Navigation Styles
     

Before we know whether we're in a good or bad position, we need to know what is good and bad. Sure, we're here to win battles but how do we do that? Or maybe a ship with twice as many players has just pvp'ed you and you want to run away. 3 goals to consider:

1. Damage your enemy.
2. Don't get damaged by your enemy.
3. Grapple your enemy? Let your enemy grapple you?

Well to do 1, you've got to put yourself in the position where you're ABLE to shoot the enemy, and to do 2, you've got to put yourself in a position where you enemy can't shoot you, or doesn't expect you to be. Balancing the 2 is difficult. Too often, people charge in head first to attack another ship, only to be quickly side-stepped and blasted. You need to master both defense and offense in order to become a b-nav wizard.

Also, don't damage yourself!! How? Ramming the rocks, or side of the sea. Each time you run into rocks or the side it damages you. (worth 0.5 scbs damage to a sloop). You can also ram the other ship, damaging both you and your ship; the bigger your ship when you do it, the better. (0.5-0.5 scb damage for sloop vs sloop rams) If you ram your ship into your enemy, making the enemy bump into rocks, it can also be good, but you have to be big enough to make your enemy move.

Basic (and subjective) list of navigating styles
  1. Aggressive: Go to damage your opponent even if it means damaging yourself.

  2. Defensive: Avoid getting damaged at all costs.
  3. Move Saving: Use as few sails as possible, either due to lack of tokens, or being wounded.
  4. Running: Running away from the enemy ship.
  5. Sitting duck: Don't move or fire at all.
  6. No respect: Assumes your enemy is a sitting duck. Always attacking where the enemy is at the beginning of the turn.
  7. Random: Name says it all.
  8. Clever: Combination of these, maybe even in the same turn. Try to anticipate the enemy's move and intercept them. Make your enemy move the way you want to.

Different nav'vers fit into each of these categories. (I try to think of myself as a 'Clever' navigator :P)

When to be...

Aggressive:
a. Fighting a battle where you prefer max-max over 0-0.
b. You have good carpenters.
c. You have good bilgers.
d. They have bad carpenters.
e. You have no other choice except being a sitting duck.
f. You have poor sailors and want to grapple quickly.
g. You have a bigger ship.
h. You have impatient good sf'ing jobbers who will jump ship if it takes too long

Defensive
a. Fighting a battle where you prefer 0-0 over max-max
b. You have bad carpenters
c. You have bad bilgers
d. They have good carpenters
e. You have impatient, poor teaming, horrible sf'ing jobbers who will jump ship if it takes too long, and you're too nice to plank them.
f. You have good sailors, and can wait for a better opportunity.
g. You're in a sinking battle.
h. You have a smaller ship.

Move Saving
a. You have bad/no sailors
b. You've been heavily damaged and don't expect to get many moves
c. The enemy is far-away and you'd rather have them come to you.

Running
a. You're fighting a far superior opponent.
b. You need breathing time to load your guns.
c. You're carrying goods.
d. You need time to repair

Sitting duck: ? Can't really think of any good reason unless it relates to move-saving. Unless you want to fool your pvp enemy into thinking you're harmless.

No Respect:
a. Really, for opponents who deserve no respect, who are dead in the water, or distracted/disconnected.

Random:
a. Pvp battles, fool your enemy into thinking you're an idiot, or out of guns.

Clever:
a. All the reasons listed above.
b. Instill a sense, of fear and being trapped, into your enemy.
c. Get your opponents to jump ship and be replaced by worser fighting bots.
Ok, ok. I'm feeling a little bloodthirsty right now. Must be the green tea.


Cannon usage:
1. Aggressive: Fire off cannons whenever you have a chance to hit.
2. Conservative: Fire off cannons only when you have a very good chance to hit.

Be aggressive with the cannons when:
1. You have a good gunner.
2. You have a lot of cannonballs.
3. You have a lot of booty or other goods.
4. You're fighting pvp and don't want the enemy to guess your moves.

Be conservative with the cannons when:
1. You have a poor gunner or need the gunner to do another duty.
2. You're low on cannonballs.

I tend to advocate the aggressive firing style. Why? I am a good gunner but more importantly, losing a battle is worse than losing a few cannonballs. Repeat after me: Losing a battle is worse than losing a few cannonballs. Say it again. 5 times fast. No pizza for you!
NO, I'm not advocating firing 4 shots every turn without reason. Just, if you have a 30% chance to hit, take the shot.

And now, a few bad positions.
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