The first days in the life of a massively multiplayer online game are every bit as important as the days and years to follow. First impressions can mean a lot, especially if player expectation is running high.

Flying Labs, along with Sony Online Entertainment, have released Pirates of the Burning Sea, an MMO that takes place in the Caribbean during a time when the British, Dutch, Spanish and French were vying for territory and contending with Pirates for ports, and a share of the wealth promised by the ‘new world.’ 

PotBS launched back on January 22 and while the servers are not yet jammed, it is apparent which of the nationalities are being heavily favored. So far, it is the British and Pirates getting a lot of the attention. Why is that important? Well …

Combat and the world order ...

The world of Pirates consists of ports, and each of the ports is tied to a nation. If the British wish, they can attack NPC ships on a Dutch port and by successfully sinking vessels within 50 miles, they can cause unrest. At a certain point, about 5,000 unrest, the zone becomes a player-versus-player zone for pirates; at about 7,500 unrest, it becomes an open PvP zone and at 10,000 unrest, the port flips to country that caused it.

Because this section deals with combat, let’s put aside the idea about ports for just a moment and discuss the combat mechanics. There are two combat modes – ship combat and swashbuckling. Ship combat utilizes skills learned from a trainer at every other level (you will get a skill point in one area, like ship combat, at every odd level gained and a skill point in the combat area, like swashbuckling, every even level). The skills are put into a hot bar that opens automatically depending on what area of the game you are in.

Swashbuckling skills, like ship captain skills, are on a tree that is progressive. Some of the skills require that the player acquire enough initiative (similar to a rage meter in other games), which is gained when you use primary skills like preparatory attacks. There are three swashbuckling disciplines – Florentine (use of a main sword and parrying sword), fencing and dirty fighter. Each discipline has strengths and drawbacks and it really is up to the player on how they use the skills.

Ship combat works hand-in-hand with outfitting a ship. You may outfit your ship with masts and polished hulls for speed, but if the ship is slow and built for broadside war and you are putting skills into navigation, you may be mixing skills and not be truly as effective as you could be. You can also close on a ship, grapple and board to go from sea combat to swashbuckling.

In that regard, PotBS requires thought, and that gives the game even more to enjoy. Are there optimum load-outs for ships? Likely, but much depends on each players’ fighting style.

Line of sight also plays a factor in the game as well as wind. You head into the wind and you will be slower. So determining approaches, cannon ranges, ammunition types and reload times, and such can play a factor in whether you will win or lose a fight.

There is a death penalty in the game. If you are sunk, your ship loses one durability point (which can be replenished by buying another ship deed similar to the ship you are sailing, and applying those durability points to your ship) and you lose items in the cargo hold. You will not lose ammo or items like hull patches, but you will lose booty you pick up, like artifacts or trade goods.

Back to the subject of ports. Owning ports not only insure that players have safe havens, but each port has a taxation rate, which is obviously less for captains of the nation that owns it. Additionally, each port has attributes that may make it attractive. The port might boast fertile soil or be primed for logging or mining – these are important as well. Why? Because the economy in the game is almost totally player driven.

Economy and crafting ...

Players can build warehouses in ports and then set up camps for harvesting resources, as well as buildings for creating objects used by other players in the game. The game’s economy is almost totally in the hands of the players, creating a marketplace where players can either vie for wealth or work to benefit his or her nationality. For example, a port may be contested and the British arrive to defend it, but they are running low on ammunition. A fellow Brit goes into the auction house, buys more cannon ammo at a cheap price, sails to the port to pick it up and returns to put it on the auction house in the port being fought over. Now, obviously, anyone can run in there and claim it, but if his or her teammates know it is there and the price is set low, players can effectively reload and stay in the battle region.

Playing the market is a great way to find good items at reasonable rates. Sure, you may have to sail a bit to pick them up, but part of the joy of the game is the pacing. Battles can be over quickly, or, if the sides are decently matched, they can last upwards of 10 minutes. Rarely, though, did a battle go much beyond 20 minutes.

Quests ...

There are two ways to talk to an NPC – either you can click on him or her when you see the chat bubble, or get close and hit the X button. This is important because not all the NPCs will show a chat bubble and X is the only way to access them. As far as finding quests are concerned, the game is not overly player friendly when it comes to locations, but there is a way to circumvent that as well. Just leave the mission list open and highlight the mission you are on. There is a distance marker on the right hand side and you can use that to find where the mission location is.

The quests themselves offer up experience points, doubloons and items you can use on your ship – like cannon ammunition or repair kits and the like. The nice thing is that many of the starter ones open up threads that can be followed for bigger payoffs. Some missions can be cooperative, and that is very nice. As all of the ocean combat and quests are in instanced zones, having teammates available on a certain group really does help in accomplishing the task. Of course, when there is loot to be split the game automatically goes into a dice roll mode with the highest rolls winning the loot or part of it (in the case that there are multiple units). Still, the quests offer a chance to earn a lot of coin and you will need it to upgrade ships. Ships are tied to level, and each has a set of stats that might make them appealing to certain character classes.

For example, if you are geared to PvP, you may wish to outfit for speed rather than go slow with heavier cannon capabilities. It really depends on play type, but players can find the experience flows well with quests, though not as well as when fighting to create or lower unrest in an area.

Quest, though, are pretty standard regardless of the nationality chosen. Either they are similar or exactly the same. The earlier mission threads are designed to not only get players experience and leveled up a bit, but to teach the basics of the gameplay.

Control schemes and gameplay elements ...

As mentioned, wind and line of sight play a factor, as do reload times, but PotBS has some smart ideas – such as the way the individual hot bars open automatically for each situation. However, multiple bars can be a pain to open (you have to go into the game preferences and the game locked up for a minute when that was attempted the first time) and the location is downright ugly. Players need to go into the preferences and enable manual UI adjustment to move boxes around.

The WASD keys, or arrow keys, control direction, and generally the game controls well. There are a few hiccups here and there, but most of that is in the user interface. It can be a bit ponderous.

Graphics and sound ...

When it comes to the customization of the characters, there are several options, but certainly nothing as deep as what some other MMOs, and even next-gen systems are offering. The animation of the characters ashore leaves a bit to be desired, coming off as wooden or stiff at times, and movement in melee action (the swordplay) can be a bit jumpy at times.

Juxtapose that, though, with the ship combat and you get a game with a bit of a mixed visual meal. The ship combat is wonderfully rendered. You can zoom in and see crews working on the deck and even your captain avatar standing watch. Sails billow and water sprays from missed shots.

The game even has the ability for players to create customized flags and sails, then load them up on the forums for the community to vote on. Should they receive approval, they become available in the game.

As for the sound, PotBS contains the usual fare of what one would expect from such a title. There is a lilting melody that plays along in the background and changes for the situation, but there is the sound of the wind, cannons, masts breaking, and muskets firing as well as swords rattling. The NPCs have some repetitive phrases that are used, these mostly belong to static individuals like the auctioneer.

The soundtrack is certainly not bad, but nothing to get too excited about.

In summary ...

Pirates of the Burning Sea is a grand adventure and one of the better ‘pirate’ genre games on the market. The player base is friendly, ready to help with questions. It is ripe for those who wish to roleplay, and it can be very challenging. There is quite a range of options in this game so players who are hankering for a little adventure on the high seas should be able to find plenty to do.

The game has just started and there are a few problems here and there but nothing that makes the game unplayable or less enjoyable. And like any MMO, the game is going to grow and get much better as the player base begins to input suggestions. The masts are solid and the winds are blowing true on this game. This is a players’ game and rather enjoyable.

Gameplay: 8.3
A few minor glitches and the UI needs to be tweaked to be a bit more friendly but generally the game controls and plays well.  

Graphics: 8.4
The character animations are not that strong, but the sea and ship elements are very nice.

Sound: 7.5
Nothing out of the ordinary and a lot of what you might expect.

Difficulty: Medium

Concept: 9.0
This is a well-conceived game. It has elements of realm-versus-realm combat, a player-driven economy and solid classes.

Multiplayer: 8.8
The online community can be reticent to jump in and attack a location, but they are generally there to answer questions and help in other ways. This is a solid player base.   

Overall: 8.4
PotBS offers different fare from the usual assortment of MMOs in release, and that is a good thing. The game, though, is not one that can be truly appreciated inside a week. It takes time to delve into the nuances of the game mechanics and to explore the depth of what is offered. While it has been a while in the making, what has been released is quite enjoyable.