Massively http://massively.joystiq.com Massively http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif Massively http://massively.joystiq.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[PotBS 1.4 patch survey results and what players can expect in 1.5]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/06/23/potbs-1-4-patch-survey-results-and-what-players-can-expect-in-1/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/06/23/potbs-1-4-patch-survey-results-and-what-players-can-expect-in-1/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/06/23/potbs-1-4-patch-survey-results-and-what-players-can-expect-in-1/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,


Flying Lab Software makers of Pirates of the Burning Sea listen to their players, the developers really do! A player survey went live shortly after the1.4 patch, and after a few weeks of data-mining the feedback FLS is responding in a big way. In this latest dev-log by Joe Ludwig, Producer for PotBS, 55% polled in the survey said they prefer to focus their playing time on PvP, 58% from that group said that most of that time is spent on missions or economic activities. Developer logs show that players are repeating high level missions to afford ships and outfitting for PvP gameplay.

To address this "time-sink" an insurance system will be added in the 1.5 patch. This means players will receive 90% of the minimum production cost and permanent outfitting when losing their ship. The other deterrent to keep players from PvP is the itemization gap. Starting in 1.5 all permanent outfitting is player-craftable, including green items and will also undergo balance changes. With these two barriers alleviated PvP will become more accessible to a broader audience.

Continue reading PotBS 1.4 patch survey results and what players can expect in 1.5

MassivelyPotBS 1.4 patch survey results and what players can expect in 1.5 originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 23 Jun 2008 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>flsflying-lab-softwareinsurancejoe-ludwigpiratespirates-of-the-burning-seapotbspotbs-build-1.5potbs-patch-1.4potbs-patch-1.5pvepvpunrestMon, 23 Jun 2008 20:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Pirates of the Burning Sea Testbed server tournament announced]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/23/potbs-testbed-tournament-announced/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/23/potbs-testbed-tournament-announced/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/23/potbs-testbed-tournament-announced/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


Pirates of the Burning Sea has plenty to offer in terms of destruction. Sailors can take down ports in group conquest missions or just harass traders around the Spanish Main. However, spending all day chasing after booty is no way to flaunt your PvP skills. After all, you can only sink so many trade convoys before an angry fleet of fire ships is launched at your vessel. Flying Lab is offering a much more enticing form of combat for bloodthirsty sea dogs.

This Saturday, May 24th, on the Pirates of the Burning Sea Testbed server, will be your chance to blow your enemies out of the water and win some free game time, a video card, or even your own in-game parrot! As part of an effort to get the kinks worked out of PotBS patch 1.4, a PvP tournament is being organized to attract some traffic to the server. Details and prizes for the Testbed tournament have been announced and players are reminded to offer their feedback on the new patch. If you have a ship-of-the-line ready to unleash a wall of lead, set sail and see what you are made of.

MassivelyPirates of the Burning Sea Testbed server tournament announced originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 23 May 2008 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>flsflying-labpatch-1.4pirates-of-the-burning-seapotbspotbs-patch-1.4pvptournamentFri, 23 May 2008 11:00:00 EST<![CDATA[PotBS patch 1.5 is looming over of the horizon]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/19/potbs-patch-1-5-is-looming-over-of-the-horizon/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/19/potbs-patch-1-5-is-looming-over-of-the-horizon/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/19/potbs-patch-1-5-is-looming-over-of-the-horizon/#commentsFiled under: , ,


Pirates of the Burning Sea has seen a few big changes since the game released. The latest addition to the fleet will be new pirate careers in patch 1.4. So what is coming up after buccaneers make their appearance on the high seas? A swabbing of the poop deck to be precise! All that combat and ship destruction leaves plenty of debris around that needs to be picked up. Patch 1.5 is going to do just that.

The details were revealed through an interview with Ten Ton Hammer. According to Flying Lab producer Joe Ludwig, the team is "spending the entire month working on nothing but polish." The coffee is brewing at their offices as the entire team focuses on getting the game to a point where it appears just the way they want it. Some pesky annoyances players often report should be getting a swift kick off the plank as well. Those are, of course, not the only things coming in the next update.

Joe declares that since users do pay a monthly fee, the team is committed to giving them both polish and new content. That content will be appearing as a second epic mission. Joe says it will be something based on the supernatural, but what exactly this means is not made clear. What is clear is that everyone from the lead developers to the interns are going to be cleaning up the world of Pirates of the Burning Sea for the benefit of swashbucklers everywhere.

MassivelyPotBS patch 1.5 is looming over of the horizon originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 19 May 2008 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Those keen to sink their teeth into patch 1.4 for Pirates of the Burning Sea can do so ahead of its release on the live servers, by logging on to the Testbed server. Flying Lab Software is keen to get players to try out some of the new features that this patch brings (like the upcoming class changes) and have set up feedback pages for specific aspects of the game.

If you want to leave feedback about career skills in 1.4, you can visit this page, and feedback on the early game missions can be left here, with different forum posts for each nation. Additionally, there is a page for general 1.4 feedback that doesn't fit in these two categories. Don't be scared if you've never been on Testbed before -- there is a handy forum post that will answer all your questions, and you'll be helping test new content in no time.

MassivelyPotBS patch 1.4 available on test server originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 14 May 2008 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>feedbackflsflying-lab-softwarepirates-of-the-burning-seapotbspotbs-patch-1.4test-servertestbedtestingWed, 14 May 2008 10:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Two new pirate careers coming to Pirates of the Burning Sea]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/13/two-new-pirate-careers-coming-to-pirates-of-the-burning-sea/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/13/two-new-pirate-careers-coming-to-pirates-of-the-burning-sea/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/13/two-new-pirate-careers-coming-to-pirates-of-the-burning-sea/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

The folks at Flying Lab have sent word that two brand new Pirate careers will soon be sailing along in Pirates of the Burning Sea. The Cutthroat and the Buccaneer are to be the nom de plumes of our swabbie friends. The Cutthroat should be familiar - it's the class you've been playing as a pirate all along. On the other hand, the Buccaneer is a brand new bag: a gentleman adventurer with a taste for the high life on the high seas. We've already talked a bit about the class changes coming in patch 1.4, but these new details throw more light on the update's intention.

Buccaneers are intended to be a support class. They offer buffs to allies and debuffs to opponents, all while laying out their own special brand of derring-do. Full details can be seen on the most recent version of the patch notes, but don't believe everything on that list. The patch still isn't set in stone.

Gallery: Pirates of the Burning Sea core gallery

MassivelyTwo new pirate careers coming to Pirates of the Burning Sea originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 13 May 2008 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>flying-labpirates-of-the-burning-seapotbspotbs-patch-1.4Tue, 13 May 2008 18:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Class changes coming in PotBS Patch 1.4]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/06/class-changes-coming-in-potbs-patch-1-4/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/06/class-changes-coming-in-potbs-patch-1-4/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/06/class-changes-coming-in-potbs-patch-1-4/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Ahoy mates! With all of the server changes and patch discussions coming out of Pirates of the Burning Sea, we thought we'd bombard you with some more useful information. PotBS skills are going to get overhauled and the changes will soon be upon us. Pirate, naval officer, privateer, or free trader, PotBS patch 1.4 is going to change the way we sail the seven seas.

The changes are being broadcast in the form of several devlogs. So far, the privateer and the naval officer skills are receiving a bit of a spring cleaning. Each has had their skills shuffled around a bit to appeal to players who have had common complaints concerning their trees. For example, sanctioned piracy for the privateer is now a free skill at level 15! There is nothing better than receiving a free letter of marque from the monarch for tossing cannon balls and looting gold. The swabbing of the poop deck, so to speak, is coming soon, so be sure to read the PotBS patch 1.4 devlogs for info on your profession of choice!

MassivelyClass changes coming in PotBS Patch 1.4 originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 06 May 2008 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>devlogpatch-1.4pirates-of-the-burning-seapirates-of-the-burning-sea-patch-1.4potbspotbs-devlogpotbs-patch-1.4potbs-skillsTue, 06 May 2008 16:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Pirates of the Burning Sea developer wrap-up]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/04/28/pirates-of-the-burning-sea-developer-wrap-up/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/04/28/pirates-of-the-burning-sea-developer-wrap-up/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/04/28/pirates-of-the-burning-sea-developer-wrap-up/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,


In his post-launch developer wrap-up, Flying Lab CEO and co-founder Russell Williams talks about how Pirates of the Burning Sea went from an idea to a game, and what they learned after it launched. Their great idea: kick-ass ship combat, PvP that affected the world, a robust economy and great stories. In 2002, that was all they had -- an idea and a sense that the player should never have to look around too hard to find the fun. What followed was six long years of progress and setbacks as they put that simple idea into code and watched World of Warcraft completely change the face of MMOs.

Players who played PotBS once it went live played completely differently than the beta players. They had tuned the game based on beta testing, but that led them false as players who might, in beta, have spent a substantial amount of time on the open sea, instead spent it on land or in instanced missions. Without the needs of world PvP-ers driving the economy, the economy itself hit a reef. They have a solution for that about ready to go. Williams feels the game plays well to its strength -- ship-to-ship combat, though he acknowledges that many of missions were created with a template, and look it. Could the avatar play better? Yes, he says: and they plan to reduce the instancing in towns and open up more combat options in upcoming patch 1.4.

Players are eager these days to try the new game, play it for awhile, then move on to something new. It's hard to get a hook into these people, but Flying Lab has seen what people actually like best about the game now that PotBS has launched, and will keep playing to strengths and addressing weaknesses as it settles into its niche.

MassivelyPirates of the Burning Sea developer wrap-up originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 28 Apr 2008 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>avatardeveloperflying-labpirates-of-the-burning-seapotbspotbs-patch-1.4russell-williamsship-to-ship-combatworld-of-warcraftwowwrap-upMon, 28 Apr 2008 16:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Q&A talks future for Pirates of the Burning Sea]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/04/14/qanda-talks-future-for-pirates-of-the-burning-sea/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/04/14/qanda-talks-future-for-pirates-of-the-burning-sea/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/04/14/qanda-talks-future-for-pirates-of-the-burning-sea/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


In a very interesting Q&A session, the Pirates of the Burning Sea development team dropped some compelling details about upcoming game additions, improvements and balancing. The biggest improvements so far have been to the user interface, but the PvP system is starting to get some love as well. The design team says it was their goal to make PvP easily available for those who wanted to participate, but avoidable for those who didn't care to join in. Refreshingly, they admit that the current game doesn't allow for this and they're bringing the first changes in the 1.2 patch that's out right now.

Continue reading Q&A talks future for Pirates of the Burning Sea

MassivelyQ&A talks future for Pirates of the Burning Sea originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 14 Apr 2008 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>flying-labpatch-of-pirate-lovepirates-of-the-burning-seapotbspotbs-patch-1.3potbs-patch-1.4potbs-patch-1.5pvepvpsoesony-online-entertainmentuiuser-interfaceMon, 14 Apr 2008 20:00:00 EST