• Attack circle lowered from 1000m to 650m to increase importance of control perk and reduce value of the defensive tag
  
• Reduced the damage threshold from 3% of hull average to 2% of hull average
  
• Increased the time to threshold accumulation from 1 to 2 minutes
  
• Implemented the potential fix of intro missions that was causing the overload of the servers.

• RVR
  • Peace is still on. The deployment of new RVR mechanics will be staggered in stages.
    
  • RVR Flag item is already in game but do not drop - until the patch is fully stabilized
    
  • Port battle transport item is already in game but do not drop or cannot be bought - until the patch is fully stabilized
    
  • Flags and Battle transports will be initially distributed using an event, or will be given to all players as timed redeem on one of the weekends for mass real time test.
    
  • Description of mechanics
    • https://steamcommunity.com/app/311310/discussions/15/2284960483088698453/
  
  
• New player experience
  • New player mission is added to the game. The mission will let the player experience the beauty of the game right when he joins instead of overwhelming port UI. Player will immediately get into battle, learn by doing like in original sea trials and will have to deliver a message after a battle to a capital of his nation.
  
  
• New player protection
  • Light protection fleets added to capitals. On War server they will attack every ship above 30BR and will ignore light traders (Including trader brig)
    
  • They do not drop wood chests yet (until we teach them to run away). Only home defense fleets with skull symbol drop wood chests.
  
  
• Imported content
  • 1 New Imported ship added to the game
    • Victory 1765. The ship will go on sale as soon as Valve Approves the page
      
    • ETA - Today 28 May or Tomorrow 29th May
  
  
• Cheaper Edition Update
  • We have thought a lot what would be a cheaper starter edition but unfortunately the center of the game is combat and it is impossible to cut out the content without reducing the overall quality of experience. Which in turn would not achieve what we want.
    
  • As a result here is the plan
    • Every current owner of the game will receive a special ship redeemable every 24 hours
      
    • Price for the game will be lowered (new package created by Valve)
      
    • New package will not contain this ship (after price drop it wont be available)
      
    • The ship will redeemable every 24 hours like all Imported ships but will have special conditions.This
    • ship will not be imported. It can be captured, sold, gifted, taken over.
      
    • The ship is HMS Trincomalee.
      
    • Current Trincomalee will of course also remain as crafteable in game.

• Port investments.
  • Clans and large groups of people can now develop ports above their initial fixed points
    
  • 25 points (initially) can be added to ports using investments.
    
  • Every investment level gives 1 extra point to port development.
    
  • Investment are expensive and will require group effort
  
  
• Woods.
  • Woods added to blueprints but are not dropping in ports yet, because wood stats are still getting rebalanced.
    
  • New woods can be only used in crafting (they are not available in notes or redeemables)
  
  
• PVP and PVE
  • Hunts, Search and Destroy now also check for Steam ID, in a similar way to PVP hunt.
    
  • Some guns can now be picked up from sank players.
  
  
• Exit timers: Important!
  • 1 hit timer had to go. It created 1 hour chases wasting player’s time. It also allowed holding players in battles forever. This generated lots of hate, confusion and time wasting, including neverending griefing tribunals.
    
  • Player now has to deliver % damage to a player to stop escaping.
    
  • Battle timer increased to 5 mins (but can be increased further during experimentation phrase)
    
  • Exit timer is up to 3 mins (from 2 mins)
  
  
• ROE
  • Battle entry points fixed. Thanks for users for pointing this out. Previous entry points favored the attacker (which allowed his reinforcements to spawn closer to him). Now points are equal.
    
  • The pull circle has increased (70%) to reduce the need to go back to enter battles.
  
  
• Flags for groups and conquest flag
  • Changed flags based on the 1799 Signal book of ship of war
    • Group flag changed to Order of Sailing flag
      
    • Battle group flag changed to Battle Sailing
      
    • 
      
    • RVR/Conquest flag has changed back to Dangerous Cargo/Enemy in sight Flag (red flag)
  
  
• Other changes
  • Admiralty now buys Loki runes at 10 doubloons per rune
    
  • Money Locker added to stores and allows quick conversion of reals to Money Locker and back. Money lockers will be used for Port investments
    
  • Imported (DLC) ships now have (I) indicator in the name to give clear indication which ships cannot be captured (lets see how it works)
    
  • OW speed of Home defence fleets reduced by 5% to allow passers by more escape chances
    
  • Slightly buffed modern version of HMS Victory
    
  • Increased repairs production in capitals by 50%
  
  
• Critical bugs
  • Fixed bugs which spawned an NPC ship in group missions even if the group member did not join
    
  • Fixed bug that generated loot when sinking your own ship
    
  • Potential fix of the problem which sent Home defence fleets far away from their zone of operation
    
  • Fixed bug that did not sink players outside battle zone in some conditions.

Today in the patch

• Chinese have started to arrive to Shroud Cay - It's up to you to stop them
  
• Important! Peace Server - International Clan Alliances.
  • International clan alliances can be created - you can invite international clans to your clan friend list. They can help each other in hostilities, port battles, defensive port battles and can use the investments if the leading clan of the alliance have allowed other clans to use the investments.
  
  
• Important! Peace Server - Raiders start to raid poorest underdeveloped ports on the Peace server.
  • Raiders will attack poorest under developed ports in 2 random regions every day.
  
  
• FPS Boost
  • Significant optimization settings have been added that can give 20-30% to FPS.
    
    • Cannon ball visualizations.
      • You can reduce the visual number of cannonballs on the client and set the distances where they will stop being drawn
        
      • This does not affect number of cannonballs on the server.
      
      
    • Damage effect visualization
      • You can reduce the amount of visual effects from hits on the client and distances where they will stop being drawn
        
      • This does not affect damage and server calculations - they are still fully counted

• South Antilles - French and Dutch ships
  
• West of Tumbado - area between Cuba and Tumbado. Spanish and British ships
  
• South of Hispaniola. Pirates and Danish ships

Welcome to the Caribbean set of updates has started.

• We have made amends, the beautiful ship has been fully restored and is now available for sailing in all its glory in Naval Action.
  
  • Blueprint added to shipyards.
    
  • Permit added to chest.

• Fixed the rare case where player could spawn in two instances in the same (for example when attacked by to players or NPCs)
  
• Slowed down NPC Port Battle Raiders by 2 knots (they are now 2 knot slower than player ships), Removed penalties to HP and Structure.
  
• Fixed a soft exploit for Labor contracts which allowed generating extra 200LH out of air for an abnormally low cost. (Thanks Captain S. for pointing us to this exploit)
  
• Moved a Mortimer town protection zone 5% upwards away from the Windward passage. They could sill reach this zone but much more rarely.

1. Part 1 - New ships - Will be completed by end of Feb (new flags will also be added)
   
2. Part 2 - New player mission and additions and improvements of NPC agression on the OW (inlcuding adding solo privateers to patrol zones in limited numbers)
   
3. Part 3 - Cheap edition and new pricing schedule (some pleasant surprises for all captains who own the current version will be in this part)

Here are the plans for the next 1st Half of 2020.

• Transferred from 2019 2H. New player mission
  
  • New player experience is finishing its development.
    
  • This mission will rework the starting couple of hours for all new players and will show some of the best features from the start (including large line fights in heavy ships) as it was happening in the early sea trials.
  
  
• New ships
  
  1. Redoutable - Imported ship (this month subject to Valve Approval)
     
  2. Implacable - crafted ship (this month)
     
  3. Wrecker - crafted ship (February)
     
  4. HMS Victory Classic Edition - Admiralty Imported Gift ship (1st half of 2020)
     
  5. Rotterdam - Combat Indiaman (1st half of 2020)
     
  6. Gross ventre refit will return this or next month
     
  7. Pandora will become available on Steam for purchase
• Low cost edition
  
  • Low cost edition is long overdue and will be developed and shipped in 2020. It bring a lot of new faces into the game and will increase gameplay quality for all owners.
  
  
• Upgrades, Combat model, damage and penetrations tuning
  
  • New upgrades (crafted and looted)
    
  • Cannon, upgrades
    
  • Battle sails and wind curve rebalance
    
  • Hull leeway which will make looting much easier
    
  
  
• New rewards for main battle activities
  
  • PVP Leaderboard rewards
    
  • Better patrol rewards
    
  • Solo patrol rewards improved
    
  • Port battle missions with rewards
    

• We have cancelled work on changes in progression, current skill book rework, and perks for the following reason
  
  • Changing anything players already have causes immense negativity as it is taking something away from them.
    
  • Features made for new players can feel that they are done at the expense of old players, who feel they are unfair to the existing community (people who supported the game before), So even if the new progression is amazing it could feel like a robbery for old players even if it is better.
    
  • Thus...
  
  
• We will only add new content if it fulfills the following rules
  
  1. It must solve a specific problem of the majority or reduce negative outcome for the majority.
     
  2. It must be beneficial for both new and old players
     
  3. It must not take anything away that players worked hard to get.
     
  4. One example for a skill tree that fulfills the above mentioned rules could be a Bravery Skill Tree
     
     • Bravery skill tree gives benefits and bonuses to crew when fighting outnumbered
       
     • Bravery skill tree levels up when fighting outnumbered
       
     • These two things reduce negativity for the majority as everyone is ganked from time to time and everyone would love to get higher chance to sink someone in those situations

• New ships
  
• New missions, events, rewards, and activities
  
• Quality of life improvements
  
• Removal of toxicity from community communication
  
• Some improvements in AI

• Developer's assigned moderators were causing claims of bias and negativity. As a result moderation will probably move to the community.
  
• Moderation could be done by
  
  • voted player representatives who will moderate their nation in all chats (help, nation and global)
    
  • clan leaders and officers who will be able to moderate their clan members in all chats
    
  • reports on players will come to player representatives and clan leaders by mail
    
  • clan leaders will receive some motivation for taking action on the reports on their members
    
  • The systems are going to be worked on this year. meanwhile please use report and ignore for people whose style you do not like

• Will position better for broadsides
  
• Will learn to chase and escape better (useful for player fleets and auto-escapes during disconnects)
  
• Will choose targets better and focus fire better
  
• Will sail better closer to land
  
• And some other improvements like better operation as a group
  

1. It must solve a specific problem of the majority or reduce negative outcome for the majority.
   
2. It must be beneficial for both new and old players
   
3. It must not take anything away that players worked hard to get.
   

• Kiritimati Masts made from the strongest trees found in the famous Christmas (Kiritimati) island visited on 24th December 1777 by the famous Captain Cook.
  
• Edinorog guns that will make your opponents fear your ship.
  
• Elite Christmas gift – Danish 2nd rate Christian.
  

• Source - Supply: resources are brought for trading to county capitals (mostly based on their historical origin)
  
• Demand - Consumption: resources are consumed in county capitals
  
• Weak demand - resources can be also sold in any non-consuming port but at a lower price
  
• The further is the consumption port from the source of the resource - the higher the profit (can reach high multiples)
  
• 1 very long trip using wind boosts can make more money than several short trips
  

• Types of supply: there are cheaper trading resources and there are very expensive trading resources. Every county capital has a variety of resources from cheap to expensive
  
• Cheaper resources: are brought in great quantities consistently
  
• Expensive resources (Madagascar jewels): are brought to Caribbean from time to time
  
• If expensive resources are not there - trading IS NOT NERFED - they just were not brought yet (they are rare and expensive for a reason). Just buy other goods or find another less competitive county capital to exploit (hint: or hit other traders getting all the goods for free).
  
• You can no longer place contracts on trading goods (One of the best community proposals that was implemented). This allows you to buy the goods if you are in the port right after their delivery by NPCs
  

• You can get expensive resources by hitting NPC traders or Player traders too.
  
• NPC traders no longer very cheap heavy goods and are only dedicated to trading. You might hit those jewels near the very distant port and half a million
  

Economy changes

• Shipbuilding changes
  
  
  
  • Historically when building ships shipbuilders had a choice to use fresh wood or season it in seasoning sheds and have stronger, slightly lighter timber. Ships built from fresh wood rot easily and were heavier and weaker.
    
  • Starting this patch captains will be able to season woods (provided they obtain the blueprint)
    
    
    
    • Seasoning Shed blueprint added - new building
      
    • Seasoning woods blueprints added
      
    • New frames and planking types added (indicated by the letter (S)
      
    • Tools blueprint added
      
  
  
• Trading and NPC privateering overhaul
  
  
  
  • Price system and trading resource drop systems changed
    
  • Trading goods is now one of the most profitable activities on the server
    
  • Trading NPCs are no longer constantly overloaded
    
  • Trading NPCs sometimes carry expensive loads (especially if you hit them on the end of the trading run with expensive goods)
    
  
  
• Privateer chest added to game. Privateer chest will drop from
  
  
  
  • NPC Port raiders
    
  • NPC Privateers in the OW (capital protectors)
    
  
  
• Increased drop of Victory marks and Combat medals from Raid Chest
  

RVR BR Changes

• BR for both Player port battles and NPC Port battles have changed
  
  
  
  • Battle Rating will now depend on port investment points
    
  • More investment points = more ships required to protect and defend.
    
  • Overall points have been lowered based on the points
    
    
    
    • 55-50 points - 20,000 BR for deep, 2500 for shallow
      
    • 45-40 points - 10,000 BR for deep, 2000 for shallow
      
    • 35 and lower - 5000 BR for deep, 1350 for shallow
      
  
  
• NPC Raids
  
  
  
  • Points for capture zone entry have been slightly increased
    
    
    
    • Combat ships now give 15 points instead of 10
      
    • Trading Transports now give 325 points instead of 300
      
  
  
• Did not make it due to other issues
  
  
  
  • Removal of Capital waters limitations.
    
    
    
    • In one of the following hotfixes only distance will be limiting port choice of attack.
      
    • Capital waters will no longer act as choke points
      
  
  
• Point changes
  
  
  
  • Important historical production or trading centers have their investment points increased to 55
    
    
    
    • Cartagena
      
    • Caracas
      
    • Bridgetown
      
    
    
  • Several significant historical centers have their investment points increased to 50 points
    
    
    
    • Bluefields
      
    • Portobelo
      
    • Puerto Espana
      

Other changes

• 36 Pounders are now allowed on all 32lb french ships
  
• Leopard finalized and ready for release
  
• HP and thickness caps have been increased due to forthcoming cannon rebalance
  
• Increased strength of Upper parts of explosion shockwave - which will demast top sections more often
  
• BR changed for Ingermanland and Wapen
  

Capital water protection - Also did not get in due to critical bug

IMPORTANT

• Privateer fleets route testing
  
• NPC Raid patterns have changed for lower level ports.
  
  
  
  • NPC Raiders will ALWAYS try to fill the BR limit by lowering class of ships.
    
  • So for example for 10000 BR port NPCs will bring 18 Saint Pavels or Bellonas instead of 1st rates. They will continue to use 1 ship.
    
  
  
• BR Limits for shallow ports lowered even lower
  
  
  
  • Nassay 2900
    
  • 2000 BR limit ports reduced to 1350
    
  • 1350 BR limit ports reduced to 900
    
  
  
• Chinese localization file update
  

Privateer chests

• 2 capitals of the Caribbean have updated Privateer fleets
  
• Privateer chest is now dropping from those fleets.
  
• Weight 250 tons so almost any ship can carry it out.