Tides

[sonic crescent]

Introduce periodic tides that changes the region and port access levels. So sometimes higher tiers can also enter low tier regions/ports on high tides and vice versa

[ashen knoll]

addendum: rogue waves that let the ships get airborne 🙂

[desert island]

It sounds like a feasible idea akin to seafaring but what happens when the tide changes, and 3rd rate ships gain access to the beginner shallow waters regions around Brandport and Los Catuano? Those shallow water regions are designed specifically as protected matchmaking for the new beginners.

[sonic crescent]

Well they just get carried out by the tide if they are in water when the change happens. If they are in port they will just have to teleport or switch ship. Protecting new players flaging up in shallow water to fight other new players is not really something I thought about. I just thought the regional tier lock is supposed to bring more lower tiers into the end game. Like in port battles and what not where ppl are forced to play a specific tier. The goal of the tides is to make that even more pronounced. If there is a need to retain a region that remains low tier forever for the benefit of new player match making that’s cool too.

[desert island]

A tidal flow between Fiji and Brandport, where the main trade corridor paths, would become deep water allowing 1st rate vessels to pass, but only for a specific tidal time of 6 hours deep, then 6 hours shallow again. The Beginner circle is still protected from rates above their weight entering the area, and also creating a bridge. The idea though, is venturing into a redesign of the map, which the developers may or may not be considering. Storms and fog were introduced though, which indicates their willingness to try new features.

[compact hinge]

I think it's a cool concept. Planning routes based off of tides would be an interesting addition. If I am correct, most begining players can't pvp until rank 12? So it shouldn't affect them too much anyways. I could be wrong though, still learning myself.

[green remnant]

Maybe have tides allow for one rate higher ship to enter those waters at specified times, and during "low tide", you can still TRY to sail a rate higher through the area, but at risk of constant damage acclimation due to "bottoming out".

This will allow for Rate V ships to sail around and through Fiji and Brandport without having to pick the east or west corridors. It will also allow for places like North Bastion, Northside, and Servoangelisk in the North, and San Cristable and South Bastion in the South, to occasionally allow R4 and R3 ships in otherwise R4 and R5 waters, once again allowing risk to bottoming out during "low tide".

It could also allow new players to ease into the larger ships, and learn where shallow are at and they are not. As it sits now, shallow waters can be abused if you know how to on both sides. The corridor on the east side between Brandport and Freebooter is also a great place to "push" high tier ships into the shallow part to bring them to a stop while a group can just whale away on the unfortunate target. It's a kill ally for rate V or higher ships.

[violet lily]

While I support realism, I think this would negatively impact balance, especially if the "high tide" just so happens to coincide with a port battle window

Personally I don't even refer to it as "rates", but rather "tiers" since the ship draft is just an arcade abstraction that solely serves to balance ships between tiers. We've got 50-gun fourth rates as "tier IIs", for instance