Game Insider #12: Dec. '07 Newsletter - Pirates of the Caribbean Online Fansite & Forums

**Batleth** · #1 12-21-2007, 10:03 PM

Now Live - The Pirates Online Players Channel in DXD!You can dive deeper into the Pirates Online experience with the all-new Pirates Online Players Channel. Check out other Pirates' stats, set up or view events for your Guild, access additional leaderboards, or create your own customized Pirate Channel, and more. Here are some of the features available:

DIRECTORY
Use the directory to find any Pirate (Notoriety level 2 or higher) or Guild in the game.

PIRATES
After you've found one of your friends, you can view all their stats, as well as the following:

Guild affiliation
Weapon skills
Treasure they've collected, including gold and playing cards
All the other Pirates they've created

From the Developer's DeckIt's been an exciting first month for Pirates Online! Since the game launched, our players have accomplished some amazing things:

Players are joining the crew from all over the globe, especially in North America. Our U.S. Player Map shows hot spots on both coasts, everywhere in between and growing fast!
Pirates are dealing heavy damage to Jolly Roger's undead army! An elite few players have already hit the tens of thousands mark for enemies defeated - check them out on the leaderboards!
Some of the Caribbean's finest have amassed a good amount of notoriety, gold, and treasure - and they'll need it in the coming year as the game expands.

Our development team has been hard at work during the last month, putting out regular releases to address issues that you, our players, are telling us about.

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Blackjack Fridays: Bring Your Gold and Your Game

Grab your crew and head to the local tavern - and don't forget to bring your luck - you'll need it! Next Friday, December 28, we're kicking off our weekly Blackjack Fridays. Hang out with your Guild, meet other Pirates, sharpen your card-playing skills, and most importantly, have some fun. Here are all the details - we'll see you there! What: Blackjack Fridays
When: Every Friday (beginning December 28) from 3-9 PM (PST)
Where: Visit the Rowdy Rooster in Port Royal or King's Arm in Tortuga to play.

Customize Your Pirate - New Clothes, Tattoos, and More!Come February, you will have the chance to give your Pirate a whole new look. Here are just a few of the customization options coming to Pirates Online:

Clothing: New pants, hats, coats, and more
New hairstyles
Tattoos
Jewelry: Including earrings, nose rings, necklaces and more

Stay tuned for further game updates and announcements!

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Quick Tips to Improve Game PerformanceThere are many different factors that can contribute to a decrease in game performance. Here is a list of quick-and-easy tips that you can use to help enhance and improve your game-play experience:

Turn down your in-game graphics settings: Open your Options Panel by hitting F7 in-game, or by clicking Options in the pick-a-pirate screen -- turn all settings under the Graphics and Geometry tabs to Low or Off.

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Pirates Online Players from Coast to CoastCheck out the Pirates Online Player Map to see all the different places where people are playing Pirates Online in the U.S.

Chatting in Game: What You Should Know

Since chat is such a big part of your experience in Pirates Online, we wanted to be sure everyone was clear about the different chat options that are available to you, and how to use them. Pirates Online offers three types of chat: Speed Chat, Speed Chat Plus; and Open Chat. For more information, or to review the Pirates of the Caribbean Online Code of Conduct, check out the Game & Chat Policies page on our Web site.

What's in a Name?Choosing a name for your Pirate and/or Guild is one of the many important decisions you'll make in Pirates of the Caribbean Online - this is the first impression others have of you, and therefore, should be chosen wisely. Check out our Name Approval Guidelines to help you determine what types of Avatar and Guild names are appropriate.

"Aces Need Faces" Blackjack Contest
From December 28 through January 6, the player with the most Blackjack hands won each day will be awarded an 8GB iPod Touch! Visit the Contest Page for complete details.

From Leah:
Q: I think there should be some words added to the chat dictionary. Where can I send my suggestions to?

A: We'd greatly appreciate any help you can provide to make our chat dictionary more robust. We'd also like to encourage players to send us suggestions for additional phrases that they'd like to see added to the Speed Chat drop-down menu. Any and all of these suggestions can be sent to us by using the Contact Us form.

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Brushing Up on Your Blackjack SkillsBefore you belly up to the Blackjack table in the Rowdy Rooster or King's Arm, you'll want to make sure your game knowledge and skills are up to par. Here's some important information you'll need if you want to leave the tavern with more booty than you walked in with.

Your Main Objective While Playing Blackjack:
Beat the dealer with a hand that does not exceed 21 points. If you go over 21 points, you lose.

ACE: 1 point or 11 points (whichever you need most)
FACE CARDS (KING, QUEEN, JACK): 10 points
NUMBER CARDS (2-10): Number on card corresponds to the point value of the card (i.e. a 3 card = 3 points)

For players new to Blackjack, here's how the game works:

Once you sit down at the table, you'll be asked to place your bid
The dealer will deal out 2 cards to everyone at the table and will turn 1 of his cards face up for all players to see
At this point you have several options, which are displayed as buttons at the bottom of your screen:
- Bid: Put more gold into the pot (which other players must match)
- Stay: Keep your current cards and do nothing
- Hit: Ask the dealer for another card
- Split: If the first 2 cards you are dealt are of equal value (i.e. 2 Jacks, 2 Fives), you can 'split' them and play them as two separate hands
- Double Down: Allows you to double your initial bet and receive ONE additional card (this can only be done with a 2 card hand, before another card has been drawn)
- Swap Card: If you have a cheat card, you can swap out cards in your hand with ones up your sleeve (cheat cards are earned by completing special quests)
- Leave: You always have the option to quit the game and leave the table

Want some tips? Read More

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