While we are at it, little more on the subject: PotBS FAQ.
[quote:rwsbwyfu]
2.01 Do I have to play a pirate?
No. Pirates of the Burning Sea is made up of four different nations: French, British, Spanish and, for our purposes, Pirates. You can be a naval captain, battling enemy navies and pirates, or you can make your own destiny as an adventurer, cutting deals for valuable cargo, sneaking through blockades in the dark of night, and capturing enemy ships for rich rewards.
2.02 Do you allow PvP?
Absolutely. PotBS is a game about a tumultuous and violent period of history. Players will be fighting throughout the game world in major battles, using ship-to-ship combat, as well as avatar combat.
2.03 How big is your world?
The Pirates of the Burning Sea game world includes over 100 ports throughout the entire Caribbean, including portions of the continental coastlines of North America, Central America, and South America.
2.04 Can ports be conquered?
Yes, they can. Players can work to cause unrest at an enemy port by hunting enemy NPCs, participating in certain missions and engaging in economic activities that compromise enemy ports. When enough unrest is generated, the port goes into contention. At that point, a PvP area forms around the port in question, where the attacking and defending sides can engage in a battle for supremacy. In the end, port ownership is determined by an epic fleet vs. fleet battle. Once this battle occurs, the PvP area goes away. Ports that change hands now offer their resources to the owning nation, while taxes for the former owners will go up. If one nation conquers too many ports, we declare a victory on that server, treaties are signed, awards are given and ownership of the ports reverts, signaling a new round of competition.
2.05 Can I have my own ship?
Yes! Not only will you have your own ship to command, but as you amass resources, you will be able to dry-dock multiple ships throughout the Caribbean, in many of the over 100 ports-of-call that make up Pirates of the Burning Sea.
2.06 What happens when my ship sinks?
You’re returned to the nearest friendly port, your ship intact.
You may have lost some of your more perishable cargo, and your ship suffers some permanent damage.
If you sink too many times, your ship may not be recoverable any longer, and you’ll have to purchase a new ship.
2.07 What's the economic system going to be like?
Pirates of the Burning Sea has a player-driven manufacturing-based economy that ties into all our other game systems. Every item in the world is created by players, and the value of every item is determined by what other players are willing to pay for it. There’s no crafting grind; any player with enough starting capital can begin manufacturing useful goods.
2.08 Will there be weather?
We have variable wind, and each type of ship responds differently to the wind. We're not including things like hurricanes in R1, but we plan to add severe weather experiences to the game in future content updates.
2.09 Can I make items?
Yes! There are several ways that you can create for use in the Pirates of the Burning Sea game-world. Let's begin with our User Content program:
2.10 Can I have a house?
There won't be player-owned locations in R1, but it is an important part of MMP gaming and
we intend to add this feature in the future. That being said, our economy will provide mechanisms to allow players to manage properties like smithies, mines and plantations in an effort to build their financial empire. These properties will not be represented as physical locations, but rather, as abstractions managed via our economic interface.
2.11 How historically accurate is the game world?
Pirates of the Burning Sea is set in the Caribbean in the early 1700's. Technology and politics are pretty much as they were at that point in the real world, though we're taking a few liberties here and there in the interests of ship and weapon diversity.
Historical accuracy is important to the design team, but in our world, fun will always trump history. In addition, we won't be adding controversial elements to our game world that may have been in place during the time period, like slavery, rape or disease.
With that being said, wars will break out and national fortunes will rise and fall, solely on the basis of player actions. So while historical accuracy is important, the players in our world are empowered to make some very different choices.
2.12 Why the 18th Century?
We chose the early 1700s to start with because both the politics and the technology are more interesting. England, France and Spain are constantly at war, but none of have yet emerged as the dominant power, and piracy is in it's Golden Age, when famous pirates like Blackbeard, 'Calico Jack' Rackham and Bartholomew Roberts terrorized the high seas, made off with mountains of stolen swag, and became legends in their own time.
2.13 Is there magic in the game?
No. There are none of the spells, magic wands, +3 helmets, or any of that stuff you may have seen in other MMP.SPirates and sailors do have all kinds of superstitions and ghost stories about life at sea, and we may explore those in the game, but we're not going to do anything that you'd consider magic as offered in fantasy games like World of Warcraft or Everquest.
2.14 What social organizations are there?
Outside of the four nationalities of Britain, France or Spain and pirates, the Pirates of the Burning Sea version of guilds are called Societies. In addition, there are mechanisms in game to support the creation of ad hoc groups, so you can join with your fellow players in missions and epic-scale battles against opposing fleets.
2.15 What happens to my character and stuff when I log off?
When you log off, there is a countdown before you leave the game that can be interrupted if you are attacked. Once the countdown ends, your ship leaves the world wherever it is. If you have to quit immediately or if you lose your connection, we start this countdown automatically and take your ship out of the world as soon as it is completed. Logging off in the middle of combat could result in your ship being sunk after you leave.