, being an old-school gamer and 'good old games' fan I use the old desktop with WinXP on board for gaming, though it would be top-notch in 2010 . Also things like pictures from movies as character icons (well, you know, Jack Sparrow and the like) and similar stuff ruin the atmosphere IMO so I'd prefer to have them as few as possible (if any).

So what I try to find is a mod that tries to keep the original visual esthetics and sandbox gameplay while expanding it in everything that regards to new ships and items (historically adequate if possible), realistic sea battles and boarding actions, and so on. More of the same, only bigger and better, if you like.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

 

[Lrv]

Edit: Ups, I missed this: "PotC still doesn't appeal me as much". *facepalm* altough if its mainly because the lack of freedom, with the mods I pointed, you can start your games directly on Freeplay since the first moment (except a short conversation/introduction depending the tipe of character you configure)

So what I try to find is a mod that tries to keep the original visual esthetics and sandbox gameplay while expanding it in everything that regards to new ships and items (historically adequate if possible), realistic sea battles and boarding actions, and so on. More of the same, only bigger and better, if you like.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

Only occurs to me to point you to POTC: New Horizons Mod
Mod Release - Build 14 Beta [Last Update:13th August 2021]

Since you have Maelstrom you can also try the version that is being ported:
WIP - Porting New Horizons to Maelstrom Engine

From what you have shared, so far the only thing I guess you may not like is the "pictures from movies as character icons" I havent seen myself any on freeplay mode, other than whatever you use on your Character (there is also Tailors on most towns if not all, that allow you to change your character and all of your companions (3d model+portrait)

Apart from that, the mod is so far the best Age of Sail game out there atm (for single player) as far as I know there is as much historical accuracy as posible (and a lot of new, beautiful ship models), and for realism you have the "realistic" difficulty, and the "iron man", altough you can edit the option files yourself and easily change anything to your liking (no modding knowledge needed, my cat could do it)

For realistic sea battles and boarding actions I think all the saga is pretty much the same, altough in this mod if you play (at least) in realistic mode, you have "realistic" ship inertia, acceleration, speed, turn, etc, so the battles are not the arcade mess that it is in the vanilla games

But yeah, for "More of the same, only bigger and better" NH is what youre looking for, either the storm version (more stable I guess altough im no one to tell) and the Maelstrom, probably better looking and with more room to grow, but I guess you could still find some bugs, altough the change in engine may fix some that could be still present in the other version, up to you!

 

[Flagris]

if its mainly because the lack of freedom

I think it's mainly because of habit. I got used to Age of Pirates/SD:LR/CoAS interface. I mentioned the guys who made the first Russian PotC mod (Return of the Sea Legend its title), and I tried it too, of course. It's full of freedom but it lacks the skill system of later Sea Dogs games, GUI is different (not that is worse, just different). Maybe I just need more time (and will ) to play it and to get used to it.

Meanwhile, being eager to taste Maelstrom goodies I downloaded ERAS2 but I met some difficulties in making it work. It requires posting in another topic, I suppose.

 

[Lrv]

I think it's mainly because of habit. I got used to Age of Pirates/SD:LR/CoAS interface.

I also like more the Age of Pirates/SD:LR/CoAS interface, also if I remember correctly the way to shoot cannons was better, and the manual aim also allowed you to shoot anything, anytime, in POTC it dosnt let me shot friendly, or neutral targets, and sometimes the aim "locks" on a target and even if youre manually aiming to another ship it will still shot the previous target.

Honestly, only years of inactivity on sailing games allowed me to come back and try POTC, I used to play just AoP games/mods and couldn't digest POTC, but New horizons makes it worth it, if anything for having the best new 3d ship models of any game of this genre (and a ton of new content made by the moders on this web, I just barely do any quests / land play, I had enough completing the AoP saga and TEHO, so for me the selling point are the sailing/ships )

 

[Grey Roger]

I also like more the Age of Pirates/SD:LR/CoAS interface, also if I remember correctly the way to shoot cannons was better, and the manual aim also allowed you to shoot anything, anytime, in POTC it dosnt let me shot friendly, or neutral targets, and sometimes the aim "locks" on a target and even if youre manually aiming to another ship it will still shot the previous target.

PoTC:NH does allow you to fire manually - press "V". You can fire manually at anything including friendly targets, neutral targets or empty sea. But attacking a friendly or neutral target is extremely dishonourable and will earn you a hefty loss of reputation!

 

[Lrv]

PoTC:NH does allow you to fire manually - press "V". You can fire manually at anything including friendly targets, neutral targets or empty sea.

So, may it be that V is the intended way to shoot in aiming mode? when I use the spacebar in aiming mode looks like I dont really have control of where I am aiming (like shoting another ship in range when I'm actually manually aiming to another ship)

What have I been doing all this time

 

[Grey Roger]

Firing with auto-aim. This could be regarded as more realistic - you're the captain, you might give the order to fire but you wouldn't go down to the gun deck and fire the guns yourself. You can press spacebar without aiming, and indeed as you've found, it ignores your aim. You can sail between two enemy ships, press spacebar, and fire broadsides into both of them simultaneously.

The main advantage of using manual firing is that you can choose your target more precisely. For example, you might not want to fire at the nearest enemy if it's already seriously damaged and you want to board rather than sink it.

 

[Lrv]

The main advantage of using manual firing is that you can choose your target more precisely. For example, you might not want to fire at the nearest enemy if it's already seriously damaged and you want to board rather than sink it.

Thats the isue that I was having, specially when fighting multiple ships (chasing you) and trying to aim for their masts, for example I aim and shot at ship A, gets dismasted or break enough sail to make you focus on a more inminent risk, then I manually aim to ship B, but my ships ignores my manual aiming and keeps shoting at ship A

You can sail between two enemy ships, press spacebar, and fire broadsides into both of them simultaneously.

I love doing that, great feature indeed!

This whole conversation feels like a Dejavu, I think that I have talked this in this forum long ago altough I can't find anything, and someone explained me I was using autoaim and I should use V