Flying Lab Software
23rd June 2007, 00:28
You did . . . What?
So, here we are, looking at a future in which very soon we will be shipping Pirates of the Burning Sea. I’ve been super busy trying to get the game ready for that day, but I thought I’d take a moment to share with you a few of the things we in ConCo have accomplished and are continuing to work on as we march toward the glorious new piratical future.
Finished first pass at 1000 missions:
That’s right. Against all odds, ConCo has in fact put over 1000 missions in the game – FOR EACH NATION. There is still some polishing to do, but the content is in the game and you can play from level 1 to level 50 (which many companies would call “content complete”).
Damn it feels good to say that. In fact, right now, I’m going to stand up and give the writers and mission designers of ConCo fame a big round of applause. Excuse me for a moment.
Revamped all of the level 1 to 15 content:
The first content we made in the game was necessarily the low-level missions. We needed something to use to test the rest of the game against. But as we got better at making missions and other content, it became apparent that the missions we made several years ago paled in comparison to those we make today. We’re just simply better at using our own tools.
As a result, we recently revisited our new-player content and did a complete revamp. This is a good strategy, and I’m glad we did it this way. But I have to admit that we made a mistake.
Not being one who likes to see work go to waste, I directed the mission designers to try to reuse as much of the previous content as possible. My thinking was that we could spruce up the missions we had in the game and supplement them with some sparkling new encounters. Sounded like a good plan at the time, but in truth, it was like putting a big square peg in a small round hole. It just didn’t fit well.
So we rolled up our sleeves, and we dug back in.
Now with a second revamp pass under our belts. I’m happy to report that we achieved the results we were looking for. The missions change pace, they’re fun, and all is right with the world. I’m sure you’ll be pleased with it.
Loot! Loot! Loot!:
As we’re going through the game and polishing everything up, we’re also adding unique loot items to the appropriate missions. We’re picking out the highpoints in all of the individual story arcs, and we’re attaching appropriate rewards.
For example, there is a series on missions in which the player is asked to infiltrate a secret meeting between two powerful, bloodthirsty pirate gangs. To gain entrance, the player has to first board an enemy ship and take from the captain something that identifies him as a member of one of these two gangs. (Grab a disguise before joining the meeting in progress.) The item the player retrieves is not only an essential part of the mission, it also has properties that are valuable in avatar combat, making it something you’ll want to keep into the future.
We really like the idea of rewards that reflect a player’s actual accomplishments in the game world. For me, the best loot is stuff that I can point to and think back fondly on the mission in which I got it. We want you to care about the goods you’re getting, so we’re putting a lot of time into designing where that loot comes from and what it does.
Career Counseling:
Right now we’re going back through all the unique missions for each of the careers and getting them ready for primetime. These missions are far more intricate than most of the other missions in the game. We’re making sure that all the moving parts are working properly, that all the cool uniform options are being given out at the appropriate levels, and that the overall experience is just kick-ass cool.
As I’m writing this, I’m told that we’re finished with our fixing pass on these missions, and ConCo will be playing them as a group for several days, trying to break them in fun and interesting ways. Once we’re sure they’re solid, we’ll kick them up to the real testing professionals in TestCo, so they can find everything we didn’t. In the coming weeks, we’ll be fixing the bugs they generate.
Sails and Flags:
Every enemy group in the game will have its own unique sail pattern and flag. We’ve just finished putting in the first batch (many of which were created by members of our community who submitted their designs for our Flags and Sails contest). Now you can shiver in your boots when the flag of the Dead Redcoats appears on the horizon.
Today Cozumel, tomorrow the Caribbean:
We’ve added a bunch of cool new missions that allow players to participate more fully and on many levels in the Conquest PVP aspects of Pirates. Included in this is the “Final Battle” encounter that will take place whenever any nation has successfully challenged a port’s current owner for control. Taking over the Caribbean was never so much fun.
Super secret stuff:
I’d love to be able to tell you about all the other things we’re working on, but alas, I must withhold this information. But I will leave you with this tidbit: Life in the Burning Sea has never been so diverse, interactive, or colorful as it is now.
Gotta get back to work. See you all on the other side!
More... (http://www.burningsea.com/pages/page.php?pageKey=news/article&article_id=10344)
So, here we are, looking at a future in which very soon we will be shipping Pirates of the Burning Sea. I’ve been super busy trying to get the game ready for that day, but I thought I’d take a moment to share with you a few of the things we in ConCo have accomplished and are continuing to work on as we march toward the glorious new piratical future.
Finished first pass at 1000 missions:
That’s right. Against all odds, ConCo has in fact put over 1000 missions in the game – FOR EACH NATION. There is still some polishing to do, but the content is in the game and you can play from level 1 to level 50 (which many companies would call “content complete”).
Damn it feels good to say that. In fact, right now, I’m going to stand up and give the writers and mission designers of ConCo fame a big round of applause. Excuse me for a moment.
Revamped all of the level 1 to 15 content:
The first content we made in the game was necessarily the low-level missions. We needed something to use to test the rest of the game against. But as we got better at making missions and other content, it became apparent that the missions we made several years ago paled in comparison to those we make today. We’re just simply better at using our own tools.
As a result, we recently revisited our new-player content and did a complete revamp. This is a good strategy, and I’m glad we did it this way. But I have to admit that we made a mistake.
Not being one who likes to see work go to waste, I directed the mission designers to try to reuse as much of the previous content as possible. My thinking was that we could spruce up the missions we had in the game and supplement them with some sparkling new encounters. Sounded like a good plan at the time, but in truth, it was like putting a big square peg in a small round hole. It just didn’t fit well.
So we rolled up our sleeves, and we dug back in.
Now with a second revamp pass under our belts. I’m happy to report that we achieved the results we were looking for. The missions change pace, they’re fun, and all is right with the world. I’m sure you’ll be pleased with it.
Loot! Loot! Loot!:
As we’re going through the game and polishing everything up, we’re also adding unique loot items to the appropriate missions. We’re picking out the highpoints in all of the individual story arcs, and we’re attaching appropriate rewards.
For example, there is a series on missions in which the player is asked to infiltrate a secret meeting between two powerful, bloodthirsty pirate gangs. To gain entrance, the player has to first board an enemy ship and take from the captain something that identifies him as a member of one of these two gangs. (Grab a disguise before joining the meeting in progress.) The item the player retrieves is not only an essential part of the mission, it also has properties that are valuable in avatar combat, making it something you’ll want to keep into the future.
We really like the idea of rewards that reflect a player’s actual accomplishments in the game world. For me, the best loot is stuff that I can point to and think back fondly on the mission in which I got it. We want you to care about the goods you’re getting, so we’re putting a lot of time into designing where that loot comes from and what it does.
Career Counseling:
Right now we’re going back through all the unique missions for each of the careers and getting them ready for primetime. These missions are far more intricate than most of the other missions in the game. We’re making sure that all the moving parts are working properly, that all the cool uniform options are being given out at the appropriate levels, and that the overall experience is just kick-ass cool.
As I’m writing this, I’m told that we’re finished with our fixing pass on these missions, and ConCo will be playing them as a group for several days, trying to break them in fun and interesting ways. Once we’re sure they’re solid, we’ll kick them up to the real testing professionals in TestCo, so they can find everything we didn’t. In the coming weeks, we’ll be fixing the bugs they generate.
Sails and Flags:
Every enemy group in the game will have its own unique sail pattern and flag. We’ve just finished putting in the first batch (many of which were created by members of our community who submitted their designs for our Flags and Sails contest). Now you can shiver in your boots when the flag of the Dead Redcoats appears on the horizon.
Today Cozumel, tomorrow the Caribbean:
We’ve added a bunch of cool new missions that allow players to participate more fully and on many levels in the Conquest PVP aspects of Pirates. Included in this is the “Final Battle” encounter that will take place whenever any nation has successfully challenged a port’s current owner for control. Taking over the Caribbean was never so much fun.
Super secret stuff:
I’d love to be able to tell you about all the other things we’re working on, but alas, I must withhold this information. But I will leave you with this tidbit: Life in the Burning Sea has never been so diverse, interactive, or colorful as it is now.
Gotta get back to work. See you all on the other side!
More... (http://www.burningsea.com/pages/page.php?pageKey=news/article&article_id=10344)