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Ratbeard Q & A

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Developer
I have returned from the mobile team to the MMO team, as Lead Designer for both Pirate 101 and Wizard 101.

The last major involvement I had for P101 was putting together the Ashes of the Armada pack. I consulted a bit here and there over the past few years for the teams that would be handling P101, but for the most part my duties on the mobile side kept me too busy to keep an eye out here. (And with only one to spare...)

I know that Falmea, Decius, and now Bat have done their best to stay involved here, and hopefully I can step that up a bit.

I'd love to have feedback from the community here in one place where I can not only get information about issues in P101, but re-open a back-and-forth conversation.

I know that the issue of most concern to you is probably "The Future of P101" but, as I commented in the thread of that name, for the specifics of that conversation I must defer to Falmea. I can say that Pirate has a strong ally in Falmea and she goes above and beyond for this game and this community.

So without getting into the "When" conversation, I might be able to offer some "Whats" and "Whys" with regard to things we might do for Pirate.

So... let's pretend I've been marooned for a few years, and just washed up ashore again. What do you want to talk about first?
Dread Pirate
May 27, 2009
2131
I'd like to know why the resources have not been more evenly divided between the two games. But, that may not be something you can answer.

I'd also like to know if we can expect at least some of the issues with the newest gear to be fixed - stats and stitching problems.

Also, the Spirit Companions -- please tell us they will get their rightful powers and talents to make them worth the cost we paid for them.

(Also probably not in your scope, but I really, really think we need a ship emoji/emoticon/smilie here in the forums. I'd pay someone to create one.)

Dread Pirate
Jun 13, 2011
2037
Ratbeard on May 10, 2019 wrote:
I have returned from the mobile team to the MMO team, as Lead Designer for both Pirate 101 and Wizard 101.

The last major involvement I had for P101 was putting together the Ashes of the Armada pack. I consulted a bit here and there over the past few years for the teams that would be handling P101, but for the most part my duties on the mobile side kept me too busy to keep an eye out here. (And with only one to spare...)

I know that Falmea, Decius, and now Bat have done their best to stay involved here, and hopefully I can step that up a bit.

I'd love to have feedback from the community here in one place where I can not only get information about issues in P101, but re-open a back-and-forth conversation.

I know that the issue of most concern to you is probably "The Future of P101" but, as I commented in the thread of that name, for the specifics of that conversation I must defer to Falmea. I can say that Pirate has a strong ally in Falmea and she goes above and beyond for this game and this community.

So without getting into the "When" conversation, I might be able to offer some "Whats" and "Whys" with regard to things we might do for Pirate.

So... let's pretend I've been marooned for a few years, and just washed up ashore again. What do you want to talk about first?
Well, let me think... I know. How about having new trainer class quests that reward new powers from level 35 and onward? Because, well, why not? I really want to see many more new powers taught by our class trainers. They've been enjoyable so far, but I really feel they should keep going past level 25.

You, of course, didn't even forget Blind Mew, did you? I haven't, even though he's been absent here in a while, along with many that were busy with other things.

Thanks for letting us know why you weren't at the wheel for a while, though.

I do have a "Why" question, though.

Why doesn't P101 have a new bundle in a very long time? I know its for the minds at Marketing to deal with, but I thought I would ask you this for you to pass on to them. Still really would like to see more new bundles churned out.

And there's a "What" question thrown in, too.

What came the idea of bringing the Skeleton Key bosses mechanic from W101 to P101? I really enjoyed them there, even though there were few every year since the 4 Dungeons came out. I'm very eager to see many more Skeleton Key bosses with more new unique Treasures in P101, though.

Overall, it's really great to have you back onboard the skies in the Spiral, Ratbeard! Can't wait to see what ye're cookin' fer all the treasure huntin' scallywags in the Skyways! Har!
Pirate Overlord
Mar 16, 2012
10631
Developer
I'd like to know why the resources have not been more evenly divided between the two games. But, that may not be something you can answer.

I'll answer as much as I think I can.

The answer here is probably pretty obvious: W101 has more players.

Without revealing any bias on my part about which is the better game , I think P101 is the better looking game (for now at least...), and the things that P101 has going on "under the hood" are also better. This is just a consequence of P101 coming after W101, which provided the foundation for us to build on. In particular, the characters, companions, monsters and pets have a lot more animations and therefore a lot more personality (again, IMO). Tech is quite a bit easier to develop for P101, but art is a lot more difficult.

A successful strategy for P101 will be first and foremost to try to boost that player base, so you should expect us to be looking at the beginning of the game-- with, of course, an eye to supporting our existing players with engaging side content. What's something we could do to hook new players that existing players would also find engaging? I'd like to get all hands on deck and tackle that one with guns blazing.

I'd also like to know if we can expect at least some of the issues with the newest gear to be fixed - stats and stitching problems. Also, the Spirit Companions -- please tell us they will get their rightful powers and talents to make them worth the cost we paid for them.

I'll look into these issues.
Ensign
Jun 01, 2017
19
I'd like to know "why" there are no open positions for MMO Developers specifically for Pirate. If this can't be addressed now, these tough times are sure to repeat themselves.

It's imperative that Pirate needs a dedicated team, and not people throwing and tossing mounts, pets and other over from our sister game, Wizard101.
Ensign
Aug 17, 2012
33
Thank you for your time, Mr Beard. I will likely ask a number of questions in this thread's lifespan since I've been wanting to pick your brain for a while. For now, I'll start with one.

Ever since launch, heavy weapons (also called big choppy) have been large, strength-based melee weapons that trade off the secondary effects of other melees (like armor penetration or additional armor) for a higher raw damage. Is there a chance we will see will or agility-based heavy weapons that follow the same trend? Maybe such as a smashy/stabby spear.
Petty Officer
Jul 20, 2015
69
I want to know why you guys made a helmet the reward for a pvp season and i would like to know if any new pvp rewards are coming
Ensign
Jan 24, 2017
1
Hey, can you remove the witch hunter spell reduce effect, it literall killed the witch class.and reduce soul shrouds damage so that isnt too powerful,because wh spell reduce will be gone
Lieutenant
Sep 04, 2013
150
What’s the deal with the current ranked PvP rewards, are the classic weapons coming back anytime soon? And will ranked be getting adjustments anytime soon? Ranked has gotten a bit lame with the time warp meta.

Also will Obsidian Scratch ever receive a rework to his loot? It kinda feels like Witchdoctors got gypped in the skeleton key update since the Witchdoctor boss drops only give Jobu’s breath.
Community Leader
Ratbeard on May 10, 2019 wrote:
I have returned from the mobile team to the MMO team, as Lead Designer for both Pirate 101 and Wizard 101.

The last major involvement I had for P101 was putting together the Ashes of the Armada pack. I consulted a bit here and there over the past few years for the teams that would be handling P101, but for the most part my duties on the mobile side kept me too busy to keep an eye out here. (And with only one to spare...)

I know that Falmea, Decius, and now Bat have done their best to stay involved here, and hopefully I can step that up a bit.

I'd love to have feedback from the community here in one place where I can not only get information about issues in P101, but re-open a back-and-forth conversation.

I know that the issue of most concern to you is probably "The Future of P101" but, as I commented in the thread of that name, for the specifics of that conversation I must defer to Falmea. I can say that Pirate has a strong ally in Falmea and she goes above and beyond for this game and this community.

So without getting into the "When" conversation, I might be able to offer some "Whats" and "Whys" with regard to things we might do for Pirate.

So... let's pretend I've been marooned for a few years, and just washed up ashore again. What do you want to talk about first?
Welcome back, Ratbeard! I seem to recall you were pretty active in pvp balance related issues the last time you were working on pirates, so I'd like to give a brief list of balancing issues that need fixed. I'd love to see even a brief (non-test realm) patch to address some of there
  • Old Scratch is completely broken right now. I understand that he was given his buffs to help witchdoctor compete, but the combination of those + purge is entirely too broken. He was already a staple before his most recent promotion, and the promo just made him that much better than ever other unit in the game. There's 0 reason to not bring Scratch into a PvP match for non-buck classes, unless there are rules stating otherwise. I believe this is a major balancing issue. Furthermore, the AOEs, absorbs, and other mojo-based abilities that these classes have were designed and balanced without Scratch in mind. Thus, they become insanely overpowered when combined with Scratch buffs. I'd suggest a removal of Scratch's 2 biggest buffs and his purge in PvP only
  • All of the 3x3 summon abilities need to be greatly nerfed or banned entirely. The biggest offender is
    Angry Orchards. They serve both as a powerful offensive ability (furthered when combined with a banner) and a potent defensive wall (all 8 have htl, which makes it nearly impossible to efficiently reach the opposing team). In addition, these units have a combined 10,000 health, almost as much as many pirate + 3 companion teams. All 3 of the 3x3 summons (trees, scorps, cottas) promote a brainless, skill unintensive, and uninteractive style of play. Simply drop your summons, force the opponent to reckon with them (they can't ignore them because of their epic talents and damage potential), and stay out of attack range while bashing the opponent with (potentially scratch-buffed) ranged attacks. For a strategy game that focuses on interaction with the opponent (at least in my view) this is a terrible playstyle to have around. I'd suggest a heavy reduction in health to all of these summons. The 25+will % mechanic that the cottas have would not be effective in making trees or scorpions fundamentally fair, as all it really takes is 5-6 (which can be done consistently with a single will buff) to make the game all but unwinnable.
  • If these buffs to Scratch and summons are reverted, which they absolutely need to be, witch would be in an even more miserable position than they currently are. I'd suggest a couple of things to begin fixing this issue. First, remove the 50% shield effect from witch hunter. This single-handedly prevents witchdoctors from having a chance at competitiveness. No other rank one epic has an aftereffect, and there's currently no pve content so difficult that a buffed witch hunter is required. Secondly, witch needs a legitimate signature power (buckler has fog, buck has highland, musket has knockback bombs, and privy has zeal). I don't think charm is the way to go, as it's incredibly high variance, and getting punished by it is entirely dependent on your opponent's luck. I think there are options that could be explored that give witches an enhanced ability to fend off rushes, as that seems to be the class's major weakness.
  • Time Warp makes many builds straight-up unplayable in ranked pvp. Over on FinalBastion, I wrote a series of articles in January detailing the detrimental effect of time warp on the ranked pvp metagame. If anyone wants more details, check it out. But to reiterate my main arguments, warp's major weakness is that it's supposed to be inconsistent, as it depends on a pet spawning and casting it when you need it to. However, Ranked PvP's mechanics make it so that a pet will guaranteed cast time warp should it spawn on turn one or two. The odds of a loyal 2 pet spawning by turn 2 are around 58%, which is remarkably consistent, given the ability's power (a strictly better highland charge). The biggest problem with time warp comes from swashes. As a swash main, warp + fog is a grossly overpowered combo. Witchdoctor and musketeer are essentially helpless against it, as they cannot consistently answer it without wasting too many resources (sure, musket has knocks, but I'm more than happy to just time them out. A similar argument works for a witch/musket using a scratch buff before I fog to deter me from rushing). Privy and buckler can occasionally contend with it, but it's often dependent on your early power draws (If musket and witch have a < 10% chance of fending it off effectively, I'd say it's in the low to mid 30s for a buckler/privy if the warp user is competent). Buck arguably has the best time against standard warp builds, since they can afford to get less than average value from their team since their pirate is so powerful on its own (especially against warp+fog staples, Fan and Nausica). All this goes out the window once you add scratch and his purge to the equation. An 8 movement range scratch can threaten a purge combo very easily, and I can use a 100% buffed Assassin's Shroud from nearly anywhere on the board. This is beyond broken.
  • One last thing, which is probably the least important. Boon currently stacks with hides on both hidden companions and is buffed by hidden pirates. I seem to recall hearing that this interaction is unintended, can someone confirm? If not, it may be in need of a nerf for Ranked PvP's sake. A hide+booned unit, normally Nausica, is very difficult to contend with for some classes, particularly when it's backed up by any number of the aforementioned broken powers.

In conclusion, bunch of stuff needs fixing in PvP (and the fixes are, in theory, fairly easy). I'd love to talk more about it. I have a plurality of articles over on finalbastion, many of which discusses these and similar issues. Thanks for making this thread.
Writer, Editor, Administrator, and Pirate PvP guy at FinalBastion

Check us out for all things Pirate101 and Wizard101 PvE/PvP

Ensign
Mar 05, 2016
47
I’m sure this question has been asked many times, but what’s next?
Any new worlds?
Will the test realm return?
New companions, new level cap, etc
I would play even if there was a small update that only increased the level cap by 5.
One last question: What’s with the picture you guys teased of the level being 75?
https://www.pirate101.com/free_game/update_notes/september2018
One of the images shows a pirate at level 75.
Dread Pirate
May 27, 2009
2131
Ratbeard on May 11, 2019 wrote:
I'd like to know why the resources have not been more evenly divided between the two games. But, that may not be something you can answer.

I'll answer as much as I think I can.

The answer here is probably pretty obvious: W101 has more players.

Without revealing any bias on my part about which is the better game , I think P101 is the better looking game (for now at least...), and the things that P101 has going on "under the hood" are also better. This is just a consequence of P101 coming after W101, which provided the foundation for us to build on. In particular, the characters, companions, monsters and pets have a lot more animations and therefore a lot more personality (again, IMO). Tech is quite a bit easier to develop for P101, but art is a lot more difficult.

A successful strategy for P101 will be first and foremost to try to boost that player base, so you should expect us to be looking at the beginning of the game-- with, of course, an eye to supporting our existing players with engaging side content. What's something we could do to hook new players that existing players would also find engaging? I'd like to get all hands on deck and tackle that one with guns blazing.

I'd also like to know if we can expect at least some of the issues with the newest gear to be fixed - stats and stitching problems. Also, the Spirit Companions -- please tell us they will get their rightful powers and talents to make them worth the cost we paid for them.

I'll look into these issues.
Thanks for not stopping at that simple, one-sentence answer.

The Team-Up Ledger was something I really thought would be hooking existing players with new pirates, but the implementation was flawed, and the community so small, that it hasn't really been what it could be.

There is very little incentive for higher level players to bother teaming up for anything other than "Fin Dorsal in The Throne Room" to get their badge with the halo effect. Early dungeons are pretty easy, and if you get three level 70's helping a brand new pirate, what does that new pirate learn?

I really wish that there was a way to have a Team Up for nautical battles - even Ship PvP could use some way for pirates who don't have a ready-made team of friends to have fun at it. Ship battle is one of my favorite aspects of the game, but one that many new players just never learn to do properly. If skiffs were truly faster and more maneuverable, and had quicker cool downs for their attacks, you might see something other than an Eagle Galleon at high levels.

Anyway, thanks again Ratbeard, for returning, and hopefully rescuing Pirate101 from the ashes.

Pirate Overlord
Mar 16, 2012
10631
Ratbeard on May 11, 2019 wrote:
I'd like to know why the resources have not been more evenly divided between the two games. But, that may not be something you can answer.

I'll answer as much as I think I can.

The answer here is probably pretty obvious: W101 has more players.

Without revealing any bias on my part about which is the better game , I think P101 is the better looking game (for now at least...), and the things that P101 has going on "under the hood" are also better. This is just a consequence of P101 coming after W101, which provided the foundation for us to build on. In particular, the characters, companions, monsters and pets have a lot more animations and therefore a lot more personality (again, IMO). Tech is quite a bit easier to develop for P101, but art is a lot more difficult.

A successful strategy for P101 will be first and foremost to try to boost that player base, so you should expect us to be looking at the beginning of the game-- with, of course, an eye to supporting our existing players with engaging side content. What's something we could do to hook new players that existing players would also find engaging? I'd like to get all hands on deck and tackle that one with guns blazing.

I'd also like to know if we can expect at least some of the issues with the newest gear to be fixed - stats and stitching problems. Also, the Spirit Companions -- please tell us they will get their rightful powers and talents to make them worth the cost we paid for them.

I'll look into these issues.
"What's something we could do to hook new players that existing players would also find engaging?"
Well, maybe you could implement those SIDE activities we've been asking for since the beginning - CRAFTING, GARDENING & FISHING?
Free to Play and Members alike can engage in these activities and at any level; it would give all players something to do between story line updates or if a membership runs out.
Also, some events in the style of W101, like Five BOXES or Lost Pages, even some seasonal events like the Halloween series in W101.
Maybe we could do Christmas or April Fools instead?
Developer
re: PVP

There was a time where I knew all of the issues, but even then, had some thorny outstanding problems that needed Tech to solve properly. So I knew PvP was "incomplete" even when I knew all of the problems.

And now that knowledge is a couple of years out of date.

Needless to say, I have some catching up to do.

I'll have to think about the best way to do that...
Ensign
Aug 17, 2012
33
Ratbeard on May 11, 2019 wrote:
I'd like to know why the resources have not been more evenly divided between the two games. But, that may not be something you can answer.

I'll answer as much as I think I can.

The answer here is probably pretty obvious: W101 has more players.

Without revealing any bias on my part about which is the better game , I think P101 is the better looking game (for now at least...), and the things that P101 has going on "under the hood" are also better. This is just a consequence of P101 coming after W101, which provided the foundation for us to build on. In particular, the characters, companions, monsters and pets have a lot more animations and therefore a lot more personality (again, IMO). Tech is quite a bit easier to develop for P101, but art is a lot more difficult.

A successful strategy for P101 will be first and foremost to try to boost that player base, so you should expect us to be looking at the beginning of the game-- with, of course, an eye to supporting our existing players with engaging side content. What's something we could do to hook new players that existing players would also find engaging? I'd like to get all hands on deck and tackle that one with guns blazing.

I'd also like to know if we can expect at least some of the issues with the newest gear to be fixed - stats and stitching problems. Also, the Spirit Companions -- please tell us they will get their rightful powers and talents to make them worth the cost we paid for them.

I'll look into these issues.
I mean, you don't have to openly admit your bias. We all secretly wanna be a pirate.

So, I don't get to see the behind-the-scenes stats on the game, but I do know that having a big playerbase doesn't just revolve around a good early game that promotes players to stay. We also need players downloading and launching the game.

I honestly will need time to think about the "hook" to get them to stay. But I have thought about the possible "baits". Wizards being on Steam was a good idea (however it probably shouldn't be listed as free to play, and that's likely the cause of many of the bad reviews), and would probably be helpful for Pirates as well. On top of that, why not have some cross-promotion events between the two games? Maybe have Ambrose pop up in Skull Island for a week or two and give us quests, and reward the Wizards on the account based on how much they've done for Ambrose on Pirate101.
Commodore
Feb 12, 2015
970
Ratbeard, I just want to say thank you. You don't have to be here doing this, yet you are anyway. Thank you for proving to everyone that Kingsisle still cares about this game. Thank you for being YOU.
Ensign
Nov 12, 2012
7
I'm very glad to see that the game is regaining some of its lost manpower. Thank you. I'm more here to make some valuable suggestions rather than ask questions. You stated before...

"A successful strategy for P101 will be first and foremost to try to boost that player base, so you should expect us to be looking at the beginning of the game-- with, of course, an eye to supporting our existing players with engaging side content. What's something we could do to hook new players that existing players would also find engaging? I'd like to get all hands on deck and tackle that one with guns blazing."

I think what is missing is, not necessarily content (although that's EXTREMELY needed to keep players, old and new), but marketing. The marketing for the game has felt very dead for a few years now. I know that Mew has asked for help from players before, but I believe that the company needs to also make an effort to revive marketing for Pirate101.

My suggested methods for marketing:
  1. Ask popular YouTubers and streamers to showcase the game (and ideally, an upcoming good update). This would be the best platform to try to pull attention from as the audience is mostly "gamers" and cable is not as popular anymore for marketing. You can very directly recruit new players with this method.
  2. Start commercials on YouTube and other platforms for the game. I know this was already being done, but I haven't seen anything in quite a long time.

I know marketing isn't your forte, but I think it would be essential to pass on the word about it to the team in order to get those new players in the first place.
First Mate
Dec 29, 2012
479
Ratbeard on May 11, 2019 wrote:
I'd like to know why the resources have not been more evenly divided between the two games. But, that may not be something you can answer.

I'll answer as much as I think I can.

The answer here is probably pretty obvious: W101 has more players.

Without revealing any bias on my part about which is the better game , I think P101 is the better looking game (for now at least...), and the things that P101 has going on "under the hood" are also better. This is just a consequence of P101 coming after W101, which provided the foundation for us to build on. In particular, the characters, companions, monsters and pets have a lot more animations and therefore a lot more personality (again, IMO). Tech is quite a bit easier to develop for P101, but art is a lot more difficult.

A successful strategy for P101 will be first and foremost to try to boost that player base, so you should expect us to be looking at the beginning of the game-- with, of course, an eye to supporting our existing players with engaging side content. What's something we could do to hook new players that existing players would also find engaging? I'd like to get all hands on deck and tackle that one with guns blazing.

I'd also like to know if we can expect at least some of the issues with the newest gear to be fixed - stats and stitching problems. Also, the Spirit Companions -- please tell us they will get their rightful powers and talents to make them worth the cost we paid for them.

I'll look into these issues.
Want to hook new players and get existing players to find engaging? Add a dungeon/skeleton key boss or even a Deckathalon type of event in Pirate101 that compels level 70s and lower levels to work together. Other MMOs use scaling to adjust higher level players down to the lower level players for running old content together (so you don't need to make a new world), but the key aspect is getting the high level players to run that content with the lower level players in the first place. Team-Up currently doesn't accomplish this, because beyond simply just helping or getting the badge there is no incentive for the higher levels.

Maybe offering unique fashion gear or even a daily cap of Crowns for running "X" amount of dungeons runs with the lower levels will increase Pirate101 traffic.

Higher level worlds would offer higher tier rewards (to provide incentive to players to purchase membership or zones to get to those areas).
Ensign
Jul 16, 2014
16
hello ratbeard I'm glad you've returned after a long time I have a series of additions to the game that possibly bring new players and also like veterans like me and many others.
1.that there is npc the jones in catbeard lair http://www.pirate101central.com/wiki/NPC:The_Jones
I thought about this if it could be the first of four of
A story of four dungeons would be great as a level 25 dungeon I would like very much as a reward only a fellow moon mummy skull that treves the places I visited in Calavera Island I have seen many recolors of this NPC and I thought it is possible for the Pirates recruit him as a single mate. Of course apart from this I think that each dungeon of four must offer a unique reward. of the levels I think it would be 25 skull island, 45 mooshu, 55 marleybone and 65 aquila.
2. Now I will talk about professions many players to suggest professions of wizard101 but it would not be better some new ones like archeology or engineering, example to complete excavations, to gather pieces to build a machine; These pre-orders offer an infinite number of things to do that I think will never get bored.
3. Now on PVP, mainly the PVP of sparring in chamber I think that they should add a pvp trainier npc for fast and personalized battles for new and veteran players and having to wait or change to a realm where nobody is a bit bored since no spectators will ablare of that later this is in my part; on the part of younger players of low level are easy to defeat would prefer that they fight against some of their level here is where the pvp custom enters with limit of level system that is implemented in w101 and for some strange reason is not in pirate101 this system will gladly more than one including me separately wanted to talk about the viewer mode since this is also in w101 would be more than good that it was here. as extra new sands for both pvp of rank as for training said modes would be available thanks to the npc of spar chamber for players who do not have membership and are eager to try it.

these are some of the ideas that I have probably cuddled others like and others do not but it is good to contribute a grain of sand.
Dread Pirate
May 27, 2009
2131
Here's a question from a member of Pirate101 Central, Stephanie:

Hi Ratbeard! It's good to see you back! In response to your question:



What's something we could do to hook new players that existing players would also find engaging?

A long-requested feature has been to implement a spectator mode for PVP. Currently, when players spectate matches in the spar chamber, they cannot see the board with the squares, cannot see the cards, and cannot see companion epics. A spectator mode would make it a lot easier for people to follow along with what's happening.

Along these lines, I think that in PVE as well, the UI should show more clearly what is happening. When an AI-controlled enemy uses Assassin Strike, the UI should clearly display what card they cast, instead of just showing the animation with the damage.

There also need to be rewards for participation, like the Aegon Statz quests and pvp quests in Wizard101.

Dread Pirate
Jun 13, 2011
2037
RobotPirate30 on May 11, 2019 wrote:
I'd like to know "why" there are no open positions for MMO Developers specifically for Pirate. If this can't be addressed now, these tough times are sure to repeat themselves.

It's imperative that Pirate needs a dedicated team, and not people throwing and tossing mounts, pets and other over from our sister game, Wizard101.
Not to mention keep doing the same contests over and over again while we wait.
Dread Pirate
Jun 13, 2011
2037
Ratbeard on May 11, 2019 wrote:
I'd like to know why the resources have not been more evenly divided between the two games. But, that may not be something you can answer.

I'll answer as much as I think I can.

The answer here is probably pretty obvious: W101 has more players.

Without revealing any bias on my part about which is the better game , I think P101 is the better looking game (for now at least...), and the things that P101 has going on "under the hood" are also better. This is just a consequence of P101 coming after W101, which provided the foundation for us to build on. In particular, the characters, companions, monsters and pets have a lot more animations and therefore a lot more personality (again, IMO). Tech is quite a bit easier to develop for P101, but art is a lot more difficult.

A successful strategy for P101 will be first and foremost to try to boost that player base, so you should expect us to be looking at the beginning of the game-- with, of course, an eye to supporting our existing players with engaging side content. What's something we could do to hook new players that existing players would also find engaging? I'd like to get all hands on deck and tackle that one with guns blazing.

I'd also like to know if we can expect at least some of the issues with the newest gear to be fixed - stats and stitching problems. Also, the Spirit Companions -- please tell us they will get their rightful powers and talents to make them worth the cost we paid for them.

I'll look into these issues.
Well, this really delves into some understanding about P101's workflow and complexity in development. The content updates didn't take too long when we set sail into the Skyways in its early days, just to know, and the player base had been very strong then, but looking at this now, I see we need to up the base once more.

Say... I got one idea... we could have daily treasure hunts in P101!

Picture it. We travel to a different, all-new location within Skull Island and any existing world within the Spiral, and each day, we are asked to seek different treasures others are trying to snatch to make gold, while avoiding hidden traps, hazards, & any enemy trying to sabotage our hunts, be it beneath a sprawling labyrinthine maze, a war-torn battlefield, an underwater grotto, warlord's complexes, or even the cavernous depths of infamous captains. We could have solo or team hunters, each having the goal of finding different treasures in hidden spots to dig up. Whoever finds them gets to keep them, and by collecting all treasures in the field, or until time expires, the winner &/or winning team gets nice rewards, like all-new pets, mounts, weapons, etc..

That may be something new for P101 to have.

Ratbeard, I know you'll answer much as you can, but I hope you take the time to respond to my questions about what I wish to have in P101 soon. Thanks!
Pirate Overlord
Mar 16, 2012
10631
I've been giving further thought on "hooking new players & engaging old players". P101's 7th birthday is coming up, why not a promotion to entice new players? ( and make sure it's advertised! )

Just as P101 did with the Boochbeard Bundle.
Only make it a free companion. So when new players join P101, they get that free companion after they land in Avery's Office; and older players just automatically get that companion when they log in.( oh, and only one per customer, of course )

This companion offer would only be good during P101's 7th year. When P101 hits the 8th year mark, the companion is retired.
Or a free mount ( just as VA2 was introduced ) Or maybe a free Ship's Horn ( make it powerful ) and if you can make it so that we can choose a higher nautical level than is current - that would stop rumors of P101 dying.
Dread Pirate
May 27, 2009
2131
Ratbeard on May 13, 2019 wrote:
re: PVP

There was a time where I knew all of the issues, but even then, had some thorny outstanding problems that needed Tech to solve properly. So I knew PvP was "incomplete" even when I knew all of the problems.

And now that knowledge is a couple of years out of date.

Needless to say, I have some catching up to do.

I'll have to think about the best way to do that...
Unfortunately, I read this and I thought -- NOTHING substantial has happened in that couple of years you were away, so what you thought you knew is probably still true.

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