Pirates of the Burning Sea
Review
Welcome change of pace to the MMO world
by Rook
reviewed on PC
War at sea
Combat between vessels is rather simple mechanically, but the tactics and strategies to allow the player to become successful are a bit more complicated. Each ship is unique in its way as it handles differently with separate strengths and weaknesses. These strengths can be further modified by ship outfitting, which will enhance certain ship characteristics. Ship combat can’t be won simply by firing cannon balls at your opponent. Even the smallest of scout ships can be a threat against or simply evade a superior foe when sailed by a crafty and skilled captain.
The actual combat takes place in a battle instance, which will load up when one opponent engages another. A great deal of variables are involved which will affect starting positions, bearing and the number of opponents. After combat begins, the player is locked into combat and will not be allowed to exit the instance until it is resolved or the player leaves combat by avoiding combat action for two minutes. If the player is still being shot at, then that player is still considered to be in combat and therefore will not be allowed to escape.
If a player were to lose a combat action, the players ship will be sunk, which subtracts one point of durability from the ships hull. Durability points are part of the ships blueprints when it is created. When the durability points run out the ship is irrevocably lost to the deep blue. Regardless of Durability remaining on the vessel, ship outfitting and “unsecured cargo” such as trade goods will be permanently lost. This makes it important to choose ones targets wisely, especially inexperienced captains.
Battles
The combat AI of a computer controlled NPC is rather limited. It can often be led around until the player can whittle down the NPC into surrendering. Experienced captains will not find much challenge in the AI combat unless they make a habit of engaging targets much higher level then themselves or by attacking convoys of ships resulting in a 3 or 4 to 1 fight. In addition to an unchallenging AI, there are still a few bugs that can hinder your travels.
Ship Player vs. Player takes place the exact same way as if a player were to attack a NPC target. Aside from the obvious difference of playing against the skill of another human opponent, the biggest difference will be in victory conditions. Players will have the opportunity to surrender to another player, offering a percentage of cargo in order to spare the loss of ship durability. Understand though, just because you offer surrender, does not mean your opponent is obligated to accept it. If the opposing captain feels your surrender percentage was too low, then odds are he will decline it.
Not all ship combat can be resolved with cannon fire. Often, captains find themselves taking part in boarding actions. When a ship successfully grapples and boards an opponent, the battle instance will change to the deck of the defending ship. Avatar combat will take place between the two crews, each led by there respective captains.
Overall
With all that said, Pirates of the Burning Seas is a welcome change of pace to the MMO world. This title will attract many players with diverse interests ranging from hardcore Player vs. Player, to character grinding, to playing with a live economy. There is a little something for every kind of player waiting in this swashbuckling version of 1720. With a little time and polish, the handful of minor bugs can be worked out and the full potential of this title may finally be realized.
8.0
fun score
No Pros and Cons at this time
