The Maritime System - Book 1/4 - Introduction

[i.uomini 2552]

Get On The Water! 

The Maritime System [Book 1/4]

 

Call to Consideration

(Spoiler) - 3 important points

Spoiler

Mod team recently announced its intention to begin development of a system regarding ships. With that, some of the points in this document are out-dated, particularly the first section. However, i hope each word adds to the overall understanding of a system that has been in development for a year and some time.

With all due respect, this system is not supposed to replace anything that staff comes up with in the near future, the entirety of it was composed before there was any public intention from anyone, therefore, take these documents as another point of view as to what naval systems could look like on the server.

For many reasons including those above, further development (in writing) of this system will be held off, though on-server progress of naval interest will never die. For all intents and purposes, this is what the document will look like for the foreseeable future. The structure of the theory is present, but it will still need to be brought into practice through player-interaction; hence the community tags at the end of the other books in the series.

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note:

All system-related concepts in this [1/4] document are summarized, this is essentially the ‘front page’ of the system. Each topic is elaborated upon in the respective documents, linked at the top.

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The Maritime System [1/4] - Introduction - The overview of reasons to use ships

 

The Maritime System [2/4] - General Ship Mechanics - The description of how ships in LOTC operate in The Maritime System

The Maritime System [3/4] - Trade Ship Mechanics - The description & operation of Tradeships in The Maritime System

 

 

The Maritime System [4/4] - Naval Combat Mechanics - The description & operation of Warships in The Maritime System

 

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• This is a system for putting (normal size) ships to use in lotc
• The mechanical specifics are in open discussion & are subject to change
• This network of documents is long, not to be read in 1 sitting. 
• Shoutouts for help, inspiration, and proof-reading; @TheosVult @Frank_Dog @HIGH_FIRE @_RoyalCrafter_ @Kanapes @TeawithFrisket @Tigergiri 

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[1/4]-Section 1: Overview

 

The well cultured people among us like to be out on the water at least occasionally. But we lotcers tolerate the regrettable condition of living exclusively on land. Thus, I cannot just insist that ‘everyone go on boats and do more rp’, because its even more difficult to sustain rp on ships than it is on land. However, if we want to increase the level of activity related to ships, then we should give people good reason to use them; so that the activity becomes a passive condition instead of the goal itself.

The reason that there isnt naval activity in lotc is not because ‘it hasnt been tested or tried’; there is nothing new under the sun. But the answer could be hinted at by the fact that there is not any publicly posited system for their use or larger integration.

 

I will shine a light on the attached documents below. It shows that people have been interested before, and because of that, I can surmise that people will certainly find interest in it once again. When the time again comes (if it can ever leave), the people with interest should have a system to work off of. 

The first of these is a previous call-to-action style document from a loved community member that expresses interest in generally developing the use of ships. It serves as a structural inspiration to this piece. The second is a youtube video regarding some sort of Naval Battle that took place in lotc ~11 years ago. Its actually pretty engaging around the last 5 minutes. The following 3 are descriptions from a Yong Ping (Almaris map) naval eventline.

Spoiler

Copy of The State Of Naval Rp/CRP

 

 

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Wnpv0RdN9d39xTxQpC0GXuDrWPMs_FcGaygSXme9rtQ/edit 

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1qJtbpC-D7ygif-6_y-rfTtdq3E-VY9UtKaaEAB05i20/edit 

https://docs.google.com/document/d/11he_Oo2mIbRavVVNT74SSDNelNvxAGXc3l87jVaIRhE/edit 

(the last image is recently added)

 

Those things being said, there will always be those who believe the current time is unfit for new ideas and processes. Those people should know that this system will not be enforced tomorrow, or enforced at all. It relies on the individuals who are interested in it to prove that its something worth caring about. They were around 11 years ago; and the next generation is here now.

 

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[1/4]-Section 2: Refutations - 

 

A few people, while not hating boats, don't see a ‘necessity’ for developing the use of ships for diverse purposes. For these, it is important to note; we have the opportunity and means to establish an entirely new dimension of roleplay, one that takes inspiration from a plethora of  both mythological, and historical sources. In addition, shipping as an industry interacts with almost every sector of human activity imaginable (except resource mining). The wonderful team that built this world, did a fantastic job with the oceanic scenery, and we shouldn't let it go to waste. To restrict yourself to a land domain, and to willingly ignore the potential for adventure and loot, is downright un-human. Yet, some few may still promote the fallacy that each individual will be better off not having anything to do with the sea; against that, ill retort that whichever motivations prevent the interest in greater development, are probably less important than immediate pleasures.

 

But maybe its a bit deeper; some states are too busy inventing new taxes, or planning their 3rd ‘new’ capital, or scheming to assassinate some weirdo in a big chair. For some reason, I doubt theres ever been a poll of the playerbase on these aforementioned subjects, yet they still happen so often as to be more present than the mere existence of trade ships as a concept. If youve never been a nation leader, let that sink in.

Putting that aside, those places who see high potential and invest into it, should be honored with the cultural legacy that comes from being the first true dominators of the seas. Or a benevolent partner who is ready to increase the value of the world by working together with other shipping lines for the same goal. Nevertheless, if court hall decorations are more important to you than trade, intrigue, and exploration, you can stop reading right here.

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[1/4]-Section 3: Applications

 

[New Economy]:

I remember the auction house in almaris being removed, when asking about it at the time, the common reason heard was that it was meant to encourage real economic interaction through rp. (This is what I heard, but I do not know if it is the real reason, or what the real reason was). Now that ships can be stocked with goods and sent to agreeing Docks, there is a new avenue through which groups can make money. The supply chain related to ships starts with the purchasing/building of ships themselves, giving clear expansion to the possible commissions possible to builders everywhere. Then the choice can be had as to what merchants to allow upon the markets, and what types of state produced goods are best fit for the port of destination. The fact that all nations have tile-specific resource advantages opens the door to plenty of possibilities.

For those who enjoy conflict and politics in their rp, the opportunity to embargo other civilizations will be introduced, leading to a medium risk and high reward scenario.

 

[New Wars]:

Conflict is constant; but the mechanics of minecraft itself, and the need to coordinate so many different peoples’ schedules, makes it hard for wars on land to have easy and fun systems at the same time. With the availability of conducting a war on the sea, less people need to be coordinated (24 at absolute maximum under this system). On land, wars can only happen for certain reasons, and also cannot be easily canceled. Whereas conflict on the sea can be started and stopped according to the will of whichever groups own the ships. 

As mentioned in the section for economy, civilizations will now be able to institute embargos on Docks and Tradeships from other civilizations. Both enforcing these embargoes (via blockade) and breaking them off of one's self or allies, are good reasons to involve Warships into the discussion. This leads into the combat area, explained in book [4/4].

 

[Lower Barrier to Entry]:

While the construction and sending of fleets might be heavy on anyone’s treasury, the amount of money required to participate in maritime activity is quite fair, and lower than many other endeavors that groups participate in. Because of this, everyone from merchant companies and noble houses, to kingdoms can make moves to really impact the outcome of roleplay on the server. (This is the intention of The Maritime System).

Some of the systems rely on numbers, some rely on diplomacy, and others rely on the ingenuity of the groups who choose to make unique stories on the waves. This means different skills will have major effects on the potential of navies, and careful use of this system has the possibility to magnify any group’s prosperity far from their headquarters.

 

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[1/4]-Section 4: Dynamic opportunities - 

 

[Land & Sea separation]

To distinguish what kind of rp should happen on ships and what kind should be land-based, we benefit from establishing a clear tenet that ships will only be used for their type’s purpose (for example, Tradeships will just have an array of markets, they will not freely sail or participate in combat). If we, as I believe we can, find multiple, impactful uses for ships, then we can expand the amount of reasons people bring themselves to them.

Extending to Warships, they will only contest each other when a ship or fleet is actually deployed to battle in roleplay. 

Civilian Ships, those used for non-trade/military purposes according to the agreement of dock and ship owners, ought to be developed by the community as people search for ways to bring interest into maritime rp. Other than that, all other rp not related to the purpose and use of the ships in one’s control, will happen on land like everything else.

 

[Pre-existing Interest]

Fortunately, some coastal groups/vassals are already invested in some ships, big and small. Some nations even have full navy divisions of their military troops (I wonder if any of them think naval systems would be useful for rp). Many more of us have a talent for building and would like to make money, but dont care for towers; ships are a more preferred style… and there are a great many people looking to commission builds.

As referenced in the introduction, the vast majority of people agree that naval rp would be interesting to see; just so long as they dont have to create it themselves. As of yet no standardized system is available to facilitate the rules and the processes.

If a system were to be set, My thesis is that there is enough existing interest that people would come to use it over time. Eventually there will be changes to it, and by the time I myself am gone, it will look completely different. But there will be one there. This is the most critical part of ‘The Maritime System’. This is not intended to be the main system for vessels in lotc, it is the first pancake that you throw away after burning it.

 

Cool map: this is a theoretical map of some coastal civilizations and possible fleets(opacity 100%) and tradeships (opacity 50%). The COAs representing them are on the left side.

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[1/4]-Section 5: Officialization: Staff integration -

Spoiler

this part is particularly out-dated, but its concepts are still important to have discussed

Message to Staff: 

All mechanics needed already exist in the server, so Tech Team will not have to be bothered, only whichever team moves ships, a mechanic long-used in Lotc.

As with other aspects of the server, the mechanics of the maritime system depend on some brief interactions between staff and players. In order to bring the highest benefit to the entire LOTC community, the system is designed with the attempt to put as little strain as possible on the attention of staff members, and the shortest possible process required by both sides. ((TLDR: This is a player-driven system, no need to bother staff too much.))

 

[Helping with moving ships]

In order to prevent staff from being swamped with time-consuming movement reqs, there is necessity to keep movable ships in clear spaces where they can easily be world-editted (Cut & Pasted). To further assist staff in not having to spend excessive time and attention on it; groups are encouraged to not make multiple reqs successively, but to keep them around 4 days apart from eachother, and if multiple ships (a fleet) are involved, to req for all of them at once. 

[Needed Info]

- Coords of where the ships, prepared beforehand. 

- Then the coords of where the ships should go; and the direction the ship should point.

- Length & Width of the ship model 

So long as a ship has identification (name) associated with a captain (player), and has a public treaty or an explicit disclosure from a Region Owner; the ship can be moved to an available dock or Harbor space in the receiving location. 

 

[Alternative Movement] 

There are a million ways and reasons why you might need to move a ship to another place, but are not able to get a mover’s attention. In this case, there are free minecraft mods available which are able to essentially paste (in a block-by-block fashion) ships into water. Litematica is a mod most people already know, but Litematica-Printer can also be used to quick-place blocks in their proper spots, so long as the LC region has money. They will be linked below in the 'frequent use notes'.

The difference in these movement options is that the litematica-printer paste, is a copy, not the original, so the boat in the starting location will have to be destroyed or acknowledged as an additional ship within the system.

 

[Naval Engagements] (ref.[4/4])

Understandably, battles on the water will occur, but land-based organized skirmishes happen all the time without staff oversight. Full wars might require an occasional member of a particular team to oversee important battles here and there, but the intention of the Maritime System is to require the least external interaction as possible (player-driven), so a system of battle oversight by the community is actively being considered. 

 

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[1/4]-Section 6: Historical significance of ships -

History paragraphs. Only read if youre cool.

Spoiler

Since the years of the 2nd millenia BC, civilizations of all kinds used ships to acquire various advantages. From the upper lavant in the high iron age (~1100-600 BC), the phoenicians traveled between established trade-posts across the whole mediterranean sea; many of those posts evolved into outposts of militarized colonies (including the Carthaginian Republic) some centuries later, which further used its Tradeships (now equipped into Warships) to extract tribute from Hispanian, Sardinian, and Sicilian coasts. Tribute was in the form of people, luxury trade goods, and of course gold/silver. The Republic of Rome, who seized Sicily and Sardinia in the 1st punic war, was only able to do so after manufacturing and using their own ships. This network of ships was used in the mass sustenance of its growing populations, as it is known that sea-based trade routes carrying Egyptian grain was a primary source of food, imported from its Republic stage to the Byzantine era ending in the middle of the 1st millennium AD. 

 

The republic of Venice was able to keep hold of a vast oceanic commonwealth through the 10th-13th centuries and the years proximal to those. They did this by not investing more-than-necessary into land armies, instead using a large combination of Tradeships and Warships to control port cities across the north-Adriatic and southern Byzantine territories. Using the immense wealth and influence from owning these logistics stations and travel-hubs, they were able to work with the Catholic church for the logistical feat of transporting crusaders to and from the middle-east (then called ‘Outremer’ by the franks) during the wars and through peacetime. Through this process, Venice, Genoa, and Pisa (other city-states which invested into navies) were able to be granted control of important ports and trading rights by the conquering factions.

- As a small tangent, the siege of Jerusalem in the first crusade was achieved shortly after the genoese sailors were able to de-construct their ships and use the wood for siege equipment.

 

The Empire of Great Britain was able to maintain its influence and trade with the rest of the world through their immense navy. Communication, workers, goods and products, as well as dignitaries and travelers of every kind, were carried from place to place only by these ships, and done so much more efficiently than could ever be possible on land. All other vast empires have crumbled due to the difficulties of extending power over distant, isolated communities(example; 5th century BC Persian Empire’s relationship with the Chaldees & Ionian Coast); but with a fast and reliable set of killing/trading machines, royal authority was able to be directly exerted over any state which lacked the ability to deter their naval imposition (only Spain & France). ‘Britannia Rules the waves’ is still a respected cultural legacy with some of the British people I know, and its a totally legitimate thing to be proud of. [Small sub-tangent; America became the next global empire after Britain, and it also happens to be a civilization that built better boats than Britain. Think about that.]

- As a small tangent, the same effect was able to be achieved by the Carolingian Frankish administrators exemplified by Pipin II (of herstal) his son Charlemagne, First Holy Roman Emperor. The Franks were known for having armies composed of highly innovative cavalry regiments, this developed from the necessity of traveling far distances to put down rebellions and secure fresh conquests, but also allowed for the effective communication and scouting in times of peace and war. Just as advantages in speed, communication, information-acquiring, and battle effectiveness helped the franks to consolidate their immense patrimony, the same advantages - through ships - assisted the same result in the British, and later the American empires.

Sadly all of those golden-ages fell off. 

 

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Frequent Use Notes: 

For clarification, some of the words I list here will reference particular meanings as to not cause confusion:

• The 4 mega-chapters of The Maritime System are going to be referred to as ‘books’; [1/4], [2/4], [3/4], [4/4]
• Group/Civilization: This is the word I will use for ‘a politically specific collection of people.’ This is the basic entity I reference when talking about the ‘groups’ (which also include merchants, orders, lairs, vassals, etc.) that own and command ships and/or navies. Realms have their own criteria and requirements in lotc, so the word ‘civilization’/’group’ applies not only to those, but additionally all other groups which own ships at Docks&Harbors. 
• “Wider Waters”: This is a concept I refer to frequently, it encompasses the overall oceans that are connected to the lakes and wide rivers that ships can reasonably pass through (water paths 6-blocks wide and larger will be navigable. This is the only restriction regarding passable waterways).
• Ship-Owner: Unless otherwise specified, the default ‘owner of the ship’ will be the individual which is the direct owner of the ship as property holder.
  • During engagements, the captain or admiral will have command over the involved ships, even if he does not own each specific one. 
  • Dock-Owner: Unless otherwise specified, the default ‘owner of the Dock/Harbor‘ will be the PRO of the region on which it is built, and their ROs. 
• https://www.curseforge.com/minecraft/mc-mods/litematica (Litematica Mod)
  • https://www.9minecraft.net/litematica-printer-mod/#Litematica_Printer_Mod_1211_1201_Download_Links (Litematica Printer Mod)

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Questions, Comments, & Concerns about The Maritime System can be sent to @Lomiei or @lomiei#5456 on discord
https://discord.gg/vvZKTaBDwD This is a brand new discord for the Maritime System

[Jihnyny 5233]

An Orcish pirate raises a brow at the theoretical territories, taking note.

[Pintape 170]

Perfect Timing

[_RoyalCrafter_ 5285]

boats +1

[AlternisJ 381]

based posts

[cornsoda 115]

This be a real solid introduction yar har har

[Frank_Dog 808]

honestly so in depth, mindful and demure. boats +1

 

[Askuzai 505]

An ancient shipwright by the name of Henry wonders if he'll have work to return to.

 

[i.uomini 2552]

7 hours ago, Askuzai said:

An ancient shipwright by the name of Henry wonders if he'll have work to return to.

 

 

😍