dammaging the sails?
 

anyone got tips for dammaging enemy sails?

Aim for the masts, since SvS was released this seems to be the only effective means of taking them out... one mast at a time.

I was caught unawares when that went into effect.

Kept wondering why my shots were going right through the sails without any damage, but I also noticed that a large number of NPC ships are glitched so that they cruise around with their sails unfurled(SP?).

Just have to aim right at the masts, a wee bit more diffcult, but not impossible.

I practiced on the Man-O-War flagship and when that was too rough (early on) I used the forest of phantoms in Hinterseas (South of Kingshead.) The ammo types that work well on masts are: round shot, chain shot, firebrand, thunderbolt and fury.

Chain shot has a very short effective range and a very different angle of aim. In SvS, I've found I can do in six round shot, the same damage as four chain shot, but I don't have to switch ammo, nor vertical angle of aim. With chain shot, I often miss; with round shot, I rarely miss. Thunder has about twice the range of any other ammo type, once you figure out how to aim it. Firebrand and fury tend to expend their damage on the hull, instead of the sails, whenever they hit both the sails and the hull. Firebrand makes the sails burn amusingly, when you miss the mast.

For masts that have several tiers, I've found that knocking off the top tier first, then working my way down, slows the target boat down sooner. The masts seem to be divided by mini-crow's nests. The total speed a boat gets from any mast is still delivered when the mast is damaged, but not when a section of the mast splits off and falls in the water. (And what a gloriously gratifying sound, that is!)

Oddly, in SvS, blowing away masts has no effect at all on Full Sail and Ramming Speed. I've been both frustrated and delighted by this "feature." I've yet to see any effect of blowing away masts at all in SvS, as they tend to be repaired faster than the next section can be damaged (I target cheater-ships. No idea what happens if the ship is not cheating by repairing underway.)

For practice aiming your shots exactly at the masts, I recommend normal round shot, so you can see the puff of smoke when you actually do hit the mast. Larger targets tend to be slowed down noticeably; smaller targets sink before you can tell if they slowed down or not.

aye lot harder since the update but still possible. they need to fix this

Odd, I haven't noticed any different in knocking down masts. I never cared for hitting the sails themselves. I always aim for the bottom of the masts, that way it all comes down at once and I don't have to chew at it. Chain shot seems to be more effective if they're closer since it's a wider projectile, otherwise I use firebrand or the normal round shot.

I've knocked the masts down in SvS and it does stop them if they're not cheating. Not sure how someone could repair a missing mast in real life while in the middle of the ocean. If repairing a ship repairs a missing mast, that's wack. It's gone.

I tend to aim high on the mast so that if I miss too often, I don't hit the hull and sink the ship before I can completely take down the sails. I like to milk all the cannon rep I can out of each encounter.

However Full Sail, and Ramming speed still work, wierdness.

Not having had my masts shot, I do not know for sure.
But it repair had better fix sails as well!

Perhaps not realistic, but what would be the realistic solution to this happening? An allie ship would have to come and help them fix it, or tow them to a port. These not being available (ie not realistic), I find the fixing of masts would have to be "not realistic" as well, hence I hope repair fixes masts as well.

If your an attacking ship, dont let up, dont let them repair, sink them.

There have been alot of descrepancies in game play from what would be "real" to make the game playable.


We used to be able to knock them sails/masts down fast with lightning, when hitting the sails would basically 'trigger the charge'. Now that they go right through, we have to hit the masts (which has always worked). Just a little more aiming.. no big deal :)

Oh Zep, you haven't seen me cannon then....LOL

I need all the help I can get taking out the masts, and now that sail damage is gone....Let me just say I'm sorry in advance to any Capt I'm crewed with.

:laughks2:

Ah, understood there. I'm not much of the milker and prefer just to sink the darn thing.

The realistic solution to losing your masts? I think it's called the white flag. :D Honestly, I don't expect total realism, but seriously, how do you repair a mast in the middle of the ocean in the midst of battle? As far as moving back to port, break out the oars!

They may have made it that way so it's a little more fair in SvS for ships whose crew doesn't have the better ammo.

I tried out a character the other day, noticed this also. The problem is with missing sails is it is taking more shots to hit the ship, and get it to aggro on you. If you are working canon and sailing this is not good. If you hit the hull it damages it, and you don't want that with canon. You want to hit just the mast with canon and take them all down, then use broadsides to get sailing rep.

It is a lot easier to take down masts with out being glitched, though many haven't figured that out yet. Having a ship come right at you makes it a lot easier target for masts then trying to hit them from a side angle.

I dont disagree with you on the "how do you fix a mast... " thing.
But why should that be realistic when nothing else is?
For that matter, they cant repair a hull either, not properly anyhow.. just patch things up, and likely to take days, not seconds. ;)

What about the guy with his masts down that sinks you instead?
Dead in the water.. no oars in POTCO, noone to wave white flag to.

Ok Disney, give us oars, or have repair fix the mast/sails. ;)
Not gonna hold my breath waiting for those oars!

Regarding the lightning hitting the sails..etc Yes, that makes sense. However it makes pulling in those big ships from afar more difficult when im working me cannons on the high seas.. hehe. I'll manage!

use to be if u hit the sail iwould do damage now it seem only the mast so i skill chain shot, 2 hit on a mast take it right off. yes more reps w the sail gone.