Test Release Notes - July 16, 2009
 

Test Release Notes - July 16, 2009

• New Features
  • Introducing the Revive System. This will let you keep mates from going "unconscious" and being carried off to jail when defeated in battle

• Improved Early Player Experience
  • Players now have the option of skipping the tutorial after creating their pirate
  • Removed the ad-frame for Basic Members, now Basic Members can play the game in full screen from day one
  • Improved the readability of the contextual pop-up hints

• Gameplay Improvements
  • Many updates to balance the rest of the quest lines in the game
  • Creatures' levels, types, and locations updated as well
  • Increased the cargo capacity for Pirates' ships (new hold amounts are listed below)
    • Light Sloop - now carries 6 Cargo instead of 3
    • Light Galleon - now carries 10 Cargo instead of 7
    • Light Frigate - now carries 8 Cargo instead of 5
    • Sloop - now carries 10 Cargo instead of 6
    • Galleon - now carries 14 Cargo instead of 11
    • Frigate - now carries 12 Cargo instead of 9
    • War Sloop - now carries 14 Cargo instead of 9
    • War Galleon - now carries 18 Cargo instead of 16
    • War Frigate - now carries 16 Cargo instead of 12
  • Reduced the duration of the "Weaken" effect on Pirates
  • Pirates' automatic healing begins more quickly after battle now
  • Made land enemies less aggressive
  • Better presentation when purchasing a voyage using the Stowaway option

Please report any issues you encounter using this feedback form.

The revival system seems nice

http://i327.photobucket.com/albums/k..._18-12-3-1.jpg

and you apparently can end up in the same jail cell as someone by just dieing..

http://i327.photobucket.com/albums/k...6_18-14-12.jpg

and a minor bug already, something tells me thats wrong..

http://i327.photobucket.com/albums/k..._18-6-40-1.jpg

and here is the new presentation.. you jump.. in a box

http://i327.photobucket.com/albums/k...6_18-17-40.jpg

always on the ground sven

well....... revive is some new content but its more of a side dish......... but i like the more cargo
:D:D:D:D:D:D

I think the more cargo is a reflection of people wanting to dump cargo, i guess it was to much work to dump so they just added more.

Now I gotta try that revive system when or if it hits live! Was that a timer up there too?

Yes, I didn't get to test it with someone else. But I assume the other needs a tonic, then they use it on you.

nice screenies Sven

-_- So they made the game even easier!

Hey it's a start of something...

BIG

Can't wait for more!
To bad im gone for a week on vacation when all the updates happen.:Pirate3:

Everywhere got alot more crowded with enemies like Lava Gorge
http://i687.photobucket.com/albums/v.../LavaGorge.jpg
And Tormenta got 40+ enemies yes that is a lvl 45 Seabeard
http://i687.photobucket.com/albums/v...y/Tormenta.jpg

By the look at Crazy Pirate screenshots if they are not harder then there is more than one attacking at once!:peopirate07bouncele

If they can go over 40 now soon we will be able to too!

Nice screenshots Crazypirate.

Yes but im not there on test yet so they won't do that till I level up to 40 and master!:laughks2:

Now im doomed to catch up!:psmiley27:

Found a Gator boss in El Sudoron! That's new!

Great... EVEN MORE ways I can die...

This is something new!
I did flex emote then moved and was stuck like this till I did flex emote again!

New higher lvl enemies too a lvl 40 Twisted Stump

lvl 32 Ancient Flytrap

Soldier Wasp lvl 21

Wasp Boss

Nice again Crazypirate. Looks like we should get what we want soon.

Copying Alert:In Runescape you can do this. This is not an original idea, and one that will make the game too easy at that.

EDIT: My test pirate is only a level 12. Can anyone tell me if some of the caves on Padres changed at all? Or did any caves? Or are there just new/higher level enemies?

Ah, can't log on. It says I have a bad account ID when I know I don't. They need to fix this broken launcher. I tried it again... nothing. When I went to manage account it wanted me to pick my payment... is it just me or are they asking me to pay for my test account?

Mostly just added more enemies in Padres caves making it harder to just run thru no layout or graphics changes to cave so far

Many games have a 'Revive Character' feature. As to whether it makes it too easy, we'll have to wait and see. I haven't had a chance to get on Test and try it yet, so not going to judge it till I've tried it.

Can someone please help me?

I can't log onto my test account on either computer and I'm using my correct password. Why won't it let me on, and why is it insisting that I select a payment option?

This is really making me angry. I did the forgot my password and it sent it to me through MY email address but it still won't work! Someone please tell me that I haven't lost my account to some hacker and tell me that they're having problems too.

P.S. I tried this on a windows XP and my windows Vista.

I think there is a bug with the free one month winners that test is confusing the end of the free month with your account going basic I sent in bug report and was restored the next day.

I just called them and they told me they were having some major test server problems. They also asked me to do a bug report if others can log on but I can't.

So if you are on test, logging off right now would make it easier for them. They should fix this problem by tomorrow. Toontown test is having the same problem, so it must be on their end, not ours.(Lucky me.)

Actually, CrazyPirate, the Soldier Wasp isnt new. It was newer in the last new enemies update. Also, the huge gator boss, Dreadtooth, was moved there. It's original place was Tortuga Graveyard. And the Soldier Wasp boss is called the Hive Queen. Here's what else:
As mentioned:
Twisted Stump, Lv3?-Lv40
Ancient Fly Trap, Lv3?-Lv40?
I also found that there is a Twisted Stump Boss respawn area behind the island where you must swim to on Outcast. He is guarded by two Ancient Fly Traps.
Devil Root.
In Kingshead, there are more sightings of Dragoons. I also found Edward Lohand, Assassin boss ( rare, not respawner ).
Also, Cave Bats still exist, I found 1 ( and only 1 ).

well this will help players with getting gold but still why didn't they make the abilty to dump cargo! why do people who sink death omens juggernauts behemoths colossus's and dreadnoughts always get bloody cargo crates! :psmiley27:

That's the kisser I find. The basic thing was just plain annyoing--as if we need an ad for the game we are currently playing. Anyway, I might start playing more.

Yowzers! A level 49 Urchinfist!

Oh wow, I thought it was just Lv45.
THIS, better not be an edit lol:skull_bullet:

Other Sven may be good at edits, but that is no edit. Nice find.

Noone can edit THAT good....
Edit: 50 beats 49

Oh I cant wait for them to get on open so I can get my level 40 to battle it :D

Swash wants to be a pain and post the Lv50, so i'll post the result...

http://i327.photobucket.com/albums/k...17_0-30-34.jpg

Note: I also attacked a level 41? Seabeard, and 1 hit killed me with thrust doing 1243 damage or somewhere in that range, That could mean a bladestorm can 1 hit kill a level 40

On my second pirate, that Urchinfist is going to be my favorite enemy. Probably because they'll give such good grenade rep.

Swash, I was with four level forty pirates when they were playing and I was able to watch them. One guy killed a level 42 Seabeard and his health went down to 300. That's without using a tonic. I died in one hit when I went to use the doll on the Seabeard.(My pirate is a level 12 and has 501 HP.

Maybe there's a bug that allows them to do that much damage? Either way, that's too much damage for one hit. I'll send some feedback on that if I see thrust do that. Hopefully they'll reduce the damage, or give us a huge boost on our HP.

I'm not so sure its a glitch. I'm pretty sure that it only did that much damage because of this. When someone is a low lvl, and they attack a high lvl, they always deal damage less than normal. Makes a little bit of sense to do more damage if your the higher lvl. Also have to remember, its over a 30 level difference, no way anyone could manage that.

Now if the thrust did that to a Lv40 pirate, that needs to be fixed. But according to Mac, a Lv40 took out a Seabeard with 300 health left. Seabeards tend to use thrust a lot, so i'm just gonna guess, Swash got hit with 1243 due to his level being so low, and the Lv40 took less damage for his level being high.

Nice rationalizing, Sven. Makes sense. But still sucks :S

I knew you guys were doing SOMETHING. While you guys were loling 24/7, I was snooping around snapping pics of these guys. The first was that Lv50 that took your buddy out.
Oh, and Swash, nice job dealing with the Urchinfist :skull_bullet:.:laughks2:

A few notes regarding test:

1. They have made the enemies less aggressive. I made several runs through different areas while actually questing on test. Some enemies I could run right into and if I didn't attack them, they didn't attack me. They didn't attack in groups, and they didn't take as many pot shots at you as you were leaving the area. Even on Tormenta.. we were standing around near the mound next to the ships and the Urchinfists didn't attack until we shot at them. But yes...they have made some of them.. way more powerful.

2. Revive. Well... as a game advantage...I don't see it. If you get revived , you end up groggy. If you choose to go to jail, you don't end up groggy. If I'm playing in a crew that can't help heal me with their dolls, the best thing for me to do would be to go to jail and then teleport back into the battle. If you are the one doing the reviving, it's been debated, but I understand you end up using your own tonics on the unconscious (knocked out) friend. Now as a source of humor and creative expression.. Revive is hilarious.

3. Cave Bats: There are 3 on Port Royal. Not recalling the name.. I think it's King's Run. One is between those trees on the lower level and there are two up on the hill to the right of the waterfall as you look at it. (Know this cause I needed 10 of them tonight.)

4. The jump in the crate thing is hilarious.

5. When you teleport now, you hear a thunderclap. The first 5 times I was thinking "Okay...cool," but after each tp, it got really tedious.

6. Don't know if this is new.. but the tracking star becomes a big blob on you compass. It actually made my whole compass face a pale yellow.

Just my thoughts on the new stuff.

I agree Kelly, revive needs some serious work.

-After dying and reviving countless times last night, seems I was the only one not running out of tonics, but everyone else was.
-Being Groggy after using revive, but not being groggy if you chose to go to jail seems utterly backwards to me. Not sure if that was the real intention of the feature. I added that in the report I sent last night.

Jumping in the crate is funny, but I don't see a point to the added animation. Eh
http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/h...eenShot046.jpg

The compas is once again, completely messed up
http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/h...eenShot034.jpg

Perhaps the revive issue while being groggy allows you to continue work on the same beastie?

What I mean is this: if ye attack General Darkheart (for example) and get defeated, right now you go to jail, work or TP yer way back, and any damage you've done to him no longer counts. You MAY whittle him down, but it's only the LAST time you fight him and win that you get points for exp and Notoriety.

Now with revive, since ye never go anywhere, I'm guessing you would get full credit for defeating an enemy from first blow to last. I would guess the groggy factor is yer penalty, since ye didn't go to jail.

Just supposition at this point.

Not on test (Eliza's a potty mouth), but HEY they are making some real efforts here. Thoughts:

Revive - The critics have very good points on the Groggy vs. Jail issue. Seems to me that the ONLY time this would be an advantage is if a total stranger revives you and you had NO crew or Guildies to TP back to. If you're on TEST - let'em know WHY it don't make sense.

Higher Tormenta Baddies - Only downside, finishing the Black Pearl quest with the dig at the VERY back of the cavern is going to a LOT tougher on the average pirate, unless you have a 40 friend get there and you TP in. And if Seabeards (who I hate more than any other enemy) can whack out 1200+ damage, this might get into OVERKILL on the big D's part ('Oh, you want tough - WE'LL GIVE YOU TOUGH!')

Cut Animations - I actually WELCOME them as opposed to - it just happened- results. Brings a little more life to the game. They actually need more, but with a SKIP option like with the Pearl Battle. I think it'd be funny to watch a shipwright animation where they haul your sunk frigate out and patch the holes (like Yosemite Sam in that classic Bugs Bunny cartoon where Bugs kept sinking his ship all the time)

Looking forward to some of these changes making it to Open.

Could be Bart, Nothing is more annoying than almost defeating that big boss (especially if it's gonna lvl you up) and then going to jail.

But that aside, I think it's not really that useful, personally (as it is in it's current form that is.)

The main reason I say this is because whoever is reviving you is vulnerable to attack. It takes time, like searching a crate. So you gonna pause attacking the creature to make yourself vulnerable for a buddy that can just go to jail and then TP back. The TP back is the clincher for me. If a "jailed" pirate was not able to get back to the battle right away, then i can see a use for it that would be worth the risk. (I always thought they should make TPing to people that are in battle the same as with boarding flagships. Say they are unvailable ATM. But then again that last minute cry for help and getting saved comes in handy. Guess you can't have it both ways).

I see it more as an amusement or something to do when you have a big crew and someone is available for "reviving", and then I'd really like to see them with a bucket of water so they can dump it on "downed" pirates head. Now that would be funny. They are unconscious right? What better way to wake them up. :laughks2:

I know going to jail you don't get groggy and being revived you do. When they fix the jail bug, what difference is it really going to make? Unless they reverse it so that reviving prevents the grog. Then i can see even more merit in it.

idk, pardon my early morning rambling if it doesn't make sense.

Regarding not being groggy when coming out of jail, I did send them a report on that. I would expect that going to jail would make you groggy. Aside from the in-game hint telling me I was (though I wasn't), it would be so easy to TP back to someone in crew within seconds of breaking down the jail cell door. With full health and no side effects? I think they just overlooked something in the code. I fully welcome being groggy when sent to jail. It just makes more sense.

Seems there's a bug with the Revive and using tonics. When I revived someone, my tonic quantity on my HUD decreased but my tonic quantity on the weapons/inventory screen (I key) did not. Not until I actually used one on myself did the quantity of tonics adjust itself.

I see this feature as good news for those baby pirates who tag along on flagship who would have died as soon as the melee broke out. Haven't tested what happens when someone is knocked out on a flagship and then the fight ends. Are they flung back onto their ship or sent to jail?

Oh no, a challenge! Can't have that? Actually, they did lower the aggression of the baddies as stated in the release notes. We noticed that you can get a lot closer to enemies now and they won't attack you unless provoked. Example is one of my guildies above said about Tormenta. I also was on Devil's Anvil (where they've added to the giant scorpion population) with my brand new baby pirate and walked RIGHT NEXT to one of them and it just toddled past me without a glance.

You bring up a good point on the ship boarding--perhaps the revive will help those who get toasted immediately by the Navy in the Boss Battle? That would eliminate one of the worst experiences a newer player could have.

Ouch, Sven... I was just pointing out that they cranked up the baddies for higher levels to not be bored, but ypu have a quest that middle-levels will face and it was already kinda' tough.

And I agree that Revive for BB is a very nice point. Good not to lose a good gunny just because he got jumped hard and folks couldn't attune him fast enough. Though, I'm sure they'll tweak it some more...

Didn't mean it that way, Eliza. Sorry if I was a bit harsh. What I meant by that comment is that some people say the game is too easy, and then whenever Disney makes an adjustment to up the difficulty there's always an outcry of dissent somewhere. It wasn't directed at you personally.

As far as the the Black Pearl quest is concerned, the only requirement in the Tormenta Caves is to dig up a chest. The lower aggro range of enemies should actually make it easier to get to that spot, yes?

Now, for other quests (Work for Hire & for Barbossa's Boots) where you actually have to defeat the enemies, then it may be a different story, although I didn't actually check the OTHER side of the cave near the water to see what level they were but I'd presume they'd be lower level (hopefully).

It probably did that much damage because your a low level on test. I have 2400 health..you should report it XD

I had a feeling we were being watched... :laughks2:

yes yes...reviving a fallen crew mate on a BB would be really nice.

bites when u lose a good gunner cause u cannt heal fast enough

I do not recall anyone mentioning this, but im not really fond of the rumbling of thunder when we teleport, it was neat the first time, and a pain from then on out! Oh well... I need a Gimmicks Off option, lol.

I didn't even think of that, bart! Oh wow that would be fantastic!

Yeah Zep.. I mentioned my irritation with the teleport / thunder sound effect. Very irritating after the first few rumbles.

I dont mind the little compass glitch. They FINALLY fixed the compass in PVP!!!!! WOOHOO!!

As for the other wild islands i didnt see mentioned... Cutthroat jungle is looking empty, all skeletons now no stumps gators scorps or flytraps and Cangrejos only change i noticed is no more rock and sand crabs, its over run with giant and devourer crabs now. Also... spanish skeletons on PDF now hmm.....

Hmm, the higher lvl tormenta dudes will be bad. Know why?
Let's say some guy just turns Lv20, and he goes to pick up the Barbossa Clothing quest. When he reaches the part for the Urchinfists/Molusks/Seabeards, that won't be easy unless they have a high lvl friend ( which high lvl people don't usually make friends with lower lvls ( I didn't say never, i said not usually ( there's a small chance of a high lvl being friends with a lower lvl player ) ) ). At LEAST change it to Brinescum/Kelpbrain/Spineskull.

It does look like they've up'd the levels on all of the baddies in the Tormenta Caves (even by the entrances). However, this really isn't something that a little teamwork and a good crew can't handle.

... ? I'm not aware of any high level clique snubbing their noses at the lower level pirates... If people are really doing that, well, that's just asinine.

People who rub their high levels in others faces are just as immature as those who have no unlimited.... We do not have to worry about most of them though, they'll probably leave for any dumb reason anyways.

Im friends with a ton of lower levels... and I help em all the time. =) Being fun with a bunch of high levels gets dull - nothing to do. Lower level friends gives us something to do on a daily basis!

Amen to that, remember not so long ago we were all 'noobs.' Help a fellow pirate out. :buds:

Are these updates out in the "open"?

I have sound effects and music turned off, that would help solve that problem.

Lots more high lvl enemies and they moved them around. I didnt notice much change on the main islands except for a few more enemies sprinkled around and in PDF they threw in a couple spanish skellys. A couple bosses were moved or taken away and theres a couple new ones. This is what i've seen. In Cangrejos theres the french skeletons, giant crabs, devourer crabs and devourer crab boss, around lv 22. Cutthroat only has skeletons now, no stumps, gators, flytraps or scorpions. Outcast now has a twisted stump boss Devil Roots lv 37ish, there are corrumpt stumps and higher lv twisted stumps, and new ancient fly traps lv 30-35, and no more dread scorpions, yet i have a quest that needs them from there... Like Tormenta, which has no more giant crabs, also required for a quest, now is all devourer crabs, inside the lvls of seabeards, brinescums, molusks, kelpbrains and urchinfists are higher up to lv 50. In perdida new boss Queen Bee. Driftwood only has rock, giant, and devourer crabs and terror wasps. And Rumrunners has dread scorpions and killer wasps. Most of the early on quests have been changed to go with the new enemies, im guessing this all is in prep for a new quest line, I have noticed a few new NPC's as well. Definitely a few bugs with the update, like the giant star compass, and now if you move while doing an emote you get stuck, for example mid wave or flex, very amusing... But hope they fix them soon and come out with the next update :)

Good Fortune
 

I had the good fortune of having a mastered pirate on test that had not completed the vast majority of the Pearl Quest line. I just finished it last night and it is very different then the original. They have incorporated the new enemies and have made the to do list much more specific. Examples are "Go to Kingshead and search haystacks for 3 handfuls of hay" , "go to Tormenta and kill 20 Flotsom and 10 Spineskulls" . Most of the requests not only direct you to the items you need but where they must be recovered from. I can understand why this is taking so long to get the new content out, they decided to redo the old content first. Now that there are bosses on almost every island, there is a quest line that incorporates them. Scary Mary is less about ships and more about wasps. None of the enemies are unbeatable but they do pose more of a challenge for lower level players. This may be Disneys best effort to make completing all the quest lines more difficult for lower level players. Its now best practice to weapon train before starting the quest lines. It will make defeating higher level enemies more practical (unless you goal is to have someone with you to heal you for the entire quest line). I'm not sure this will totally prevent lvl 25 players getting to their BB at such a low level but its a start.

Thx CCG that is a great addition to the game and makes it better, so many complain about the long grind of weapons after completing the pearl quest I always felt that the lvl of enemies needed should be incorporated into the quests its easy to sink 40-50 light ships but harder to sink 5 warlords and 10 ogres.

Great info CGG.
I agree that the story line should force a pirate to have a minimum of weapons leveling before they go after the Pearl. I disagree with them telling you that the enemies you defeat are on such and such an island. Part of the fun, and frustration, of the game is in having to FIND the enemy you need to defeat. The compass, the guiding ray of light, and now specifically telling you where to go to find the enemy, makes the game less challenging.