The shipping script I use can be downloaded here:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/apnsm8xr2pe2r97/AntonShipsJEM.mm?dl=0
Authors who contributed (that I know of): Ghoti, Antons, Zuzoir, Toth, Illitic
The main benefits of this script (NOTE: the main downside it will over-write your current statusbar, but you can always reload that):
1) It has aliases for the most common tasks
2) It summarizes the directions and distances of ships on the survey command and outputs to your communication window. This makes it a LOT easier to see which khrait to fire at
3) It includes a statusbar that shows you very useful information including:
a. The load state of the larboard & starboard guns
b. Current depth
c. The damage state of rigging, hull, and deck
d. Ship speed and direction
e. Wind speed and direction
f. Safe vs. unsafe waters
g. Fae onboard
h. Summarizes deckhand job state
Example statusbar showing LB and SB guns loaded with firecasters, captain, depth, rigging/hull/deck health, heading, actual speed and max speed, wind direction, unsafe waters (the red block), helm manned, fae on board, and deckhand task summary (97% on guns and 3% pumping)
Example survey summary. The ships with magenta direction headings (sillo, zu, and wen) can be hit with the beam guns. Fsoin can’t be hit with beam guns.
If you decide not to use (or can’t use) this script, I recommend making the following aliases or something similar:
Alias Commands to Execute
NOTE: commands separate by semicolons
Most Used Commands
lb ship co 0;shout fire lb
lbb ship co 0;shout fire lb b
lbt ship co 0;shout fire lb t
sb ship co 0;shout fire sb
sbb ship co 0;shout fire sb b
sbt ship co 0;shout fire sb t
stern ship co 0;shout fire st
bow ship co 0;shout fire b
lbhull
sbhull
gra
sma ship map
alt+Q ship map
co
Lash
scl ship course -179
scz ship course 0
scs ship course 179
sstat ship status
Ctrl+H ship status
Less Used Commands
sbrig
sbcrew
lbrig
lbcrew
Making a ship
1. A Man-o-War can have 37 deckhands. I think the command to hire is something like ship hire 37 deckhand, but I can’t quite remember. These deckies start at low level (and are very slow) eventually they will level up to a maximum of level 100
2. Buy guns for each of the gun emplacements. To start, I recommend loading darts (Magic Missile) and going after small serpents until deckies level up. This is because darts do 3x damage against mammoth and smaller serpents. If you loaded the script above, “makeshipall dart” will load your ship up with dartflingers
3. Buy ammo to match your guns
4. When docked, use “Ship dismiss deckhands” to both recall and to dismiss your deckhands (make sure they’re dismissed before you leave, as they cost money)
Misc
1. To leave the dock, turn so you’re facing away from the dock, lash the helm, go to the capstan and “ship weigh”
2. To dock, aim your boat at a free space on the docks and lash the helm. Go to the capstan, and when you’re close to the docks (generally 1-3 rooms depending on speed) “ship drop”
3. When docked, “shipa fae” will take the fae off the boat and will put it on your person.
4. “j r” lists the deckhands, their skill level, and how much gold is owed to them.
5. Use the sense weather spell to see where you are on the map. Use it at the docks to see where the docks are, and at sea use it to figure out what direction to go to find the docks again
6. Use the “survey” command regularly to keep an eye out for other ships in the area
7. IMPORTANT NOTE: when you dock, make sure to do “shipa repair”. Your boat will slowly take on water and will sink at the docks if you fail to do this
Recommendations
1. Go after smaller serpents (mammoth and under) until deckies are level 70 or 80. If you stay under 75 depth, then you will only chum small serpents. Note that you can’t chum any serpent at all at less than 50 depth.
2. Khrait don’t pop near the shore, so if you don’t want them stay in shallow waters. Not sure of the exact depth, but they don’t seem to pop at less than 100 or 125 depth.
Map Elements
Directions to serpents & ships
Steering the Ship
Ship course <#> will turn the ship through # degrees. A positive number turns the ship clockwise (towards starboard) and a negative number turns the ship counterclockwise (towards larboard). If you’re using the aliases I suggested:
1) If you want to shoot at something that is off the starboard bow or is abaft the larboard beam:
Use the “scl” alias to turn counterclockwise until you’re lined up then do “scz” to stop turning
2) If you want to shoot at something that is off the larboard bow or is abaft the starboard beam:
Use the “scs” alias to turn counterclockwise until you’re lined up then do “scz” to stop turning
3) Use the “co
4) The wind direction affects your turn rate – you turn slower if you’re turning the bow of your boat into the wind and you turn faster if you’re turning the bow of your boat away from the wind
Managing Deckhands
The “job manage deckhands
1) g guns
2) r repair
3) p pump
4) d douse
5) s sails
Examples:
j m d g 100 all deckies on guns
j m d g 97 p 3 97 percent of deckies on guns, 3 percent on pumping
(NOTE: if your hull is damaged, you *WILL* take on water, and you *WILL* eventually sink if you don’t have at least 3% pumping. Also, if you don’t have anyone pumping you will *not* know how much water you have on board.)
j m d g 80 r 10 d 7 p 3 80% on guns, 10% repairing, 7% dousing, 3% pumping
Fighting serpents
1) Before firing, make sure you’re going in a straight line (preferably with the helm manned, but lashed straight ahead is next best)– accuracy is greatly lowered if you’re turning
2) The range to serpent is the distance to the head, not to the closest part of the body.
3) To keep from getting rammed by serpents, you want to headshot serpents. To do this, have your deckies fire when the head is at a range of 5 or less. This takes some timing with a fast serpent or with low-level deckhands.
4) You want to position your ship so that whatever you’re firing at is close to being off the beam (generally 5-7 points off the bow or 1-3 points abaft the beam is fine). Much more than that and accuracy drops (or you can’t hit what you’re shooting at)
5) When firing at serpents, your gunners will shoot at whatever serpent is closest – if you’ve got two serpents on the same side, you need to be careful to make sure that the one you want to headshot is closer
6) Half volleys are useful in a few different cases:
a. When fighting multiple serpents, you can headshot two serpents on each side, one with each half-volley
b. When fighting fast serpents (especially with slow deckies) timing can be very hard. You can fire one half volley at a longer range, wait a bit, and then fire a second half volley to improve the chances that your deckies will fire when the serpent is at a range of 5 or less
7) On slower serpents, you can keep shooting at them as the run away for another ramming attack. Stay close to the serpent and keep pounding it until it turns back – keep an eye on the distance and direction to the serpent head to make sure that you have time to reload guns before the head gets back to you.
Fighting Khrait
1) Before firing, make sure you’re going in a straight line (preferably with the helm manned, but lashed straight ahead is next best)– accuracy is greatly lowered if you’re turning
2) When firing, you can’t just “fire larboard”, you need to target a particular portion (hull, crew, or rigging) of a specific ship. You cannot fire half-volleys at ships.
3) Try to pick on just one or two of the khrait ships at a time and only fire at other ships with guns that don’t bear on your targets.
4) If a khrait gets within about 0.75 range, go to the side of the ship it’s on and try to grapple it. This will prevent it from firing at you and you can blast it at your leisure
5) Other people have different philosophies, but I like to have the following ship spells up for Khrait: Way of the Turtle, Devils Bargain, and Mermaids Blessing.
6) When you’re turning, you’re harder to hit, so if you see a ship firing at you, start turning the other direction and you’ll get hit less