Zubmarine excluded, will I ever be able to explore the Sunless Sea in a greater variety of cruisers?
The current selection of ships is decent; we have our small but reliable starter, the stealthy cutter, the aggressive corvette, the ponderous merchant cruiser, the steadfast frigate, the exotic steam yacht, the overkill dreadnaught, and even the overly cramped dining-room boat.
But I still see room for a greater variety of ships to fill in both story and gameplay niches.
The shady Gaider’s Mourn could sell refurbished pirate ships with large holds and multiple hidden compartments designed to deliver as much illegal cargo as possible.
The Khanate and their war-like nature could sell specialized war boats of their own design, given that you earn enough of their favor (Vital intelligence bribes anyone?)
Polythreme where even the inanimate can cry out could sell solid and efficient ships for a good price, but which may occasionally groan and cry when things get too quiet.
I’m sure there are plenty of other ideas so I’m just wondering, are there any plans to expand the existing selection of ships? edited by tisaniceday on 4/9/2015 edited by tisaniceday on 4/9/2015
One of the things that I thought implied the possibility of getting other ships was the Log text for Adam’s Way, which says only living ships can withstand the Mountain’s blood. edited by Lashkar on 4/9/2015
Do any of you feel that the game could use a more affordable ship with auxiliary item access and/or cargo space? All of the affordable upgrades are fairly combat-oriented, and while I thoroughly enjoy zee combat I usually won’t fight anything bigger than a simple pirate ship or a flock of bats until I’ve upgraded the ship. 70 hull isn’t much against, say, a shark or a lifeberg, unless your equipment severely outclasses your ship.
I usually took the starter ship as far as I could, getting the most powerful deck gun and engine money could buy, before beginning the big save for a merchant ship. That auxiliary slot is indispensable. Moving contraband? Looking to save fuel or increase ship speed? Passengers acting up? Engaging in tactical use of full engine power and don’t want to immolate your zailors? There’s something for everybody in that slot.
It makes sense that it should take a long time to move up in the world, but if that’s the case, shouldn’t Caminus Yards charge a little more for the good stuff?
I swear I saw a reference to an obtainable living ship somewhere. Maybe the Tireless Mechanic quest? I’m sure someone who reads the Sunless wiki can correct me.
I had an idea the other day for a ship that burns snow as a fuel source. Instead of getting slowed down in northerly weather, you get a speed boost. (Possibly you could also have a southern ship that heals in the Wax Wind.)
I’d love to be able to keep extra ships back in London (or your colony?). It would open up the design space for niche ideas like this — ships that are more for specialist journeys or fun than for overall fitness.
Of course, I’ve played for 32 hours (maybe 20 with one captain) and am only just about to get my first new ship (the 14k Echo one). I’d love to see ship advancement happen at a faster pace. I’m sure I could make money much faster by trading instead of pursuing stories, but that’s not why I play the game (and perhaps isn’t what game prices should be balanced around?)
I could’ve sworn that the storylet for obtaining your ship in Fallen London said something about the Masters not being at all friendly towards zee-captains owning multiple ships simultaneously. I’m not sure what their reasoning would be, if that’s the case…
What can be hard is that the earlier upgrades mostly favor combat, but combat isn’t really that profitable until you can fight, and kill, pretty much anything that’s easy to find. Having 41+ hold space is expensive, but getting as far as Irem along a profitable route when you can only hold maybe 20-25 fuel is a tightrope walk. Typically, I spend my ship money on fuel and equipment until equipment starts reaching the limits of what I can buy, by which point I need to have opened up as many revenue streams as possible. Anything less than a corvette, though, rarely justifies the substantial costs of any change of ship.
Yes, the Masters only allow one ship per captain. But the Masters are not real entities strong-arming the dev team. :) It could keep the world consistent with one paragraph explaining the creation of a few alter egos, hiring of trustees, or bribing of port officials.
I’ve had two captains get everywhere on the map in the starter ship. Even a long journey is profitable in the sense that I usually arrive back with more Echoes than when I started, but minimally. edited by TheThirdPolice on 7/25/2015
[quote=TheThirdPolice]Yes, the Masters only allow one ship per captain. But the Masters are not real entities strong-arming the dev team. :) It could keep the world consistent with one paragraph explaining the creation of a few alter egos, hiring of trustees, or bribing of port officials.
I’ve had two captains get everywhere on the map in the starter ship. Even a long journey is profitable in the sense that I usually arrive back with more Echoes than when I started, but minimally. edited by TheThirdPolice on 7/25/2015[/quote]
Funny you should say - I’ve always imagined exactly the reverse of that - specifically, that the devs are the Masters. They’re everybody, really, including the narration of our own characters’ observations, of course. But they are also authority figures with vast ability to fundamentally alter the economy, society and even the physical makeup of Fallen London. They also benefit from the arrival of new delicious friends and the continuation of the dueling and the revels.
I’m not suggesting that, somewhere in Sunless Sea, Alexis sits around telling Fires what to do; I just find it noticeable and charming that many important postings on the message boards are written in character as various Masters. I also thoroughly enjoy imagining the devs tweeting as the Masters. My sheer fondness for Veils challenges in Sunless Sea made me hope to like Veils as a character; still haven’t met them, and haven’t liked everything I’ve heard.
How did you manage your resources? I could never hold onto enough fuel to get from one area to the next that sold it at a decent price. Until I could hold, like, 40 fuel, I was always trying to carve out a profitable loop, usually only the perimeter of maybe a quarter or a third of the map, stopping back in London so I could unload my port reports before being forced to cover a port twice or buy resources at exorbitant prices. edited by Gerald Edgerton on 7/25/2015
My current captain has WE ARE CLAY, an upgraded engine, and 6 crew, so I have a speedy gas-guzzler of a ship that uses very few supplies (plus I’m a cannibal, so I figure there’s a failsafe). I load about 4 supplies and 25 fuel (bemoaning all the other crap in my hold) and plan a route that takes me past a cheap fuel source. I leave my light on until I reach that fuel stop, cram my hold to max with fuel, then leave my light off the rest of the journey if possible. I can always make it to the far east, though I usually need to limit myself to the northern half or southern half of the map. I’m not getting rich this way, but the incidental stuff (esp Bruiser, Venturer, Vital Int) covers my expenses as I pursue various stories.
I would prefer it if you could capture ships and claim them as your own, this would make the grind the game has much more bearable in addition to giving the player a much larger variety of ships to captain. Of course, this would also have to come with an overhaul of the current crew damage system.