Composition of exploration fleet

[unmerged(930)]

What would be a good composition for a fleet of exploration, for example, a fleet you might use to cross an unknown ocean and explore what is on the other side? How many ships do you need to have a good chance of not losing your fleet to attrition? Soldiers? Etc.? What other factors to consider? Thanks.

 

[Chema_Cagi]

I would like to see what others have to say.

Usually I use around 6 warships with an explorer, or 8-10 warships whithout explorer. And always doing many shift-clicks in ports to reduce the 'months at sea' factor.
Sailing for example with the default 3 ships that come with some explorers is very risky. I've lost Columbus some 3 times in my first games this way.

But I would like to know if adding galleys and/or transport ships and/or troops does something or not...

 

[Olaf the Unsure]

Originally posted by Chema_Cagi
And always doing many shift-clicks in ports to reduce the 'months at sea' factor.

What do you mean by 'shift-clicks?' What does it do?

 

[UnionBuster]

I would guess it's a way of 'pathfinding', to set up multiple way points.


Didn't know you could do that...

 

[unmerged(1057)]

With explorer I use minimum 6 ships with stops in a port or two on the way. But it is still risky in some waters like around Table or the Indian Ocean.

 

[Chema_Cagi]

Using Shift-Right Clicking

By using Shift-RightClick you can set waypoints to your routes. The best part of this is that a loaded fleet can be set to waypoint at a given port and continue forward, and the troops aren't unloaded: the ships do a loop, enter the port, and continue the path you have set, turning the 'months at sea' count to zero.

I have set this way fleets on 'patrol' duty, by SHFT-RClick from one port to another many times. Not too many times, just in case this may bring out some unpleasant crash bug...

Playing Portugal or Spain (or any other power with a decent flow of colonists), it's very useful to have a level 1 colony port in one or two mostly unuseful provinces, but which have a coastline (as viewed in the province info screen): when you colonize one of such provinces with settlers (not traders), you have a PORT, upon which you can set waypoints to round Cape Hope and arrive to the India whithout having to worry about attrition and such. Or a level one colony in Oahu to cross the Pacific safely...etc,etc

 

[Olaf the Unsure]

Thanks. Sounds like a great strategy.

 

[Barthold De Mortaigne]

I use an explorer with 7 warships (just a lucky #...) and plan the route ahead, making use of ports. The ports are very important.

 

[unmerged(194)]

Originally posted by Chema_Cagi
[...] I would like to know if adding galleys and/or transport ships and/or troops does something or not...

Since galleys don't last very well outside the Mediterranean, I would imagine that adding them to your exploration fleet searching for the Americas would result in loss of the galleys pretty quickly.

 

[unmerged(90)]

I use three transports with an explorer and make many small frogleaps from a port. Even discovering one sea zone, back to port. Then the following sea zone and back to port, etc.

Transports are cheaper than warship. I rather lose a transport than a warship.

There is a strange feature in naval attrition that goes like this : the bigger the fleet, the bigger your loss.
Ie, you lose 5% of your fleet every month.
If you have 20 ships in your fleet, you'll lose 20*5% = 1 ship the first month.
If you have only 5 ships, you'll lose 5*5% = 0,25 ship.

Conclusion after one month, you get from 20 to 19 ships or stay at 5 ships, as you haven't lost one 'full' ship yet. Therefore, make expeditions smaller.

Later in the game, when pirates appear, warships can replace transports.

 

[Barthold De Mortaigne]

Originally posted by yndenwal
Later in the game, when pirates appear, warships can replace transports.

Yep, thats why I use warships in my explorer fleets!

(and it would be a loss of prestige to use petty transport ships in my explorerfleets which represents my Glorious Nation around the world!)

 

[unmerged(1383)]

Its a long way...

Been trying to 'discover' India and the Far East in more than one game now and but I always end up loosing my explorers before they cross Cape of Good Hope. Trying to find suitable places to build a level 1 colony but there's harly any spot available... Can you resupply in the colonial ports of allies ?


G.

 

[unmerged(90)]

Re: Its a long way...

Originally posted by grallon
Been trying to 'discover' India and the Far East in more than one game now and but I always end up loosing my explorers before they cross Cape of Good Hope. Trying to find suitable places to build a level 1 colony but there's harly any spot available... Can you resupply in the colonial ports of allies ?


G.

No unless you are both at war against the same ennemy.

Proceed with frogleaps and come back very often back to harbour. Find St Helena in the Atlantic, it's the best place (one colonist is enough as it has a positive growth rate).