John Scott Tynes, the Producer for Flying Lab Software's upcoming nautical game, Pirates of the Burning Sea returns to MMORPG.com to offer a new Developer Journal focusing on the highs and lows of a beta.

Operating an MMO beta is fantastic. You get all the fun of interacting with real players who are really playing your game, but you're still below the radar enough that the pressure isn't overwhelming. It's a great opportunity to learn what it's going to be like to run a live service.

We started our beta program a year ago, in late 2005. Players who tried the game back then and then tried it again more recently are amazed at how much has changed. But that's what a year of development gets you! The game has come a long, long way in that year and is much better than ever before.

You can read the whole journal here.

Sigh six months to release  - - - - - - - -  Six months before i can havoc the carribian seas with my SeaHawk.

Its reads and looks good  - 

Have you also noticed that you cant find a single, Beta is bad topic, leaked anywhere on the net. Ive tried and tried to find one and theres absolutly nothing out there. 

A beta running with no problems???? Beta left to its own devices ove xmas with no trouble and little gm intervention!!!!!! Apart from the remote server star up. This is unheard of with 6 months to go . What an amazing job Rusty and the crew must be doing. /clap.

I played the game for a little bit at Gencon and met the developers. They were AWESOME! You guys are going to be completely baffled by the character creation. There is so much different things you can do it's MINDBLOWING. I have never seen this sort of character customization. I was also surprised by how crisp the game looked. For a game that has been in development for so long, I was expecting outdated graphics, but received a colorful eyeful.

This is one of the few MMO's I'm actually looking forward to. Vanguard? No thanks. WoW's expansion? Fun for a few minutes. Conan? Meh... Warhammer? WoW, take 2....

This, and *hopefully* Star Trek: Online will keep me interested for months/years to come. 

Edit: Oh yes, and Hero's Journey looks very intriguing as well.

I've always liked Pirates! and such, but I'm no grognard of historical navy vessels, I just want to have some fun in a setting I've always thought very interesting (I do wish the Dutch were a "Player Nation" in the game).

Now if they'd just let me into the beta...

One comment I was/am worried about was a comment from a pirate beta tester who said that his big 50 gun ship was turned into a bathtub due to "terror skills" and that he was unable to move or even shoot has me extremely worried about the power of such skills over player ships. NPC's don't really mind when you "snare" them "stun" them "charm" them, but wow, players sure do. Its definitely NOT fun to have the control taken out of your hands because some other player has "LaserPewPewPew skill at level 5" and there's nothing you can do about it. No skill, no tactics, just a algorithm.... grrrr....

The devs did respond to my concerns and are weighing all of that stuff apparently, but I'm against even the slightest control removal from players in PvP combat.

This is the first truly different MMORPG to come out in a while, it's refreshing to see something besides elves and mages.  I have been following it for a few years now and what is amazing is how the proposed design has changed over the years. In it's original design plan I would not have gave you 10 cents for it, however it has evolved into a top shelf title over the last couple of years.  The current game play movies are awesome and the reports from PAX and E3 last year by people who saw and played the game are what really grabbed my interest.

This one may well be the big surprise hit of 2007 and anyone who is really looking for something new and different needs to be watching this one.  

Lol looks like Pirates Of The Caribbean

Originally posted by Jackdog

This is the first truly different MMORPG to come out in a while, it's refreshing to see something besides elves and mages.  I have been following it for a few years now and what is amazing is how the proposed design has changed over the years. In it's original design plan I would not have gave you 10 cents for it, however it has evolved into a top shelf title over the last couple of years.  The current game play movies are awesome and the reports from PAX and E3 last year by people who saw and played the game are what really grabbed my interest.

This one may well be the big surprise hit of 2007 and anyone who is really looking for something new and different needs to be watching this one.  

 

must be a good team who is working on the game, since the problem free develubment.

cant wait saing Yerrrheereeerrrrr  maty Aye !