Frontier 5: Tempest Passage¶
Edition scope — 9 September 2026: Chapter One focuses on frontier advancement, basic parties, three tutorial lessons, repeatable timed gathering and crafting anywhere. Deeper RPG systems are disabled but retained for the full MMO. Six-frontier, naval, custom-equipment and extended-story designs below describe that larger world. The current roadmap takes precedence over earlier milestone/group-size wording.
Status: Proposed PvE naval pack · M6
An orc blockade stands between the mainland campaign and the Ashen Crown. Players prepare a vessel at a captured frontier dock, run the passage, fight enemy ships, repel boarding parties and secure an island landing. The ship is a shared place to fight, not a fast-travel cutscene.
The crew¶
| Station | What the player controls | Why teammates matter |
|---|---|---|
| Helm | Heading, speed, sail state and approach | The helmsman presents a broadside, avoids hazards and creates boarding opportunities |
| Cannons | Aim, load, fire and choose hull/sail/crew targets | Gunners need firing angles, ammunition and protection |
| Deck defence / boarding | Personal melee, archery and magic on moving decks | Defenders stop raiders reaching the helm; boarding parties disable enemy stations |
| Repair and supply | Carry ammunition, patch damage and manage limited stores | Repair buys time but spends resources and exposes crew to danger |
| Scout / signal | Spot threats and mark targets/landing conditions | Gives the crew a shared plan before visibility closes in |
Roles are stations anyone can take, not permanent character classes. Start with one readable combat hull and approximately five meaningful jobs; scale the major engagement toward ten to twenty players across one or more crews after measurement. Make helm handoff immediate when a player disconnects. An empty helm slows safely; it must not permanently strand a run.
Encounter: break the chain¶
Leave the protected harbour → choose cover through the sea stacks → engage an orc gunship → repel boarders → disable the Chain Lantern sea fort → hold the landing while supply boats reach shore.
Possible partial successes include rescuing a crew, carrying most supplies through, disabling a blockade ship or withdrawing with intelligence. A sunk ship has a clear evacuation and recovery flow. New players can load guns, repair and fight boarders while veterans handle harder navigation and assault tasks.
The harbour haven remains safe. The sea lane, forward docks and island beachhead can be retaken. Naval defence must matter to the territory/supply network rather than exist as an isolated minigame.
Technical and art gates¶
Prototype authoritative ship movement and networked player movement relative to a deck before building the full encounter. Test collisions, jumping, falling overboard, boarding between moving bodies, cannon hit validation, damage states, reconnect, ownership transfer of the helm and disembarkation.
Use original Blender hulls, fittings, cannons and damage variants. Budget water, foam, smoke, fire and shadows under combat load; keep the horizon and hostile sails readable. Validate the M4 Pro client and a realistic multiplayer latency envelope. A single offline ship demo does not pass M6.