Howdy, Stranger!
It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
Quick Links
PotBS Review
neonaka
Member UncommonPosts: 779
Well I am not sure why I am writing a review, I just feel like one needs to be written. A new review by someone who has not played the game in beta, just this little pre-boarding pass thing. I know it will likely get 9+ pages of your an idiot post but who cares. After reading the last 12 topics with as many mis-informed ridiculous things you can think of, I thought it only fair to give anyone not already tainted a clean a fair overview of the game, with some factual content.
I will have to make a few post to cover all the content. This will be post 1 of 4.
OK! I will start by breaking down the game into four sections. Reason for this, because as far as I have played into this game (level 21) it can be broken down into this.
1. Your Personal Ship & Open Sea
Your personal ship is what sails you around the really only open ended content of the world. This would be considered your "mount" in most MMO's today. Your ship can change, become larger and stronger as you progress. It can be crafted or even stolen ( if your a pirate ). You have a starter ship that will always be with you. It is the most simplistic of all the ships but gets the job done.
While on your personal ship outside of any towns you are in what is called "open sea".
Open sea is "The World" if you open your map in open sea mode you will notice it is a map of the real Caribbean and includes florida, louisiana, texas, and mexico, as well as the many Islands that make up the caribbean. While in this mode you are free to travel anywhere in the ocean, no instances just open free travel, you can see all players and they can see you. In addition to the many players you will see, you will also see MANY npc vessels also sailing about.
These NPC vessels can all be attacked and they range from level 1 all the way to above level 50 ( I have seen a 52 before ).
This is where the "instancing" will come into play. You the player can run down an enemy player that is (pvp flagged) or an enemy NPC and fire on thier vessel. This will take you into an instance where you and the attacked will sit in a square map of water. This section of water is actually quite large and is a section cut from the map where you attacked said ship/s. Usually whatever is near you on the map with be with you inside the instance. Once inside you will fight the enemy vessel, or vessels till the death. You can try to run if you get in trouble but as I said before the maps are not small so it takes a while to get out and you could even get destroyed trying to escape. Try not to bite off more than you can chew. Also in this mode from what I understand, is how the new port battles will take place upon release.
Grouping in open sea works the same way, you and 5 of your friends will venture off in the open world, track down ships and blow them out of the water, splitting the loots and spoils of all enemy ships destroyed through a dice roll system.
PvP is also fought on the open sea, where you solo or with a group of friends will run down other players in your ships, engage them, and pull them into an instanced section of water to duel it out.
No you cannot get out of your ship and walk around. You can dock at all ports that belong to your faction and walk through the towns. As far as free roaming as an avatar in the open sea, this is not possible. While on the open sea, the ship is your character and you control it as such.
Ship based missions, are exactly the same as ship based open sea combat, with one exception, the ship based mission will have goals to complete, as the open sea ship assaults do not.
In example.
Ship based mission will include.
Board "insert captains name here" vessel and recover the stolen "insert artifact here".
Or destroy 5 of the 8 enemy ships then make it to the exit point.
whereas just attacking a ship in open sea is handled 1 of 2 ways with no objectives.
you 1. Blow it up and sink it. or 2. you board it kill the captain and take over the ship that way. ( a ship will give up to you if you kill its captain )
EXP as far as the methods are concerned. Up to level 21 (as I stated is far as ive gotten) EXP is gained steady from missions as well as gold. From what I can tell I gain MUCH more exp killing random ships on the water with my society, which is 6 of us killing level 40+ vessels, than with missions, and I gain MUCH more gold from the missions as opposed to open sea combat.
So long story short GOLD in missions , EXP on open seas hunting vessels above your level.
Ok I hope this helped on covering the Open Sea portion of PotBS and the Instances that take place while out in the open waters.
I will now post another section covering avatars and missions.
Comments
2 of 4
2. Avatars and Avatar Combat.
When you first login to PotBS you will make yourself an avatar, this is no diff from any other MMO. This is your character this is what everyone will learn to know you as, this is the face they will associate with your ship while on the open seas.
I won't dig into opinions here or if avatars should have been added or yadda, yadda. The avatars have a place in the game, they were installed for a reason and thier purpose is very simple and should be thought of as such. PotBS was not designed to be a avatar based game, from everything I can tell since I have started it would seem the avatars are there as an extension to your ship. The ship and open sea is the main purpose of the game. The avatar simply allows you to expand upon that.
What avatars do.
Avatars will allow you to take a much needed break from sea combat if you feel that you have been out in the sun to long. They will let you pull into a port get off your ship and have friendly discussions with others on a more face to face personal level. They also allow you to switch out your normal ship combat exp for some avatar combat instanced missions where you ( and even group members) can all instance into a mission map and run your avatars through the jungle doing whatever the mission requires. It isn't very complex to fight as your avatar, I do not think you will find a PotBS player who will argue this fact. The avatar missions are just there as a break to the rigorous ship battles that you fight as a break and/or filler.
Avatar's also allow you to go ashore and place things into a warehouse (vault/storage) unit so that you can store things without losing them. If your ship is destroyed in combat everything inside the ships hold sinks to the bottom of the ocean. So this little venue lets you keep your items safe between big ship battles.
Avatars also have diff lines of swashbuckling or swordfighting they can learn, and each line has many diff individual skills you can train in.
Every other level gained allows you 1 skill point toward your sword skills, the other skill point you get goes towards your captain skills which involves your ship. In example learning better cannon skills so they shoot harder.
The reason for these skills is because like I said an extension of your ship battles, One of the main things you can do while fighting enemy ships, is to board them. When you board a vessel you have to fight the captain of that vessel and his crew with your avatar. It is nice to level up the avatars skills so you stand a better chance of downing an enemy captain with as little resistance as possible. The captains vary in difficulty and not all of them are the same. Some are weak but some are strong so keeping your avatar suited with decent dropped gear and skills is not a bad idea, tho it isn't required.
Avatars and the combat of the avatars are just what they are, breaks or fillers. Faces to a ship and there to help you along your way as you try and make your ship more powerful and your pockets deeper.
now on to 3 of 4
3 of 4
3. Economy and Crafting
The economy of PotBS is all player based. Everything inside the game worth using is all player made. This is a good thing because in many games, players do not feel the need to craft because they cannot produce anything that is better than what is dropped or looted. The crafting inside PotBS is vast, it goes from making bullets or wine to making large ships for the players to use. Some players are content with just crafting some ammo for their own vessels, while others get together and make a business out of refining and producing ships. The vastness of creating ships takes so many diff components I am not sure 1 players can do it all alone. I know in my society they have many diff people in charge of producing specific parts each day, then handed off to the ship builder for final production.
A player can own many "structures" or buildings in a port that allows players to build on them. You cannot see your structures visibly but you have a window that will show you a list of all your structures and what you can produce daily. Like I said tho amount of materials used in some aspects of crafting would suggest multiple players are needed to produce some items.
Once a players has structures and can complete items, they then can either use them, or trade them to friends who need them or can place them on the auction house.
Auctioneers are found in all the town shops.
How auctions work in PotBS is this, you bring up the menu and you search out an item you want, if you don't know the name there is a drop menu that will give you the category of the item your looking for and you search it. Once you find your item, a window will show you a list of last 10 or so transactions for that item and how much was paid for it. You can then either start with the last items value or try to go lower or higher.
In example the window will look like this.
Copper Ore 50
Copper Ore 50
Copper Ore 40
Copper Ore 60
Copper Ore 50
so you can start at 40 and place your "bid"
If you get it the item will be placed in your inventory if not it will say the bid was to low and try again.
Next you would try 50 then 60 then 70 and on up until you get the item you want.
Its a common sense kinda auction house.
if you seen the above example your not gonna place a bid for 5000 gold when the last 5 bids were under 60 gold. Your gonna try and keep it reasonable. That is a breakdown on bidding at the auction house.
I believe this auction house type was put in place to prevent the auctions from being monopolized by the greedy and it has worked in many other games, it is a sure fire way to keep the economy level. Mature players backing a AH such as this always ensures that people are getting what they need at a price that the rest of the world is willing to pay.
I hope this helped on the breakdown of economy and crafting inside PotBS
4 of 4
4. Playability
I would say that this game was built and designed for the guild/groups. However for those who are un-friendly soloers who do not like/wish to participate with others, the game can also be enjoyable for you.
The solo player will find this game to be much like a single player action game, it can be played, it can be fun, it will get boring at times. This is usually when the solo gamer will go play something else for a short while and then come back to do some more solo mission or open sea battles in PotBS. The first time player of PotBS I would suggest to immediately search out a society for your respected faction get to know them and learn the game, as this game has TONS to offer the player willing to work well with others and work as a team player.
If you are just hell bent on playing along and trying to take on the entire caribbean solo, this is not impossible I would say, just not very feasible.
All in all it can cater to both kinds of players, just seems to be more designed for the society's and team players of the world.
Tho for the "Dread Pirate Roberts" of the world, if you succeed, you will be a worthy opponent for all those you face.
The End
Thank you for the detailed review!
Thanks Annekynn,
I decided to get away from all the other non-factual based discussions and just lay the game out exactly how it is. Nothing in my post can be debated on because there is nothing to debate, that is the gameplay, that is how it is played from loading screen to quit screen.
Potential players need to read something that will help them understand what the game is like instead of a bunch of bashing or opinion based hooplah.
I have not played PotBS very long, but what I posted is the basic principles of all facets of the gameplay.
Yes, thank you for a very comprehensive review.
I would be interested to hear more of your personal opinion / likes / dislikes though?
Nothing says irony like spelling ideot wrong.
Excellent review. You did a great job keeping personal opinion out of it and just presenting the game as you've played it.
Nice to read something that doesn't degenerate into discussions about the amount of instancing, or how bad the avatar combat currently is. (all very real issues, but probably not game breakers for many people)
"True friends stab you in the front." | Oscar Wilde
"I need to finish" - Christian Wolff: The Accountant
Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm
Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. Pvbs 18:2, NIV
Don't just play games, inhabit virtual worlds™
"This is the most intelligent, well qualified and articulate response to a post I have ever seen on these forums. It's a shame most people here won't have the attention span to read past the second line." - Anon
thanks for posting a very informative review of this game- its refreshing to see someone spending the time to give a detailed description rather than hyping up or verbally bashing it!
For me, a review is as much about figuring out what sort of gameplay the reviewer likes (and therefore how this relates to me) as reading their summary.
For example, do you prefer the way the strategic map works in Medieval: Total War or Rome: Total War ?
Not because I want to flame you, but becuase it helps me figure out if we like the same type of games and gameplay?
Do you prefer graphics over gameplay?
Do you like tactics / strategy / or hack and slash?
Your review is all technically correct - no dispute - but did you like the game?
Nothing says irony like spelling ideot wrong.
lol...you mean like a "review"?
p.s. I think the game already comes with a manual, btw.
My personal opinion on the 4 aspects I wrote about.
1. Personal Ship / Open Sea.
This aspect of the game I think is were this game truly shines. I can see where some may get bored with it solo play. In a group/ society aspect tho I personally do not see where this gameplay could ever get boring as it is never played the same way twice. The more minds you add to the scenario the more complex it becomes. You can even raise the difficulty rating from captain all the way up to admiral to spawn more ships per encounter and raise the AI of the ships to provide some serious complex warfare on the seas. It really isn't as simple as some would suggest. The deeper you dig into the real sea combat and naval battles the more you understand this isn't you typical point and click game. If you aren't using your wits against some of these encounters your going to find your ship and all its contents at the bottom of the ocean.
I would score Open Sea mode of PotBS at 9 of 10.
It is something unique and original in an MMO and you will not find an RTS element so perfectly ported into a MMO than this.
2. Avatar and Avatar Combat.
I took this one with a grain of salt. I understood the first day I installed PotBS that the Avatar play was not the main emphasis of the game. This game was not ment to be avatar based like, WoW, FF, CoX, EQ, SWG list goes on forever. These games have the focus on the avatars where PotBS the ship is the true avatar. Your ship is the focus of the gameplay. Its is the ship your leveling and gearing not the avatar. The avatar when I play feels like a weapon of the ship itself. Your avatar is the boarding weapon of your true character.... your ship.
So does the avatar combat feel dull, the answer is yes, at times it does, it can also at times be challenging. Personal experience shows that if you try to board a ship with more waves than you have, and the captain of the enemy vessel is a little tougher than you initially thought, then its quite challenging to pull off a win. However the depth of the avatars skills and equipment need to be improved upon if indeed they want players to acknowledge they have a "avatar".
If you take the avatar for what it is ment to be, which is a weapon your ships uses to over power it's foes much like a cannon or its sails, then the poor depth and combat of the avatars are easily forgiven as they can be expanded upon in time.
3. Economy and Crafting.
As a long time player of Final Fantasy Online, I can tell you that the player ran economy works, and the crafting works. I read some post about players not being able to craft anything better than any other player. This is the point I think. This game wasn't designed for players to be able to be leaps and bounds above others and just roll right over them. The point of the crafting being equal provides this.
Players will be just as well fitted as all other players. When they meet on the open seas what will set them apart is their keen intellect and understanding of game mechanics and how to out think and out play their opponents. For once in a game your gear will not pre determine your fate. The only thing that will kill you in the end is not being as skills as the player who defeated you.
Learn from your mistakes and play harder.
So I think the crafting in the game is just fine as is. It has plenty of depth as everything in the world needed to survive can be made by players, every ship in the game can be made by players. All mods to upgrade those ships can be made by players and all on an even playing field.
The economy with the double blind auction system keeps the cash flow constant and exactly at the prices the players are willing to pay at the time its being made. There is nothing wrong with the system in my opinion, it isn't for everyone. It works, and a wise man once said, don't fix what isn't broken.
So IMO the economy and crafting in the game is fine and well suited for what the game needs and is to become down the road. It serves all purposes inside the game and functions without any problems.
4. Playability
As I stated in the OP the game is both solo and group supported. Tho it tends to be more group focused, you can solo in the game. If your going to solo it tho, just realize your missing out on half of what this game has to offer. My first 3 days in I soloed and at day 3 was getting bored with the missions, Day 3 till Now while in my current Society on ventrilo and really putting in a team effort, I will honestly say this has been the most fulfilling and fun game I have played in a very very long time. This game isn't for the hardcore, you can just get on and have some casual fun. Even for the hardcore as long as your rolling with others, it's endless fun. All in all if your taking the game for what it is, a MMO in a pirate setting focused on RTS style naval combat and ship oriented combat. There isn't a game like it, and it is shaping up to be a great game.
Now THAT was an excellent review.
I particularly liked your summaries of Economy and Crafting & Playability.
Thanks.
Nothing says irony like spelling ideot wrong.
Now THAT was an excellent review.
I particularly liked your summaries of Economy and Crafting & Playability.
Thanks.
agreed...that it was an excellent review, even if not with the review itself.
Thanks for both of those reviews neonaka. I am also a former FFXI player and I have been looking for something to fill the MMO void (currently trying LOTR but I'v also played just about every other MMO out there).
I did play the game for about 2 days durning open beta and I really thought the ship combat was sweet and I'm glad it does hold up through the game. I also like the sound of the AH system (reminds me of FFXI's). I'm even more tempted to pick it up (saw it at Bestbuy today and almost picked it up).
Could you post what you thought of the graphics? I have a really high end computer and I plan on playing it on my HDTV soon.
Your review was stellar honestly, and just based of what you have said, it has confirmed what i have thought from the beginning, ive decided to get the game, and at least try it out.
Ill be playing on Bonny bTW
Get me some RP in. haha
-Jive
Excellent Job Neonaka.. I hope people that are remotely interested in playing PotBS take a viewing to your post...
Back to the front page with this as people seem to need another review.
The graphics hmmmm.
Ok well the graphics I can break down for you as well.
Open Sea sailing :
Will feel and look very generic in ways. It is amost like watching yourself sail around on a sea map. LOL Actually that is exactly what you are doing. Graphics are still good on open seas but are just what they are, your ship in the ocean scaled down so you can see far off distance and everything around you.
Open Sea Instance battles :
Quite simply amazing graphics. If you have a high end pc and can gear all the graphics to max, you will actually feel as tho you can taste the sea water. The water reflections, detail of your ship and crew on the ship, you will even be able to see the cannon balls flying from your ship to enemy ship. The instanced battle graphics are as good as it gets by todays standards.
The City and Town graphics :
This would be average at best. Not horrible, not GREAT! Just built to suit the purpose of allowing the avatar players somewhere to stretch their legs. Tho at max settings the high res building do look good. The avatars look good. I will just sum it up and say the towns look "good". Nothing spectacular. I run 2 eVGA 8800GT 512's in SLi and even at max resolution 1680x1050. It just looks "good"
Avatar Areas ie. Islands :
Same as the towns can be summed up with "good".
So the breakdown is this.
Open Sea : Average 6 of 10
Battle Scenes Sea Combat : 10 of 10 (Amazing)
Towns : 7 of 10 (slightly above average just "good")
Avatar areas : 7 of 10 (slightly above average just "good")
This was all taken off my high end machine. People not running nice cards or nice cards in SLi with at least a decent processor and 2GB of ram can expect these opinions to be a little lower.
My wife uses my old Alienware still on a 5900Ultra and she get less than average looking graphics in all the above areas. It doesn't even look like the same game to her. She chose not to play this game with me strictly based off the graphics area. As she cannot "feel" as tho she can taste the water like I can.
For some people on low end machines, this could be a deciding factor for them to play or not to play. High end users will likely find the graphics up to date at good if not better.
Awesome information; thank you so much for posting Mr OP !!
Luckily, i don't need you to like me to enjoy video games. -nariusseldon.
In F2P I think it's more a case of the game's trying to play the player's. -laserit
A truly helpful and well-written thread, thank you very much!
Thank you for the info about the graphics. I recently built my new computer with the aim of being able to play Crysis and CoD4 at max settings with no lag, and I achived that goal. I only have one 8800GT but I also only run at 1440x900 or 1080pHDTV so I'm betting I can still run at maxed or close there.
On another note I did break down and buy the game and it's installing as I speak.
I really don't understand why you are writing a review as well? The game has been live for one day and even if you had beta experience it would be void and unethical to place in a final review. In order for any review to be accurate and creditable, someone should wait at least a month after playing. The only reason they should write one before then is if they played non-stop for at least 12 hours a day.
If you would read it you would probably understand
I really don't understand why you are writing a review as well? The game has been live for one day and even if you had beta experience it would be void and unethical to place in a final review. In order for any review to be accurate and creditable, someone should wait at least a month after playing. The only reason they should write one before then is if they played non-stop for at least 12 hours a day.
if you looked at the date you would notice he wrote it before it went live, during the pre order / pre boarding period
LOL yeah it kills me when someone does not read before they type.
I did play it 12 hours a day for 2 weeks. Just not in BETA. Oh well, that is what he gets for not reading.