Post by EriChar on Mar 31, 2015 9:08:39 GMT -5
Looking at our ships and their purpose, I'm starting to think that th way we 'do' ships is kind of becoming outdated. The options we have tend to either have things that many people buy or no one buys, and I think the range of choice seems more overwhelming than helpful, so I have a suggestion to try and streamline things, and also to offer some options for customization and such that might make things more fair?
Anyway, having talked the matter over with the staff, these are what we've come up with;
Streamlining Ship Types
We have a eight types of ships currently available for purchase and use in the Grand Line? To me, while an effort to get people to put a bit more of a personal feel to their ship, for what you actually get there seems very little difference aside from prestige. I don't think many people pay much attention to what their ships can do, they just use them as needed. My idea is to cut back this list to four or so vessels of of the following descriptions;
Small Ship 5,000 or so
Example would be a Caravel like Going Merry, it would be a small ship capable of sailing almost anywhere with a shallow draft, but also somewhat weak in construction and have limited options for crew size and armament.
Pro's:
- Usually quick
- Able to sail down rivers and such with little issue
- Cheap, usually a 'starter' ship
Con's:
- Easy to break, built for speed not toughness
- Size makes it difficult to carry crews larger than a few people, probably more than ten would be uncomfortable
- Can't carry much weaponry
Medium Ship 20,000+
Example would be something like a sloop such as Thousand Sunny; this ship would be larger and able to carry bigger crews, as well as having more options for armaments and overall with a more ‘custom’ feel.
Pro's:
- Still quick, depending on how built
- Able to sail down deep rivers with caution, though deeper drafts might end up getting ‘beached’
- Generally reliable and versatile craft
Con's:
- Not really suitable for huge crew numbers, maybe able to carry a few dozen at most.
- tough but not invincible, cannon fire will still make a mess.
- Still somewhat limited in battle capacity, unless specifically built for battle, which might sacrifice speed/space for prowess. (Sloop of war)
Large Ship 50,000+
Example would be something like a Carrack or Galleon such as the Oro Jackson or like people such as Buggy or Shanks use; this ship would be large and accommodate a whole lot of people, but likely a lot slower and less manoeuvrable than their smaller ‘sisters’.
Pro's:
- Sturdy ships that can take the hits, these babies can go toe to toe with marines easily
- Ocean faring vessels, storms and such have little impact as long as the navigator isn’t an idiot
- Have a lot of options for customization should they have a skilled shipwright
- Can carry great loads o crewmen or supplies
Con's:
- Not really suitable sailing inland
- large size, carrying capacity and sturdy construction makes them slower on the water without good design
- Requires large numbers to run, usually.
Grand Ship 100,000+
Example would be a ship of the line, something like Whitebeard’s Moby Dick or the Massive Marine Battleships; this type of ship is as much a status symbol as it is a means of adventure, inspiring both awe and ear as well as being highly customizable and able to carry an army or ten. Tend to be somewhat slow though, unless built for speed to be a ‘lightning bruiser’.
Pro's:
- Like floating granite, they can shrug off most fire but a heavy cannon might put a dent in them
- Able to hold massive crews, hundreds could live on these monsters
- Space and sturdiness makes it ideal for many customizations such as ultra-heavy armaments
- Intimidating, you turn up in a ship the size of the titanic, people are gonna take notice.
Con's:
- Definitely not suitable for shallow water sailing, will probably need ‘landing craft’ and spend her time in the deep.
- Almost certainly sluggish, these big bullies stand up to enemies rather than run
- Requires large numbers to run, no question.
- Easily spotted, one wouldn’t expect to hide from Marines very easily, though probably won’t need to.
(Note, the row boat/sail ship can remain the same really, since they're just temporary)
Customization
Customization of vessels has always been a vague topic with wildly differing opinions and standard, I’ve decided to try and ‘standardize’ practices. Going hand in hand with the simplification of ships, I’ve tried to make customization have a heavy emphasis, to let ships really come into their own.
My solution is to allow all grand line capable ships 'Customization slots', which can be used to add special features to your ship such as propulsion options or heavy gun decks to make them more useful. Basically, the bigger the ship, the greater number of 'mods' you can make, as follows;
Ship Type Customization Options Small 1 Medium 3 Large 5 Grand 8
So yeah, as far as the customizations themselvesare going to be, members could suggest their own as they choose, but I have thought of a few 'standard' ones that might be used a lot;
Luxury Design 1,000 Beri
The ship has features that not only maximize space for crew comfort, but also allow it to be run with far fewer hands. However, tends to be designed for smaller crews and means the ship can't carry as many as more spartan inclines.
Spartan Design 1,000 Beri
Built lacking even conventional creature comforts, the craft can accommodate more people than she's designed for, but can be rather uncomfortable.
Advanced Propulsion 5,000 Beri
Vessels with this option are no longer bound by the wind, able to use paddles or even a screw turn system to drive their crafts. Can also be used in tandem with the sails to make really quick ships.
Gun Deck 5,000 Beri
Equipped with a whole deck for their 'guns', this allows the craft to carry a significant number of cannons and make it a real menace in the water.
(Medium ship and above, though Large and Grand sizes can make multiple purchases of this to really make themselves mean)
Special Weaponry 10,000 Beri
The ship is equipped with a special weapon such as a heavy cannon, SUnny's Gaon Cannon or even lasers, the latter would need a poinz purchase however.
(Medium ship and above, though Large and Grand sizes can make multiple purchases of this to really make themselves mean)
Submarine Conversion 10,000 Beri
Gives the ship options to travel beneath the waves, offering both advanced propulsion and waterproofing so it can withstand the pressure beneath the sea.
(Small and Medium Vessels only)
Well, here are some suggestions, feel free to post more if you think of them. The good thing is that these options don't HAVE to be purchased with the ship, they can be carried out by any shipwright whenever, provided one has access to such a party. One could just purchase a basic ship design as ‘upgrade’ as they go.
Ship Repairs
Since I’ve never seen this option used by anyone, particularly so in more recent times, we’ve decided to scrap the method and simply have plot and such be the means through which vessels are repaired.
Shipwright Perks
To be honest, I find a flat discount on ships for crews with shipwrights to be a bit… For lack of a better term, dumb? I mean, why would crews pay less for a ship they bought off someone else? Or one they stole? Personally, I think it makes sense to give the discount if the shipwright is in some way responsible for the construction of the ship, but just offering any discount seems too unrealistic? With that in mind, any building of ships or modification (customs) made by the shipwright will receive a 50% discount, however actions not personally carried out by shipwright characters will receive nothing.
Marine Entitlement
TBH, it's never been too clear what exactly a Marine officer is entitled to command? Like, we kinda just assume that lower ranked leaders would have smaller ships than higher ranked ones, but there's nothing to really say an ensign couldn't just take a heavy battleship and blow the hell out of everything in the water. That is to say, until now. Since we were overhauling the system anyway, we’ve decided to formally announce Marine ‘entitlement’, with ranks attaining a free ship of the following design;
Ensign, Lt JG Small Ship Lieutenant-Commander Medium Ship Captain-Rear Admiral Large Ship Vice Admiral+ Grand Ship
This way, the big boys have the biggest toys, and it might also give people a good idea in mind of what they might be facing as pirates when squaring off against particular ranks? Captains of Marine ships should apply for their ships at no cost and list their customization as usual, giving them a little more freedom in the ships they use and the ability to name their vessels, but generally it would be assumed when they take a new ship with a rank increase, their old one is retired? To maintain the ‘perks’ of Marines, they would also be allowed a little more flexibility in terms of customization, with the World Government’s resources affording them a little ‘rule bending’ with the standard of their mods.
Well, that's all we have to report for now. If anyone has any questions on the new system, ask away. We're gonna be modifying the shop to reflect it's use in the new future.
