Pirates of the Burning Sea

[Benjamin Korr]

This game is supposed to be a ground-breaker in terms of MMOs. Personally I'm thrilled with the direction they're taking and in case anyone here hasnt heard about the game yet, here's their website:

 

http://www.burningsea.com/pages/page.php?pageKey=home

 

We've got a great forum community and some awesome admins/devs who are very good about answering any questions you can come up with. And as a side note, those of you who have heard about/will hear about their involvement with SOE, well the devs have made it very clear that SOE will have 0 authority when it comes to the game itself. SOE will only be marketing/distributing the game.

 

So with that said, I'll see you on the high seas!

[Gfted1]

Cool site, thanks for the link. Seems like Pirates! but I just dont understand how you can make an MMO out of it. This page has an overview of the game and its seems to be rather limited in size (Caribbean) and scope (ship-to-ship fighting and port attack). I mean, whats going to keep you coming back for more?

Edited July 30, 2007 by Gfted1

[Benjamin Korr]

Well the map isnt as small as you think. The devs have stated that the real life time it will take to go from the southernmost port on the map to the northern-most port could take anywhere from 40 minutes to an hour depending on wind conditions and so-forth. So no, it's a big map. (Note that if you have a ship docked in a port on the other side of the world, you can instantly switch to that ship/port if you are currently docked at a different port.)

 

As for the PvP, I was sceptical about the system as well till I got to know it a little better. There can be up to 12 out of 80+ ports in what is known as a "contested" state. When in that state, pvp is allowed in a circle-like area around the port for about 200-300 miles. (It takes about 5 minutes to sail from the outermost part of the circle to the innermost part) There will be incentive for freetraders to access these ports as their valuables may be in high demand there, or they may have valuables stored in that port that they want to retrieve in case a different faction takes the port over who will then charge them a hefty tax to remove it. Naval officers will want to enter these PvP zones because there will be pirates trying to raid convoys, and so on and so forth.

 

The actual gameplay is alot deeper than what I've described, but I'd reccodment checking out the forums to save my fingers from having to retype it all.

[Hurlshort]

I look forward to hearing a few reviews, although if an open beta pops up, I might try it. I'm a bit skeptical, but Sea Dogs was one of my favorite games ever, and I can see how an open sea game could work on a large scale.

[Gfted1]

^Here is the beta signup page.

[Benjamin Korr]

^Here is the beta signup page.

The beta is closed right now, but they've said they'll be taking in around 10000 new beta applicants very soon. After they finish with the closed beta, they'll open it up for the last couple of weeks before release.

 

One thing I wanted to mention is that this game goes beyond the norm in MMO's in that the level of your character is not the ultimate decider in PvP combat. Skill is. To understand what I mean you'd have to read up on it a little bit in the forums, but trust me, this is not another WoW ripoff.

 

Another major point is the trading system. Almost everything in-game you will ever buy will be manufactured by another player. And there will be no more of this WoW junk where you make 5021 cotton T-shirts before you are a good enough tailor to make buffed armor, but well, again you'll have to read up on that one.

[Benjamin Korr]

If anyone is interested, here's a link to a recent developer chat that was very enlightening for me.

 

http://forums.gamingradio.net/showthread.php?t=1162

[Hurlshort]

Sounds like Eve in space...err...open water.

[Benjamin Korr]

Sounds like Eve in space...err...open water.

 

Is that a bad thing?

 

And for the record it isnt quite like EvE because there are some differences in the PvP system as well as a landbased system which is definately not seen in EvE. That's just the tip of the iceburg, but again you'll wanna check out the forums.

[Benjamin Korr]

Long time no post, but I wanted to give an update on what's going on over here.

 

Starting today anybody and everybody can download the "Stress Test" beta version of the game at FilePlanet to try out till Sunday night.

 

Please note: This isnt open beta and the beta version you'll be testing is 2 months out of date. The ship combat is highly polished but the swordfighting is poor and you can expect alot of lag and crashes.

 

We're looking at a late November/Early December release right now, and the devs at FLS have assured us that the release will definately be out before Christmas.

 

If you havnt already checked this game out be sure and do so at their website! www.piratesoftheburningsea.com

 

See you on the high seas!

[Benjamin Korr]

Official Unchangable release date just announced: January 22nd.

 

For those who preorder on the 23rd of this month, you will get a 15 day early start.

[Hurlshort]

I'm trying to play the stress test, but I'm having issues...of course I think that's my fault for hitting the test server button.

[Benjamin Korr]

Well the stress test is just what it sounds like. You'll be lucky to get more than 10 minutes of gameplay in at a time before the server crashes. Your best bet if you want to play more is to apply for entrance into the closed beta (soon to be expanded) via their website.

[Hurlshort]

I got my 10 minutes of play, and I was pretty happy with what I saw. It's not likely to win over many MMO haters, but the game really does offer a fresh take on the genre and it is very professionally done. The ship to ship combat was great, if you ever played Sea Dogs, it's fairly similiar.