Buccaneers! Screenshots and Videos

[Locrian#9]

This looks awsome , I love the clean flat textured look and the detail is fully wicked .

 

[Armada]

We have a few simple graphics settings that make a huge difference to performance in this game, and as a result, it should run on almost any PC with a DX11-compatible GPU. Less of this: , more of this: .
I've tested it on a laptop with Intel graphics and the game is very playable at 1600x900 resolution on low settings. Equally, you can crank everything up to max settings and play it at 4K if your PC can handle it.

This video shows off the live preview when changing settings, along with some comparison shots from a couple of scenes:

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=798083283946131

Hopefully we can get some more data to confirm this once we have a playable beta.

 

[The Nameless Pirate]

Really nice, grate optimization!

What Intel graphics card was used by the way?

 

[Armada]

What Intel graphics card was used by the way?

I used a Core i5 4300U with HD 4400 graphics. Starting to show its age now, but the results were respectable.

 

[The Nameless Pirate]

I used a Core i5 4300U with HD 4400 graphics. Starting to show its age now, but the results were respectable.

I have a laptop with HD 4000 graphics once the beta is released I will tell you how it runs in that as well.

 

[Armada]

We've shown off quite a few clips from our shipyard scene, but now we finally have a UI that allows you to actually buy new ships.

All prices and stats are placeholders and will change in the final game!

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=3801382313220668

This is actually the first of several iterations we have planned. A later version will allow you to purchase multiple ships to form a fleet, though there will be limits to how many ships you can have based on your level and combined fleet strength.

There will also be more shipyards of various sizes, with some only offering ships up to a certain size. That should make ports with larger shipyards high-priority targets.

 

[Martes]

I know it will sound capricious, but is there a way to render the ship first and then make it semi-transparent, so the player won't see how the model is actually done?

 

[Armada]

I know it will sound capricious, but is there a way to render the ship first and then make it semi-transparent, so the player won't see how the model is actually done?

Sort of. I was able to make this adjustment which isn't perfect either, but I do think it looks better:

Spoiler: BEFORE

Spoiler: AFTER

Now there's a depth test to stop objects like cannons showing inside the hull, which also makes them more reliably appear in front of the hull where they extend out of the ports.

 

[Martes]

Much, much better!

I would think of decreasing the transparency of the hull under the gundeck or shrouding it in some kind of fog. Or even filling the ship with fog to give it more solid, but still ghostly appearance. Or just making the hull faces double-sided.

 

[Armada]

To answer those suggestions:

• We can't change the transparency for the lower hull without splitting it into a separate mesh, which we're not doing for performance reasons.
• Localised fog is not possible without a specialised lighting asset. We did try one a while ago, but it only worked on certain platforms, so we ruled it out for consistency's sake.
• I just tried a double-sided effect, and it doesn't work with transparency. It would likely require multiple render passes, which again we're trying to avoid for performance.

I think the current effect we've got is the best compromise between performance and aesthetics.

 

[Martes]

I think the current effect we've got is the best compromise between performance and aesthetics.

Definitely.

 

[Armada]

Your cabin is your personal space, so we've added the ability to change its paint scheme to your liking.
Different paint schemes will be unlockable through exploration and various challenges, which we'll have more details on at a later date.

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=725113984666769

Some of the current paint schemes are inspired by real ships and models, and others are custom designs which add variety. We'll likely add several more before launch.

What colours/designs would you like to see in your cabin?

 

[The Nameless Pirate]

The game is shaping up to be REALLY good!

My praise to the folks at Skyward Digital!

What colours/designs would you like to see in your cabin?

Maybe a black one, inspired by the Black Pearl?

Is there also going to be a storyline, or only free play?

Either way, I really like what I see!

 

[Armada]

Thanks for your kind words, as always.

Maybe a black one, inspired by the Black Pearl?

I'll see what I can do. We do have black/dark grey ships and sails, so a similar cabin would complete the set.

Is there also going to be a storyline, or only free play?

There will be a main quest line to follow; not with a very deep narrative, but there will be some mystery involved.
The quest might also change slightly with each playthrough...

Aside from that, your main goal is to conquer every colony for your faction - some of which will be much harder to capture than others.
You will come across side quests and random encounters on your travels as well.

 

[The Nameless Pirate]

There will be a main quest line to follow; not with a very deep narrative, but there will be some mystery involved.
The quest might also change slightly with each playthrough...

Aside from that, your main goal is to conquer every colony for your faction - some of which will be much harder to capture than others.
You will come across side quests and random encounters on your travels as well.

Interesting, can't wait to see what you have made!

 

[Armada]

This week we're comparing each ship's broadside strength.

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=1483647028450377

We've balanced the progression so that you gain roughly the same percentage of firepower each time you get a larger ship, though it does vary slightly.
For example, going from a Light Sloop (18 guns) to a Heavy Sloop (24 guns) is a 33% increase, whereas the next jump to a Light Frigate (36 guns) is a 50% increase.

The way it currently works, all ship cannons do the same base damage, rather than simulating larger calibres, so the overall damage per broadside scales with the number of guns.
You will of course be able to increase your guns' damage by buying heavier guns or unlocking new abilities. Some factions may also have an inherent bonus to firepower, which we'll go into at a later date.

Which type of ship are you most looking forward to sailing?

 

[The Nameless Pirate]

Really nice once more!

The way it currently works, all ship cannons do the same base damage, rather than simulating larger calibres, so the overall damage per broadside scales with the number of guns.
You will of course be able to increase your guns' damage by buying heavier guns or unlocking new abilities. Some factions may also have an inherent bonus to firepower, which we'll go into at a later date.

Interesting, looking forward to it!

Which type of ship are you most looking forward to sailing?

Some kind of Frigate or Corvette most probably, since they're fast and can pack quite a punch.

 

[Armada]

Some kind of Frigate or Corvette most probably, since they're fast and can pack quite a punch.

You'll probably like the Light and Heavy Frigates then. The former is a good all-rounder against other frigates and sloops, while the latter's 48 guns make it strong enough to hold its own against a two-decker.

 

[Pieter Boelen]

Which type of ship are you most looking forward to sailing?

You got any classy merchant ships as well?
My brain drifts back to the 'ol "Amsterdam".

 

[Armada]

You got any classy merchant ships as well?
My brain drifts back to the 'ol "Amsterdam".

We have no plans to include merchant ships as playable vessels at this time.

What we do plan to experiment with is having merchants or trade routes on the world map that you can interact with, but without launching a full ship battle.
For example, if you chose to attack a merchant convoy, you would have a percentage chance of success based on your fleet strength and speed versus theirs. The battle would be auto-resolved in the map UI, and if you were successful, you could choose what to do with the ships (e.g. plunder and sink, or give them a crew and send them to the nearest friendly port to sell for prize money).

Once we have a working demo of this, I'll show you what it looks like in action.