I think that a lot of us are missing the point here...
Complaining that Pirates Online is too easy, too short, or being "dumbed down" fails to consider one key fact. It 's a kid's game. It will
ALWAYS be a kid's game. The Disney trademark is extremely valuable and cannot be associated with adult content in their movies and their games. I think this is just fine but it also makes for a dull game. Unless of course you're a 10 year-old.
Don't get me wrong...I've been playing faithfully for a year and a half now. I have one fully mastered pirate and one that has reached level 40. I also have a test server account. But at no point have I ever considered this game to be hard. The fact that it is now easier than ever just proves that it is skewed more to kids than teens or young adults.
I am going to think out loud here. If you get bored, skip to the next post...
- I say I want a new chapter but honestly, what will that mean? A month or two of "Go here, get that, return to me. Now go see so-and-so, come back, dig up three chests, get 4 crabs, 5 undead, 12 soldiers, come back, rinse, lather, repeat....
- POTCO is a chat room with a game running in the background.
- A lot of people are comparing this game to Burning Seas. That is like comparing "Hello Kitty's Island Adventure" to "World of Warcraft." Both are great games but they have completely different audiences.
- POTCO has zero complexity. It is easy with a capital "E". There is no economy, there are no inventories to manage and you don't even get to sell back your old weapons. Or keep them for that matter. There are no puzzles to solve, getting from one place to another is ALWAYS a straight line, and at no point in the game does the player need to "figure out" what to do next. But people still cheat. Why?
- While this is a kid's game, it still appeals to teens, young adults and full blown grown-ups. Do you have any idea how hard that must be to do successfully?
- A lot of younger pirates have trouble keeping the fantasy of POTCO separate from the reality of planet Earth. None of us look like our cartoon pirates. I don't want a cartoon "girlfriend" and, No, I don't think you're pretty. Not because you aren't but because I HAVE NEVER MET YOU!
- Why do I have to hear about the Kraken EVERY SINGLE DAY? Have we really pinned all our hopes for this game on a big squid?
- I play every day if only for a few minutes.
Anyway, I am in a weird mood today and while POTCO may be on the right road, it is still meant to be traveled by children. Accept that and your game experience will change. You stop wasting time wishing you could shoot a soldier.
Oh and one more thing. Since I am a teacher in the real world I just have to say these last things and drop them forever.
Alot is not a word.
Allot means "
to distribute." "
Your" does not mean "
you are."
You're does. I will have the rest of your papers graded by the end of the day. Until then...Happy Plundering.
