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Do you plan on playing Pirate101?

Yarrrr, I’m part of the head start.
30% [15]
Yarrrr, I’m looking forward to jumping in Monday!
24% [12]
Narrrrr. I’ll stick to wands and Wizardry for now.
44% [22]

Feedback Friday 10-12-12

AuthorMessage
Administrator
Hello Wizards! We've made it to the end of another week, and thus, can reward ourselves with another weekly Feedback Friday!

Standard disclaimer applies: We do not guarantee to use each and every idea submitted, and questions we pose may or may not be pertaining to things we are currently working on, or will ever undertake. Sometimes, there are just technical limitations that make changing things difficult to impossible, and though we possess all manner of magic wands here, there are technological beasts out there that are beyond our grasp. Sometimes, we may not feel it is within the spirit and vision of the spiral to add or change something. Also, we realize that some of these topics may have been addressed before in other threads - sometimes it's good to pick up a discussion again. Chances are I have read your threads and would like to hear more!

If you haven’t yet gotten the news, our second game, Pirate101 has begun their head start week. Here at KingsIsle, we’re very excited about it! So this week, we want to know… are you part of the head start? If you aren’t, do you plan on playing Pirate101 once it opens up to everyone on October 15th (Monday)? Below, please feel free to let us know what you like best about it if you have played in beta, the sneak peak event, or are playing now!

Now, I must return to testing out some really cool new stuff (it’s just not quite ready so no more details than that yet!), but I hope everyone has a fantastic weekend! ::grin::

“If the Mind is like a candle, the Heart is like the sun.” Professor Falmea
Survivor
Aug 04, 2008
10
i love the combat system and the animations. they are awesome.

Survivor
Apr 10, 2010
12
Yes I love the new game
I think its an excellent new change compared to wizards and its truly a great game, especially considering the fact that I've played all the other mmo's out there. So far there isnt anything else I would change but I'm only just begun the game can't wait to continue.

Monica StarBane

Archon
Oct 24, 2010
4952
Narr.
I tested it in beta. I am not a fan and will be sticking with Wizard. And it would be nice if this game were given priority on its own site as well. Pirates has it's own site...let's use that for that game, shall we?

Defender
Aug 07, 2011
116
Pirate101 holds absolutely no appeal for me. I don't like the combat style. Way too complicated. The story line doesn't look good. I prefer wizards to pirates even though Treasure Island is one of my favorite books since I was about my grandson's age. I also really don't like the idea ship to ship battles.

All in all, it's just not for me. To each their own. But count me out.

Squire
Jul 09, 2010
551
I've just started. I've got a level 5 and a level 6 character. And I've hopped around with my sister's level 9. But so far my first impressions are:

  • great graphics
  • fun new concept
  • Love the cute new puppet show stories & that you can replay the Tutorial Tips & Puppet Shows
  • Love the Companions - but it's not obvious what the best way to train is or whether to train up one consistently or to level them all evenly.
  • miss terribly the ability to drop a port
  • battle system is almost great but...
  • *** It's hard to understand the exact effect of the spells or moves
  • *** It's counter intuitive & feels stressful
  • ship battles and boarding is very confusing and referencing the Help Pages is no help.
  • I Hate the purple lettering in the chat box - too hard to read
  • I Hate that you can't move it to the very top of the screen like in Wizard101 - it's annoying just sitting there in the main view.
I dearly wish there was an Advanced Combat Lessons like in Wizard101 and more. The first tutorial moves so fast and is so packed with information that I don't even know if it was good. But the second lesson should be much more advanced than the one in Wizard101. Or ideally it would be in 3 stages. First - basic (in case your having trouble still at level 7 - like the one in Unicorn Way) Second - covering strategies and combining moves of Player and each Companion. Third - covering what ever I'm still missing ... idk even enough to ask the questions. It could be optional. And Repeatable --- Please
Oh! and I love the new faces and updated hair - not totally different from in Wizard101 but it's a great step in the right direction Please add all the faces and updated hair to the ones we already have in Wizard101 - and keep expanding too.

Deeply disappointed with the Housing Vendors charging 1000 coins for every item. Part of the allure of these games is the virtual dollhouse - which is no fun if you can't get stuff till your Legendary or whatever.

Survivor
Dec 20, 2008
8
I am really looking forward to this "new update" your working on! And even though i wasn't in the beta i have been waiting since they announced it would come out the 15th. I've downloaded it and everything, cant wait kingsisle!

Mastermind
Feb 07, 2010
386
I like how the way the fight plays out depends on where the monster catches you, and the fact that you dont always have to just get rid of all the enemies.

Squire
Jul 09, 2010
551
How! did I forget?!?

Thank you, KI, Thank you *on bended knee, shaking clasped hands, dripping with tears from bloodshot eyes* Thank You! for making the drops coordinate color-wise. I still don't get if they coordinate to the flag or the characters original colors or if they are coincidence to my colors and school colors - but I don't care! I've had Lots of Gear Drops and all of them come out matching. *swoons under weight of gratitude - whispers* ....thank you....

Squire
Jul 09, 2010
551
Regarding the Chat please:

I really don't like the chat system in Pirate101

Please steal the entire system in place for Wizard101.

  • Higher contrast lettering
  • Compact "normal" comic book style chat bubbles
  • Whisper boxes that show up on the Left and are always in the same place and are Short to the side of the screen not reaching out in a great line near to the center of screen.
  • The ability to put the chat screen in the upper left corner (out of the way)
  • ~~~Or to pop it out of the game screen like a chat box in Gmail
I'd also love it if in both games we could have different whisper boxes tinted different colors - it's not bad if you are only whispering to one person, but sometimes several people are whispering and it can get confusing.
Ty

Survivor
Jun 14, 2009
21
Hey my rival Falmea,

I went on for the invitation and i like it. It's new and hard to switch from game to game. lol.
I cannot wait until Monday!

Patrick Rainbowstone


P.S. I said rival because i am ice :)

Survivor
Dec 20, 2010
49
I've been playing Pirate for a few days now and have a lvl 13 buccaneer.

Pros:

Engrossing. Spent the entire day on it today. ...lol, I guess that could go in the "con" list too.
Great graphics
Fun battle system
Good storyline
Love the companions
Easy to solo
Ship-to-ship combat is fun, once you figure it out.
Pets are cool and helpful as soon as you get them.
Quests are easy to track and follow.

Cons:

Housing items are absurdly, disappointingly expensive. So much so that it makes me not like the game much overall.

Getting gold takes forever.

Can't purchase a mount for gold! Though, if they sold for as much as housing items, if I could buy a mount with gold, I'd probably have to finish the entire game before I could afford one.

Hate the chat color. I agree with one of the other comments; the purple is weirdly hard to read and doesn't catch my attention. And, related, I don't like the long skinny whisper bubbles. And, again, they don't catch my attention.

Might be a bug, but I can't put furniture on a rug. It's a small thing, but bothersome.

And, this is a personal taste, but it's just not as inviting as Wizard101 for some reason. Comparing Pirate101 to Wizard101 is like comparing gas station coffee to a pumpkin spice latte. There's just no contest.

Bottom line: While it's a fun game, it's not going to win over Wizard101 for me. Once my membership there expires next month, I won't be renewing. It's silly, but the housing stuff is my favorite part of these kinds of games. I play the quests too, have four archmages, but what drew me in the first time I ever played Wiz was the decorating. Pirate101 is a fun game, though, and I'm sure a lot of people are going to love it. Especially anyone that hasn't tried Wizard.

Archon
Feb 07, 2011
3175
I beta-tested Pirates, and I guess I like it well enough. But I'm a Potterhead~ have been, ever since I was a kid, and my heart will always be with Wiz.

Squire
Jul 09, 2010
551
Now my highest is level 11 and I have 7 companions - still no pet, though. Also, still been hopping around with my sister who's level 14.

** Thank you so much for making the outfits so cute, even my crazy witchdoctor outfit is awesome.
** again, thank you for making the automatic colors match when awarded or dropped.
** Love the "Previously On Pirate101" reminder when you log in.

** one odd thing - Chat - seems that when you talk out-loud - some places have the compact chat bubbles (like on Wizard101) and other places it's the crazy long lines like in the Pirate101 whispers. Also, today talking out-loud was white in the chat box and whispering was purple - (Ty) - it has been all purple.

** I wish the companion cards were clearer about their training level and how many more points it will take to level them up and weather that will get a new talent or just a new level.

** If companion training points are worth less the higher level the Companion is it shouldn't cost more every time you buy one. And Idk if the higher price is related to the character level or what.

** Mini Games need some work: There's no obvious escape to leave the game, and lower scores aren't getting any rewards at all. I don't know if higher scores get rewards - I haven't been doing well there.

** I want to go inside the doors on our ships - below deck. It looks like inside there should be 2 or more levels, depending on the style. Cabins, engines, Galley... large ones could have a parlor. And one of the first Crown Houses could be a playable ship that Was the "castle" so we could decorate it and have our bank there and everything.

~~~~~ But if we pay crowns for a playable ship, it should be such that we could always add the upgrades for battle regardless of the ship class, so we don't lose our investment because a new tougher area opened up.

running out of characters... will continue rest of list later Happy Sailin'

Squire
Jul 09, 2010
551
Mounts

Since I can have a Kirn Mount - that is very unlike something pirate themed - could I please have a broom? I really like them the best, as it's the smoothest ride, which matters for focusing my eyes.

If so, maybe there could be several models.
  • Stick with Dolphin "hood orniment" and in back a slightly swishey sea weed tail of "broom straw" but sea weed.
  • Seaweed tail again, but skull and cross bones hood ornament.
  • Seaweed tail with Mermaid like on the masts of ships.
Basically a seaweed tail with any shipping symbol for a "hood ornament", mermaids, sea horses, ship, shark head, speeding squid... the tail of sea weed could have baubles and starfish to fancy it up.

And what about a small skiff, canoe or the little boat we can pick up in Grizzleheim but you ride like a floating skateboard?

Squire
Jul 09, 2010
551
Pirate101 Help Pages
I wish there was a Captain's Journal or something that was Exactly like the Quest Journal in the Wizard101 Spell Book. It's under the "Help" question mark tab. That had all the same entries for the common things, plus all the same type stuff for the things particular to Pirate101. More detail about Pirate101 Pets, Companions, and what ever I don't know of yet. (There wasn't enough detail about Wizard101 Pets and Gardening, but it's way better than the Pirate101 Help is now.)

I also wish the Help was in-game. As it is now Pirate101 takes you to a web page - unfortunately it causes problems for me to open a web page while I'm in the game.

Walk /Run Speed
I wish there was a Walk Speed and a Run Speed. Sometimes the movement of the character feels like it's really fast on my eyes...but most of the time running is fine. But maybe Alt + W made the arrow keys walk and Alt + R made them run.

Maps
I have quests & a My Maps button - why don't I have maps? Also, I wish there were a
  • whole World Map with all the Islands etc marked.
  • maps of each island or other structure (whale etc.) with highlights marked, like the ruler or authority, shopping district, that beacon of life thing, *______* libraries where you can read or hear the story of the island read to you. The Bazaar where ever it is and other cool items of attraction.
  • maps of each quest area that show the highlights of the quest and it's relation to other quests in the area (so you can hit side quests while you're there -since your quest arrow stays on main quest (thank you))
Almost exactly like in Wizard101 I miss being able to + or - the size of the map and get a wide world view and an area view.

Dashboard with most of the extra game functions
Love the "dashboard" set up for Crown Shop etc. and that it's on auto-hide. But I wish it only took up 75% of the length of the top of window. So the other 25 was blank and could hold the Chat Box in the top left.

Squire
Jul 09, 2010
551
Alternative to Crafting & Gardening = Treasure Hunting
Sorry if that's what the My Maps section will be, I still don't have any and don't know what it's for or why they aren't there when I take on a quest or something.

I was trying to think of a way Pirate101 players could have the same benefits of gardening and crafting but not those activities, since they don't really go with the idea of pirating. (But both directly correlated to magic and alchemy.)

Maybe we could buy for gold, find, be rewarded in treasure chests and buy in Crown Shop - treasure maps that are re-usable. But the reward or item is awarded at the X spot. So special gear of our choice, extra gold, maybe blue and pink Yum Yum trees to be potted and kept in our bunk house, special items for the ships, new powers and talents, special Housing Items, Training Points or exclusive talents and epic talents and powers for the Companions, new Companion recruits... could be available through optional Treasure Hunting Maps.

Also, I hope there will be a One Eyed Jack Companion for us (or his identical twin, since Jack is part of the game). I'm only level 11 Witchdoctor, so maybe he's already established and I don't know it - but if not, I love him and would make him my first mate - so please

And please add Housing Items for us to pick up. I check every room I go in, and still haven't found anything. Though, I did find a chest with gold and jewels in my pack today. The decor of most of the rooms is awesome. I really want the red, blue and green sofas and chairs and the book shelves in the Witchdoctors classroom. And there are a lot of great wall hangings, table items and rugs. And thank you to the update guys that fixed the housing item prices :D

Survivor
Apr 20, 2010
45
Don't call me a hater or anything but I'm not the biggest fan it's just in my head I'm having trouble picturing some of the things I know and love in this game incorporated into pirates101

Survivor
Apr 20, 2010
45
if you didnt like my last post i decided to go to the web site to see how the game looks and i love the new game it is so cool

Squire
Jul 09, 2010
551
So...in Pirate101 we get the most pretty Housing Items and the potential for more (since the game is full of them.) And the bug guys fixed the pricing of the items so people could actually decorate a room or house.

But - still - we can't put anything down on a rug. And if you decide to just accept that and continue putting furniture down...you can't put anything against a wall if the thing sits in the floor. Wall paper and flooring work. Wall torches and candle things work. But the cutest wood burning stove Ever wont stick to a wall (as if the stove pipe were venting out.) Chairs and tables and shelves won't sit next to the wall. Tables wont even sit right next to chairs.

The items are nicer in Pirate101 - by a long shot, but they actually work better in Wizard101. Please mesh the two, so that Wizard City can have an import shop that brings in Skull Island and Flotsam Housing Items and that all the Housing Items in the Spiral work the same as in Wizard101.

P.S. my problem was in the first "dorm" type room we get. I don't know it it applies to the houses.

But if they worked right - I'd have to say that my very favorite thing about Pirate101 was new Housing Items and how pretty and varied they are.

Adherent
Jul 03, 2010
2634
I think first impressions of the game for me are - it's a bit too complicated for us non gamers. I do not foresee being able to actually comment until I have tried if for a while and hope the free time gives me that. I did not do the beta so started on live opening day and will only have access to the first area there. I see where they tried to weave Wizard101 into the game which may be a tad misleading since the idea of the game is not the same so rather then come up with new content they got a head start borrowing things from Wizard101, maybe to make it familiar to their Wizard101 member base.

Things I have noticed though are, I think it is meant for the older set of kids and up since it is based on strategy from the start. As I stood in the first office area next to Bloody Mary I realized names are a bit more advanced then Wizards but I guess pirates are more crude, I seen only one menu chat. The worst you can get in Wizards is Hex and most kids won't get that connection.

In the end I plan to wait till the dust settles to see how the game goes, on opening day it was very crowded, most where just in a glob by the first quest given so I probably wasn't the only one trying to figure out "what now". The beginning training was a too short for me and the words went by to fast for me to really get all of them so may have to start a few pirates to get all of it in.

Of course I wish KI all the best with this new game, clearly the something different they wanted for another game has been accomplished.

Administrator
Thanks for the feedback all! I'll sail those comments, like a ship in a bottle, over to the folks with the eyepatches on! ::grin::

New Feedback Friday coming up shortly! ::grin::

“If the Mind is like a candle, the Heart is like the sun.” Professor Falmea