Nouveau dev chat sur stratics.com

Les logs originaux :

(02:05:08) <Brannoc> Welcome to today's House of Commons chat on Stratics IRC with the developers of Pirates of the Burning Sea!

(02:05:08) <Brannoc> We'll begin with a brief introduction from our guests and then jump straight into the questions.  The full logs will be available at http://www.stratics.com shortly afterward.


(02:06:29) <[FLS]Aether> Greetings folks! My name is Troy 'Aether' Hewitt, Director of Community Relations for Flying Lab Software and Pirates of the Burning Sea.

(02:07:02) <[FLS]isildur> I'm Kevin 'Isildur' Maginn, Lead Designer of Pirates of the Burning Sea.

(02:07:38) <[FLS]Jess> Hey gang. I'm Jess Lebow, Content Director for Pirates of the Burning Sea. Some of you may know me as "Admiral Elbow."

(02:07:58) <[FLS]Rev> I'm John 'Rev' Tynes, and when I'm not busy being a forum troll I'm the Producer for Pirates of the Burning Sea.

(02:08:17) <[FLS]Rusty> Hi, I'm Rusty Williams, CEO of Flying Lab Software.


(02:08:26) <Brannoc> *Coffay* How much will potbs be per month?

(02:09:05) <[FLS]Rev> The Pirates of the Burning Sea monthly subscription fees are as follows:

(02:09:05) <[FLS]Rev> 1 month subscription: $14.99

(02:09:05) <[FLS]Rev> 3 month subscription: $41.99

(02:09:05) <[FLS]Rev> 6 month subscription: $77.99

(02:09:05) <[FLS]Rev> 12 month subscription: $143


(02:09:17) <Brannoc> *Cass* Can you give a beief disricption of what pvp elements are in PotBS, like what can one do?

(02:10:00) <[FLS]isildur> PvP basically takes place in three ways in Pirates.  First, there's PvP areas in the open sea.  You kill enough ships and cause enough trouble near a port, and that port and a large area around it in the world become PvP+.

(02:11:17) <[FLS]isildur> The second is what happens after a port goes PvP+ -- after a day or so of fighting it out near that port, there's a final battle.  The nation that wins the battle takes control of the port.  These are large-scale, 24v24 fleet actions, with participants chosen in a lottery, where how much you PvPed before the battle determines how many 'tickets' you get to the battle.

(02:11:55) <[FLS]isildur> The third way is with a PvP flag, which can be set in any port by talking to an NPC there.  This functions very much like the PvP flag you're familiar with from a Popular Fantasy MMO.

(02:12:29) <[FLS]isildur> Pirates have a few special rules -- for instance, when they're sailing around in a ship no pirate should ever have, like a ship of the line, they're attackable anywhere.  Also, they get to PvP near ports much sooner than the other nations.

(02:13:00) <[FLS]isildur> And, of course, when you beat someone in PvP, you can loot the cargo they're carrying.  You can't loot special items, like mission rewards, but gold ingots and teak logs?  Fair game.  Hope you brought a big enough ship to carry it all.


(02:13:48) <Brannoc> *daderp* While we have been told that there are plans for more instanced, controllable PVP such as the player skirmish system and the society battles, are there any plans in the works for more sporadic PVP systems or can we expect the skirmish and society PVP systems to be general direction the game will take?

(02:15:44) <[FLS]isildur> World PvP is still the primary focus of most of the game's systems.  The Skirmish system is really just intended to get players who are interested in a 'fair', competitive fight together to show who's the best and baddest.  The real rewards for PvP all come from actual in-world battle.  We're planning to expand the number of different types of port final battles available, and have a number...

(02:15:45) <[FLS]isildur> ...of other PvP-centric features in design.

(02:16:18) <[FLS]isildur> That said, organized fleet battles in PotBS are super-awesome, and we're very committed to creating systems that allow you to participate in those to your heart's content.


(02:16:26) <Brannoc> *Keen* In the pre-launch party we have seen the majority of the servers showing "light". Do you anticipate even growth across the servers? If some servers remain low pop will you merge servers or take other actions to ensure active gameplay?

(02:16:48) <[FLS]Rusty> Server growth – Yes, you generally get a significant bump from the release of the retail box. MMO companies have a well established formula for taking your initial numbers (such as pre-orders) and extrapolating your launch population from that. Our server deployment was based on those multiples, and so far, we’re right on track.


(02:18:02) <Brannoc> *beans* Are there any plans (or even a wish list) in which treasure maps and hunts can become part of the game that are random and not part of the questing system?

(02:18:17) <[FLS]Jess> Yes. We're working on implementing treasure maps right now.

(02:18:26) <[FLS]Jess> You'll see the first of those missions start to roll out in the next big content update. And they will just get bigger and better with each update after that.

(02:18:41) <[FLS]Jess> I don't know if I would characterize what we're doing as "random" generation, but it will be different than the mission system we currently use.

(02:18:51) <[FLS]Jess> For example, maps could be a piece of loot that players get from sinking named NPCs. You follow the map to the dead pirate's treasure, etc…


(02:19:07) <Brannoc> *JoeDragon* There was mention of a Open Beta Flag and Sail mentioned before, will we recieve more info about these items soon?

(02:20:05) <[FLS]Rev> Yes, tomorrow when we launch there will be a news post on our site explaining how to get your flags & sails.

(02:20:27) <[FLS]Rev> Basically you'll click a link and we'll give you a key code that is tied to your account. Apply it on SOE's Station site and then you can use /claim to get your items.

(02:20:49) <[FLS]Rev> There are five pairs of sails & flags. One pair is a beta design. The other four are national pairs and you'll get the set appropriate for your current character.

(02:21:04) <[FLS]Rev> They're pretty cool and I'm looking forward to seeing players with them in the game.

(02:21:19) <[FLS]Rev> So after tomorrow, you'll find out how to do this from our web site at http://www.burningsea.com/

(02:21:24) <Brannoc> *BlackOctober* What have been the biggest changes made to the game since the beggining of beta testing?

(02:21:58) <[FLS]Rev> Well, we've been in beta testing since December of 2005.

(02:22:06) <[FLS]Rev> So the answer is, almost everything.

(02:22:11) <[FLS]Rev> Back then, there was no avatar combat, for example.

(02:22:58) <[FLS]Rev> Missions weren't accessible off the dock. You had to sail in the Open Sea to reach them. But since they were mostly set nearby the town, you'd have a loading screen to the Open Sea, sail for about ten seconds, then another loading screen to enter the mission. It sucked, so we changed that.

(02:23:16) <[FLS]Rev> The economy gameplay either didn't exist or was just getting started.

(02:23:49) <[FLS]Rev> Basically it was ship combat all the time, not much PvP, not much to do, and you were constantly getting attacked by NPCs in longboats. It was horrible. :)

(02:24:22) <[FLS]Rev> We learned a huge amount from the beta and almost half the game's development took place while players were playing and giving us feedback. So our beta testers had a lot to do with how the game shaped up.


(02:24:31) <Brannoc> *Jenna* GREAT GAME! Good job on that. Question: Will SOE play a role in continuing developement of the game or will they be "hands off"

(02:26:19) <[FLS]Rusty> Thanks Jenna! SOE’s involvement so far has been extremely hands off. That’s both due to how we work together, and it’s also clearly separated contractually. So while we're always open to advice and criticism, we chart our own course.


(02:26:27) <Brannoc> *LeonKeyh* You guys have mentioned player governed ports. Can you go into some of the details that you guys are throwing around or have planned?

(02:27:57) <[FLS]isildur> I can't get into too much detail because anything not actually live on the servers is subject to change at any time -- and I don't want to get you excited about something that might change dramatically before it's actually in the game.  Ok, that disclaimer aside: the basic idea of port governance is that you can accumulate influence in a port, and use that influence to seize control, or...

(02:27:59) <[FLS]isildur> ...support someone else's bid to seize control.

(02:29:07) <[FLS]isildur> The governor has a lot of powers, including the ability to adjust tax rates and build infrastructure, but it's a precarious position, and has a lot of attached responsibility.  If you're not popular, you make too many enemies, you don't see to the port's defense... you get toppled.

(02:29:46) <[FLS]isildur> That's the basics of the system.  More details will be forthcoming when it's a lot closer to actually being in the game. :)


(02:30:46) <Brannoc> *daderp* Are there any plans for nationwide event systems, such as certain nations getting missions to deliver goods to certain contested ports, and other nations being given missions to stop the flow of such goods?

(02:31:16) <[FLS]isildur> We've talked about mechanics like this -- somehow it always ends up being about the Spanish Treasure Fleet -- and it's something we'd like to explore further in the future.


(02:31:50) <Brannoc> *Tagrun* For the future: Will you guys be planning on doing just content patches, or full out expansions?

(02:32:46) <[FLS]Rusty> We plan on doing both. We have lots of content patches planned with both new missions and gameplay, and down the road we'll introduce significant new areas for players to explore that will be sold as an expansion.


(02:32:58) <Brannoc> *WhiteScion* Can you loot players in Avatar combat?

(02:33:49) <[FLS]isildur> You can't loot players in avatar combat, no.  Personal inventory is always 'secured'.  Cargo is either 'secured' or 'unsecured'; you can loot the latter but not the former.  So we protect your pants from theft.


(02:33:01) <Brannoc> *CamMan* If you kill a ship can you take all the ships fittings? ie. is it hardcore PvP with large death penalties?

(02:34:44) <[FLS]isildur> Ship fittings are generally 'secured' or they're 'permanent' and go down with the ship.  Secured outfitting is mission rewards, special PvP rewards, and so forth; 'permanent' outfitting is crafted, and once attached to the ship can never be removed.

(02:35:11) <[FLS]isildur> Now, if someone has a cargo hold full of outfitting that he's carrying somewhere... unsecured outfitting...


(02:35:29) <Brannoc> *beans* How long does it take for a port to revert back to the original nation?

(02:36:13) <[FLS]isildur> Only pirate-controlled ports revert over time.  Otherwise, if you take a port, it's yours till one nation wins a world victory.  We

(02:36:43) <[FLS]isildur> We're expecting that to take about a month or so; a well-organized nation could make it happen sooner, and a well-organized defense could make it take longer.

(02:37:11) <[FLS]isildur> Pirate ports that are captured revert back to being dens of piracy after three days; similarly, ports that pirates raid re-establish law and order after three days.

(02:38:35) <[FLS]isildur> World victories are serious, major events; there are lots of rewards for winning one, and you get to dance on the fallen bodies of your enemies, and so forth.  However, just as in real history, after the battles are over the heads of Europe meet and everything is more or less shuffled back the way it was before the war.


(02:38:47) <Brannoc> *Kayhynn* Are there any plans for roleplay specific servers or heavier PVP servers?

(02:39:43) <[FLS]Aether> While players that enjoy roleplaying are welcome to congeal on the server of their choice, we have no plans to label a specific server as "The One True Roleplay Server".

(02:40:05) <[FLS]Aether> Additionally, we have no plans at this time to host a server dedicated to PvP.


(02:40:41) <Brannoc> *daderp* Are there plans to offer incentives for joining low population sides on specific servers? As it stands some sides are outnumbered upwards of 5 to 1 and there is no incentive to join such sides.

(02:42:26) <[FLS]isildur> Yes.  There are both systematic incentives coming, related to making underdog nations less vulnerable to PvP conquest, and individual incentives to make playing a character in an underdog nation more interesting.  I don't believe it's possible to actually make your server populations truly balanced; the real task is to make sure the game is fun for people in any nation, regardless of population.


(02:42:48) <Brannoc> *Mephistocles* Will freemerchants be forced into combat to advance, or can one reach the level cap and attain end game ships/loot through pure economic means?

(02:44:43) <[FLS]isildur> This is kind of a complex question.  Ok, it's technically possible to advance without combat.  However, that said, the heart of the game is ship combat, one way or another.  You can choose to play your freetrader as a non-combatant, but ultimately the freetrader career is intended to be just as combat-capable as all the other careers.  That makes offering freetraders 'free' advancement in...

(02:44:44) <[FLS]isildur> ...the form of alternate quest lines and so forth kind of problematic; I have to balance people who want to play pure merchants against people who realize that having three repair cooldowns makes them invincible.

(02:46:09) <[FLS]isildur> Ultimately, you can always play the economic game without advancing at all, and you can be very successful and make millions of doubloons while never getting past level 10.  And if you've set yourself that as your 'win condition', you can 'win' in that sense.  Leveling up is much more of a representation of how well you're doing in the dangerous world of the Carribbean than a representation...

(02:46:10) <[FLS]isildur> ...of how well you're doing as a merchant.


(02:46:24) <Brannoc> *Jenna* Any word on Player Housing for PotB?

(02:47:31) <[FLS]Rusty> We don't have plans at this time for traditional player housing. The goal of player housing is to show off your cool loot, and in most games, it’s a little creepy ("hey, come back to my house, I’ve got something to show you")

(02:48:09) <[FLS]Rusty> What we're doing instead is a Captain's Cabin, where you'll have your cool stuff on display, and we have some gameplay moments where the players will collect before a big battle in the group leader's Captain's Cabin.

(02:49:09) <[FLS]Rusty> It'll be a really fun way of working in that experience into the general game flow. Later on, we are interestedin providing Guild Housing, which is a subject all its own.

(02:50:00) <[FLS]isildur> My belief is that players don't want 'housing' in the sense of 'a place to sleep and keep the rain off' -- what I've always wanted in games is a social space, a place where I can hang out with people and do interesting things.

(02:50:56) <[FLS]isildur> That's the impetus behind the idea of the guild hall, and it extends to a variety of different social spaces we want players to be able to build and operate: taverns, theaters, mansions, and so forth.  So in the sense that 'housing' = 'an interesting place to hang out with other players', yes.


(02:51:43) <Brannoc> *[TRG]Sardus* Question: Have the DEVs considered multi boarding combat? E.g. can more than two people participate in boarding combat? Right now people seem to be also exploiting that 1 minute of invulnerability you get when you first load in. What has been looked into?

(02:52:24) <[FLS]isildur> Yes, we have.  It was a fundamental part of the earliest design of the boarding system.

(02:52:26) <[FLS]isildur> It got cut.

(02:52:29) <[FLS]isildur> It will return.

(02:53:18) <[FLS]isildur> As to the issues with the invulnerability timer, that's something we continue to tinker with -- and by 'that' I mean 'all the various invulnerability timers in the game', any one of which can potentially lead to trouble.


(02:54:23) <Brannoc> *daderp* Will functionality such as transferring supplies and items while in battle or at sea between allied players ever be implemented?

(02:56:03) <[FLS]isildur> Taelorn and I are looking at each other questioningly.  We believe... you *can* transfer supplies while in battle.  Mysterious.  We do have plans to restrict trading to some degree for the Skirmish system but... if you can't trade now, that's news to us here in design. :)


(02:56:31) <Brannoc> *Tagrun* What is planned for Land? I know it is Pirates of the Burning Sea, but the land is so vast...what is planned? More Quests? Or what?

(02:57:43) <[FLS]Jess> If there is one thing you can count on, it's more content from us.

(02:57:53) <[FLS]Jess> In addition to treasure maps, you can look forward to some new high-challenge level encounters, a very involved episodic story that will be released over multiple content updates, as well as persistent spaces where you can explore and where we can run interesting events.

(02:58:46) <[FLS]Jess> You'll be able to fight both NPCs and other players.

(02:59:26) <[FLS]Jess> Some of this will be on the sea. But a large part of it will be on land as well.

(03:00:17) <[FLS]Jess> I think from here you can bet on our world growing bigger by the day, and that means you'll get to see plenty of land-based adventures.


(03:00:31) <Brannoc> *BlackOctober* What end-game content do you have planned for the future?

(03:01:48) <[FLS]isildur> We're focusing on three different areas of endgame content.  First, there's the PvP endgame, which you've already seen in its initial form in the final port battles.  That system is 'living' in the sense that we expect to keep working to make it more exciting and involving.

(03:02:49) <[FLS]isildur> Second is the economic endgame, which I've already touched on slightly in my comments on player social spaces and player port governance.  Taking control of a port, or running the most popular tavern in Havana, are long-term endgame activities for the socializers and achievers among you.

(03:04:06) <[FLS]isildur> The third area of expansion, Jess has mentioned in passing: lots and lots of very difficult high-end encounters, intended to challenge even the best captains and fencers.  We've got the first of these pieces of super-challenging content coming along right now, and more will follow.

(03:05:29) <[FLS]isildur> In the end, 'end-game' is a process, not a state of being.  We've got to keep ahead of you, keep giving you new things to do, or the 'end-game' is just as old and tired as the very first noob quest.


(03:05:40) <Brannoc> *daderp* Will the option for national characters to "go Pirate" or Pirate characters to switch to specific nations be added - perhaps after one side wins the map and ports are reset, will players eventually be able to change sides?

(03:06:52) <[FLS]Rev> We have no plans to add nation-switching. The game has been built on the assumption that nation was a permanent choice, and all of our content has been built that way as well. From a technical perspective, changing nations is just not feasible for us to add as a feature.

(03:09:00) <[FLS]Rev> It's a fun idea, but we had to pick a path early on and develop accordingly, and we decided against allowing characters

(03:09:01) <[FLS]Rev> to switch nations.


(03:09:11) <Brannoc> *ilk* Do the Devs feel they have enough data gathered during the pre-boarding to assess whether or not they feel comfortable with the rate at which money is being dropped?  Since the 'money nerf' the limited testing I've seen is leaning towards the drop rate being a tad light.

(03:10:00) <[FLS]isildur> We've got a hellacious pile of economy metrics analysis tools.  I can tell you to the doubloon how much money is floating around in the economy.

(03:10:46) <[FLS]isildur> So far, I'm not seeing anything that worries me.  But keep in mind, I'm erring on the side of too little rather than too much money, because it's much harder to stamp out runaway inflation than it is to gradually turn up the rate of currency entering via kills and missions.

(03:11:37) <[FLS]isildur> If I do see anything worrying -- and believe me, we're keeping an eye on the money supply, and not just for economic tuning reasons (mutter mutter goldsellers) -- I'll be jumping into action immediately.

(03:12:30) <[FLS]isildur> It's still early in the economy, though -- especially given the level cap -- so I'm taking a 'wait and see' approach before I start drawing too many conclusions.  Ask me again in 2 weeks. :)


(03:13:08) <Brannoc> Ok folks that's it for tonight! Thanks for joining us here on Stratics IRC, we hope to see you next time! The logs will be up on http://www.stratics.com shortly.  Once again, thanks for coming to Stratics IRC!