06/03/2009    |    Devlog    |    Lum    |    Discuss

This is the first of two devlogs discussing the work we’ve done in 1.16 focusing on ways to give players more loot, more rewards for PvP, and more reasons to explore and fight on the Open Sea.

In this first devlog, I am going to outline three changes to the PvE side of the game. Next week I will talk about some complementary PvP changes we’re also making.

Fleets

In general, fleets make up a small portion of the ships on the Open Sea – roughly 20%. These ships are also some of the most important; they’re more difficult than normal AI groups, they come with higher rewards and they’re one of the main ways that players generate Unrest on ports.

In 1.16, we’ve increased the rate at which fleets spawn in the Open Sea. They will make up a greater portion of all the ships on the OS, but changes in the spawn system are tough to spot unless you’re watching the Open Sea for a very long time.

• Along with increasing the amount of fleets, we’re also making a lot of changes to the fleets themselves: Veteran ships used to use the more lucrative “Fleet” loot table, while escorting ships used the default Pirate or Navy tables. All fleet ships now use the same loot table – the more lucrative one – so sinking the fleet as a whole will be more rewarding.
• Resupply Fleets were only called when a port was in Unrest or Contention and they had a very low chance to spawn. Now they also have a chance to spawn when a port is Peaceful. We also increased the chance that they’ll spawn across the board.
• We added the ‘Treason’ Pirate Flagship to the Pirate 12 Fleets, and added the Poseidon to both National and Pirate fleets.
• We also increased the level of all fleet ships to 65 once more.

Claiming Ships

Given that a large number of ships in a fleet are mission ships, we changed Claim Prize and Scavenge so that they work on all ships regardless of type. Take Command still follows the same requirements it currently does, however, and you won’t get Captured ship deeds when you scavenge a Mission ship.

Additionally, Claim Prize and Scavenge have an increased chance to get Royal Commendations, Royal Encomiums or Captured Battle Ensigns when you use these skills on level 65 ships, which only appear in fleets.

Low Level Loot

In 1.15, we removed most loot and doubloons from the loot tables in missions. Feedback from the community indicated that this could negatively impact new and leveling players too harshly. We’ve heard this feedback and are going to make some adjustments to the way we reward leveling players in missions.

The first change we’re making is that players from 1-20 will always get basic ammo, consumables, and outfitting when killing NPCs in missions. Players from 1-20 will get a higher than normal amount from each of these loot tables. Players from 21-40 also have a guaranteed chance at getting basic supplies, but the amounts they get are less than lower level players. Players from 40-50 will get little to no loot from kills in missions, as higher level players have access to lots of ways to get items and money.

On top of that, we’re increasing the monetary reward for completing all non-daily missions across the board. We want to reward players for finishing missions, not just replaying them.

Check back next week for my devlog about the PvP changes that we’re also making in 1.16.

06/03/2009    |    Devlog    |    Lum    |    Discuss