What exactly is new content?

[JakeTheSnake]

I think everyone has made some really good points, thanks for your input. A couple of thoughts I had...

The Invasions are pretty cool but really have nothing to do with furthering a storyline. A playable storyline. Don't get me wrong. The invasions are major league fun but are, for the most part, not all that different from crewing up and going on a Tormenta raiding party.

Isn't the storyline progressing through invasions, though? When we started the game we learned that Jolly Roger is trying to take over the Caribbean. At this point he's invading Port Royal in an attempt to further said take-over and we get to play through that invasion. How is this not a playable storyline?

In my thoughts, the first definition of new and the second definiton of content is what most people think of in regards to the game.
Add these two words together, and the remaking or remodelling or redoing of something IS NOT new content.

We'll probably have to agree to disagree on this one, because I personally define new content as "new stuff to do", and exploring new areas counts for me (even if it's a new area with an old name). Granted, it's not as much new content as a second story chapter would be, but it's still new stuff to do.

I think my big beef with holding up a second story chapter as the end-all-be-all of new content is what happens when you complete the quest-line, and how long are you expecting it to take you? A month? Three months? Six months? Once it's done, you're in the same boat again - waiting for the next chapter.
Putting in a new chapter's worth of quests all at once seems like a pretty daunting task, not to mention any game features that are required for that chapter. Yes, I know they've had two years to work on it, I'm not making excuses for that (they should have had the second chapter out a year ago).
I'd like to offer a middle-of-the road suggestion...

Once they know where they want the storyline to go (and it seems like they might already with all the GM roleplay events and invasion stuff that's been happening lately), they should put in 2-3 new quests every week that advance the storyline. Then it's small, manageable chunks that D can surely put together for us and we all get regular fixes of new content.

It's sort of like the difference between getting a DVD set of a TV show, or watching that show when it actually airs (ignoring commercials). What I love about watching a show as it airs is that I can talk about it with my friends between episodes and theorize about what's coming next (which I know everyone here loves to do!). What does everyone think?

[ex8404]

Originally Posted by JakeTheSnake

Isn't the storyline progressing through invasions, though? When we started the game we learned that Jolly Roger is trying to take over the Caribbean. At this point he's invading Port Royal in an attempt to further said take-over and we get to play through that invasion. How is this not a playable storyline?

Invasions MAY be pointing the way to a new storyline but it is NOT, in and of itself, a new "playable" story. In fact it is no different from replaying the Pearl Battle. The pearl battle at the end of the first CHAPTER makes sense as it completes the CHAPTER. Re-playing it is done just for the fun of it. It advances nothing in terms of story.

Same goes for the invasions. There is nothing that the invasions do for us other than give us lots of bad guys to whoop up on. It's fun but, ultimately, meaningless. If it doesn't fill my Journal, it is NOT CONTENT or PLAYABLE STORYLINES.

Attach any story you want to it. Jolly is trying to take over the Caribbean. Fine. I've stopped him 13 or 14 times on Port Royal and Tortuga. That isn't a STORYLINE. It's Space Invaders. The bad guys keep coming and I am looking for a coin slot on my computer.

The "story" could be anything.

• Jolly is looking for ocean front real estate on PR. Stop him from lowering property values.
  
• Jolly thinks Grog tastes great. Pirates think it's less filling! Stop him!
  
• Jolly like Krispy Kreme, we like Dunkin Donuts! Stop him!.
  
• Jolly lost his puppy. Pirates hate puppies. Stop him!

Anything works for a 12 minute battle...

The Quest For The Black Pearl is a story. 12 minutes on Port Royal is NOT a story. It may be pointing a way towards a story but I am wondering how long I am willing to PAY to just sit and wait...

Originally Posted by JakeTheSnake

I personally define new content as "new stuff to do", and exploring new areas counts for me (even if it's a new area with an old name). Granted, it's not as much new content as a second story chapter would be, but it's still new stuff to do.

I get that, I really do. The new caves were fun to explore. For half an hour. Now what? There is no CONTENT there. Just long hallways filled with the same old bad guys.

A new chapter, a new quest, is more than new pictures and new places and new names. I have been playing for almost two years now. I had two mastered pirates (before the Notoriety change) who have FINISHED the game. No quests, no new weapons, no story, nothing but level grinding. Went to an invasion or two. But with an empty Journal, it's all meaningless. Let me fill my journal and I'll be back to live in a heartbeat. But I play exclusively on test now. I just have stuff to do there...

[JakeTheSnake]

Originally Posted by ex8404

There is nothing that the invasions do for us other than give us lots of bad guys to whoop up on. It's fun but, ultimately, meaningless. If it doesn't fill my Journal, it is NOT CONTENT or PLAYABLE STORYLINES.

So really, when it all comes down to it, new content to you means quests. Anything added to the game that doesn't come with a journal full of quests is not considered new content to you, right? That's cool, that's the kind of answer I was curious about when I started the thread.

That said, though...

Originally Posted by ex8404

Attach any story you want to it. Jolly is trying to take over the Caribbean. Fine. I've stopped him 13 or 14 times on Port Royal and Tortuga. That isn't a STORYLINE. It's Space Invaders. The bad guys keep coming and I am looking for a coin slot on my computer.

The "story" could be anything.

• Jolly is looking for ocean front real estate on PR. Stop him from lowering property values.
  
• Jolly thinks Grog tastes great. Pirates think it's less filling! Stop him!
  
• Jolly like Krispy Kreme, we like Dunkin Donuts! Stop him!.
  
• Jolly lost his puppy. Pirates hate puppies. Stop him!

Anything works for a 12 minute battle...

The Quest For The Black Pearl is a story. 12 minutes on Port Royal is NOT a story. It may be pointing a way towards a story but I am wondering how long I am willing to PAY to just sit and wait...

None of those things you list are the story... The official POTCO website has this to say about Jolly Roger: "He plans to take over the Caribbean and proclaim himself a Pirate Lord, and he will do anything to accomplish his goal." We learn about the same thing from Tia Dalma in the the first ten minutes of playing. The "story" is that he's attempting to take over islands and is using live agents to trick people into helping him - it started with the Casa de Muertos guild and their quests that led up to the invasion. They hung out in Port Royal for almost a month and then when they had finished their task of making the island vulnerable, they boogied and let the undead mob the island. The invasion wasn't something that D threw in without any reason. If you haven't done any of the quests leading up to it, it might seem like it, but it's not - it furthers a storyline (evidenced by the invasions on Tortuga now), and who knows where the story will go from there?
My point is that we're getting small doses of storyline content, but because it hasn't come in CHAPTER form, many seem to be turning their noses up at it, claiming that its distractionary filler. I just think that many of us that are clinging dearly to the hope of the next chapter are going to miss out on the stuff that's coming in-between chapters. Who knows? Maybe I'm wrong and this is all just filler and the second chapter won't have anything to do with Casa De Muertos or invasions or anything else they've been doing lately. But I doubt it.

[ex8404]

Originally Posted by JakeTheSnake

None of those things you list are the story... The official POTCO website has this to say about Jolly Roger: "He plans to take over the Caribbean and proclaim himself a Pirate Lord, and he will do anything to accomplish his goal." We learn about the same thing from Tia Dalma in the the first ten minutes of playing.

I know. That was almost TWO years ago...

The "story" is that he's attempting to take over islands and is using live agents to trick people into helping him - it started with the Casa de Muertos guild and their quests that led up to the invasion. They hung out in Port Royal for almost a month and then when they had finished their task of making the island vulnerable, they boogied and let the undead mob the island. The invasion wasn't something that D threw in without any reason. If you haven't done any of the quests leading up to it, it might seem like it, but it's not - it furthers a storyline (evidenced by the invasions on Tortuga now), and who knows where the story will go from there?

I think that you are mixing up the terms "story" and "storyline". I can attach a STORY to anything I do in the game. You also forget that the STORY told us that if we chose to do the Casa de Muertos quests, we would be marked as traitors. Well, I did it on test and chose NOT to do it on live. Guess what. NO DIFFERENCE. How can something be considered true CONTENT if it has NO effect on a player?

My point is that we're getting small doses of storyline content, but because it hasn't come in CHAPTER form, many seem to be turning their noses up at it, claiming that its distractionary filler.

I beg to differ here. It IS diversionary filler. What we are getting is not small doses of storyline content, it is a bunch of hints about the upcoming chapter. I am actually OK with that. But as I have said time and time again...The invasions and Muertos thing are fun diversions but they don't really give me anything new to do. I have started avoiding invasions. They are already getting the tiniest bit stale so I do them sparingly to keep them fun. But I have time and cash money invested in this game. It is high time for some new content.

I just think that many of us that are clinging dearly to the hope of the next chapter are going to miss out on the stuff that's coming in-between chapters. Who knows? Maybe I'm wrong and this is all just filler and the second chapter won't have anything to do with Casa De Muertos or invasions or anything else they've been doing lately. But I doubt it.

Call it what you will but all the new stuff, until the next chapter starts, is all icing and no cake. But you will also notice that I have not ranted about never playing again or anything like that. I am here for a while longer. I still like the game. I just want to know that Disney still likes the game and that they still like all of us paying pirates.

Anyway, good topic. Great discussion. Thanks.