Not sure if bug or feature

[acehawk]

So I have noticed that your ships Keel rating doesn't seem to be displayed anywhere. Is this intentional? Is it supposed to be just some underlying integrity that is not obvious without close inspection, and thus is only shown when your ship is being evaluated for repairs or something?

If not, then it should probably be shown somewhere.

[fallen]

#AOP-1776 to fix this!

[Cory Trese]

It supposed to be just some underlying integrity that is not obvious without close inspection, and thus is only shown when your ship is being evaluated for repairs

Still, we're not 100% we love this feature after the alpha. It was fun during the early testing and play but hmmmmm maybe not 100%.

Might need balancing and new rules, might need to be replaced.

[acehawk]

Jul 18, 2013 3:08:44 GMT -5 Cory Trese said:

It supposed to be just some underlying integrity that is not obvious without close inspection, and thus is only shown when your ship is being evaluated for repairs

Still, we're not 100% we love this feature after the alpha. It was fun during the early testing and play but hmmmmm maybe not 100%.

Might need balancing and new rules, might need to be replaced.

I personally kindof like it, I think it should just be more obvious what it is. Maybe on the stat screen you can see an estimated condition for it? The keel looks good/excellent/poor/abysmal? What does keel actually do by the way? Does it reduce damage taken since the ship is sturdy? If so then the estimate could read like the ship looks like it is sturdy and can withstand some punishment. The ship is looking structurally unsound and might fall apart at the slightest provocation.

I think that in the case of the keel flavor text indicating its general condition on the ship status page would contribute a lot to it being a fun part of the game.

[athios]

Yeah, I was always curious how it's different from the Hull. I kinda just assumed it was the equivalent of Armor plates, so thought it was weird that it was (1) hidden and (2) combined with Hull in the stats.

[rsgong]

I've been thinking about this. The keel is the structural backbone of a ship. If it is broke, the ship is worthless and any sea condition that isn't flat calm will sink the ship. I am thinking that the cost of repairing the keel should be very high, and if your ship has more the half keel damage it cannot be fully repaired.

If I remember correctly, the keel is one massive timber. Minor damage may be patched, but major damage effects the structural integrity of the entire vessel. And may not be repairable.

Just my thoughts. 

That said, it should be very difficult to extensively damage the keel with cannon (or boarding) as it is deep underwater.

[Cory Trese]

Great points and almost word for word what our design documentation outlines.

In some smaller boats the keel could be a single piece of wood, but it the ship construction of AoP, it is not.

Almost all ships in AoP are made of wood and very few (if any at all) trees grow to such individual lengths.

Great post, totally agree and will be thinking about these points as we continue to evolve the game.

[rsgong]

To add for the non-nautical players:

The keel of the ship is the structure that starts at the bow (front) of the ship, goes along the center of the bottom of the ship to the stern (back). It is the foundation for the entire ship. The rest of the ship is built from the keel. From the keel you add the ribs which determine the width of the ship. Planks over the ribs to cover the outside and make it an actual ship. The masts actually go all the way to the keel, which is why they are always in the center of the ship.

Hope this helps.

[Cory Trese]

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keel

[moody]

Don't argue with Cory else he'll link the following. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keel-hauling