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Pirates of the Burning Sea: CES Pre-Launch Progress Report
Stradden
Managing EditorMember CommonPosts: 6,696
Carolyn Koh is in Las Vegas at the Consumer Electronics Show. Yesterday, she spoke with Jess Lebow and numerous other of the Pirates of the Burning Sea dev team about what's changed since the pre-boarding party cam on board and what else will change before launch and beyond.
Pirates of the Burning Sea had a pre-order launch on January 7th, 9am PST. I happened to arrange my appointment with them that afternoon itself and chatted with Content Director Jess Lebow there in Vegas. He gave me a few interesting stats during our conversation when I asked how well the pre-launch was going.
- They had 7,000 accounts signed up in the first five hours of the game.
- They are number 4 on amazon.com for PC titles and number 1 on Gamestop.com
Impressive stats, however I was more interested in the changes, the tweaking and tuning that they had been doing since open beta. Drew Clowery, the avatar combat designer was there as well and reported that it was coming along, looking much better than what we last saw during open beta.
“Too many good changes to describe with many more in the works from feedback obtained during open beta,” I was told. Chatting with current players showed a few of them that improved the new player experience. Some ships seem to have changed sizes or classes and the free 4th level ship, the Renard, that is obtained in the Economy tutorial is no longer a “total pig. Square-rigged, light armor, crappy main guns and slooooow.” But currently described as a hull that’s “friendly with the wind” although the armor and cannon are still on the light side when compared to the Bermuda, but it is the free ship.
;)
Read it all here.
Cheers,
Jon Wood
Managing Editor
MMORPG.com
Comments
You know I'm having a blast with this game, it is a welcome break from Kill the Orc, grind the raid instance.
Im a preorder also, And although I've missed a couple of days do to work .Im having A good time
when I can log.
From what Im reading its only going to get better.
I have been playing since its closed Beta days and now Pre-Lauch Beta. The game has improved and like all mmorpgs, they intend to get better as time goes by.
Currently I am running with my guildmates of the Antigua server and loving it, our Teamspeak Channel is pretty busy. There are usually 15 to 25 of us sailing the seas and immersing ourselves in the content during prime time hours.
Even though we started leveling in the game, know one is really racing to Level 21 before launch day, but we do have a few (Hardcore) level 21's in the guild now that are making alts as well. Some of our guildies even have 2 accounts going.
Heres a Tip for newcomes that may jump aboard and walk the plank. Once you get this mission called 'RED TIDE', make sure you are at least grouped with 4 to 6 players (helps to be above level 10 as well). This is a 'GAME BOSS' mission and lots of fun!
And another tip..
If you like BIG GUNS and SHIPS, you best go Naval. If you like Speed and DPS, then go Privateer. The Merchant Class I havent touched yet, but people making money with that class on the Auction House with their crafting abilitys.
When it comes to choosing a Melee Class, I see alot of people using the Cutlass (Dirty Fighter) do to the area attacks. Then Florentine (Musketeer) seems people like as well. But all melee classes aer enjoyable, but the ground game definetly needs to be POLISHED more!
Goodluck in the Game if you enjoy it. Just remember, this isnt your average mmorpg. You cant even compare EQ, WoW, SWG or TR to it. However Eve Online comes pretty close, but still different.
The game can get repetitive if your blasting your way thru levels. So giving you a fair warning. I would consider myself an above average casual player, but not hardcore by any means.
honestly i was on the fence with the game until some guildies as me to help out with the red tide quest. Once i experienced a group quest...i am itching for more...cant wait till they open up pvp!
Hope the game turns out well. Ive played beta and just wishing they improve on PVP and avatar fighting. The more ships the better. I think im a hold out on buying the game for a few months and see what happens.
_____
WOW - First thread here were someone hasn't taken the oportunity to bash the game, thanks to everyone who posted so far, I personally like the game a lot!
Sure the avatar combat could use a bit more polish, but its actually a lot more indepth than people give it credit for. Looking forward to the DEV chat comming up. I believe this game is an "EvE-Killer"
I hate stupid people.
My Society spent 2+ hours in a PvP battle 2 nights ago... 2+ HOURS...
My client disconnected because of a network messup here at the house and I was actually able to get back on, apparently I sailed directly into the enemy while I was out and when I got back in was getting shot up bad. I quickly returned fire (lack of better options) and managed to split their line. My discconnect caused the win.
Since then we've run group runs and killed off groups of 5-8 level 45-51 while only level 16-21 ourselves. A game where skill conquers level... phenominal.
I, myself, am not a fan of the swashbuckling, but I LOVE the Naval Combat.
- CaesarsGhost
Lead Gameplay and Gameworld Designer for a yet unnamed MMO Title.
"When people tell me designing a game is easy, I try to get them to design a board game. Most people don't last 5 minutes, the rest rarely last more then a day. The final few realize it's neither fun nor easy."
I dont want to go into further detail, but if you want to enjoy this game. Here is a checklist you gotta do and like to do.
1. Roleplay
2. Join a Society aka a Guild to many others.
3. You gotta like PvP / RvR (this is crucial, if your just playing the game for its PvE, then you better leave) the End game is PvP / RvR (as far as I know), so get ready to get hurt and lose your personal ships and cargo.
4. Work as a unit (when grouped with your fellow society members)
5. Get involved with the Player Economy (this is your Faction). This game is close to a Crafters dream!
Anyways, if you dont like any of the above, then this game isnt for you. Not to sound harsh, but if you want a game like EQ or the other fantasy mmorpgs with pirates, try Pirates of The Carribean MMO.
Granted, any MMO can get lonely if you go at it solo the whole time. But I'm a story whore, and this game -- no hyperbole involved -- has the sharpest, wittiest writing I've seen in an MMO to date, even for the soloists. I guess when writers aren't handcuffed by writing missions like "Kill ten boars so I can make you a leather belt," then writers can actually delve into more humanistic stories.
In the first town alone, you send a young man (who's too ashamed to actually meet you) back on the path of righteousness; you serve as a liaison between a magistrate and a bartender, crossing social barriers in order to put a local crime lord in his place; over the span of several mission, you gain a deep-seated arch-nemesis in the form of Los Ladrones (if you're Spanish), the Bloody Arms (if you're French), etc.. There's a lot more great stories even in the first 10 levels.
I can't wait to see what else is in store.