BlackMark Studio · Akella, Valkyrie Initiative
Ahoy! There's not much to be said. See for yourselves. ːcharles_happyː Learn more and Make It Happen on Patreon . What we do — we do for you. ːjollyrː
There's not much to be said.
See for yourselves. ːcharles_happyː
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yk4MVykhbp8
Learn more and Make It Happen on Patreon.
What we do — we do for you.
ːjollyrː
Ahoy! A remaster of City of Abandoned Ships — one of the greatest open-world pirate RPGs ever made. Back in its day, this was a rough, uncompromising game. It didn't hold your hand, didn't forgive mistakes, and didn't open up easily. But the few who pushed through the rough edges
https://store.steampowered.com/app/3549020/Caribbean_Legend_Age_of_Pirates
A remaster of City of Abandoned Ships — one of the greatest open-world pirate RPGs ever made.
Back in its day, this was a rough, uncompromising game. It didn't hold your hand, didn't forgive mistakes, and didn't open up easily. But the few who pushed through the rough edges of the original were rewarded with dozens of hours of unforgettable adventure.
Now it's ready for a new audience. And it still has plenty to offer the old one:
Those who've been following our work know that over two years, Caribbean Legend grew from a simple remaster of Sea Dogs: To Each His Own into a full-blown remake. We proved that this beloved genre and franchise still have a lot to offer — given enough time and doubloons.
ReCon Team want to walk the same path and grow Age of Pirates into a proper remake of City of Abandoned Ships. If the game succeeds — they'll get there.
Want to help?
Here's what you can do right now:
And... that's all for today.
To the ReCon Team — good luck. Two years ago, I was exactly where you are now. I know how exhausted you are, and I know what you're feeling. I hope you get to make the game you've always dreamed of. And whatever happens today — you're incredible. Not everyone can hold it together, work overtime without a paycheck, and ship a game of this complexity and scale.
Break a leg!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/3549020/Caribbean_Legend_Age_of_Pirates
https://store.steampowered.com/app/4238730/Caribbean_Legend_Age_of_Pirates__Supporter_Pack/
What we do — we do for you.
ːjollyrː
In case you missed it: Caribbean Legend: Age of Pirates is a remaster of City of Abandoned Ships. A standalone game developed by ReCon Team with a focus on open world and sandbox gameplay. BlackMark Studio acts as publisher, providing the engine and the best features from Caribbe
Caribbean Legend: Age of Pirates is a remaster of City of Abandoned Ships. A standalone game developed by ReCon Team with a focus on open world and sandbox gameplay. BlackMark Studio acts as publisher, providing the engine and the best features from Caribbean Legend.
Our remaster is entering the home stretch before release, and we're inviting the most seasoned sea wolves and newcomers alike to join the closed playtest for Caribbean Legend: Age of Pirates!
But most importantly — make sure to add the game to your wishlist!
We've decided to take a bold step: for the duration of the playtest, all content and features will be temporarily available without restrictions.
Optimization for modern systems and configurations.
All storylines and side quests.
All quality-of-life improvements from Caribbean Legend: tutorials, markers, controls, camera.
Full archipelago map and expanded ship roster.
Fresh visual enhancements.
No cut gameplay mechanics.
Access is granted through the Steam Playtest system:
Go to the game's Steam page.
Click the "Request Access" button in the playtest section.
Once your request is approved, the game will appear in your library.
Applications are accepted until February 13, 2026 — on the same day, we'll open temporary access to the game.
As a special reward, all playtest participants who reach Rank 5 will receive a unique achievement and an exclusive bonus in the release version:
The legendary native Tichingitu...
and his ancestral musket!
The beloved loyal companion and unmatched marksman is now part of the Age of Pirates universe, ready to swear an oath of allegiance stronger than iron. Exclusive to playtest participants, highlighting the connection between the Caribbean Legend series and the friendship between ReCon Team and Black Mark Studio. Don't miss your chance to recruit this officer to your crew at launch!
Since you have access to the full game, we're especially looking for feedback on both the early content and how the new features perform in the long run, as well as stability during extended play sessions.
Discuss your playthrough and submit bug reports here:
Prepare to conquer the seas of the Age of Pirates!
Ahoy! Caribbean Legend: Age of Pirates is coming soon. A remaster of Age of Pirates 2: City of Abandoned Ships by ReCon Team. Based on "CoAS" version 1.3.2 AT by BlackMark Studio. Built on the Caribbean Legend engine - featuring new controls and much more. But the spirit of " Sea
https://store.steampowered.com/app/3549020/Caribbean_Legend_Age_of_Pirates/
Add it to your wishlist if even one point resonates with you!
You may not know this, but the original "City of Abandoned Ships" was quite officially and extensively reworked by BlackMark Studio. So much so that many still consider our version of CoAS the default one.
But we didn't finish the job, the project went into the hands of the community, and after many years, the game is finally getting a second life thanks to ReCon Team and the work of dozens of people from the modding community. The circle is complete. It was all worth it.
When Caribbean Legend was in the home stretch and I had resolved all legal matters related to the rights to the CoAS/TEHO engine and assets, I reached out to the three most prominent modding teams - those I knew at the time.
The proposal was simple: release on Steam under the Caribbean Legend brand, receiving the lion's share of sales and pushing this series forward.
One team declined, two agreed, but only one made it to the announcement. ReCon Team - you guys are amazing and this day is yours. Support these folks with a wishlist.
And if you think the series is stagnating and we're just reselling old assets here, wait for the Caribbean Legend 2.0 trailer. I'll say it again - it was all worth it.
And... that's all for today.
What we do — we do for you.
ːjollyrː
Ahoy! It’s been a year and a half since we re-launched the game. Look at what’s changed. View game page ːjollyrː
ːjollyrː
Ahoy! First, the important stuff: Patch 1.3 is available. We've never done anything like this before as a studio. Starting NG is not required. We recommend loading version 1.2.1 saves made while on land. Today marks the game's second 'release'—Steam will be actively promoting it
One of the goals of Patch 1.3 was not only to rework the remaining player-favorite early-game ships but also to lay the groundwork for the planned boarding scenes. The ships turned out great.
New ships:
In total, ~30% of the entire game fleet has been revamped by 1.3 - just as planned.
Extinguished Star
We’ve never created a quest this complex, non-linear, and intricate before. It has everything: new content with Mary and Helen, direct impact on the main storyline, cutscenes, crazy flashbacks, and valuable loot. The quest starts at the end of "The Dutch Gambit" and continues through to "Turtle Soup." No spoilers—see it for yourself.
Black Mark
A non-linear quest, designed for the early stages of the game, offering valuable rewards and nods to veterans of the "Sea Dogs" series. Available in both Story and Sandbox modes. Part of the "Black Mark" DLC.
Rewards include: a duelling double-barreled pistol, an Italian rapier, an Army broadsword, a Black Spot ward, armor, as well as a new officer—Tommy Irons, and the legendary Pink of Nicholas Sharp, the Principio. The Pink is stunning, but the true star of the DLC is Irons. He's got killer jokes.
No new locations in this patch, aside from a few scenes for the Longway quest. The boarding decks took up almost all of our time and will continue to do so. All four decks will be included in either Patch 1.3.1 or 1.5.
However, we did update several old locations, especially those that significantly lagged behind the newer ones in quality.
Locations update:
We continue the challenging journey of bringing quests, battles, and cities life to life. The minimum program has already been fulfilled, and with Patch 1.5, we aim for something even more ambitious. Next-gen is just around the corner.
New animations:
Due to popular demand, Helen McArthur is now a fully-fledged character in Sandbox mode. She is compatible with the "Vile Little God" and "Black Mark" DLCs. She has unique dialogues in her hometown Blueweld, unique achievements, loot, and starts her pirate career on a war schooner.
For now, she doesn’t carry a musket or visible armor, and there may be some "gender errors" ːrofl_pirateː in the dialogues. Her development will continue in Patch 1.5, along with other Sandbox characters.
Traditionally, games in this series have never been known for being player-friendly or transparent, often requiring guides. What happened to my character? Why did I fail a dialogue check? What reward did I just receive? Any game needs to communicate with the player—and now Caribbean Legend does. I consider this the key feature of Patch 1.3.
New notifications:
Let’s be honest, we have the best interface. But somehow, the list of fixes for it has already stretched to three pages. ːrofl_pirateː The first half of the first page finally made it into Patch 1.3.
UI update:
That’s all for now! Over the past six months, we’ve done an incredible amount of work together. We’ve done everything possible and even more. Except for the Story mode epilogue, of course.
We could have done it already, but it would have been too... simple? I want to create something special and worthy of Charles de Maure's story—call it a "director’s cut" of his storyline, if you will. Plus, the game has long needed list of truly new mechanics, fixes for old ones, a complete rebalance, a new loot category, and a proper uplift of Sandbox mode. Not to mention improved controls, gamepad support, Steam Deck experience.
Patch 1.5 will take at least six months, and it will definitely require starting the new game. So for now, we’ll take a short break, rest, and then get back to work.
Coming soon...
ːjollyrː
Ahoy! Aye, let's get straight to the point. Patch 1.3 will be released on September 11th. On the same day, the second DLC, Black Mark Pack, will also be available. Development Status If I still had any lingering doubts about the game’s prospects and development, the recent news h
Aye, let's get straight to the point. Patch 1.3 will be released on September 11th. On the same day, the second DLC, Black Mark Pack, will also be available.
If I still had any lingering doubts about the game’s prospects and development, the recent news has finally cleared them up. But let’s start from the beginning.
You know our plan:
To make all of this a reality, the game needs commercial success. But how do you measure that success, and what does it even mean?
Fortunately, Steam has specific metrics: you need to reach a certain gross sales figure within the first six months after release.
Only 3% of all released games achieve this goal. If you’re among these three percent, Steam considers your game “successful” and starts actively promoting it. If not, the game dies, and usually, so does the team.
Even though we hit the required number not in six months, but in just the first month of sales, and Steam started promoting us long before the release, it was important for me to get official confirmation from Valve.
And a couple of weeks ago, I got it. On September 11th, we will return to the store’s main page!
The main business goal of the first post-release year is completed ahead of schedule, which means that all doubts are now gone. We’re working on version 1.5, then 2.0, and aiming to go from the top 3% to the top 1%.
This achievement is primarily yours. You are the best community in the world. Thank you. ːrespect_soldierː
Our policy on paid add-ons is very simple and, in my opinion, quite fair:
The Black Mark Pack DLC is essentially a developer support pack. Such packs are not uncommon: they usually cost as much as a full game and offer a bit of cosmetic content as a reward. I don’t like this approach, so our pack will be filled with treasures:
By purchasing this pack, you not only ensure the future development of the game, but you also get a ton of cool content that will really enrich the beginning of the game. Make sure to wishlist!
And now for the sad part. We planned to include a new ship in this DLC, and what a ship it is! A brilliant idea, really, thanks to our Lead Writer, Vagrant. And that’s why I’m genuinely upset that we’ve recently had problems with the ship production. More about this below.
Since we started talking about ships, let’s just continue. The planned list for 1.3 looked like this:
And what do you think? There are two and a half weeks left before version 1.3 is released, and all we have ready is... the Valkyrie. ːrofl_pirateː
And an unfinished war schooner.
I won’t go into details about how this happened; I’ll just say that the problem with a small team and a unique engine is that if even one person drops out of the process, work stops abruptly in several areas at once. I haven’t figured out how to fix this vulnerability yet, but I can immediately say that in addition to ships, the new boarding scenes are now also at risk.
Again, according to the plan for version 1.3, everything looked very promising:
Do you see the idea? If we extend it to all other ship ranks and stick to the most popular ship choices, the boarding scenes will reflect the actual ships of the opponents most of the time. Looks very fresh and plays very fun too!
However, the delay with the ships means we have more or less finished only the first two scenes, the third is in question, and the fourth is not ready at all. There’s no one to blame here; c’est la vie as it is.
But I’m still optimistic, so in the worst case, the ships and boarded scenes will be released in version 1.3.1, as it always happens with the stuff that didn't make it into the big one.
Do you like our sword combat system? I don’t. It's really all about energy war and dealing tiny damage numbers. Sooner or later, we’ll have to make it completely new system, but for now, we have to use quick methods.
We added 7 new death and dying animations, giving them context — depending on the type of weapon or ammunition that dealt the fatal blow. It turned out great; sometimes, there are some very juicy and brutal scenes happening.
https://youtu.be/4S095x2z4Tk
As for town animations, new ones have been added for churchgoers and drunks on the streets. Slowly but surely, the cities are coming to life. If we have time, we’ll also update the animations of tavern visitors, including female ones.
In addition to town and combat animations, version 1.3 introduces a new direction — quest animations that are created exclusively for story cutscenes. This is an experiment, so whether we continue in this direction is up to you. Play the new Longway quest and let us know. Speaking of which...
The real star of version 1.3. The most expensive (production wise) and most variable storyline we have ever created. The first quest that directly changes the game’s plot since 1.0, offering an alternative way to eliminate François Levasseur and new scenes with Mary and Helen.
The rewards include a unique sword, a super useful ward, and accelerated leveling of Longway to suit any playstyle. By the way, our Chinese friend can now use a musket. So, if you become a proud owner of the Black Mark Pack DLC, you can assemble a squad of four musketeers. There is a Steam achievement for that now.
I don't want to spoil it — you’ll see everything yourself.
I suppose you’re already tired of my writing, so let’s wrap up this diary with a visual list of the most significant remaining changes of the upcoming patch 1.3.
The new notification system. Character's drunk? Overloaded? Failed skill check? Gained exp.? The game is properly interfacing with the player now and there are about a hundred cases for that.
Helen McArthur has been added to the list of playable captains for freeplay mode. Currently, more like an early access version, but we’ll polish her gameplay by 1.5.
More tutorial windows. They can now be disabled in the settings or directly when they appear.
A true next-gen feature — direction markers in certain situations. This will be useful for those who constantly got lost in the jungles of Martinique.
Indication of available skill points for officers. Useful if you have a ton of them.
And a whole lot of other cool stuff, half of which will traditionally be rolled over to version 1.3.1: unlimited key remapping, even more Steam achievements, improved locations and textures, interface tweaks, and bug and balance fixes.
That’s all for today. If you are wondering how you could help us and the game, add the Black Mark Pack to your wishlist and leave reviews as blue as the Caribbean Sea.
See you on September 11th.
ːjollyrː
Ahoy! Now that we grabbed your attention, on to the good news! ːbombingː The game is selling well, and we only have three positions left to fill on the team: a tester, a character artist, and a Storm Engine programmer. Patch 1.2 is available. This is the biggest one so far — bigg
Now that we grabbed your attention, on to the good news! ːbombingː
We continue towards our goal of completely uplifting the entire fleet in the game. In 1.2, we added a new one and redid five original ships; about forty more to go. The new models will fit well in Unreal Engine too, significantly easing the future pre-production stage.
We consider new animations one of the most important assets. They are a great way to enhance immersion and add variety to cutscenes, battles, and city life. We will continue experimenting with them until 1.3 — by then, we will determine which to focus on: combat, immersion, or story.
We've actually done much more than what was included in the patch. For example, new character movement animations for modern gamepad control are ready, but testing and integration will take time. It took about a month, but we are now one step closer to dealing with 'tank controls.' Additionally, as you surely have noted already, the romantic aspect of the game is strongly emphasized in this patch. The main question is: should we take it even further? ːrofl_pirateː Personally, I very much hope so.
Unfortunately, we didn't manage to create a new boarding scene, but they will be our priority in the next patches. Nonetheless, we achieved a lot. We improved all the jungles in the game by adding details, better textures, vegetation, good shadows, and atmospheric haze. This is a major visual leap, so we can pause on global graphical improvements for now.
That's it for today, pirates.
As for us...
...getting back to work.
ːjollyrː
Ahoy! A quick update to let you know that production of Patch 1.2 is on schedule and will be released on June 27th. The final scope of changes and new content is yet to be determined, but this patch will definitely be as big as 1.1 and 1.1.1 combined. Here is a little sneak peek
A quick update to let you know that production of Patch 1.2 is on schedule and will be released on June 27th. The final scope of changes and new content is yet to be determined, but this patch will definitely be as big as 1.1 and 1.1.1 combined.
Here is a little sneak peek of the upcoming changes.
Ships' hulls are real in-game quality. The sea, sails and rigging are rendered separately.
You can find more in the recent Dev Diary.
In addition, the first DLC will be released on the same date, featuring a new freeplay quest with the most powerful loot in the game so far.
Make sure to wishlist it so you don't miss the big day!
Good hunting and see y'all soon.
ːrespect_soldierː
Ahoy! Complete changelist Task list for 1.2 is looking solid - lots of exciting stuff to do, and with the arrival of 1.1.1, I am finally ready to do a complete playthrough to chart story, content and balance additions for future patches. Super excited for this, having been waitin
Task list for 1.2 is looking solid - lots of exciting stuff to do, and with the arrival of 1.1.1, I am finally ready to do a complete playthrough to chart story, content and balance additions for future patches. Super excited for this, having been waiting for a proper playthrough since 2020.
See y'all at the sea.
ːjollyrː
Ahoy! This is the biggest patch we have ever done so far. Learn more here . ːjollyrː
Ahoy! It's been a month since the release - time to count the loot and make some tough calls. What's it gonna be - 5, 10, 15, or 25? Past Let's rewind the clock back a month. The game's release was marked by three rather unpleasant factors. A ton of content and features missing i
It's been a month since the release - time to count the loot and make some tough calls. What's it gonna be - 5, 10, 15, or 25?
Let's rewind the clock back a month. The game's release was marked by three rather unpleasant factors.
These questionable results are primarily attributed to the small team size and its part-time involvement, the outdated engine, and the colossal workload: Sandbox, Demo, and a 200-hour game with tons of legacy code.
In other words: not in the office and not on the payroll. Of course, that's our problem, not yours. You've paid real money for the product, expecting a certain quality bar. However, I believe that without such details, our today's summary would be incomplete.
That's almost 5% subtracted from the final rating. Nevertheless, even this cost is justifiable - without pre-release testing and the financial support from our community, the game might never have seen the light of day. To be honest, that was projected beforehand, and these 5% of user score should not have played a significant role if not for the following point.
Crafted almost like a coordinated attack, a mass of negative reviews was deployed and then pushed up in the list for everyone to see. Undoubtedly, the game is not perfect and it totally deserves being criticized, but the concerted effort against the game costed us another 4% of the user rating. It nearly dealt a fatal blow to the full version and most likely killed Sandbox for good. In a perfect world, the game would boast a score of ~75%. In reality, everything Caribbean Legend aimed for has taken a hit.
We deliberately took a month to gather all the metrics before making difficult decisions. Plans may be futile, but planning is always essential. Last summer, I outlined four scenarios for our trajectory.
Scenarios:
5, 10, 15, or 25? I've spent the past few months pondering which option we'd land on. The release of any indie game is inherently unpredictable. Guessing is futile; one can only consume craft brews in quantities sufficient to fuel a ballistic missile.
And so I did. And, perhaps for the first time in my career, everything went according to plan. ːcharles_happyː
We've landed in the optimistic-realistic territory. ːrespect_soldierː And for the first time in memory, mixed reviews haven't significantly impacted sales dynamics. The game continues to sell, even now, at a solid $20-30 on the cusp of Steam Spring Sale.
We've won. You've won. ːauthorityː
For the first time in BlackMark Studio's history, we're turning a profit and truly becoming a studio, a company. The core team now receives stable royalties, and we've brought on board several more exceptionally talented people for full-time and part-time roles. Payments are scheduled, and we're operating in a professional manner.
Why is this significant? We've often been criticized for appearing greedy, supposedly trying to milk fans for a second time. Money grab - that's another word that comes up often in reviews. Welp, personally I earned around 3000 - 5000 USD over 12 years from TEHO. Furthermore, for the rest of us, who will now receive a share of Caribbean Legend's sales monthly, this marks our first earnings from the project ever.
There's nothing wrong with that; no one was coerced into working so hard, for free and for so many years. It just feels right when talented individuals can finally do what they love without distraction.
Conceptually, these three patches aim to bring the release version of the game up to speed and serve as a testing ground for our new production processes. Patch 1.3 will deliver a version of Caribbean Legend that, in a perfect world, should have debuted in February.
Fulfillment of Promises
Firstly, numerous long-promised features have yet to be implemented in the game:
R&D
Secondly, we've onboarded several new team members in just over a month, filling gaps in texturing, modeling, and animation - areas where we previously had nothing but a gaping black hole.
This presents exciting opportunities for creating new assets. For instance:
We're still gauging our capabilities, costs, and production pipelines for each asset category. Without this, planning remains uncertain, so we aim to explore a variety of avenues before setting goals for the upcoming year.
Patches 1.1, 1.2, and 1.3 should introduce 1-5 new assets from each category, significantly refreshing the game and refining our internal processes.
Following the release of patch 1.3, we'll reevaluate the game metrics and make a final decision regarding the roadmap towards version 2.0.
30% of New Assets delivered
By this stage, we anticipate having a clearer understanding of which assets we can produce efficiently. These patches may include a third of the planned new assets such as: ships, locations, new animations or significant updates to main character and story characters models.
Companions Quests
Tichingitu, Longway, and Charlie Knippel will each receive their own storylines. At this point Charles de Maure's main storyline can be considered concluded.
100% of New Assets delivered
We'll execute whatever goals we set for ourselves. Whether it's introducing 20 new locations, enhancing city life, diversifying combat, expanding the ship fleet, or offering more customization options, we'll adapt based on feedback and observations from patch 1.3. Regardless, significant changes are on the horizon and the game will get a massive visual update.
New Balance
With content finalized, including items, ships, and game mechanics, it's an ideal time to adjust the balance to reflect these new realities. Initial changes will undergo extensive beta testing to ensure a balanced gameplay experience.
Tutorial System
We'll revamp the tutorial system to better educate players on game mechanics, from combat tactics to ship navigation. This will involve substantial interface adjustments to lower the entry barrier for new players. Besides new players, this system should also stand as a massive and useful QoL update even for the series veterans.
Redesigning Story Quests
Currently, players tend to choose only the most optimal and profitable paths in quests. There is no real choices in the story and there is always a golden path. Several story quests will be reworked to emphasize player choices and increase their impact on the game world. We aim to restore the value of "To Each His Own" narrative principle.
Our DLC plans include:
We face a dilemma regarding quest DLC. While we've received numerous requests for more quests, we worry about overwhelming the game with such content. We're eager to hear your thoughts on this matter in the comments section. Do we add more quests to the game or should we focus on other types of extra content?
Still scheduled for this month, but we may postpone it to ensure we incorporate as many planned features as possible, including new assets. We want each numbered patch to be an event, not just a mundane list of changes.
That wraps it up for today. Remember to share your thoughts in the comments; your feedback is crucial to us, escpecially when we are only about to start executing this roadmap.
See y'all on the high seas!
ːjollyrː
Ahoy! We're putting an end to the news spam and leaving this page behind. The Sea Dogs series is taking a big leap forward, and we are ready to explore the new world. We don't know what awaits us there, but the hope of making a proper Sea Dogs re-launch on a modern engine such as
We're putting an end to the news spam and leaving this page behind. The Sea Dogs series is taking a big leap forward, and we are ready to explore the new world. We don't know what awaits us there, but the hope of making a proper Sea Dogs re-launch on a modern engine such as Unreal Engine surely drives us forward. This is one final push with the Storm engine, and then we're there.
Let fly! ːjollyrː
Sea Dogs, ahoy! What started as a little side project now turning into a full scale release on Steam with over 15k demo installs, 300k+ Steam page visits, thousands views on Twitch and an insane feedback from our community. Today's items: Version 0.9.9. release! Updated 1.0 chang
What started as a little side project now turning into a full scale release on Steam with over 15k demo installs, 300k+ Steam page visits, thousands views on Twitch and an insane feedback from our community.
Today's items:
Let fly, pirates!
ːjollyrː
Ahoy! ːjollyrːThis is one of the biggest visual leaps Sea Dogs series ever had. We've revamped over 200 textures along with the Global Map - most of the work involved manual reimagining of textures that hadn't been updated since the 2000s. The effort has started not so long ago,
ːjollyrːThis is one of the biggest visual leaps Sea Dogs series ever had. We've revamped over 200 textures along with the Global Map - most of the work involved manual reimagining of textures that hadn't been updated since the 2000s. The effort has started not so long ago, so we are definetely planning to bring more in the post release era.
Take a look for yourself and don't forget to watch in fullscreen and 2K.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9InsWxBoTg
ːjollyrːOwners of the Exclusive Edition will get the pre-release access and the opportunity to experience everything for themselves tomorrow. If you haven't secured your copy yet, fear not! Feb 8th marks the beginning of the final round of sales for the Exclusive Edition and it will last until Feb 17th.
Good hunting, pirates
ːauthorityː
Ahoy! This is a huge release changelog that we have updated today. Being the result of three years development, it won't fit here, so please follow the external link below. I broke Steam, when I attempted to upload it as it is. We marked new/delayed/cancelled features accordingly
This is a huge release changelog that we have updated today. Being the result of three years development, it won't fit here, so please follow the external link below. I broke Steam, when I attempted to upload it as it is.
We marked new/delayed/cancelled features accordingly to give you a full transparency of the release version.
Ten pages of blood, tears and doubloons.
Good hunting.
ːjollyrː
Ahoy! As Steam Next Fest approaches and the release date draws near ( Caribbean Legend becomes available on February 15th ), we have some exciting updates to share: ːjollyrː We've made significant improvements to the demo, addressing all major stability issues identified so far,
As Steam Next Fest approaches and the release date draws near (Caribbean Legend becomes available on February 15th), we have some exciting updates to share:
ːjollyrː We've made significant improvements to the demo, addressing all major stability issues identified so far, and we've raised the level cap to 10. This means you can enjoy at least eight hours of gameplay!
Please note that while the demo doesn't feature updated textures (which is a significant update), the story mode, or a substantial portion of the full release content, it still provides the ultimate pirate freeplay experience!
ːjollyrː We'll be discontinuing the demo permanently on February 12th, making way for Caribbean Legend: Sandbox – a free version of the game with no level cap whatsoever.
ːjollyrː To celebrate, we've organized a Steam key giveaway for the full version of the game!
Participating is easy – simply download the demo, play the game, capture a screenshot, share it on Twitter using the hashtags #caribbeanlegend and #SteamNextFest, and don't forget to tag @ValkyrieInitia1.
Once Steam Next Fest concludes, we'll select three lucky participants who will receive a complimentary Steam key! This is the second and the last free giveaway we are doing for Caribbean Legend.
ːjollyrː 10 days until the release! Caribbean Legend sets sail on February 15th, with a $24.99 price tag after the release discount. Normally, we would offer a 10% or 15% discount for a week, but we're giving all Sea Dogs and Open World RPG fans a chance to snag the best deal possible – a 25% discount for two whole weeks!
ːjollyrː We will also be adjusting prices for different regions of the world, ensuring fair pricing according to local spending power.
ːjollyrː Important reminder: Exclusive Edition owners will enjoy pre-release access on February 8th. This edition boasts a ton of unique content, and your last chance to acquire it will be from the 8th to the 17th of February. Hop aboard our Discord to ensure you don't miss the ship on this final opportunity!
Good hunting, pirates.
ːauthorityː
Ahoy! Gun crews - at the ready! Board the Steam page of Caribbean Legend and download the demo now! This is a slice of the full game, still in development, therefore it might not display the target release quality . New textures, a 200-hour storyline, and most of the new content
Gun crews - at the ready! Board the Steam page of Caribbean Legend and download the demo now!
This is a slice of the full game, still in development, therefore it might not display the target release quality. New textures, a 200-hour storyline, and most of the new content will be available closer to February 8th for owners of the Exclusive Pre-Order. The global release is set for February 15th!
Have a great sail and please share any feedback either here, on Steam, or on our official Discord server.
Good hunting!
ːjollyrː
P.S. The next batch of Exclusive Edition Steam keys will be available for purchase from February 8th to February 17th.
Ahoy! We're thrilled to bring you our most significant update yet! As the release approaches, let's adhere to the Navy code (if there is one) and keep this announcement brief. ːjollyrːWe will release two big titles in February. ːjollyrːCaribbean Legend: Sandbox is a free game fea
We're thrilled to bring you our most significant update yet! As the release approaches, let's adhere to the Navy code (if there is one) and keep this announcement brief.
ːjollyrːWe will release two big titles in February.
ːjollyrːCaribbean Legend: Sandbox is a free game featuring the Sandbox mode (aka Freeplay) with no limitations.
Free, unlimited Sea Dogs experience.
See ye'all and let the gun crews do their godly work on February 13th and February 15th!
ːjollyrː
Ahoy! … and a Happy New Year! It has been a super productive couple of months for us. If we double the same amount of effort for a couple of months more - the release is going to be something to remember. This dev diary will be focused on the progress we have made recently, and e
… and a Happy New Year! It has been a super productive couple of months for us. If we double the same amount of effort for a couple of months more - the release is going to be something to remember.
This dev diary will be focused on the progress we have made recently, and even though we can’t show you the best part just yet, you are in for a treat!
But first, let’s go through the master schedule again:
Jan 15th: Release for the owners of the Early Access Edition.
Jan 15th: The third and the final pre-order push - last chance to purchase Exclusive Edition/Early Access.
Jan 15th: Steam page release for an unannounced title.
Jan 22d: ???
Feb 8th: Release for the owners of the Exclusive Edition.
Feb 12th: ???
Feb 15th: Caribbean Legend Release Day.
The original game was quite notorious for obscuring important mechanics and stats. Well, that’s not the case anymore. No matter what perks you choose, what attributes you buff or what equipment you wear, you will immediately see the changes in stats of your build.
Two more experience bars added to allow better progress tracking. Skill Points never had their own bars, even though they are more valuable than level ups. One look at the character window and you will see everything you need.
Stealth was never the most fun and well thought feature of the series. We added a few adjustments to make it less reliable on save/load. First, check out the eye indicator on the character’s portrait at the top left. The closer you get to a hostile guard, the more intense it gets.
You still have options if they catch you. Stealth is now heavily dependent on: Stealth skill, character’s notoriety, clothes, amulets and social perks. Early game, when your character’s mug is not very well known, you can get by with amulets. But it will take either an expensive trading license or a much better prep in the late game though. The game will always tell you of your chances to pass a stealth dialogue check.
Originally we promised 9 new items to you. Welp, we got 29 , armament mostly . Some of which will be available only to the owners of First Wave or Exclusive Editions. We found a place for each in the balance, often introducing new and fun way to play the game.
As an experiment we increased the location size of the capital of Guadeloupe. After the release we will do the same to other cities in the game, thus giving you a better sense of townspace and colony life.
New jungle locations are a different story though. We managed to produce two of them, but they will require a significant improvement before we allow them into the release build. Maybe later?
The game will have 98 achievements in total, and I guess we will need to add two more to make it a nice round number. Below are the 25 new ones - try to guess what lies behind each title, but rest assured that you will need at least two full playthroughs to get them all!
We promised you new skins for the main character, and now it’s time to deliver.
Added a second tier of the French Navy Uniform along with a new quest to make it.
Currently we are making a new model for the leather armor. The screenshot below is a WIP, but it represents the idea of having headwear for top-tier armor in the game, like helmets or hats, allowing a better feel of progression.
Old models will get an update as well, for example we plan to add leg armor to a heavy chestplate.
Thanks to super talented Antix we have more diverse animations now. At this moment, we focus on the combat animations and musket handling. Big one, really, something that was never intended to be included in the game, but the most welcome addition to be sure!
https://youtu.be/y-J7b28U8og
WIP. Will probably consider other variants of this one.
https://youtu.be/PUxO5xt8J28
New heavy strike. Musket handling should be more lively now.
https://youtu.be/H_zQL4m6Gto
WIP. Something to consider post-release, the game is super stubborn when it comes to real-time musket equipping.
https://youtu.be/bXJ3Y2w2zvo
The left one is the new dodging move.The one at the right is the old.
https://youtu.be/--ryIA5S0p8
More dodging. Feels more natural now!
We have all kinds of crazy plans for the animation department. Next ones in our to-do list are street musicians, gamblers and fishermen to spice up the colony life.
Same as with animations, this was not planned, but thanks to our community we have a way to improve the oldest and the ugliest textures that had been with us for almost 20 years! Thank you so much, КА!
It is tedious work, but the effect should be noticeable in the release build.
Examples:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Ebvl890DZaukH-YOMP-pmetSDvw1ySFU/view?usp=sharing
As bonus, we have also uplifted textures of the sails. Sea scenery is already looking fantastic and now it is even better. New sails complement the new sea, improved weather, updated sky so well!
Now, what is the way to make the old naval combat formula a second life? How to make it more tactical and fun? Right, change some numbers!
Therefore, the game encourages you to command lighter vessels until the mid-game. It makes naval combat more tactical, forgiving and more welcome to experiments. You don’t have to reload a game after a bad volley or grind from the start to get yourself a warship before the midgame. But if you do get a warship early, it wont auto level your enemies accordingly or punish you. You will have a fun time ruining everyones day as long as you can afford to operate such a monster.
The OST is complete - over an hour of new music, making almost two hours in total. Fits the 200 hours of content we have. Check out the new national themes - playing for French, English, Dutch and Spanish towns!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53hIPEf5rL4
And… That’s all for today, folks! See you all soon on January 15th! ːauthorityː
Happy New Year
