Test Release Notes - August 20, 2009
 

Release Notes - August 20, 2009

• New Game Features:
  • Notoriety Level Cap and Weapon Reputation Levels have been increased
  • Notoriety Level Cap increased to 50
  • Weapon Reputation Level increased to 30
  • Pirates can level their character up faster, as you get more experience when defeating enemies
• New cave environments in the following areas:
  • Murky Hollow, Port Royal
  • Royal Caverns, Port Royal
  • Thieve's Den, Tortuga
  • Lava Gorge, Padres del Fuego
  • Beckett's Quary, Padres del Fuego
  • The Catacombs, Padres del Fuego
  • Cursed Caverns, Isla Tormenta
• New cave environments feature new higher level enemies
  
• New Casa Muertos Quest (Quest available from 8/21 . 8/23)
  
• Game Improvements:
  • Ship Speed Improvements
  • You no longer lose all forward momentum when making small changes to your direction
  • A new speed meter now displays how fast your ship is moving.
  • Ships now move faster
  UI Improvements
  • The map in the compass now maintains consistent orientation with the full-screen minimap. The arrow in the center turns as the avatar turns.

Beckett's Quarry




The Catacombs





Lava Gorge




Murky Hollow









Royal Caverns





Thieves Den









Tormenta Cave







Ship Speed



ETA: Another change that's not listed is that screenshots now have their own subfolder.

OH MY GOSH!
Sorry; I just had to say that.

FINALLY UPDATES!
MATT

Ok im gonna check it out

Finally and before the summer is over. Sorry to all previously known mastered pirates. Now this quest... Is that going to hit open those days? or Is that available to test those days? Now all we need by the end of the year is a new chapter.

Can't get onto test :(

Wow, I haven't mastered a single pirate yet, and now this?! Very interesting and exciting!

Now I have to go see what mischief Test Ben Whalebutler can get into!
Woo hoo!
:laughks2:

Love the updates!!! THANK U THANK U!!!!

Finally! Too bad I'm lvl 13 on test :P

Ugh, I can't get on to test. Anyone else having a problem?

Aye, I can't get on either... :sadmh9:

Please list the location of the new quest ASAP please that way when it goes live we know where to find it right off the bat!, Thanks! and finally updates worth drooling over...:buds::buds:

Quest comes TOMORROW!!!!!!!

Well, so much for mastering sail last night. But ya know what, no matter how proud I am of that tag, ya, I'll give it up willingly to my fellow guildmates who have been waiting far too long for this.

Cutout my tongue if this is fake!
 

Finally after months on being mastered finally something to do , I love Thursdays!
I fell from my chair when i first read the post! Now all I need to do if be the first to Max cutlass and dagger to the new lvls , should be easy with Hex and Darkheart.
I know just what I'm going to do with those 5 new skill too.
My current cutlass arrangement.
3hack
3slash
4cleave
4flourish
4thrust
1sweep
2brawl
1taunt
3bladestorm
1 parry
After the update-
4hack
4slash
4cleave
5flourish
5thrust
4bladestorm

Falls over dreaming , Please let this update come soon , so I can be the first to master blades and grenades on open!

Am I dreaming? Wooo! Yes actual updates! We have been saved!

I have to say, Tormenta looks AMAZING! Im also glad that they increased the rep that you get. Gosh, im speechless right now. I know what im doing once this comes to open. :D

This is unbelievable, now I might have to use revive. :)

YAY DISNEY!!! HUZZAH!!!!!! THIS is what we needed, and wanted! SUPERIOR!

Well so far, ive only visited Thieves Den..

First thing I typed... OMG!
Its actually a CAVE now!!! Roots coming from walls, and ceilings, narrow passages, more than one way through. Underground waterfalls... wow.
Aesthetically, they have done an awesome job (at least of Thieves Den).

Havent really seen any differences in enemies in this area though.

I still can't get onto test...Hmm...

About to get on, but all I'm thinking right now is...dang Zep, gonna have to re-do the Wiki again...;)

And for those of you that are in a hurry for this to hit open, please, don't be. I'm sure that there are a lot of bugs to be squished. Let's hope D gets it right before open release.

Anyone know if you get credit on test for quest and weapon rep earned after 40!

Just popped up. Test going down for some maintenance at 8pm EDT.

Found another addition that they didn't include in the release notes - when you run up to (what I think of as) a portal - say from the PR north beach into Royal Caverns, Royal Caverns to Governors Garden, etc. Pull a weapon before you reach the portal. As you run through the portal it puts your weapon away like always, but when you come through to the new environment the game automatically re-pulls the weapon you had out when running through! :peopirate07bouncele I've wanted that since the very first day I started playing this game!

The levels increases are a dream come true.

The new environments are unbelievable - Lava Gorge is now HUGE. Get ready to get lost in some formerly well-known environments. The attention they've paid to detail in the surroundings is excellent.

The increased ship speed makes island hopping a breeze - it's a snap to get to Tormenta now. I'm not sure how this will affect sea battles yet - haven't tried that.

There are now 2 Dregs on the beach at each of the entrances to the Tormenta caves. You can run past them, or choose to fight them before heading in.

I'm having a very difficult time adjusting to the new compass - not a plus in my view, but it's SO overshadowed by the positive changes they've made I'm not going to say too much.

Disney devs - thank you!!!! :mickeypiratezd4:

E.T.A.: Have "lost internet connection" on test twice tonight. Now, at 7:03 CDT, I'm getting the "site closed for maintenance" message and can't log back in.

beautiful
 

Tormenta cave is huge and beautiful. Its under the sea meets little house of horrors. Nice spread of enemies all over the place. The entire cave is tunnels that lead to small open areas, there is no more long line of site so the areas run more smoothly graphic wise. Very fine new enemy that is nasty but I'll let you all find him. Otherwise I hope you can read a map cause its a bear to find your way around at first.

Woot finally POTCO delivers! Lets hope it all goes well and hope to see it on open in 2-3 weeks!

The game is crashing, and now down for maintenance already, lets hope that gets fixed quickly (likely so). I've seen a few other minor problems so far, nothing that should be hard to fix. I've only been through Thieves Den, an actual cave with a path that splits a time or two, and did notice that Thugs are now up to level 14 in there, they topped out at 10 in previous observations. There are more than one buildings now so, finding that desk with the arrest warrants in it isnt as easy as it was before... hehe.

Question from prior post about this anticipated update: Unless its changed I was told (by reliable test source) you lose the "Pirate Master" Notoriety title, and the "Mastered" title on the weapons with this update. :(

Hmmm, I wonder if the previous rep earned at level 40 counts to level 41

Test is back up - go forth rejoicing!

I was on test for about 20 minutes and loved what little I saw. I finally get to pull my first pirate out of the old pirates home!

On a side note, I can't get onto test, live or the pirates online web site right now...Am I the only one?

EDIT: the only POTCO thing I can do right now is Cannons of the Deep...

Im still down on everything made for pirates!!! You must be a lucky pirate!!!

Take it while you got it and drink up!!!:buds:

Well with all these new detailed mini-maps I think that when you are on the islands and you press "M" it should open that and not the world map. But have a little button asking if you want to switch to world map to TP.

So it's not just me? Anyway...still liked what I saw. Like a breath of fresh air!

Also wow the caves look AMAZING! Now see thats what a cave should look like. (Not perfectly cut out O_o and they all look the same) From what I have seen the caves are different and unique in their own way now!

PS Lava Gorge has Spanish undead now?

They added them a while ago.


Nice, glad to see the new updates coming along.

Wow, those cave graphics look phenomenal! Can someone tell me if the NPC 'green circle people' are still in Thieves Den? I do love being able to do some work there without having to rely on tonics... =)

I believe Mac users are having issues connecting to their servers.

So like i asked in another thread, any confirmed level 41's :P

Doesnt look like on test that any credit was given for anything done after 40

Yup :( thats defiantly a down side. MAYBE disney will do something about that because I think i have anywhere close to a couple thousand rep after level 40.

WOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOO, NEW CONTENT!!!!!!!!!!! finally disney!!! THIS is more like it

but, i dont have test :(

Well, I am definitly suprised Especially with tormenta!

It simply will not let me log in. Keeps saying:

Could connect to gameserver.test.piratesonline.com.7676.
Try again?

I'm on a Mac and I've tried restarting, re-downloading, EVERYTHING I can think of but still no luck.

Anyone else having this problem? Anyone know how to fix it?

I know it's not top priority, but has anyone checked out the in cave dig spots? The Key in Tormenta at the end of the Pearl? The Scary Mary possessions? Others?

Just curious about where things might have moved, and how hard it will be to get to those places.

I found quite a few dig spots, but it wasn't my priority to find them. I had just been walking around and stumbled upon a few (not exactly the Key or possessions though).

I took screen shots.. but they didn't show in my folder..

According to Aliese/Piper, There's a new sub-folder that Disney puts the screenies in. Check her OP to find out more.

Oh, thank you. I haven't really read everything here yet.. lol

edit: Yes, I was right. I found some spots.. but not what you mentioned. Two in Murky Hollow, one in Royal Caverns

Only thing i can say is the COMPASS SUCKS. I want it to move with the direction my screen happens to be facing like before. Anyone remember they tried this before on the ship where it stayed the same direction your ship happen to be going? That was bad enough but not to have it fixed in one direction and you have to tell your brain which direction you are going.

cool! looking forward to it. just one question.


WHY IS THERE NO NEW WEAPONS!!!!!

IF IT GO UPP TO 50 WHY CANT IT HAVE A NEW WEAPON:sadmh9::psmiley27:

I agree with wmah. I like the way it was before, made it less confusing, and was just simple.

Anyone has a shot of the new weapons? Did they added more skills to go along with the new rep?

For some reason, Mac users can't get onto game. I am on a Mac too and have sent many bug reports, and have asked friends who can get on game to send bug reports regarding this as well. Hopefully it will get fixed quickly.

I don't think the new weapons were added yet.. that may follow with the new quests. Plus, it would be mentioned in the updates if it were added.

Never mind I misread. I got worked up with all the good things they added.

Hating the compass too.

But I LOVE the new speedometer for the ships.

I have always hated the fact that the slightest little adjustment to your ship's direction scrubbed off all your momentum. But not any more. That alone is worth this month's 10 bucks.

The caves are AMAZING. Murky Hollow looks like Mordor. Dark, moody and damp. I liked what I saw of Tormenta too, but I stepped on a Brinescum's toe about 20 feet into the cave and he pasted me.

This one might just have been worth the wait... Going to wait and see.

Argh, this is anticipating, can't wait. The updates look really well done :D

I am speechless. I want to jump up and down and scream my ear drums out... but for some reason, I can't.

There is a pirate lord out there giving us what we want... thank you! Now all we need is the second story quest and the Kraken to make this all worth wile! Thank you Disney! You took a while, but you finally came through, and before summer ended!(for me anyways)

All in all, love this update. Every single part of it including the compass. I may be the only one there but D will change it again for the sixth time I'm sure. Shouldn't really be a big deal. People will get used to it. Right now it makes sense with the caves. The compass stays stationary (with North at the top) so it's perfectly aligned with the F8 maps. A lot easier to follow the map if the compass isn't spinning around, losing your bearings. I'm not having any issues with it at the moment.

They've also seemed to have gotten rid of the 100 rep limit per weapon as well. I was using dagger exclusively on General Bloodless and received 168 rep after 45% crew bonus. Not really sure if there's no limit now or if it's just a higher limit.

Put me into that same boat.
Have not been able to get on Test at all.
:sadmh9:

I think the compass is just asking too much. All the stuff that is added and the compass is the issue. I for now can't complain. I just can't wait until it hits open. And knowing Disney it will probably be next week. They do have a record of not taking the necessary test time with updates.

After exploring some of the caves, I have to say, they aren't babying us any more. There are so many ups, downs, narrow spaces, and forks in the road that make you scratch your head. I think even after a year with these new caves I'll be using the maps.

This is going to make playing the game even more challenging as we have to run through the caves defeating the right enemies, getting the right barrels, etc...

I just hope they don't release these until after the second story quest/Kraken. I would love to have things thrown at us at once, especially since there are probably going to be a lot of bugs.

Also, what I don't get is... why did they redo the islands, and now the caves, AFTER the game launched? Do they have some problems figuring out what they want in the game? Because almost half of all the land in the game has been redone. Why didn't they just wait another year before releasing the game to add this all in. I'm sure it would have made the game more interesting to begin with.

Also... notice that there are NO new islands, caves, or forest areas. Please tell me they aren't just going to release the second with no new area, because that's going to make the game very repetitive.

wicked mates. this update is going to rock the Caribbean like a meteor! Well u guys should know this is only the beginning i wonder what 'new content' they have in store for us. by the way whats the casa muerto quest and can someone plz go there and check out what are the new enemies especially the ones in tormenta. Supposedly theres a Thrall captain (lvl 53). Next month would probably be sea serpants and squids or even scyllas. New islands - probably peleogosto, cruces, muertos, shipwreck cove, numerous wild isles and more. Oh and by the way what is the more they refer to for this current update eh? somebody who has test server access plz answer our questions

They needed the game to go public before or at same time as an industry competitor (POTBS) published their game. PR battle basically. From all the hidden and unused places we would glitch to it appeared that they had suddenly cut off areas, simplified even duplicated rooms to get the concept up and working as fast as possible. I believe now they are putting everything back in play, including any new ideas theyve picked up along the way. I think what they have on test is alot closer to the game they had originally intended on releasing, and believe these updates only help lead into more future content, like a second story quest.

And then the pirate awoke... and it was all a dream!

OMG those shots are works of BLOODY ART!! Wow!! I CAN NOT WAIT... period.

GREAT Job Sawyer!!!

Thanks for posting the great screenies, as it seems us Mac users may have to wait a while to check this out on Test.

I'll try in the morning when I get home from work.

Thanks again, Great to hear some positive stuff about the big D!!!

I was *thisclose* to cancelling my membership. Not anymore!

I'm seriously looking forward to the cap raises and my internet being fixed :). My mastered pirate has nothing to do (when I can actually come online)!

The only problem I have with these changes is that the cave environments look like they could be extremely confusing. I remember that I was EXTREMELY perplexed at thieves den when I first started, but then again, they didn't have maps either.

It's about time........:piratetongueor4:

Arg. I lost test server access when my hard drive crashed and I can't figure out how to reload the test server.

You guys have to let us know about the quest that is happening this weekend. Maybe its for that new sword they showed us and they are making a 1 time only quest, so if you snooze you lose.

I don't think it will be for the sword, that appears to be one of the next level weapons (6.. or so, if I remember). Its more than likely gonna be what they did with the release of Spanish and French undead, have the Skeleton Infestation quest, but this one will probably be in the newer cave environments.

Plus, there are plenty of high levels on test, but there is also a large number of lower levels. Meaning, if it was, the lower levels would have to level a lot just to get the sword.

Good Point Sven, I forgot that there are a lot of lower levels as well. Hopefully it is something enjoyable, maybe a Jack Sparrow outfit. That would be cool.

IF you are a member of the Helm, here on POF, you can follow these links to the test server download. Zep has the links posted for both PC and Mac users.

http://www.piratesonlineforums.com/f...04&postcount=1


Also, I did get to spend a little time on test last night. I only went to Murky Hollow, but I can tell you the following things that I noted.

The graphics are GREAT!
The caves are confusing. Real caves, tunnels, rocks, roots, twists and turns, AND DEAD ENDS!!! I love them.
Disney has definitely changed the way you earn rep. You can earn a lot more rep per enemy now.
Example:
Lars is a level 19, almost 20. He still has double rep from the Father's Day quest. The first enemy I saw was a GREY level 6 Skeleton, Pirate I think, and I took him out using about 4 swings of the cutlass. This would normally earn me about 3 rep points. Yesterday, I got 6, and then it doubled.
Later, I found General Bloodless?, (The one who hangs out in Murky Hollow.) and he was level 13. He showed as a RED enemy. I treated him as if he were Timothy Dartan on the back beach, using each of my 4 weapons, and not using combo strokes. I took about 1/4 of his health with each weapon, Cutlass, Pistol, Doll and Dagger. I waited for him to respawn, and did this a total of 4 times. I was getting rep in the range of 650 to 760 from each kill. (Now remember, I was getting double rep.) But, I think I was getting quite a bit more rep than I would have from before the update.

Another item I noticed, and tried a few times, was the aggression level. It seems to have changed again.
As I ran through the cave, if I ran past a Grey enemy, I could go stand right next to it, and it would not attack me unless I attacked first. BUT, if the enemy was Green, Yellow or Red, my nearness would set them off and they would attack me without me attacking first. (Almost got beat a couple times testing this theory.) Then, I tried to figure out how far I needed to run to get them to disengage. They seem to disengage at a reasonable distance. In other words, an enemy wouldn't latch on and chase me through the entir ecave, but would give up after a short, but hardy, chase.

OVERALL, I can't wait to get this on open! I can see me letting my two younger pirates go into stasis, and bringing out the big guys again! I just hope Disney doesn't try to rush this too fast and not give the testers time to debug it first. And, I hope the testers actually TEST it, and not just try to be the first one to reach level 50.

Awesome posting Aliese.. I was gonna post pictures but you thoroughly beat me to it.

I did finally get logged into Test and decided to map out a couple of the caves before I had to get some sleep.

I can't guarantee that I got all dig sites, but tried my best.

Murky Hollow Layout:




Royal Caverns Layout:




There was one odd circle that kept moving as I pivoted in one place.













Other things.. I actually like the compass. (just opinion)

And yes you can run through a portal with your weapon out and, even tho it puts it away automatically, it will be brought back out once you reach the other side.

As Basil mentions - you'll need to get Helm Access which you can do by using the instructions http://www.piratesonlineforums.com/f...ad.php?t=10086


Once you have Helm Access - Batleth has double checked the links and made update to them as of this morning - And That Thread Can Be Found Here (Once You Join The Helm)

That's awesome Lost, great work on this. Maybe some one could do this for Tormenta.

Nice job Lost, and I saw that dig spot too, lol

Hey they changed lava gorge? Is the pvp mayhem map different o_-

No, just the regular area with enemies was changed. Just additional PVP bugs.. nothing much.

I noticed that as well. Also if you're notoriety level is EXTREMELY lower than the enemies, they won't attack you unless you attack them. Lil Test Sven (Noto 14) was tromping about almost all of the caves, even Tormenta, without getting attacked. But if I got near something that was within my capacity to fight (and win) such as in Thieves Den, they would attack me if I got too close. I suppose that way, lost lower levels won't become fodder if they wander off into the wrong area.

We're the only ones probably. ;)

I got attacked by a Molusk.. and Swash by a Seabeard, we're both much lower than them.

Oddness. I was standing next to some of them without trouble, even the Thrall Captains. Weapons drawn or put away? I never took out my weapon before walking up to anything.

Ours were away. The only time I had a weapon out was a death wish with the Thrall Captain.

WoW!!!!!!!!!!!
I can't wait til' its released! Thank you Disney! you actually came through with your promises! I'm not a master, but I will sure try harder now that I know this isn't the end!

This Bites!
Can not get on Test. I will try to re-download with the link you posted Bas.

Thanks

Just to confirm, my fully mastered friend on test has reached level 41.

I agree with Amelia, This bites! I'm at work and can't get on test!!! WAH!

Not to be a mod or anything: (Oh wait, I am a mod)

There is a thread in General game talk about the new quest. Can we take the quest talk to there? This is the news thread, and I know they are related, but.... it just seems to be repetitious.

My views:

• Yes, aggression has changed. It seems to me that if they are lower level than you they won't attack. If they are higher, watch out. I got POUNDED last night.
  
• Caves are awesome as are the graphics. But I view it as eye candy. I diidn't want awesome caves, I wanted new content.
  
• I was able to glitch into the lava in Lava Gorge. I attacked an enemy form a "safe" location. He ran right up to me and destroyed me. They are not stopped by glitchers (good thing). However, you can now navigate those caverns by glitching and avoinding enemies alltogether (bad thing).
  
• The quest I had hoped was a new story quest. And it may be, what with mention of *things*. HOWEVER, it seems clear that even the lowest level players will be able to work on this new quest, since it begins at the uber easy level. It seems to be a parallel quest, not a follow-on story chapter. I was disappointed by that, but we'll see. I'm only on the second feller. He's hungry.
• I tried sailing. I like the new speed indicator and enjoy the fact that you can see how much your turn affects your forward velocity. Now, if we want to talk about reality (we don't?), I would suggest that the speeds of each ship need to be adjusted. I have a bit of sailing experience, from single-handing small sloops up to sailing as part of a crew on tall ships. Ergo, trust me on this. The light sloop should not be anywhere near as fast as it is. When it comes to sailing speed, thee longer the ship, the faster it is ABLE to be (called hull speed). The smaller, the slower it will be. Now, yes, dispacement and sail area and point of sail all matter (what did he say?), but there is no reason why a light sloop, the smallest boat in the game, should travel at 20 knots! Even in the Pirates movies, the Black Pearl (a Ship proper, or what the game would call a galleon) was a fast ship--nigh uncatchable. Okay. Now back to fun.

Ok... I re-downloaded, restarted and still can't get on Test,
Arrrrrrrrrr & Whaaaaaa....
I'M JIPPED.
I'm going to sleep, maybe I'll see it in my dreams.

Have fun

Anyone with a Mac get on Test?????

Does anyone know the new max reps per enemy?

Same here! I've tried everything i can think of! And nothing..
Hope it gets fixed before the opportunity to pick up the quest runs out!

The highest I was able to get using a single weapon without crew rep was 115 points, so I think that's it :)

Aww, I was hoping for atleast 150, oh well, thanks.

115 is consistent with what I have seen/heard as well.
Everything seems to give a little more rep than it used to.

I hate to be the guy to say this but , THE BLACK PEARL IS NOT A GALLEON , ITS A EAST INDIAMAN!!

Anyway 20 knots? What about sloops of war 25 knots?

Actually, Right after the first movie came out, there were TONS of discussions by experts in the field of old style sailing ships. None of them could absolutely identify the type of ship that the Pearl is. The best anyone could do is say that it was a Styleized version, created specifically by Disney, losely based on sections of East Indiamen, Galleon and Frigate.

What they really ended up saying was that the Black Pearl is a figment of Walt Disney engineering.

I do understand releasing before POTBS, and then redoing a lot of things, but I still don't understand one thing. Does anyone know if they have any plans on reusing the old caves? That's so much area and content they could bring back, and I'm sure that at least some of us don't want to see it go to waste.

Don't get me wrong, I like the new caves. They look better/more real than the old caves, but I'd like to see them reuse the caves in the future. Every new cave on test is different than the others, while before they were way too similar. I just don't want to see the old cave area go to waste.

I just can't understand why they took all that time to make the caves and now they're throwing them away. It makes me feel like I wasted a years POTCO subscription on something that wasn't even supposed to be in the game.

Nope, still can't get on.
:sadmh9:

I agree with Mac, the old caves should be reused. Places like the catacombs had helped me to fully master both of my level 40's (on nades - since that was last). With that gone, it is gonna take a lot longer (high level enemies or not, beings how max rep is 115 or so now).

Plus, throwing away some of the old things in the game may be a step in the right direction. They also might not of been intended to be there at all (but due to limited time they were). I for one would still like to see them implemented into the game somehow.. like how Basil mentioned the towns. The addition of a new island or two could possibly do so..

None the less, i'm happy with what they've added. If the old is gone for good, it will take some getting used to, but I guess theres some progress.

LOL.. The old caves were poorly dug, had no supporting beams, and with all the fires and explosions over the past almost 2 years, the walls just finally gave way and they caved in. I'm just grateful that they skellies all were able to find new homes for me to fight with them in.

I do think I will miss the Catacombs though. There and the old Tormenta cave were like second homes from level 30 to level 40.