Ahoy!
A year ago, Caribbean Legend was born. ːbombingː Anniversaries usually involve summing up results, but this time we won't do that, because it's the beginning and we're only just getting started.
And in general, the only result that matters now is that we have formed the best team and the best community, and through their efforts, the game will be incredibly transformed over the next year. We're starting today.
On the menu:
- Release of patch 1.3.5
- Opening scripts and modding support
- Launch of beta 1.3.7
- First version of new controls and camera
- Localizations
- Roadmap for the next 12 months
1.3.5
The patch is finally out of beta and is now available to everyone! Thanks to those who weren't afraid of the ominous beta prefix and even managed to complete the game with it. All bugs have been caught. A new game is not needed.
Much has already been said about the patch itself, and you can find the full changelog here. The most important things: improved graphics, new ships and boarding decks, reworked "Flying the Jolly Roger" quest line, and the speed on the global map is no longer so sluggish.
Overall nothing new for those who have already participated in beta testing. But there's a nuance.
We've unlocked the script files.
Mod Support
Starting from today, any version in Steam will come with an open Program folder. This means that you have unlimited modding available: you can add any new content to the game or modify the old one.
Instructions on how to upload mods to Steam are available here. In the future, we hope to turn this wiki into a full-fledged modding guide and post plugins, Blender projects, and any development tools there. We'll start somewhere in about a month. This way, a complete mod kit will be assembled, accessible even for beginners.
Modding is a serious topic, so let's dwell on it a bit and establish the new order of things.
For mod creators:
- The game doesn't have a modular system, load queue, and file merging yet. Consequently, any patch or even fix can make your mod non-functional
- Mods may require a new game or may not support all game languages. Please specify such nuances on your pages
- You can monetize your work in any way as long as the mod is available for download in our Steam Workshop
- If your mod conflicts with another, try to negotiate with each other about creating compatibility versions
- If you believe your work is worthy of being an official DLC or even a separate game, contact us
- If your work violates someone's copyright, we reserve the right to remove it from the platform
For players:
- Any installed mod, whatever it may be, can and will cause bugs and crashes. Install at your own risk
- If you have installed mods and are experiencing technical problems in your game, contact the mod creators on their respective pages
- Support your favorite mods by liking them in Steam Workshop. This way you help both the authors and develop the platform as a whole
On our part, we will also take several important steps:
- We no longer release hidden hotfixes. Now any patch, no matter how small, will receive a corresponding news post with a changelog. Hotfixes will be released less frequently, but this way we can make life easier for mod authors
- Any major numbered patch, starting with 1.3.5, will always remain available - in a separate Steam branch. This will allow you to play with your favorite mods until the authors adapt them for new versions
- Every quarter, we will choose the most popular mod and give its author a cash prize. We'll start small: the mod that comes out after February 15 in Steam Workshop and gets the most likes by May will receive $1000 as a prize
- Once a month, we will select the top works and actively highlight them in the news, supporting the best authors
- We no longer fix saves. Even before opening the scripts, half of them came with traces of Artmoney hacks, etc. What will happen after opening the scripts is scary to imagine
You can still report bugs and crashes in the relevant Steam topics and Discord - in the latter, all restrictions have been removed on the #technical-support channel and anyone can write there now.
If you really need to fix your save, try reaching out to people with the @Modmaker role in Discord. We will encourage the most active volunteers - I don't know how yet, but we'll figure something out.
The main reason we only opened the scripts now is that starting from patch 1.4, the game will begin to change very strongly and irreversibly, and I wouldn't want to limit those people who might not like our vision.
Speaking of irreversible changes
1.3.7
The intermediate beta patch 1.3.7 is available in a separate Steam branch. Instructions on how to access it are below.
Select 1.3.7 and the game will update itself!
There are exactly two changes. But what changes!
New controls and camera
No aspect of the game has received such devastating reviews as the tank-like controls with the camera.
And quite deservedly:
- Instead of exploring locations, we were rushing around on acceleration, frantically rotating characters with the camera
- Instead of fun battles, we could barely see the enemy behind the character's back and had to put away weapons to push through the dummies
- Shooting was single-button
- Many got motion sickness
- The character walked as if on rails
The system hasn't changed for twenty years, and most experienced players have gotten used to it, although for any player more or less unfamiliar with the series, these problems are obvious and unacceptable. But if we want Corsairs to have a future, we need to start with the controls.
- The character walks on all axes, and the player can freely rotate the camera
- Two camera perspectives are available: over-the-shoulder and centered
- Sprint has been added. In peaceful mode, it allows you not to use time acceleration, which kills immersion in the game. In combat mode, it allows you to push enemies away by spending energy, without putting away weapons
- Allies can be pushed without sprint
- Aiming mode has been added. The better you prepare your aim, the more damage you'll deal with firearms
- Quick shot has been added - deals less damage but has become much faster
What's there to say - just watch the two-minute video below. Hundreds of new animations and man-hours later.
https://youtu.be/I2RROaiNY9c
This is the very first version, and it's not perfect, but in the next two months, we'll add a lot more and bring the controls up to modern standards. To be honest, I don't want to go back to the old controls anymore. It plays incredibly fresh and in many ways new.
Bad news: Helen McArthur will be temporarily removed from the list of main characters. She will return once we make animations for her and adapt her to the new controls.
Be sure to try the beta and write about your impressions. The more feedback about the controls we collect now, the better it will turn out in the end.
German Localization
The first of the planned additional localizations. We have translated 97% of the dialogues in the game into German and will soon add Spanish and Polish. In total, the following localizations are planned:
- German
- Spanish
- Polish
- French
- Italian
- Brazilian Portuguese
- Ukrainian
- Chinese
If you're interested in getting involved in this, you're serious about it and want to help us, join our separate Discord server. All instructions will be posted there next week.
Roadmap
And now for the parade of goodness and pictures! A complete list of free content that we have planned for the next 12 months - until February 15, 2026.
Ships:
- Snow
- Cazador
- Caleuche
- Restored Caleuche
- Brig
- East Indiaman
- Frigate
- Heavy Galleon
- French Ship of the Line
- Spanish Ship of the Line
Locations:
- 3rd rank boarding deck: corvette vs pinnace
- 2nd rank boarding deck: frigate vs heavy galleon
- 2nd rank boarding deck: frigate vs East Indiaman
- 1st rank boarding deck: French vs Spanish
- Universal boarding deck
- New cabin
- New Port Royal and its secret
- Several new small interiors for quests
- Improved textures and lighting for all old interiors
Characters:
- Improved Tommy Irons model
- New Charles model
- New Diego model
- New William model
- New Helen model
- Improved Mary model
Quests:
- 20 new mini-quests and events
- Big personal quest for Mary
- New ending for the Secret Organization branch
- Epilogue for Charles de Maure's story
- Adaptation of the personal island Isla Mona for free play mode
- Adaptation of Caleuche for free play mode
- Adaptation of Gambit and officers' personal quests for free play mode
Mechanics and other:
- Improvement of the control button change system
- Hats (9 total), improve characteristics and can be worn by player and officers
- Highlighting of unsupported saves
- Highlighting of items, NPCs and chests
- New Martinique and tutorial
- New energy logic
- More sensible use and distribution of healing items
- New treasure system - with notes and events
- New crew hiring formula
- Complete ship rebalance - with subclasses and traits
- Redesigned generation system - more immersive, without freezes and making each playthrough truly different
- New stealth system, allowing to manage without random events and failures
- Rebalance of paper cartridges and handheld weapons
- Rebalance of ammunition, weapons and gunpowder at sea
- New sounds and logic for artillery, weapons, sea and environment
- News feed in the launcher window
- New economy system and a total rebalance of money and prices
- Several new items
- Several new animations in cities
- Engine improvements
- Old bug fixes
DLC
Ships Pack 2-5
The next mini-DLC in this series will be released in March and will tell about the difficult fate of a professional treasure hunter, the captain of the snow "Beth". Each pack gradually sheds light on a terrible and global story connecting all these extraordinary captains, and adds to the game a unique ship, boss fight, as well as powerful sets of items.
Total: 4 more ships, 9 items, a couple of locations and characters.
Project "OtE"
A large addon that grew from the idea of adding a new super-location comparable to the City of Lost Ships to the game, with unique gameplay and logic, available both in the story and in free play. You'll find new mechanics, characters, several complex locations, a ship, items and, of course, a new romantic interest. We already have sapphire and ruby. Perhaps this emerald will outshine them.
And... that's all. The year will fly by quickly. I feel that at the next anniversary, February 15, 2026, we'll have very interesting results and a serious conversation with you. As usual, you're required to do the most difficult thing: play, make awesome mods and leave reviews as blue as the Caribbean Sea. Here, by the way, is such a review from studio founder Mikhail Kovalenko.
Happy hunting. Happy holiday, Sea Dogs!
ːjollyrː