Ahoy!
In the menu:
- Patch 1.5 beta is already available!
- New game is required!
- Access as usual, see instructions below. Select version 1.5.0
- The largest and most technically complex patch we have ever made.
- The main stars of this update are naval battles and the global map.
- Combat pacing in the early game has been improved — enemies no longer feel like damage sponges.
- Skill grind in early game has been resolved.
- The changes are global, so it’s very important for us to hear your feedback in the Discord channels and Steam forum.
- Play, master the new mechanics, and share your impressions!
How to switch to the beta
3D
Three new decks
We have replaced the scenes the player sees when boarding an enemy ship via a boat. The old ones were... well, outdated. Work will continue in the future: as with the boarding decks, we want the decks to match their ships more often.
New gun deck
New crew's quarters
New hold
They turned out incredibly cool and visually stunning. Honestly, now we want to make ship content/events to motivate a player to spend more time in these locations.
Brig
A legendary ship type and the true king of speed in the new balance. Patch 1.5.0 will feature two new ships: one is still being in development. Can you guess which one?
Ship improvements
A number of old ships received many fixes: some got improved textures, others — better bow guns aiming. This work never stops.
New Diego
New William
League Armor
Finally, all main characters’ outfits meet our new quality standard, and League Armor looks on par with the rest of the armors in the game.
Time to redo Helen's model perhaps? Maybe, but for the full 1.5.0 patch, we need to finish these two first.
Content
Prologue
We never liked the tutorial on Martinique, mainly because the player saw the most beautiful and cool side of the game only after half an hour or even later. The sea.
As a result, Charles de Maure’s story received a small but exciting prologue on the pinnace “Ulysses.” Newcomers will enjoy the interactivity and clearer tutorial, while experienced players will find it interesting to see the main character from a different perspective.
And, if you haven’t figured it out yet, instead of an epilogue, we made a prologue.
Seven new quests
Initially, we planned to add small events, so the player would make useful acquaintances in every city. A shipyard friend, an indebted innkeeper, a “favorite” waitress, and so on. But at some point, the events grew so much that they turned into full-fledged side quests.
It really brought freeplay to life, and the rewards... well, you’ll like them.
Character
Exploration bonuses
I really like the early stage of the game. What I don’t like that the game forces you to grind experience and officers.
Now the character receives bonuses for the first visit to certain locations, and navigation skill grows automatically on the global map. This is very useful in early game, works great with new side quests and colony secrets, and lets you roleplay as a trader or treasure hunter without having to grind navigation in storms or reload endlessly to recruit officers in taverns.
Of course, after about the first 30 skill points, this progression slows down a lot and quickly becomes irrelevant, but the early game is no longer so “stifling,” and overall there’s less grind.
Melee weapon damage rebalance
Before:
- Damage sponges in early game and one-hit kills in end game;
- Unclear damage calculation — people had to look for guides and a weapon calculator mod.
Now:
- Fair damage in early game, rewarding progression in end game;
- Weapon damage stats provide clear picture, especially in mid-game;
Simply put, fights are now faster and more dangerous. There’s less tedium, critical hits work more honestly, and melee with muskets is no longer OP — its damage now depends on the Firearms skill.
Hidden stats like weapon length/curvature, balance, and attack type modifiers no longer play the main role in damage calculations. Weapon skill, amulets, and blade damage do. However, if you’re an experienced player, nothing stops you from maxing damage by using the right attacks with the right weapon.
Small rebalance of backgrounds
PIRATES parameters were changed for all backgrounds. The “T” parameter is now almost the same for everyone, and each background got a nine in one profile stat. In addition, targeted skill tweaks were made, so the difference between backgrounds is now more pronounced.
Stealth check simplified
Another plus for free exploration and our desperate fight against save scumming. Fooling enemies (especially on small ships) is now easier.
Sea
Ship rebalance and trait system
We’ve talked a lot about this innovation and even dedicated separate dev diaries to it.
In short:
- Ships are now divided into: Warriors, Raiders, Traders. Each type is distinct and gets access to different traits.
- A trait is a unique feature of a specific ship. Examples of traits can be found in the screenshots below.
- There’s one more ship type — multipurpose ships. They have no notable advantages or disadvantages, can’t have traits, but their upgrades at shipyards give more significant stat bonuses.
- Average hold size, max crew, and gun weight have been noticeably increased. Since all this determines speed, combat, and trading, you can confidently tailor any ship to your needs and playstyle.
- Added Rate 7 and fully developed Rate 6. Sixth Rate now requires only 5 navigation skill points, so progression is smoother and finding a navigator is no longer mandatory early on.
- Ships now differ much more within their rate, and the difference between rates is even greater. Choosing a ship is always a compromise, and changing class is a big event.
- The off-bow angle stat is now more important. The fastest ships in the game are square-riggers, but fore-and-aft rigged ships are much more flexible and less dependent on wind whims.
- The AI now knows how to use its optimal wind angle and chooses its course based on its rigging.
Two new gun calibers and gun rebalance
We’ve added two new guns: 8 and 18-punders — for better progression and to highlight the best guns for early and mid-game. Overall, all guns gradually improve in stats, the choice between them is more of a compromise, and encounters with Warrior ships have become very dangerous.
Fleet Power and threat system
“Let’s make the Nations Window more useful?”
Here’s what came out of it:
Fleet Power and Threat Level concepts introduced.
The Caribbean now pays close attention to the player’s ship or fleet, evaluating type, rate, number, and condition of ships. The weak are hunted, the strong are feared.
- If you anger a nation, it will assign you a threat level and send hunters after you. If your Fleet Power is higher than the threat level, the enemy won’t risk attacking, and you can move safely on the global map.
- If your fleet was recently battered in battle or its power was always below the threat level, expect visitors.
- Sea encounters, many radiant quests and some story quests have been reworked for this system. Fleet composition, power, and hold contents were set manually for each case.
- You can protect yourself from Threat Level 1 just by sailing a good Warrior ship of Rate 5 or hiring a companion. A Trader will have to mount heavy guns or hire an escort. Threat Level 5 can only be countered by assembling a fleet of line ships.
- Unlike nations, threat from pirates increases over time. Whether you want it or not, the world will become more dangerous.
- Diplomats have been reworked: each request reduces the threat level by one.
- The “Terror of the Seas” perk can now be unlocked without leveling sea skills. It significantly increases your Fleet Power.
- The “Black Mark” ward now also works differently, increasing your Fleet Power.
- During sea encounters, you’ll now see a battle outcome prediction. Your Fleet Power is compared to the enemy’s.
- We’ll add this to the beta very soon, but at certain threat levels, nations will send unique bounty hunters. In story mode, it will be “Cazador,” and in freeplay, you may be hunted by “Chimera,” “Griffondor,” and “Meifeng.” This is not only a way to get quest ships in freeplay, but also unique loot from officers.
New first-person aiming at sea
The update to musket and pistol shooting has refreshed the game and brought a whole new layer to the combat system. We did the same for naval battles.
Previously, naval first-person shooting was clunky and boring, but now you have full control of the guns, can target masts, sails, rudders, and fort guns. Roll, mouse speed, character skills, and above all, your own player skill affect aiming speed and accuracy.
You no longer need to find a gunner to fight effectively at sea. Feel full control over artillery, enjoy new smoke and fire effects and gun sounds. The more you practice, the better you get, and everyone who’s tried it says the same: you won’t want to go back to the old system.
But enough talk — see for yourself.
https://youtu.be/RZRegqBs6fk
UI
Interface optimization
Trade, inventory and character windows no longer lag. You can add all items in the game to yourself, it will load smoothly and quickly.
Improved camera at sea
You can now view the ship better and closer. We’ve also taken the first steps toward a full free camera mode.
Officer and passenger tabs
Officers and passengers with prisoners are now separated into different tabs in the character and inventory windows. No more endless scrolling through thirty prisoners to assign an officer.
Crew hiring
The crew hiring window has been reworked. You now clearly see all necessary information and all bonuses and penalties. The formula for calculating the number of recruits has been reworked. No more running around all the colonies to assemble your crew. In late game, with all bonuses, you can hire up to 300 people from one tavern.
News feed
Added another button to the main menu for important news and messages. Be sure to read it, or we’ll deduct social points from you.
Additional notifications
Added several new notifications: goods spoiled by rats, musket volley effectiveness, changes in relations with smugglers, and so on.
General improvements
Readability and fonts in various windows have been improved, and names on the global map are now displayed more clearly.
Miscellaneous
New random
Here’s the thing... RNG in the game always worked very poorly and often got stuck. Many generated quest options never appeared at all. We rewrote the generation method and now random works as it should. If you’re used to catching “Holy Water” drops to run to the beach for treasure chests — today is your bad day.
Walking in block
The last brick in the new controls. The character can now move with an active block. You can now safely change position, then use sprint to break through the enemy line and make a couple of headshots from afar.
Swimming sprint
Tired of endless swims on Justice Island? Now they’re a bit less tedious. The character can now sprint in water. I am sorry, I don't know the word for it.
New effects
We’ve improved effects like fire, smoke, and so on. There are still some minor tweaks left, but it looks great. Especially well combined with the new naval shooting.
New sounds
Sounds have been added for all calibers in the game. Every gun now “sings” in its own way.
Italian localization
Pizza time! Grazie mille, MoonDragon!
Additions and fixes for all languages in the game
A lot of various bugs and issues have been fixed, and even more new ones have been added.
And... that’s all!
Be sure to play the beta, leave feedback in Discord and Steam.
Learn to play again.
ːjollyrː