Pirates of the Caribbean Online Interview (con't)

FiringSquad: What other features do you think are important in Pirates of the Caribbean Online?

Mike Goslin: In addition to all of the great features and weapons that players utilize at sea, we have built in a variety of great weapons to be used on land including cutlasses, pistols, grenades, and throwing knives. Since POTC Online is more skill based than item based, weapons will be upgradeable. For example, you will be able to upgrade from a rusty cutlass to better cutlasses, but your skill level with the cutlass is also important. A newbie can use a better cutlass but it will not be very effective until they have the skill to use it properly.

In addition to these standard Pirate weapons, we will have a couple of voodoo weapons at launch, where the skills are comparable to a spell. For example, the voodoo doll can lay a curse on an enemy or swarm them with insects. Voodoo is also what allows players to teleport to other locations and powers their compass which points to “what their heart desires most” (e.g. a current quest objective). We wanted to focus on the psychological and natural elements of voodoo in order to fit with the supernatural elements featured in the POTC films, which I think will give our game a different feel from other online worlds that feature magic.

On another note, we are working on a robust set of community tools for individuals and guilds both inside and outside of the game, including web pages, access to game statistics, leader boards, buddy lists, and more.

FiringSquad: How would you describe the game's graphical and artistic look?

Mike Goslin: POTC Online has a slightly stylized look inspired by the production designs for the POTC films as well as the original theme park attraction.

FiringSquad: Disney's previous MMO was for younger gamers. Will Pirates of the Caribbean Online appeal to an older audience?

Mike Goslin: Yes. We think POTC Online will appeal to fans of the POTC films and the theme park attraction, which includes a range of casual to more serious gamers. We’ve designed the game to be fun for a range of different types of players. I think serious MMO gamers will want to check us out because we offer some new twists on the activities they enjoy as well as some things we think are fun and different.

For more casual players, we’ve created the “Lookout” system which allows a player to match up with any of the available activities including card games and PVP matches so they can get into the action fast.

FiringSquad: What is the current status of the game's progress and when will it be released?

Mike Goslin: We’re currently in beta and have been for several months now and expect to launch this summer.

FiringSquad: Are there plans to add content to the game following its release?

Mike Goslin: After launch, we’ll continue to add new content from the movies as well as original content. We’ve got a lot of great new features queued up that we’ll be able to discuss soon.

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

Mike Goslin: All in all, our primary goal was to make the game fun, so we focused on the things that make the POTC movies great: blasting away with cannons in epic ship battles, battling undead pirates, exploring creepy and fantastic islands, curses, and seeking treasure. We also added parlor games, so you can play poker or Blackjack while you socialize with other players. For the more competitive types, we have a variety of PVP games and maps. Much of the game-play is designed for crews working together. I think the POTC world itself is unique, and we’ve added a number of things that we think set us apart including an action-oriented combat system, flaming cannonballs, crew-based ship boarding, cheating and “tells” while playing cards, and digging for treasure to name a few.

Thanks, and anyone who’s interested in becoming a beta tester can sign up on our website at: www.piratesonline.com