Pirates of the Caribbean Online

Fantasy pirates: Love 'em or hate 'em, they're deeply ingrained in geek culture to the point that they're almost impossible to dislodge. This past Monday was International Talk Like a Pirate Day, when everyone's inner pirate was encouraged to "Arr!" heartily, look for treasure in long-forgotten places, and embrace the fashion style of bandanas and eyepatches.

It seemed like a perfect week, therefore, to look at piratey life in MMOs. From entire games to mere outfits and from the token pirate union that has a chapter in each game to delusional madmen, this list aims to sate the swagger of keyboard swashbucklers. It's a testament to the pirate phenomenon that most developers can't help but include a buccaneer or two, even if the setting isn't always asking for it -- a phenomenon even the U.S. Navy has accepted.

Hit the jump to start, and sail straight on 'til morning!

Continue Reading

Disney's free-to-play MMO Pirates of the Caribbean Online isn't a game we hear much from, but it's got a fairly respectable following and is a fun departure from the standard-issue fantasy genre that marks so many free-to-play games.

Never let it be said either that they don't know how to party in between all the privateering and swashbuckling and whatnot. Disney has released a handful of screenshots from their recent holiday events, and a great party was had by all. Festive streamers, bows, stockings, and greenery made an appearance in between the palm trees and sand. Characters were given a fun /noisemaker emote, and this year had a fun new addition: sandmen.

No, not the kind that arrives to put you to sleep, these are the Caribbean version of snowmen. You see, the Caribbean has a distinct lack of anything resembling snow, and the locals have learned to compensate with cleverly designed pirates made of sand. Enjoy the screenshots provided, and maybe head over and check the game out if you haven't yet!

Continue Reading

Arr me hearties! It be time once again for another of Massively.com's giveaways, and this time around we've got a pair of unique sculptures on offer! They're former shipmates of mine, but they'll still do some work ... as paper weights! Harrr Harr Harr! They were made up all good and proper for the first anniversary of Disney Online's Pirates of the Caribbean Online. Each of these skulls is marked with dark magics and is accompanied by a scroll explaining how these mates o' mine met their fate. We estimate their retail value to be about ... arr ... $70 all told.

All you'll have to do to enter, my swashbuckling swillhound, is leave a comment on this here post! Why don't you let us know what yer favorite pirate expression is? This blogger is a big, big fan of the traditional YARRR! You'll need to comment before 7:00 AM EST Thursday, November 6th, me bucko. You can only enter once per person, and after the contest closes we'll ship out these shipmates to two randomly-selected skulltenders! Give us at least a week to ship out this massive pile of booty. To win you must be age 18 or up (Shanghai-ing age). Plus ye must be a resident of the US or Canada (excluding Quebec). For full eligibility details, we suggest you read our official rules, ye scallywag! Good luck, and keep your eyes on the treasure!

Psst, did you know we're giving away additional treasure all week from Twitter? You can only win if you follow us! Yarr!

The MMO genre is more than World of Warcraft, Age of Conan, and Warhammer Online. Here's what's going on in the rest of the world.

Ankama Games launches new Dofus Heroic Server; includes permadeath
As of September 23rd, there's a new server dedicated to Ankama Games' Dofus. Called the Heroic Server, its most notable feature is permanent death for all characters. Once dead, the player's opponent is allowed to take the character's items, and the deceased becomes interred in the Cemetery of Heroes, a worldwide ranking that can be consulted via a dedicated website. To offset the permadeath penalty, all skill and professions leveling will be much easier, allowing players to rise in rank much more quickly. To the brave and the bold: the Heroic Server calls!

Atlantica Online begins open beta; offers prizes
For their open beta launch, Atlantica Online's NDOORS is offering players of its Free Leagues -- the PvP system -- a variety of prizes, including a Nintendo Wii, an iPod Nano, or $10,000 in cash. Interestingly, these prizes become available only once the player population hits certain landmarks: 5,000; 10,000; 20,000; and 30,000. "NDOORS created something unique in the MMO world when we designed the deep turn-based, strategic world of Atlantica Online. So we decided we needed something just as original for our open beta," said Peter Kang, CEO, NDOORS Interactive. "This is going to be unlike anything anyone has seen before."

Continue Reading

The MMO genre is more than World of Warcraft, Age of Conan, and Warhammer Online. Here's what's going on in the rest of the world.

Secret of the Solstice gets new patch with new content
Outspark's Secret of the Solstice, the free-to-play fantasy MMO, has updated its client with a new patch. Available for both new players and veterans alike is a brand-new zone featuring new quests and a lush jungle landscape. Furthering the overarching storyline is a new initiative to pursue GM Alastor across the Emperonie Plateau and the Aserphel, Cretino, and Turmeit deserts. Finally, players can now view all of an NPC's available quests at the same time and choose which mission to undertake. Download the new patch at the SotS website.

New Warlock class available to Grand Chase players
KOG and Ntreev, publisher of Grand Chase, the side-scrolling fantasy brawler, has announced an update to the character class known as Arme. Arme, in addition to her Mage and Combat Alchemist jobs, now has access to a third: Warlock. The abilities of the Warlock job include summoning the spirits of earth, wind, fire, and water, to produce spectacular effects and fight with greater power than ever before. Before deciding if you want to switch jobs to the Warlock class, make sure to check up on the job's requirements on the Grand Chase website.

Continue Reading

Yarr! Privateering has come to Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean Online, so get your eye patches and poofy shirts ready for action! This new feature is sure to shiver your timbers (ok, ok, we'll stop), as it introduces a faction-based way to earn gold and reputation points for players.

This new feature will be accessible to both Basic and Unlimited Access players by siding with either the Frenchman Pierre or the Spaniard Garcia. These Pirate Lords will challenge players with quests where you can earn your very own French or Spanish tattoo. Plus, if you would like to learn more about privateering, you can check out their new Lore Journal The Rise of the Privateer on the PotCO website.

Despite the craziness that is E3, Massively got a chance to talk to Mike Goslin, VP at Disney Online. We spoke to him about Pirates of the Caribbean Online's future, the launch of World of Cars (a virtual world based on Pixar's "Cars") and their plans for consoles as well as Asian markets. Read on for his answers with more after the jump.

What's next for 'Pirates of the Caribbean Online'?

Goslin: We have a lot of really great content in the pipeline for Pirates. One of the big upcoming expansions is Privateering, which allows players to engage in epic sea battles against each other. Players choose a side, either French or Spanish, assemble a crew, and blast away. As part of Privateering we introduced some new islands where pirate lords challenge players with special quests to prove their worth and earn some cool new rewards.

What is the timeline for closed beta on the 'Cars Online' title?

Goslin: The World of Cars virtual world will roll out in 2009. We have not yet announced any specific dates for beta, but we will make sure to let you know when those are confirmed!

Continue Reading

Arr! Closer come ye, for I have risen with news of Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean Online!

Be ye an honest captain or be ye a pirate, be there one amongst ye who can clear the seas of the scum that floats upon 'er? Aye, I be talking about Privateering! Turn your sheets into the wind and lash the wheel tight and bring yourself to Isle D'Etable De Porc if ye be friendly to the French, or Isla De La Avaricia if the Spanish have y'r loyalty. Seek ye there crew, provisions and ammo fer the fighting ahead! And may the wind be ever at your back but pass over the sails of yer enemy! Privateering only be available to Unlimited Access members on the Test Server, but it be coming soon enough to the Live servers.

I wager there be more news after yon break. Click ye through to see thar th' rest.

Continue Reading

Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean Online has created a whole raft of new content for fans of high seas adventure, beginning with the addition of special Ghost Ships that haunt Isla Cangrejos and Cutthroat Island. These ships -- Shadow Crow, Cerberus, and Blood Scourge -- are crewed by the terrifying undead, and they're no easy pickings, but the rewards for taking them on will be well worth the risk.

Additionally, PotCO is bringing a Father's Day event to its players, asking you to find Captain Teague, reputedly Jack Sparrow's father. Under what circumstances could such a notorious pirate disappear? That's up to you to find out.

Continue Reading

Jason Yeung is one of the lead developers for Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean Online. During a recent Q&A he dishes out some very interesting info on what's coming for this free-to-play piratey good time.

Both Davy Jones and the Kraken will eventually be included in the game, but the when remains locked up as tight as Jones' fabled locker however. Adding pets (such as a parrot, which every pirate must have) is something they want to do in future expansions, but they're more focused on creating end-game content for their hardcore players, which is a sign that they do listen to feedback. In fact, their biggest challenge at the moment is rolling out new content fast enough.

If you've never given PotCO a try you really have nothing to lose -- it's free-to-play. If you like what you see, and over the last few months a great deal of new content has been added, a monthly fee will get you unlimited access to all the game's content (like the poker games).

A treasure chest of booty has just been dumped into the world of Pirates of the Caribbean Online. If you're an Unlimited Access player new weapons have been added that deal more damage, have faster reload times and sparkly new graphics. New quests have been included that can earn players things like a Fine Cutlass, Coltello Dagger, Harrow Voodoo Staff, and the walloping Heavy Tri-Barrel Pistol.

If inking up the bod of your Caribbean Pirate is more important, new Tattoo Quests have also been added. These quests will award players special inkings that can not be bought -- they must be earned.

Plus, some incredibly cool lore regarding who (or what) Jolly Roger actually is has been written up, and a tale of two islands explores the intrigue of a pirate from Spain and a pirate from France.

Pirating ain't easy. Even rough and tumble scallywag types need a morale boost every once in a while. As such, Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean Online will soon offer a few new changes - all provided by community feedback.

Tonics will soon be made available that recharge morale faster, and the groggy penalty (due to jail time) is being shortened. Added functionality to the Crew Panel will make the whole act of crewing easier. Players will not only be able to let other players on their server know that they are in need of a crew, but crewing up will also receive a bigger bonus. Now that's an incentive every pirate can get behind!

Additional changes will improve player communications (the whisper feature in particular)... oh, and there are new Quests coming as well.

In the wake of the sad news about the Virtual Magic Kingdom... some yaaarfuly good news! Virtual pirates can double their piratey pleasure in Pirates of the Caribbean Online this weekend!

Disney Online is giving Pirates of the Caribbean Online players the chance to earn double experience points and level up their pirate avatars twice as fast during two in-game events. But it's not all weekend so pay attention matey!

Both Basic (free-to-play) and Unlimited Access (pay-to-play) players will be able to earn double reputation points in both land and ship battles this Saturday, April 12th... but only between the hours of 12:00 and 3:00 pm (Pacific Time). Pirating for Unlimited Access members will commence again on Sunday, April 13 during the exact same time frame (12:00 - 3:00 pm Pacific Time).

Bonus bounty: later this month Disney Online will be be announcing details about new content that will include a bevy of new weapons, quests, and more... so stay tuned!

It's a sad day for for those who enjoy some digitalized Disney magic. It's been decided that Virtual Magic Kingdom, the virtual world developed and released in 2005 to celebrate the 50 year anniversary of the real Disneyland's opening, will be closed for good on May 21. According to an FAQ posted on the official website, the reason VMK is closing is because it was originally intended simply as a promotion for the event in 2005, and has continued to run far longer than they originally intended.

Of course, all is not lost for those who subscribe to the cult of Disney. They've already announced a commitment to spend over $100 million in the virtual world space, and they recently consolidated all of their online efforts, including Pirates of the Caribbean Online and Toontown Online, into one division. Their execs already have a firm grasp on the role virtual worlds have to play in building up their brands, so it seems likely that they'll be actively chasing after the casual gaming dollar for the foreseeable future.

[Via Worlds in Motion]

Springtime brought many events to our favorite MMOs and Massively was there to report on them. From St. Patricks Day to Easter to April Fools, there was no end to seasonal fare. Click the images below to take a tour of the pictures and places of Spring 2008 in MMOs.

Easter
More event coverage after the jump.

Continue Reading