Current News: January 30, 2009
 

New Updates Now Live!
January 30 2009

http://a.disney.go.com/pirates/onlin...wportroyal.jpg

The Caribbean Just Got a Whole Lot Better!

We've made massive improvements to the game based on your comments and are proud to announce the changes and improvements are now live! Log in now to experience the new Port Royal, the new Tutorial, plus the improved Player Profile and Chat Interface. But that's not all! Now Basic Access members reputation gains are no longer reduced and it's easier than ever to browse your wardrobe! We've also addressed a cargo hold full of other issues players have contacted us about. See for yourself, set sail for the Caribbean now! Tell us what you think on the Grog Blog.


Port Royal in Ruins!
January 30 2009

http://a.disney.go.com/pirates/onlin...small_eitc.jpg

It happened without warning - a series of giant explosions sent debris and rubble into the sky - and in an instant Port Royal was gone. Read more about the event and how the town was rebuilt almost overnight.

Things are changing in the Caribbean ... download a map of the new Port Royal.

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That takes care of Chapter V of the lore, interesting how they cut it off like they did.

is it my imagination or did they just open up then test server the same day they released this update.

*walks away mumbling while scratching head*

I dont get it either

While this sounds like a great update, I have the feeling that disney didnt take their time with this at all...

Probably lots of bugs and all that will be upcoming. Well the Mouse is doing mataninece alot when they come out so hopefuly they can get some of the obvious out.

Ok put aside all the bugs this new port royal is 1000000% better than the old one it actually feels like a real town now and it looks like one too! I love all the new music! The new compass is amazing now it shows detail and if you click the little button it pulls up a bigger map! Sadly its only for port royal. However i expect to see Cuba, Tortuga, and PDF re-done within a year. The new player profile is awesome!

The incredible music, is blowing my mind. They really did it up nicely.

Yea they really did! Im still stunned how fast and un-laggy PR is running and all the new stuff!

I really would have thought they would have waited until around the tour date to realease these, but so far I gotta like it.

I really don't like how the compass no longer cares where you're looking (as in, with the camera), only where your pirate or boat is facing...

Am I the only one who thinks the Royal soliders look terrible, they were down graded instead of upgraded?

You have that problem too? Good (or not). Thought I was the only one; I was thinking it was bad graphics, bad computer, bad something. The city and fort are way cooler, and that map is just astounding. It's a great update.

Well, if you watch closely, you see that the Testers are either, not at all that well at finding bugs. Or Pirates can't exactly take their time, they want to get these things live and get them out of the way. Saddening, I know, but it be true.

That first premise is flatly false. Ignored reports of problems on test have caused a lot of grief. The second premise is just obtuse - the only deadlines they have are self-imposed. They are doing what they want, when they want because they can. I'll admit - it is keeping it interesting.

Software isn't easy, but their approach to how they handle situations, leaves them looking like rank amateurs. On one side, they have customers that want 100% PvP glitch-full servers; on the other, they have customers that want 100% glitch-free servers. Being the the latter category, I'm unimpressed.

I can easily see the frustrations, and felt similar myself before reaching test server. Edward hit it pretty much on the nose, there are many factors contributing to some of these things. Many bugs are being found by testing, though doesn't mean they are all fixed, and at times reported by some for that matter. If there is a question in this area feel free to run back to some of my posts before the release. One reason I list some of the stuff I report during testing, is to show that these are being reported before hand.


I for one am well aware of many things released into live servers. SVS giant bug. Compass change in ship tracking. Guilds having issues registering members correctly, weapon animation, some wall glitches in new Pr, to name a few. As well as unknowns still such as the code buttons or player button. These all standing alone to new to this release.

There are many things as well never seen live, that did get killed. Jewelry and tattoo's couldn't get to owned items. Black out shops, some exit into walls or buildings improperly. Shops missing signs, as well as some npc's just missing. Quest tracking completely messed up tracking several things at once. Couldn't goto guild members and friends. Many different game crashes from not being able to enter from drawing a staff. Several different texture problems. Chat auto spamming after 50 characters, cutting off words.

My overall view on this release is it did a lot of things, but their were still a number of things never addressed. I assume though "if watching closely", it was well aware of these things previously mentioned before the release.

I gave up on Pirates after testing a little while, I reported multiple times, for example, whenever I ported in Padres to get my nades, they never replied back or even tried to fix my problem. Made me angry so I just gave up on Test and let them bring it out to live where many more people complained about not getting their nades. I understand how hard it is to program this kind of thing, I just think it'd be easier to add a little at the time, and fix little glitches that are being made from each addition.

I admit, they had some good things, but they got old really quick, Ship PvP for Example. People played it nearly non-stop for Three to Four weeks. The next week people quit doing the Ship PvP on quiet servers. Then they got this contest where you tried to sink the most enemy ships in a whole weekend. That got some Ideal and Full Servers to stay with Ship PvP, but all out, it was a quick bore. Then they came out with bogus things, saying that the Skelly glitch was gone, and all they did was scratch the surface. The glitch was still playable, and all that changed is you had a colored number, but was not in skelly form.

They continued to try and 'Prevent Lag' by getting rid of this once and for all, by keeping invites from being sent into PvP's, and disallowing people to TP in PvP. This worked for a few weeks, until they figured out there were entrances to stages you could exit the match from and Tp out with your number still red and you in the glitch. Pirates always try and stop these glitches, but they truly cannot stop some very quickly.

(I'd advise make a Glitch Server where you can't level or anything for these people. A Server separate from Open and Test servers with same levels as Open, but if you glitch on open over and over again, you get banned. But that'd be a miracle, and even if they did, would anybody follow the rules?)

Still, I wish the glitches would get fixed, I worked hard with my characters, I never dared cheat and hide, I worked for my levels, I may have died more than anybody else, but if they had a board for most glitches used to level and cheat, I'd be in last place overall.

The skeleton glitch is a particularly sore spot/black eye for them. When they changed the appearance it was clear that they knew where in the code, they can detect the condition. The fact that it was not eliminated, means they have enough people that actually enjoy that, to cater to, by leaving it intact in some form, for each subsequent "patch."

Why they can't look like skeletons on their own separate server, is a mystery to me. But letting them glitch on main/open servers is just wrong. Infinite ammo, assassination, invisibility and invulnerability glitches just don't belong on normal servers.

Hi everyone, I was in holidays the last three weeks, so imagine how I felt when I logged in a few moments ago and I saw the new Port Royal and all these updates.

But I have a question, are now basic access members able to create four pirates or is it just a bug?

Sorry if this was already answered. I haven't found it.

See ya in the new Port Royal.