Jobbing Guide

From YPPedia
Opinion.gif The topic of this article is subject to personal opinion, and does not represent any one absolute truth.
If you disagree, discuss your concerns on the the talk page before editing.
Welcome t'Jobbin' 101 mates. We hope ye'll find this a useful guide t'aid ye in yer seafarin' adventures.

Gettin' started with jobbin'

Image:VoyageExample.JPG As most of ye are aware, ye can find a temporary job with a crew on the notice board on any island, under the voyages tab. Under this tab ye'll find a number o' headings, dependin' on what types of voyages are available.
The possible types of voyages are:
  • Trading with a crew - This is the exact opposite of pillaging, in that the captain of the ship is most often trying to AVOID fights as he moves commodities from one place to another.


Pillaging is just what it sounds like, a ship out attackin' other ships on the open ocean for fun and profit. Whereas a flotilla attack is specifically aimin' t'go attack one o'them pesky Brigand Kings whats camped up at a league point.
We'll address each of these type of voyages in turn, Each 'Voyage' consists of a number of elements, the four common to all are, the crew, where that crew is based, the type of ship they're hiring on, and that ships name.

Pillaging with a crew

Image:VoyageExample.JPG

Lets take the first example off the example image, its under the heading Pillaging with a crew.
The first voyage listed reads:
'Valentine Dragon', based on Tigerleaf Mountain, is hiring on the Baghlah 'Valued Angelfish', splitting booty according to 'Even' and hunting for Hard to Very Hard Brigands.
Lookin' at this we can determine the following:
  • The crew that is lookin' for jobbers is Valentine Dragon
  • That crew is based on Tigerleaf Mountain
  • They're sailing a baghlah named Valued Angelfish
  • They're splittin' their booty accordin' to the 'even' booty split.
  • Since this is a 'pillage' it has an additional piece of information 'Hunting <difficulty> <type>' in this case 'Hard to Very Hard Brigands'
Now the first three should be *FAIRLY* self explanatory. It says who they are, where they're from, and what they're sailin'.
Booty split is explained here, and is a fairly complex subject all by itself. Thankfully, it isn't terribly necessary that you understand it. Its just a way t'help you find a voyage with a better payout.
The hunting bit determines the average difficulty level of the Brigands they're bound t'run into, and this has an effect on how much PoE they'll be putting out. Higher difficulty, better PoE. At least, on average. Then again, if they're constantly losing against these tougher opponents, could be just the opposite.
That there's pretty much all you should need t'select a voyage. We'll cover what happens next after we talk about the other two types of voyages.

Flotilla attack

Image:VoyageExample3.jpg

Now we can move onto the second example, flotilla attack. In the previous example image, there was no flotilla attack listed, so see the new example here on the right.
A flotilla attack is a voyage specifically aimed at going after one of the Brigand Kings fleets that have taken up residence at a league point. These play far more like a blockade than they do a normal pillage, at least, once you get there they do.
Lets take a look at the example off the image to the right, its under the heading Flotilla Attack.
The first voyage listed reads:
'Manannan's Seawolves', based on Fintan Island, is hiring on the Sloop 'Slow Haddock', splitting booty according to 'Promotion Pays'
  • The crew that is lookin' for jobbers is Manannan's Seawolves
  • That crew is based on Fintan Island
  • They're sailing a sloop named Slow Haddock
  • They're splittin' their booty accordin' to the 'promotion pays' booty split.
  • Since this is a 'flotilla attack', theres no listing for what difficulty of what kind of brigands they're hunting, as their goal is to enter a flotilla.
Now due to the nature of flotilla attacks ye'll probably not see alot of sword or rumble combat. All your PoE profit will come from yer XO sinking ships, and Treasure Hauling. Its best ye see the etiquette portion o'this document before headin' out on one o' these voyages.
The most important difference ye'll notice is that ye'll not be paid yer Treasure Haul profits right away, the XO will split the booty back at port, and ye needn't be on the ship at that time t'get yer cut.

Trading with a crew

Image:VoyageExample4.jpg

Moving on to the third type of voyage. These are the tradin' run voyages. With these voyages, the XO is attempting to move commodities from one island to another. In these cases, they generally aren't lookin' t' go up against the brigands and barbarians what traverse the ocean.
Lets take the first example off the example image, its under the heading Trading with a Crew.
The first voyage listed reads:
'Manannan's Seawolves', based on Fintan Island, is hiring on the Sloop 'Slow Haddock', paying an average of 10 PoE a league, and splitting booty according to 'Promotion Pays'
Lookin' at this we can determine the following:
  • The crew that is lookin' for jobbers is Manannan's Seawolves
  • That crew is based on Fintan Island
  • They're sailing a sloop named Slow Haddock
  • Since this is a trading voyage, and the XO is trying to avoid combat, instead of just a flat cut of whatever booty they pillage (since they'll be avoiding combat and there isn't bound t'be much of it), you're paid based on the indicated amount of PoE per league point you're on the voyage, in this case 10. Now, thats not to say your guaranteed to get exactly 10 poe. It may decrease or increase based on how well you performed your duty during the previous league weighted against the other pirates on the ship. This is on top of a cut of whatever booty they pillage.
  • They're splittin' their booty accordin' to the 'promotions pays' booty split.
Now due to the nature of a Trading Voyage, ye'll probably not see alot of seabattle. Most o'yer PoE will come from the XO whats leadin' the voyage. Remember mates, yer helpin' 'em move stuff, not fight.

Greeter pillage

Now lets move on to 'greeter pillages', these are fairly rare, and will appear under a heading of 'Greeter Pillage. (Amazin', wot?)
These listings are very simple, due to the nature of the voyage (which is explained further below:
'Valentine Dragon', based on Tigerleaf Mountain, is hiring on the Baghlah 'Valued Angelfish'.
Thats it, short and sweet, lookin' at this, we find the following:
  • The crew that is lookin' for jobbers is Valentine Dragon
  • That crew is based on Tigerleaf Mountain
  • They're sailing a baghlah named Valued Angelfish
Now the first three should be *FAIRLY* self explanatory. It says who they are, where they're from, and what they're sailin'.
Booty split is explained here, and is a fairly complex subject all by itself. Thankfully, it isn't terribly necessary that you understand it. Its just a way t'help you find a voyage with a better payout.
The hunting bit determines the average difficulty level of the Brigands they're bound t'run into, and this has an effect on how much PoE they'll be putting out. Higher difficulty, better PoE. At least, on average. Then again, if they're constantly losing against these tougher opponents, could be just the opposite.
That there's pretty much all you should need t'select a voyage. We'll cover what happens next after we talk about the other two types of voyages.

Joining a voyage

So you've found a voyage that sounds like what yer in the mood for. Now what? Well mate, you just hit the 'apply' button.

Image:VoyageExample2.jpg

Image:JobOffer.jpg

This'll send a whistle to any crew officers on the ship. Give them a moment t'look over yer information and decide whether t'offer ye a job or not. If they decide t'offer ye a job, ye'll get a whistle and have this message pop up in yer 'Ahoy' tab. (Notice the button thats lit)

Boarding a ship

If ye hit the 'Accept' button, ye'll get one o'two responses. Ye'll either be whisked aboard the vessel, or told "Avast! She's in the heat of battle. Ye will have to wait for the battle to finish before you can go aboard."
If the latter happens, ye'll need t'find yer way t'the docks. Simplest way t'do this is to click on the picture of the island in the upper right hand corner (as shown in the image on the right), at which point you'll see a list of ships you can board. Usually the ship you're wantin' t'board will be the first on the list. Having located it on that list, its best t'send a message on the jobbing crew chat, /jcrew, requesting that you be informed when they get out. And then, be patient. Battles can sometimes take up to 10-15 minutes, other times they're over right away. When they tell you they're out, just click on the ship in the list, and it'll bring ye aboard!

Once yer aboard

Image:DutyReport.jpg Image:LeaguePoint.jpg

On any voyage, regardless of type, the first thing ye should do is thank the Captain for bringin' ye aboard in vessel chat, and askin' where they'd like you.
When you're aboard a ship ye should always follow proper jobbing etiquette, the basics o'which are askin' where the XO (commanding officer of the vessel) wants ye, and goin' there with no arguments. Ye should move from yer station only when asked t'do so by the XO. It is, however, usually alright to ask in a /tell, once if you may switch stations if its something you'd rather not be doin, or aren't particularly good at. Remember, yer an employee on the ship, and the Captains good enough t'be runnin' a sail for folks to go on, treat the XO and Captain of the ship with the proper respect.
Alright, so ye've gotten onboard the ship, and yer at yer station. Now what? Well, the XO will keep the ship under sail. Ye'll notice duty reports popping up at every league point. These give you a basic idea of how you and everyone else on the ship are performing at their duty stations.
This is important for the XO as he can keep an eye on those who are lazing at stations. So just because yer on a station, don't think yer XO can't tell if yer not doin' anythin'. Incidentally, don't panic if ye get a 'booched' on yer first duty report on a sail. Since you can pop in mid-league, it happens sometimes.
What happens beyond this is a function of what kind of sail you're on. So we'll cover those specifics next.




Yer basic pillage

Image:Bnav.JPG

Ahhh the pillage. Mainstay of most pirates life, this is a voyage that is direct and simple in its scope. Ye get on a ship, ye set sail t'where the winds take ye, and hunt down brigands and barbarians, and take away their PoE by meetin' them in sea battle. Occasionally, ye'll even battle other Player Pirates!
Ye can be jobbed onto a pillage at nearly any point, as the ships are constantly in and out of sea battle. Of course, as usual, ye can't board the ship durin' battle, but thats been covered above.
So once ye board the ship, and have thanked the XO and taken yer station, ye simply stay on it until you go into sea battle. At that point you will notice the screen change from looking like it does in the league point image above (Note: Battles do not just happen at league points), to looking like the BNav image to the right, notice the grid.
Through methods described in another section, yer XO will square off against the brigands ship, using cunning and luck t'line up cannonfire, and ultimately, grapple the ship. Throughout this sequence you'll continue doin' whatever puzzle ye be on, and checkin' yer chat screen and listenin' for the whistle that might mean yer XO means they want ye t'do somethin' else.
When yer XO successfully grapples the enemy vessel, ye'll go into a duty report first, and then into either a sword fight screen, or a rumble screen, dependin' on whether the enemy be brigand or barbarian, respectively.
The most important thing in either of these is teaming, which while covered more thoroughly elsewhere, can be summed up in two basic rules:
  • In a sword fight, ye must keep t'teams of no more than 3.
  • In rumble, ye must keep t'teams of no more than 4.
In all cases both of these rules may be superseded by your XO, and frequently may be, especially in rumble, where no hard and fast oceanwide rule has been set. The reasons for these numbers is explained elsewhere.

Image:BootyAward.JPG

Provided ye win the battle, yer crew will be awarded booty won from the enemy, and ye'll immediately recieve 75% of what yer due from the booty split. The rest will be received when the ship pulls into port, though ye need not be on the ship, or even logged in, to recieve it. After battle the first thing ye should do is return t'yer station. Don't delay a bit in doin' this, as ye'll be back underway immediately and searchin' for more enemys to plunder!
For the rest o'yer voyage, its more o'the same till the ship pulls into port. If ye've got an XO who's half-way competent, ye'll come home with a healthy dose o' PoE in yer pocket. Again, if ye need t'leave before the ship hits port, just be sure t'wait till yer between battles, and let the XO know yer leavin'. T'ain't nothin' ruder than taken yer leave off a ship yer jobbin' on without sayin' so much as g'bye. Better still, thank yer XO for the pillage!

Yer basic flotilla attack

Flotilla attacks, the most recently introduced aspect of a Pirates nautical career. The foul Brigand Kings have come sailin' out of Magog's dark realm to terrorize the honest piratical folk of the seas.
We'll supply ye with more information on these in another section, for now we're goin' t'focus on yer part in them. When ye take a job on a Flotilla attack, yer signin' on for somethin' thats quite a bit different than yer usual pillage. Instead o' headin' out on the wild seas t'take on whatever brigand or barbarian comes along, ye're headin' out t'take on the Brigand Kings fleet, currently stationed at a league point.
Typically with a flotilla attack, ye'll be jobbed on at port, though ye may be jobbed on partway t'the target, or on the way back t'port from the attack. The more scrupulous XO's won't take jobbers on the way back from a flotilla, as they know yer lookin' t'go into one and likely do some Treasure Haulin'.

Image:FlotillaPoint.JPG

Once yer aboard, ye follow the same procedure ye followed with a pillage voyage. Thank the XO for havin' ye aboard, and ask 'em what station they'd have ye take. From there yer ship stays underway t' the flotilla (see image at right), perhaps encountering a brigand or barbarian or two along the way.
Through methods described in another section, yer XO will square off against the brigands ship, using cunning and luck t'line up cannonfire, and with any luck, sink an enemy ship or two. Throughout this sequence you'll continue doin' whatever puzzle ye be on, and checkin' yer chat screen and listenin' for the whistle that might mean yer XO means they want ye t'do somethin' else.

Image:TreasureHaul1.JPG

If they happen t'sink a ship, and get into a safe location next to it (Or on top of it), ye'll get a message that will pop up inviting you to go Treasure Hauling. To reiterate, make sure ye've gotten instructions from yer XO on when yer allowed t'leave yer station t'go Treasure Haulin'. This is important because they still have t'keep the ship mobile, which requires folks Carpin', Bilgin', and Sailin', so most often they'll have ye take turns at the Haul.
When the ship moves away from the sunken ship, and therefor yer no longer able t'haul treasure, if ye're in the Treasure Haulin' puzzle, it'll boot ye. Get right back on yer station, immediately. Remember, if yer ship gets sunk, yer out all that hard hauled booty. Explanations on how a ship can get sunk can be found here.



Yer basic trading run

In essence, Trading runs play out much the same as pillages, except that ye get paid an average of the advertised rate as explained here, On top o' any plunder ye might win from sea battle.
Remember, the point of a tradin' run is t'move commodities from one location t'another. So yer XO is likely t'avoid combat if at all possible t'get his goods moved quickly and safely from one place t'another. And a fight lost against an enemy vessel can lose him commodities, and extend the length of the voyage.
Other than that one caveat, it will be exactly like a pillage. One thing voyages like these can be good for is bein' able t'play the duty puzzles for long stretches uninterrupted by combat.

Yer basic greeter pillage

Greeters will occasionally set up pillages that allow them t'take a first hand in helpin' new folks onto the Ocean. This is not a pillage t'go on t'earn a goodly amount o'PoE, but its definitely one t'get yer feet under ye on.
During a greeter pillage, it is not possible to attack other player vessels, nor be attacked by them. Brigands and Barbarians will give up less loot, but only those with green names will get paid (The newest of new pirates in other words) the 75% after battle.
However, in addition t' loot from enemys, new pirates also get paid an average of 10 PoE per league, just like on a trader voyage. Older players only receive booty at the final division of the booty at port.
Another difference ye'll notice if yer still green, is greenies who apply to the pillage are automatically brought on board. This means no waitin' t'board the vessel. All other jobbers have t'be approved by the Officers on board.

Voyage type specific etiquette

Due to the nature of the various voyages, some have different etiquette that needs t'be followed than others. While all of these are covered here we'll cover them in brief below.

Pillaging

The single most important thing aboard a sail is *DO NOT LEAVE IN BATTLE*.. Let me say that again, just so ye swabs get it DO NOT LEAVE IN BATTLE!. If your house isn't on fire, or your baby playing with razorblades, just don't do it. A full explanation can be found with the jobbing etiquette explanation. But suffice to say this is the one MAJOR thing you *DO NOT* do.
Other than that:
  • Don't leave the ship without lettin' the Officer know
  • Don't step away from your keyboard without leavin' the ship first (you can always reboard from shore)
  • Be polite to the Crew you're jobbin' with, and yer fellow jobbers.
  • Generally speakin', askin' t' Gun or Nav is one o'the more annoyin' traits jobbers can have, safer t'just not do it.
  • Don't harass the XO about 'when the next fight is goin' t'be'. It'll happen as quick as 'e can find one.

Flotilla attack

Due to the nature of these voyages, and the fact that you can remain in combat a long time you should be prepared to be on a ship for a long while. If the ship gets sunk, all the PoE you've Treasure Hauled will be lost, and no one will get any of it.
Other than that:
  • Ask the XO's policy for Treasure Haul.
  • Don't start Treasure Haul without the XO's say so.
  • Get back on station the instant the XO says to.
  • Stay until the Flotilla engagement is over unless there's an emergency.

Trading

  • Don't ask the XO when you're going to engage a ship, yer not going to, yer hauling commodities.
  • Basics of pillaging apply, try to stay for the whole trip.
  • Don't complain about the pay, you knew what you were getting when you signed on.

Greeter pillage

The etiquette of the other types of voyage apply here, with this addendum.
  • If a question gets asked by a new person on board, feel free to provide the answer politely if ye know it. Remember, these are new folks, just like ye were. But be certain you're giving them GOOD information, if ye aren't sure, defer t'the more experienced.
Retrieved from "https://yppedia.puzzlepirates.com/index.php?title=Jobbing_Guide&oldid=721211"