Howdy, Stranger!
It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
Quick Links
Finally something different -- and fun! (My review of closed beta)
brash99
Member UncommonPosts: 94
This may not be a game that appeals to everyone, but it is a true breath of fresh air for those who are tired of the "kill monster, level up, kill monster, level up" game play style.
One thing I am sure is that any fans of the the old school SNES classic "Uncharted Waters: New Horizons" will adore this MMO version. I was a little concerned when I checked out closed beta whether it would be able to meet the expectations of fans of that series. However, in my opinion this MMO version is even BETTER than the classic single player console game. There is a lot different but the underlying spirit and soul of the original game is still there. None of the original complexity has been 'watered down', and if anything new complexities added (such as needing to learn new languages to explore other ports of the world, and ability to learn skills such as theology, shipbuilding, cooking, 100s more).
Two issues that some people may have (but did not bother me, in fact these suited me perfectly) is a slower pace with steep learning curve, and slightly dated graphics.
Graphics will seem a little dated to those used to flashy AAA titles, but I found the art to be warm and charming, lots of nice subdued palettes and not a bright 'anime cartoon' feel overall despite coming from the asian markets. Here is a bit of art I saw in the game:
The game pace is also a little slow compared to "modern action rpgs" but for me this is a good thing ^_^ At first I thought the game would appeal mostly to older gamers because of its requirement for patience and thinking instead of relexes and adreneline, but I was surprised to see in closed a beta a number of young players who liked the game also. the ingame community was extremely warm and helpful at answering questions and welcoming people.
Here are my boats, there are over 150 ships and players can build customized ones too:
There is also a very lengthy ingame "school" that teaches players all about the game, and helps players from feeling too lost. A few complained in closed beta that the school was way too long but I simply did a section or two then took a break to explore on my own, went back to do a bit more then went out on my own again. You are not REQUIRED to do the tutorial/school segment, its entirely optional but will open up some opportunities for fame, exp and rewards. You can do it in small segments if you want.
This game has a very strong "sandboxy" feel to it as every player can approach and enjoy the game a little differently. Although it has three branches and you choose from the start from Combat, Adventure or Trade, those are better thought of as "Spheres" and you can cross between them at will and redesign your character at any time. Everything is based on which skills YOU pick to train and emphasize. It's relatively easy to avod combat if you prefer looking for treasure maps, making a fortune off selling specialty goods from port to port, or searching for fabled sunbken ships and salvaging them for their treasures. The game is a huge recreation of the days of sailing exploration, with players able to enjoy the game in many different styles, whether they prefer Combat, Adventure of Trade. You are able to learn from over 200 of so skills from any of those to make a unique combination that suits your own playstle, whether you see yourself as a Spanish Pirate, English Cartographer, Venetian Spice Merchant, Portuguese cook, tons of different ways to approach the game.
Game was in closed beta until recently, we are still waiting for Open Beta Test (OBT) announcement which hopefully will come any day now. Now announced as Oct. 1 2010, with no character wipe at the end of OBT.
There is a still small but EXTREMELY excited community of fans already.
For those interested in cooking, I have also started a small website here:
http://uwo.brashendeavors.net/
Also see the english language wiki that the entire community has been working on:
Comments
Nice review! Sounds like fun and as you say, 'a breath of fresh air'. There was this old console game I played like...over 10 years ago, the name of which I cannot recall. Basically you were a merchant who went from port to port, exploring new seas and lands, and trading spices. It was simple but I loved it. Kind of sounds like that to me, but more complex of course.
OMG wait a minute......this IS the same game! This is the old console game from 1992?? Where you start off in Portugal and build your fleet? Wow...I had no idea this game was still alive and kicking, nevermind being made into an MMO. I will HAVE to check this out.
If it looked like this, it might be the original NES/SNES console series by KOEI:
edit: yup thats the one ^_^ fans of the old series ADORE this new online version so be sure to check it out, it is every bit as addicting as the original.
http://brashendeavors.net/
Looks like potentially very decent game! This is the type game I might enjoy as a person who feel like 'been there, done that' about the whole genre. A game like this is bound to have an extremely good, colorful community. People actually enjoy the game, rather than argue and complain all the time and spend all time thinking how to get next epic item. Also RP potential is huge, I suppose.
Thanks for the informative post!
the game is decent, the CBT was decently hosted. only 2 main gripes about the CBT and that was the over population of the test server(s) which caused "failure to connect/server congestion" which lead to the disable of school chat (sort of the global ingame chat, you dont have any sort of world chat without school chat, apart from company (guild), local and fleet(party chat)
only other problem that is still promadent in the asian game servers is "bot" fleets. no word yet if they plan to curb it or not, but with a game that relays on player population to improve cities i can be a tad inbalancing when you have people automating 1 or more 5 man fleets (5 man is the max you can have party wise)and over loading the game market or greatly over investing making 1 port stronger fleet wise over another.
all in all tho, the game plays very smooth. its hosted by netmarble who also run the korean server for the game as well. so i was quite impressed with the server build they have currently. unlike the VCO debuckle in CBT where the servers felt like it was on diel up for awhile.
comparied to PoTBS or VCO/BBO, its pretty good. for something different. lots of semi-realistic towns/and ship setups. ships look and for the most part feel realistic so that is a bonus. it does have alittle arcade to the land battle and sea battle with cannons and such (ramming a ship without a ram rarely does damage, unless they have a ram then you take damage....)
worth a shot whenever they go OBT with it, for something different.
thnx for the review.....not realy my kinda game but looks tempting anyways
Portugal is only one of the starter cities, just like the console version you can also start out in other cities, here the options are:
London
Amsterdam
Lisbon
Seville
Marseilles
Venice
Unfortuantely, you cannot start in Istanbul (Ottoman Empire) so fans of Ali in the console will have to pick a different area ^_^ though at least two start in the Mediterranean (Venice & Marseilles)
And yes, for the person who asked about RP potential, I think this is a good game for that. I tend to "RP in my head" rather than interacting with others in a "social" role play, and the only games I can really get into are ones where I feel a connection with my character and her own personal story and adventures, and this is a good game for that type.
http://brashendeavors.net/
I just checked this out and after creating an account I have to install a netmarble service app to even see the game sites.
Now, since I'm inherently paranoid and distrustfull of all 3rd party apps I'll just have to pass on this one. Shame really, looks quite fun.
For months I was been looking for a game that wasn't a typical fantasy game... kill mobs, level, kill mobs, etc. etc. etc.
I hoped to find something in the way of an adventure game. I found Uncharted Waters and played in CBT. I enjoyed it considerably and I can hardly wait for OBT to begin.
My search is over.
I don't like them either, I did not install the app and as long as I am not "logged into" the website itself, I can access the entire site without the nag screens. Just hit the "logout" button on the webpage. You can still log into the game without needing the app, and can still browse the website while logged out.
The only real annoyance is, if you want to post in the website forums, you'll need to log back in at the website and then the popup nags start again, I just cancel them until I finish my post then log out of the webite again. The game login is separate from the website login.
We are hoping they will drop that entire web app "messenger" thing before the game's release, as many people can't stand it. But there are ways to not install it and still use the site and play the game.
http://brashendeavors.net/
I have waited for years to play this and when CBT hit I jumped all over it. This is certainly a niche game make no doubt about it. I've spent years bouncing from one game to another but now I think I finally found my new home.
So how is this different than VCO? looks and sounds the same. Also what about the pvp? we heard about the softer side now tell us about the WAR. Port raids? Nation Wars? Can I be a pirate? loved VCO until it tanked hard, would be interested in a replacement for it assuming its not one big pve carebear fest.
After playing the closed beta I found myself strangly drawn to this game more so then I have been to a mmo in a very long time. Which is saying alot since I fall into that mmo burnout catagory. It puts a new spin on a mmo where the game has a very player run econamy with trading. There is land explorationcombat, the sea itself is huge as its pretty much the entire world. There is a decent crafting system, the custom char building and abilty to change your skills if you "feel you made a mistake" is also a great thing. There really are no wrong builds for this game as its so diverse.
Being a fan of the old 16 bit game New Horizens I fell right into the world of this game, While I never tried VCO, and having very limited time on PotBS, I'd recomend everyone who is a fan of this genre to give this game a try when it opens up. (just wish we had a certain date for it)
You'll want to wait for someone who knows more about the PvP aspect, I'm an admitted carebear and can tell you what little I know, but some parts may need to be corrected by someone with better information.
There is PvP in the game, but only in areas known as "Hostile Waters." I do not know how much of the map this entails. I believe if you attack someone from your own nation, that it could you a "pirate" unwelcome in your own country, but I am not sure on that. Otherwise, I think you are free to attack ships from the other five nationalities but only in these "Hostile Waters."
There are some avid PvP players in the game but I believe (I may be wrong) there is a larger proportion of 'carebears' because of the lack of 'forced PvP", those who do not want to be involved in it can avoid it. This makes the game much more attractive to us carebears, so more of us show up ^_^
I'll see if I can find someone who enjoys PvP aspect of the game to fill you in more. I believe when people have done comparisons of this game vs PotBS, that they felt the PvP aspect was better in PotBS but that the PvE elements (exploration/trade/depth of content) was far greater in UWO.
People who played VCO as well as the eastern servers of UWO (Japan/Taiwan/China) seemed to feel the cash shop was far more reasonable in UWO, as they seemed to feel VCO had some severe issues with cash shop, but I really did not follow the details too much.
http://brashendeavors.net/
as far as i have seen since CBT, there are none of the gabralter afk fleets that VCO had. the PVP is alittle carebearish (Atleast in CB)
once the game is fully up and running you will have company port raids (companys bid on an enemy port, attack it and win/lose)
there are hostile seas (baltic/blacksea/southern shores of africa and all of asia. mostly done to give players a chance to learn the game and level up to a comfortable level.
sea around britan/europe and the meddy sea are "pvp" free zones. with pvp based on duel invites (not sure if companies can pvp in all seas or not)
hostile sea is FFA. but dont think its just a carebear game. as there are pirate npc random encounters. (sailing out of london with trade goods can spawn you any thing from a level 1 battle barac to a otteman empire barbarian galley, tho the ships are generally nation area spec'ed. you wont get pirate galleys in the north sea, but annoying flutes and carracks sure)
there are NPC "friendly" fleets you can attack to become hated by nations and turn your toon in to a pirate. nations that hate you deny you the ability to "port/land" and NPCs may actually hunt/attack you when you are around. as well players will be given rewards for sinking people who are "wanted"
its alot differant to VCO, where you had the battle sea zone instance.
here you have open world battles as well as skills that call for help "if you use the skill "request reinforcements" players in the area can join your sea battle without being in your fleet" all in all the game feels much more "alive" then VCO/BBO ever did
land battles are against npcs (which are alot better then VCO's odd skill level requirement, you can fight higher level npcs with the starting weapon. barehanded you are given a butter knife. that does really no damage, until the end of combat)
i believe you can PVP in land maps as well but that is one aspect i didnt explore alot, mostly sea battles kept me entertained.
game is worth giving a look see. its not for everyone tho, it does have a steeper learning curve then VCO had.
(oh and the netmarble APP is actually an autopatcher/launcher. if you use it, it keeps your games uptodate and allows you to load any of netmarbles games by using it. "kind of a Steam app for netmarble O-o" its a pain in the backside to get to work with Chrome tho.. but i got it to work
1 account works in any of their games. login to the APP and open any of them)
Closed Beta was fun. I didn't play enough hours to get very far, and getting past the first part of the schooling was tedious, but it's still worlds better than another quest/loot/level/repeat MMO, and I'm looking forward to Open Beta.
I am convinced there is only one way to eliminate these grave evils, namely through the establishment of a socialist economy, accompanied by an educational system which would be oriented toward social goals.
~Albert Einstein
ya i quite agree the school quest stuff was a huge time consumer. but at the same time for the people who value immersion and questing. it was really laid out. plus if you read through the whole thing from beginner/intern/advanced schooling for that build type. it was pretty helpful/information that alot of people ask.
like "where is SO and SO npc.." or "where is my house?" how do i fire a cannon... ect. despite the long grind in the school, it really does add to the game. and in some cases makes it more enjoyable. at least its not all "go kill 10 level 1 rats and come back.... GOOD here is reward.. now go do it again on lv 2 rats" while it did have the A typical go grind X target, it wasnt really that bad. plus you could farm the ship target for the quest and then.... keep farming them HAHA (i loved the irish pirate/fishermen ... stupid barac's didnt stand a chance)
the main quest i liked yet hated was the country quest (storyline quest) it forced you to actually explore the game, sailing from london all the way to alexandra and back. showed you the game is bigger then sailing back and froth from oslo to london. (never really noticed any of the normal asian style hand holding either in quests. tho some did require you to group to do. it wasnt really that bad)
Nice review with pics. Only thing I would add is the learning curve. I'd call EVE steep but learnable with time. UWO has a very thorough newbie chain and is a lot easier to learn. The sheer number of classes to pick from can also be a little daunting. You really gotta play for a while and figure out what you want to concentrate your skills toward. I imagine many people would use their 2nd char slot for their main char. Your first char will be to experiment.
Good post, however you left out one major aspect: combat.
The ship combat in this game is very bland. You can only shoot from one side of the ship at a time, and there's no 'realistic' features to the combat except maybe an 'event' such as water leaking (which is completely by random/chance). It's very arcadish. And when you go to attack another ship in melee mode it's not that interactive. You might use a skill to help you out, but it's practically a roll-the-dice type of thing.
Then you have ground melee which is just like ship mele. Not fun and very little interaction. Though I don't have much experience with this.
That said, this doesn't seem like a combat/pvp type of game.
How is this different/better than Voyage Century Online? Besides having worse graphics.
Naww this is not a combat oriented game. But there are some tactics used, even if it's not all flashing lights and crazy moves. Land fights involve a building power bar to do better skills, use of many items, and standard attacks. They are a bit of a challenge because the enemy can heal itself and drop explosives and such that take half of your health. But then again you can do all these also by buying items. After all the sea exploring and traveling, most peeps seem to get burned out by the time they need to explore and travel on land. If you put in as much time and cash into your ship as land battles, you'll have no problems.
Naval battles are simplified compared to say PotBS. A few things do matter tho such as relative direction and speed to the combatants and distance apart. You can also ram the other ship for damage. The weakest combat feature is the sea ship to ship fighting. The only interaction you have with the battle is to retreat or use some skills. The game shows the ships in the water still with the numbers of your sailors changing, or skills used by either fighter. It's great if your def and attack are a lot higher than those pesky pirates. However, if you run into one that's higher level all those sailors you hire and improve quickly die. Then you'll have to find a number of ports, rehire sailors, make them happy, and train over time.
The death consequences are fair. You can lose some gear, cargo, and durability on items so it definelty sucks. But at least you don't lose everything. PvP is everywhere tho, starting at zones relatively close to starting cities and extend to the last ports you'll discover. In the end the game is about nations competing for ports, and there are always the rats, i mean player pirates, trying to steal your booty.
It's not. There is a combat aspect, but it does not focus primarily on combat as does pretty much every other MMO out there. To me and many others who are anxiously waiting for this game to go into OBT, that is the beauty of it. If you want to focus on combat then I would recommend any other MMO. This is what distinguishes this game from others, that fact that its focus is varied and not primarily committed to combat.
I feel this game is more for those who are tired of typical combat focused games, because frankly that's pretty much all that is out there.
As far as comparing this to VCO I can only say I tried VCO, didn't like it right from the start and uninstalled it. Some games just don't feel right, to me it was one of those. So on that one I have no opinion other than that.
The forums at netmarble are thick with fear, that the gold farmers will ruin the game. And a vast bash, of people that want to play more than one account, but with 6 starting cities and only 2 toon slots ... do the math. That said the game has played for 5 years as a pay 2 play in 4 nations on/as separate servers who are regionally banned from this server, but who showed up any way to test their bot nets. AS a pay to play format rakes in the coin from multi accounts, the providers have never had an insentive to get tough on multi account and gold farmers. Yesterday I looked for gold sellers and found 7 that are posted as Real Soon Now.
In CBT there was a 7day non-delete of your toon, and if that carries over to OBT, as long as you play one instance of the game at one time I recommend that you open 3 accounts and start a toon in each city.
The school is not mandatory, but there was a 10 stop quest line with the "helpers" that adds 100K to the starting 50K and that starts in the schools system and the school outfit provides +20 armor over the starter outfit, so i recommend that you register at the school do the "helper" quest line and go spend the next 4 hrs. at sea killing pirate NPC's and logging Ports for the Adventure Fame. And then start school after you have 10-12 combined lvls of fame; adventure/maritime/trade which lets you open up the other 5 job lines other than "learner" that exist in each job sphere. If you don't speak the language you will not be able to business in that port. language skills each take up one of your limited skill slots and there are limitations on what are your starter ports and if you go to a port not on a permission list that you have you will not be able to get past the dock(you get Fame in adventure for getting to the Port and more Fame in adventure for walking in that port). But there are 15 or 20 ports on each list so you will have more than a few choices of places to go once you set sail.
If you see trees on a coastline, then that is a "landing point" where you can explore, but the land battles REQUIRE more than one player to lick a lvl 1 NPC and a lvl 5 will chop you up in nothing flat, same thing in the VoC style suburbs(take at least one friend or better 2 or 3), for those cities that have them. This, is the/ that game from which VoC and BBO were copied. I have played VoC for 3 1/5 years and BBO for over 2. I still play UC:New Horizions on my emulator and the cartarige is in my abandoned SNES down in the basement still.
Isnt Pirates of the BUrning sea better than this?
This actually sounds pretty fun, I might check it out next time I am bored.