Pirates Of The Burning Sea Interview (con't)

FiringSquad: What other apects of the game will make it unique among MMORPG?

I believe our PvP system is very different from what's on the market and is something that even PvE players will come to enjoy. By default, the entire game world is PvE. Players working together can force an enemy port into contention, which opens up a PvP area in a large radius around that port for three days. At the end of that period, 25 attacking players and 25 defending players are placed in one big battle to determine who will have control of the port going forward.

In this way, PvP happens where players want it to happen. Once it starts, it remains for a predictable period of time. The outcome can change the strategic balance of the game, moving valuable economic resources from one nation to another by seizing the ports where they exist.

We expect the RvR system to be long-term gameplay for veteran players, but it's easy for even novices to participate.

FiringSquad: The game's visuals are already impressive. What new graphical features does the dev team plan to add to the game before the game's official launch?


John Tynes: We're getting a new version of our particle effects engine this summer, which will enable Nick, our effects artist, to really make some cool stuff. Recently we added rain and lightning to the game, which is really fun.

FiringSquad: What can you tell us about timings for beta tests and final launch plans for the game?


John Tynes: We've been in beta since December and it's going well. Our testers have been really pleased with how stable and complete the game feels. But they're also giving us great feedback as we add new features and content. We recently had a beta-only IRC chat just to answer questions from our testers, and we're very active in communicating with them on our forums. Beta testing is fun!

We will be announcing our release date at the Penny Arcade Expo this August.


FiringSquad: Is the plan still to release the game via Steam or are there also plans to release the game in stores?

John Tynes: We are looking at a lot of options for releasing the game, including retail. We expect online sales to be an important part of that, but Steam isn't the only solution for that these days.


FiringSquad: Finally is there anything else you wish to say about Pirates of the Burning Sea?

John Tynes: It's a blast. We are having a lot of fun with this project and are also really sweating bullets to make it the best game it can be!