Developer Diary #15 - The State of the Caribbean

[Sven Niscadae]

From the Disney POTCO Site: http://piratesonline.go.com/v3/#/gam..._diary_15.html

Vince, Community Manager, Disney Online
July 14th, 2009

For the past year, it's been all hands on deck for every member of the Pirates Online crew. Why? Well, we've been working to improve just about everything about Pirates Online ... the game, the Web site, customer service, and community interaction. And while lots of changes have been made recently, we've mainly been responding to feedback about how the game plays on your computer.

Towns like Port Royal got an Extreme Pirate Makeover as part of the improvement plan.

You told us in surveys that the game's performance wasn't as good as you thought it should be, so we immediately set the development team on fixing the foundation of the game before adding more stuff to it. For instance, we redesigned the major islands and made other graphics changes (like avatars) to improve players' game performance.

We also wanted to improve the early player experience and open the game up to lots more players. For that, we created better quest lines, added new Tutorial hints and improved the Ray of Light. And, since so many players were frustrated that they couldn't reach other islands without a teleport totem, we added Stowaway as a transportation option.

Now that we're done with these improvements, we're back to creating awesome content. By the way, this doesn't mean we won't keep fixing glitches or stop polishing the game. We'll always do that -- but now we're making great game content once more.

Why are we talking about this? Well, we want ALL of our players to enjoy the game and understand why we chose to do the work we did. We continue to work every day to squash bugs, fix glitches, and make the best Pirate game the MMO world has ever seen.

Looking Toward the Horizon
So what does the future hold for the Pirates of the Caribbean?

This powerful new weapon (and other surprises) will be coming to the Caribbean very soon!

Well, you'll see higher level enemies, introduced as part of the new cave environments (which will mean those level and gold caps will have to be raised too, hint, hint), new storylines, new quests, and a new Loot and Inventory System! This new inventory system will let Pirates collect and keep more booty - both treasures and clothing.

When will you get your hands on all this cool stuff? Game development is a unique art, and like any art, it takes time to get right. Hopefully, you'll see some of these additions before the end of summer. Leading up to that we'll add new quests and GM hosted events starting in July that will introduce many of these changes. Plus, we're bringing back your favorite events (by request) from the past year. All of these things will drive new stories and adventures, putting YOU in the center of these world-changing events.

So, there it is! Pretty exciting, don't you think? Now it's your turn to tell us how we're doing. Did we focus on the right things? Or maybe you think we should be tackling something else. Take a second and send us your suggestions - we want to hear from you!!

In the end, this is your game, mate - we're working for you. On behalf of the entire Pirates Online Crew, we want you to know we hear you and are always listening to you. Look for ongoing updates like this one and an even closer relationship with us as we answer your questions quicker and respond to your comments faster. And best yet, we'll equip you with a ton of new ways to connect with us and your friends - through social networks, member contributions, promotions, contests, and more!

Aye, there's a bold and bright future ahead for Pirates of the Caribbean Online, and we hope you'll be joining us!