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What would YOU like to see in SMPirates!

C

CatalinaThePirate

Unholy Terror,
Storm Modder
Well, the question was raised at the Betatester forum, and I thought I'd pop in here and ask -

Imagine that there will be a `post-release` PATCH to amend the game. Knowing what you do about Pirates! thus far, what would you like to see added to it? What is YOUR wish list?
 
So their talkin' o' a patch, eh, Cat? Sheesh! <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/rolleyes.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":rolleyes:" border="0" alt="rolleyes.gif" /> Hmmm, dat kin often likely be a sign ye testers be findin' an' reportin' mo' issues den thar be time left yew fix 'em widout riskin' de stability o' de release! <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/yes.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":yes" border="0" alt="yes.gif" /> Fred Bob ne'er considered P!2 tew be a game apt fer `add-ons`... kinda been expectin' it tew be purty complete in itself... hain't played it yet so's it be kinda hard fer Fred Bob tew say... so since they be askin' ye, Cat, who be a playin' de game... what did ye say? <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/unsure.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":?" border="0" alt="unsure.gif" />
 
Oh no, Fred Bob, I never said they were considering a patch. When they asked us, it was hypothetical. I think they were mainly curious to see whether they'd met our expectations - or perhaps what they'd missed.

As far as we all have been assured, there will be NO PATCH NECESSARY to fix anything once the final release is out.

I made several suggestions (which I probably shouldn't mention due to the NDA) - someone suggested `multi-player`, others have their ideas on how something should look or play, perhaps different missions or quests, opening up different areas to explore... I am just curious to see what people want, that hasn't already been reported as already being "in" the game.
 
Well, Cat, de Game be set fer release in a month, so Fred Bob jus' gonna have tew check it out his ownself! <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/icon_mrgreen1.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":cheeky" border="0" alt="icon_mrgreen1.gif" />
 
Yeah, while no development team will ever say never, they are not planning on a post release patches to fix any known technical issues. Of course they might arise but as it stands now, I think they have all bugs pretty much licked!
 
Dis may be soundin' like a dumb question, but Fred Bob be wonderin'... Kin ye truly be a real pirate in dis new Pirates!? If'n not, meaning thar be no way tew move forward in de game widout de hep an' influence o' a Gov'nor an' his LOM, den yes thar be a suggestion: Allow de means tew play as a pure pirate wid yer own hideout, etc. such dat ye kin play widout bein' friendly tew any nation, if'n ye be so brave tew wanna try it! <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/icon_mrgreen1.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":cheeky" border="0" alt="icon_mrgreen1.gif" />
 
A few suggestions spring to mind:

1. Female pirates so that also the fairer sex can enjoy the game without having to pretend to be men. Instead of governor's daughters (or in addition to them - preferences may vary) they could be dating the governors themselves or their brave captain sons etc.

2. Optional graphics for those who like'em more gritty - perhaps including historically true period specific clothing styles.

3. More advanced swordsplay techniques (differences in the use of cutlasses and rapiers) also true to period (i.e. no lunges with rapiers, only thrusts and slashes)

4. Size of the fleet that the player can have could be dependent on the experience level of the character (novice can only command 2 ships while an old sea dog - or very charismatic one - could have a fleet of 6 or <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/cool.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="8)" border="0" alt="cool.gif" />

5. Advanced moddability/scenarios (assuming that there is something there to improve): optional maps (mediterranean, pacific) and map sizes (caribbean sea, whole world)
 
I don´t know whether that´s already built in, but i would be nice if the status of cities (wealth, defence, population...) and the own character would be graphically represented, so that you start off in ragged shirt and pants with a rusting cutlass and end up in a rich, `gold-brimmed` suit with a richly ornamented rapier when you are successful.
 
My sugestions would be:


- Easily moddable game, including the game mechanics. This could be done with a specific editor (like morrowind, only less complex) or through manually editing config files easily understood (like europa universalis).

- Possibility of playing in the Indian Ocean, Far East or Med (or other scenerios). It is time for Portuguese sailors to appear in a game about the age of sail... <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wink.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=";)" border="0" alt="wink.gif" />
This could even be implemented with transitions between each of the scenerios, advancing for instance 7 or 8 months if a player wanted to go from the Caribbean to the Far East.

- More realistic graphics or the possibility to mod them.

- Possibility to have longer careers. This means while getting older, the player would loose some skills (phisical ones) but would improve on others (leadership for instance). To mitigate the game balancing issues regarding the system being designed for a 15 year career at most and not a 30 year one, consider the option of the length of a career being dependent of the past successes of the player. This means time and again after dividing the plunder, a check would be made upon the fame of the player and only for those with higher fame would be a possibility to carry on...
 
A thing that came up at Cutlass Isle is the caliber and range of the cannons that there are in Pirates! A quote from myself:

"different calibers of the cannons should be taken into account seriously, because it very much affects the differences in power between different types and sizes of ships. The bigger cannons have a longer range and can completely annihilate a poor, small ship. Smaller ships can only carry smaller cannons (they cannot structurally withstand the recoil of the large ones) which have shorter range and which cannot pierce the hull of the largests of ships (unless from a very close range).

Similarly, I really think that the size of the fleet that the player and the enemy have should have SOME impact on the ship to ship fighting. As it is, it is always one ship against one ship (`so-called` flag ships) and I understand that it would be a very different game if fleet battles were taken into account (probably resembling what we have seen of the land battles to some degree). However, I think the size and strength of the fleet could be taken into account in a similar manner as the size of the crew is taken into account in the captain vs captain sword duels (some sort of a multiplier, as I understand).

So in a situation in which the player has a sloop and two frigates and decides to take the sloop into a battle against a single enemy frigate, the player should still have the advantage." Add: And in a situation in which the player attacks three frigates with a single sloop, there should be no question of the outcome...
 
I agree that it would be more realistic to take those factors into account. I'd really like to see a good pirate simulation at some point, but I really don't think this game is aimed at that goal. Sid's games usually have a good mix of fun, strategy and replay value. More realistic guns and such might add to one part but take away from another.

Hmm.. makes me realize that there is a serious lack of sailing ship combat type games out there.
 
It would be nice if the player´s reputation wouldn´t depend on the size of shares that each crewmember gets alone, but as well on the ratio of men who survived to receive the shares. In the old game, shortly before I divided the plunder and had a very big crew (two hundred or more) I attacked some large and `well-defended` city, let three quarters of my men get killed, conquered the city and only afterwards divided the plunder, for the remaining fifty or sixty men received huge shares and were most pleased with me. I never have trouble recruiting after such a cruise. Problem is, what good is the biggest share if the chance of survival is almost not existing to a man? Personally, I wouldn´t join a captain who sails out with two hundred and comes back with thirty, no matter how rich any of these thirty might get. So, it would be nice if that factor would be taken into account when calculating the reputation.
 
<!--QuoteBegin-Cap'n Toast+--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Cap'n Toast)</div><div class='quotemain'><!--QuoteEBegin-->I agree that it would be more realistic to take those factors into account. I'd really like to see a good pirate simulation at some point, but I really don't think this game is aimed at that goal. Sid's games usually have a good mix of fun, strategy and replay value. More realistic guns and such might add to one part but take away from another.

Hmm.. makes me realize that there is a serious lack of sailing ship combat type games out there.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->


To curb the geek factor, they could classify the cannons in Light, Medium and Heavy, for instance. Then each ship would only be allowed to carry up to a certain class of cannons... If they were at it, they could also implement some kind of boost (like the cotton sails) that raises by one the class allowed for a certain ship.
 
<!--QuoteBegin-v_Grimmelshausen+--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(v_Grimmelshausen)</div><div class='quotemain'><!--QuoteEBegin-->It would be nice if the player´s reputation wouldn´t depend on the size of shares that each crewmember gets alone, but as well on the ratio of men who survived to receive the shares. In the old game, shortly before I divided the plunder and had a very big crew (two hundred or more) I attacked some large and `well-defended` city, let three quarters of my men get killed, conquered the city and only afterwards divided the plunder, for the remaining fifty or sixty men received huge shares and were most pleased with me. I never have trouble recruiting after such a cruise. Problem is, what good is the biggest share if the chance of survival is almost not existing to a man? Personally, I wouldn´t join a captain who sails out with two hundred and comes back with thirty, no matter how rich any of these thirty might get. So, it would be nice if that factor would be taken into account when calculating the reputation.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->


DITTO!
 
<!--QuoteBegin-ubik+--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(ubik)</div><div class='quotemain'><!--QuoteEBegin-->DITTO!<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd--> <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/w00t.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":woot" border="0" alt="w00t.gif" /> What he said! Very nice, v_Grimmelshausen!
 
Talking about recruiting: Is it still possible to recruit recruits from captured ships and, if so, is it still possible to recruit more men than are alive? It is possible to do so in Pirates! Gold, if you shoot a Galleon down to "Hull leaking" and only some fifty men aboard and you capture her, if you´re a captain of a good reputation you can recruit way over a hundred men from that ship. It´s one bug that´s fixed in the Pirates for Windows edition, by the way, as well as in the windows version it´s impossile to recruit when sneaking into cities.
 
Okay: Even more that I'd like to see in the game, at least after a patch:

I've seen screenshots of a chase view of the ship (behind and slightly up) that you can sail with, if you like. In addition to this, I'd like to have a free camera effect, so that I could view the ship from any direction while it is sailing, or do `sail-bys` with a static camera placed a few hundred feet in front of the ship etc. With good graphics this might look very good!

(I'm normally not for `eye-candy`, but with sail ships I make an exception.)
 
Meeting and allying with other pirate captains would be nice as well, other pirates with different characteristics and individual ships would be nice. Some of those are men of honor, who treat you fair and won´t attack you if you agrred so (and don´t attack them, either), others are more opportunistic, if you´ve got a strong force, they´ll be your best friends, but if you´re weak and have a lot plunder on board they won´t hesitate and attack you.
I know it´s possible to customize your ship, but that should be done to a particular ship, that is, if you´ve upgraded a Barque and in battle you choose a frigate, that frigate doesn´t have the upgraes. Naming those ships or having certain named ships with special features would be a fine feature as well, e.g. normally a frigate has 28 cannons, but one pirate Captain John Fielding has got a 32 gun frigate named "Intrepid".
 
More different missions.

The ability to explore outside the Caribbean.

Making your own town and develop it's economy
 
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