Ahoy mateys,
I wanted to showcase the pack of patches I am working on that is aimed at (re-)creating an enhanced, full-featured, authentic Sea Dogs experience in Caribbean Tales -- which, contrary to popular opinion, is the go-to fave of mine -- to tie it properly into the series as the worthy sequel it is (or could have been), fixing immersion and game breaking bugs and flaws/annoyances along the way -- without compromising the original story and gameplay experience.
Edit: (Eesh, that's a mouthful...! )
To put it simply: *** These changes work much like a well-done, unofficial update to the (GOG 1.5) game. ***
I've successfully adapted COAS' first person dialog camera view for CT, and tweaked it to more true-to-life and practical settings (adjusting it to Beatrice's and Blaze's different eye levels), and adding some of my own camera design for talking with sitting characters (that is reminiscent of the first Sea Dogs).
I've also updated the game's UI design a bit to fit modern, widescreen gaming standards, and increased the font-size for key UI visual elements.
Perhaps most importantly, I've managed to fix a major, game-breaking bug related to quests, effectively re-enabling missing quest scripts, scenes, and events from the game -- which were intended to be part of the original gameplay experience, but were botched up due to a simple, last minute programming mistake when the game shipped (hence why the original release of the game feels so bare and unfinished).
I have also successfully made a comprehensive change to the passage of time in the game to make time pass dependably and reflect actual/real Caribbean evening/sunset/night time.
The latest significant development is an enhancement of the officers' AI to give them situational awareness, meaning that they will not stand blocking the player's path.
Also, I've fixed a myriad of (game-breaking) bugs...
Lots to tell... A more detailed summary (from the user documentation) below:
----
DESCRIPTION:
A pack of user made patches for the version 1.5 (GOG) release of Sea Dogs: Caribbean Tales, also known as Age of Pirates, that aim to fix some critical flaws with this release of the game, as well as introduce a few new features to improve the gaming experience. You can pick and choose which patch(es) you'd like to apply to your game.
CONTENTS:
1. BEATRICE ANIMATION GLITCH FIX: Fixes the sudden visual glitch jerks in Beatrice's walk, block, and turn animations.
2. CAPTAIN COMING THROUGH: A brand new feature, this patch adds spatial awareness to fighters (officers). They will no longer continue standing in the player's way (blocking all movement) if the player is trying to get past them. Instead, when the player is up-close and pressing them, they will try to move to a sensible spot, and follow the captain's directions/lead -- even when there are multiple officers present and things are crowded.
3. DIALOG CAMERA: Introduces first-person dialogues to Caribbean Tales, as well as a new, cinematic camera angle for talking with sitting characters (that is reminiscent of the first Sea Dogs game).
4. EMPTY DIALOGUE BUG FIX: Fixes a game-breaking bug in the English language version that leaves a character dialogue stuck and empty (and crashes the game) if the player talks to a quest-giver again after accepting a common type of escort quest.
5. EXTRA LOCATIONS: A comprehensive patch that restores and unlocks churches and banks both for visitation and use in the game -- adding some new features -- as well as completes the gameplay mechanic for borrowing money from banks, now with negative consequences for failing to pay your debt. IMPORTANT: This patch is to be applied for English language gameplay only (until someone helps me translate it). Don't use it if you're playing the game in another language. For the changes to take effect, this patch requires that you start a new game.
6. GOODS DELIVERY QUEST BUG FIXES: Fixes three of the most jarring and common bugs in the game, related to the 'deliver trade goods to/from another colony' type quests, where the player can end up with extra goods from another quest (that they haven't agreed to delivering), where the store owners get confused in their dialogue about where they are expecting their goods from, and where only part of the goods to be transported is loaded onto the ship (if there's not enough space in the player's cargo hold). NOTE: This patch is for everyone, but the last bug fix listed here will only work if you're playing the game in English.
7. GOVERNOR'S MESSAGE FIX: Fixes the broken 'help defend besieged ally colony' type quest -- removing many bugs and giving it its originally intended, potential official ending and reward -- fixes/completes the design of the related "governor's message" user interface alert window, and translates the window's text content from Russian into English.
8. GUN LOAD AUDIO FEEDBACK: Brings the old boatswain voice from the original Sea Dogs game into Caribbean Tales for gun loading feedback -- for the player only -- minimising your need to keep glancing at the visual indicators, and allowing you to focus on the battle. This patch also includes a new sound effect for when all guns are loaded; an authentic, classic ship's bell being rung. NOTE: If you wish to disable a particular sound effect, simply remove or rename the audio file (e.g. '_balls_disabled.wav'). You can also subsitute the sound effects with any other WAV file(s) you like.
9. LAND DEATH MUSIC: Adds the sea battle death ("the end") music theme to land and boarding player character deaths as well.
10. LARGER TEXT: Designed to save eyes while playing with a gamepad from the couch, this patch increases the font size of the user interface where key/practical and updates (fixes the broken icons and spacing on) some of the user interface elements for a more visually friendly widescreen experience. It also makes the ship class indicator show more -- not less -- stars the more valuable a ship is, and adjusts the "sneak" action's range to actually have to be near an enemy port to have the user option to sneak into town.
11. MUSIC EXPANSION: Adds three fitting additional scores from the original Sea Dogs to the game's musical playlist -- two of which can also be heard in the Pirates of the Caribbean ("Invasion") intro video. Taverns will now often play jolly music, the towns will sometimes have 'peaceful colony' music, and sea battles will on occasion be accompanied by 'ghost squadron' music instead of the usual battle score.
12. MUTINY FIX: Enables mutiny in the game. Your crew will rise up against you if you starve them or if their morale is kept at the lowest of the low, and a battle with the mutinous crew will ensue on board your ship.
13. NO EMBLEM OPTION: Adds an empty, 'no emblem' option to the "change sails" menu to allow you to set your sails emblem back to none.
14. PASSENGERS FIX: Makes the passengers (in the 'transport person' type quest) walk to the local tavern after arriving to their destination and speaking with you instead of just "disappearing" (or walking/teleporting past you towards the end of the pier).
15. QUESTS MAJOR BUG FIX: Fixes one of the biggest issues with this release of the game; it restores all the missing quest scenes, scripts, and events that were thought non-existent, making the game an all-over richer experience to play. You can now stay for a night in a room at the tavern, and/or complete a whole bunch of various (side-)quests that were previously inaccessible due to a coding mistake.
16. SEAGULL POS-FIX: Fixes the misalignment of the seagull's positioning in the launch menu in non-Russian language settings of the game that caused it to stand/sit in the air, just above the wooden post. IMPORTANT: Do not apply this on the Russian language menu (which is slightly different in layout, and which already has the seagull correctly aligned).
17. SHIP MANAGEMENT BUG FIXES: This patch disables the cheat-prone and save-corrupting, faulty, second implementation of the "replace captain" user option on the "shipyard" screen, and includes two minor bug fixes to data display on the "ships" screen.
18. SHIP SWAP NAME SWAP FIX: Fixes a small developer oversight; it makes the ship names swap along with their stats and picture on the "ransack" screen when you are swapping ships.
19. SNEAKING FIX: Makes the player's ship(s) not show docked in port when 'sneaking' in an enemy town, and adds a (representational) passage of time for the player to manage to sneak into town (reach it in a boat). This patch also fixes a greeting selection bug, restoring the patrol soldiers' 'enemy recognised' greeting(s), and appropriately locks banks (in the same way as the rest of the businesses are) in enemy towns.
20. TIME FIX: A comprehensive patch to turn the passage of time in the game into something a little more dependable and realistic -- based on actual Caribbean sunrise and sunset times. Merchants will now pack up for the day at 5 PM and night will fall, appropriately, after 7 PM. People will stop roaming the streets after dusk, and will generally avoid being out when it rains. Bug fixes to time display are also included. IMPORTANT: This patch is not compatible with your previous saves. It requires that you start a new game.
----
Current development status: Released! -- Feedback welcome. :3
FAQ:
Q: Why did my sky/sea turn into all sorts of strange/glitched colours after applying these patches?
A: Because you've applied the Time Fix patch without starting a new game.
Update history:
Download here.
I wanted to showcase the pack of patches I am working on that is aimed at (re-)creating an enhanced, full-featured, authentic Sea Dogs experience in Caribbean Tales -- which, contrary to popular opinion, is the go-to fave of mine -- to tie it properly into the series as the worthy sequel it is (or could have been), fixing immersion and game breaking bugs and flaws/annoyances along the way -- without compromising the original story and gameplay experience.
Edit: (Eesh, that's a mouthful...! )
To put it simply: *** These changes work much like a well-done, unofficial update to the (GOG 1.5) game. ***
I've successfully adapted COAS' first person dialog camera view for CT, and tweaked it to more true-to-life and practical settings (adjusting it to Beatrice's and Blaze's different eye levels), and adding some of my own camera design for talking with sitting characters (that is reminiscent of the first Sea Dogs).
I've also updated the game's UI design a bit to fit modern, widescreen gaming standards, and increased the font-size for key UI visual elements.
Perhaps most importantly, I've managed to fix a major, game-breaking bug related to quests, effectively re-enabling missing quest scripts, scenes, and events from the game -- which were intended to be part of the original gameplay experience, but were botched up due to a simple, last minute programming mistake when the game shipped (hence why the original release of the game feels so bare and unfinished).
I have also successfully made a comprehensive change to the passage of time in the game to make time pass dependably and reflect actual/real Caribbean evening/sunset/night time.
The latest significant development is an enhancement of the officers' AI to give them situational awareness, meaning that they will not stand blocking the player's path.
Also, I've fixed a myriad of (game-breaking) bugs...
Lots to tell... A more detailed summary (from the user documentation) below:
----
DESCRIPTION:
A pack of user made patches for the version 1.5 (GOG) release of Sea Dogs: Caribbean Tales, also known as Age of Pirates, that aim to fix some critical flaws with this release of the game, as well as introduce a few new features to improve the gaming experience. You can pick and choose which patch(es) you'd like to apply to your game.
CONTENTS:
1. BEATRICE ANIMATION GLITCH FIX: Fixes the sudden visual glitch jerks in Beatrice's walk, block, and turn animations.
2. CAPTAIN COMING THROUGH: A brand new feature, this patch adds spatial awareness to fighters (officers). They will no longer continue standing in the player's way (blocking all movement) if the player is trying to get past them. Instead, when the player is up-close and pressing them, they will try to move to a sensible spot, and follow the captain's directions/lead -- even when there are multiple officers present and things are crowded.
3. DIALOG CAMERA: Introduces first-person dialogues to Caribbean Tales, as well as a new, cinematic camera angle for talking with sitting characters (that is reminiscent of the first Sea Dogs game).
4. EMPTY DIALOGUE BUG FIX: Fixes a game-breaking bug in the English language version that leaves a character dialogue stuck and empty (and crashes the game) if the player talks to a quest-giver again after accepting a common type of escort quest.
5. EXTRA LOCATIONS: A comprehensive patch that restores and unlocks churches and banks both for visitation and use in the game -- adding some new features -- as well as completes the gameplay mechanic for borrowing money from banks, now with negative consequences for failing to pay your debt. IMPORTANT: This patch is to be applied for English language gameplay only (until someone helps me translate it). Don't use it if you're playing the game in another language. For the changes to take effect, this patch requires that you start a new game.
6. GOODS DELIVERY QUEST BUG FIXES: Fixes three of the most jarring and common bugs in the game, related to the 'deliver trade goods to/from another colony' type quests, where the player can end up with extra goods from another quest (that they haven't agreed to delivering), where the store owners get confused in their dialogue about where they are expecting their goods from, and where only part of the goods to be transported is loaded onto the ship (if there's not enough space in the player's cargo hold). NOTE: This patch is for everyone, but the last bug fix listed here will only work if you're playing the game in English.
7. GOVERNOR'S MESSAGE FIX: Fixes the broken 'help defend besieged ally colony' type quest -- removing many bugs and giving it its originally intended, potential official ending and reward -- fixes/completes the design of the related "governor's message" user interface alert window, and translates the window's text content from Russian into English.
8. GUN LOAD AUDIO FEEDBACK: Brings the old boatswain voice from the original Sea Dogs game into Caribbean Tales for gun loading feedback -- for the player only -- minimising your need to keep glancing at the visual indicators, and allowing you to focus on the battle. This patch also includes a new sound effect for when all guns are loaded; an authentic, classic ship's bell being rung. NOTE: If you wish to disable a particular sound effect, simply remove or rename the audio file (e.g. '_balls_disabled.wav'). You can also subsitute the sound effects with any other WAV file(s) you like.
9. LAND DEATH MUSIC: Adds the sea battle death ("the end") music theme to land and boarding player character deaths as well.
10. LARGER TEXT: Designed to save eyes while playing with a gamepad from the couch, this patch increases the font size of the user interface where key/practical and updates (fixes the broken icons and spacing on) some of the user interface elements for a more visually friendly widescreen experience. It also makes the ship class indicator show more -- not less -- stars the more valuable a ship is, and adjusts the "sneak" action's range to actually have to be near an enemy port to have the user option to sneak into town.
11. MUSIC EXPANSION: Adds three fitting additional scores from the original Sea Dogs to the game's musical playlist -- two of which can also be heard in the Pirates of the Caribbean ("Invasion") intro video. Taverns will now often play jolly music, the towns will sometimes have 'peaceful colony' music, and sea battles will on occasion be accompanied by 'ghost squadron' music instead of the usual battle score.
12. MUTINY FIX: Enables mutiny in the game. Your crew will rise up against you if you starve them or if their morale is kept at the lowest of the low, and a battle with the mutinous crew will ensue on board your ship.
13. NO EMBLEM OPTION: Adds an empty, 'no emblem' option to the "change sails" menu to allow you to set your sails emblem back to none.
14. PASSENGERS FIX: Makes the passengers (in the 'transport person' type quest) walk to the local tavern after arriving to their destination and speaking with you instead of just "disappearing" (or walking/teleporting past you towards the end of the pier).
15. QUESTS MAJOR BUG FIX: Fixes one of the biggest issues with this release of the game; it restores all the missing quest scenes, scripts, and events that were thought non-existent, making the game an all-over richer experience to play. You can now stay for a night in a room at the tavern, and/or complete a whole bunch of various (side-)quests that were previously inaccessible due to a coding mistake.
16. SEAGULL POS-FIX: Fixes the misalignment of the seagull's positioning in the launch menu in non-Russian language settings of the game that caused it to stand/sit in the air, just above the wooden post. IMPORTANT: Do not apply this on the Russian language menu (which is slightly different in layout, and which already has the seagull correctly aligned).
17. SHIP MANAGEMENT BUG FIXES: This patch disables the cheat-prone and save-corrupting, faulty, second implementation of the "replace captain" user option on the "shipyard" screen, and includes two minor bug fixes to data display on the "ships" screen.
18. SHIP SWAP NAME SWAP FIX: Fixes a small developer oversight; it makes the ship names swap along with their stats and picture on the "ransack" screen when you are swapping ships.
19. SNEAKING FIX: Makes the player's ship(s) not show docked in port when 'sneaking' in an enemy town, and adds a (representational) passage of time for the player to manage to sneak into town (reach it in a boat). This patch also fixes a greeting selection bug, restoring the patrol soldiers' 'enemy recognised' greeting(s), and appropriately locks banks (in the same way as the rest of the businesses are) in enemy towns.
20. TIME FIX: A comprehensive patch to turn the passage of time in the game into something a little more dependable and realistic -- based on actual Caribbean sunrise and sunset times. Merchants will now pack up for the day at 5 PM and night will fall, appropriately, after 7 PM. People will stop roaming the streets after dusk, and will generally avoid being out when it rains. Bug fixes to time display are also included. IMPORTANT: This patch is not compatible with your previous saves. It requires that you start a new game.
----
Current development status: Released! -- Feedback welcome. :3
FAQ:
Q: Why did my sky/sea turn into all sorts of strange/glitched colours after applying these patches?
A: Because you've applied the Time Fix patch without starting a new game.
Update history:
- 1 April 2018 - Added the Mutiny Fix patch to the pack, and updated Quests Major Bug Fix (to re-enable mutiny).
- 16 April 2018 - Added the Captain Coming Through, Music Expansion, No Emblem Option, Passengers Fix, and Sneaking Fix patches to the pack, and updated Larger Text (fixed sneak icon and tweaked sneak effect range, fixed dialog name frame and spacing, and fixed rumour overflow display bug), Mutiny Fix (disabled unplanned talking with friendly crew in battle), Goods Delivery Quest Bug Fixes (added 2 more bug fixes to prevent partial loading of cargo for one-way trips), and Governor's Message Fix (completed/fixed broken implementation of the original 'defend friend colony' quest, fixed UI/window design, and updated text).
Download here.
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The main storyline completely broke my immersion in the game. It took everything it had built up to that point, my love for my officers/crew, my freedom to move around and do what I please, my freedom of choices, my built-up alliances/relationship with different nations, and threw it all into the dumps for a corny and way worse than mediocre story at that!
It's all over the place, it's extremely corny/unbelievable, it messes up everything you've built up to that point... it's bad... really bad... 
One that I think we're all eternally grateful for!