Uncharted Waters Online

E3 Preview 2005

Avast ye landlubbers, it be time to feel the wind in yer hair and the taste of salt upon yer lips.

The world is laying at yer feet, if ye have the courage to raise anchor, hoist the sails and let the fair ocean breeze steer ye to it.

Ok, enough of the pseudo-salty dog chat, it’s time to talk massively multiplayer titles that send players adventuring on the high seas.

Uncharted Waters Online will be KOEI’s entry into the world of MMO gaming with adventure not only on the oceans, but also on land. Players will begin with three base occupations and then, as they level up, expand to more than 50 diverse specialties. Ships are customizable, as are the avatars, in this 16-century environment, with battles on the seas against pirates and armadas as well as land-based exploration and combat.

The game demonstrated on the show floor was not as visually compelling as other MMOs, with a lack of specular effects and dynamic lighting, but the animation was smooth and the game’s interface seemed easy to use. There was also repetition in the faces of the NPCs shown in one of the ports of the town. That said, the game still was colorful and looked to be entertaining and intuitive.

Unchartered Waters Online actually stems from the series introduced back in the 16-bit era. Players take on the role of a character from one of the three European seafaring nations (Portugal, Spain or England – plans do call for more nations to be added later), and from there players can take on the role of either adventurer, merchant or soldier. The idea is to discover new ports, trade in goods, upgrade and buy new ships and tackle the puzzles and quests that are inherent to the game. There will be rare items to discover, and in addition to NPC woes – such as pirates, there will also be environment dangers as well. The world will also be affected by other players. Not only will the game world change, but trade activities will affect the price of goods.

The game will also combine historical landmarks present in the time period, but at the core, the idea is to adventure and discover.

This is not a game wherein players merely sail on the seas and combat NPCs. This is a game that offers land adventure as well. Unchartered Waters Online tries to combine seafaring elements with land elements for a well-rounded gaming experience.