¶ 2021
¶ 2021-02
MAINTENANCE DOWNTIME EXTENDED
February 26, 2021 / Darrell Benvenuto
The maintenance process is taking much longer than anticipated. Microsoft does not provide a reliable completion meter, so there is no accurate estimate of how far along the process is. It cannot be interrupted, so downtime is being extended from the original projection. During this time, the Game Servers will remain offline. The Vision team is continuing to stand by and watch for the process to complete, at which point the servers will be brought back online.
SERVER MAINTENANCE
February 24, 2021 / Darrell Benvenuto
There will be a five-hour (or thereabouts) Maintenance beginning Thursday evening (February 25) at 8:00 PM Pacific Standard Time (PST).
All three Servers -- Antigua, Roberts and Test -- will be inaccessible during this maintenance period.
Updates throughout the Maintenance period will be posted in the #announcements Channel of the official PotBS Discord Server (https://discord.gg/burning-sea).
¶ 2021-01
SERVER MAINTENANCE
January 21, 2021 / Darrell Benvenuto
There will be a five-hour (possibly less) Maintenance beginning Thursday evening (January 21) at 7:00 PM Pacific Standard Time (PST).
All three Servers -- Antigua, Roberts and Test -- will be inaccessible during this maintenance period. This Maintenance will activate Anniversary Content as well as release a significant Patch.
Details of the changes in this Patch will be available in the #patch-notes Channel of the official PotBS Discord Server (https://discord.gg/burning-sea) following the Maintenance.
SERVER MAINTENANCE
January 06, 2021 / Fodderboy
Please be aware there will be a two-hour (possibly less) Maintenance this evening (January 6) beginning at 10:00 PM Pacific (2200 Hours). The Pacific Time Zone is GMT-8. All three Servers -- Antigua, Roberts and Test -- will be inaccessible during this maintenance period.
¶ 2020
¶ 2020-12
SERVER MAINTENANCE
December 31, 2020 / Fodderboy
Please be aware there will be a five-hour (possibly less) Maintenance (December 31) beginning at 7:00 PM Pacific (1900 Hours GMT-8). All three Servers -- Antigua, Roberts and Test -- will be inaccessible during this maintenance period. This post will be updated when maintenance is complete.
Update 3:53am Pacific Time:
Maintenance is now complete. The servers are available for service.
SERVER MAINTENANCE
December 02, 2020 / Fodderboy
There will be a one-hour (possibly less) Maintenance tomorrow evening (December 3rd) at 10:00 PM Pacific (2200 Hours). All three Servers -- Antigua, Roberts and Test -- will be inaccessible during maintenance. This post will be updated when the maintenance period is complete.
Update 12:48am Pacific Time:
Maintenance is now complete. All servers are available for service.
¶ 2020-11
SERVER MAINTENANCE
November 01, 2020 / Fodderboy
There will be a two-hour Infrastructure Upgrade Maintenance taking place in the evening of November 2 (this coming Monday) at 10:00 PM Pacific (2200 Hours). Both servers will be inaccessible during the maintenance window.
Update 1:36am Pacific Time:
Maintenance is complete for the evening. The Antigua and Roberts servers are available for service. The 2.17 Test Server will be offline until later today.
¶ 2020-10
SERVER MAINTENANCE
October 29, 2020 / Fodderboy
There will be a one-hour Maintenance tomorrow evening (10/30) at 10:00 PM Pacific (2200 Hours) to enable Halloween Content! Both servers will be inaccessible during the maintenance window.
Update 10:48pm Pacific Time:
Maintenance is now complete. All servers are available for service.
SERVER MAINTENANCE
October 20, 2020 / Fodderboy
There will be a one-hour Maintenance taking place tonight (Tuesday, October 20) starting at 11:00 PM (2300 Hours) Pacific Time. Both Game Servers and the Test Server will be unavailable during this Maintenance period. A second announcement will be made here when this process is complete and the servers are once again available.
Update 12:05am Pacific Time:
Maintenance is now complete. All servers should be available for service.
¶ 2020-09
SERVER OUTAGE
September 17, 2020 / Fodderboy
There will be a brief outage at 11:30 PM Pacific on Friday, September 18th, to kick off the Talk like a Pirate Day Event. The expected down time is approximately 30 minutes. This post will be updated when the maintenance work is complete.
Update: 12:25am Pacific Time:
Maintenance is now complete and our Talk Like a Pirate Day content is active. All servers should be available for service.
¶ 2020-08
SCHEDULED SERVER OUTAGE
August 17, 2020 / Fodderboy
There will be an up-to-two-hour Maintenance taking place tomorrow (Tuesday, August 18) starting at 10:30 PM (2230 Hours) Pacific Time. Both Game Servers and the Test Server will be unavailable during this Maintenance period. A second announcement will be made here when this process is complete and the servers are once again available.
Update 1:10am Pacific Time (August 19th):
Maintenance is taking longer than planned. We are currently looking at another 2-3 Hours of Downtime to finish.
Update 4:38am Pacific Time (August 19th):
Maintenance is now complete. All servers are available for service.
SCHEDULED SERVER OUTAGES
August 10, 2020 / Fodderboy
There will be a one-hour Maintenance taking place tomorrow (Tuesday, August 11) starting at 10:30 PM (2230 Hours) Pacific Time. Both Game Servers and the Test Server will be unavailable during this Maintenance period. A second announcement will be made here when this process is complete and the servers are once again available.
Update 11:36pm Pacific Time:
Maintenance is complete. All servers are be available for service.
SCHEDULED SERVER OUTAGES
August 03, 2020 / Fodderboy
There will be a four-hour Maintenance taking place tomorrow (Tuesday, August 4) starting at 8:00 PM (2200 Hours) Pacific Time. Both Game Servers and the Test Server will be unavailable during this Maintenance period as we incorporate new hardware and software into our infrastructure. A second announcement will be made here when this process is complete.
Update 10:45pm Pacific Time:
Complications have led to an early end of the planned 4-Hour Maintenance Window. The 4-Hour Maintenance will most likely be rescheduled for some point later in the week. The Maintenance Window for August 4 has ended. Both Servers are once again available.
Update 1:58am Pacific Time (August 5th):
Due to issue experienced after maintenance the servers the servers had to be taken offline. The issue currently being experienced will take several hours to resolve. The servers are unlikely to be available before mid-morning Pacific Time. An update will be provided when more information is available.
Update 9:07pm Pacific Time (August 5th):
The issue we were experiencing with the servers has been resolved. All servers are available for service.
¶ 2020-07
SCHEDULED SERVER OUTAGES
July 27, 2020 / Fodderboy
There will be a two-hour Maintenance taking place tomorrow (Tuesday, July 28) starting at 10:00 PM (2200 Hours) Pacific Time. Both Game Servers and the Test Server will be unavailable during this Maintenance period. This Maintenance will happen for several consecutive days, always at the same time (10:00 PM Pacific) as we incorporate new hardware and software into our infrastructure. A second announcement will be made here when this process is complete.
Update 1:11am Pacific Time (July 29):
Maintenance is complete for the evening. All servers should be available. Maintenance will occur again at 10:00pm Pacific Time July 29, 2020.
Update 10:15pm Pacific Time (July 29):
The servers are currently offline for maintenance. The expected down time is approximately 2 hours. This post will be updated when maintenance for the evening is complete.
Update 12:45am Pacific Time (July 30):
Maintenance for the evening is complete. All servers are available for service. Maintenance will continue again at 10pm Pacific Time July 30.
Update 10:08pm Pacific Time (July 30):
The servers are currently offline for continued maintenance. The expected down time is approximately 2 hours. This post will be updated when maintenance is complete.
Update 11:36pm Pacific Time (July 30):
Maintenance for the evening is complete. All servers are available for service.
SCHEDULED SERVER OUTAGES
July 20, 2020 / Fodderboy
There will be a brief (approximately one hour) Maintenance taking place tomorrow (Tuesday, July 21) at 10:30 PM (2230 Hours) Pacific Time. Both Game Servers and the Test Server will be unavailable during this Maintenance period. This Maintenance will happen for several consecutive days, always at the same time (10:30 PM Pacific) as we incorporate new hardware and software into our infrastructure. This post will be updated at each availability status change through these server hardware changes.
Update 11:43pm Pacific Time:
Maintenance for the evening is now complete. All servers should be available for service until tomorrow evening (July 22nd) at 10:30pm Pacific Time when maintenance will resume.
Update 10:35pm Pacific Time July 22nd:
The servers are currently offline for continued maintenance. The expected down time is one hour. This post will be updated when maintenance for the evening is complete.
Update 11:10pm Pacific Time July 22nd:
Maintenance is now complete. All servers should be available for service. This concludes maintenance for this week.
SERVERS OFFLINE
July 03, 2020 / Fodderboy
The servers are currently offline due to an issue with the login server. The cause of the issue has not yet been determined. The servers will need to remain offline until the issue can be resolved. This may require several more hours of down time given the availability of team members needed to resolve this issue. Further updates will be provided when new information is available.
Update 11:36am Pacific Time:
The login server issue has been resolved. The Antigua and Roberts servers should be available for service at this time.
¶ 2020-06
UNSCHEDULED DOWNTIME
June 11, 2020 / Darrell Benvenuto
Both Servers will be offline for several hours of unexpected downtime.
Downtime began just slightly before 03:00 Hours Pacific Standard Time.
The Engineering team will bring the game servers back online as soon as possible.
Status updates will be posted here as well as in Discord.
Update: All Servers are back online.
¶ 2020-05
SERVER MAINTENANCE
May 25, 2020 / Fodderboy
We will be taking the servers offline on May 25, 2020 at 10:30pm Pacific Time (1:30am Eastern/6:30am GMT/9:30am MSK on May 26, 2020) for maintenance. The expected down time for maintenance is approximately 30 minutes. This post will be updated when maintenance is complete.
Update 11:00pm Pacific Time:
Maintenance is now complete. The servers should be able for service.
SERVER MAINTENANCE
May 06, 2020 / Fodderboy
We will be taking the servers offline on May 7, 2020 at 10:30pm Pacific Time (1:30am Eastern/6:30am GMT/9:30am MSK on May 8, 2020) for maintenance. The expected down time for maintenance is approximately 30 minutes. This post will be updated when maintenance is complete.
Update 11:27pm Pacific Time:
Maintenance is complete. The Antigua and Roberts servers are available for service.
¶ 2020-04
SERVER MAINTENANCE
April 14, 2020 / Fodderboy
We will be taking the servers offline on April 15, 2020 at 10:30pm Pacific Time (1:30am Eastern/6:30am GMT/9:30am MSK on April 16, 2020) for maintenance. The expected down time for maintenance is approximately 40 minutes. This post will be updated when maintenance is complete.
Update 12:22am Pacific Time:
After some issues with the login server that extended maintenance we have resolved the issue and the Antigua and Roberts server should be available at this time.
¶ 2020-02
ANITGUA SERVER ROLL BACK AWARD
February 25, 2020 / Fodderboy
From the Official Discord server posted today:
HEAR YE, HEAR YE!
The much-awaited Reward for the one-week Rollback of Antigua is finally here!
To recap the situation, earlier this month there was a database issue that required the Antigua Server to be "rolled back" a week in time. This meant that people who had lost ships in that time magically regained them. It also meant that people who had made new Captains and leveled them up lost some (or all) of those levels -- and even, in a few cases, the entire Captain.
This was very much a unique situation in the history of PotBS. It did not affect all players, but rather only the players on Antigua who were active during the affected week.
All previous Rollbacks had affected all players (and all accounts) on all servers. This was the first time that the game had a limited number of affected accounts specific to a single server... which presented a challenge in providing appropriate compensation. Not all accounts were affected equally; manually digging in, researching and addressing lost progress on each account for the over 1,500 accounts that were affected was simply not feasible.
What's more, although we announced our intention to release rewards to the affected players on Antigua immediately in the wake of the incident, there were no systems to judiciously award items to that select fraction of the population -- and so we had to develop them.
I am pleased to say that we have completed the engineering tasks required to distribute compensation rewards to those accounts affected by the Rollback of the Antigua server. We are now ready to announce and distribute those rewards.
To qualify for the reward, your account must have logged in between January 30th, 2020 and February 7th, 2020 on the Antigua server. Accounts that do not meet this requirement were not affected by the Rollback, and will not receive rewards.
Each account affected should receive the following items upon their next login:
1 x Sparrow Ketch
5 x 1-Hour Loot Bonus Books
5 x 1-Hour Faction Bonus Books
5 x 1-Hour Doubloon Bonus Books
The Loot, Faction and Doubloon Bonus Books should appear in the personal inventory of the first character to log in to the account. The Sparrow Ketch should appear in the character's Ship Hold inventory.
We believe that this reward compensation package will help players who have been waiting to begin leveling again or continue with their leveling from where ever they are in their progression at this time.
The Bonus Books were selected for one hour increments to allow their use to be tailored to longer or shorter game play sessions and the Sparrow Ketch is a unique Level 1 ship that is much more powerful in the earlier levels of the game to assist with speeding that advancement forward. The ship can also be used by all factions and careers.
The rewards have been issued and should now already be waiting in the Accounts of all Captains who were affected.
Should players with accounts affected by the roll back on the Antigua server not receive their rewards, please contact customer service at Pirates@VisionOnlineGames.com and we will investigate the issue.
SERVER MAINTENANCE
February 23, 2020 / Fodderboy
We will be taking the servers offline on February 24, 2020 at 10:30pm Pacific Time (1:30am Eastern/6:30am GMT/9:30am MSK on February 25, 2020) for extended maintenance. The expected down time for maintenance is approximately 1 hour. During this maintenance period we will be activating our Mardi Gras content. This post will be updated when maintenance is complete.
Update 11:38pm Pacific Time:
Maintenance is now complete. All servers are available for service.
SERVERS OFFLINE
February 07, 2020 / Fodderboy
All servers are currently offline due to an infrastructure issue that occurred during the night. We are still in the investigation/repair stages of resolving the issue and it is estimated that it will take a few more hours of work before we will be able to bring the servers back online. We apologize for the inconvenience and will update this post when more information is available regarding the game servers.
Update 1:02am Pacific Time (2/8):
The following message was provided by Darrell on the official Discord channel regarding the status of the servers:
Although team members sprang into action at 4 AM today and it has been an all-hands-on-deck situation the whole day, we are now nearing midnight Pacific and the work involved still not yet finished. It seems that we will need to stop soon and resume tomorrow, to finish getting the Servers back online. Apologies to those who have just joined us here on Discord, including some old veteran Captains looking to spring back into action on the Burning Sea. We are continuing to work on the issue, and expect to have both servers back online sometime tomorrow. We will continue to post announcements here, the Forums and also on the Captain's Log site as the work progresses. Thank you for your patience.
Update 1:49pm Pacific Time (2/8):
We have reopened the Roberts server as it has passed testing and appears ready for service. The Antigua server however will still require more work before we can bring it back online. If you experience any issues on the Roberts server please let customer service know by contacting us at pirates@visiononlinegames.com. We will provide more information regarding the Antigua server as soon as we have more information available.
Update 5:51pm Pacific Time (2/8):
The following update was just provided by Darrell regarding the status of the Antigua server:
Update: Roberts went back online earlier today, but Antigua has remained offline, in the wake of a major Database Server failure. This is about to change. Antigua will soon reopen. All day yesterday, from morning until night, was spent working on the game's five Database Servers, setting up new Servers, performing upgrades, changes and repairs. Roberts has been restored to full functionality, which is why it was brought back online first. However, due to issues on Antigua that began being introduced as part of the overall failure, it has taken longer — at this point, we are ready to bring it back online, but need to perform a "rollback", in which we are going to revert the Game to an earlier data set. What is a rollback, you might be asking? Anything that happened on Antigua during the intervening period (Characters Created, Levels Gained, Victories, Losses, etc) is lost in a Rollback. This is something that has only happened once or twice in the history of PotBS, and so we did everything we possibly could to avoid it -- but at this point, it seems to be the only proper solution in the face of the Database issues that were experienced. Antigua will be rolled back to January 30th, and so a week will be lost. We are planning on offering a slate of rewards to compensate Captains for this major inconvenience. The scope of these Rewards will be announced soon, and distributed out to Antigua Captains on a per-account basis. More news after Antigua is back online.
Update 6:45pm Pacific Time (2/8):
The Antigua server has been reopened and is now available for service.
As mentioned in Darrell's last announcement regarding the Antigua server's roll back there are a few things players should be aware of:
-
Accounts created during the period rolled back will still have valid credentials and should be able to log in without issue.
-
Characters created on the Antigua server during the rolled back period will no longer exist and would need to be recreated.
-
Active nation selections may need to be reselected if a selection was made during the rolled back period. This is important to note as should the active nation not be set on an account logging in, the account will be set to the first nation selected. As the roll back puts the Antigua server into the cease fire state players should be able to correct their active nation status if not correct without customer service assistance by selecting a new nation. This option will only be available as long as the server is in the cease fire state.
-
Burning Sea Notes purchased during the roll back period should be delivered automatically to the account they were originally ordered for. It should be noted they will be delivered to the first character to log in for that account on the Antigua server so you may wish to login with the character you want the Notes delivered to if you placed an order for Notes during the rolled back period. If you are expecting Notes to be delivered and do not receive them please contact customer service at pirates@visiononlinegames.com. Please include your purchase receipt information with your inquiry as this will accelerate our ability to resolve any problem transaction.
-
We are expecting higher than usual customer service requests over the next few days. Customer service delays may result if volumes become high enough. We will endeavor to work through the customer service requests as quickly as we can.
We want to thank everyone for their patience and understanding as we work through this issue and its continued resolution. We will update the community of Antigua captains regarding appreciation rewards as soon as more information is available.
¶ 2020-01
SERVER OUTAGE
January 22, 2020 / Fodderboy
Will we need to take the servers offline today, January 22, 2020 at 8pm Pacific/11pm Eastern Time (4am GMT/7am MSK on January 23, 2020) for system upgrade work. We apologize for the short notice as due to the varying schedules of all parties involved with this work we are unable to schedule this work for another time. The upgrade process is expected to last 2 hours, perhaps longer if unexpected issues are encountered. The Irish Point port battle on the Antigua server currently scheduled in conflict with this server outage will be rescheduled. This post will be updated if there is any change in plans, we exceed the estimated down time or when the upgrade operation is complete.
Update 10:51pm Pacific Time:
The systems upgrade is complete. All servers should be available for service.
SERVER MAINTENANCE
January 20, 2020 / Fodderboy
We will need to take the servers offline on January 21, 2020 at 10:30pm Pacific Time (1:30am Eastern/6:30am GMT/9:30am MSK on January 22, 2020) for maintenance. The expected down time for maintenance is approximately 40 minutes. During this maintenance period we will be activating our Anniversary content. This post will be updated when maintenance is complete.
Update 11:08pm Pacific Time:
Maintenance is now complete. All servers should be available for service.
SERVER MAINTENANCE
January 05, 2020 / Fodderboy
We will be taking the servers offline for maintenance on January 6, 2020. Maintenance will begin at 10:30pm Pacific Time (1:30am Eastern/6:30am GMT/9:30am MSK on January 7, 2020). The expected down time for maintenance is approximately 30 minutes. This post will be updated when maintenance on both live servers is complete.
Update 11:00pm Pacific Time:
Maintenance is now complete. All servers should be available for service.
¶ 2019
¶ 2019-12
SERVER MAINTENANCE
December 01, 2019 / Fodderboy
We will need to take the servers offline on December 2, 2019 at 10:30pm Pacific Time (1:30am Eastern/6:30am GMT/9:30am MSK on December 3, 2019) for maintenance. The expected down time for maintenance is approximately 40 minutes. During this maintenance period we will be activating our Christmas content. This post will be updated when maintenance is complete.
Update 11:08pm Pacific Time:
Maintenance is now complete. All servers should be available for service.
¶ 2019-11
SERVERS OFFLINE
November 29, 2019 / Fodderboy
We are working on resolving a recently discovered issue with the servers. It is difficult at this time to make an estimate as to how much longer the servers will be offline at this time. More information will be posted as soon as it is available.
Update 8:43pm Pacific Time:
In order to complete the work being done on the servers we will need to keep them offline for approximately another 2 to 3 hours from the time of this message. We are currently in the process of moving data from one location to another to restore customer service tools functionality necessitating further down time. We will update this post if we appear to be heading outside that estimate or when the servers are ready to come back online.
Update 12:52am Pacific Time:
Server Status Update: We will not be able to bring the game servers back online tonight. To correct the issue we have been experiencing, we need to move all the data from one database server to another database server. The amount of information being moved is very, very large, and is taking quite a long time to transfer. After missing two estimates already, we have decided to allow the remainder of the evening to complete the data transfer. We will provide another update at 7:00am Pacific time -- hopefully with news that the game servers are back online. The game servers will remain offline until then (7:00am Pacific/10:00am Eastern/3:00pm GMT/6:00pm MSK ). We apologize for this lengthy interruption in service.
Update 7:12am Pacific Time:
Unfortunately we are still unable to bring the servers back online at this time. The process that has been running through the night has still not completed exceeding all projected estimates we could derive. At this stage we are still uncertain when we may be able to bring the servers online. As the process has taken far longer than we have expected we cannot predict accurately when we will be back online other than it will not be within the next hour. We are currently looking at some alternative solutions and will provide an update as soon as more information is available.
Update 4:34pm Pacific Time:
Status Update: Still moving things forward, but still several hours out from finishing. We will send out an announcement when the Game Servers are back online.
Update 12:53pm Pacific Time:
All servers are online and available for service.
TEST SERVER
November 27, 2019 / Fodderboy
We are going to begin doing some testing utilizing the Test server starting immediately. We wanted to inform players regarding this activity as the availability and game play of the Test server may be impacted by this testing. The testing being done on the Test server should have no impact on either the Roberts or Antigua servers.
SERVER OUTAGE
November 25, 2019 / Fodderboy
We will need to take the servers offline for a few minutes this evening to facilitate some infrastructure changes development is working on. We will take the servers offline this evening November 25, 2019 at 10:00pm Pacific Time (1:00am Eastern/6:00am GMT/9:00am MSK on November 26, 2019). This should be a short outage estimated to be approximately 20 minutes. Should any issues arise that would alter this estimate this post will be updated.
FALL HARVEST SALE UPDATE
November 12, 2019 / Fodderboy
The BSN Sale is in full swing now! You have until midnight, November 22 to get a 20% discount on all yer booty! https://play.burningsea.com/store
SERVER MAINTENANCE
November 06, 2019 / Fodderboy
We will need to take the servers offline this evening November 6, 2019 at 10:30pm Pacific Time (1:30am Eastern/6:30am GMT/9:30am MSK on November 7, 2019). This is a standard maintenance outage. The expected down time for maintenance is approximately 40 minutes. This post will be updated when maintenance on both live servers is complete.
Update 11:08pm Pacific Time:
Maintenance is now complete. All servers should be available for service.
FALL HARVEST BURNING SEA NOTE SALE
November 01, 2019 / Fodderboy
Announcing the 2019 HARVEST SALE! 20% off all BSN purchases We're celebrating the implementation of our new, all-country-inclusive payment system at Burning Sea! Grab your BSN during this gnarly 20% off sale (stacks with incremental discounts). Sale will run from Midnight, November 4 PST to Midnight, November 18 PST, 2019. https://play.burningsea.com/store
Update: The Store is now open and the Harvest Sale is in full swing! The new official Starting Date of the Sale is Friday, November 8, and the end of the sale will be two weeks after that, on Friday, November 22.
¶ 2019-10
HALLOWEEN TRICK OR TREAT?
October 31, 2019 / Fodderboy
In the wee hours of the night on All Hallow's Eve
The developers searched to end a long player peeve
In recorded old tomes of near forgotten code
Were visages lost of the once brave and bold
Standards that stood high as sails reached
When tragedy struck to find themselves beached
No more to be seen players cried their lament
Oh where, oh where, is our user content?
All Hallow's being filled with spirits long past
Guided developers to where visages were seen last
Where the spirits had led was a long lost spell
To restore old connections and make it all well
Incantations were chanted and a new deal was struck
As changes were made and they prayed for some luck
With test after test until their energy was spent
The blessings of the spirits restored user content!
It's not a trick and we hope you all will find it a treat! We are happy to announce that user content should now be working in game again. We won't have the ability to submit new flags and sails for a while, as development on this system continues.
We hope you all enjoy the restoration of this long awaited system and please report any issues you might experience regarding this restoration to customer service at customerservice@portalusgames.com.
Happy Halloween everyone!
UNSCHEDULED SERVER OUTAGE
October 29, 2019 / Fodderboy
We will need to take the servers offline in approximately one hour to make some necessary adjustments to the servers. The expected down time for this outage is approximately one hour. We apologize for the short notice of this outage. We hoped to avoid bringing the servers down for this issue but it cannot be postponed to a later date. This post will be updated when the server work is complete and the servers have been returned to service.
Update 12:49am Pacific Time:
We are still working on the servers at this time. We have the following as an update from the server team:
To explain further, we are in the process of implementing the new Payment Portal that was mentioned in the October Update and also recently here in Discord. Unlike PayPal, this new portal will accept Captains from all over the world, including Eastern Europe and Russia. Also, the new payment portal accepts a much wider array of payment methods than PayPal ever did, ranging from e-wallets to gift cards. Of course, it also accepts PayPal, so it's just an overall win for everyone. We also took the opportunity to implement a cleaner look for both the BSN Store and www.burningsea.com sites. Please continue to stand by a little while longer. We'll let you know here as soon as everything is ready to go.
Further update will be provided as more information is available.
Update 3:14am Pacific Time:
The servers are back online and available for service.
We have a few lingering issues with more work to do. Players should be aware of the following:
-The Burning Sea Note store is temporarily unavailable.
-Players can create new accounts however the new accounts cannot log into the game.
-The old account management page (https://account.portalusgames.com/) is no longer available. The new account management page will be found at play.burningsea.com
-The new Account Management page is temporarily unavailable. This will affect password resets until access is restored.
We hope to have these issues resolved within the next 24 hours. More information will be provided as it becomes available.
Update 12:06am Pacific Time (11/1):
Players making new account should be able to login without issue.
The Burning Sea Note is still unavailable. A separate announcement will be made once this system is restored.
Account password resets will be unavailable until that section of the account management page is restored. A separate announcement will be made when this system is available again.
¶ POTBS OCTOBER STATUS UPDATE
October 21, 2019 / Fodderboy
From the Desk of Darrell Benvenuto, CEO of Vision:
Re: Pirates of the Burning Sea, October 2019 Status Update
Dear Players,
I want to share some news on our progress over these past few months, as well as next steps.
As was mentioned in the last update, Vision's initial efforts at the end of 2018 centered on modernizing the game's underlying infrastructure, increasing the number of CPUs in the Servers, their speeds, reliability, etc.
After those initial efforts had concluded, we began digging deep into the code and structure and brought several more team members into the fold. The PotBS team now stands at:
-- Darrell, Executive Producer / Infrastructure Lead
-- Redjaq, Customer Service / Online GM Support
-- Fodderboy, Producer / Operations Manager
-- Khatie, Social Media Marketing Lead
-- Iuliana, User Experience / Graphic Artist
-- Bill, Web Programmer
-- Justin, Lead Game Programmer
Work began. On the marketing front, an editorial was written about PotBS in PC GAMER Magazine. At the same time we implemented a new Discord Server, which was Verified and appeared on Discord's front page in literally a matter of days. After we promoted it to our players, we naturally expected the Forum community to join, but were pleasantly surprised to also see quite a few former players of PotBS returning to the game after many years of absence! They were drawn in by the Magazine Article, the Discord Server and also from a small spread of various Social Media ads we ran to gauge market response across the five different languages supported by the game.
The PotBS Discord Server was then enhanced by the addition of an automatic translation system (reportedly the first ever seen on any Verified Server), which enabled users who spoke different languages to communicate with one another much more seamlessly. Any time a post is made in one language, it is automatically translated and posted out to all of the other Language channels. This is a system that we hope to extend to Nation Chat in the game at some point, where users can select their own Language and then everything that appears in Chat (that was written in another language) will be automatically translated and appear in their chosen language.
Much as it does on our Discord Server, this sort of upgrade will allow Spanish-speaking players to more easily converse and engage with English, German, French and Russian-speaking ones, or vice-versa.
The programming team has been working through the list of tasks needed to restore the Game Client and Server build system, upgrade the code itself, update portions of the Customer Support team's toolset, analyze and duplicate how the proprietary Sony tool implemented content localization, restore access to former portions of the game (such as player-created Sails and other content) that are not currently functioning and much, much more. The initial goals to date have been to restore the build system and release new patches.
The very first of these new patches is intended to implement some minor game mechanic adjustments, restore access to Player-Generated Content, change the Payment Gateway from PayPal to something more globally-friendly and also establish a framework within the code for future development. Further information concerning this release to the Test Server will be provided by Fodderboy as that date draws near.
Currently, the very first builds that incorporate the above changes are rolling off the line and being made available for internal testing. These will first make their way to the Test Server before finally appearing as patches for Roberts and Antigua.
Future changes that have been discussed so far for subsequent patches include:
- correcting scaling issues in the UI
- updating the Client to DirectX 11
- updating the shaders
- implementing day/night/weather in the game
- much, much, much more
Work is ongoing, and there will be a LOT of programming (and testing) effort in updating and modernizing the game behind the scenes before we are sufficiently confident to roll out new Missions, new Ships, new Shaders and the countless other improvements that are to come -- including the Legacy Server.
While the above programming work has been taking place, on the marketing side we have been preparing a spread of social media advertisements as well as the various onboarding funnels for every language that the game supports. For those unfamiliar with the term, an "onboarding funnel" is a series of points-of-interaction that people encounter (always in their native language) such as a web site that thoroughly showcases the game, allows people to download and launch it (already set to their chosen language), then connect them with multiple helpful resources that can enhance their game experience (Discord, Forums, etc).
As a side note, they are called "funnels" because they catch and receive users (each in a different language) and smoothly / helpfully guide them down the path to becoming players, akin to a funnel catching rain. Good onboarding funnels are necessary before launching any major Social Media campaign because you only get one shot at getting (and keeping) a new player.
If someone sees an ad and chooses to click on it, there HAS to be a great experience (all in their own language) waiting for them on the other side of that click, all the way from the landing site on down through launching the game and getting through the Tutorials.
It's easy to lose players along the way... download too large, unpleasant or difficult tutorials, slow or broken links, etc.. Once gone, a player will rarely return. You have to remove as many rough edges from the process of getting them actually into the game and having fun as you possibly can.
PotBS is a really great game, and there's tons of fun to be had in it so we need every potential player to get through the Tutorial, be met in their native language and get into the game so they can see it and enjoy it.
To recap our progress-to-date and cover some of the things-to-come:
Engage new Team Members for PotBS:
-- Customer Support
-- Community, Social Media and Marketing Outreach
-- Art
-- Programming
Get ready to advertise the Burning Sea across Social Media:
-- Verified Discord Server
-- Discord 5-Language Translation System
-- 5 Localized Onboarding Funnels
-- Facebook Page Updates
-- Instagram Content
-- Social Media Advertisement Creation
-- New 5-Language PotBS Web Site
-- Fixing Key Game Bugs prior to Marketing Launch
-- Provide Language-Specific Downloads of the Game
Overhaul and Stabilize the Current Game:
-- Update Development Environment and Tools
-- Restore the ability to generate and deploy new Client and Server Builds
-- Restore functionality to the Game Patch release system
-- Move to Game Code to a faster, more efficient support system
-- Correct some issues (missing custom player-generated content, broken links, tools, etc.)
-- Update the EULA, Privacy Agreement and other in-game elements to reflect Vision in lieu of Portalus
-- Prepare replacement Web Pages for currently missing in-game Help and Link Button content
Prepare the first Vision Build and Patch:
-- Implement minor gameplay changes
-- Implement new Development Framework
-- Replace PayPal with a Global Payment Gateway
Prepare and Launch the Legacy Server:
-- Updating from the old Sony-specific code to be standalone
-- Test Build System and Implement Bug / Exploit Fixes
-- Implement a Legacy Server Subscription System
Further Work to Come:
-- Dramatically improve all of the In-Game Tutorials for New Players
-- Update DX Shaders and Graphics Drivers to more modern versions
-- Correct UI Scaling Issues, Text overflow bugs and other Graphic issues
-- Evaluate updating to the latest version of the BitRaider Launcher
-- Evaluate implementing the Rapid-Launch aspect of BitRaider for PotBS
-- Restore Mission Creation and Localization Ability
-- Restore Art Toolset and Pipeline
-- Add multiple Costume Slots for storing and instantly swapping outfits
-- Implement an automatic translation system in the Chat System
-- Explore the possibility of adding PotBS to Steam
I realize that even though I made every effort to condense and compact the above, it is still quite long. I hope that you are excited not only for the progress that has been made to date but about the work that is currently underway -- and the changes yet to come.
Each major milestone that we hit (such as restoring access to Player-generated content, making changes to the Test Server, launching a Patch to correct an outstanding issue, etc.) will be accompanied by an announcement by Fodderboy explaining what is happening ahead of time. Also, any changes and updates that we make will appear first on the Test Server, allowing players who like sneak peeks and beta testing to really put them through their paces and provide deep feedback before they are finally pushed out to the Live Servers for everyone to enjoy.
I look forward to bringing those updates to you, and helping to build a grand new future for everyone who sails the Burning Sea.
Thanks for your continued support!
Darrell Benvenuto, CEO
Vision Online Games
SERVER OUTAGE
October 19, 2019 / Fodderboy
We will need to take the servers offline this evening October 19, 2019 at 10:30pm Pacific Time (1:30am Eastern/6:30am GMT/9:30am MSK on October 20, 2019) to implement some server stability improvements and testing. The expected down time is approximately one hour. This post will be updated should the outage require extension or when the server work is complete.
Update 12:06am Pacific Time:
One of the system processes has exceeded its estimated completion time and we will have to extend this maintenance period. The process has not encountered any issues beyond exceeding its time estimates. We are not certain how much longer the process will take and we will need to complete a few tests once it does before we can reopen the servers. We are sorry this process is taking longer than expected and will update this post when we have additional information.
Update 3:05am Pacific Time:
The upgrading process that exceeded its estimated time to complete is still running at this time. Given the number of hours this process has exceeded our expectations it is possible the process may take several more hours to complete. We apologize for the inaccuracy of our estimates. The process in work cannot be postponed as it is critical to future work and improved server stability and performance. Further updates on progress completing this upgrade will be provided as more information becomes available.
Update 5:49am Pacific Time:
We would like to thank everyone for their patience as we worked through our upgrade issues. The upgrade maintenance is now complete. All servers should be available for service.
SERVER MAINTENANCE
October 14, 2019 / Fodderboy
We will be taking the servers offline for maintenance on October 15, 2019. Maintenance will begin at 10:30pm Pacific Time (1:30am Eastern/6:30am GMT/9:30am MSK on October 16, 2019). The expected down time for maintenance is approximately 40 minutes. During this maintenance period we will be activating our Halloween content. This post will be updated when maintenance on both live servers is complete.
Update 11:18pm Pacific Time:
Server maintenance is now complete. All servers should be available for service.
¶ 2019-09
SERVER MAINTENANCE
September 17, 2019 / Fodderboy
We will be taking the servers offline for maintenance on September 18, 2019. Maintenance will begin at 10:30pm Pacific Time (1:30am Eastern/6:30am GMT/9:30am MSK on September 19, 2019). The expected down time for maintenance is approximately 40 minutes. During this maintenance period we will be activating the Talk Like a Pirate Day content. This post will be updated when maintenance on both live servers is complete.
Update 11:10pm Pacific Time:
Server maintenance is complete. All servers should be available for service.
¶ 2019-07
SERVER MAINTENANCE
July 31, 2019 / Fodderboy
We will be taking the servers offline for maintenance on August 1, 2019. Maintenance will begin at 10:30pm Pacific Time (1:30am Eastern/6:30am GMT/9:30am MSK on August 2, 2019). The expected down time for maintenance is approximately 40 minutes. This post will be updated when maintenance on both live servers is complete.
Update 11:12pm Pacific Time:
Maintenance is now complete. All servers should be available for service.
¶ 2019-06
SERVER MAINTENANCE
June 30, 2019 / Fodderboy
We will be taking the servers offline for maintenance on July 1, 2019. Maintenance will begin at 10:30pm Pacific Time (1:30am Eastern/6:30am GMT/9:30am MSK on July 2, 2019). The expected down time for maintenance is approximately 40 minutes. This post will be updated when maintenance on both live servers is complete.
Update 11:10pm Pacific Time:
Maintenance is now complete. All servers should be available for service.
SERVER MAINTENANCE
June 05, 2019 / Fodderboy
We will be taking the servers offline for maintenance on June 6, 2019. Maintenance will begin at 10:30pm Pacific Time (1:30am Eastern/6:30am GMT/9:30am MSK on June 7, 2019). The expected down time for maintenance is approximately 40 minutes. This post will be updated when maintenance on both live servers is complete.
Update 11:10PM Pacific Time:
Maintenance is now complete. All servers should be available for service.
¶ 2019-05
SERVER MAINTENANCE
May 14, 2019 / Fodderboy
We will be taking the servers offline for maintenance on May 15, 2019. Maintenance will begin at 10:30pm Pacific Time (1:30am Eastern/6:30am GMT/9:30am MSK on May 16, 2019). The expected down time for maintenance is approximately 40 minutes. This post will be updated when maintenance on both live servers is complete.
Update 11:10pm Pacific Time:
Maintenance is now complete. All servers should be available for service.
¶ 2019-04
SERVER MAINTENANCE
April 30, 2019 / Fodderboy
We will be taking the servers offline for maintenance on May 1, 2019. Maintenance will begin at 10:30pm Pacific Time (1:30am Eastern/6:30am GMT/9:30am MSK on May 2, 2019). The expected down time for maintenance is approximately 40 minutes. This post will be updated when maintenance on both live servers is complete.
Update 11:12pm Pacific Time:
Maintenance is now complete. All servers should be available for service.
¶ 2019-03
SERVER MAINTENANCE
March 28, 2019 / Fodderboy
We will be taking the servers offline for maintenance on March 29, 2019. Maintenance will begin at 10:30pm Pacific Time (1:30am Eastern/6:30am GMT/9:30am MSK on March 30, 2019). The expected down time for maintenance is approximately 40 minutes. The Mardi Gras content will end with this maintenance period. This post will be updated when maintenance on both live servers is complete.
Update 11:20pm Pacific Time:
Server maintenance is now complete. All servers should be available for service.
SERVER MAINTENANCE/MARDI GRAS CONTENT
March 03, 2019 / Fodderboy
We will be taking the servers offline for maintenance on March 4, 2019. Maintenance will begin at 10:30pm Pacific Time (1:30am Eastern/6:30am GMT/9:30am MSK on January 5, 2019). The expected down time for maintenance is approximately 40 minutes. During this maintenance period we will be activating our Mardi Gras content. This post will be updated when maintenance on both live servers is complete.
Update 12:50am Pacific Time:
We are currently unable to bring the servers back online due to an issue experienced with the login server. The maintenance team has been unable to resolve this issue and will need to wait for additional support to be available. In order to maintain the current game state we will need to leave the game servers offline until the login server is ready for testing. We apologize for this delay and will provide updates regarding the server status as soon as new information is available.
Update 12:53pm Pacific Time (3/5):
The issue with the login server appears to be resolved and all servers should be available at this time. If players are experiencing issues with logins please report them to customerservice@portalusgames.com.
¶ 2019-02
VISION ONLINE GAMES STATUS UPDATE
February 11, 2019 / Fodderboy
While we are still working on finishing up the transition of Pirates of the Burning Sea, Vision Online Games wanted to provide the community with an update regarding their current plans for Pirates of the Burning Sea and their progress. The following is a message from the CEO of Vision Online Games. Additional updates, messages or information will be provided when available.
————————————————————————————————————————————
From the Desk of Darrell Benvenuto, CEO of Vision:
Re: Pirates of the Burning Sea, February Status Update
Dear Players,
I have been involved with this project for quite a few years now, not only leading the team overseeing the back-end Vision infrastructure that underlays the game from an executive and supervisory level, but also at times working directly with members of the Portalus Development team, with my own hands directly in the servers, to help implement various improvements, recoveries and changes over time.
As was mentioned in the last update, Vision's initial efforts at the end of 2018 centered on modernizing the game's underlying infrastructure, increasing the number of CPUs in the Servers, their speeds, reliability, etc. I was closely involved in this effort, and oversaw every minute of the transition.
After the transition was complete and the game was running smoothly, a series of Design, Staffing and Marketing Strategy meetings took place internally within Vision and together with Portalus. These talks covered a wide range of wrap-up tasks, immediate next-steps and mid-term / long-term plans.
While discussing the needs and wants of the players moving forward, a key item was a long-standing division dating back to the early post-Sony days of the game (and the changes that followed). One of the recommendations put forth by Portalus to resolve it was that a Legacy Server be created, which would allow the portion of the player population that prefer the classic Sony-era game to indulge their preferences in full, while those who prefer the current game style would be able to continue playing it unimpeded.
After talking it over with the team, I agreed that Vision would work to create a Legacy Server, which would allow us to provide both styles of play.
Once that matter had been decided, talks moved on to the steps necessary to make it happen. The engineering logistics of implementing the Legacy Server are going to be significant; aside from creating two development tracks, the classic game's code will require fairly extensive updates to function in the current environment. The Engineering Staff for the game already have a significant list of fixes to tackle on the current game before they can even begin to turn their attention to the Legacy Server project. As a result, players should not expect work to begin on it immediately, but rather after quite a few other things have been gotten out of the way.
Thus, the Legacy Server officially became the new "Step 5" in Vision's plan:
Advertise the Burning Sea across Social Media
Increase the number of Daily Players
Add more Staff to the Live Operations Team
Overhaul and Stabilize the Current Game
Prepare and Launch the Legacy Server
Visually improve the Game over time
As to Step 6, members of Vision's Engineering and Art teams (who had examined the game to offer suggestions, but are not currently assigned to the project) had offered the possibility of adding a number of visual improvements to the game; better shaders, fog banks, dynamic weather (including storms), cloud effects, day/night cycles, rain/smoke/particle systems, more realistic wave effects, more realistic islands, towns, forts, plants, shores and dock areas, higher polygon-count and higher-texture characters, volumetric lighting, cloth physics and other effects. While these sounded very interesting to everyone present, naturally they would have to happen as part of a carefully thought-out plan, over time.
Visual improvements of this nature are part of Step 6, and are expected to become the core of our long-term, ongoing improvements to the game. Another reason this would come in Step 6 is that any such changes would necessarily be carefully planned out and implemented by a dedicated team of Designers, Artists, Animators and Engineers that are more or less permanently assigned to the game -- and who would be attached only after successfully iterating a few times through Steps 3 & 4, building the player population of the game up to a level that can sustain them.
As player satisfaction is the entire purpose behind any such visual improvements, I mentioned that any such new visual features should be optional -- that anyone who wanted to continue to play the game as it looks now should be able to continue to do so by going into Graphic Options and selecting the original shaders , then disabling each of the new visual features.
The topic of meetings then turned to Staffing. As the player population has been steadily growing in the wake of the transition to Vision (and as the upcoming Marketing push is expected to grow it further still), customer support requests have been increasing. It was decided that the first new Team Member to be added to the project will be a GM, providing additional Player Support.
Beyond that initial new team member, it was agreed that Brian Taney (who had been a part of the project since its early days at Flying Lab Software) would be transitioning from Portalus to Vision, to initially oversee Player Support and Community Management. Brian has been central to the entire transition to date -- indeed, it could not have happened without him. He is expected to continue to act as a strong pillar supporting the game as he eventually transitions to Head of the Live Operations team at Vision.
The Marketing group is currently in the process of determining what channels various marketing campaigns will be rolled out promoting the game, to help rebuild the player population back up to a sustainable level. It is anticipated that campaigns will be run across Facebook, Google, Tumblr, YouTube and Instagram, becoming steadily more focused on the channels that produce the best results in terms of new-players-per-month.
These Campaigns are expected to be a mix of still images, video footage, animated GIFs, and Influencer promotion (at later stages). As the precise dates for each of these campaigns are locked down, they will be announced to the players ahead of time, along with sneak peeks at some of the ads and content.
Various options of enlisting the players' support for these campaigns have been discussed, including contests for the best screenshots, most amazing video footage and more. We want to show new players what makes this game so amazing -- and who best to do that but its most ardent fans? As any such contest plans are finalized, they'll each be announced as well.
Talks are still underway, as are staffing efforts and other initiatives surrounding this title. There is a large amount of effort that takes place behind the scenes to support and sustain the live operations of any MMO. The Burning Sea is no different in this regard, but its dedicated players are expected to make all the difference in helping it succeed in the years to come.
I look forward to speaking with you again in future updates!
Darrell Benvenuto, CEO
Vision Online Games
SERVER MAINTENANCE
February 11, 2019 / Fodderboy
We will be taking the servers offline for maintenance on February 13, 2019. Maintenance will begin at 10:30pm Pacific Time (1:30am Eastern/6:30am GMT/9:30am MSK on February 14, 2019). The expected down time for maintenance is approximately 30 minutes. This post will be updated when maintenance on both live servers is complete.
Update 11:05pm Pacific Time:
Maintenance is now complete. All servers should be available.
¶ 2019-01
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY PIRATES OF THE BURNING SEA!
January 22, 2019 / Fodderboy
Today is a special day in the history of PotBS as the game celebrates its 11th birthday! This is an accomplishment that many online games never achieve and stands as testimony to the players and fans of the game that support it. I can safely say, speaking for myself and those who have worked with and on the game over its lifespan, you have our thanks and gratitude for the support you all have given the game and we hope to keep the ship sailing onward into its 12th year with your continued support.
It is a special day for PotBS beyond its achievements in longevity in that the burning question for everyone regarding the future of that 12th year for PotBS now has an answer - we know who the new operator for the game will be and it will be Vision Online Games!
Vision Online Games has provided the following introduction message for the players on this celebration day:
This Year marks the Eleventh (11th) Anniversary of Pirates, and what a year it has been!
As everyone knows from earlier announcements, Pirates was slated to be closed down in October of 2018. It was saved from that fate by the same company that has been hosting it all along -- Vision Online Games (https://www.VisionOnlineGames.com). Vision is based in Los Angeles, California. It's CEO is a senior software development executive from the game industry, with over 25 shipped titles to his name.
Vision has a plan to not only continue hosting Pirates moving forward, but to update its technology, steadily grow its population over time, fix outstanding issues and eventually to upgrade its graphics and add ever-more content to the game.
The first part of this plan kicked off at the end of October. During an extra-long scheduled down time of the game, Vision's engineers took over the game's infrastructure and replaced most of the servers upon which Pirates runs. In this "Technology Refresh", the number of Server Cores in each Game Server increased from 4 to 32. Faster Memory, More Memory, Faster Drives and other benefits (such as a 40 Gbps internal network and new Content Distribution Server for new-player client downloads) were put in place. Since then, Pirates has been running smoothly on its new equipment, and has been judged ready to move to the next stage.
Vision's plan moving forward consists of three key steps:
-
Advertise Pirates across Social Media
-
Increase the number of Daily Players
-
Add more Staff to the Pirates Team
Vision is aware that Pirates needs more GMs, Support Members, Programmers, Designers, Artists and a Live Operations team if it is going to continue to grow - - and live up to its true potential.
Several frank discussions were held back in October about these needs, in which the future of the game quite literally hung in the balance.
The outcome of these talks was that while Vision would put forward all of the equipment and manpower needed to modernize the game's infrastructure, the game would have to prove itself beyond those core costs. In other words, the budget for the marketing / advertising stages of the game's growth would have to derive from the game's revenue.
The plan is that as the marketing stage begins and more players join the game, the added revenue they generate will be plowed back not only into more marketing, but it will also allow much-needed additional staff to join the Pirates team.
The transition process of moving the License and Operating Responsibilities from Portalus to Vision is still underway, but is expected to be completed soon. Once complete, the game's 2019-2020 Marketing Campaign will be planned out and kicked off. More news on that when it becomes available!
Vision will try to minimize the impact of the transition, will maintain all of the current player accounts, and is expected to be assuming control over the BurningSea.com domain, maintaining the Forums, etc. Until this process is complete, Support inquiries should continue being made using the same systems as are now in place (customerservice@portalusgames.com). However, any inquiries pertaining to the game outside of that scope should be addressed to the PotBS support email at Vision (pirates@VisionOnlineGames.com).
We will continue to keep you abreast of changes as they unfold and things settle back down.
In the meantime, Happy Anniversary! Let's all play, enjoy, and really make it happen out there!
For players who have had questions regarding whether or not their current accounts will be carried over from one operator to the next you now know that your current accounts will be continued with Vision Online Games. No migration will be necessary as Vision Online Games is already the game's host. Portalus Games will continue to provide customer service, administrative services and perform basic maintenance through the transition. Portalus Games will then continue with the original closure plans announced in September 2018 once the transition is complete.
Once again I want to thank everyone for supporting the game over the years and I hope that this announcement will bring some reason to celebrate this Anniversary for all. The good ship PotBS is about to embark on a new chapter in this 12th year of its life. May she be blessed with fair winds and clear skies as she sets sail upon new waters toward a brighter future!
SERVER MAINTENANCE/ANNIVERSARY CONTENT
January 20, 2019 / Fodderboy
We will be taking the servers offline for maintenance on January 21, 2019. Maintenance will begin at 10:30pm Pacific Time (1:30am Eastern/6:30am GMT/9:30am MSK on January 22, 2019). The expected down time for maintenance is approximately 40 minutes. During this maintenance period we will be activating our Anniversary content. This post will be updated when maintenance on both live servers is complete.
Update 11:15pm Pacific Time:
Maintenance is now complete. All servers should be available for service.
¶ 2018
SERVER MAINTENANCE/CHRISTMAS CONTENT
December 07, 2018 / Fodderboy
We will be taking the servers offline for maintenance on December 8, 2018. Maintenance will begin at midnight Pacific Time (3am Eastern/8am GMT/11am MSK). The expected down time for maintenance is approximately 40 minutes. During this maintenance period we will be activating our Christmas content now that the internal deployment issue has been resolved. This post will be updated when maintenance on both live servers is complete.
Update 12:45am Pacific Time:
Maintenance is now complete. All servers should be available for service.
SERVER MAINTENANCE/CHRISTMAS CONTENT - POSTPONED
December 03, 2018 / Fodderboy
An internal development service failure has caused us to postpone this maintenance and content update until the issue is resolved. This issue does not affect the live game servers as it is related to our internal development tools only. The maintenance and content update will be scheduled as soon as possible after the issue is resolved.
We will be taking the servers offline for maintenance on December 5, 2018. Maintenance will begin at 10:30pm Pacific Time (1:30am Eastern/6:30am GMT/9:30am MSK on December 6, 2018). The expected down time for maintenance is approximately 40 minutes. During this maintenance period we will be activating our Christmas content. This post will be updated when maintenance on both live servers is complete.
¶ 2018-12
BURNING SEA NOTE DELIVERY FAILURES
December 01, 2018 / Fodderboy
We are currently experiencing an issue with our Burning Sea Note delivery system where orders are being taken but the Burning Sea Notes are not being delivered. Our data center is investigating this issue to determine its cause and resolution. We encourage players to refrain from purchasing Burning Sea Notes at this time until the issue is resolved. For players who have orders currently placed and are still waiting for Burning Sea Note delivery we will get the Notes delivered within the next 24 hours. We encourage players currently waiting on Burning Sea Note delivery to contact customer service at customerservice@portalusgames.com to confirm their orders and indicate which character the Notes should be delivered to in the event that we have to manually process Burning Sea Note delivery. This post will be updated when the delivery issue is resolved.
Update 11:15am Pacific Time (12/2):
The issue regarding Burning Sea Note delivery has been resolved. Players should now be receiving Burning Sea Notes as expected. Players who have been waiting for Burning Sea Note deliveries should receive them on their next login. Anyone who has an outstanding Burning Sea Note order and has not received them within 24 hours should contact customerservice@portalusgames.com so we can investigate and resolve the issue.
¶ 2018-10
SERVERS OFFLINE
October 29, 2018 / Fodderboy
We will need to take the servers offline at 2pm Pacific/5pm Eastern/10pm GMT today (1am MSK on October 30th) in order to implement some server hardware changes necessary for November operation. The servers are expected to be offline through the remainder of the day and into the evening. We apologize for the short notice of this outage and will provide additional updates when more information is available.
Update 11:47pm Pacific Time (10/29):
The data center is still working on their migration of the game to new server hardware and will not complete their work this evening. The servers will need to remain offline at least until tomorrow morning (10/30) Pacific time. Further updates will be provided when additional information regarding migration progress is received from the data center.
Update 11:15am Pacific Time (10/30):
The update we received from the data center this morning informed us that the game has been moved to the new server but there are still configuration issues that need to be resolved before the game servers will be available. We do not have an estimate on how long this process will take as this is the first time this has ever been attempted with the game. When the servers come back online there will need to be an extended testing period before they will be opened for play. Updates will be provided when additional information becomes available.
Update 11:53pm Pacific Time (10/30):
The data center team is continuing to resolve configuration issues being experienced with the new server setup. They will work into the evening as long as possible however if they complete their work during the night the test team will not be available until the morning to start testing. Another update will be provided after we receive the morning update from the data center team regarding server status.
Update 12:45pm Pacific Time (10/31)
The data center still experiencing issues with small set of communication processes that have prevented the test team from starting the new server testing. Testing should begin shortly after the issues are resolved however we do not have an estimate as to how much longer the issues will take to resolve at this time.
Update 10:25pm Pacific Time (10/31):
The inability to clear up an issue experienced in the reconfiguration of the game servers has forced the data center team to pursue a different course of action in order to restore server availability on the new hardware. The result of this reconfiguration will have the servers unavailable for testing until late evening (Pacific time) on November 1st. More information about server availability will be provided at that time.
Update 11:10pm Pacific Time (11/1):
The data center has completed their work but there is still work that needs to be done by Hamled to finish the upgrade process. Hamled will not be able to complete his work tonight. We will assess his progress in the morning and hopefully be able to provide an estimate as to when the servers will be reopened.
Update 11:38am Pacific Time (11/2):
Hamled was able to complete his portion of the server transition this morning and we were able to successfully start and test all the servers. There is only one step left in completing the server upgrade. The data center will need to have the servers offline while some last hardware changes are made. The data center indicated that since the servers passed their tests this morning the servers will be available at some point later today. Further updates will be provided when the data center has finished their last segment of work.
Update 9:10pm Pacific Time (11/2):
The server hardware upgrade and testing is complete. All servers should be available for service at this time. We want to thank everyone for their patience through this lengthy process.
SERVER MAINTENANCE 2018/10/23
October 22, 2018 / Fodderboy
We will be taking the servers offline for maintenance on October 23, 2018. Maintenance will begin at 10:30pm Pacific Time (1:30am Eastern/6:30am GMT/9:30am MSK on June 19, 2018). We hope to have all maintenance completed within 30 minutes. During this maintenance period we will also be activating our Halloween content. This post will be updated when maintenance on both live servers is complete.
Update 11:01pm Pacific Time:
Server maintenance is now complete. All servers should be available.
¶ 2018-09
POTBS EXTENDED PLAY!
September 30, 2018 / Fodderboy
I am happy to announce that PotBS will continue to be available for the month of October. The combination of contributions from players and management have secured enough funding to support the game through the month allowing companies currently evaluating the game for future operation more time to make their assessments and/or preparations.
Due to the short notice of this operational extension there is the possibility of some service issues on October 1st. We will be working through the day to identify any potential issues and resolve them if possible beforehand. Unexpected or unavoidable issues will be posted here as soon as they are identified or experienced.
I’d like to thank the game community for their generous support which was instrumental in securing this extension. The added time will hopefully accelerate the process of securing a new operator for the game while allowing the community as a whole more time to enjoy the game.
Update October 1 9:16am Pacific time:
The servers are currently unavailable. We anticipated there may be issues with today’s availability due to some service changes that were implemented yesterday. We are currently working to restore server availability and will update this post as soon as we have more information regarding the current issue.
Update 1:33pm Pacific time:
We have identified the cause of the server issues and are working on resolving them. The estimated time for repair is 6-7 hours. More information will be posted as it becomes available.
Update 7:49pm Pacific time:
The issues with the servers have been resolved. All servers should be available at this time.
INTERNATIONAL TALK LIKE A PIRATE DAY
September 19, 2018 / Fodderboy
To commemorate this annual event we have activated our Talk Like a Pirate Day content. For those who are unfamiliar with the content its starting mission can be found by looking for a character by the name of "Billings" in the starting port for each nation. This content will remain available until the end of the month.
I would like to inform those who receive your information regarding the game here rather than through the official forum that there is a community based effort on going to keep the servers available after Portalus intended operation end on September 30th. We at Portalus will keep the servers on for the community until a new operator for the game is found as long as the community can meet the minimum payment for the servers. For those interested in information regarding this effort and its progress we highly encourage you to check our forum found here for more detailed information: forums.burningsea.com .
SERVER MAINTENANCE 2018/9/18
September 17, 2018 / Fodderboy
We will be taking the servers offline for maintenance on September 18, 2018. Maintenance will begin at 10:30pm Pacific Time (1:30am Eastern/6:30am GMT/9:30am MSK on June 19, 2018) starting with the Roberts server. When the maintenance on the Roberts server is complete (estimated to be approximately 20 minutes) we will open the Roberts server and then take the Antigua server offline for maintenance. We hope to have all maintenance completed within 50 minutes. During this maintenance period we will also be activating our Talk Like a Pirate Day content. This post will be updated when maintenance on both live servers is complete.
Update 11:23pm Pacific Time:
Server maintenance is now complete. All servers should be available.
¶ 2018-08
PORTALUS GAMES CLOSURE
August 31, 2018 / Fodderboy
Being that this may be the most important announcement I have ever made regarding Pirates of the Burning Sea I will come directly to the purpose of this announcement before we lose any readers to explanation or verbosity.
Portalus Games will cease operation of Pirates of the Burning Sea on September 30, 2018.
I wish I could say this decision was a difficult one but the truth is that it is the best decision that can be made at this time regarding the game's future. Hamled has decided to leave Portalus Games. Since Hamled is the only code writer associated with Portalus Games the company is no longer capable of maintaining the game. Without someone possessing the necessary code writing skills the game runs the risk of unexpected and unannounced shut down due to server software failures. This is a situation we find unacceptable as we have always been dedicated to a minimum of 30 days notice for our game community if the game was going to close. Rather than run the risk of all the issues that would come from a server software failure and an unannounced closure we have decided to commit to a specific closure date for Portalus Games that would allow proper advanced notice to our game community.
I would like to stress that the closure of Portalus Games does not have to result in the closure of Pirates of the Burning Sea. The game has a stable core community that has for the past 5 years been able to maintain the game servers and it is conceivable that this community could maintain the game for another 5 years or longer but it would need to be operated by a company better structured and better staffed than Portalus Games to do so. I came to this conclusion after receiving the news that Hamled would be leaving Portalus and then spending some time evaluating the possibility of continuing to maintain the game as a solo operator. While I have been able to maintain the current status and even resolve a couple of server hardware issues I am unable to resolve issues that result from software failures and given the scope of everything else involved in maintaining the game I am fully aware that I cannot realistically maintain this game alone. For Pirates of the Burning Sea to continue it needs to transition from the hands of Portalus Games to a company better able to maintain it to succeed.
Once I came to this conclusion I began inquiry and negotiations with all the third parties involved with the operation of the game to determine if this transition was possible. Overall the responses were positive and I have agreement in principle to allow the license to operate the game to be transferred from Portalus Games to an acceptable business entity capable of operating the game if one can be found. This will be my focus moving forward as it is my hope that not only can another operator for the game be found but that it may also be possible to avoid an actual shut down of the game at the end of this coming September.
I believe the first possible replacement for Portalus Games as operator should be with the game community itself. Over the years we have often had community members volunteer to assist with the game only to have to turn them away due to the company's structure and the legal requirements for compensation that the game could not afford. If a new company were formed as a non-profit corporation representing the game community it would allow for volunteers to contribute to game operation and open the possibility of a much brighter future for the game than can be found with Portalus. To this end we will begin immediately on efforts to organize a new management group. I would encourage those community members interested in joining the effort to form a new company to operate Pirates of the Burning Sea to join the community discussion regarding the subject on the community forum found here: forums.burningsea.com/ .
Updates regarding this effort and/or the search for a new game operator will be provided here when adequate information becomes available.
I would like to thank the community for its support to date in keeping the game available for play and for any support provided during Portalus final month of operation. I would encourage community at this time to pull together and take this opportunity to determine the future of your game. The game has proven to be more durable than the companies that have operated it in the past due to the strength of the game community. It is my hope that Portalus will simply be another chapter in a long history for Pirates of the Burning Sea and I believe that the strength of this game community has the power to make it happen.
POTBS FORUM AVAILABLE
August 29, 2018 / Fodderboy
The issues we have been experiencing since moving the forum to our new host have been resolved and the forum is available for use again.
Our former hosting service supported a single sign on functionality that is not supported by our current host. The removal of this system for login will require that all users reset their passwords in order to login. Users should verify their email addresses as the reset process will send reset information to the registered email address.
Please note there are a few minor issues that still need to be resolved however these issues should not prevent users from being able to access and use the forum.
ANTIGUA SERVER OFFLINE
August 04, 2018 / Fodderboy
We are currently experiencing an issue with the Antigua server that has forced us to take the server offline until the issue can be resolved. We have not yet received any information from the data center regarding the cause of the issue or when the issue will be resolved. The initial onset of this issue caused a problem for the Roberts server which appears resolved at the moment. This post will be updated as soon as we receive information from data center regarding the server issue and when that issue may be resolved.
Update 2:15pm Pacific Time:
Maintenance personnel are working on the issue we are experiencing with the Antigua server. We do not have an estimate on when they will complete their work at this time.
Update 7:28pm Pacific Time:
It is believed that the issue with the Antigua server has been resolved. The server has been opened for service at this time.
¶ 2018-07
POTBS FORUM UNAVAILABLE
July 22, 2018 / Fodderboy
We are going to need to take our forum down for a few days this week as we are going to be changing our hosting service. The Vanilla hosted forum will be available throughout today and a short portion of tomorrow before being taken down. Once the forum has been taken down Vanilla will prepare the existing forum data for export and once we receive that export file from Vanilla we can begin integrating the data into the new hosting service. We will take this opportunity to do some clean up on the forum by archiving some older content and making some structural changes. Vanilla has informed us that the export file will not be ready before Tuesday of the coming week meaning the forum will be down for a minimum of two days.
We hope to be able to complete our transition work during the forum down time but cannot be certain the work will be completed within that time. Updates regarding our change of hosting services will be posted here and the forum available will be posted here through the forum transition process.
Update July 25, 2018 9:30pm Pacific Time:
We are still waiting for the export file from our previous forum host to arrive. We do not have an estimate as to when the file will be ready as there was a one day delay in taking the former forum down. We hope to receive the file within the next 24 hours.
Update July 27, 2018 10:42am Pacific Time:
We received the forum export file from our former host and the file has been provided to our new forum host. If current estimates hold the new forum should be available sometime in the next 48 hours.
Update July 30, 2018 10:47pm Pacific Time:
As is obvious from the previous update the estimates did not hold and numerous technical issues were experienced in an attempted restoration of the forum on a new service. The particular issues experienced were severe enough that we have been forced to seek a different provider in order to make another attempt at forum restoration. Should this search fail to yield a provider before the end of the week we will proceed with starting a new forum and work with the raw data provided by Vanilla to extract previous forum data manually in a prioritized fashion favoring game help and active community projects. A hosting service capable of working with the Vanilla data is preferred but we do not want to let that requirement delay restoration of forum service for too long. Updates regarding the forum status will be provided as soon as new information is available.
Update August 6, 2018 11:50pm
A new service has been secured but we still have not completed setting up a forum due to schedule conflicts and limited time for the work. The server issues experienced on August 4th have used most of the available time for forum work over this past weekend and other issues continue to present schedule conflicts for forum work during this week. It is our hope that the forum will return later this week but it is unlikely to be ready before August 9th given the amount of time available for the work prior to that date. We will update again on August 9th if the forum is not available before that date.
Update August 14, 2018 12:08am:
Tech support at our new hosting service has not been able to restore the old forum due to some data issues with the data provided by Vanilla. At the moment we are going back and forth between the two services attempting to resolve the issues. If the issues cannot be resolved we will proceed with a new forum and then do what what we can to retrieve the data from Vanilla and attempt to manually restore critical forum areas such as Game Help and active community projects. Updates will be provided when current status changes.
Update August 15, 2018 11:18pm Pacific Time:
After coordinating two different tech support teams the issues with the forum restoration have been resolved. There are still a few set up items remaining before the forum will be accessible. We estimate the forum will be available before the upcoming weekend. This post will be updated when the forum is available for use.
Update August 16, 2018 1:05pm Pacific Time:
The forum is not yet available for use however sections of the forum such as Game Help are now accessible as sources of information. Currently users cannot successfully log in to the forum due to a login issue we are working on but can view any part of the forum that was previously accessible without logging in. Once the login issue is resolved we will be able to work on restoring/changing the look of the forum. Further updates will be posted here when the login issue is resolved.
ANTIGUA AND ROBERTS SERVERS OFFLINE
July 19, 2018 / Fodderboy
We have experienced issues with our two live servers over the past two days that have accumulated into a major issue that is going to take some time to resolve. Both the Antigua and Roberts servers are currently offline and will be offline for several hours at a minimum. We are keeping these servers off until our maintenance personnel can resolve the issue to prevent server events from progressing. At this time we do not have an estimate regarding how long the servers will be offline. We will update this post as soon as we have additional information regarding how long the issue resolution will require.
Update 1:25pm Pacific Time:
From information regarding the server issues available at this time the servers are unlikely to be available for most players today (July 19, 2018) as our maintenance team has informed us that work will be ongoing into the evening hours Pacific Time. This post will be updated after we receive more information from the maintenance team later this evening.
Update 9:35pm Pacific Time:
The issue with the Antigua and Roberts server has been resolved. Both servers should be available for service at this time.
¶ 2018-06
SERVER MAINTENANCE 2018/6/28
June 27, 2018 / Fodderboy
We will be taking the servers offline for maintenance on June 28, 2018. Maintenance will begin at 10:30pm Pacific Time (1:30am Eastern/6:30am GMT/9:30am MSK on June 22, 2018) starting with the Roberts server. When the maintenance on the Roberts server is complete (estimated to be approximately 15 minutes) we will open the Roberts server and then take the Antigua server offline for maintenance. We hope to have all maintenance completed within 30 minutes. This post will be updated when maintenance on both live servers is complete.
Update 11:14pm Pacific Time:
Maintenance experienced a slight delay to allow a port battle on the Antigua server to finish. Maintenance is now complete.
SERVER MAINTENANCE 2018/6/21
June 20, 2018 / Fodderboy
We will be taking the servers offline for maintenance on June 21, 2018. Maintenance will begin at 10:30pm Pacific Time (1:30am Eastern/6:30am GMT/9:30am MSK on June 21, 2018) starting with the Roberts server. When the maintenance on the Roberts server is complete (estimated to be approximately 15 minutes) we will open the Roberts server and then take the Antigua server offline for maintenance. We hope to have all maintenance completed within 30 minutes. This post will be updated when maintenance on both live servers is complete.
Update 11:07pm Pacific Time:
Maintenance is now complete.
SERVER MAINTENANCE 2018/6/14
June 13, 2018 / Fodderboy
We will be taking the servers offline for maintenance on June 14, 2018. As with our last maintenance we will begin at 10:30pm Pacific Time (1:30am Eastern/6:30am GMT/9:30am MSK on June 15, 2018) by taking the Roberts server offline for maintenance. When the maintenance on the Roberts server is complete (estimated to be approximately 15 minutes) we will open the Roberts server and then take the Antigua server offline for maintenance. We hope to have all maintenance completed within 30 minutes. This post will be updated when maintenance on both live servers is complete.
Update 11:01pm Pacific Time:
Server maintenance is complete.
SERVER MAINTENANCE 2018/6/6
June 05, 2018 / Fodderboy
We will be taking the servers offline for maintenance on June 6, 2018. As with our last maintenance we will begin at 10:30pm Pacific Time (1:30am Eastern/6:30am GMT/9:30am MSK on June 7, 2018) by taking the Roberts server offline for maintenance. When the maintenance on the Roberts server is complete (estimated to be approximately 15 minutes) we will open the Roberts server and then take the Antigua server offline for maintenance. We hope to have all maintenance completed within 30 minutes. This post will be updated when maintenance on both live servers is complete.
Update 11:01pm Pacific Time:
Server maintenance is complete.
¶ 2018-05
SERVER MAINTENANCE 2018/5/22
May 21, 2018 / Fodderboy
We are going to combine the postponed previous maintenance with this week's maintenance on May 22, 2018. We will also attempt a maintenance change that will not require all the servers to taken offline at the same time for evaluation.
Beginning at 10:30pm Pacific Time (1:30am Eastern/6:30am GMT/9:30am MSK on May 23, 2018) we will take the Roberts server offline for maintenance. When the maintenance on the Roberts server is complete (estimated to be approximately 15 minutes) we will open the Roberts server and then take the Antigua server offline for maintenance. We hope to have all maintenance completed within 30 minutes. This post will be updated when maintenance on both live servers is complete.
Please note, due the usage nature of the Test server we will no longer schedule Test server maintenance with the live server maintenance. Test server maintenance will be done as needed and at a time during the day when the server is not in use. If the Test server appears offline it is likely for maintenance unless the down time exceeds 30 minutes.
Update 11:04pm Pacific Time:
Server maintenance is complete.
SERVER MAINTENANCE 2018/5/17
May 16, 2018 / Fodderboy
We will be taking the servers offline at 12AM Pacific Time/3 AM Eastern Time/8 AM GMT/11 AM MSK on Thursday, May 17, 2018 for weekly server maintenance. The expected server down time is approximately 45 minutes. This post will be updated when the maintenance activity is complete.
Update:
Due to an unexpected schedule conflict this maintenance period has been postponed. A maintenance update will be provided when the maintenance period has been rescheduled.
ALL SERVERS DOWN
May 08, 2018 / Fodderboy
We have experienced a major failure with a hardware component in our server systems that will require work at our data center before the servers can be brought back online. Due to the time of this failure we may not be able to replace the failed hardware until day time working hours at our data center in Los Angeles. We apologize for this inconvenience and are working to restore the servers as soon as we can. Due to the nature of this failure and the need for new hardware to arrive we cannot accurately predict when the servers will be available and will update this post when we have new information regarding the issue.
Update 1:16pm Pacific Time:
The failed hardware has been replaced but there is a considerable amount of configuration work remaining on the physical servers before we can restart the game servers. We will not be able to provide an estimate on when the game servers will be available at this time however we do believe the servers will be available some time later today.
Update 6:15pm Pacific Time:
The issues with the servers have been resolved. All servers should be available for service.
CUSTOMER SERVICE DELAYS
May 03, 2018 / Fodderboy
Due to both technical and personnel issues there will be delays in customer service responses over the next 48 hours. We are prioritizing support requests involving Treasure Aisle items and billing issues which will see longer than usual delays. Support requests regarding lost accounts, account recovery, general account information or rule violations will be delayed until the coming weekend. We apologize for these delays and hope to have the situations corrected as soon as possible.
SERVER MAINTENANCE 2018/5/3
May 01, 2018 / Fodderboy
We will be taking the servers offline at 12AM Pacific Time/3 AM Eastern Time/8 AM GMT/11 AM MSK on Thursday, May 3, 2018 for weekly server maintenance. The expected server down time is approximately 1 hour.
¶ 2018-04
SERVER MAINTENANCE 2018/4/26
April 24, 2018 / Fodderboy
We will be taking the servers offline at 12AM Pacific Time/3 AM Eastern Time/8 AM GMT/11 AM MSK on Thursday, April 26, 2018 for weekly server maintenance. The expected server down time is approximately 45 minutes. This post will be updated when the maintenance activity is complete.
Update 12:40am Pacific Time:
Server maintenance is complete. All servers should be available for service.
SERVER MAINTENANCE 2018/4/19
April 17, 2018 / Fodderboy
We will be taking the servers offline at 12AM Pacific Time/3 AM Eastern Time/8 AM GMT/11 AM MSK on Thursday, April 19, 2018 for weekly server maintenance. The expected server down time is approximately 45 minutes. This post will be updated when the maintenance activity is complete.
Update 12:48am Pacific Time:
Server maintenance is complete. All servers should be available for service.
ROBERTS SERVER OFFLINE 2018/4/11
April 11, 2018 / Fodderboy
We are currently experiencing an issue with the Roberts login server that will not allow players to connect to the game server. We have taken the Roberts server offline to hold the server processes until the login issue can be resolved. The issue requires coordination with our data center personnel in Los Angeles. We do not have an ETA on resolution of this issue. This post will be updated as soon as we have new information or the issue is resolved.
Update 8:10pm Pacific Time:
The issue with the Roberts login server has been resolved. The server is available for service.
SERVER MAINTENANCE 2018/4/13
April 11, 2018 / Fodderboy
We will be taking the servers offline at 12AM Pacific Time/3 AM Eastern Time/8 AM GMT/11 AM MSK on Friday, April 13, 2018 for weekly server maintenance. The expected server down time is approximately 45 minutes. This post will be updated when the maintenance activity is complete.
Update 12:40am Pacific Time:
Server maintenance is now complete. All servers should be available for service.
¶ 2018-03
SERVER MAINTENANCE 2018/3/29
March 27, 2018 / Fodderboy
We will be taking the servers offline at 12AM Pacific Time/3 AM Eastern Time/8 AM GMT/11 AM MSK on Thursday, March 29, 2018 for weekly server maintenance. The expected server down time is approximately 45 minutes. This post will be updated when the maintenance activity is complete.
Update 12:45am Pacific Time:
Maintenance is now complete. All servers should be available for service.
IN-GAME RULES UPDATE 2018/3/24
March 24, 2018 / Fodderboy
We have updated our In-Game rules. We strongly recommend all players review these changes found here: https://portalusgames.com/policy/game-rules/
Changes have been made to the following sections of the game rules:
-
The initial note from the top of the rule page has been incorporated into the Chat rules as the note pertained to chat behavior. There is no change to the rule as it has been applied.
-
The Un-delete rules have been renamed Deleted Characters and the rules reworded to be more concise. There have been no changes to deleted character recovery.
-
The Multiple Accounts rule section has been completely re-written and contains new rules regarding numbers of accounts allowed logged in at once and simultaneously. The new contents of this section of the rules is as follows:
Players may use multiple game accounts. When using multiple accounts account holders must adhere to the following restrictions:
-
No more than 4 accounts may be logged in from a single IP address/account holder simultaneously.
-
No more than 3 accounts from a single account holder may be logged in at the same time on the same server (Test server excluded).
-
No more than 2 accounts from a single account holder may be in ANY combat zone(red zone / port battle / blockading / patrolling), including the port within a combat zone.
-
If any account has a character in ANY combat zone (red zone / PvP flag / port battle / blockading / patrolling), including the port within a combat zone, all accounts logged in on the same server must be in the same nation (Skirmish and Duel excluded).
-
An account holder may not participate on both sides of a port battle. If you receive an invite to multiple nations for the same port battle, you may only accept one of those invitations and must decline the other.
-
If an account holder has a character who is a governor then all governors on associated accounts (alt governors) must be in the same nation. If an account holder wishes to change the nation of their governor(s) then all governor positions must resign, during the same conquest map cycle, before starting or bidding in a governor election in a new nation. Account holders may not participate in building unrest on ports which they govern.
-
Multiple accounts may not be used to circumvent, exploit or manipulate game mechanics to negatively impact the game or design intent. Portalus Games will determine negative impact by server analysis and may utilize this rule at our discretion.
-
Account holders may not use excessive numbers of accounts for game play.
- Use of more than 4 accounts without account upgrades will be considered excessive. Account holders may use up to 6 additional accounts if the additional accounts have account upgrades.
- If an account holder exceeds 10 accounts all accounts must be fully upgraded (all account upgrade options added).
- A player may use no more than 20 accounts in total regardless of upgrade status.
- Legacy Captain's Club accounts are considered fully upgraded.
-
Account holders exceeding the limitations in Rule 8 prior to March 24, 2018 will have account numbers given grandfather status. Account holders found in violation of rules will have their grandfather status removed and be subject to account reduction until in compliance with this rule.
-
Players wishing to exceed the multiple account limitation restrictions for special events, assistance programs or other activities that may benefit the game community overall may request a limitation waiver by contacting customer service at customerservice@portalusgames.com.
-
Regarding Rule 6 we will allow a few days for governors currently in rule violation status to resign from governor positions until all governors are in the same nation. If customer service determines a governor is absent or deliberately avoiding resignation customer service will remove governors from their positions.
-
Regarding Rules 9 and 10 we are aware there are players who are currently possess more accounts than these rules allow. As these account numbers were accumulated prior to these restrictions those account numbers will be granted a grandfather status and players will be able to maintain them without penalty. This status however will be forfeit if an account holder is found in violation of ANY game rule.
-
The Chat Behavior section has been re-worded and expanded for clarification. It contains no rule changes to how they have been applied.
-
The Penalties section has been re-worded and expanded for clarification. It contains no rule changes to how they have been applied.
For additional clarification or questions regarding these rules please contact customer service at customerservice@portalusgames.com .
SERVER MAINTENANCE 2018/3/22
March 21, 2018 / Fodderboy
We will be taking the servers offline at 12AM Pacific Time/3 AM Eastern Time/8 AM GMT/11 AM MSK on Thursday, March 22, 2018 for server maintenance. The expected server down time is approximately 45 minutes. This post will be updated when the maintenance activity is complete.
Please note that we plan to do server maintenance on a weekly basis from this point forward. It is our intention for the maintenance period to occur on the same day and time each week.
Update 12:48am Pacific Time:
Server maintenance is now complete. All servers should be available for service.
SERVER MAINTENANCE 2018/3/15
March 13, 2018 / Fodderboy
We will be taking the servers offline at 12AM Pacific Time/3 AM Eastern Time/8 AM GMT/11 AM MSK on Thursday, March 15, 2018 for server maintenance. The expected server down time is approximately 45 minutes. This post will be updated when the maintenance activity is complete.
Please note the Mardi Gras content period will end with this maintenance cycle.
Update 12:46am Pacific Time:
Server maintenance is now complete. All servers should be available for service.
SERVER MAINTENANCE 2018/3/7
March 05, 2018 / Fodderboy
We will be taking the servers offline at 12AM Pacific Time/3 AM Eastern Time/8 AM GMT/11 AM MSK on Wednesday, March 7, 2018 for server maintenance. The expected server down time is approximately 45 minutes. This post will be updated when the maintenance activity is complete.
Update 12:42am Pacific Time:
Server maintenance is now complete. All servers should be available for service.
¶ 2018-02
SERVER MAINTENANCE 2018/2/28
February 26, 2018 / Fodderboy
We will be taking the servers offline at 12AM Pacific Time/3 AM Eastern Time/8 AM GMT/11 AM MSK on Wednesday, February 28, 2018 for server maintenance. The expected server down time is approximately 30 minutes. This post will be updated when the maintenance activity is complete.
Update 12:46am Pacific Time:
Server maintenance is now complete. All servers should be available for service.
SERVER MAINTENANCE 2018/2/20
February 19, 2018 / Fodderboy
We will be taking the servers offline at 12AM Pacific Time/3 AM Eastern Time/8 AM GMT/11 AM MSK on Tuesday, February 20, 2018 for server maintenance. The expected server down time is approximately 45 minutes. This post will be updated when the maintenance activity is complete.
Update 12:45am Pacific Time:
Server maintenance is complete. All servers should be available for service.
BURNING SEA NOTE SALE EXTENDED
February 15, 2018 / Fodderboy
The 10th Anniversary Burning Sea Note sale has been extended an additional week. Burning Sea Notes will remain on sale through February 20, 2018.
SERVER MAINTENANCE/MARDI GRAS ACTIVATION 2018/2/13
February 12, 2018 / Fodderboy
We will be taking the servers offline at 12AM Pacific Time/3 AM Eastern Time/8 AM GMT/11 AM MSK on Tuesday, February 13, 2018 for server maintenanceand to activate our Mardi Gras content. The expected server down time is approximately 45 minutes. This post will be updated when the maintenance activity is complete.
Update 12:45am Pacific Time:
Server maintenance is complete. All servers should be available for service.
SERVER MAINTENANCE 2018/2/3
February 02, 2018 / Fodderboy
We will be taking the servers offline at 12AM Pacific Time/3 AM Eastern Time/8 AM GMT/11 AM MSK on Saturday, February 3, 2018 for server maintenance. The expected server down time is approximately 45 minutes. This post will be updated when the maintenance activity is complete.
Update 12:45am Pacific Time:
Server maintenance is complete. All servers should be available for service.
¶ 2018-01
NEW ACCOUNT REGISTRATION UNAVAILABLE
January 30, 2018 / Fodderboy
We are currently experiencing an issue that will not allow the creation of new game accounts. We are working to resolve this issue as quickly as we can and will update this post when the issue is resolved.
Update 2018/1/30 6:47PM Pacific Time:
The issue with new account registration has been resolved.
SERVER OUTAGE/BSN ANNIVERSARY SALE 2018/1/22
January 15, 2018 / Fodderboy
We will be taking the servers offline on Sunday evening in order to activate our Anniversary content and to also activate our Anniversary Burning Sea Note sale. The servers will be taken offline at 12AM Pacific Time/3 AM Eastern Time/8 AM GMT/11 AM MSK on Monday January 22, 2018. The expected down time is approximately 90 minutes. This post will be updated when the activation is complete.
Update 2018/1/22 2:41am Pacific Time:
The server maintenance is complete and the Anniversary content has been activated. All servers should be available for service at this time.
Please note - due to an issue encountered during deployment the Burning Sea Note Sale has not yet been activated yet. We apologize for the delay in activation and hope to have the issue resolved in before the end of the day. This post will be updated when the Burning Sea Note sale issue has been resolved.
Update 2018/1/22 6:20pm Pacific Time:
The issue with the 10th Anniversary Burning Sea Note sale has been resolved. The sale prices should now be available for all players.
SERVER MAINTENANCE 2018/1/12
January 11, 2018 / Fodderboy
We will be taking the servers offline at 12AM Pacific Time/3 AM Eastern Time/8 AM GMT/11 AM MSK on Friday, January 12, 2018 for server maintenance. The expected server down time is approximately 1 hour. This post will be updated when the maintenance activity is complete.
Update 1:29AM Pacific Time:
Maintenance is now complete. All servers should be available for service.
¶ 2017
¶ 2017-12
SERVER MAINTENANCE 2017/12/9
December 08, 2017 / Fodderboy
We will be taking the servers offline at 1PM Pacific Time/4 PM Eastern Time/9 PM GMT/12 AM MSK on Saturday, December 9, 2017 to coordinate maintenance with our data center in Los Angeles. During this maintenance outage we will be activating our Christmas content. Any regularly scheduled server events that may occur during this outage will be moved to a later time. The estimated time of the server outage is approximately 2 hours. This post will be updated when the maintenance preparation is complete.
Update 3:15pm Pacific Time:
Our server maintenance is now complete. All servers should be available for service.
¶ 2017-11
ANTIGUA SERVER OFFLINE 2017/11/17
November 17, 2017 / Fodderboy
We are experiencing issues with the Antigua server that affects server performance to a degree that the server can no longer remain online. Our maintenance personnel will attempt to address this issue later this evening however as the server is already scheduled for major maintenance tomorrow the server may remain offline until that maintenance can be completed. We will update this post as soon as we hear from our maintenance team and a decision is made to bring the server back up this evening or wait until after the maintenance window schedule for 11/18.
Update 9:15pm Pacific Time:
The issue with the Antigua server has been resolved and should be available at this time.
SERVER OUTAGE 2017/11/18
November 17, 2017 / Fodderboy
We will need to take the servers offline to do some maintenance and repairs at our data center in Los Angeles on Saturday November 18th 2017 starting at 1PM Pacific Time/4 PM Eastern Time/9 PM GMT/12 AM MSK. This will be an extended outage expected to last approximately 4 hours and possibly longer while we coordinate with third party personnel through this maintenance period. Server events such as port battles that may have occurred during this maintenance window will be rescheduled. We apologize for the unusual time of this maintenance however we have no other options as we are relying on outside personnel to complete this maintenance task. This post will be updated when the maintenance period is complete.
Update 5:47PM Pacific Time 2017/11/18:
Our maintenance period is now complete. All servers should be available for service at this time.
SERVER TRANSFER SYSTEM UNAVAILABLE 2017/11/11
November 11, 2017 / Fodderboy
We have experienced a failure in our server transfer system that will not allow characters to be transferred from one server to another or restore deleted characters until the system can be repaired. At this time we are recommending that players refrain from purchasing server transfers until this system issue is resolved. Players who currently have transfers in process may request refunds from customer service for their transfers or may wait until the issue is resolved. We will process all requests in process as soon as we can complete them and will update this post when the transfer system is functioning again.
¶ 2017-10
SERVER MAINTENANCE 2017/10/29
October 28, 2017 / Fodderboy
We will be taking the servers offline at 4PM Pacific Time/7 PM Eastern Time/12 AM GMT/3 AM MSK on Sunday, October 29, 2017 to coordinate maintenance with our data center in Los Angeles. During this maintenance outage we will be activating our Halloween content as well as rolling out some Treasure Aisle price changes for ships, commissions, structures and account upgrades for the upcoming holidays. Any regularly scheduled server events that may occur during this outage will be moved to a later time. The estimated time of the server outage is approximately 2 hours. This post will be updated when the maintenance preparation is complete.
Update 5:50PM Pacific Time:
Our server maintenance is complete. All servers should be available at this time.
ANTIGUA SERVER OFFLINE (2017/10/27)
October 27, 2017 / Fodderboy
We have experienced a system failure during an attempted server restart of the Antigua server that will require our maintenance team's assistance to address. The server will be unavailable until they are able to resolve the issue. We will update this post when the server is available for service.
Update 7:38pm Pacific Time:
The issue with the Antigua server has been resolved. The server is now open for service.
ACCOUNT REGISTRATION/PASSWORD RESET ISSUES (2017/10/14)
October 14, 2017 / Fodderboy
We are currently experiencing an issue in our account management system that will not allow new accounts to be registered or current account passwords to be reset. This issue is being worked on by our maintenance team. We will update this post as soon as the issue has been resolved.
Update 6:35pm Pacific Time
We have an update from the maintenance team. The issues with registration and password resets have been identified and are under repair. Unfortunately the work will not be completed until some time tomorrow (10/15). This post will be updated when the issue with registration and password resets has been resolved.
Update 10:26am Pacific Time (2017/10/15)
Our maintenance team has informed us that the issue being experienced with account registration and password resets should now be resolved. If you are unable to create a new account or reset your password please inform customer service at customerservice@portalusgames.com.
ANTIGUA SERVER OFFLINE (2017/10/6)
October 06, 2017 / Fodderboy
The Antigua server has been taken offline due to an undetermined issue affecting server performance. We do not know the cause of the issue at this time as we have not received a response from our data center yet regarding the issue. We will update this post as soon as we receive a response and have some indication as to when the issue with the server will be resolved.
Update 9:35pm Pacific Time
The issue with the Antigua server has been resolved and the server should be available at this time.
¶ 2017-09
INTERNATIONAL TALK LIKE A PIRATE DAY
September 19, 2017 / Fodderboy
International Talk Like a Pirate Day is upon us once again and our dedicated content for this day is now available! Look for Billings in your nation's starting ports (Charlesfort, Marsh Harbour, Jenny Bay and Vera Cruz) for what he may offer and enjoy this pirate holiday!
SERVERS OFFLINE FOR SHORT MAINTENANCE
September 17, 2017 / Fodderboy
We will need to take the servers offline in approximately 10 minutes (10:50pm Pacific Time) for a quick maintenance action. The servers should be down for approximately 20 minutes. We apologize for the short notice and interruption in game play. This post will be updated when maintenance is complete.
Update 11:37pm Pacific Time:
The maintenance on the servers is now complete. All servers should be available.
ANTIGUA SERVER OFFLINE (2017/9/8)
September 08, 2017 / Fodderboy
The Antigua server is currently offline due to a failure in the software communications between various components of the server. A restart of the server did not restore these connections rendering the server unplayable so we have taken the server offline until we can resolve the issue. We will update this post when we hear from maintenance when the issue is expected to be resolved.
Update 10:19pm Pacific Time:
The issue with the Antigua server has been corrected and the server should be available for service at this time.
¶ 2017-08
ROBERTS SERVER OFFLINE (2017/8/25)
August 25, 2017 / Fodderboy
We are currently experiencing an issue with the Roberts server that will require the server to remain offline until the maintenance staff can investigate the issue. We apologize for the inconvenience and will update this post as soon as we have new information regarding the Roberts server's status.
Update 11:44pm Pacific Time:
The issue with the Roberts server has been resolved and the server is available for service.
ANTIGUA SERVER OFFLINE (2017/8/12)
August 12, 2017 / Fodderboy
The Antigua server is currently offline due to a failure in the software communications between various components of the server. A restart of the server did restore these connections rendering the server unplayable so we have taken the server offline until we can resolve the issue. We will update this post when we hear from maintenance when the issue is expected to be resolved.
Update 6:02pm Pacific Time
The issue with the Antigua server is resolved and the server should be available at this time.
¶ 2017-07
ANTIGUA SERVER OFFLINE (2017/7/29)
July 29, 2017 / Fodderboy
The Antigua server is currently offline. We do not know the cause of the issue at this time as we have not received a response from our data center yet regarding the issue. We will update this post as soon as we receive a response and have some indication as to when the issue with the server will be resolved.
Update 12:59pm Pacific Time:
The issue with the Antigua server has been resolved. The server should be available at this time.
BURNING SEA NOTE DELIVERY ISSUE
July 15, 2017 / Fodderboy
We are currently experiencing an issue with our Burning Sea Note delivery system that may delay or fail to deliver Burning Sea Notes after purchase. The resolution of this issue requires coordination with PayPal's technical support which at this time is still not scheduled. We have disabled the ability to purchase Burning Sea Notes until such time that we are able to resolve the issues with the delivery system. If you have purchased Burning Sea Notes and have not received them by the end of the day (July 15th) please contact customer service for assistance at customerservice@portalusgames.com. We will update this post when the delivery system issue is resolved and the ability to purchase Burning Sea Notes without issue is restored.
Update July 16th 4:30pm Pacific Time:
The issue we have been experiencing with our Burning Sea Note delivery system has been resolved and players should now be able to purchase and receive Burning Sea Notes. If anyone has not received previously purchased Burning Sea Notes at this time please contact customerservice@portalusgames.com so we may help resolve the issue.
ROBERTS SERVER OFFLINE (2017/7/2)
July 02, 2017 / Fodderboy
We are currently experiencing an issue with the Roberts server that will require the server to remain offline until the maintenance staff can investigate the issue. We apologize for the inconvenience and will update this post as soon as we have new information regarding the Roberts server's status.
Update 3:15pm Pacific Time:
The issue with the Roberts server has been resolved and the server is now open.
¶ 2017-06
ANTIGUA SERVER OFFLINE (2017/6/15)
June 15, 2017 / Fodderboy
The Antigua server is currently offline while we investigate an issue experienced with the login server. The server will remain offline until the issue can be resolved. We do not have an estimate as to when the issue will be resolved at this time. The Roberts and Test servers should be unaffected and available for service. This post will be updated as soon as we have additional information regarding the login issue with the Antigua server.
Update 7:27pm Pacific Time:
The issue with the Antigua login server has been resolved. The server is now available for service.
ANTIGUA AND ROBERTS SERVERS OFFLINE (2017/6/3)
June 03, 2017 / Fodderboy
The Antigua and Roberts servers are currently unavailable due to an issue with their connection to the login servers. Customer Service has not received any information regarding how long the issue will take to resolve. Both servers have been shut down until the issue with the login server has been resolved. We apologize for this interruption and inconvenience and will update this post as soon as we have more information regarding the login server issue.
Update 12:58pm Pacific Time:
We have been able to restore the Antigua server for service. We have not been able to resolve the issues we have experienced with the Roberts server however and at this time it appears that its restoration to service is still several hours away. This post will be updated when we have more information regarding issue resolution for the Roberts server.
Update 2:58pm Pacific Time:
The Roberts server is now available for service.
ANTIGUA AND ROBERTS SERVERS OFFLINE (2017/6/2)
June 02, 2017 / Fodderboy
The Antigua and Roberts servers are currently offline due to an issue at our data center in Los Angeles. We currently do not have an estimate as to when the servers will return to service. We apologize for this interruption and inconvenience and will update this post as soon as we have more information regarding the issue at the data center.
Update 11:08am Pacific Time:
The issue at the data center has been addressed. The Roberts and Antigua servers should be available at this time.
¶ 2017-04
SERVER MAINTENANCE 2017/4/23
April 22, 2017 / Fodderboy
We will be taking the servers offline at 10AM Pacific Time/1 PM Eastern Time/6 PM GMT/9 PM MSK on Sunday, April 23, 2017 to coordinate maintenance with our data center in Los Angeles. The estimated time of the server outage is approximately 1 hour. The outage requires coordination with our data center partners dictating the unusual time for this outage. We apologize for the timing and will reschedule any server based events such as port battles that are conflicted by this schedule. This post will be updated when the maintenance preparation is complete.
Update 11:28am Pacific Time
The maintenance period is complete and all servers should be available for service at this time.
ANTIGUA SERVER OFFLINE 2017/4/12
April 12, 2017 / Fodderboy
The Antigua server has experienced a system communication issue that will require the server to remain offline until the issue is resolved. This outage will likely keep the server offline for serveral hours. We apologize for the interruption and will update this post as soon as we have new information regarding when the server will return to service.
Update 3:43pm Pacific Time
The Antigua server is back online and available for service.
¶ 2017-03
ANTIGUA AND ROBERTS SERVERS OFFLINE
March 25, 2017 / Fodderboy
We have experienced a failure at our data center that has taken both the Antigua and Roberts servers offline. We are currently working to restore the servers to availability as quickly as possible. We apologize for this unscheduled interruption in service and will update this post as soon as we have more information regarding the issue with our servers.
Update 4:17pm Pacific Time
The Antigua and Roberts servers should be available for service at this time.
¶ 2017-02
SERVER OUTAGE 2017/2/26
February 25, 2017 / Fodderboy
We will be taking the servers offline for maintenance at 10 AM Pacific Time/1 PM Eastern Time/6 PM GMT/9 PM MSK on Sunday, February 26, 2017. The estimated time of the server outage is approximately 1 hour.
During this outage we will be activating our Mardi Gras content a couple of days early since we will not be able to activated it on the proper day (Tuesday). The outage requires coordination with our data center partners dictating the unusual time for this outage. We apologize for the timing and will reschedule any server based events such as port battles that are conflicted by this schedule. This post will be updated when the maintenance preparation is complete.
Update 10:44am Pacific Time
Maintenance is complete and all servers should be available at this time with the Mardi Gras content activated.
ANTIGUA SERVER OFFLINE
February 08, 2017 / Fodderboy
The Antigua server is currently offline due to an issue affecting player's abilities to login and change zones. The server will be unavailable until the middle evening hours Pacific Time at the earliest while repairs are being made. This issue does not affect Roberts or the Test server. We apologize for the interruption in game play and inconvenience. The server will remain offline until we are ready to test repairs. This post will be updated when the server is available.
Update:
The issues with the Antigua server have been repaired. The server should now be available for service.
¶ 2017-01
SERVER OUTAGE 2017/1/22
January 21, 2017 / Fodderboy
We will be taking the servers offline for maintenance at 10 AM Pacific Time/1 PM Eastern Time/6 PM GMT/9 PM MSK on Sunday, January 22, 2017. The estimated time of the server outage is approximately 1 hour.
During this outage we will be activating our Anniversary content in celebration of Pirates of the Burning Sea's ninth anniversary. The outage requires coordination with our data center partners dictating the unusual time for this outage. We apologize for the timing and will reschedule any server based events such as port battles that are conflicted by this schedule. This post will be updated when the maintenance preparation is complete.
Update 1047am Pacific Time
Maintenance is complete and all servers should be available at this time.
ANTIGUA SERVER OFFLINE
January 10, 2017 / Fodderboy
We are currently experiencing an issue with the Antigua server that has forced us to take the server offline for service. This issue does not affect the Roberts or Test server. We apologize for the inconvenience and will restore the Antigua server to service as soon as possible. We will update this post when we have more information available regarding the Antigua server status.
Update 10:30pm Pacific Time
The issue with the Antigua server has been resolved and the server should be available for service at this time.
¶ 2016
¶ 2016-12
ANTIGUA SERVER OFFLINE
December 28, 2016 / Fodderboy
We are currently experiencing an issue with the Antigua server that has forced us to take the server offline for service. This issue does not affect the Roberts or Test server. We apologize for the inconvenience and will restore the Antigua server to service as soon as possible. We will update this post when we have more information available regarding the Antigua server status.
Update 5:25pm Pacific Time
The issue with the Antigua server has been resolved and the server should be available for service at this time.
NEW YEAR’S BURNING SEA NOTE SALE
December 26, 2016 / Fodderboy
To celebrate the New Year and the upcoming ninth Anniversary of Pirates of the Burning Sea we will be running a sale on Burning Sea Notes beginning January 1, 2017. As with last year’s Anniversary sale we will be offering Burning Sea Notes with the following discounted prices:
-
33% off 1 and 2 Burning Sea Note bundles -
35% off 4 and 9 Burning Sea Note bundles -
40% off 23 and 47 Burning Sea Note bundles
This sale will run through the Pirates of the Burning Sea Anniversary on January 22, 2017. We would like to thank our players and game supporters for their support through 2016 and hope everyone is enjoying this holiday season.
SERVER OUTAGE 2016/12/3
December 01, 2016 / Fodderboy
We will be taking the servers offline to prepare for future hardware maintenance at 11AM Pacific Time/2 PM Eastern Time/7 PM GMT/10 PM MSK on Saturday, December 3, 2016. The estimated time of the server outage is approximately 1 hour. During this outage we will be deploying the 2.15.46.0 build to the Antigua and Roberts servers as well as activating our Christmas content. The outage requires coordination with our data center partners dictating the unusual time for this outage. We apologize for the timing and will reschedule any server based events such as port battles that are conflicted by this schedule. This post will be updated when the maintenance preparation is complete.
Update 12:12pm Pacific Time:
The server maintenance is now complete. The Antigua and Roberts servers should be available for service at this time.
¶ 2016-10
SERVER OUTAGE 2016/10/29
October 28, 2016 / Fodderboy
We were unable to complete all necessary maintenance during our last maintenance period and have a need to schedule another server outage to complete this process. Unfortunately the pressing need to complete this maintenance combine with the availability of personnel to complete the maintenance will require this outage to occur during this upcoming weekend. To complete this maintenance we will need to take the servers offline at 11PM Eastern/8PM Pacific Time October 29, 2016 (3 AM GMT/6 AM MSK October 30, 2016) for additional maintenance. The estimated time for this server outage is approximately 3 hours. Any affected scheduled events such as port battles impacted by this outage will be moved. We apologize for the short notice regarding outage and schedule and will update this post as soon as the maintenance is complete.
Update 11:41pm Pacific Time
The server maintenance is now complete. All servers should be available. Please note that some players may experience some lag in viewing the auction houses for the first two or three hours after the completion of maintenance while data is continuing to load to the servers.
SERVER MAINTENANCE 2016/10/27
October 24, 2016 / Fodderboy
We will be taking the servers offline for server maintenance at 2 AM Eastern Time/6 AM GMT/9 AM MSK October 27, 2016, (11 PM for the Pacific time zone on October 26, 2016). The estimated time of the maintenance period is approximately 1 hour.
We will be activating our Halloween content during the maintenance period. We will update this post when the server maintenance is complete.
Update 11:49pm Pacific Time
The server maintenance is now complete. All servers should now be available with the Halloween content activated.
¶ 2016-09
SERVER MAINTENANCE 2016/9/16
September 13, 2016 / Fodderboy
We will be taking the servers offline for server maintenance at 1 AM Eastern Time/5 AM GMT/8 AM MSK September 16, 2016, (10 PM for the Pacific time zone on September 15, 2016). The estimated time of the maintenance period is approximately 1 hour.
Due to developer availability conflicts we will be activating the Talk Like a Pirate Day content a during the maintenance period so it will be available for Talk Like a Pirate Day (September 19th). We will update this post when the server maintenance is complete.
Update 1:00am Pacific Time
Server maintenance is now complete and the Talk Like a Pirate Day content has been activated. Issues encountered during maintenance caused the maintenance window to run longer than we estimated. The servers are now available and we apologize for the delay and inconvenience.
¶ 2016-08
SERVER MAINTENANCE 2016/8/15
August 12, 2016 / Fodderboy
We will be taking the servers offline for server maintenance at 1 AM Eastern Time/5 AM GMT/8 AM MSK August 15, 2016, (10 PM for the Pacific time zone on August 14, 2016). The estimated time of the maintenance period is approximately 2 hours. We will update this post when the server maintenance is complete.
Update 12:48am Pacific Time
Server maintenance is complete. All servers should be available for service.
¶ 2016-07
SERVER MAINTENANCE 2016/7/23
July 21, 2016 / Fodderboy
We will be taking the servers offline for a server maintenance at 1 AM Eastern Time/5 AM GMT/8 AM MSK July 23, 2016, (10 PM Pacific Time on July 22, 2016). The estimated time of the maintenance period is approximately 2 hours. We will update this post when the server maintenance is complete.
Update 11:58PM Pacific Time 2016/7/22
Server maintenance is now complete. All servers should be available for service.
¶ 2016-06
SERVER OUTAGE 2016/6/18
June 17, 2016 / Fodderboy
We will be taking all servers offline at 1 AM Eastern Time (5 AM GMT, 8 AM MSK – 10 PM June 17 Pacific Time) for server maintenance and to move build 2.15.45.0 to the Antigua and Roberts servers. The expected down time for maintenance and the new build is approximately 3 hours.
Build 2.15.45.0 features the following changes:
-
The size restriction has been removed from the Privateer and Buccaneer Jugular skills.
-
The combat reinforcement timers have had an additional 90 seconds added to them.
-
Production structures in Treasure Aisle have had their prices reduced.
-
Seasonal Pieces of Eight content has been changed. Since some of this content has not been available for a considerable length of time we have added all of the following items to the seasonal Pieces of Eight exchange:
Precise Navigator Inflammatory Writ Scraps of Canvas Extra Slippery Banana Peel Enlarged Cargo Hold Expanding Bar Shot Basalt Stone Shot Dutch Gunpowder Dutch Chainmail Wooden Sabots Fine Victuals Sea Anchor Talkative Gunner’s Mate Flechette Shot Shot Ovens Divining Bowsprit Hickory Planking Book of Bayou Bogeymen Jar of Swamp Gas Innovative Ensign -
Labor values for most recipes involved with production of materials and items produced from them for construction have been reduced. This change affects hundreds of material and construction component recipes (excluding outfitting and most consumable recipes).
-
Treasure Aisle structures have gained additional reduction in recipe labor values to increase the benefit of using these structures in material and component construction.
Please note we are aware of a few duplicate items in the seasonal Pieces of Eight exchange and in some recipes for the Treasure Aisle structures. These duplicate items and recipes do not impede game play and function properly. We will remove the duplicates in the next build.
This post will be updated when the server maintenance is complete and the servers are available.
Update 3:22am Pacific Time
We have encountered an issue with our primary server router during our server maintenance that we will not be able to resolve until additional resources are available later in the day. The issue will not allow the game client to connect to the game servers. We do not have an estimate as to when service will be restored until our third party support is able to address the issue. The servers have been put in the offline status to preserve the current map status of the servers. Scheduled port battles will automatically be re-scheduled if the servers are not available at the currently scheduled time. We will update this post with additional information regarding our server router issue as soon as we have more information available.
Update 5:37pm Pacific Time
The issue with the primary server router has been resolved. All servers should be available at this time with the 2.15.45.0 build. We apologize for the length of the delay in service and appreciate your patience while we resolved this issue.
¶ 2016-05
SERVER MAINTENANCE RESTART 2016/5/19
May 19, 2016 / Fodderboy
The Antigua and Roberts servers will be taken offline for a maintenance restart this evening May 19, 2016. The servers will not be taken offline simultaneously. We will take the Roberts server offline at 11PM Pacific Time (2AM Eastern/6AM GMT/9AM MSK on May 20, 2016) and the Antigua server at 11:30PM Pacific Time. The expected down time is approximately 20 minutes. The Test server is not part of this maintenance activity and should be available throughout the maintenance period.
Update 11:47pm Pacific Time
The maintenance restart is complete. All servers should be available at this time.
ANTIGUA SERVER OFFLINE 2016/5/13
May 13, 2016 / Fodderboy
The Antigua server is currently offline due to a hardware issue. We are working to resolve this issue as quickly as possible. We will provide updates regarding the issue as soon as more information is available.
Update 3:18pm Pacific Time
The issue with the Antigua server has been resolved. The server should be available at this time.
¶ 2016-04
SERVER OUTAGE 2016/4/27
April 26, 2016 / Fodderboy
We will be taking the servers offline this evening for a server maintenance. We will take the servers offline at 2 AM Eastern Time/6 AM GMT/9 AM MSK April 27, 2016, (11 PM Pacific Time on April 26, 2016). We apologize for the inconvenience and short notice. We will update this post when the maintenance is complete.
12:43am Pacific Time Update
Server maintenance is now complete. All servers should be available.
¶ 2016-02
SERVER OUTAGE 2016/2/15
February 14, 2016 / Fodderboy
We will need to take the servers offline for approximately 1 hour this evening for a server software update. We will take the servers offline at 1 AM Eastern Time/5 AM GMT/8 AM MSK February 15, 2016, (10 PM Pacific Time on February 14, 2016). We apologize for the inconvenience and will update this post when the software update is complete.
Update 12:10am Pacific Time
We have encountered an issue during our server software update that will require us to keep the servers offline for the remainder of the night. There is additional work needed at our data center that will require some assistance from a third party. Unfortunately that third party will not be available until morning business hours start in the Pacific time zone. We apologize for this inconvenience and will return the servers to service as soon as possible.
Update 10:45am Pacific Time
We’ve received an update from our data center and the current work in progress will take at least another 2 hours to complete from the time of this posting. We will provide another update in approximately 2 hours or earlier if the work is completed in less time than estimated.
Update 12:45pm Pacific Time
There has been no change in status since our last update. The current work being done at the data center has exceeded the previous estimate. At this point the work is being done entirely by a third party and we have not yet received an update from them. We apologize for the delay in returning the servers to service and will provide an update as soon as we hear from the data center regarding their progress.
Update 7:50pm Pacific Time
Earlier attempts to correct the issues we are experiencing with the Windows server were not successful. This has put us in a position were new components and software needed to be obtained, installed and updated. Our last update was at 4:25pm stating that the work was in progress. We have not yet received further updates on progress or an estimate on a completion time from the data center but will post an update as soon as we hear from them.
Update 2:25am Pacific Time 2/16/2016
The Antigua and Roberts servers should now be available. The Test server should be available shortly. We apologize for the delays in restoring the servers to operation and thank you for your patience and understanding.
SERVER DOWN TIME REMINDER 2016/2/13
February 12, 2016 / Fodderboy
We will be taking the servers offline this evening at 2 AM Eastern Time/6 AM GMT/9 AM MSK February 13, 2016, (11 PM Pacific Time on February 12, 2016) to perform server maintenance and to activate our Mardi Gras content. The projected server down time is approximately 2 hours.
We will update this posting when the maintenance is complete.
Update - 12:20am Pacific Time
The servers are now open and our Mardi Gras content is now available. Head over to Mardi Gras Bayou to join the festivities but beware of possibly troubled waters near the port of New Orleans!
FAT TUESDAY CAN WAIT!
February 08, 2016 / Fodderboy
Fat Tuesday is upon us but our Mardi Gras celebration content is going to wait a few more days. Traditionally Pirates of the Burning Sea has celebrated Mardi Gras beginning on the 15th of February but we’re going to start a little earlier this year. In order to active our Mardi Gras content we will be taking the servers offline at 2 AM Eastern Time, 6 AM GMT, 9 AM MSK February 13, 2016 (11 PM Pacific Time February 12, 2016) and perform server maintenance at that time. The projected down time for content activation and maintenance is approximately 2 hours.
Since our own Fat Tuesday has to wait so can the end of our Anniversary sale on Burning Sea Notes. The Anniversary sale has been extended through Friday February 12, 2016. Don’t miss this last chance to plunder a few Burning Sea Notes with our Anniversary savings!
¶ 2016-01
HAPPY BIRTHDAY PIRATES OF THE BURNING SEA!
January 22, 2016 / Fodderboy
Today marks the 8th Anniversary of the launch of Pirates of the Burning Sea! In celebration of this milestone we’re happy to announce an Anniversary sale on Burning Sea Notes starting today through February 8th. Our anniversary sale will feature:
-
33% off 1 and 2 Burning Sea Note bundles -
35% off 4 and 9 Burning Sea Note bundles -
40% off 23 and 47 Burning Sea Note bundles
We would like to thank our game community whether you are a newcomer, seasonal visitor or one of those stalwarts that have been here from the beginning for your support, your passion and most of all your love of PotBS through the years. This voyage was not possible without you and those like you. Eight years is a significant milestone in any MMORPG’s life and the strength of the support given to PotBS by this community gives every reason to look forward to more anniversaries to come. So let’s all wish Pirates of the Burning Sea a very happy 8th birthday and don’t forget to check your nation’s starting ports for Anniversary mission content!
SERVER MAINTENANCE/ANNIVERSARY PREPARATION 2016/1/18
January 17, 2016 / Fodderboy
We will be taking the servers offline at 12 AM Pacific Time (3 AM Eastern Time, 7 AM GMT, 10 AM MSK) January 18, 2016 for server maintenance and to prepare to activate our Anniversary content for the upcoming 8th Anniversary of Pirates of the Burning Sea on January 22, 2016. The expected outage time is estimated to be approximately 90 minutes.
We will update this post when the server maintenance is complete.
We would also like to announce in celebration of the 8th Anniversary of Pirates of the Burning Sea we will hold an Anniversary Sale on Burning Sea Notes. Throughout the Anniversary content availability period (January 22nd to February 8th 2016) the price of all all Burning Sea Notes will be reduced 33% with even greater savings for our larger Note bundles. We will post another Anniversary update as the sale arrives.
Update 12:45am Pacific Time
The server maintenance is complete. All servers should be available at this time.
LOGIN SERVER ISSUE 2016/1/8
January 08, 2016 / Fodderboy
We are currently experiencing issues with our login servers. We are working to resolve this issue as soon as possible. We apologize for the inconvenience. We will provide an update when the login server issue has been resolved.
Update 2016/1/8 6:28pm Pacific Time
The issue with our login servers has been determined to be a hardware failure in our data center that will require hardware replacement. We have ordered the necessary replacement equipment and are awaiting its arrival so our IT staff can get it installed. Due to the time of this failure and the time needed for the replacement hardware to arrive the servers will likely be offline for the remainder of January 8th and not likely to come back online until some time during the afternoon or evening of January 9th Pacific time. We will update this post when the new server hardware has been installed.
The hardware that hosts the login servers also hosts the customer service tools. Customer service will be not be able to process service requests until the hardware issue is resolved.
Update 2016/1/9 10:10pm Pacific Time
The hardware replacement is complete but server configuration work continues. During this process there may be interruption or loss of service in other systems. Currently account registration is not available along with customer service. The systems should be restored by the time the configuration work is done. We expect this work will continue into the night and it may extend into tomorrow (January 10th) if a break for sleep is needed. We will update this post when the configuration work is complete. Please note when the servers first come on line players will still not be able to log in until we have completed our testing on the servers before opening them for play.
Update 2016/1/10 2:10pm Pacific Time
The servers have been restored and are available for play. New account registration should also be restored along with other account services. Customer service tools have been restored. Please note that customer service has not been able to clear the back log of service requests from the holidays and with the expectation of status inquiries and possible reimbursements due to the server outage delayed response from customer service should be expected. We apologize for this inconvenience and thank you for your patience and understanding.
¶ 2015
¶ 2015-12
SERVER DOWN TIME 2016/1/1
December 31, 2015 / Fodderboy
We will be taking the servers offline at 12 AM Pacific Time (3 AM Eastern Time, 7 AM GMT, 10 AM MSK) January 1, 2016 for server maintenance and to activate our New Year content. The expected outage time is estimated to be approximately 30 minutes. We will update this post when the maintenance is complete.
0100 Pacific Time
The servers are back online.
There are currently issues with the game download service not being available and purchasing Burning Sea Notes not being available. We are working to resolve these issues as quickly as possible. We will provide an update regarding these issues when they are resolved.
Until the regular download service is restored players should be able to download the game client from this location: http://cdn-02.portaluscorp.net/potbs/client/potbsinstall.exe
Update 1/4/2016 1:50pm Pacific Time
The issues with the web service should now be resolved. Players should be able to access the client download from download locations as before. The game store should now be accessible from in game and new account registration issues should be resolved.
SERVER DOWN TIME 2015/12/5
December 04, 2015 / Fodderboy
We will be taking the servers offline at 12 AM Pacific Time (3 AM Eastern Time, 7 AM GMT, 10 AM MSK) December 5, 2015 for server maintenance and to activate our Christmas content. The expected outage time is estimated to be approximately 3 hours. We will update this post when the maintenance is complete.
Update 12 am Pacific Time
Due to a technical issue the maintenance scheduled for this time has been postponed 24 hours. This maintenance will now occur at the same scheduled time on December 6th instead of the 5th.
Update 3:24 am Pacific Time
Maintenance is complete and the servers are back online. The Christmas content should be active and we've included a few adjustments to some ship writs and deeds in Treasure Aisle.
¶ 2015-11
LIVE SERVER DOWN TIME 2015/11/21
November 20, 2015 / Fodderboy
We will be taking the Antigua and Roberts servers offline at 12 AM Pacific Time (3 AM Eastern Time, 7 AM GMT, 10 AM MSK) to release the 2.15.43.0 to the Live servers. This build features increases to the amount of Pieces of Eight awarded from Treasure Chests, an increase in the number of ship deeds from Treasure Chests, an update to the BitRaider launcher and a new Level 50 advancement item allowing players to skip the lower level development. Please note this item is intended for veteran players already familiar with the game. New players are still recommended to progress through the levels normally as a means of learning the game mechanics before reaching level 50. Additional details regarding Build 2.15.43.0 are found in the post below.
Update 3:36am Pacific Time: The servers are back online. Please note the BitRaider update will take several minutes to download as the update does a complete asset scan of the game files as part of the update.
¶ 2015-10
SERVER MAINTENANCE 2015/10/28
October 28, 2015 / Fodderboy
We will be taking the servers offline in approximately one hour (10pm Pacific Time) for server maintenance and to active the Halloween content. The expected maintenance time is one hour. We apologize for the short notice and the inconvenience.
Update:
11:08pm Pacific Time - All servers are back online.
¶ 2015-09
SERVER MAINTENANCE - 2015/09/19 (ALL SERVERS)
September 18, 2015 / Fodderboy
Update (12:57am Pacific Time) - The servers be back online.
We'll be takin' all servers offline for about 1 hour tonight at midnight (9/19/2015 at 12 AM Pacific Time, 3 AM Eastern Time, 7 AM GMT, 10 AM MSK). This downtime be t' perform regular scheduled maintenance and t' active our Talk Like a Pirate Day content. It be that time again mateys!
ROBERTS SERVER STATUS
September 17, 2015 / Fodderboy
We have taken the Roberts server offline to address the Open Sea sailing issue the server was experiencing and to stop the server from running through the night in that state. If we are unable to bring the server back online by noon Pacific time September 18th we will update the status of the server here. We apologize for the inconvenience and will bring the server back online as soon as we are able to resolve the Open Sea sailing issue.
2015/09/18 1036am Pacific Time
We have brought the Roberts server back online. Players should be able to log in again and the OS issue should be resolved. If any issues are found please email information regarding them to customerservice@portalusgames.com
¶ 2015-07
FORUM STATUS UPDATE
July 25, 2015 / Fodderboy
As some players are aware we’ve had some community members on the forum doing some testing over the past week. At this point I’m willing to say that the forum is functional and can be accessed. I wouldn’t go further than that as it is bare bones but it is in a state where the forum could be used by the community. No announcement has been made up to this point due to an issue in initial registration/sign in that affects community members attempting to reclaim previous forum handles (names) from the forum we carried over from FLS.
The current version of the forum uses your game login credentials as your login information. The same account name and password you use to log in to the game should also log you into the forum. If you have never had a forum account on the previous BurningSea.com forum when you login you should be prompted to select a forum handle (name). Names that already exist in the forum database from the previous BurningSea.com forum are maintained so you may find some names are not available. In such cases the forum will ask you for a password if you are trying to use an existing account name however this password will always fail and you will not be able to use that name. This is the issue that affects reclaiming former forum handles.
The resolution of the issue requires working with our hosting service (Vanilla) and we don’t have an estimate as to when it will be resolved. Rather than keeping the forum to just the community test team until the issue is resolved I’ve decided to let the community know that the forum can be used with caution. Community members who did have former forum handles they wanted to recover that they will have to decide if they wish to wait until the issue is resolved to start using the forum or assume new forum handles to use the forum now.
The forum can be found here: http://forums.burningsea.com/
Again if you are being prompted for a password during the selection of a forum handle (name) the name you are trying to select will not be available at this time. You will have to select a different name to continue with the sign on process for the forum. If the recovery of a forum handle from the previous forum is critical then we recommend you wait until the issue we are experiencing with claiming old forum handles is resolved.
The forum should be considered still under construction. We expect that there will be issues and could have kept the forum private until it was in a more polished state but we do not want to delay what the forum can do for the community any longer. If avoiding issues is critical to you then we suggest you may wish to wait before using the forum. We are working with volunteers from the community to improve the experience. We encourage the community to participate in the forum’s construction with suggestions and feedback to improve the experience for all users and look forward to seeing those interested in this early forum experience when you sign in.
ALL SERVER DOWNTIME - 7/22/2015
July 22, 2015 / Hamled
Update (1:00 PM PDT): Antigua and Roberts are online and open for players once again! The verification process took quite a bit longer than expected, so again thank you to everyone for being so patient with this.
Test Server is having some additional problems that we're working through right now and we hope to have it open again shortly.
Update (12:00 PM PDT): We're in the final stages of the maintenance now, about to bring the servers back online for internal verification. Just to be safe I'm leaving the downtime estimate at 30 minutes from now.
Update (11:30 AM PDT): The maintenance work is moving along once again, currently the downtime estimate is 45 minutes from now.
Update (11:00 AM PDT): Things have come to a bit of a stall due to some (physical) traffic issues at our datacenter. The current downtime estimate is still 1 hour from now, thank you for your patience.
Update (10:30 AM PDT): Situation remains unchanged, maintenance work is ongoing.
Update (10:00 AM PDT): Maintenance work continues, no change in the downtime estimate.
Update (9:30 AM PDT): The maintenance work is underway, although there was a delay due to another datacenter tenant which has pushed the downtime estimate back an additional 15 minutes.
Hey everyone,
Unfortunately we will need to take all servers offline shortly to perform some emergency network maintenance at our datacenter. Currently the downtime is expected to last up to 1 hour.
I apologize for the very short notice for this downtime, and for any inconvenience it may cause. Updates will be posted here as they happen or every 30 minutes otherwise, thank you for your patience
ROBERTS SERVER ISSUE 7/12/2015 - UPDATED
July 12, 2015 / Fodderboy
Update (4:20 PM PDT): All servers are back online and open to players. Thank you all again for being so patient with this unexpected downtime.
Update (3:15 PM PDT): We've now resolved the new problems that took down access to the whole network. At this point we're working to bring everything back online and do a full test to ensure there are no lingering issues. My current best estimate for opening the servers again is 1 hour.
Update (2:15 PM PDT): Unfortunately our efforts to correct the network issues affecting a subset of our datacenter (including a critical piece for the Roberts server) resulted in a much more significant issue, affecting the entire network.
Work has been underway for the past hour or so to correct the new issues, and I will update this post as we have more information.
I'm very sorry for the inconvenience this has caused, we do appreciate your patience while we get this sorted out. -- Hamled
We are currently experiencing a server cluster issue that has affected the Roberts server as well as customer service and development environments.
Players are currently unable to login to the Roberts server and will receive a message stating "Server could not be found and is probably restarting. Please wait a few moments and try again." Players will not be able to log into the Roberts server until this issue is resolved. The Antigua server and Test server appear unaffected by this issue.
Customer service will be unable to process many support requests until this issue is resolved. This will cause delays in responses to service requests. We apologize for the inconvenience and will update this post when the status of the server issue or any affected components changes.
¶ 2015-06
ALL SERVER DOWNTIME - 6/23/2015 - UPDATED
June 22, 2015 / Hamled
Update (1:10 AM PDT): All servers are online and open once again! Thank you everyone for your patience, and sorry about any inconvenience this may have caused.
Update (1:00 AM PDT): Bringing the servers back online right now. Currently estimate about 10 more minutes until all servers are back online.
Update (12:35 AM PDT): Maintenance work continues on schedule, no change in downtime estimate.
Update (12:05 AM PDT): Server maintenance and updates are underway. Current downtime estimate remains 1 hour.
Hello Captains!
We'll be taking all servers offline for about 1 hour tonight at midnight (6/23/2015 at 12 AM Pacific Time, 3 AM Eastern Time, 7 AM GMT, 10 AM MSK). This downtime is to perform regular scheduled maintenance and update buy and sell prices for NPCs in the Auction Houses.
LIVE SERVER DOWNTIME - 6/16/2015 - UPDATED
June 15, 2015 / Hamled
Update (12:45 AM PDT): All servers are online and open again with version 2.15.40! Thank you for your patience with this. If you are unable to see any servers when you start your client, please make sure to download and run the installer/patcher.
Update (12:15 AM PDT): We're getting a late start due to some trouble with the maintenance we had planned to do alongside the patch upgrade. However, since we will not be doing that maintenance any longer, the current estimated downtime is now 30 minutes.
Hello Captains!
We'll be releasing our latest update to 2.15 which includes a new level 50 frigate for all classes, tonight at midnight (6/16/2015 at 12 AM Pacific Time, 3 AM Eastern Time, 7 AM GMT, 10 AM MSK). We will be performing regularly scheduled maintenance at the same time which will require us to take the servers offline for up to 1 hour. Patch notes may be read here.
We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause, and we appreciate your patience.
TEST SERVER DOWNTIME - 2.15.40
June 14, 2015 / Hamled
Update (10:10 PM PDT): Test Server is now online and open with version 2.15.40. If you would like to check out the new Viper frigate, please download and run the test game installer.
Shortly we will be releasing update 2.15.40 to Test Server for evaluation and feedback, in anticipation of a release to the Live servers on Monday evening / Tuesday morning.
Build 2.15.40 includes a new frigate, the Viper, the recipe for which will be available to all level 50 characters on Treasure Aisle! More details about this new ship will follow in our official patch notes for the build.
ALL SERVER DOWNTIME 6/6/2015
June 06, 2015 / Hamled
Update (8:55 PM PST): Antigua and Roberts are once again online and open for players, Test Server will follow shortly. Thanks again to everyone for being patience with this!
Update (8:05 PM PST): Maintenance work is nearly complete at this time. Servers are now expected to be online and open again in about 30 minutes.
Update (7:35 PM PST): Maintenance work continues on schedule, downtime estimate is unchanged.
Update (7:05 PM PST): Maintenance work continues on schedule, downtime estimate is unchanged.
Update (6:35 PM PST): Maintenance has begun, currently downtime is estimated at 3 hours.
Ahoy Captains!
Players have been reporting issues with Open Sea lag on both Antigua and Roberts servers for the past two hours. While this still seems to be intermittent we will be taking all servers (including Test) offline in 45 minutes (6/6/2015 at 6:30 PM Pacific Time, 9:30 PM Eastern Time, 1:30 AM GMT, 4:30 AM MSK) to resolve it. We will be performing additional maintenance at the same time, and currently we expect the total downtime to last up to 3 hours. Updates will be posted here regularly throughout.
Apologies for any inconvenience caused by this downtime, we generally try to avoid taking the servers offline during peak hours, but I'm sure everyone will appreciate a less laggy game experience.
¶ 2015-05
ACCOUNT REGISTRATION ISSUE
May 29, 2015 / Fodderboy
We are currently experiencing an issue with one of our database servers. The issue being experienced impacts account management by not allowing new accounts to be registered or for existing accounts to reset their passwords. We apologize for the inconvenience caused by this issue and are working to resolve the issue as quickly as possible. We will update this post when the issue has been resolved.
Update 5/30/15 12:45am PDT - We have been able to determine that the database issue is affecting the usage of Burning Sea Notes converting to Burning Sea Points. Currently if a Note is used the 300 Burning Sea Points will be available and can be used however if the account logs out any unused points added during that playing session will not be saved. The transactions are all being properly logged so a proper accounting of point totals can be made but customer service will not be able to restore any missing unsaved Burning Sea Points until the database issue is resolved.
Update 5/30/15 12:05pm PDT - The issue with our database server has been resolved. Account registration and password resets should be functioning normally. The issue with unused Burning Sea Points from a game session not saving properly should also be resolved. We will be auditing all Burning Sea Point transactions for the period affected by the server issue and will correct any discrepancies found as quickly as possible.
We are also at this time experiencing longer than usual delays in response time to customer service requests. When this issue arises we prioritize customer service requests usually resulting in longer than usual response time to technical support, existing account recovery and mission assistance requests. We apologize for the delay and will respond to support requests as quickly as we can.
IN GAME RULE CHANGES UPDATE
May 27, 2015 / Fodderboy
The following changes have been made to the In Game rules:
In Active Nation Select we removed “within the first 30 days of transferring a returning character from a currently closed server.” from the end.
The reference isn’t valid for Portalus Games as Portalus never could transfer characters from previously closed servers. We added “or as part of maintaining character access for a server transferred character.”
If a player transfers a character from one server to another and the server they transferred to does not have a matching active nation we will assist a player in matching the action nation as part of the server transfer process.
In the Multiple Accounts section we have added the following:
To the rules regarding the use of ships of more than one nation in a red zone we have added the following clarification – “PvP areas (red zones) include instances contained within the red zone (PvP or PvE) and the red zone port docks or town.”
We felt the line with this rule needed to be brightened in that players should only have characters of one nation in a red zone. We wanted to make clear that we consider sitting on the docks with one nation while having a character on the OS outside the port of another nation is having two characters of opposing nations in the same red zone. The same is true of a character sitting in an encounter inside the same red zone with another character of another nation either on the OS or in the port – it will all be the same as it is all contained within the same red zone. We understand players will get caught over the line under certain circumstances and will allow some grace period as long as there is clear intent to clear the zone of two opposing character nations as quickly as possible.
We added to the following to the Multiple Accounts rule section:
“Players may not use excessive numbers of accounts in any single nation or combination of nations to exploit game mechanics in a manner that negatively impacts the health of the game overall. The number of accounts considered excessive is considered case by case at the discretion of Portalus Games. An example of an activity not allowed would be a single player using multiple accounts to blockade a port. The activity was intended to be a group activity and not a single player action.”
What we mean with this rule addition is simply this – there are aspects of the game that are designed for multiple player participation rather than multiple account participation. We don’t want multiple account participation to over shadow multiple player participation. We’re calling out solo port flipping as an example of something that is possible for multiple accounts but intended for multiple players. We can't allow that to go on any longer. This rule addition is intentionally very broad in that we believe it can be applied to all aspects of the game. What constitutes an excessive number of accounts will vary depending on the effect those accounts have on the game overall, the activity they are engaging in and the usage patterns of the accounts.
These rule changes are effective immediately.
We will provide an update on the forum opening progress in the next 24 hours. There has been a technical issue with our provider that has delayed our progress and we are still working to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.
UPDATE 5/7/15
May 07, 2015 / Fodderboy
We apologize for the delay in updating our progress. The last two weeks have been very busy with our third party partners and good progress was made on a couple of major items we haven’t discussed as of yet. There are some upcoming technical issues PotBS will need to address later this year and we are nearing a point where we can begin discussing some things we have been working on regarding getting PotBS exposed to a larger game audience. We’ll provide more information on these items as soon as we are a bit closer to being able to make a public announcement regarding them.
Our forum re-opening progress has also been progressing well. We’ve been able to resolve the issues we were experiencing in preparation for re-opening the Burningsea.com forums on the Portalus side and are now waiting for our hosting partner to finish their portion of the sign in integration process. We do not have an estimated completion date from our hosting partner yet but do not expect it to be much longer (it could literally be any day now). Once it is complete we will need to run a series of tests to make sure the new single sign on system is functioning properly before opening the forum to the general public. The single sign on tests involve making sure that data is matching up properly when players attempt to reclaim previous forum accounts and that sign on information matches existing game account data.
To conduct re-opening tests we could use about 10 volunteers from the community to help with some testing once the final integration piece is completed by our forum hosting service. Players who currently have multiple game accounts registered to the same email and/or had multiple forum accounts on the previous Burningsea.com forum registered to the same email addresses would be most helpful. Anyone interested in volunteering to assist can email customer service at customerservice@portalusgames.com. Please mention “forum testing” in the subject line and let us know the number of accounts associated with the registered email address for testing. We will choose the 10 volunteers with the data sets that best match our test conditions. Customer service will contact volunteers selected for testing with instructions and login information needed for testing when ready. Thank you in advance to all who volunteer to assist us with this forum testing.
¶ 2015-04
UPDATE 4/23/15
April 23, 2015 / Fodderboy
With last week’s hardware failure and a number of other issues with we had to put work on a new build on hold for a bit to focus what time we could on testing and setting up the new forum. Overall the testing has gone well with a few issues discovered that will need to be resolved before we can open the forum. The issues were not major issues and we are still tracking toward opening the forum within the next two weeks.
My next big task (while Hamled works on the technical issues) is determining exactly what of the old forum threads will be moving to the new forum. We know that the greater portion of the old information will not be migrating to the new forum predominately due to its age or relevance. Boards and threads that offer technical support, new player support, and player guides are likely to be migrated over first if the information is still accurate while discussion boards are likely to start with a clean slate. The initial launch is likely to be minimalistic as we plan to allow the forum to grow to the current game community’s needs and we wish to establish a different feel to the forum to distinguish ourselves a bit from the past forum. A lot has changed since the old forum was established and we’d like the new forum to be more reflective of where we intend to go rather than where it has been.
I’d like to add to this update a thank you to those who have sent their well wishes, prayers and concerns regarding my leave of absence. We’re pretty much back up to full speed now and we should start seeing more consistent status updates and build updates as soon as the forum is up. Hopefully my next update will contain the date we will be opening the forum and some information regarding the process players will need to use to reclaim old forum accounts or establish new ones. Regardless of forum status I will post another update next week.
UNEXPECTED DOWNTIME 4/17/2015
April 17, 2015 / Hamled
Update (10:50 PM PDT): All servers are back online and open once again! Apologies again for the inconvenience this has caused, and thank you all for being so patient.
Update (10:30 PM PDT): We're currently restarting all game servers. Things are still looking on track for about 25 minutes from now.
Update (10:10 PM PDT): The failed hardware has been replaced and we will be restarting all of the game servers shortly. ETA for opening them again is currently 45 minutes from now.
Hey everyone,
Sorry about not getting a post out sooner! We're currently trying to deal with a hardware failure in a very critical component of our datacenter. We're currently in the process of replacing that machine and expect to bring the servers online in the next hour or so.
I'll post updates here as I have more information, thank you all for your patience with this!
ANTIGUA SERVER DOWNTIME 4/17/2015
April 16, 2015 / Hamled
Update (12:35 AM PDT): Antigua and Test Server are back online and open again! Due to unforeseen circumstances we had to cut short our additional maintenance, which we will reschedule for early next week. Any potential for issues similar to what Roberts experienced this afternoon has been fixed however.
Update (12:00 AM PDT): Maintenance on Antigua and Test Server is currently underway. The original downtime estimate of 1 hour still holds.
Ahoy Captains!
Players have been reporting issues with logging into the Roberts server for the past few hours. While these issues appear to be intermittent, they are happening frequently enough that we will be taking the Roberts server offline shortly to resolve them completely. The downtime for that should last about 30 minutes.
While we have not yet had any issues with Antigua we will be taking it offline for similar maintenance this evening at at midnight (4/17/2015 at 12 AM Pacific Time, 3 AM Eastern Time, 7 AM GMT, 10 AM MSK). We will be doing some additional maintenance at that time and expect the downtime to last up to an hour. I'll post additional updates here as that maintenance is underway.
UPDATE - APRIL 11, 2015
April 11, 2015 / Fodderboy
We apologize for a lack of development updates over the recent weeks. Many development tasks had to be put on hold over the past few weeks due to my need to take an emergency leave of absence in the first week of March. Portalus is small enough as a company that the loss of a team member causes havoc on schedules and workloads to a degree that many things become unpredictable until situations stabilize and the team gets back up to full strength. We’re not quite to that point yet but we are moving forward again at least to a degree that we can report some progress.
During my absence Hamled has been continuing his work on improving our internal infrastructure while covering some of my duties and continuing work on restoring the forum. At this point, if testing goes well the burningsea.com forum should be restored by or before the end of the month. We will be able to provide an update on forum testing progress later in the upcoming week.
The other development tasks previously discussed have all been on hold for the past few weeks due to my absence. Rather than delay some bug fixes that are ready until other development tasks are caught up we will likely put a small bug fixing build out during the next week to address the most reported issues. With the forum being close to restoration we will provide more detailed updates on the delayed development tasks as soon as we can on the restored forum.
¶ 2015-02
ALL SERVER DOWNTIME - 2/25/2015
February 24, 2015 / Hamled
Update (1:25 AM): All servers are online and open once again! Thank you all for your patience with this.
Update (1:00 AM): We're finished with all server maintenance and are starting the process of taking the servers back online. We expect to have them open for players again within 15 minutes.
Update (12:30 AM): Server maintenance is going according to schedule, our ETA remains 1 AM Pacific Time / 4 AM Eastern / 9 AM GMT, Noon MSK.
Update (12:05 AM): All servers have been brought offline for the beginning of maintenance. At this time our ETA for bringing them back online is still 1 hour.
Ahoy Captains!
Last week we announced that we'll be performing weekly maintenance from now on. In accordance with that we'll be taking all servers offline tonight at midnight (2/25/2015 at 12 AM Pacific Time, 3 AM Eastern Time, 8 AM GMT, 11 AM MSK).
We're expecting this downtime to last about an hour, and will be posting updates here throughout. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause, and we appreciate your patience.
ALL SERVER DOWNTIME - 2/18/2015
February 17, 2015 / Hamled
REMINDER: If you open the game and don't see any servers, please download and run the launcher again!
Update (4:45 AM): Finally all of the servers are back online and open to players! Thank you again for being patient while we had this very extended downtime. As previously mentioned we will be taking steps to ensure that maintenance times in the future are nowhere near this long if possible.
Update (3:30 AM): Sorry for how long this is taking, we understand that downtimes of this length definitely cut into the playable times for people in Europe, Russia, and Australia. Given that we plan to do weekly maintenance from here on out, I'll reassess our choice of downtime window and figure out what gives us the best opportunity for a 2-4 hour window of low player activity.
Unfortunately at this point we have one remaining critical server which is still going through its update process and is taking significantly longer than expected. I'm extending the ETA at this point to 4 AM (7 AM Easter Time, 12 PM GMT, 3 PM MSK), however that's quite tentative, I'm not sure if things will be ready for then or not. Again, sorry for all of the inconvenience!
Update (3:00 AM): Maintenance continues, downtime is being extended to 3:45 AM Pacific Time.
Update (2:00 AM): Maintenance continues according to schedule. However, out of an abundance of caution I'm now estimating that the downtime may last an additional 30 minutes, until 3:30 AM Pacific Time.
Update (1:00 AM): Maintenance continues according to schedule. ETA remains the same.
Update (12:00 AM): Maintenance work on all servers has begun. At this time we are still expecting the downtime to last 3 hours.
Ahoy Captains!
As Fodderboy wrote earlier today, we're bringing all of the servers offline tonight at midnight (2/18/2015 at 12 AM Pacific Time, 3 AM Eastern Time, 8 AM GMT, 11 AM MSK).
With this update we'll be turning on the Mardi Gras content, fixing the Mahogany stacking issue (for real this time!), and doing a bunch of back-end server maintenance. Because of the extra maintenance going on we expect that this downtime will last up to 3 hours.
Additionally, we're implementing a regular maintenance schedule from here on out. Each week at around this time (Tuesday night / Wednesday morning) we'll take the servers offline to perform any necessary maintenance.
Ideally because we'll be doing all of this regularly each individual downtime should be a lot shorter than tonight's. Hopefully we can keep them under an hour for the most part.
Thanks to everyone for their patience with this, and I'll make sure to keep this post updated as our maintenance progresses.
SERVER DOWNTIME 2/18/2015
February 17, 2015 / Fodderboy
Fat Tuesday is upon us and it brings with it a need for some server maintenance and a fix for the persistent mahogany log stack size issue. We will need to bring down the servers (both Test and the Live servers) this evening. The Test server will be taken offline first sometime later today to apply a new build and testing. The Live servers will be brought down at midnight Pacific time to apply the new build if the new build passes required testing. The estimated down time for the Live server maintenance is 3 to 4 hours.
During the server outage we will be turning on our Mardi Gras content found near the port of New Orleans in game. We apologize for not having the content available during the day today as we try to limit server outages.
LIVE SERVER DOWNTIME - 2/8/2015
February 07, 2015 / Hamled
Update (12:50 PM): Antigua and Roberts are back online and open! Thank you for your patience.
Update (11:30 PM): We're pushing back the downtime by half an hour. Downtime is now estimated for 12:30 AM - 1 AM Pacific Time.
Hello Captains!
We'll be releasing another update, 2.15.38, which includes some bug fixes, changes to ship component pricing, and changes to NPC buy/sell order prices, tonight at midnight (2/8/2015 at 12 AM Pacific Time, 3 AM Eastern Time, 8 AM GMT, 11 AM MSK). This will require us to take the servers offline for up to 30 minutes. Patch notes may be read here.
We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause, and we appreciate your patience.
TEST SERVER DOWNTIME - 2.15.38
February 01, 2015 / Hamled
Update (12:00 AM): I overestimated earlier with the several hours bit. Turns out the database fix was a lot faster than anticipated! Test Server is now online and open with version 2.15.38. Thanks to everyone for your patience.
Update (10:30 PM): The upgrade to 2.15.38 went well, however we're currently working on fixing some issues with the Test Server database which had been causing issues for players for the last week or so.
Right now it's looking like fixing those issues may take several more hours.
Hey all!
We'll be upgrading Test Server to version 2.15.38 at 9:00 PM Pacific Time. Patch notes for this build may be read here.
Downtime should last about 30 minutes, I'll update this post when the server is available again, or if the downtime will last longer.
As always, if you'd like to play on Test Server please download the Test client, and make sure to install it in a different directory than your Live client!
¶ 2015-01
TEST SERVER DOWN TIME
January 31, 2015 / Fodderboy
We will be taking the Test server down at some point today to push the 2.15.38 build to the Test server. The 2.15.38 build features reductions in ship construction costs, NPC buy/sell order prices and a bug fix.
Ship construction costs in the 2.15.38 build have reduced through the following changes:
· Basic ship hull prices have been reduced by a rescaling of materials used by each size of ship and some reductions in recipe click costs. Reductions in materials used focuses on keels, stems and iron usage. The smallest hulls no longer use keels and stems by using a larger amount of frame timber material instead. All hulls still using keels and stems have had their required amounts reduced.
· Cannon carriages have had their click costs reduced and their materials used rescaled.
· Cannon barrels have had reductions in their click costs and a reduction in the amount of iron used to create each cannon barrel. Planking material usage went up with most cannon barrels and tallow usage was reduced on the largest cannon barrel sizes.
· Cannon recipe click costs have been reduced on some cannon (especially smaller cannon sizes).
As a result of the above changes all ship construction costs have been reduced except for ships that are created without using basic ship hulls or basic cannon (e.g. reward ships, exchange ships, etc.). All ships that have had ship cost reductions have had proportionate reductions in their insurance values.
The 2.15.38 build features a few NPC buy/sell price changes. The NPC markets in the 2.15 build are designed to be reactive rather than static. The prices of NPC buy/sell orders are intended to change periodically based on player usage in relation to the overall market. We haven’t made any changes up to this point because we wanted to wait until we felt we had a large enough sample of data to start seeing trends before making our first adjustments. Moving forward we expect to make adjustments more often until we can eventually automate the system to operate in real time.
The initial price changes in the 2.15.38 build include:
· NPC prices will pay higher prices for trade goods. Trade goods are items only NPC’s consume such as hewn logs and container goods (e.g. cotton bales, barrels of flour, crates of leather, etc.).
· The prices of NPC sold provisions have risen.
· The prices of NPC sold structure experts (e.g. farmers, keepers, blacksmiths etc.) have gone up. NPC sold structure expert markets have also been reduced. NPC sold structure experts should now only be found in Oranjestad. Future builds will feature additional reductions in NPC markets.
The 2.15.38 build also contains a fix for the mahogany log stack size bug.
We will leave this build on the Test server for a few days and push the build to the Live servers during the coming week if possible. We appreciate your feedback and reporting anything that appears to be a bug or any issues that seem out of place. Feedback and test can be submitted through our customer service email customerservice@portalusgames.com
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY PIRATES OF THE BURNING SEA!
January 22, 2015 / Fodderboy
It’s been seven years since the launch of Pirates of the Burning Sea and we’re happy to say that we’re looking forward to the next year and hopefully many more anniversaries to come! For most of us here at Portalus Games this will be our fifth year with Pirates of the Burning Sea and entering our third year of operation as Portalus Games. We realize that many of our players have been with the game even longer than we have and we hope they are looking forward to the future of the game as much as we are.
Seven years of operation is a tribute to the game’s player base and I want to say thank you to everyone reading this and to many others who probably are not for the support you all have given to the game over the past 7 years. This is especially true over the last two years with Pirates of the Burning Sea and Portalus Games. This game and company could not have continued without the dedicated and passionate support of its players. It is to you all that the game owes its longevity and we want you all to know we are aware of that and we are above all grateful for your support.
When it comes to discussing the future I’d like to say that we can lay out a detailed plan for the upcoming year but at the moment we’re still working on formulating that while we finish up some end of the year business and assess what we feel might be some realistic goals to set for the next few months. We know what goals we would like to accomplish but we know more so this year than any other that we are going to need to be flexible with our plans and that we might not be able to set time tables to certain tasks until certain other tasks are accomplished first. That reality has us a bit reluctant to talk about long term plans at this time so for the moment we will focus on immediate development.
This year is going to bring some challenges as we know we will need to address several issues that have little to do with game play but are critical to keeping the game operating. Our servers while still reliable are aging and should be replaced sometime in the near future. We still need to restore web service operations such as restoration of the Burning Sea forum, user content and we’d like to restore a subscription service similar to the former Captain’s Club. Rebuilding these services and expanding the game’s presence through them will require us partnering with other service providers. More partners means more time spent in business operation rather than development and working with their schedules but ultimately to accomplish our goal of making the game more accessible to a larger audience these are necessary steps and we will have to fit what development we can in where ever we can until some of these goals are reached.
Our immediate plans regarding game development currently are focused on fixing bugs, addressing tuning issues and progressing with implementing the loot economy items that were originally slotted to be part of the 2.15 build. In the next few days we’ll push a build to the Test server that repairs the Mahogany log stack size bug, adjusts numerous NPC buy/sell price points and implements some construction cost adjustments that target lowering costs for cannon carriages, cannon barrels and basic ship hulls. We’ll follow that build with another that bring some reduction in labor values to several recipes, make some adjustments to ship accuracy mods and the start of the loot table overhaul that was originally to be part of the 2.15 build. Hopefully before these tasks can be accomplished we will have the forum operational again and will have a better format for discussion regarding future development in greater detail.
ALL SERVER DOWNTIME - 1/13/2015
January 12, 2015 / Hamled
Update (3:28 AM PST): All servers are back online now. Things might be slow for a few hours, as part of our maintenance we needed to shut off most of the machines and right now the databases are a bit 'cold'. Thanks again for your patience, everyone!
Update (2:55 AM PST): We're running just a bit behind schedule now. Currently expect to have the servers back online by 3:15 AM. Thank you all for your patience.
Update (1:40 AM PST): Server maintenance is going according to schedule. We currently expect to be done before the original 2 hour estimate.
Ahoy Captains!
We're doing some network and server maintenance, and to turn on Anniversary content, tonight after midnight (1/13/2015 at 1 AM Pacific Time, 4 AM Eastern Time, 9 AM GMT, 12 PM MSK). This will require us to take the servers offline for up to 2 hours.
We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause, and we appreciate your patience.
¶ 2014
¶ 2014-12
ALL SERVER DOWNTIME - 12/10/2014
December 09, 2014 / Hamled
Update (12:20 AM PST): All servers are online and open again! Thank you all for your patience.
Ahoy Captains!
We're doing some network maintenance, and turning on the Christmas seasonal content, tonight at midnight (12/10/2014 at 12 AM Pacific Time, 3 AM Eastern Time, 8 AM GMT, 11 AM MSK). This will require us to take the servers offline for up to 30 minutes.
We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause, and we appreciate your patience.
LIVE SERVER DOWNTIME - 12/6/2014
December 05, 2014 / Hamled
Update (12:23 AM PST): Antigua and Roberts are back online and open again, thanks for your patience!
Hello Captains!
We'll be releasing another update to 2.15 which includes a number of different bug fixes to the economy, text descriptions of items, and the user interface, tonight at midnight (12/6/2014 at 12 AM Pacific Time, 3 AM Eastern Time, 8 AM GMT, 11 AM MSK). This will require us to take the servers offline for up to 30 minutes. Patch notes may be read here.
We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause, and we appreciate your patience.
TEST SERVER DOWNTIME - 2.15.37 - UPDATED
December 04, 2014 / Hamled
Update (5:00 AM PST): Sorry about the delay in getting the server back online. There was some weirdness with the auction database which prevented listings from showing up in-game (no actual listing data was affected). This has since been resolved, and Test Server is online and open again. Thanks for your patience!
Hey all!
We'll be upgrading Test Server to version 2.15.37 at 4:00 AM Pacific Time. Patch notes for this build may be read here.
Downtime should last about 30 minutes, I'll update this post when the server is available again, or if the downtime will last longer.
As always, if you'd like to play on Test Server please download the Test client, and make sure to install it in a different directory than your Live client!
TEST SERVER - 2.15.37 PATCH NOTES
December 04, 2014 / Hamled
Ahoy Captains!
We’re releasing another bug fix patch for 2.15. After completing the emergency fix work of rolling back the stack limits and weight changes in 2.15.36 we’re now plugging up the production issues that have been reported to us in the past few weeks, and improving our in-game communication about certain kinds of items.
PATCH NOTES
STRUCTURES / RECIPES
The following structures are now usable by Freetraders and Buccaneers:
Saw Mill
Carpenter
Leather Works
Sugar Estate
Tobacco Estate
Plantation Estate
Improved Textile Mill
Finery
The following structures are now usable by everyone:
Sail Loft
Rope Walk
Pottery
Added Crush Linen and Crush Limestone recipes to the Iron Works.
Added Shop Provision upkeep to Weaponsmith structure.
TRADE GOODS
Trade goods are items that can only be sold to NPCs and are not used in recipes. Our intention with these items is to provide an avenue of potential profit for players looking to get into economic production, even if they’re not yet ready to step up to producing goods for other players.
All of these recipes have been in the game since 2.15’s release, however they were not clearly identified as such in-game. We've corrected the titles and descriptions for these items, and indicated that AH’s in regional markets and Oranjestad have NPC buyers.
The full set of trade goods:
Hewn logs of: Oak, Fir, Pine, Roble, Cedar, Mahogany, White Oak, Longleaf Pine
Barrels of: Tar, Dried Fish, Game Meat, Beef Fat, Pork Fat, Bread, Flour, Fire Cured Tobacco
Crates of: Leather, Skins, Fur
Kegs of: Saltpeter, Gunpowder, Molasses
Sacks of: Cochineal, Coffee, Cacao, Beans
Hogsheads of: Sugar, Tobacco
Casks of Common Cheese, Boxes of Fine Cheese
Bales of Cotton
USER INTERFACE
Updated some item and recipe categories:
Building Stone: Raw Materials -> Manufactured Goods
Harvest Beef and Pork Fat recipes: Manufactured Goods -> Raw Materials
Make Cable recipe: Manufactured -> Shipwright
Copper and Iron Bolt recipes: Manufactured -> Shipwright
AUCTION HOUSE
Really fixed the item search issue this time. It should be possible to search for “Barrel” (or even “bar” if you fancy also looking up bar shot and ‘Atlas’ Barks at the same time) and get all appropriate results.
ITEMS
Sulfur Ore stack size increased from 100 to 1000.
TEXT
Added obsolete information to old cannon (e.g. tiny, small, medium, etc.) item descriptions.
Removed references to 18 lb long and short cannon, 24 lb long cannon, and long demi-cannon barrel. These items are not currently used by any ships and were removed until ships using them are available.
GENERAL
Moved the Society Warehouses from Consumables in Treasure Aisle to the Structures section of Treasure Aisle.
WEBSITE, EMAIL, AND SERVER LIST DOWNTIME - 12/1/2014 - UPDATED
December 01, 2014 / Hamled
Update 3 (9:00 PM PST): We've received word from our DNS provider that their operations are returning to normal. I suspect that for many of you it might still take a couple of hours before patching and logging in works again, however.
Update 2 (8:00 PM PST): Our DNS provider is still working on mitigating the current attacks. More updates will follow as we receive them.
Update 1 (6:30 PM PST): According to our DNS provider they're seeing renewed DDoS attacks. We've had some reports from players of having difficulty using the launcher or connecting to servers once in-game. This may be due to the new attacks or possibly due to the partial nature of the recovery from earlier. More updates will follow as we receive them.
Hey everyone!
Although it appears to be resolved now, I wanted to address he outage that we had today, which would have affected anyone attempting to log into the game today from approximately 11 AM PST (7 PM GMT) to 4:30 PM PST (12:30 AM GMT).
This outage occurred as a result of our DNS provider experiencing a severe and sustained DDoS attack, and due to the configuration of our DNS services it impacted our website and email as well.
While I attempted to communicate the outage via our Facebook and Twitter accounts (which you can subscribe to through the buttons in the upper-right hand corner of this page) I realize that is not our best avenue of communication for many of you. I apologize for how difficult it has been for anyone to retrieve information about the status of the game as well as ongoing updates about the outage.
I'll be working with our network engineering consultants as well as our DNS provider to setup a failover system to ensure access to as much of our service as possible in the event of another incident like today's. Ideally this would include the game, website, and support email (as well as forums and wiki when they are restored), but at a minimum I will ensure that we have a well-known place for players to find status updates in the event of a downtime even of our main website.
Thank you to everyone for being patient with us throughout the day, I hope that you experience in PotBS from here on will be much smoother!
¶ 2014-11
LIVE SERVER DOWNTIME - 11/25/2014 - UPDATED
November 24, 2014 / Hamled
Update (12:30 AM PST): Antigua and Roberts are back Online and open.
Ahoy Captains!
We'll be releasing an update to the initial 2.15 release to rollback the stack limit and weight changes and increase the variety of NPC AH listings, tonight at midnight (11/25/2014 at 12 AM Pacific Time, 3 AM Eastern Time, 8 AM GMT, 11 AM MSK). This will require us to take the servers offline for up to 30 minutes. Patch notes may be read here.
We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause, and we appreciate your patience.
TEST SERVER DOWNTIME - 2.15.36
November 24, 2014 / Hamled
Update (2:10 AM): Test Server is online and open again!
Hey all!
We'll be upgrading Test Server to version 2.15.36 at 2:00 AM Pacific Time. Patch notes for this build may be read here.
Downtime should last about 30 minutes, I'll update this post when the server is available again, or if the downtime will last longer.
As always, if you'd like to play on Test Server please download the Test client, and make sure to install it in a different directory than your Live client!
TEST SERVER - 2.15.36 PATCH NOTES
November 24, 2014 / Hamled
Ahoy Captains!
We’ve got the stack limit and weight adjustment rollback completed, as well as a major expansion of NPC listings in auction houses. Nearly every port in the game has a number of NPC listings now that correspond with the kind of resources appropriate to that port.
Update: It looks like I was a bit premature in claiming that the AH search issues had been corrected. There still seems to be a problem with searching for “Barrel”, for example.
If you combine the search with an item category limitation such as Manufactured Goods or Raw Materials though, it seems to work alright.
PATCH NOTES
ECONOMIC ITEMS
Stack limits decreases in 2.15.33 have been rolled back to their 2.14 versions.
Stack limits for new items in 2.15 have been increased to be more in line with the limits in use for existing items.
Weight changes in 2.15.33 have been rolled back with a few exceptions where the weight had decreased in 2.15 (these have been retained).
Cannon sizes up to 12lb have had their stack limit increased to 100.
16lb, 18lb, and 24lb cannons have a stack limit of 75.
32lb and 42lb cannons have a stack limit of 50.
Citations of Conquest have a stack limit of 100.
NPC BUY/SELL ORDERS
Nearly every port in the Caribbean now features NPC listings -- almost 10,000 listings in total. These listings are designed to be appropriate to the resources and production occurring within that port.
Currently the NPC listing prices are very high, in most cases a few hundred percent markup. We’re starting with these values to give adequate room for player economic production to take hold, and will be adjusting them on a weekly basis in response to player production.
NPC listings for ships have had their prices increased quite a bit to make them more in line with the markup used in other NPC listings.
AUCTION HOUSE
Browsing the Auction House now has a limit of returning 2,000 listings.
Searching the Auction House now has a limit of 200 matching item types. This was previously preventing people from searching for now very common item names such as “Barrel”.
2.15 STACKS AND WEIGHTS ROLLBACK
November 20, 2014 / Hamled
Ahoy Captains!
On Tuesday I asked players to provide feedback about the 2.15 update in general, and also about the stacks and weights aspects of it in particular. And boy did you guys have a lot of feedback for us! I greatly appreciate how many people have written to us both in the comments here and through emails to feedback@portalusgames.com.
ROLLBACK OF STACKS AND WEIGHTS VALUES
We’ve had some very intense discussion about this feedback over the past couple of days, and the end result is that we’ve decided to rollback our changes to the stacks limits and weight numbers. We’re currently working on this change, although it might take an extra day or so as we need to figure out new numbers for the items that were introduced in 2.15 (and thus have no historical values to rollback).
I should mention that this won’t be an exact rollback, as we may decide to keep certain changes that we think are inline with the general goal of the rollback: preventing the need for a massive increase in player storage and number of hauling trips. So if an item’s weight was actually reduced in 2.15, we might choose to retain that new value.
Also, I want to note very strongly that this rollback is not an indication that we consider the situation with stacks and weights in 2.14 to be final or appropriate to where we want to move the economy portion of the game. As I talked about in the Items, Stacks, and Volume post earlier this week, we still believe that the current lack of any constraint regarding cargo volume makes the experience less than it should be.
We want to ensure that when we do add that factor into the game, we’re doing so in a way that accommodates all of our players and affords every captain the ability to manage their cargo and its storage in a way that is appropriate to their play style.
NPC AUCTION HOUSE LISTINGS
Additionally with the rollback for the stacks and weights values, we’re going to be including an expansion of the various goods being offered by NPCs on the Auction House, and many of those items will be offered in more ports throughout the Caribbean.
While the option of purchasing goods directly from NPCs will always be the most expensive way to get the items you want, we feel that shifting demand more and more into the AH and out of person to person or intra-societal trading will provide the best environment for more casual econ-interested players to join into the process.
As always, we’ll be keeping a close watch on production levels and trade activity on the AH to ensure that the NPC prices are appropriate without being too difficult to undercut or too expensive to be viable.
Thank you again to everyone who has contributed feedback to us, we hope that you’ll continue to do so and I look forward to hearing what everyone thinks of 2.15 as we move further along!
LIVE SERVER DOWNTIME - 11/19/2014 (AGAIN)
November 19, 2014 / Hamled
Update 2 (9:50 PM PST): Both Antigua and Roberts are back Online again, all of the maintenance has been completed successfully and we've resolved the issues with characters who were stuck attempting to zone. If you are still experiencing any problems zoning or using the AH when you next log in, please shoot us an email via support@portalusgames.com . Thank you all for your extended patience with all of the downtime today!
Update (9:00 PM PST): I was hoping for this downtime to last under 30 minutes, but some of the Auction House maintenance we're doing (trying to prevent a similar issue to what we had earlier today when the servers came back), is taking longer than expected. My current ETA is 9:30 PM PST.
Hey again everyone.
Due to some issues with players becoming stuck during zoning we'll be bringing both Antigua and Roberts offline to fix the issue in about 1 hour (8:30 PM PST, 11:30 PM EST, 4:30 AM GMT, 7:30 AM MSK).
I apologize for any inconvenience this may cause, and hopefully this will be the last downtime we'll need to have this week!
DOWNTIME - 11/19/2014 - UPDATED
November 19, 2014 / Hamled
Update 5 (2:15 PM PST): The process that was integrating Building Stone into the AH is actually a very resource intensive process (it rebuilds all of the AH data, actually) and normally we run it while the servers are locked during our downtime window.
I thought since you could play while it was going on, that it wouldn't be an issue... but it turns out it's been creating immense amounts of lag for all of the rest of the game, sorry about that! I've killed that process so you should see a return to normalcy soonish.
I'll have to figure out a new way to get the Build Stone listings on the AH, or possibly wait until tonight to do additional downtime.
Update 4 (1:15 PM PST): Antigua and Roberts are Online and open again, thank you all for your patience! The Building Stone listings from NPCs will take a little bit, possibly up to two hours, to appear in the AH, however.
Update 3 (1 PM PST): All game servers are currently running and we're doing our final verification before opening them up, as well as adding NPC listings for Building Stone to the auction houses.
Update 2: A bit of good luck, we were able to restore the file server OS when we previously believed we would need to recreate it from scratch. I'm currently in the process of restoring the databases and verifying them for any potential corruption. Current estimate is 1-2 hours before the game servers are online again.
Update: While it appears that we have not lost any game data (and our backups were also unaffected in the event that we need to restore from them), I will be needing to rebuild one of our file servers before we can get the game online again. Currently my best estimate for that task is up to six hours. I'll provide further updates as we progress.
Hey everyone!
We're currently experiencing a hardware failure in a critical piece of our database infrastructure. All game servers are currently down as a result. I've got our network engineers working on the problem right now, and will post additional updates as I receive them.
I'm sorry for any inconvenience this is causing, and I thank you all for your patience with us while we resolve this!
¶ ITEMS, STACKS, AND VOLUME
November 18, 2014 / Hamled
Hey there captains of the Burning Seas…
I’d like to address one of the biggest concerns that we've received from players in response to the 2.15 Economic Expansion update that we've just released -- the new limits on stack sizes for most items in the game.
HOW WE GOT HERE
In essence what we've tried to do with this change is add a new dimension to the cargo and inventory aspect of the game. While previously we've had just the weight component, a critical factor in any naval voyage, the design has largely punted on the volume component.
Stacks have always been a sort of quasi-volume mechanic, but the implementation (every stack is exactly the same volume regardless of what or how much it contains!) resulted in the need to provide stack limits that more or less threw the question of cargo volume overboard.
This is how we arrived at a situation where you could build a warehouse for 200 doubloons that could hold up to 2,500,000 oak logs in it. Even with an economy scaled to the in-game production needs of players (versus a slavish adherence to real-world numbers), that’s clearly beyond any notion of the space that an oak log would take up.
WHAT WE’RE TRYING TO DO
What Fodderboy attempted to do with the new stack limits in 2.15 is bring back that notion of volume, to add that dimension to the calculations needed for cargo hauling and storage. I fully agree with his intent, and I think that it ultimately will create for a deeper experience in the economic aspects of the game.
However, I failed in my job of providing him the necessary tools to do so properly. Since he’s not a programmer, he needs to work within the confines of what the game code already provides, and that is the stack system. In my capacity as lead programmer for the game I said that it would not be worth the additional work needed to properly support cargo volumes.
I should have seen earlier that attempting to recreate the concept of cargo volume using the existing stack mechanic would never work properly. Instead I allowed this change to be released in a half-formed way that clearly is to the benefit of no one, and does not reflect our vision for what the game should be.
HOW WE’LL FIX IT
Given the scenario we’re in, it’s clear to me now that we need to implement volume as a property of individual units of cargo. There’s no way for us to deliver on the goals of the Economic Expansion without doing so.
As such, this is going to be my top priority for our next major update. I don’t know how long it will be until that update is released, however the need for this change is critical enough that I’m comfortable moving our other plans back to ensure that we get this out in a timely fashion (nothing like how 2.15 went).
There are a few pieces to this plan that we’re considering to ensure that it is received by you all as fully formed:
Every cargo item in the game will have a volume defined per unit. We may avoid this for “personal” items (e.g. avatar equipment) as that stuff largely exists in its own “space”. Basically we’ll only add volume to containers where we currently track weight, and to warehouses.
The total volume used within a given container will be the sum of the volumes of every unit of cargo in the container -- stacks will be purely for organizational / interface purposes. This also means that we’ll basically be treating all items as liquids, able to make maximally efficient use of the container volume. It’s easier for us, it’s easier for you.
Every ship will have its own cargo volume defined, as opposed to all ships having the same (currently invisible) maximum number of stacks.
Warehouses, including society warehouses, will have a volume that is defined and can be upgraded on a per-warehouse basis.
The warehouse aspect of things is still the least well defined, as we want to ensure there are reasonable limits on how much warehouse space can be maintained. This likely means that we’ll be implementing some kind of maintenance fee that scales with the amount of warehouse space you have in a given port.
Personally I’m not a big fan of the one-time exponential warehouse build cost, as it drives players to create extra characters to use as warehouse mules, because its the most economical option (or in the current design, the only option once you've reached your 250 stack limit for a given port).
Once again, I apologize for my decision to let this aspect of 2.15 be released as a half-measure to what we’re looking to create. I hope that you’ll be patient with us as we work to correct that decision, and I especially hope that you’ll be willing to participate our process for determining what the volume numbers should be on all the various items, ships, and warehouses!
To that end, I welcome any feedback you have regarding the implementation of volumes in the cargo system both here in the comments and over email via feedback@portalusgames.com.
I’d especially love to start a dialog with anyone who is heavily invested in the economic portion of the game, be it as a small-scale single manufacturer, a medium-scale producer for your friends and society mates, or as one of those economic titans wrangling dozens of accounts to make things work under the current system (you know who you are)!
Thank you for taking the time to read this, and may you have fair winds and following seas in all your adventures throughout the Caribbean!
LIVE SERVER DOWNTIME - 2.15 IS HERE! - UPDATE
November 17, 2014 / Hamled
Update 5: Thank you all for being so patient with this. Antigua and Roberts are once again online!
Update 4: So it turns out that it's a bit harder than we all wished over here to extrapolate how long a portion of the database upgrade process would take based on the time it has taken on Test Server. We're still upgrading the DB and as soon as that is completed I'll update this post again.
Update 3: All server maintenance has been completed, and the 2.15 upgrade procedure is currently underway. My best estimate at this time is that both Antigua and Roberts should be online by 4 AM (11 AM GMT). Test Server is currently online.
Update 2: The issue with our server maintenance continues to take longer than expected. I'm pushing the downtime window until 3:30 AM (10:30 AM GMT) to compensate.
Update: We continue to work on server maintenance in advance of upgrading the game version. We've encountered one server which is taking longer than predicted, however everything else is progressing smoothly. Currently we are still on target to finish within the initial 3 hour window.
Ahoy Captains!
We're finally releasing the long-pending 2.15 Economic Expansion update tonight at midnight (11/18/2014 at 12 AM Pacific Time, 3 AM Eastern Time, 7 AM GMT, 11 AM MSK). We will be performing additional hardware and network maintenance as well during this upgrade.
All told, we expect the downtime to last up to 3 hours. We'll post updates here with any changes to that schedule, as well as when the servers are once again available. We appreciate your patience during this downtime.
Unfortunately due to the size and development time of 2.15 I do not have definitive patch notes available, please see the following incremental patch notes we've previously released:
2.15.34
2.15.33
2.15.31
2.15.29
2.15.24
TEST SERVER DOWNTIME - 2.15.34
November 16, 2014 / Hamled
Update: Test Server is now online with version 2.15.34.
Hey all!
We'll be upgrading Test Server to version 2.15.34 at 10:30 PM Pacific Time. Patch notes for this build may be read here.
Downtime should last about 30 minutes, I'll update this post when the server is available again, or if the downtime will last longer.
As always, if you'd like to play on Test Server please download the Test client, and make sure to install it in a different directory than your Live client!
¶ TEST SERVER - 2.15.34 PATCH NOTES
November 16, 2014 / Hamled
Correction: Previously I had listed regional trade ports as having NPC auction house listings for structure experts. This was incorrect, they are only listed in capital ports and Oranjestad.
Hey everyone!
We’re releasing what I hope will be our final Test build, 2.15.34, later tonight. This build includes fixes for a few bugs that we wanted to ensure were resolved before the Live release. We’re moving the Live release to tomorrow evening (early AM on 11/18) accordingly, thank you for your patience with this.
PATCH NOTES
STRUCTURES AND RECIPES
Pack Ship Provisions recipe no longer takes Salt. Doubloon cost has increased to 96 to compensate.
Advanced Provisioning recipe now matches Pack Ship Provisions, but retains the reduced 3 hour labor time.
Boilery structure is now available to both Freetraders and Buccaneers.
NPC Buy/Sell Orders
Experts of all kinds required in the construction of economic structures are available for purchase from NPCs through listings in the Auction Houses of all capital ports, as well as Oranjestad.
TEST SERVER DOWNTIME - 2.15.33 - UPDATED
November 14, 2014 / Hamled
Update: Test Server is now online with version 2.15.33.
Hey all!
We'll be upgrading Test Server to version 2.15.33 at 12:30 AM Pacific Time. Patch notes for this build, the final one before 2.15 is released, may be read here.
Downtime should last about 30 minutes, I'll update this post when the server is available again, or if the downtime will last longer.
As always, if you'd like to play on Test Server please download the Test client, and make sure to install it in a different directory than your Live client!
¶ TEST SERVER - 2.15.33 PATCH NOTES
November 14, 2014 / Hamled
Ahoy Captains!
Firstly, sorry for missing our expected release date of the 11th. We had a last minute change of heart about whether or not to provide ships for sale directly through the AH. I’ll have a post explaining that in more detail a bit later.
We’re releasing the final build, 2.15.33, later tonight as well. This build includes all changes that we expect to make before releasing 2.15 to Antigua and Roberts on 11/17, including final stack limits, weights, and recipe doubloon costs.
We’ve also adjusted the insurance payouts for all ships based on the build costs with the final recipe pricing, and have modified a few Basic Ship recipes to keep them more in line with their earlier build costs.
PATCH NOTES
STRUCTURES AND RECIPES
The Structure maintenance period for all structures has been increased to two weeks.
Partner-tier structure deeds in Treasure Aisle have their final pricing for the 2.15 release.
Costs and input resources for numerous recipes related to building new Partner-tier ships have been adjusted to ensure appropriate costs for the vessels.
Costs for many Basic Ship recipes have been adjusted to account for increases in the cost of input resources. Details of these changes are below.
The Rope Walk structure now includes the Knot Rigging recipe as intended.
Knot Rigging recipe in Textile Mill and Assembly Yard now requires 2 hours of labor time.
Harvest Beef Fat and Harvest Pork Fat now take 1 unit of Beef/Pork Fat per barrel.
Cost of Making Parchment increased to 500 doubloons.
Sugar Estate’s Refine Sugar recipe no longer provides Molasses as output.
Boilery’s Refine Sugar recipe now takes 10 Unrefined Sugar and 8 Firewood to produce 6 Refined Sugar and 1 Molasses.
Sugar Refinery’s Refine Sugar recipe now produces 3 Refined Sugar.
Removed unused Small Fir Square Rig recipe.
Pack Ship Provisions recipe now takes Salt instead of Refined Sugar, 2 Common Wine, and 4 Hardtack.
NPC Buy/Sell Orders
A number of ships ranging from the Alexander down to the Otter are available for purchase from NPCs in the Auction Houses of all capital and starting ports. The pricing for these will be discussed in another blog post.
Structure maintenance provisions of all kinds are available for purchase from NPCs in the Auction Houses of all capital and regional trade ports, as well as Oranjestad.
NPC buy and sell orders for raw materials and manufactured goods now have their final pricing set.
All of the prices above are subject to change as we monitor economic production and auction house activity. We also intend to fluctuate prices regularly as a rough simulation of broader economic trends throughout the Caribbean.
ECONOMIC ITEMS
All items now have their final weights and stack limits.
STANDARD-TIER SHIPS
Detailed recipe changes:
Guardian: 750,000 db -> 692,075
Lion: 530,578 db -> 368,481
San Fernando: 500,898 db -> 452,757
Poseidon: 492,788 db -> 459,688
Alexander: 406,396 db -> 384,689
Mordaunt: 385,948 db -> 375,396
San Mateo: 91,398 db -> 38,153
Kraken: 90,072 db -> 53,672
Tigre: 87,082 db -> 35,208
Stingray: 83,590 db -> 49,381
Hector: 82,854 db -> 29,199
Conquistador: 78,940 db -> 26,086
Conquistador MC: 3,200 db -> 700
Hercules: 77,640 db -> 24,319
Dauntless: 75,326 db -> 24,755
Leviathan: 74,058 db -> 59,209
Peregrine: 72,748 db -> 46,920
Deliverance: 66,308 db -> 13,238
Defiant: 59,872 db -> 23,238
Defiant MC: 6,000 db -> 3,000
Mignone: 59,582 db -> 26,938
Myrmidon: 57,062 db -> 20,646
Myrmidon MC: 6,000 db -> 3,000
Oliphant: 56,898 db -> 12,587
Oliphant MC: 3,200 db -> 700
Capricieux: 52,768 db -> 16,816
Arcadia: 43,312 db -> 18,109
Raa: 36,310 db -> 19,319
Minerva: 32,880 db -> 2,880, 10 Ship Provisions -> 2
Vengeance: 30,000 db -> 500, no longer requires Brass Fittings
Stralsund: 31,768 db -> 11,668
Sultan: 29,914 db -> 5,289
Postillionen: 26,380 db -> 3,755
Dromedary: 24,390 db -> 100, 4 Ship Provisions -> 1
Mystique: 22,670 db -> 7,238
Cerberus: 22,322 db -> 500
Athena: 13,768 db -> 500, 10 Ship Provisions -> 1
Hermes: 13,174 db -> 70, 7 Ship Provisions -> 5
Cruizer: 10,458 db -> 50, 2 Ship Provisions -> 1
Curieuse: 9,582 db -> 50
Santiago: 8,436 db -> 30, 8 Ship Provisions -> 1
Lexington: 7,450 db -> 50, 5 Ship Provisions -> 1
Agamemnon: 5,812 db -> 812
El Dragon: 3,680 db -> 50, 2 Ship Provisions -> 1
Atlas: 3,570 db -> 50, 4 Ship Provisions -> 1
Corsair: 2,940 db -> 40, 5 Ship Provisions -> 1
Mediator: 2,880 db -> 50, 2 Ship Provisions -> 1
Jamaica: 2,762 db -> 50
van Hoorn: 2,561 db -> 50, 2 Ship Provisions -> 1
La Belle: 1,840 db -> 40
Otter: 1,834 db -> 30
Halifax: 1,590 db -> 50
Hiorten: 1,456 db -> 50
Bermuda: 1,400 db -> 50
Locust: 1,350 db -> 50, 7 Ship Provisions -> 1
Lyon: 1,345 db -> 45
Limburg: 1,130 db -> 30
Dolphyn: 1,100 db -> 50
Hornet: 950 db -> 50
La Diligente: 910 db -> 20
Yacht: 850 db -> 25
Chaleur: 800 db -> 20
Breton: 720 db -> 40
St. Anne: 710 db -> 20
Longboat: 650 db -> 25
Currituck: 500 db -> 25
Fishing Smack: 420 db -> 20
Alymer: 385 db -> 50
Raft: 250 db -> 20
TEST SERVER DOWNTIME - 2.15.31 - UPDATED
November 09, 2014 / Hamled
Update: Test Server is now online with version 2.15.31.
Hey all!
We'll be upgrading Test Server to version 2.15.31 at 12:30 AM Pacific Time. Patch notes for this build, which is primarily bug fixes, may be read here.
Downtime should last about 30 minutes, I'll update this post when the server is available again, or if the downtime will last longer.
As always, if you'd like to play on Test Server please download the Test client, and make sure to install it in a different directory than your Live client!
¶ TEST SERVER - 2.15.31 PATCH NOTES
November 09, 2014 / Hamled
Hey everyone!
We’re releasing a new Test build, 2.15.31, later tonight. This is the final build before the 2.15 Economic Expansion is released on 11/11, and contains additional bug fixes, the Retired Lumber Exchange, and a fix that adds the new recipes into existing structures.
We’re still working on the final numbers for item stack limits, weights, recipe doubloon costs, and insurance payouts for the 18 new ships. Rather than release these numbers half-way we’ve kept them out of this build, however the correct numbers will be in place for the release to Live servers.
Patch Notes
STRUCTURES AND RECIPES
New recipes in 2.15 should now be added to existing structures where appropriate.
Partner-tier structure deeds have been added to Treasure Aisle. The prices for these are currently placeholders, we will finalize them before 2.15 is released to live.
Added Boilery-specific recipe for Refine Sugar.
Added structure-specific recipes (Saltpeter Mine, Farm Estate, and Boilery) for Fill Keg of Saltpeter.
Advanced Shipyard (Small and Medium) and Master Shipyard (Large) structures require Shop Provisions for upkeep.
Advanced Textile Mill structure requires Shop Provisions for upkeep.
Assembly Yard structure requires Shop Provisions for upkeep.
Provisioner structure now properly includes Craft Smelling Salts and Pack Pirate Provisions recipes.
Harvest Pine (Logging Company) recipe now properly requires Forest (Pine) resource in current port.
Boil Brine recipe now properly requires 1 Keg, Oak.
Recipes for Long and Short Cannons have been removed as they are not yet used.
Cast Iron Ship’s Bell and Forge Rudder Iron recipes are now in the Shipwright Goods category.
Logging Camp (Oak) structure now properly provides the Harvest Firewood recipe.
Economic Items
Added the Retired Lumber Exchange to Junk Dealers in all ports. This exchange allows you to trade in varieties of lumber which are no longer in use, for always useful gold doubloons.
Hogshead of Tobacco, Keg of Fire Cured Tobacco, and Fine Quality Tobacco are now in the Manufactured Goods category.
Tobacco Leaves are now in the Raw Goods category.
Icons have been fixed for Ship’s Binnacle, Ship’s Bell, Caulk, Ship’s Graving, Cast Iron Anchor, Tobacco Leaves, Fine Quality Tobacco, and Keg of Fire Cured Tobacco.
TEXT
Fixed text for Recipe: Cast Iron Ship’s Bell (Foundry) and added text for Recipe: Cast Iron Ship’s Bell (Ironworks).
Recipe: Merchantmen Provisions changed to Recipe: Pack Merchantmen Provisions.
TEST SERVER DOWNTIME - 2.15.29 - UPDATED
November 07, 2014 / Hamled
Update 2: Test Server is now online with version 2.15.29!
Update: I carelessly deleted a critical file from the new patch data, which was causing game clients to be unable to connect to our servers. I've restored that file and am currently rebuilding the patch data. This might take up to another half an hour, sorry for the delay.
Hey all!
We'll be upgrading Test Server to version 2.15.29 at 1:30 AM Pacific Time. Patch notes for this build, which is primarily bug fixes, may be read here.
Downtime should last about 30 minutes, I'll update this post when the server is available again, or if the downtime will last longer.
As always, if you'd like to play on Test Server please download the Test client, and make sure to install it in a different directory than your Live client!
¶ TEST SERVER - 2.15.29 PATCH NOTES
November 06, 2014 / Fodderboy
Hey everyone!
We’re releasing a new Test build, 2.15.29, later tonight. This build primarily contains bug fixes and an improvement in the UI for NPC orders in the Auction House.
We are planning one additional build to be released over the weekend with a few final fixes that we didn't get into this build as well as the final numbers for item stack limits, weights, and recipe costs.
Currently we are targeting 11/11 for the 2.15 Economic Expansion to finally be released!
PATCH NOTES
RECIPES
All structure recipe bugs have been resolved.
All structures are functioning and contain the appropriate recipes.
If recipes are not appearing in structures built prior under a prior build those structures may need to be rebuilt in order to see the changes/fixes. An update will be provided in the next build that updates all structures automatically.
NPC BUY/SELL ORDERS
NPC orders should be visible in the auction houses of San Juan, Tortuga, Port Royal, Pointe-à-Pitre, Rosignol, Barilla, Pensacola, and Oranjestad. Previously these orders were only visible on Test Server if players also had listings for the same items in those ports.
NPC orders will now be displayed in the Auction House interface with a gold tinting to make them clearly distinguished from player orders. Note: If the best price offered by players is the same as the NPC price the listing will still be shown with the gold tinting, but the player listings will be filled first.
NPC orders currently contain test values for prices to make testing easier. All sell orders should have a value of 12 doubloons and all buy orders should have a value of 2 doubloons. The actual prices will be included in the next build.
TEXT
Missing or incorrect translation issues have been fixed.
Mislabeled display category items should be fixed. There are a few items that border on being classified as raw materials or manufactured goods that may get adjusted based on feedback for the next build.
More recipes contain information regarding which structures they are associated with for clarity in F1 Help.
LIVE SERVER DOWNTIME - 11/04/2014 - UPDATED
November 03, 2014 / Hamled
Update: Antigua and Roberts are now back online!
Ahoy Captains!
We're doing some network maintenance, and fixing a bug with the Halloween seasonal content which prevented turning in mission rewards, tonight at midnight (11/04/2014 at 1 AM Pacific Time, 4 AM Eastern Time, 8 AM GMT, 12 PM MSK). This will require us to take the servers offline for up to 30 minutes.
We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause, and we appreciate your patience.
¶ 2014-10
ALL SERVER DOWNTIME - 10/24 - UPDATED
October 23, 2014 / Hamled
Update: All servers are back online, thank you for your patience!
Ahoy Captains!
We're doing some network maintenance, and turning on the Halloween seasonal content, tonight at midnight (10/24/2014 at 12 AM Pacific Time, 3 AM Eastern Time, 7 AM GMT, 11 AM MSK). This will require us to take the servers offline for up to 30 minutes.
We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause, and we appreciate your patience.
TEST SERVER DOWNTIME - 2.15.24
October 01, 2014 / Hamled
Hey all!
We'll be upgrading Test Server to version 2.15.24 at 11 PM Pacific Time. Patch notes for this build, which is primarily bug fixes, may be read here.
Downtime should last about 30 minutes, I'll update this post when the server is available again, or if the downtime will last longer.
As always, if you'd like to play on Test Server please download the Test client, and make sure to install it in a different directory than your Live client!
¶ TEST SERVER - 2.15.24 PATCH NOTES & FAQ
October 01, 2014 / Fodderboy
We’re releasing a new Test build, 2.15.24, later tonight. This build is largely a bug fix update and brings us much closer to having everything correct and polished for release to Live! Presented below are the patch notes for this build as well as a small FAQ from questions that we've received since the previous build.
PATCH NOTES
RECIPES
The recipes associated with each structure have been reviewed and inconsistencies have been corrected.
There are no more production line blockages, all item types can now be produced.
Some producible items are not used in any recipes (e.g. all forms of hewn log). These items are intended to be sold into NPC markets throughout the Caribbean.
Known issue: Existing structures do not have newly created recipes added to them, this will be corrected before release to the Live servers.
ECONOMY TUTORIAL
The economy tutorial is working once again.
NPC BUY/SELL ORDERS
There have been requests to display NPC orders on the Auction House differently from Player orders. We’re working on this and it will be included in a future patch, possibly before 2.15 is released to Live.
TEXT
Most of the typographical errors have been fixed.
Structure-specific recipes that have similar names for different structures now include the structure name in their title.
Known issue: Some item descriptions are not yet complete, we will be adding more clarification as to the item’s intended use (manufacturing or sale to NPCs).
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
There have been a few questions we've seen repeatedly in feedback and bug reports that may not have been answered adequately. Here are answers to the some commonly asked questions:
WHEN IS 2.15 GOING TO GO LIVE?
We do not yet have a firm release date for 2.15 onto the Live servers. However, at this point most of the bugs and polish issues have been worked out. Our current focus is on the determining the correct stack limits and weight amounts for the new items, and there may be final adjustments to the costs associated with some recipes.
ARE WAREHOUSE SIZES GOING TO BE INCREASED?
At this time we are do not have plans to increase warehouse sizes. One of the primary goals of the economy revamp was to make the new economy something very difficult for one player to completely cover. However, we also do not want to hinder players’ ability to maintain a robust production pipeline for a given segment of the overall economy.
We are still evaluating where we believe the correct balance lies by analyzing item use on the live servers with our target being geared toward the average economy player’s behavior and level of production.
WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO MY ITEMS IF THEIR STACK LIMIT IS REDUCED BELOW ITS CURRENT AMOUNT?
Reduction of an item’s stack limit below the current number in a given stack does not reduce the number of items in that stack. The stack becomes overloaded similar to what happens when a ship hold is overloaded. It retains everything but in the case of an overloaded stack there must be sufficient room in a warehouse to split the stack into appropriate sizes.
If an item’s stack limit decreases from 10,000 to 5,000 and your warehouse is full you will not be able to split that stack until there is enough room in the warehouse for two stacks of 5,000. Again, you will not lose any items when the stack limit is reduced.
HOW CAN I CREATE A STRUCTURE WHOSE OUTPUT IS NEEDED TO CREATE THAT STRUCTURE?
As an example, bricks are needed to construct a Pottery, but the Pottery is the only building that makes bricks. Besides purchasing these bricks from other players, anyone that wishes to get started making their first Pottery will be able to buy them from NPCs on the Auction House. Other items in a similar position are available for sale from NPCs on the AH and in some exchanges.
CAN THE NEW SHIPS BE CAPTURED?
The new ships cannot be captured. We are evaluating the capture mechanics for future development and want to maintain the career-specific nature of the new ships until we have completed our evaluation.
We would like to thank all of our players that have been testing the 2.15 builds on Test Server. We've received numerous bug reports, suggestions and observations from players all of which have been very helpful!
While we are not always able to respond to each report or include all of the excellent suggestions provided by these players we greatly appreciate their efforts and will target some of the suggestions for future builds.
As always, suggestions, feedback and bug reports can be sent to feedback@portalusgames.com! If you have any issues with the Live servers please be sure to send an email to our support team via support@portalusgames.com.
¶ 2014-09
ALL SERVER DOWNTIME - PATCHER UPGRADE - UPDATED
September 24, 2014 / Hamled
Update 3: All servers are online again.
We were unable to get the automatic patcher upgrade working, unfortunately. We'll be working with BitRaider today and throughout this week to get that resolved, but in the mean time you can manually upgrade to the new patcher version by re-downloading the patcher here.
Update 2: I'm extending the downtime a further 30 minutes to 6:30 AM PDT. If we cannot resolve the patcher upgrading issue by then we will turn the servers back online and we might have to do additional downtime later. Even without upgrading the patcher you should be able to log into the servers.
Update: We're still checking a few things concerning automatic upgrades to the new patcher version. Downtime is being extended an additional 30 minutes. We'll post further updates here as we have them. Again, we thank you for your patience and apologize for any inconvenience.
Hey everyone!
We'll be taking the Live servers offline briefly in an hour (5 AM PDT, 12 PM GMT, 4 PM MSK) to upgrade to a new version of the BitRaider patcher. Downtime should last less than 30 minutes. We apologize for the inconvenience and do appreciate your patience.
This update to the patcher includes:
An updated user interface that is much more clear and user friendly
The ability to launch multiple copies of the client (start your shortcut multiple times).
The ability to perform a "full scan" of your game directory in the event of any undetected corrupted files. You can find this by clicking the tree icon next to the minimize / close buttons in the upper right-hand corner of the patcher window.
Significant improvements to corrupted file detection, repair speed, and download capability.
Better logging details to help us diagnose your problems faster.
This should also fix most of the 201 errors that players have been receiving lately when attempting to update with the current patcher version.
As always, if you're still having trouble with the patcher after using the upgrade please contact our support team via support@portalusgames.com so that we may help you get back into the game!
LIVE SERVER DOWNTIME - 9/16 - UPDATED
September 15, 2014 / Hamled
Update: All servers are back online, thank you for your patience!
Ahoy Captains!
We're doing some follow-up network maintenance tonight at midnight (9/16/2014 at 12 AM Pacific Time, 3 AM Eastern Time, 7 AM GMT, 11 AM MSK). This will require us to take the servers offline for up to 30 minutes.
We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause, and we appreciate your patience.
LIVE SERVER DOWNTIME - 9/12 - UPDATED
September 10, 2014 / Hamled
Update 2: All servers are back online now!
Unfortunately, the network maintenance plan did run into some issues and we'll need to perform additional maintenance in the next couple of days. We don't have a specific date for that downtime yet, however we will post notification here as soon as we have it scheduled.
Update: Our network engineers at the datacenter are still working on the maintenance, we've been advised that the downtime may last up to 30 minutes. I'll continue to post further updates here as I receive them, thank you for your patience.
Ahoy Captains!
We're doing some network maintenance tomorrow at midnight (9/12/2014 at 12 AM Pacific Time, 3 AM Eastern Time, 7 AM GMT, 11 AM MSK). This will require us to take the servers offline for up to 15 minutes.
While the network maintenance itself will only take a few minutes, that is long enough to disconnect anyone playing at that time so we will be taking the servers offline completely to prevent any potential issues.
We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause, and we appreciate your patience.
TEST SERVER DOWNTIME - 2.15.21 - UPDATED
September 10, 2014 / Hamled
Update 2: I overestimated the impact of the extended patching time. Test Server is now unlocked and you should be able to log in and check out all of the new economy features in this build!
Update: While Test Server has been upgraded to the new version, because of some changes we've made with our patcher data, my own client update is taking longer than anticipated.
Once my client has been updated and I've been able to perform our standard verification of the server, I'll unlock it. Right now I'm anticipating up to an additional 15 minutes beyond my original estimate, so about 9:15 PM Pacific time.
Hey all!
We'll be upgrading Test Server to version 2.15.21 at 8:30 PM Pacific Time. This build includes essentially everything that will be in the first Economic Expansion release headed to Live next week.
Downtime should last about 30 minutes, I'll update this post when the server is available again, or if the downtime will last longer.
As always, if you'd like to play on Test Server please download the Test client, and make sure to install it in a different directory than your Live client!
¶ ECONOMIC EXPANSION HEADED TO TEST SERVER!
September 09, 2014 / Fodderboy
Greetings Captains,
I'm pleased to announce that the nearly-final build for the 2.15 Economic Expansion is ready for release to Test Server tomorrow! As always, if you'd like to check out upcoming game features on Test Server please download the Test client -- and be sure to install it in a separate location from your Live client.
We'll be taking the rest of this week to complete our final QA pass internally, gather any feedback that you may have, and make final tweaks accordingly. Excepting any major issues, 2.15 should hit the Live servers next week!
This build, 2.15.18, contains all of the structures, recipes, ships, and items that will be included in the first 2.15 release. Some of the items, recipes, and structures from our initial 2.15 Test build back in May have been removed, although a number of them may return for a later 2.15 release or possibly in 2.16.
The following is a high level recap of the 2.15 build features for those who may not be familiar with them from previous posts:
RESOURCE RETIREMENTS
The Economic Expansion retires two wood resources (Teak and Common Wood) in favor of other wood types being added (e.g. Pine, Roble, Live Oak, etc.). Retired resources can no longer be harvested once the server has been upgraded. Recipes in structures that harvested these types of wood have been replaced with a fuel wood recipe and recipes that required the now-retired resources have been updated with appropriate replacements.
Players with items rendered unusable by this retirement will be able to exchange the items at any port Junk Merchant, however this exchange is not present in the current build but will be active before we upgrade the Live servers.
STRUCTURE RETIREMENTS
Several basic economy structures are being retired in the Economic Expansion in favor of revamped economy structures. Retired structures that are constructed prior to the release of the 2.15 build will continue to function, albeit with necessary changes to upkeep and recipes. Existing structure deeds can still be used subject to new construction costs, however no new deeds can be created.
The following structures are being retired:
Basic Logging Camps - Oak Logging Camp, Fir Logging Camp, Ironwood Logging Camp, Teak Logging Camp
Basic Mines - Iron Mine, Copper Mine, Zinc Mine, Gold Mine, Silver Mine, Sulfur Mine
Tobacco, Sugar and General Plantations
Sugar Refinery, Tar Distillery and Rum Distillery
Textile Mill
All Advanced Structures
NEW STRUCTURES
Many new structures will be popping up all throughout the Caribbean with the Economic Expansion, and soon they will be manufacturing the Expansion’s many new items. New structures added fall into three basic categories:
New Basic – these are structures available to Captains of all careers and nations.
Trader Structures – these are structures available to Freetraders only.
Partner Structures – these are structures available only from Treasure Aisle. They can be used by all nations and careers.
Partner Shipyards - the Hidden Cove Shipyard is only available to members of the Pirate nation and the Company Shipyard is only available to Freetraders.
Structures in the Economic Expansion now require maintenance items as well as doubloons for upkeep. The items will be listed with the doubloon upkeep requirements when viewing the structure. Values for upkeep as well as upkeep materials are not final at this time.
New Basic Structures
Large Logging Camps – Oak, Fir, Ironwood, Pine, Roble
Large Mines – Iron, Copper, Zinc, Gold, Silver, Sulfur
Large Quarry, Clay Pit, Cooper, Salt Pen, Farm, Bakery, Chandler, Blast Furnace and Stamp Mill
New Trader Structures
Saw Mill, Carpenter, Pottery, Boilery, and Finery
Sail Loft, Rope Walk, Improved Textile Mill and Leather Works
Sugar, Tobacco, and Plantation Estates
New Partner Structures
Logging Company, Mining Company, and Farm Estate
Textile Factory, Foundry, and Iron Works
Company and Hidden Cove Shipyards
Partner structure deeds can be obtained for testing by visiting any Port Captain where they will be found in the Treasure Aisle test shop.
NEW SHIPS
The Economic Expansion also introduces 18 new ships that are built by the Company and Hidden Cove Shipyards. The following ships are available:
Hawk, Wolf, Crocodile, Cutlass, Hunter, Santa Rita, Shark, Atalanta, Hades, Unity, Rover and Mars frigates.
Batavia and Sampson Flutes
Wager Indiaman
Badger and Fox Ketches
Eclipse Snow
These ships can be obtained for testing by visiting any Port Captain where they will be found in the Treasure Aisle test shop. The insurance values for these ships will be updated before 2.15 is released to the Live servers, and should not be considered final.
NPC BUYERS AND SELLERS
NPC’s will trade select items via buy and sell orders in the auction houses of the following ports: Barilla, Oranjestad, Pensacola, Pointe-a-Pitre, Port Royal, Rosignol, San Juan, and Tortuga.
The prices for items currently are for testing only and do not necessarily represent the prices that will be seen on the Live servers. There may be additions to the catalogue of NPC traded items as well.
We appreciate players letting us know if/when you encounter issues in testing, we look forward to hearing from you! As always feedback, bug reports, and suggestions may be emailed to feedback@portalusgames.com.
Rants, raves, and Live game / account issues should still be sent to support@portalusgames.com.
PATCHING ISSUES
September 09, 2014 / Hamled
Hey all!
We're aware of the issues that some of our players have recently begun having with the PotBS patcher / launcher.
I'm sorry about the inconvenience this has caused for those of you that have been impacted, it appears that a recent change with our Content Distribution Network has broken some parts of the patcher.
We're currently working with BitRaider to get an updated version of the patcher software that has a fix, but at this time we do not have an ETA. I will post updates about our progress as we receive them.
Thank you again for your patience while we deal with this matter.
¶ 2014-08
LIVE SERVER DOWNTIME TONIGHT
August 25, 2014 / Hamled
UPDATE: Both Antigua and Roberts are now online with version 2.14.39. If your client has not updated (you can find your client's version at the lower left corner of the server list), please make sure to download and run the launcher.
Hey everyone!
We'll be bringing both Antigua and Roberts offline at midnight PDT (7 AM GMT / 11 AM MSK) on 8/26 to upgrade to version 2.14.41, which corrects an issue with one of the reward items that we're giving out for the 2.15 Test Server event.
Downtime should last about 30 minutes and I'll post an update here when the servers are back online, or if the downtime might extend beyond our current estimate.
2.15 TEST EVENT REWARDS
August 21, 2014 / Fodderboy
UPDATE: Both Antigua and Roberts are now online with version 2.14.39. If your client has not updated (you can find your client's version at the lower left corner of the server list), please make sure to download and run the launcher.
Ahoy!
We will be bringing the Live servers offline in one hour (6 AM PDT / 1 PM GMT / 5 PM MSK) to add the reward items for our recent test event. Downtime should last around 30 minutes, we appreciate your patience with this downtime outside of our usual window.
Over the next couple of days we will be providing the rewards to all captains who participated in the event, including a new title "Bathed in Blood" for everyone and Burning Sea Point rewards for those that participated in 3 or more skirmishes.
Additionally, ten players that distinguished themselves with individual accomplishment will be receiving special early access to their choice of a deed for one of the new ships. Keep a look out for these exclusive pre-release ships on the OS in the coming week as we prepare for the launch of the 2.15 Economic Expansion!
REMINDER: If you participated in the test event but haven’t notified us, you may still do so by emailing support@portalusgames.com. Please include both the character that you used during the event and the character on Antigua or Roberts whom you wish to receive your reward(s).
2.15 TEST EVENT FOLLOW-UP & ANSWERS
August 11, 2014 / Fodderboy
Greetings Captains, Fodderboy here!
I’d like to thank everyone who was able to participate in our event and check out the upcoming ships yesterday. The event was a huge success, with the highest turn out for any test event in years!
Rewards will be announced later this week, to ensure quick delivery of those rewards please contact our support team via support@portalusgames.com and mention both your Test Server character name AND the Live character who should receive any title or item rewards.
The skirmish battles have provided us with a great deal of data, and many of you have submitted excellent feedback which we are currently reviewing. We're also working on a schedule of upcoming events, with a larger variety of activities for captains of all levels and interests!
Players who were unable to attend the event can still find all of the new ships on Test Server by visiting any Port Captain. Feedback can be sent to feedback@portalusgames.com.
Additionally, there were a couple of questions that have been asked several times before and during the event that I’d like to address:
The first question was regarding the materials needed to build the new ships and whether or not they required Treasure Aisle purchases. The ships do not require components from Treasure Aisle or loot items during construction. However, the recipes for them are only available through purchased Partner tier shipyards. In addition these ships will also require new economic resources which are being added with 2.15.
Secondly, the Buccaneer-only frigate ‘Rover’ intentionally has larger cannons on the small gun deck and smaller cannons on the primary gun deck. The intention of this design is to maximize cargo capacity and maintain better sailing performance at the expense of a few larger, heavier guns.
Thanks again to everyone who sails with us on the Burning Seas, your enthusiasm for the game and for the Age of Sail keeps us going every day!
TEST EVENT REDUX - SUNDAY AUGUST 10
August 09, 2014 / Hamled
Ahoy Captains!
We will be holding our ship testing event on our Test server tomorrow, August 10th, starting at noon Pacific time (3pm EDT/7pm UTC/11pm MSK) so everyone can check out the 18 new ships included in the 2.15 build.
If you'd like to attend the event please make sure that your Test Client is properly updated to version 2.15.17 to avoid any delays in getting in-game tomorrow. You can download the Test Client launcher here and get started patching right now.
NOTE: Please do not install the Test Client to the same directory as the Live Client or you may have trouble accessing Antigua and Roberts.
This event will focus on a series of skirmish battles between ships within the same class / level range. Prizes include titles for winning team members as well as ship deeds and/or Burning Sea Points for various individual achievements!
GM’s will be available on the Test server one hour prior to the starting of the event to assist players in getting setup with any necessary levels, outfittings, and consumables. We ask that players in need of setup assistance please arrive as early as possible as we do not wish to delay the event’s starting time.
Hope to see you all on Test Server tomorrow, and I eagerly await your feedback on the new ships!
¶ 2014-07
SHIP TEST EVENT SUNDAY AUGUST 3RD - UPDATED
July 31, 2014 / Fodderboy
UPDATE: Unfortunately the updated Test version of the game that we were planning to use for this event has a serious bug in it that was not discovered until the last minute. We will need to fix the issue and create a new version before we can run the test event.
As such we have delayed the event until next weekend, the specific date and time are TBD. Thank you to everyone for your interest in helping us test the new ships, and thank you for your patience with this. We hope to see you all next weekend!
We will be hosting a ship testing event on our Test server this Sunday August 3rd starting at noon Pacific time (3pm EDT/7pm UTC/11pm MSK) to test the new partner structure ships for the 2.15 build. The event will feature a nation based red zone race with skirmish battles occurring between the different legs of the race. Each nation will be attempting to deliver a specific cargo across the overall event for a final event winning nation. Prizes include titles for winning team members and ship deeds and/or Burning Sea Points for various individual achievements during the races and skirmishes.
GM’s will be available on the Test server one hour prior to the starting of the race to assist players in getting setup for the event by providing ship deeds, levels, items and consumables necessary for the event. We ask that players in need of setup assistance please arrive as early as possible as we do not wish to delay the event’s starting time. We look forward to seeing players who are able to attend this event as well as their feedback and comments regarding the new partner structure ships.
INTRODUCING THE NEW 'EAGLE' AND 'VULCAN' FRIGATES
July 29, 2014 / Hamled
Update 2: All servers are back online now! If you're still not seeing any servers in the list please make sure to update your game client. You can update your client by downloading and running the launcher again.
Update 1: Due to unexpected issues with our server maintenance tasks we now project that the downtime will last an additional half an hour. Further status updates will follow, thank you for your patience.
Tonight at midnight Pacific time (7 AM GMT on 7/30) we will be upgrading both the Antigua and Roberts servers to release the latest new Premium tier ships. As we will be performing server maintenance as well we expect the downtime window to last up to 1 hour, and it will include a shorter downtime for Test Server as well.
The 34 gun Vulcan Frigate combines the strength of the strongest frigates with 12 and 16 pound prize bronze cannon to provide another heavy option for captains seeking more firepower weight. The 32 gun Eagle Frigate features a similar 12 and 16 pound prize gun configuration but sacrifices some armor and structure to maintain greater sailing speeds.
TWO NEW HEAVY FRIGATES
July 26, 2014 / Fodderboy
As the last bit of tuning on the 2.15 build is taking a bit longer than expected we've decided to go ahead and release a couple of ships that are not dependent on the 2.15 build today. We are releasing to the Test server the 34 gun Vulcan Frigate and the 32 gun Eagle Frigate. Both premium frigates are available to all factions and careers and can be found for testing in any Port Captain’s Treasure Aisle Item Test Shop. We appreciate any feedback or bug reports sent to support@portalusgames.com regarding these ships.
If you want to try out the new Vulcan and Eagle frigates please download the Test Server client here[Old link removed]!
NOTE: If you're installing the Test client for the first time DO NOT install it to the same directory as your Live client, as it will overwrite the files there and prevent you from playing on Antigua and Roberts.
Watch for an announcement regarding a 2.15 build test event during the next week featuring the new partner structure ships.
LIVE SERVER MAINTENANCE
July 22, 2014 / Hamled
Right now we're doing some important server maintenance related to the unexpected downtime on Roberts yesterday.
Currently we expect all servers to be brought back online by 2:40 PM Pacific time (9:40 PM GMT). Updates will be posted here if that time changes.
Update: All servers have been brought back online, fair winds and happy hunting Captains!
¶ 2014-06
LIVE SERVER UPDATE TONIGHT
June 24, 2014 / Hamled
We will be updating Antigua and Roberts to version 2.14.34 tonight starting at 12 am PDT (7 am UTC), with the servers being locked half an hour before. This new version includes both the updated accuracy curve for cannons as well as a new mission that can be found on the Swampcats Pirate Errol Dauterive and in the Seasonal Piece of Eight exchange!
At the same time we will be performing some server maintenance tasks and we expect the total downtime to last around one hour. Updates will be posted here as maintenance progresses.
TEST SERVER DOWN TIME
June 22, 2014 / Fodderboy
Test server will be unavailable for about 30 minutes during the evening of June 22 so we can push a change we are making to the base accuracy curve for cannon in game. This change is based on a combination of data, feedback and suggestions regarding the curve originally introduced in build 2.14. We want to make sure this change is working properly before adding the long and short cannons that are part of 2.15. In general this accuracy change will improve accuracy of basic and prized cannon considerably between 200 and 500 yards with smaller improvements to extreme short and long range.
If the accuracy curve change tests well over the next few days we may advance the change to the Live servers sometime next week, (ahead of the 2.15 build).
STATUS UPDATE
June 14, 2014 / Fodderboy
We’ve experienced a number of delays in the past week that have had an impact on our development schedule. One of the realities of developing with a very small team is any change in priorities generally results in delays. Every unexpected illness, family emergency, hardware failure or sudden opportunity requiring attention can take time from planned development. The past week has been a bit of a perfect storm in this regard for us in that several of these all aligned and combine with previous delays ran our schedule into a pre-planned and well deserved vacation for Half-Hitch. Consequently we had to delay 2.15 development work for a few days during the past week to address the most pressing issues and now that we’ve had the opportunity to address them we can provide an update as to the effects of the delays and what we’re doing to address them.
To help out with the work load while Half Hitch is on vacation and beyond we’re going to bring back one of PotBS’s most experienced game masters – GM Swabbie. Swabbie will be joining Portalus immediately to take over customer service duties as well as provide an in game GM presence when possible. We feel very fortunate to bring someone with Swabbie’s experience both with PotBS and its player base back into the fold and look forward to working with him once again. Swabbie joining the team will allow us to dedicate more time to development which is badly needed to get the 2.15 build moving forward faster.
To help move 2.15 development forward we’re also going to reduce the scope of the Loot side of the economy in the 2.15 build down to the new loot tables and move the rest of that portion of the economy revamp to the 2.16 build. Reduction moves the vast majority of what would have been in the Loot Economy overview to build 2.16. We are going hold off on posts about the Loot economy in the 2.16 build until that gets closer. We’ll put up a post explaining what the new loot tables contain shortly before the next 2.15 build gets pushed to the Test server.
As to when that Test server push may occur we’re reluctant to say at this point simply because we haven’t been able to be accurate with any previous estimates. The team is small enough and there are enough other priorities requiring attention at this time that it is difficult to determine how many actual hours of any given day can be dedicated to new development. That uncertainty makes estimates difficult and error prone. We can’t really offer much information at the moment other than we feel the push is not far off with some development time (days not weeks), we apologize for the delays to this point and we will move the build to the Test server as soon as we possibly can.
¶ 2014-05
NEW MISSION - SHORT DOWNTIME TONIGHT
May 31, 2014 / Half-Hitch
EDIT: We have deployed a fix for the issue that was causing the new mission to not work for some players. We will be reimbursing the mission item to everyone who used it and did not receive the mission. We apologize for the inconvenience, and hope you enjoy the mission now that it's fixed!
We will be taking the game down for around 30 minutes at Midnight PDT (7 am UTC) tonight so we can release a brand new mission! Errol Dauterive and his Swampcats have been busy, learn about his plans from a new item that he drops (or purchase a copy from the Seasonal Piece of Eight exchange) and then go thwart them!
BUILD 2.15 UPDATE
May 28, 2014 / Fodderboy
First off I’d like to thank the players that have been reporting bugs they have been finding with the build on the Test server to customer service. We appreciate you bringing them to our attention along with the comments and suggestions provided. With a very small development team the additional testing and observation is essential and though the setup of the first 2.15 did not make testing easy for anyone we are thankful to have dedicated and patient players who offer the help they can.
The two most commonly reported issues coming in from players regarding the test build are a lack of available building materials for the new structures and recipe errors from recipes shown in F1 help. The most common request from players testing on the server has been for a seeding of construction materials on the auction houses. We will consider a limited seeding of items on the auction houses though we would prefer to see the effect of activating the exchanges in our next build first. The determining factor in this decision will be the length of time to our next build. If we feel the second build is taking too long to prepare we will do an auction house seeding. This decision will likely be made early next week.
Regarding the recipes issues seen in F1 help we are filtering through these reports for those recipes that are actually actively being used by structures. The majority of the new recipes seen in F1 help are intentionally put into an unusable state to limit testing scope for the first build. For our production planning oriented players we strongly recommend waiting until the second build where more of the recipes will be in use and contain their complete requirements. In the build’s current state many of the new recipes in use do not contain all their requirements as they are dependent on additional structures that were not included in build 1. F1 help at this point also contains recipes that will not be part of the 2.15 build so building a roadmap at this time from F1 help will require some reworking once the second build is released.
We plan to release another 2.15 build sometime next week. We will gather the bug reports that come through the weekend and include them in our fixes for the next build. We will evaluate our progress early in the week and give an update regarding the second build’s release to the Test server (or when the auction house seeding will be done). I will also continue the overview posts regarding the Loot Economy and other build 2 features later this week.
BUILD 2.15 BUILD 1
May 24, 2014 / Fodderboy
After several delays and a deep desire to get started on Test server testing we decided that we will have to break up the first build a bit so we can focus on testing smaller pieces and give us a bit more time to resolve a couple of persistent bugs. What we’ve decided to do is go ahead and push the basic resource economy components to the Test server today and start testing. We will move the partner economy components to the second test build. This shift places all the ship and loot oriented economy items in the same build making build 1 a structure and recipe testing build only.
We appreciate players taking the time to test the new build though we are aware it can be difficult at this early stage in our testing. The number of recipes that are intentionally turned off in new structures due to their outputs not being part of the basic economy can make some structures appear a bit empty or seem incomplete (because they are) but they all should be functional. There are also incomplete recipes as some items used come from structures not included in Build 1. We want players to be aware that we’re not too concerned at this point about a possibly missing recipes or components unless its absence completely prevents production. In general recipes have been stripped down to work with what is there for early testing. We also want players to be aware that there are intentionally missing pieces so those who are trying to map out new production lines may want to wait for the second build before going any deeper than the structures and their basic functions.
What we are most concerned about is any change that affects existing data (like data loss or corruption), causes obvious errors and/or client instability (pop ups and crashes) as well as the embarrassing kind of bugs like a recipe for harvesting peas producing leather. We don’t believe players should encounter any of these issues so if anyone does we would appreciate letting customer service know at customerservice@portalusgames.com We will drill down in our testing to the more detailed level as we approach the final test build (which is still a build or two away).
The following is a rough overview of what is and isn’t in 2.15 Build 1:
· There should be no partner structures available. The missing partner structures are the Logging Company, Mining Company, Farm Estate, Foundry, Iron Works, Textile Factory and the 4 partner shipyards (Royal, Company, Haven and Cove).
· There are no partner only produced components in Build 1. This includes the partner created long and short cannon which will be included in Build 2.
· Ships have not been adjusted yet. This will be done in Build 2 when the partner shipyard ships are added.
· Stack sizes and weights have not been adjusted yet. This will be done in conjunction with the ship recipe changes. Existing items should be unchanged, new items generally have been set to a default weight of 1 per unit and a stack limit of 100.
· The Large Quarry and Finery should be the only missing basic structures. These buildings are being moved to Build 2. The basic Forge can create the needed components for the basic economy in place of the Finery for Build 1 with the assistance of a Blast Furnace.
· Structures that should see no changes (at least usable ones) are all basic shipyards and the provisioner. These structures will be updated in the same build the partner structures and new ships are added. In Build 1 basic shipyards and the provisioner should appear as they do in the current economy.
· All retired structures should remain functional, their existing deeds should still be usable (restrictions still apply) and retired structure deeds should no longer appear in the Draughtsman’s Office.
· The Draughtsman’s Office and Master Draughtsman’s Office should be identical in recipe content.
· All the map resources including the resources not yet available in Build 1 should be visible from the main map.
· Tutorial structures have not all been updated yet.
· There are a few recipes that are producing the correct item but not in the correct form (e.g. producing cotton instead of cotton bales). These will be corrected in the next build.
· The Forge has a few known issues that can be worked around with a Blast Furnace. These will be corrected in the next build.
· Materials as part of structure upkeep has been moved to Build 2. Structures should only require doubloons in Build 1 for upkeep.
· Consumables that used Teak in their recipes should show the Teak being replaced by Oak with some recipe adjustments in some recipes.
· Books that provided retired structure recipes should no longer give the retired structure recipes.
We appreciate players letting us know if you encounter issues in testing and look forward to your feedback.
BUILD 2.15 UPDATE
May 19, 2014 / Fodderboy
The hardware failure that occurred a few days ago affected our development environment as well as the Live servers causing a delay in our plan to deploy 2.15 Test Build 1 to the Test server. Whenever a hardware failure occurs our first priority is always the Live servers and their infrastructure before any work begins on repairing things like our development environments. Once those issues were resolved development environment repairs could begin.
I’m happy to report we have our development environments operational again and we will hopefully push the 2.15 Test Build 1 to the Test servers sometime within the next 48 hours. We appreciate everyone’s patience and apologize for the delays.
UNEXPECTED POTBS DOWNTIME - UPDATE
May 16, 2014 / Hamled
Currently the PotBS servers are unavailable due to a hardware failure in our datacenter. Our technicians are currently replacing the hardware in question and we'll have the servers online as soon as everything has been tested and is ready.
Your patience while we resolve this outage is appreciated.
Update: The failed hardware has been replaced and we are performing internal tests on the servers before bringing them online.
Update 2: All servers are back online now. Again, thank you for your patience. Early next week I'll be posting a maintenance schedule for upcoming downtime windows in which we will roll out game updates and further improve our server infrastructure to prevent incidents like this from happening again.
Update 3 (5/17): The game servers will be brought offline this morning to resolve a few remaining issues related to last night's downtime, and in order to provide all accounts with 250 Burning Sea Points as a thank you for your patience.
Update 4 (5/17): We're still working on resolving the remaining issues from last night's downtime. Players have reported missing characters and we can confirm that there was database corruption on Antigua stemming from the hardware failure.
Currently we are restoring the database to a recent backup. We realize this will result in a loss of progress players who had been online this morning, however in the interest of preventing further negative effects it is necessary to start from a backup taken before the incident, the most recent of which is from around 6:30 PM Pacific Time on 5/16/2014.
Again, thank you for your patience as we continue to work to get the servers back online.
Update 5 (5/17): Restoring the Antigua database backup has completed successfully. We're doing some fixes to another internal database currently but we aim to have the servers back online within the next hour and a half.
Update 6 (5/17): I expect at least another hour of downtime at this point. Sorry for the additional delays.
Update 7 (5/17): All servers are back online now. If you have any missing characters or if you believe you lost any dura/items due to the original downtime please contact our support team via support@portalusgames.com
BUILD 2.15 UPDATE
May 14, 2014 / Fodderboy
We will be pushing the first 2.15 Test build to the Test servers Friday (May 16th). When the build is being pushed we will post the known issues with the build.
Below are a few more comments regarding some questions and concerns.
The ships added for the first Test build are test ships needed to do some end to end construction testing only. These “new” ships in the first Test build are not ships that are going to be appearing on the Live servers. The ships that will wind up going to the Live servers are all in 2.15 Build 2.
Some players have been expressing concern about supply for the auction house market if players are able to sell materials to NPC’s. While the NPC market’s primary goal is to free player progression economically from a pure ship loss player market it also serves as an effective price control mechanism.
If players on the auction houses will only pay cost to get materials and goods then sellers will be able to go to the NPC market and get a better price. How full the player auction houses will be is completely dependent on the price being offered for materials and goods. If it isn’t high enough, players have other options because a minimal profit margin is assured with NPCs. When buying from NPCs the opposite is true. The NPC prices are so high that you can invariably find a better price from a player and have that selling player still make a profit considerably better than selling to NPCs. This does create an effective upper price limit on many items in the revamped economy because there is a point where it may be easier or cheaper to buy from NPC’s than pay a possibly inflated player price. NPCs assure players positive gain from participating in the economy without waiting periods while offering some protection against extreme pricing with many items.
ECONOMIC EXPANSION - QUESTIONS AND CONCERNS
May 12, 2014 / Fodderboy
We've received feedback regarding some questions and concerns and while we await the first Test Build I thought I would take an opportunity to address them. The majority of all questions, comments and concerns so far center around four basic points:
· Concerns about the number of partner structures needed
· Concerns about complication
· Concerns about container use
· Concerns about hauling
Of these concerns the number of partner structures needed is the easiest to address. The number of partner structures a player will need depends entirely on what they intend to produce. A player who is only building basic economy items, even in complete production lines of them will not need any at all. If a player intends to produce the new partner shipyard ships then at least 1 partner structure would be required (the partner shipyard). If that player is willing to use markets to obtain the needed materials for building the ships then no further partner structures would be required. A player desiring the ability to build everything in the revamped economy would need a minimum of 5 – a shipyard, a foundry, and 3 logging companies due to the distribution of wood types on the map. The rest could be done with basic revamp structures.
Another question coming up has been the nature of the partner structure deed and its use. The partner structure deed works just like any other structure deed in that it can be built where it is qualified to be built and once built is a permanent structure. The structure cannot be packed up and moved so its placement should be carefully considered.
We feel concerns about complication in the economy are very relative. If you are a specialized producer of a product like oak in game now, the change this revamp will bring is seeing the common wood harvest recipe replaced by one for firewood. There will be a new basic revamp oak camp available as an option to move into as well as a partner logging camp but they are not required. How complicated things are beyond this is proportionate to the number of industries and businesses a single player is attempting to participate in.
It’s important to keep in mind a primary goal of the economic revamp was to encourage specialization in the economy. The revamped economy doesn’t require players to assume risk by specializing in production. In the current economy there are mountains of gravel that have no value. It is unlikely that a player could specialize in gravel production and make a profit doing so. In the revamped economy NPC buyers provide immediate outlets. If a player has little time or doesn’t want to wait to gain something from their economic activity they no longer have to. They would most likely make a better profit selling to another player but they are no longer dependent on that to make a profit. Some folks just don’t have enough game time to wait for days for something to sell. They can sell their gravel to a regional buyer at a small profit in the revamped economy and begin to specialize in gravel or other production reliably if they choose. They don’t have to complicate their economy any further to get something out of it.
With the concerns regarding possible over use of containers there may be some misconceptions prevailing about their use. Not all industries and businesses use containers. Timber and metal working industries use very few and only for small items like nails and trunnels. Mines and quarries do not use containers at all. The primary consumers of containers are the agricultural structures like plantations and the structures that process those products. Container use does not extend to the entire economy even within the agricultural industries.
There may also be another misconception regarding container use and stock piled supplies. For example, let’s say I have a stockpile of hemp I’m sitting on but I don’t want to have to put all that hemp into bales to get it to market or manufacturing. In the revamped economy you don’t have to put that cargo into containers unless your destination for that cargo is an NPC trader or one of the revamped structures (which use revamped recipes). You can still list the hemp on the auction houses and you can also still use the unbaled hemp in basic legacy Textile Mills. If the stockpiled items were intended for use in existing basic structures this can still be accomplished post revamp without needing containers.
Hauling concerns are difficult to address because they are case by case assessments. Whether or not your economy will require more or less hauling to maintain depends on exactly how and where you have it set up. In some cases hauling will go down because a resource like iron that wasn’t present in their current production port has been added to it removing the need to haul iron in. They also may not have to sail as far to reach a market for their materials or goods. Basic economy producers in legacy structures really shouldn’t see any change in their hauling because no current resources moved away (except Teak which was removed from the map).
If a player wants to attempt to haul everything the revamp economy has to offer it will take more hauling simply because there is more to haul. Use of player markets can reduce hauling. Use of NPC vendors can reduce hauling as well though some NPC use comes with noticeable expense in doubloons. We don’t want to limit the number of markets in the game purely because players choosing to engage in those markets may incur more hauling by doing so.
We will discuss our 2.15 Test build push plan for this week tomorrow and I will post an update regarding that shortly afterward.
TEST BUILD 2.15 UPDATE
May 08, 2014 / Fodderboy
With our unexpected down time and a couple of other issues that have come up we are going to be unable to push the first 2.15 Test build to the test servers this evening. It is unlikely we will be able to do so tomorrow as well so we are going to move pushing the build to the Test server until next week. We apologize for the delay and will take advantage of the time to provide more information regarding questions that have been asked about the economy revamp.
I will also post an overview of know issues in Test build 1 the day the build is released to clarify which systems are fully implemented in build 1 and which ones fully working because they are scheduled to be part of build 2.
¶ ECONOMIC EXPANSION 6 – SHIPBUILDING AND PROVISIONING
May 08, 2014 / Fodderboy
In this post I’ll discuss some of the changes coming to shipbuilding and provisioning but first I’d like to start with a couple of structures that haven’t been mentioned yet as they do not really fall into any of the categories previously covered. Those structures are the Recruitment Office and Draughtsman Offices.
We’re going to consolidate the Draughtsman’s Offices into a single structure with the retirement of Advanced structures. The Master Draughtsman’s Office will be retired leaving the basic Draughtsman’s Office as the only structure deed producing structure. All non-Treasure Aisle structures continuing forward both current, revamped and future will be added to the basic Draughtsman’s Office. Beyond this consolidation there are no changes to the Draughtsman’s Office other than some costs.
The Recruitment Office really doesn’t have any changes beyond the addition of construction experts. Construction experts are a recipe component used for constructing revamped economy structures, (differing from those used as a consumable in ship combat). The construction experts are a small addition to items the Recruitment Office can produce and sell to give the structure more value in the revamped economy.
Shipyards
There are no revamp basic shipyards. The existing basic shipyards are all carried forward into the revamped economy with any new needed additional ship part recipes added to them. There are four new partner shipyards added in the 2.15 build – the Royal Shipyard, Company Shipyard, Haven Shipyard and Cove Shipyard. These shipyards are not career restricted but Royal and Company Shipyards are only available to French, Spanish and British characters and the Haven and Cove Shipyards are only available to Pirate characters.
The differences in partner shipyards and basic shipyards have a lot to do with what ships they build and the materials they are built from.
Let’s start with what ships they build. Currently the basic shipyards are capable of building basic ships, partner recipe ships and premium ships.
Basic ships - are the ships that were in the game before it was free to play. These ship recipes are either a property of the basic shipyard the player owns or added to the player’s character usually by loot or exchange books.
Partner recipe ships - are those like the San Fernando where the recipe to build them comes from Treasure Aisle and is added to the character. Once the recipe is added to the character the character can build any number of them in the same manner as basic ships (no further Treasure Aisle component is needed).
Premium ships – are those like the Sovereign which require a builder to get the partner recipe from Treasure Aisle in addition to a premium component such as a First Rate Keel to build them. Once the recipe is added to the character they can build any number of premium ships but each premium ship built requires its own premium component from Treasure Aisle.
This basic structure of ships remains unchanged by the revamp. The differences in the materials the ships are built is where the difference between a basic shipyard and a partner shipyard are found.
Basic shipyards (all the shipyards currently in game) use a limited palette of materials in their shipbuilding. Although many new types of wood are being added in the revamp the basic shipyards and the ship recipes that come with them only use oak, fir, ironwood, pine and roble for the construction of their ships. All the other wood types being added are used in partner shipyard construction so players who wish to focus on basic shipbuilding really do not have to worry about acquiring resources like live oak or mahogany. They can focus on the more limited set of oak, fir, ironwood, pine and roble, usually only needing one or two types in building any particular basic ship.
Partner shipyards come with their own ship recipes using many of the revamped economy items as well as all the ship recipes that are part of the basic shipyards. In all cases a partner recipe ship or a premium ship can be built by any shipyard (partner or basic) qualified to build that size of ship. We will continue to add partner recipe ships and premium ships to the game as we move forward in the same manner as we have but we will also be adding new ships to the partner shipyards automatically that are part of the shipyard rather than a property of the character. Partner shipyards will be focused on building new master craft series ships as well partner shipyard refits.
Shipbuilding
The largest change in shipbuilding in the 2.15 is the addition of new ship parts in ship construction. How and where the new ship parts are applied is similar to the shipyards in that basic ships work with a limited palette of parts in comparison to ships that are built only by partner shipyards. In general smaller ships also use less part types than larger ones which keeps starter ships simple to build with few part types to focus on.
For basic ships the largest amount of changes are focused specifically on the hull assemblies. The hull assemblies gain sternposts, rudders, futtocks. Rigging gains spars and bowsprits as new parts. For basic ships all sternposts, rudders, futtocks are made of oak and all spars and bowsprits are made of fir. This constitutes all the changes to basic shipbuilding when it comes to new parts. Recipes for the new items are added to the basic structures needed to produce them automatically with the revamp.
Partner shipyard ships use everything the revamped economy has to offer for shipbuilding. They use all the parts in basic ship building as well as others such as bilge pumps, steering mechanisms, capstans, binnacles, lanterns, window glass, and cabin furniture. Not all ships use all parts. Smaller ships tend to use less types as with basic shipbuilding while a future first rate from a partner shipyard would use every part type available in its construction. It should be noted there is no plan for a new first rate in the 2.15 build. The first rate here is only mentioned as an example of a ship that would use everything in its construction.
Provisioning
Provisioning in general has few changes. The Provisioner structure remains the only provisioning structure in the revamped economy with the biggest changes being the removal of bread (to the Bakery) and cheese production (to the Farm). It also gains some new provision types that combined with a general change in the economy revamp significantly increase the demand for provisions.
Revamped structures use materials and goods are part of their maintenance in the revamped economy. Rather than have players collect all the individual items needed for maintenance themselves provisioners are able to bundle these items into structure provisions to provide most maintenance. The structure provisions generally combine with only one or two special items a structure uses to fulfill maintenance needs. Some structures need no special items at all (only provisions).
Structure provisions are broken down by business type. All revamp logging camps use Camp Provisions just as all revamp mines use Mine Provisions. Structure provisions are all generalized into four basic types - Camp, Mine, Shop and Store.
Provisioners still provide ship provisions for ship construction as before but ship provisions also come in various different types in the revamped economy. Most basic ships and small ships use the Ship Provision currently being used in game (with some recipe item changes). Other ships may use Naval, Merchantman. Privateer or Pirate provisions generally based on whether or not the ship is career restricted or not.
UNEXPECTED POTBS DOWNTIME - UPDATE
May 06, 2014 / Hamled
Update: The issue has been resolved and all servers are online again.
A few hours ago some of the central infrastructure in our datacenter suffered a hardware failure. We're currently working to fix the issue and get the game back up and running. I do not have an ETA at this time, unfortunately. We'll keep posting updates about the progress here, however.
¶ ECONOMIC EXPANSION - PIRATE ECONOMY QUESTION
May 06, 2014 / Fodderboy
We’ve received numerous questions about Pirate economy production in the economy revamp and I’d like to clear up some misconceptions in this regard.
First and most importantly Pirates will be able to make every end product they can make now after the revamp.
Pirate players are not forced to turn to national free traders for items in the revamp economy. If a production item is necessary for basic ship production or manufacture there is a basic structure that has the ability to make it. For players managing entire production chains there may be adjustments that are needed such as adding a basic, unrestricted Cooper’s Shop in addition to your Lumber Mill but those additional needed buildings for basic production are always available to all factions and careers without any Treasure Aisle items.
As a brief example, if you can currently produce a Hercules frigate (a basic ship) post revamp you can still produce it without needing anything from Treasure Aisle (just more slowly and at less cost). You may need that Cooper’s Shop in the case of block production if you refuse to buy blocks from other sources but additional items needed such as a futtock or rudder assembly for the Hercules have those recipes added to the Lumber Mill you most likely already own as part of the revamp.
Those same recipes are mirrored in better form in the revamped structures but they are paying higher maintenance costs for that production boost. The unique items produced by revamp and partner level structures that are not proliferated down to basic structures are for revamp and partner recipes and are not part of basic ship production. Again anything needed for basic ship production can be produced by a basic structure.
Partner level structures (not partner level recipes) are always available to all careers and factions. They are intended for players looking for higher production output with minimum economy slot usage. That type of production isn’t desired or needed by every player so many players may be able to meet their economy needs without Partner structures. Partner level structures are an option for players who want to do large scale production but don’t want to manage an excessive number of economy slots to do it. Players who don’t want to do high capacity production may find they have no need for partner level structures at all but would probably benefit by moving to revamped basic structures in most cases.
On the subject of economy slots – we are going to allow accounts to expand beyond the 10 slot limit currently in place. This isn’t going to be in the first build to the Test server as our first tests are primarily concerned with resource production and integration with existing structures. More information will be provided regarding this when we begin discussing the contents of the second Test build.
Pirate production at this point has not been mentioned in detail because basic production is being maintained and Pirates already have access to that and can keep using it. The focus in this Resource Economy section of the revamp overview heavily features free trader production and how it integrates with others as free traders are intended to be the primary manufacturing career in game.
We are currently on schedule to move the first 2.15 build to the Test server on Thursday May 8th with plans to move the second build to the Test server the following week if possible.
¶ ECONOMIC EXPANSION 5 - MINING AND METAL WORKING
May 05, 2014 / Fodderboy
In this post I’ll cover some of the changes coming to mining and metal working, which will include information regarding quarries in the economic revamp.
Basic Process – Ore to Ingot
The largest change to the mining and metal working industry is in the processing of ores into workable metals. Currently ores are harvested by mines and smelted by forges to become workable metal except for sulfur and saltpeter. In the revamped economy all minerals that come from ores use the same process - ores are harvested by mines; the ores are reduced and then smelted. Reduction is achieved by crushing the ore with hammers. Reduction is a process that concentrates ores while reducing their weight for transport.
All mines in the revamp produce raw ores which will need to be reduced (or processed in the case of saltpeter). Several structures have the ability to reduce ores but the partner Mining Company is the only mine that can. Most mines will either sell the raw ore which does have regional market value or they will rely on two other structures that can also reduce ore – the Forge (currently in game) and the Stamp Mill.
Once ores are reduced ores they are ready to be smelted and in the revamped economy there are three smelting structures – the Forge (currently in game), the Blast Furnace and the partner Iron Works. Smelting for the most part always involves the use of flux materials such as limestone, charcoal and sulfur. Iron is already processed in this manner in game with limestone as its flux and in the revamped economy the other metals require similar additional ingredients in smelting. Smelted ores produce workable materials in the form of pigs or ingots. Iron has a unique smelting processes in that it can be smelt into wrought iron (called simply iron in game) and pig iron which is semi processed iron form used by multiple structures.
In implementing this process there were two changes to mine outputs – sulfur mines will produce sulfur ore and guano caves will produce guano. Sulfur ore processes in the same manner as all the other metals. Guano caves operate a bit differently in that guano is not considered an ore in the revamped economy and the Guano Cave is able to process the guano into saltpeter without the assistance of an additional structure. Guano conversion to saltpeter can be accomplished more efficiently with the use of a Boilery.
Industry Structure Changes and Additions:
Mines
There are few changes to the mines in game. Outputs remain the same with general adjustments to higher labor and in some cases lower costs. There are revamped versions of each mine (except the Guano Cave). These Large Mine revamp versions have different outputs and costs and have higher maintenance needs than Basic Mines. There is only one partner mine – the Mining Company. Like the Logging Company the Mining Company can harvest all mine resources at the port it is located. The Mining Company the most efficient mine is available to all careers and factions.
Forge
The Forge is essentially the same in that it continues to produce everything it currently produces and gains essential production part recipes such as rudder irons needed for basic shipbuilding. The Forge’s low maintenance costs and high versatility result in increased labor costs and some inefficiency in processing.
Stamp Mill
The Stamp Mill’s primary function is as an all-purpose ore reducer and pig to wrought iron converter. The process of converting iron ore to ingots is faster if the ore is reduced to pig iron by a Blast Furnace and then wrought by the Stamp Mill than going directly from ore to ingots (the methods used by the Forge and Finery). In addition to its function as an ore reducer and pig iron converter Stamp Mills are also capable of producing some iron work more efficiently such as hoop or bar iron. The Stamp Mill is a basic structure available to all careers and factions.
Blast Furnace
The Blast Furnace is the high efficiency smelter intended to be a supplement structure to the Finery and Foundry. It is for the most part a single purpose structure that is also the source of one of the few mineral resources being added – lead which comes as a byproduct from smelting other metals. The Blast Furnace is a basic structure available to all.
Finery
The Finery is a semi replacement to the retiring Advanced Forge in that is can do everything the Forge can do more efficiently. It is also capable of producing additional items produced by some of the other structures though not as efficiently such as bolts, hoop iron, and copperware. Its strength is similar to that of the Forge in that it is capable of ore to finished product production for many items. The Finery is a free trader only basic structure.
Foundry
The Foundry a partner level cannon producing structure. Basic cannon are still produced the Forge for use on basic ships. The Foundry can produce basic cannon as well as the newer cannon – the long and short cannon. The Foundry will also produce bronze cannon though those will not be part of the first build to the Test server later this week. The Foundry is also capable of producing most of the items that are produced by the Finery with more or less efficiency (depending on the item).
Iron Works
The Iron Works is a partner level combination structure that combines the functions of the Blast Furnace, Stamp Mill and Foundry into a single structure with a smaller slot footprint that the three other structures combined.
Pottery
The Pottery is a new basic structure being added that produces clay based products and glass. Clay products such as brick are used in structure construction and shipbuilding while others such as retorts are used in ore processing. Glass production is similar in that it is use predominantly for structure and ship construction as well as some agriculture applications in the form of vessel glass.
Clay Pit
The Clay Pit is a new resource structure that produces two new materials - Clay and Sand. Clay and Sand are used primarily used by the Pottery but are also used in some ore processing and other structures as recipe ingredients. The Clay Pit is a basic structure available to all.
Quarries
Quarries have a reduced role overall in the revamped economy as granite and marble usage in shipbuilding is reduced. In the revamped economy quarries are reduced to a single Large Quarry structure which is capable of quarrying any stone found in the port it is located. Current Marble, Limestone and Granite Quarries will be retired in that new deeds can no longer be produced in the 2.15 build. The existing structures will continue to function and deeds currently held can either be used or exchanged.
¶ ECONOMIC EXPANSION 4 – AGRICULTURE AND TEXTILES
May 04, 2014 / Fodderboy
In this post I’ll discuss the changes coming to the agricultural structures consisting of all structures using organic resources other than wood and agricultural processing structures that use those resources such as the textile industry.
One of the most significant changes involving the agriculture and textile industries is the use of containers for shipping. There is no assumption that storage containers are made as part of harvest or production and agriculture resources in particular almost always require a container in the revamped economy. Unless a recipe specifically utilized a container in production such as rum or wine currently do, existing stocks of agricultural products will need containers in order to be shipped in the 2.15 build.
As for the rest of the changes they vary depending specifically on what structure is being discussed. In general the agriculture industries follow a model where initial resource harvesting is can be done by any faction or career but the processing of those resources is heavily a free trader only enterprise for nationals. Pirates are moving toward their own resource usage model that will allow them to make everything they need but is focused more on raiding and pillaging than building infrastructure. This system will be explained in more detail with Provisioning and Shipbuilding and in the Loot Economy posts.
For a brief look at the rest of the changes to the agriculture and textile industries we’ll start with Plantations as they are the most numerous of the agriculture structures.
Plantations
Some plantations in general change little in comparison to lumber oriented structures. Cacao, coffee, cochineal, and cotton plantations as well as vineyards and pastures all maintain their current places in the revamped economy as the producers of those resources. Few of their outputs are changed, labor costs are increased (this is general to the economy as a whole) and costs rise or fall depending on the specific crop being produced.
The Sugar Plantation, Tobacco Plantation, General Plantation and all Advanced structure deeds are being retired. The existing structures will continue to operate producing their primary crops though less efficiently than their replacement structures in the revamped economy. Existing deeds for these structures can be exchanged or still be used. These plantations are being replaced by the Sugar Estate, Tobacco Estate and Plantation Estate structures. These three plantation estates are all free trader only structures. Estate structures in general combine harvesting and processing of their particular crops or provide new crops. New crops being added include Flax, Rice, Maize, and Peas.
New structures also being added into this category of resource producers include:
· Farms which produce Pigs, Poultry and Butter as well as having Cheese production moved to them from the Provisioner (which becomes a purely provisioning structure). Farms are basic structures available to all factions and careers.
· The Salt Pen produces Salt which is used in provisioning and many resource processes. The Salt Pen is a basic structure available to all factions and careers.
· The Buccaneer’s Camp is a special Buccaneer only structure that focuses on the unique relationship Buccaneers have with native resources. The Buccaneer’s Camp has the ability to produce some of the same resources as other structures while also having some unique resources such as Turtles and Shellfish used in Pirate only recipes. The Buccaneer’s Camp will be covered in greater detail in the Loot economy posts as it is one of the few structures that straddles both the resource and loot segments of the economy.
· The Farm Estate is a new partner level structure that combines the outputs of the Farm and the Plantation Estate into an agriculture super structure capable of producing the widest variety of agriculture resources. The Farm Estate is available to all factions and careers.
Meat and Hides
With the addition of pork being added greater distinction was desired regarding meat production as it affects provisioning requirements explained in a later post. The change required that meat produced from game be distinguishable from beef and pork so an item such as cured meat is being removed from the game. All existing supplies of cured meat can be exchanged for cured beef regardless of their origin in the revamped economy at local junk dealers.
Slaughterhouses are being maintained with pork production replacing game and fish and additional meat byproducts such as beef fat used in the production of tallow being added. Hides produced by Slaughterhouses are cattle hides only as pigs produce pigskin. Game hides are referred to as skins in the revamped economy. Their production, along with game meat is entirely done by the Hunting Lodge in the revamped economy just as fish production is entirely done by the Fishing Lodge. This change necessitated the removal of fish curing and game hide production from the Slaughterhouse.
With Game hide production moved to the Hunting Lodge the Tanner is being retired in favor of the new Leather Works structure. The Tanner will continue to function primarily as a processor of cattle hides and a secondary processor of game skins with reduced output. New Tanner deeds will not be available in the 2.15 build. The Leather Works becomes the primary hide processor and product manufacturer with several new leather products being added such as different types of leather, footwear, livery tack, buckets, bindings, and belts. The Leather Works is a basic free trader only structure.
Other Resource Processors
The Tar Distillery, Rum Distillery and Sugar Refinery are all being retired in favor of a generalized Boilery structure capable of the production previously covered by all three. The Boilery is intended to serve as an addition to structures that use distillation or boiling for concentration as part of its resource processing. As with the other retired structures the current Tar Distillery, Rum Distillery and Sugar Refinery will continue to operate, existing deeds will continue to work but no more new deeds can be produced in the 2.15 build. The Boilery is a free trader only basic structure.
There are additional new structures in the Chandler’s Shop that specializes in the production of soap and candles and the Bakery which specializes in bread, beer and ale production. The outputs of these structures are used predominantly in provisioning and other industrial processes. The Chandler’s Shop and Bakery are basic structures available to all factions and careers.
The Powder Mill is little changed beyond labor and cost adjustments common to the entire economy and receives a new recipe for Blasting Powder (used by mines and quarries) as a new product available for production. The Powder Mill continues to be a basic structure available to all factions and careers.
The Winery is also little changed as it already used containers in its resource processing. It has similar adjustments that are common to most structures in the economy revamp with some additional production options that center around container usage and a tie in with the Loot economy covered in posts regarding that portion of the economy. No changes have been made to the Winery’s restrictions.
Textile Industry Changes
The biggest changes to the textile industry include the addition of linen based products used predominantly in provisioning and containers (sacks) used by a variety of agriculture structures for product shipping in addition to all products currently produced. As an industry, textile production is moving to a free trader only based production model with Pirates having much of this type of production moved to their revamped shipbuilding covered in later posts.
The Textile Mill and Advanced Textile Mill are being retired as some of their current products are being spun off into their own businesses. The existing Textile Mills and Advanced Textile Mills will continue to function and will have necessary recipes versions of new items added to them to maintain the ability to continue a basic production chain with them. The new items added however will come with slower and more costly output than the Improved Textile Mill that replaces them. Existing Textile Mill deeds can still be used or exchanged in the revamped economy. The Improved Textile Mill is a free trader only basic structure intended to replace both current textile mill structures.
Other changes to the textile industry include:
· Rigging production is moving out of the textile industry completely. The textile industry continues to produce most of the components of rigging but the final assembly of rigging in the revamped economy is done in the shipyards, (or structures like careening camps for Pirates).
· The Rope Walk is a new structure takes over as the primary cordage producing structure. It is a basic free trader only structure. The Rope Walk produces rope more efficiently than the Textile Mill as well as being a producer of cable and oakum used in shipbuilding.
· The Sail Loft is a new sail producing structure. It is a basic free trader only structure. The Sail Loft produces sails of differing sizes and strengths with its output being used in rigging construction, ship provisioning and ship outfitting production.
· The Textile Factory is a new partner structure that combines the Improved Textile Mill, Rope Walk and Sail Loft production capabilities in addition to the added production of clothing items used in provisioning and desired by regional markets. The Textile Factory is available to all factions and careers.
¶ 2014-04
¶ ECONOMIC EXPANSION 3 - LOGS AND LUMBER
April 29, 2014 / Fodderboy
In my previous two posts I touched lightly on some of the general global changes that are coming with the 2.15 economic revamp. In this post I’d like to start focusing on a single industry type and go into more detail regarding the changes affecting that industry. In this post I’m going to focus specifically on logging camps, lumber mills and the other structures associated with wood item production.
Wood Types
Similar to the recent cannon revamp we wanted to expand the number of items and options players were offered in regards to wood and lumber products with our economy revamp. The 5 current wood types (oak, fir, teak, ironwood and common wood) are all targeted in purpose with few options. Oak is predominantly for hulls, fir for masts, teak for deck planking, ironwood for blocks and common wood for everything else. We wanted to keep the original theme of types of wood for specific ship parts and other uses but we wanted more than one option in each. With an abundance of wood types historically used in ship and structure construction we decided to look at each wood type available, how they fit with our current wood types and then decide on a limited number of them to add.
The following are the wood type changes that are part of the economy revamp:
Wood Types Added Wood Types Retired
Live Oak Teak
White Oak Common Wood
Cypress
Elm
Pine
Longleaf Pine
Mahogany
Cedar
Roble
Sabicu
Something we wanted to capture with the wood type selections is the different materials used in shipbuilding above and below the Tropic of Cancer. Mahogany, cedar, roble and sabicu were wood types often used in southern Caribbean shipbuilding while the oaks, elm and pines were often used in the north. This is something we wanted for future ship work to begin making ships of distinctly national styles in conjunction with previous work done with cannon.
Teak is being retired because teak was not a Caribbean product in the time frame the game represents and because the role it is currently used for as an expensive deck material is less emphasized in favor of a lumber model favoring usage variety. Common Wood is being retired due to its over generalization not fitting well into the new economy model which uses greater distinction. Exchanges will be made available for players to exchange existing stocks of these woods (and existing structure deeds as well) in both local and regional markets.
Of the other current wood types fir was retained as the base mast wood. It is joined by pine, longleaf pine and cypress as other choices for mast wood on the partner level. Ironwood use has some changes in that lignum frames will be retired making lignum exclusively a block making wood for now. Oak continues to be the main wood type used in the game though it now other types of oak, cedar and mahogany as higher end versions for building purposes.
Wood Distribution
The distribution of wood is more generalized in the revamp economy model with wood types being matched to regions rather than a few selected ports. This does not mean every port in the region gains each wood type. Regions like the Antilles and Bahamas have a more sparse distributions compared to a region like Louisiana. Ports that did not feature resources prior to the economy revamp remain without resources. Original locations of oak, fir and ironwood are all maintained with a few additional ports gaining those resources. The distribution of the new wood types is as follows:
Live Oak – Florida, Louisiana, Mexico
White Oak – Florida, Louisiana
Cypress – Florida, Louisiana, Mexico
Elm – Florida, Louisiana
Pine – Florida, Louisiana, Bahamas, Greater Antilles, Yucatan, New Granada
Longleaf Pine – Florida, Louisiana
Mahogany – Greater Antilles, Bahamas, Yucatan, New Granada
Cedar – Mexico, Greater Antilles, Yucatan, New Granada, Guyana
Roble – Yucatan, New Granada
Sabicu – Antilles, Bahamas
Logging Camps
The original logging camps, both basic and advanced for the purpose of discussion are basic legacy structures. These structures are part of the basic economy that we are leaving in operation but they have reduced production in the revamped economy. Players can continue to operate these structures as they will continue to produce their primary resource but their output is less than the new basic structures that are intended to replace them.
As an example of the production differences between the different types of structures the common Harvest Oak recipe they share is shown with costs and output for a single recipe run below.
Basic Legacy (free) Basic Revamp (free) Partner
Doubloon Cost 30 doubloons 15 doubloons 25 doubloons
Harvest Output 5 logs 10 logs 15 logs
Labor Cost 4 hours 2 hours 1 hour
As is most likely noted production in general is slowing down by requiring greater labor demands than the current economy at all levels. Part of this adjustment is to address the existing issues of over supply already in game while the revamped economy establishes itself. Part is to slow production down in general.
Also of note is the reduced click cost for the recipe. This is also a general feature of the economy revamp as we are working toward the elimination or reduction of often arbitrary click costs. These adjustments help keep the economy either relatively close to current costs or less with some exceptions. For many items even though they have more requirements added to their recipes, click costs are being reduced to compensate for the added component(s) or recipe expenses.
Basic legacy structures will be effectively retired as their structure deeds can no longer be created in build 2.15. The existing structures in game will continue to function in harvesting their primary resource and advanced structures will retain a slight labor advantage over their basic legacy partners. Oak, Fir and Ironwood basic logging camps have new replacements in the revamped economy and are joined by basic Pine and Roble camps. The revamped basic logging camps can be used by all careers in game. Advanced structures are replaced by a variety of specialized processing structures that are still restricted to Free Traders only.
The partner structure at the timber harvesting level of the economy is the Logging Company. The Logging Company is unique in that it can be built in any port that contains a wood source and can harvest every available wood type for that port. It features the highest production rate but also the highest maintenance costs. The Logging Company is not career or level restricted making it available to all players.
Harvesting Options
Players using legacy logging camps will see the recipe for harvesting common wood removed from all structures and replaced by a firewood recipe as fuel wood is used by other structures in material processing. Teak’s removal aside, this recipe change and the output, labor and cost changes cover most all changes to basic logging structures.
Players using revamp logging structures have several new choices to make when logging. Revamp structures distinguish between two basic types of logs – ton timber logs or mast logs. Ton timber logs are general use logs destine to become frame timbers, futtocks, planks or other processed wood while mast logs are almost exclusively used for ship masts. These two types of logs have the option of being hewn (squared) after harvesting. Hewn logs process faster at the next level of production, have more market value and also use less space and weight in transport than unhewn logs.
Logging Companies can also harvest master quality timber for special uses explained in more detail in the coming Provisioning and Shipbuilding post. Master quality woods are intended only for high end construction. Their initial use is restricted to some new refit ships with future expansion planned for a new mastercraft series of ships. The use of master quality materials will be explained in more detail in the coming Provisioning and Shipbuilding post.
¶ Lumber Processors
Lumber processing has been expanded in the revamped economy. In the current economy all lumber processing is done by the Lumber Mill as simply processing. In the revamped economy lumber processing is divided into two types of processing – sawing and carving. The predominant difference between the two being the amount of manual labor (and labor time) required to process the timber into specific types of lumber. Sawing is a much more easily powered process while carving requires significant amounts of work to be done entirely by hand.
There are two types of sawing processors in the revamped economy - the Lumber Mill which is carried over from the current economy and the Advanced Lumber Mill’s replacement - the Saw Mill.
The basic Lumber Mill has similar reductions in labor, costs and output like the basic legacy logging camps. It has many new recipes being added so the Lumber Mill can continue to be part of a complete production chain in building basic legacy ships. There are two recipe changes for the Lumber Mill in that barrel making is being removed (and moved to carving) and block making is greatly reduced in output as other structures are better specialized for block production.
The Saw Mill is the revamp replacement of the Advanced Lumber Mill. It is a basic, free trader only processing structure that can do everything the Lumber Mill can do at a greater rate of production. It has a few exclusive recipes that will be touched on in greater detail in the coming Provisioning and Shipbuilding post.
The two carving processors being added to the game are the Carpenter’s Shop and the Cooper’s Shop.
The Carpenter’s Shop is the primary carving structure. It is a free trader only basic structure. The Carpenter’s Shop takes over as the primary block manufacturer as well as the primary manufacturer of several new ship part types, structure requirement goods and cannon carriages. Most of these items will be touched upon again in more detail in coming posts regarding those industries.
The Cooper’s Shop is a second carving structure that specializes in containers and container parts exclusively. The Cooper Shop is a basic structure available to all careers. Containers play a much larger role in the revamped economy in that they are required components for some materials to be shipped, especially in the agricultural goods and provisioning markets. Examples of container use will be covered more detail in the next economy revamp post regarding Agriculture and Textiles.
¶ TEST BUILD 2.15 UPDATE
April 28, 2014 / Fodderboy
We’re going to delay the release of our first 2.15 Test build for about one week to complete some debugging tasks but also because we’d like to get more information about what is coming in that build published before it gets to the Test server so players have an idea of what to expect.
We will continue to publish the overview posts as laid out in the first revamp economy post as well as posts (such as this one) containing additional information where we feel it is necessary. We will not attempt to answer all questions as they arise however as the answers to the questions may already be planned as part of our scheduled posts.
I’d also like to offer the following answers to some questions that have come up in the comments regarding the economy revamp in the previous two posts:
· We will not be able to localize the 2.15 build at this time. In the past all localization was handled by SOE. Portalus does not have the staff to localize at this time though we are looking into other possible means of localizing. We’ll provide more information regarding this effort as things develop.
· NPC buyers are not located in ports with resources. This is intentional as we requiring that all materials and goods that are sold to NPC’s be hauled to the regional ports for sale. While we understand some players do not care for the activity of hauling it is an essential element of the game and it is not a design goal to minimize it.
· All retired materials, goods, structures or ships will continue to function or will have some means of exchange if they do not. In general players can exchange retired items for costs at the local junk dealers or the items will continue to be usable even though they can no longer be manufactured.
· The current advanced structures will continue to function but they are as a class of structures being retired. Advanced structure deeds can no longer be produced in the 2.15 build. They maintain a slight labor and cost advantage over the legacy basic structures but do not produce as much as the new revamp basic structures. Free Traders have many new exclusive structures that fill most of the roles the advanced structures as part of the basic economy.
· Ship recipes are being updated as part of the economy revamp as well as 10 new ship recipes being added. More details regarding changes to ship recipes and ship parts will be offered in Economy – Provisioning and Shipbuilding.
¶ ECONOMIC EXPANSION 2 - OVERVIEW: THE RESOURCE ECONOMY
April 24, 2014 / Fodderboy
The resource economy is made up of the resources in game that are wood, mineral or farmed plant and animal resources and the structures that work with them to comprise an industry. The wood industry currently contains all logging camps and lumber mills. The mineral industry contains all mines, quarries and forges. The farm industry contains all plantations, pastures, and lodges and buildings that work with their products like wineries, tanneries and textile mills.
For the most part the current economy resource harvesting structures use no materials or goods (only doubloons). Processing structures such as textile mills, provisioners, and forges use the output of the harvesting structures and doubloons to turn their resources into goods. The end users of the goods are usually shipbuilders whose demand for goods is proportionate to the demand for new (or replacement) ships. This is something that has always presented a bit of a problem with the game economy. Players are always seeking to avoid ship loss. New player ships require the smallest amounts of resources in shipbuilding. With everything essentially working against it shipbuilding alone isn’t capable of creating enough demand for a healthy economy. This is the primary issue the economy revamp is intended to address – ship loss isn’t enough to drive an economy and some other forms of resource and product demand needed to be added.
Growth through increased resource demands
To increase demand we’ve adopted a philosophy that few if any structures should have zero need for goods or resources. Structures use and wear out items as much as ships and should need to replace them periodically as part of doing business. Adding requirements to structures for goods and/or resources as part of their maintenance creates a demand for goods and resources that is often local and also player driven by the number of structures players put into play and maintain. Not wanting maintenance to become too much of a time sink however put some limits on maintenance’s ability to create demand and demand by structures alone while helpful was still dependent solely on player activity. Another type of demand that could keep a level of marginal profitability while maintaining constant demand would ensure a constant market option. This constant demand is represented by NPC traders and regional buyers being added to the game.
The NPC traders that will buy player resources and some goods are represented as standing buy orders located in ports that have no resources – regional ports, capitals and the primary trader in Oranjestad. In general NPC traders will only buy items at costs marginally above production costs. They are an easy way to make doubloons but their location ensures that products sold to them must be hauled to them. NPC traders also offer some resources and products but at costs several times their actual production costs. These traders operate through the auction houses in order to keep the focal points of trade there.
These two markets – structure maintenance provisioning and NPC buyers provide a floodgate for production surpluses to a degree that players should not have any difficulty selling items. Their best prices are still most likely to come from other players but they are no longer dependent on other players as buyers in order to participate in the economy.
Resource Distribution
Another major change regarding resources with the revamp involved moving away from the old resource placement model set in the original design. Resources in the revamped economy tend to be found where they would naturally be found. For example iron is one of the most common resources found in game as it was generally considered important for any port’s success to have nearby access to some source of iron. In the revamped economy most ports have iron access. Wood types tend to be defined by regions such as all of the Greater Antilles where all ports in that region have access rather than one or two individual ports.
There is also a movement away from symmetry in resource distribution as it does not fit the natural model we are using and we feel that an asymmetrical approach will allow us to move in a direction that starts to define factions more uniquely, (currently they are all basically carbon copies of each other). We are not attempting to make sure that each nation has exactly the same number of oak resource ports. Even though nations will not have the same resources, we are balancing them so no one nation has a universal economic advantage over another.
The desire to bring more immersion to the game also prompted us to take a detailed look at the resources used in the game, how they were all actually processed and evaluate whether or not expansion was necessary or beneficial. Ultimately we were able to identify numerous new resources (10 new wood types, 3 new mineral types and 15 new farm types) along with numerous associated structures that will be explained in greater detail in each industries overview post.
Structure Changes
The structures themselves have not changed dramatically in how they operate. Labor still accumulates, harvesting is still a recipe, and maintenance is paid at regular intervals though the intervals are no longer weekly (some structures can go longer without maintenance than others). Resource and resource associated structures have been broken down into three types. The differences between the structures are as follows:
Basic Legacy Structures – this is any structure currently in game. These structures will continue to produce the resources they currently do for the most part. A few may have had a recipe moved to another structure. If a recipe was moved from a basic structure it was moved to another basic structure. Since legacy structures had significantly lower construction costs than revamp economy structures and they also do not require maintenance beyond doubloons, both of which being significant advantages over most revamp structures their labor and outputs have been adjusted downward.
Revamp Basic Structures – these are structures that enter the game as part of the revamp that are not found in Treasure Aisle. These are the bulk of the new structures being added to the game. Their purpose is to recreate the basic economy in a more participatory manner by requiring goods and resources as part of their maintenance. In general they contain the recipes of the legacy counterparts in addition to some of the new recipes added into the structure’s industry.
Partner Structures – these represent the best of the resource structures and they are only obtainable from Treasure Aisle. In the resource economy partner structures are industry encompassing. There is only one wood harvesting partner structure for example. Its advantage over other wood harvesting structures is that it isn’t required to specialize in the wood type harvested and can harvest all wood types found within its location region. It has a higher output capacity than other structures within its industry though it also comes with higher maintenance costs as well. Partner structures represent the smallest additions structure wise to the game comprising only 8 of the 30+ structures currently in the revamp.
PATCH NOTES - 2.14.23
April 24, 2014 / Half-Hitch
The Test Server has been updated to 2.14.23. This build includes the new leveling items, and new items for the Seasonal Items Exchange including a new kind of cargo permanent outfitting and a new skill!
This build does not contain the economy revamp, we expect to release that very soon.
THE CAPTAIN'S LOG
April 23, 2014 / Hamled
Today I'm pleased to announce that we're relaunching a blog specific to Pirates of the Burning Sea, as we previously had for BurningSea.com. We're calling this incarnation the Captain's Log and it will be your primary source for all news related to PotBS, including upcoming development, patch notes, and the latest sales we're running.
The first set of blog posts that will be featured on the Captain's Log are Fodderboy's guide to the new Economy Expansion, and we hope to grow from there to feature weekly content for our dedicated fans!
¶ ECONOMIC EXPANSION 1 - INTRODUCTION
April 22, 2014 / Fodderboy
ECONOMIC EXPANSION
I'm happy to announce the upcoming release of milestone 2.15 to the Test Server later this week! The primary focus of our latest update is the major upgrade we're giving to the game's economy, revamping and expanding all aspects of production in the Caribbean and on the high seas. The 2.15 patch will feature more than 30 new structures, hundreds of additional recipes and items, and the addition of a loot-based production process!
As with any change of this magnitude we want to assure that the transition for our players is as smooth as possible. To that end I’ll be publishing a series of posts in the coming weeks that give a tour of the new economy, with a focus on the major industries that players can engage in for profit and glory.
GUIDE TO THE NEW ECONOMY
1 - Introduction (this post)
2 - Overview: The Resource Economy
3 - Logs and Lumber
4 - Agriculture and Textiles
5 - Mining and Metal Working
6 - Provisioning and Shipbuilding
7 - Overview: The Loot Economy
8 - Exchange Structures
9 - On The Horizon
BASIC FEATURES OF THE ECONOMIC EXPANSION
While many features of the expansion will be covered in greater detail in subsequent posts there are a few concepts that apply to all segments of the economy. Some of the general new features include:
PORT RESOURCE EXPANSION
In addition to broadening the variety of resources available at many ports throughout the Caribbean the game will feature entirely new resources that support further production options and create more markets to capture.
PARTNER STRUCTURES
Like the Partner recipes for ships such as the Hector, Partner structure may be purchased from Treasure Aisle as deeds. These structures are a convenient way to quickly setup a profitable business in any of the Caribbean's major industries.
Because Partner structures are specialized for a particular industry they have highly efficient production capability for limited structure slot usage. However while Partner structures have higher output than basic structures, they also have noticeably higher maintenance requirements.
NPCS TRADE IN MATERIALS AND MANUFACTURED GOODS
There are new NPC buyers being added that represent European buyers of materials and goods as well as regional buyers who often purchase materials and goods not desired by European markets. This addition allows players a market where they can be assured of sales of certain materials or goods at slightly above cost prices.
Some materials and goods will only be found as loot from prizes taken at sea or from special NPCs. These items are predominantly intended for the loot economy but there are a few that are used in the resource economy to produce very high end items.
GOODS AND MATERIALS REQUIRED FOR STRUCTURE UPKEEP
By more accurately portraying the maintenance requirements of production facilities we are expanding the economy's breadth beyond the narrow focus of shipbuilding. This opens new markets for captains of industry and startups alike.
WEIGHTS AND STACK LIMITS
Stack limits and weights continue to be adjusted to accommodate a greater focus on the manner in which materials are shipped and stored.
GET READY
We invite you to check out all of these changes and more in the coming weeks as we roll out 2.15 on the Test Server and onto Antigua and Roberts in early May.
To provide enough opportunity for captains to become acquainted and to present feedback to us and the community we are releasing features to the Test Server over a two week period. The first week's build is focused on the resource economy while the second week's will add the loot economy features.
I hope that you are as excited by these developments as myself. I look forward to reading your comments and feedback from the Test Server!
TEST SERVER LEVELING
April 16, 2014 / Half-Hitch
One of the questions we see a lot of is "how can I level my character to 50 on the Test Server?" In the past the answer was that we would manually bump your character, but this was clunky since it meant that players would have to wait for the limited window in which we could level characters. In the next Test Server build we'll have a new and improved method for players to get their characters to level 50 whenever they want.
We are adding four new items to the Port Captain's Test Server shop:
Swashbuckling for Beginners: This item adds 300xp to your character and can be used at any level
Intermediate Swashbuckling: This item adds 1500xp to your character and can be used once you reach level 10
Advanced Swashbuckling: This item adds 5,000xp to your character and can be used once you reach level 25
Expert Swashbuckling: This item adds 10,000xp to your character and can be used once you reach level 40
These items will allow you to level as much or as little as you want to, whenever you want to. We plan to release the first Test Server build for 2.15 next week, which includes both the new leveling items and the first part of the economy revamp. Expect to see some dev logs about the economy changes from Fodderboy before then!
BUILD 2.14.22.0
April 03, 2014 / Half-Hitch
The Live server has been updated to version 2.14.22.0! This update includes new items at the Piece of Eight Exchange and a new Open Sea fleet prowling the Caribbean.
If you are unable to see the server list when you start your client, it means you need to update to the latest version. To do that please run the BitRaider launcher, which you can find here [Old link removed].
2.16 AND BEYOND!
April 01, 2014 / Half-Hitch
With the cannon revamp in place and the final elements of the economy changes nearing completion, we are ready to unveil the final piece of our grand design for the future of Pirates of the Burning Sea. The 2.16 build will see the release of a brand new expansion; we are proud to present Pirates of the Burning Sea: Alien Invasion!
Alien Invasion will feature new playable careers like Alien Naval Officer and Alien Cutthroat, new consumables like Alien Hull Patches and Alien Mast Braces, and new ships like the Alien 'Hercules' Frigate and the Alien 'Dolphyn' Ketch.
That's not all! It wouldn't be a proper invasion without an invasion! Players will be able to trigger alien attacks on enemy ports with Alien Unrest Bundles.
An Alien Saucer hovers over a fencing duel, ready to abduct the victor!
An Alien Saucer hovers over a fencing duel, ready to abduct the victor!
Anyone who enters a port that is under alien attack is liable to be abducted, and those unfortunate captains will have to fight their way out of the alien mothership and back to the Caribbean.
We will have more news about this exciting new expansion in the near future, stay tuned for more!
¶ 2014-03
NEW TEST SERVER BUILD: 2.14.22.0
March 26, 2014 / Half-Hitch
We have updated the Test Server to version 2.14.22.0. This build contains new Seasonal Piece of Eight items, several back-end bug fixes, and a new Swampcat captain that has begun raiding into the Antilles, away from the Gulf Coast. Help stop the attacks by defeating the dastardly Captain Errol Dauterive at sea!
MAINTENANCE TONIGHT
March 19, 2014 / Half-Hitch
We will be taking the servers down for maintenance at midnight Pacific Time tonight (that's 3am on 3/20 Eastern Time). We expect the outage to last 30 minutes.
2.14 IS LIVE!
March 04, 2014 / Hamled
The latest update to Pirates of the Burning Sea is now available on all servers! This milestone includes a major revamp of the cannon accuracy mechanic and the beginning of our Economy Push, which will be detailed further in upcoming devlogs.
Check out this post for detailed patch notes, and click here to download the PotBS launcher.
¶ 2.14 PATCH NOTES
March 04, 2014 / Hamled
Patch Notes for version 2.14.21
CANNONS
The accuracy-by-distance curve for all cannons has been reworked to encourage more dynamic battles by rewarding careful management of your sailing distance. Check out this developer blog for more details.
The existing categories of cannon items for producing ships have been replaced by cannons with specific weights. On the Junk Dealer in your local port you will find an exchange shop for deconstructing your old cannon inventory into its constituent parts.
COMBAT
The "In Combat" effect is now applied only after a certain damage threshold has been met with a single volley from an attacker. This threshold is based upon the size of the target ship.
The "idle" repair rate for all ships has been slowed down significantly. All ships will take around two hours to be fully repaired at the idle repair rate.
To account for the new accuracy curve for cannons the following skills have had their effective ranges modified:
Cutthroat
Cut Shroud - 300 yards
Entangling Shot - 300 yards
Damage Rudder - 250 yards
Cripple Enemy - 300 yards
Deter Pursuit - 300 yards (and reduced duration to 30 seconds)
Decimate - 500 yards
Naval Officer
Break Morale - 500 yards
Disable Rigging - 300 yards
Disable Rudder - 250 yards
Crippling Broadside - 500 yards
Decimate - 500 yards
Thundering Broadside - 700 yards
Privateer
Crushing Broadside - 500 yards
Demoralize - 500 yards
Cut Shroud - 350 yards
Entangling Shot - 350 yards
Damage Rudder - 275 yards
Cripple Enemy - 500 yards
Freetrader
Deter Pursuit - 300 yards
AI
NPC enemies will now attempt to fight at a closer distance, to match the new cannon accuracy curve.
SEASONAL / SALES
Our seasonal content for Mardi Gras has been turned on.
Ship bundles of all sizes are now 10% off in the Treasure Aisle store.
New items are available in the Seasonal Piece of Eight exchange. Check out this post for more details.
BUG FIXES
The hour-long bonus books for experience, loot, doubloons, and faction points all lacked description text for their effect details. Fixed.
KNOWN ISSUES
Cannon accuracy information displayed in help documentation and ship deeds does not always match the actual accuracy of those cannon batteries. This will be corrected in an upcoming hotfix patch.
2.14 GOING LIVE!
March 03, 2014 / Half-Hitch
The 2.14 build will be going live tonight. We will be taking the servers down at 12:00am Pacific Time (8am GMT), and expect to have them back up by 3:00am Pacific Time (11am GMT).
In order to connect to the servers after the upgrade you will need to run the BitRaider launcher to update your client to the latest version. If you do not use the launcher to start the game, you can download and run the launcher from burningsea.com/download.
TEST EVENT CONCLUSION
March 02, 2014 / Half-Hitch
A big thank you to everyone who joined us for today's Test Event! We encourage everyone who participated to send us your feedback to feedback@portalusgames.com.
We have a special title, Cannoneer, to distribute as a reward for participating. To claim your title please include the name of the character you had in the event and the name of the character you would like the title sent to on the Live servers in your feedback email.
We look forward to hearing your feedback!
TEST EVENT 3/2
March 01, 2014 / Half-Hitch
We will be holding a test event on the Test Server on Sunday, March 2nd at 9PM GMT/4PM ET/1PM PT as a final check of the new cannon accuracy system. We will be holding a port battle between the Pirates and the Spanish and, time permitting, between the Spanish and the British. We will be giving out ships, contention points, and levels, so please come to Matthew Town with characters of those factions.
To access the Test Server please follow these steps:
Make a copy of your Pirates directory.
Download the Test Server launcher from burningsea.com/download-test
Run the launcher
When the launcher asks for an install location, select the copy of your Pirates folder. Selecting the original folder will patch the original to connect to the Test server and you will no longer be able to connect to Antigua or Roberts.
After the event please send us your feedback to feedback@portalusgames.com. We look forward to seeing you there!
¶ 2014-02
¶ NEW SEASONAL EXCHANGE ITEMS!
February 27, 2014 / Half-Hitch
The European Trader has returned from distant lands once again, and has brought several new items with him! Now available are Shot Ovens, a permanent mod that increases your cannon damage and may cause fires; Divining Bowsprits, a general mod which always seems to point towards gold; and Extra Fine-Grained Gunpowder, which will greatly increase your cannon accuracy.
Additionally, we spotted an bug with the Talkative Gunner's Mate mods that was making their level requirement too high. That bug has been fixed, and the European Trader will have them available for another month.
READY, AIM, FIRE!
February 25, 2014 / Half-Hitch
Thank you all for the feedback you've sent us about the cannon changes. Tonight we will be pushing a new build to the Test Server which addresses many of the concerns people have raised, including the range of attack debuffs, old cannons still showing up as loot and in exchanges, out of combat auto-healing, and AI behavior. Please let us know if you see any other issues!
We will be holding a Test Event on Sunday, March 2nd at 9PM GMT/4PM ET/1PM PT. We encourage you to join us to help test the cannon changes in port battles. Fodderboy and I will be on hand to distribute ships and levels to everyone who participates.
TO PARTICIPATE IN THE TEST SERVER EVENT PLEASE DOWNLOAD (OR UPDATE) YOUR POTBS TEST CLIENT.
HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!
February 13, 2014 / Half-Hitch
Happy Valentine's Day to all you sailors, captains, corsairs, and scallywags! In honor of Valentine's Day we are having a sale on Burning Sea Notes. From now until the end of Valentine's Day you will get an additional ten percent off all Note bundles over $20!
¶ CANNON CHANGES, PART 1
February 03, 2014 / Fodderboy
In a previous devlog, we explained a bit about some fundamental changes we planned to make to the game’s cannon mechanics to address some issues we felt needed to be addressed and to prepare for some changes we had planned for the game’s economy. To summarize for players unfamiliar with the previous devlog the issues specifically boiled down to two large combat oriented problems and one major economy problem we felt really needed to be addressed.
For combat, we felt accuracy in general at long range was far too high contributing to tactical game play issues and larger cannon were being given unnecessary accuracy bonuses. The two issues created problems in that it made spiking at long range by larger cannon too unbalancing and it was rendering smaller cannon far less effective than desired.
For the economy the issue was the unbalancing factor of ship construction created by the cannon model. The generalization of a “medium” cannon forced odd and often arbitrary adjustments to ship construction costs simply to balance the fact that one ship getting 9lb cannon was paying exactly the same price for guns as a ship using 12lb cannon. The generalization also stood in the way of any development of more unique guns because the entire range of cannon has already been reduced to fitting into 5 simple buckets (tiny, small, medium, large and huge). We needed more to work with if our future economy plans were going to be able to be implemented.
The whole of these issues was significant enough to us as a development team that we felt very strongly they all needed to be addressed. So many economy development possibilities would open if we fixed the over generalization of cannon production. Reducing accuracy at long range would reduce spike power at long range without removing the larger cannon’s natural damage advantages. Any changes we made that gave smaller cannon a bigger role in combat would be beneficial to the game.
Build 2.14 represents the implementation of the new cannon mechanics we feel will give us the ability to address the issues that we felt needed addressing with cannon in game and for our future development plans. Its primary feature is the implementation of new accuracy curve from which basic to hit values at range are calculated based on cannon type (explained in more detail below under “Accuracy Changes”). Included with this change are a few other changes being made to cannon in general listed below.
All cannon (except swivel guns) will have a maximum range of 750 yards. While this is not historically accurate (all cannon featured in game have historic maximum ranges exceeding 1500 yards) we feel this range is right for game purposes when factors like map sizes and sight lines/distance are considered. Moving maximum cannon ranges to 750 yards also makes the tag angle from the Open Sea of greater importance as the starting distance of most battles is roughly at 750 yards. You now have less time to reorient a ship from a bad angle before coming under fire.
Most cannon have had their reload times reduced by a few seconds. This change is simply to pick up the pace of the game that predominantly affects newer players. Simply put, when you have few skills to use and few guns to fire it doesn’t help the game from an interest standpoint to spend too much time waiting for guns to reload. We want to speed that aspect of combat up a bit and consequently scaled all the reload times of all cannon downward accordingly to maintain our general cannon reload structure.
Many cannon have had their base damage increased. This was a byproduct of broadening the overall damage range represented by all cannon as a whole to accommodate a greater number of cannon. The scaling of the existing cannon into the expanded structure moved some base damage points. No cannon had its base damage reduced. Our decision here was to allow combat to become a bit more deadly in early testing and make adjustments if necessary from test data and feedback.
Prize cannon are no longer range penalized and operate on their own base cannon accuracy curve. Previously prize cannon had been penalized in range due to their performance on the original cannon accuracy curve. Now that they have their own unique curve they are allowed to perform as the top performing cannon in class that their expense and lack of insurance value merit.
Accuracy Changes
A significant change implemented with the new cannon model is the base accuracy curve changing from a model with a relatively steady drop off in accuracy as range increases to one that holds accuracy longer then drops off faster followed by a gradual decrease off to a longer range. The goal of this model change is to have cannon perform relatively the same at close range in regards to accuracy, show their greatest differences in the mid-ranges and then again perform relatively the same at long ranges.
A central concept of the new cannon model is that cannon of the same type have similar general performance characteristics in terms of accuracy. For our game purposes we’ve defined those types as Standard, Short, Long, Prize and Swivel to represent the types of cannon in game and the types we plan to introduce in the future.
The Standard cannon type represents cannon that for their specific poundage would have been most common. Standard cannon are the cannon that are already in game and represent the cannon players can construct being implemented in build 2.14. All Standard cannon operate off the same basic standard accuracy curve.
Swivel guns operate off their own accuracy curve being more akin to small arms fire in accuracy characteristics. Prize cannon are also classified as their own type as they are intended to represent the best cannon of the time. The two other cannon types (Short and Long) are not being implemented in build 2.14 as some of the associated content necessary for their introduction is not quite ready for implementation.
The two primary cannon type curves that will have an impact on ship combat in build 2.14 are the Standard and Prize cannon curves. As examples of the basic to hit percentages of a 9lb cannon using the standard and prize cannon curves in the new cannon model are shown below. Along with new model data shown under Test Server the original model curve currently being used on the Live servers is displayed beside for comparison purposes.
In general our targets were similar performance at close range for all cannon types, noticeable deviation between cannon type curves especially in the mid-ranges and dramatically reduced accuracy at long ranges applied equally to all. It’s worth noting the deviation space in the mid-ranges is the space where the two unimplemented curves (for short and long cannon) come into play. These curves are currently on the target plan to be implemented in the 2.15 build.
Swivel Curve
The swivel model on the Live servers does not operate on a curve. Live server swivel guns have a 100% to hit percentage as soon as they are in range (100 yards). In the new cannon model swivel gun range has been extended to 125 yards and the swivel guns operate on an accuracy curve similar to the cannon curves. Below is an example of the base to hit percentages under optimal conditions at various ranges using the new swivel gun curve.
Test Server Swivel Curve
Range Accuracy
125y 12%
110y 18%
100y 25%
90y 35%
80y 50%
70y 67%
60y 86%
50y 99%
40y 100%
We feel the above changes to the cannon mechanics address the big issues we’ve been concerned about and feel they are at this time ready for players to begin testing. The change is significant in that it is fundamental in ship combat so the changes will be maintained on the Test Server longer than our usual test cycles there to allow greater time for possible adjustments. There will also be some associated test events organized to gather test data. More information about this event will be posted as soon as it is available. Until then we encourage all players to try the new cannon mechanics on our Test Server. We welcome feedback regarding the implementation and appreciate any bugs anyone might notice being reported to feedback@portalusgames.com.
¶ CANNON CHANGES, PART 2
February 03, 2014 / Fodderboy
A big step in implementing a new cannon production model based on cannon by shot weight was the conversion of the original cannon model where cannon are produced in the five basic sizes – Tiny, Small, Medium, Large and Huge, to one where cannon are produced by shot weight. When we set about converting to the new cannon production model we used the following as basic equivalents for evaluating production costs and materials needed.
Original to New Model Equivalent Cannon
Tiny – 4lb Cannon
Small – 6lb Cannon
Medium – 9lb Cannon
Large – 16lb Cannon
Huge – 32lb Cannon
Using the above equivalents there were a few issues to work out with the new cannon model when it came to converting the original cannon model. Cannon like an 8lb cannon were not small or medium, 12lb were not medium or large with 18lb and 24lb guns in the same situation. There would need to be a scale from the smallest to largest cannon in terms of production costs (click and material) that all the existing cannon (and planned future cannon) fit into.
We decided that in converting the original cannon model that the smallest cannon would be used as a base in each size for production costs (the above equivalents) with a desire to see click cost and material costs progress upward as cannon got larger. Maintaining relative production costs with the original model would only be targeted at the equivalents and deviation would be allowed as long as it was upward (though we didn’t want to see anything to sharply so).
We also decided that we wanted to distinguish iron cannon from bronze cannon (targeted for build 2.15) so we removed brass as a production requirement for larger cannon. This was a large cost relief to larger gun production that allowed us latitude in requiring greater amounts of iron in iron cannon production while keeping production costs close to current costs. Interestingly this decision resulted in the production cost of cannon like the 24lb and 32lb guns dropping because the material scaling became unbalancing attempting to maintain original costs. The changes for most other cannon caused increases in production costs from the broadening cost scale (creating future expansion space). Most increases were reasonable overall so the drop in 24lb and 32lb guns was maintained.
Below is the basic cost outline used in implementing the material use and click costs for the shot weight production model implemented. Swivel guns do not appear in this list as they were unchanged in production costs from current costs.
Basic Cannon Cost Structure
4lb - 1 Iron Ingot, 1 Common Wood, 30 doubloons per cannon
6lb - 2 Iron Ingot, 1 Common Wood, 40 doubloons per cannon
8lb – 3 Iron Ingot, 2 Common Wood, 50 doubloons per cannon
9lb – 4 Iron Ingot, 2 Common Wood, 60 doubloons per cannon
12lb – 6 Iron Ingot, 3 Common Wood, 80 doubloons per cannon
16lb – 12 Iron Ingots, 4 Common Wood, 120 doubloons per cannon
18lb – 14 Iron Ingots, 5 Common Wood, 200 doubloons per cannon
24lb – 20 Iron Ingots, 8 Common Wood, 800 doubloons per cannon
32lb – 28 Iron Ingots, 10 Common Wood, 2000 doubloons per cannon
42lb – 40 Iron Ingots, 12 Common Wood, 3000 doubloons per cannon
The overall effect of the changes to the shot weight production model was a mixed bag of production cost changes to ship building. Some ships dropped noticeably as their previously medium cannons costs dropped closer to small cannon while others rose dramatically due to a rise in production costs associated with 16lb and 18lb guns. We know we have additional economy work coming in the near future so a decision was made to maintain overall ship construction costs close to current costs until the 2.15 build.
To maintain relative current costs the click costs of ship recipes were adjusted to compensate for a rise or drop in overall cost due to the cannon model change. If cannon got more expensive the recipe click cost went down to make up the difference. There were a few exceptions where click costs on ships were too small to absorb an adjustment and in such cases the cost was split into half click cost adjustment half increased price (and associated insurance cost adjustments). These adjustments were made at the same time recipes for ships, consumables and bundles were changed to reflect new cannon requirements. The new recipes for the cannon produced by shot weight are all part of the Forge structures available to all players.
The new cannon, ship, consumable and bundle recipes no longer require Tiny, Small, Medium, Large and Huge cannons. No longer required for recipes they cannot be used and have no value. An exchange for these original model cannon has been added to the Junk Merchant in each port. Visiting the Junk Merchant will give access to the Old Cannon Exchange where original model cannon can be exchanged for the raw materials and base doubloon click costs used to create them.
These changes are available for view and testing current on our Test server. We invite all players to investigate the changes and how they may impact their current production lines. We welcome feedback regarding the implementation and appreciate any bugs anyone might notice being reported to feedback@portalusgames.com.
CANNON ACCURACY
February 03, 2014 / Hamled
The 2.14 update will see some significant changes to the way cannons work in PotBS including both their diversity and importance in the economy as well as how they can best be used in naval combat. In this devlog I will discuss how we're shaking things up with cannon accuracy in order to introduce more dynamic ship battles.
The doctrine of naval warfare during the Age of Sail dictated that the best way to win an engagement was to lay your ship alongside that of your enemy and blast them to splinters with your cannons. This typically took place at ranges of less than 50 yards. Cannons of the period could lob a cannonball huge ranges, nearly a mile, but accuracy and damage potential at that range were nearly non-existent. Some captains would open fire at 1200 yards but this was an ineffective act of intimidation or an act of boundless optimism, hoping for an incredibly lucky shot.
In Pirates of the Burning Sea, line fighting in Port Battles tends to occur at ranges of over 600 yards. The removal of magic invulnerability powers like Invincible and Too Mean To Die made it difficult to close on your enemy without being severely damaged or even sunk during the charge. Brawling has become hard to do because the approach is so deadly.
The new accuracy curve (in black) will have a much steeper drop-off.
The new accuracy curve (in black) will have a much steeper drop-off.
In the 2.14 patch we will be making a change to the way cannon accuracy is calculated as a function of range. Prior to this patch cannon accuracy would degrade linearly out to 250 yards, and then degrade more shallowly out to the cannon's maximum range (the blue line on the graph). The loss of accuracy between 300 and 500 yards in this system is noticeable, but easily overcome with skills and consumables.
We will be switching to a non-linear system for cannon accuracy degradation. At close ranges cannons will be more accurate than they are now. The loss of accuracy will start out very slow, but quickly accelerate as you reach the mid-range of the cannons. Once you reach the mid-range, accuracy will drop off very steeply. 50 yards could be the difference between solid hits and missing completely. As you get into longer ranges the loss of accuracy flattens out. Fighting at 500 yards will be much the same as fighting at 600, but the hit rates at those ranges will be significantly lower than they are now. An example curve is shown in black on the graph.
The graph is a rough representation of our intentions. Cannon accuracy will have that rough shape, but we are still tuning and balancing the numbers. Our intention is to make close range combat effective and deadly, kiting at mid-ranges difficult to pull off due to the careful range management needed to hit well but extremely effective when done well, and kiting at extreme ranges far less deadly than it is now. We plan to leave ample time for testing this change on the Test Server, and will run several test events (including port battles) so that we can gather your feedback.
In addition to opening up new tactics, this change will allow us to dramatically increase the variety of cannons available. There was a huge diversity of cannon types during this time period, and we intend to introduce this diversity into the game. Long cannons, for example, had better range and accuracy than their standard counterparts, but took longer to reload. Short-barreled cannons could be reloaded quickly but lacked the distance of their longer-barreled cousins. Fodderboy will be posting a devlog in the coming weeks with more information about what you can expect from the gun deck in 2.14.
¶ THE IN COMBAT EFFECT IN 2.14
February 03, 2014 / Half-Hitch
As Fodderboy mentioned in his most recent devlogs, cannon ranges are being increased to 750 yards in build 2.14. We felt that we need to make a change to the In Combat Effect to go along with this change. Currently, the In Combat Effect is applied to a target whenever it is attacked, and prevents the target from escaping an encounter. The increase in cannon range would have made it easier to hold someone in combat by kiting at ranges where it's very hard to apply damage and fight someone off, which we felt would lead to an increase in griefing. This was something we did not want.
As of build 2.14 you must do damage in order to apply the In Combat Effect. If you fire from maximum range and all your shots miss, the In Combat Effect is not applied or refreshed. The amount of damage you must do to apply the In Combat Effect to your target is proportional to the size of the target (it will take more damage to apply the In Combat Effect to a Victory 1st rate than it will to a Hornet gunboat).
We encourage you to test out these changes on the Test Server and to share any feedback you have with us at feedback@portalusgames.com.
¶ 2014-01
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
January 20, 2014 / Half-Hitch
Happy January everyone! We have been hard at work on the next patch for PotBS, which will include the changes to cannons we discussed previously. Fodderboy will be posting a dev log soon with more information about the change, why it's needed, and what you can expect from it.
Unfortunately getting this build ready is taking a little longer than we had planned, so we will be releasing a smaller update this week. This update will include some great new items in the Seasonal Piece of Eight exchange, some bugfixes, and some important updates to our back-end tools.
The first build will hit the Test Server on tonight at midnight, and we expect the full patch with the cannon revamp to hit the Test Server towards the end of this week or early next week.
Last but not least, Pirates of the Burning Sea is celebrating its SIXTH (!) anniversary and its first anniversary with Portalus Games. We will be activating the anniversary content early this week. We want to thank all of you for playing; we are excited about, honored to be part of, and looking forward to PotBS's seventh year!
¶ 2013
¶ 2013-12
NEW SHIPS
December 19, 2013 / Hamled
While the team is hard at work on tuning the new cannon changes that were previously discussed, we've got one more Holiday treat for all you Officers and sea dogs -- two new vessels will soon be making berth in ports throughout the Caribbean!
The Trydent fourth rate with its merman figurehead.
Spearheading these latest additions to your fleet is the Trydent 4th rate, featuring a strengthened hull and twenty 24 pound bronze cannons! Combine that with respectable speed and maneuverability in class and the Trydent can serve as a line ship or as a patrolling vessel on the open sea. Available to players of all careers the Trydent is sure to make its presence felt throughout the Burning Sea
The Nemean lion graces this sloop-of-war's prow.
Joining the Trydent on the waves is the new Nemea sloop-of-war! This fast and sleek hunter armed with a 12 pound bronze cannon gun deck has the power to threaten larger vessels and the speed to make her a difficult foe on the open sea. The Nemea sloop-of-war will be available to players of all careers level 25 and above.
We currently expect to release our next update with these ships at midnight PST on Monday, Dec. 23 (8 AM GMT Tuesday, Dec. 24). Stay tuned to PortalusGames.com for the latest information about PotBS updates and other developments. Happy holidays and fair winds to you all!
HOLIDAY BSN SALE!
December 17, 2013 / Hamled
In addition to the sales throughout the in-game Treasure Aisle store, which you can read about in the latest patch notes, we're also having a sale in the Burning Sea Note web store. From now through January 1st BSN's are 33% off for all bundles worth $10 or more. That means you can get 10 BSN's for only $20, or 25 BSN's for $50.
Head over to the store now and double your savings on our holiday-themed pets, also on sale in Treasure Aisle!
LATEST GAME UPDATE
December 17, 2013 / Half-Hitch
The first of the two patches we have planned for December is now on the Test Server. We will be pushing it to the Live servers on 12/17 at midnight PST (8 AM GMT on 12/18). Changes include:
-
Holiday sale on Treasure Aisle! Tis the season of togetherness, so commissioned allies and holiday pets are 25% off. All economy slots and economy slot bundles are 10% off and the Mid Level item bundle is 40% off. This sale will run through the end of the year.
-
The holiday missions are now available.
-
Removed old items from the Seasonal Item Exchange and added three new titles, a new permanent outfitting, and a new consumable.
-
Increased the drop rate on rare Fairfax drops.
We expect to release the second patch, which includes new ships, towards the end of the month. Happy holidays, and enjoy!
¶ 2013-11
BACK ON TRACK
November 25, 2013 / Half-Hitch
With the registration system complete and our first patch released, Hamled is now working on getting user-submitted flags and sails working again and on restoring the transfer system so we can resume processing transfers between Antigua and Roberts. After that's done he will look into the best way to bring the forums back online.
While Hamled is taking care of that, Fodderboy and I are moving forward with the cannon changes described in recent dev logs. We are also planning to release some new items (including some new ships!) in early December. We'll have more information about what you can expect in the new builds soon, stay tuned!
NEW SEASONAL EXCHANGE ITEMS
November 19, 2013 / Half-Hitch
Now that registration is open again we can get back to the business of making new things! First up is a batch of new items for the Seasonal Item Exchange. After the new build goes live tomorrow, you'll be able to pick up the following new items:
Dutch Gunpowder - This gunpowder improves both reload rate and accuracy
Wooden Sabots - A permanent outfitting that provides a better damage bonus than Wadding, but comes with a small reload penalty
Dutch Chainmail - This armor gives a better damage resistance bonus than a regular chain shirt, but its increased weight means it doesn't provide a bonus to guard
Inflammatory Writ - Reading from this document will infuriate your crew, increasing your reload rate, damage, and morale regeneration rate, but your crew will be so angry they won't be able to repair your ship. Using this item activates your repair item cooldown
Because of the downtime we will be leaving last build's items in the exchange a little bit longer, so grab your Enlarged Cargoholds, Basalt and Expanding Bar Shot, and Extra-Slippery Banana Peels while you can!
Also, as a thank you to everyone who stuck with us through this, the first character you log in with after the new build goes live will receive a special bonus item!
REGISTRATION IS OPEN!
November 18, 2013 / Half-Hitch
We are very happy to announce that account creation is now available! You can register at https://account.portalusgames.com. If you need to download the game you can find the installer at http://portalusgames.com/download-potbs. Go forth! Plunder!
UPDATE
November 13, 2013 / Half-Hitch
Sorry for the lateness of the post, we held off hoping we'd be able to post good news instead of "we're still working on it," but we're still working on it. Hamled says that registration is very close to being completed, but the last remaining details are proving more problematic than he expected. We are doing everything we can to open the doors and will have account creation working as soon as humanly possible.
UPDATE
November 10, 2013 / Half-Hitch
I have just gotten an update from Hamled and he is confident that registration will be ready by the middle of next week. We're looking forward to seeing new faces on the Open Sea!
Another quick note, I've seen a couple people asking how Burning Sea Notes are delivered. Once you make your purchase through the website, the Notes will be delivered to the first character you log into the game with on the server you selected.
We'll post another update on Tuesday night, or sooner if we have another update.
BURNING SEA NOTES ARE BACK!
November 04, 2013 / Half-Hitch
The Burning Sea Note store is back online! You can find it at http://account.portalusgames.com/store. You can also click on the Buy Notes button in Treasure Aisle to visit the store page. Thank you all for your patience while we got everything working!
UPDATE
November 02, 2013 / Hamled
Hi all,
Work continues ceaselessly on both new user registration and the Burning Sea Note store. While I don't have any substantive updates to put forth (the technical details of the setbacks I have encountered are neither very interesting nor easily understood out of context), I just wanted to reassure everyone that this absolutely will be happening and as soon as we can achieve it.
We've had some requests from players about where to download the PotBS launcher, as well. When the aforementioned tasks have been completed we will definitely include links to the launcher on the site, but for now if you wish to re-download the launcher (which will only work for existing accounts) please use this link.
Thank you all for your continued patience,
Hamled
CEO / Lead Programmer
Portalus Games
¶ 2013-10
UPDATE
October 30, 2013 / Half-Hitch
We know it's been a bit since our last update. With the progress that's being made completion seems to always be almost in hand and in the interest of not stringing everyone along by saying "tomorrow!" only to say "tomorrow!" again the next day we've been too quiet.
The three of us have been working non-stop, 7 days a week, taking breaks only to sleep, since the intrusion happened and will continue to do so until we get everything working again. It's taking longer than we expected to get the store back online, but we will get it done as soon as is humanly possible. Immediately after that we will get working on account creation. We will also post updates more frequently, even if it's just to say we're still working on it.
We know this is taking some time, we appreciate your patience.
UPDATE
October 23, 2013 / Half-Hitch
We're a few days in to the game being back online and things are looking good so far. There are a few outstanding in-game issues, like flags and sails not appearing properly, and we will get them fixed as soon as we can.
Hamled is working on getting the Burning Sea Note store up and running, and estimates that it will be done early next week (again, barring interference from dreaded unknowns). After that he will be getting registration working again. We are also working on a solution for players who no longer have access to the email address their account was registered to.
Thank you all for sticking with us through this, we're working on getting everything working again and appreciate your patience while we bring all of PotBS's systems back online.
EDIT: I forgot to mention this, but I've seen a number of people ask about Physx issues. You can find the version of Physx required by PotBS at http://www.nvidia.com/object/physx-9.12.1031-legacy-driver.html.
RETURNING TO THE BURNING SEAS
October 19, 2013 / Half-Hitch
Our mailing system reports that every account should have received a password reset now. If you have not received your password reset email you can reset your password at https://account.portalusgames.com/
For players who need to download or update the game, you can find the installer at http://bitraider.burningsea.com/potbs/client/potbsinstall.exe
I've also seen many comments asking when new registrations will open. Unfortunately the best answer I can give is soon™. Reopening registration is one of our top priorities, and we'll get it working as quickly as we can.
WE'RE BACK!
October 18, 2013 / Half-Hitch
The servers are back online! To ensure that everyone's account is safe, we are requiring that you change your password before you can log back in. We are sending an email to everyone with a link to reset your password. As soon as you reset your password you will be able to log in.
As you might expect, sending that many emails takes even an automated system a lot of processing time. Hamled expects that it may take up to 12 hours for all the mails to be sent. Please be patient and check your spam folders. Emails are being sent out in order of account ID, with migrated accounts from SOE receiving emails first.
A few of you have asked about auction listings and port battles. We have extended the duration of all unexpired auction listings by 10 days, so that shouldn't be an issue. We have also pushed all port battles back so that they begin at least 48 hours from now. That will ensure that everyone has time to reset their passwords before the battles start.
And last but not least, to say thank you all for standing with us, supporting us, and keeping the Burning Seas burning we have given every account 500 Burning Sea Points. We will also be distributing a second special thank you gift in the next build. Thank you all for your patience and support while we navigated these difficult waters!
UPDATE
October 17, 2013 / Half-Hitch
Hamled has completed his work on the new login system, and Fodderboy and I have tested it. We are now in the final stages of getting everything ready so we can open the severs again.
We've been reluctant to give specific time estimates because, according to Murphy's Law, anything that can go wrong will go wrong. We didn't want to post a time estimate only to have it fly by without the game coming back. Hamled is confident that we will have the game up sometime late tonight, barring any further interference from that Murphy guy.
UPDATE
October 16, 2013 / Half-Hitch
Late last night we discovered an issue that needs to be resolved before we can reopen the game. We are working hard on getting it fixed and will post another update soon.
UPDATE
October 15, 2013 / Half-Hitch
Hamled has just told me that he expects that he'll have the servers ready for internal testing sometime tonight. Once we finish verifying that everything is working properly we will post instructions for resetting your password and reopen the game. Thank you again for your patience.
UPDATE
October 14, 2013 / Half-Hitch
We are still working hard on getting the game back up. Hamled reports that he is making very good progress. To answer a question I have seen a few times, yes you will need to change your PotBS password before logging back into the game.
We will post another update tomorrow afternoon, or sooner if we have something to report. Thank you for your patience and for your support!
UPDATE
October 11, 2013 / Half-Hitch
First and foremost, thank you all for your support during this difficult situation.
I've seen several comments asking about inventories and I want to reassure everyone that their items, ships, doubloons, etc are safe. Part of the reason we shut down the servers was to make sure that no one could do anything to anyone's characters. When the servers are back up, all your items will be exactly as they were when the servers went down.
I don't have much in the way of news to relate. Hamled is still working hard to get the new website and login system up and running and as soon as we have any updates we'll post them here.
SECURITY NOTICE UPDATE
October 09, 2013 / Hamled
Hello Captains,
Regrettably I am writing today not to inform you of a new update or feature for Pirates of the Burning Sea but instead to ask for your forgiveness, patience, and understanding. As Half-Hitch already posted, earlier today I discovered evidence of a breach of our website's security with the potential for compromising our password database.
Our initial response to this discovery was to shut down both the website and the game servers out of an abundance of caution for any potentially compromised accounts. Upon further investigation this appears to have been the correct decision, as I can now confirm that some user name and password information was acquired. While we are not certain yet, it is possible that email addresses associated with those accounts were also obtained. I want to reiterate Half-Hitch's point that no customer financial information has been compromised as we neither store nor have access to any of it.
The affected accounts are those that have logged into either the website or the forums since the beginning of September, however I urge everyone to work under the assumption that their account information was also acquired. If you use the same user ID or password for any other services -- especially email services -- you should change those passwords immediately. Furthermore, while this might not be the best time to mention it, I highly suggest using a password manager. I have personally used LastPass for years and it has improved my personal security immensely.
Now that we are aware of the extent of the breach we have developed a plan for getting everyone back into the game. The first step in this process will be the development of a new website for creating and updating your account which will allow players to reset their passwords (this will be required for everyone) and then log back in.
The first version of this new website will be incredibly minimal and I currently believe it can be completed over the weekend. Much of this work has already been done as it was part of our planned work to enable Captain's Club subscriptions. As a reassurance to everyone, the new website will have no relation to the old BurningSea.com or its code. It is being built with the utmost attention to security concerns and is being hosted by a world-class web services platform.
In the interest of time the new website will not initially include a way for players to purchase Burning Sea Notes. Once players are back in-game my focus will shift immediately to getting that working for those that want to buy BSN's. Currently I estimate that this will take at least another week after the initial version of the website is up and running. Other aspects of BurningSea.com, especially the forums, will take longer to get back online as I plan to perform a full security audit and upgrade, replace, or rewrite each component of the old site.
In the mean time we are changing our original plan to provide 500 Burning Sea Points to all migrated accounts and instead will be providing that to all current accounts, as well as an additional thank you item to be revealed later.
Again I wish to express my sincere thanks to everyone that has supported Portalus Games. I greatly appreciate the supportive attitude of everyone who has commented on our initial notice -- we do not take lightly the trust that you have put in us both as players of PotBS and as customers of ours. I will be working tirelessly over the coming days, weeks, and months to ensure that nothing like this happens again.
Sincerely,
Charles "Hamled" Ellis
CEO / Lead Programmer
Portalus Games
IMPORTANT NOTIFICATION
October 09, 2013 / Half-Hitch
This morning Hamled uncovered evidence of an intrusion into our website. We are currently investigating the extent to which our systems were compromised, but as a precaution we are going on lockdown. We are going to lock the game and turn off www.burningsea.com until we have the situation in hand.
We believe that our password database may have been compromised. If you use the password you chose for Pirates of the Burning Sea for other websites or accounts, we suggest that you change them. Your financial information has NOT been compromised, as that is all stored by Paypal.
We're sorry for the interruption in service and we will get things up and running again as soon as we are sure that it's safe. We will post more information as we have it here.
¶ 2013-09
HAPPY TALK LIKE A PIRATE DAY!
September 19, 2013 / Half-Hitch
In honor of Talk like a Pirate Day, we will be running a special promotion from 9/21 to 9/30. The first time you log into the game with your account during that time you will receive two experience books and a brand new ship, the Sparrow Ketch! This ship won’t ever be available again after the end of the month, get it while you can! These rewards will be awarded to the first character you log into the game with, so be careful to log in with the right character. If you don't have an account you can create one for free at www.burningsea.com/register and you can download the game at www.burningsea.com/download.
To welcome players from Pirates of the Caribbean, we are also putting the Starter Pack on sale for half price. This package is full of items to help get new captains started, including loot books, experience books, consumables, and, just what every swashbuckler needs, a hook hand!
A hook hand will menace your enemies, but be careful picking your nose!
A hook hand will menace your enemies, but be careful picking your nose!
¶ 2013-07
DEVLOG: THE BUSINESS OF SHIPS
July 28, 2013 / Fodderboy
THE BUSINESS
In late 2012 we began discussions about transitioning Pirates of the Burning Sea from Flying Lab Software to a new company so that its development and operation could continue after the publishing deal with SOE came to an end. This gave us an excellent opportunity for frank discussion about the business strategy for PotBS, especially since its transition to Free to Play.
One thing that became abundantly clear from these discussions was that the strategy pursued by FLS immediately following the game’s transition to F2P simply was neither sufficient to sustain the game and its still-sizable development team, nor to provide opportunities for further growth. FLS did recognize that issues with the initial strategy were holding it back and around mid-2011 they began to implement changes that would put PotBS’s F2P strategy more in-line with successful games in the same space.
While FLS had additional projects underway to help maintain development on PotBS, the game’s revenues never reached a level that allowed the project to be independently sustained. And now with the game under Portalus’ control the need for an improved strategy is even more critical. While our team is smaller than what FLS had dedicated to PotBS, our sole focus as a company is on this one title.
If Pirates of the Burning Sea is to grow and we are to accomplish the major improvements that we have planned for the game, we as a company need to grow. To accomplish this we’re implementing a business strategy we feel will better maintain PotBS’s longevity and improve its ability to grow in a free to play marketplace.
We cannot achieve the necessary growth by returning to any past business models and it is for this reason we have taken a firm stance against rolling back to any previous point in PotBS’s history. Those models were tried under better business conditions than currently exist and they have proven unsuccessful. We believe our best option for achieving growth is by continuing the transition toward a strategy that takes better advantage of the unique opportunities that come from running both a Free to Play title and a game with an immensely important player-driven economy.
With that in mind, I would like to present the high-level view of our strategy. Content that we produce for the game will come in three distinct categories:
Free Tier – Content on this tier is accessible to all players without any purchase from Treasure Aisle. The majority of the game is currently at this tier, and while that provides an amazing value for new players, we cannot hope to sustain the game by focusing solely on this type of content. While all of the content in this tier will be available for free, we will also offer some of the content (such as ships) for sale as a convenience. Due to constraints in our team size and content pipelines a significant portion of new additions to this segment will come in the form of mechanics changes and new kinds of gameplay (similarly to Elections being added in Power & Prestige).
Partner Tier – This tier is all about introducing players to the paid content that we are making available, while still supporting the player-driven economy that is a major feature of PotBS. Players that purchase content from this tier have become partners with us in supporting the game, not just through their direct purchases but also by providing much-needed goods to their fellow players. Two examples of this content that is currently available in-game are the recipes for the San Fernando and Centurion ships. To ensure that our partners have a space to freely produce and sell their goods we pledge to not offer directly anything that is produced by content sold at this tier. Again as an example, we will not be selling San Fernando deeds directly on Treasure Aisle.
Premium Tier – Premium tier content represents the highest level of achievement for players of PotBS—something to strive towards, not necessarily something to be used on a daily basis. For this reason the content at this tier includes some kind of purchase from Treasure Aisle or the new Piece of Eight exchange, and generally requires other significant investments of effort and skill. Examples of Premium tier contnet avialable in-game right now include the First and Second rate ships as well as all of the ships featuring the new Prize Cannons.
Because we want the player economy to continue being a major force in PotBS we view the ideal distribution of content as 20% Free, 60% Partner, and 20% Premium. Currently the game’s content is out of line with this ideal, for example nearly 91% of ships are in the Free tier, as a result of recent patches 6% are Premium, and only 3% are in the Partner tier. Because of this disparity, and because of a general sense that there are simply too many ships in the game we are implementing a multi-patch strategy of contracting the number of ships in the Free tier while expanding the number of ships in the Premium and especially Partner tiers. In the next section I will discuss what that means for the upcoming third patch:
THE SHIPS
Our plans in the next game release are to begin the contraction of the ships available at the Free tier and continue to add ships to the Partner and Premium tiers. Starting with 2.13 there will be new ships added in each release, while simultaneously a few more ships will move into retirement (becoming obsolete). In 2.13 we will be adding 2 new Partner tier frigates, a Partner tier pirate frigate, a new Partner tier Free Trader ship, and a new Premium ship. More information will be coming on these ships later this week.
Concurrent with those new additions we are planning to retire all of the “heavy” variant ships (e.g. Hercules Heavy), with few exceptions. A list of the specific ships slotted for retirement will be published when 2.13 first reaches Test Server. Retiring ships may require balance adjustments to the associated ship variants as we contract the number of Free ships available. An example of associated ship variants would be the Hercules and its variants consisting of the Hercules Heavy, Hercules MC, Pirate Hercules and Hercules Sleek.
Beyond 2.13 we’ll continue to restructure some ships from the Free tier to the Partner tier. Our goal is to enhance the artwork with as many of these transitioned ships as possible so there are visual differences in the models, representing additional variations of the original model. When our art pipeline will allow it we would like to add entirely new models and continue to evolve ships as the centerpiece of the game.
This is the general plan for our upcoming ship development, I hope it provides some sense of direction and what might be expected in the releases to come regarding ships. We have many other concepts in the works for both ships and ship combat, but at this moment we felt we should focus on our strategy for ships as content and as major elements of the player economy. As development progresses on our other changes to both ships and ship combat we will provide additional devlogs to discuss them.
NEW CANNON, NEW SHIPS
Source
July 08, 2013 / Fodderboy
The second Portalus build will contain 5 new ships to be added to the top tier of ships in our ship hierarchy. The 5 ships being added are the following:
Sovereign 1st Rate – a unique feature of the Sovereign 1st rate is her 48lb bronze gun deck. Batteries of 24lb, 12lb and 9lb bronze guns provide the Sovereign with additional firepower to compliment the most powerful single gun deck in the PotBS fleet.
Terror Pirate 2nd Rate – featuring a unique bronze 36lb gun deck the Terror also has 24lb, 9lb and 6lb guns to round out its gun compliment. The Terror represents the first foray into the larger rates for the Pirate faction and should constitute a new flag ship for the pirate fleet.
Assistance 4th Rate – the Assistance brings the smallest gun count to the 4th rate class but also mounts the heaviest guns in the class being equipped with 24lb bronze cannon. This ship does not have any career restrictions making it available to all.
Concorde Frigate – the Concorde is technically a 46 gun heavy frigate heralding the re-introduction of 18lb guns to the frigate class of ships. While still in the frigate class the Concorde is intended to provide a greater threat to smaller rated ships under the right conditions.
Assurance Frigate – the Assurance is what you get when you take a lighter frigate like an Athena and equip the vessel with larger guns than are normally found in its class. Equipped with 16lb bronze cannon Assurance should in several circumstances be capable of hitting above its class.
These ships are part of the Loot/Reward tier of ships featuring bronze cannon that have been tuned for slightly more damage and shorter reload times at the cost of some range (these are the bronze cannon mentioned in Half-Hitch’s recent devlog). These ships use similar construction requirements as the other Loot/Reward ships (currently all 1st and 2nd rates and the Marauder) and share a common need for certain components in addition to the new bronze cannon.
NEW TREASURE AND PLUNDER ON THE BURNING SEAS
Source
July 05, 2013 / Half-Hitch
In the new Test Server build (coming within the next few days), NPC ships will begin dropping Treasure Chests. These chests are unlocked using Chest Keys, which drop rarely from NPCs but are also available in Treasure Aisle. Treasure Chests are sealed containers holding some kind of valuable. It may be doubloons, consumables (manufactured or Treasure Aisle), treasure maps, ship components (including components designed by the elusive Fairfax Pirates!), or even ship deeds. Some Treasure Chests hold common items, some very rare items.
Each Treasure Chest also contains one to three Pieces of Eight, a new currency you can spend with the European Trader. The European Trader has a slew of new items he will trade to you for your Pieces of Eight, including new consumables, new outfittings, new titles, new ship recipes, and special new bronze cannons, which are used in the construction of five new ships: the Sovereign 1st Rate, the Terror Pirate 2nd Rate, the Assistance 4th Rate, and the Concorde and Assurance Frigates. Fodderboy will have a followup dev log about these ships soon, so stay tuned!
Happy hunting!
¶ 2013-06
POTBS, BURNINGSEA.COM DOWNTIME
Source
June 14, 2013 / Hamled
Hello Captains,
As you may have noticed both our website and the game servers are currently (as of 10PM Pacific Time 6/14/2013) unavailable. Our data center network engineers are investigating and resolving the issue as quickly as possible, however they do not have an ETA at this time.
Thank you for your patience while we correct this problem.
¶ 2013-03
PASSWORD RESET NOW AVAILABLE
Source
March 27, 2013 / Half-Hitch
It is now possible to reset your password if you have forgotten it. You can reset your password at https://www.burningsea.com/page/account/password-reset.
REGISTRATION IS OPEN!
Source
March 22, 2013 / Half-Hitch
New account registration is now open! New players can get their ships in the water by creating an account at https://www.burningsea.com/register.
MIGRATION UPDATE
Source
March 18, 2013 / Half-Hitch
Hamled has finished the manual migration system! Everyone who submitted a request for a manual migration should have received an email with a link which will take them to a page where they can complete their migration. If you are still in need of migration, please send us an email with your old account name at customerservice [at] portalusgames.com. Note that only accounts that have characters on them from before the transition can be migrated.
With migration finished, we are now working on getting account creation working. As soon as we have an update we will post here.
STATUS UPDATE
Source
March 12, 2013 / Half-Hitch
Status overall is little changed from the previous week. PayPal should now be working with Treasure Aisle and focus is fully on resolving the issues with migration.
So far the migration issues have taken longer than expected as we work on replacing parts of the system that used to be entirely handled by SOE. It has proven more difficult due to no access to the original SOE code being used and any support with any questions that arise. This has also made making estimates for when this work will be completed difficult and for this reason we are reluctant to give any. Migration will remain the primary focus of work until the issue is resolved.
New account creation is our second priority. The migration issue resolution will by the nature of the work complete a significant portion new account creation. We do not know how far behind migration issues account creation will be but we will have a better idea when the migration issues are resolved.
There will be an attempt to look into the UDP/TCP issue at some point during the process of transitioning from migration issues to new account creation. If a quick resolution is possible it will be done otherwise the work will have to wait until new account creation is working.
We will post additional updates if/when the status of anything changes. Thank you for bearing with us during this, we are literally working as hard as we can to get everything working.
BURNING SEA NOTE STORE AVAILABLE AGAIN
Source
March 07, 2013 / Half-Hitch
After fixing some database issues and keeping the store under careful observation we are happy to announce that Burning Sea Notes are once again available from http://www.burningsea.com/page/store!
We are still working on getting account migration and new account creation finished, and will post more updates as we have them.
BURNINGSEA.COM MAINTENANCE UPDATE
Source
March 03, 2013 / Hamled
The majority of the maintenance work has been completed on the BurningSea.com databases. They are currently undergoing a consistency verification, which may take another hour.
BURNINGSEA.COM DOWN FOR MAINTENANCE
Source
March 03, 2013 / Hamled
The BurningSea.com website is currently offline while we perform maintenance upon the databases that it uses. The maintenance will likely take approximately 1-2 hours.
We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and thank you for your patience.
¶ 2013-02
BURNING SEA NOTES ARE NOW AVAILABLE!
Source
February 27, 2013 / Half-Hitch
The Burning Sea Note store is now available at www.burningsea.com/page/store! When you purchase Notes through the website, they will be added directly to the character of your choosing. Thank you for your patience while we got this working.
EDIT: We ran into a problem with our database that has forced us to take the store down temporarily. Unfortunately we expect it to be several days before we can bring it back online.
BURNINGSEA.COM DOWN FOR MAINTENANCE
Source
February 27, 2013 / Hamled
The BurningSea.com website will be going offline shortly for planned maintenance in support of the new Burning Sea Note Store. The downtime should last at most 1-2 hours.
We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and thank you for your patience.
UPDATE
Source
February 25, 2013 / Half-Hitch
Kurt Vonnegut said his favorite thing about deadlines was the whooshing sound they made as they flew past. Hamled has been working like a mad man to get Note purchases finished, but encountered an unexpected issue with automated delivery and it won't be ready today. The new estimate is within the next day or two, barring other issues. It's possible that account creation and manual migration will be finished this week, but right now we're not in a position to make any firm estimates about those.
We are very very sorry that this is taking so long. We are doing our utmost to get these things finished, but with our team size any unexpected problem hits us really hard. We'll continue to post updates here as we know more, and thank you all for your patience while we get our systems sorted out.
POST-TRANSITION UPDATE
Source
February 22, 2013 / Half-Hitch
We don't have anything finished to report, but I wanted to check in and let everyone know where things stand. We're working very hard on the items I mentioned in the last post. Hamled is pretty confident that Burning Sea Note purchases will be finished by Monday at the latest, and says that it's possible that the other items will be finished as well, but doesn't make to make promises about that.
We're working crazy hours to get this done, and we're sorry we haven't finished sooner. As soon as we have more information or updates we'll post here.
SO FAR SO GOOD!
Source
February 18, 2013 / Half-Hitch
Roberts and Antigua have been live for a few days now, and things are looking good. We've seen no major issues, and the small things that have popped up we've been able to take care of. Pirates of the Burning Sea is back!
Now that the servers are back online, I wanted to give you an idea of what we're currently working on. These are our top priority items at the moment:
Enable Burning Sea Note purchases - To start with this will go through www.burnignsea.com, but we will be enabling in-game purchases soon
New account creation - We want everyone to be able to join in!
Password resets - We've heard from people that have misplaced the passwords to their account, we're working to get a system in place to allow password resets through our website
Migrations - This is a two part project. First, we're working to get a website set up where people who have their migration codes can complete their migration. The second part is getting our tools set up to allow manual migrations. We've got a massive list of requests for manual migration, and we want to start helping those players as soon as we can.
Once we get those items done we will go back to working on our first patch. We'll have more information about what will be in that patch soon.
Thank you all again for bearing with us through the transition. I know it took a bit longer than we expected, and we appreciate everyone sticking with us. We're not all the way there yet, but we're getting closer. Yarr!
ROBERTS AND ANTIGUA ARE OPEN!
Source
February 16, 2013 / Half-Hitch
The Roberts and Antigua servers are open and ready! Welcome back, and enjoy! We will continue working on outstanding issues and post updates as we cross things off the list.
USING A LOCALIZED (NON-ENGLISH LANGUAGE) CLIENT
Source
February 15, 2013 / Half-Hitch
In order to run a localized client (a client in a language other than English), you will need to take the following steps:
Find your pirates_local.ini file. If you haven't got one of these files, you will first need to make one. Open up notepad and save a blank file as "pirates_local.ini" making sure that in the "save as type" option below the filename you change it to All Files. This will ensure you save it as a .ini file and not a .ini.txt file. The save location needs to be in the same folder as your main game files are.
To localize the client in Russian, add the following lines:
[StringKeyManager]
defaultLanguage = ru_ru
To localize the client in Spanish, add the following lines:
[StringKeyManager]
defaultLanguage = es_es
To localize the client in French, add the following lines:
[StringKeyManager]
defaultLanguage = fr_fr
To localize the client in German, add the following lines:
[StringKeyManager]
defaultLanguage = de_de
Save the file, then restart your client. It should now be localized.
LAUNCHER UPDATE
Source
February 15, 2013 / Half-Hitch
We're hacking our way through issues people are encountering with the launcher. If you had a problem where the launcher stopped working when you hit around 98%, that should be fixed now. Please try again. We'll post again with more information as we fix more problems.
STATUS UPDATE
Source
February 15, 2013 / Half-Hitch
Crossposting Fodderboy's update from the forums:
Due to the volume of launcher and game downloads occurring and their download speed we have decided to hold off on unlocking the Antigua and Roberts servers for a few more hours. Though Antigua and Roberts have passed their initial checks we want to hold off on opening the servers until more players have been able to complete their launcher downloads to avoid potential game issues that might occur if a small disproportionate number of players have access to the servers.
We will continue to work on the download speed issues players are experiencing. Many of the errors players are experiencing that appear as “network errors” are due to the fact that the download servers are currently overloaded. We will leave the Test server up and available for players to test their connectivity. We understand this process can be frustrating for players but we can only suggest at this time that many of the errors are caused by the load on the download server and often the only real solution to the issue is to either try downloading again if the process stalls or wait and try downloading later as the download demand starts to drop off.
We cannot set a specific time for when we will unlock the Antigua and Roberts servers. When we will is dependent on the number of downloads completed and we feel comfortable with the number of players that can login. We will update this status thread as soon as we have any change in status.
SLOW DOWNLOAD SPEEDS
Source
February 14, 2013 / Half-Hitch
The 3rd party we used to distribute the game files is having a problem getting those files out. We will be switching to a different 3rd party file distribution system as soon as possible to make download speeds much faster.
USING THE LAUNCHER
Source
February 14, 2013 / Half-Hitch
Once you download a launcher, you'll see a screen that asks you where you want to install the game. If you point this at where your game is currently installed, you won't need to download the whole client again.
EDIT:
If you are seeing "Support Package Install... Failed 1010" the launcher should fix it automatically. If the last line says "Locating Support Package... Downloading" just let it run.
EDIT: Finding your install location
If you still have the shortcut icon you used to launch PotBS on your desktop, right click on it and select Properties. The install directory is the one listed in the "Start in:" field.
WE'RE BACK!
Source
February 14, 2013 / Half-Hitch
Pirates of the Burning Sea is out of drydock! The Test Server is currently online and available once you've patched with the new launcher.
Where can I download the new launcher?
The new launcher can be found here: www.burningsea.com/download
What should I do if I haven't migrated my accounts yet?
Please send us an email at customerservice@portalusgames.com and we'll try to get your accounts migrated. We will begin processing manual migrations as soon as we're sure everything is stable.
Where can I migrate my account if I already have a migration code?
We will be getting the website where you can complete your migration if you have a migration code up soon.
I don't have a PotBS account, where can I register one?
We don't have a way to register new accounts yet, but we'll have one soon.
I've found a problem, what should I do?
First, please check and see if it has been listed as a known issue on the forums, here: http://www.burningsea.com/forums/showthread.php?t=97250. If the problem isn't listed there, please send us an email (customerservice@portalusgames.com) describing the issue.
What fabulous gifts await us upon our return to the seas?
We will be giving returning players 500 Burning Sea Points to say thanks for sticking with us during the transition. We'll have more details about this soon.
MURPHY'S LAW
Source
February 14, 2013 / Half-Hitch
We lost internet at the office for a while, but it's back now. We're just troubleshooting the last of the launcher issues, and expect to have the launcher available within the hour.
TRANSITION UPDATE
Source
February 14, 2013 / Half-Hitch
Hamled is in the final stages of getting the new launcher ready. Current estimate is that the new launcher will be available within the next 4-6 hours. Once the launcher is out, we'll open up the Test Server. Assuming no issues pop up as people start logging into the Test Server, we'll open Antigua and Roberts a little while after that, and then we're off to the races! We're almost there!
TESTING UPDATE
Source
February 13, 2013 / Half-Hitch
Fodderboy and I have just finished our scripted test procedures (scripted as in pre-written, not scripted as in using computer scripts) and we have encountered no issues. We're still conducting some additional ad hoc tests and automated tests, but passing the scripted test procedure is a big hurdle to clear and things are looking very good for the game being online tomorrow.
TRANSITION UPDATE
Source
February 13, 2013 / Half-Hitch
Hamled has finished implementing the login/authentication system, and the Test Server is online (but currently locked to players). Fodderboy and I are on the Test Server now making sure everything is working. We are getting very close to having the game back online. Hamled is currently working on the new launcher, and we will post again with more updates soon. At the moment it's looking like we'll have everything up and ready on Thursday.
TRANSITION UPDATE
Source
February 12, 2013 / Half-Hitch
Hamled worked through the night last night and has finished getting the login/authentication system ugraded and working, which means we can get servers up and running. Fodderboy and I will start testing the servers to make sure everything is working properly.
While we're doing that, Hamled will be getting the launcher system working. Current word is that if everything goes well we'll be able to open up the servers to players Wednesday night, but want to warn you that it is possible that that will extend into Thursday (especially if we uncover something during testing). We are working as hard as we can to get things up as quickly as possible. We want the game back online just as much as you all do!
TRANSITION UPDATE
Source
February 11, 2013 / Half-Hitch
The word from Hamled is that we are still tracking toward a Wednesday Feb 13th server start date, but there really isn’t anything more to add. No new problems have been found. More information as it comes in!
¶ TRANSITION UPDATE
February 10, 2013 / Half-Hitch
Another quick one. I just spoke with Hamled and he says things are coming along. As always, we'll post here again tomorrow or if we have new information, whichever comes first.
TRANSITION UPDATE
February 09, 2013 / Half-Hitch
Not much to report today, we are still on track for Tuesday or Wednesday of next week. No news is good news! We'll continue posting here with any additional information.
TRANSITION UPDATE
February 08, 2013 / Half-Hitch
Late last night Hamled identified some pieces of code in the authorization server that he felt could cause problems in the future, and decided that the best course of action was to make those sections more reliable before we open the servers back up.This means that we're not expecting to have the servers up this weekend. We're very sorry for the delay, but taking a little extra time here means that we won't need to have emergency downtime later. Hamled estimates that the servers will be up on Tuesday or Wednesday, and we will continue to provide updates here.
TRANSITION UPDATE
February 07, 2013 / Half-Hitch
Quick transition update. Hamled has been making good progress on getting our login and authorization systems playing nice together, and expects to cross that off the list soon. We're unlikely to be able to get the servers back online today, but will update here if that changes or if we have anything else to report.
TRANSITION UPDATE AND ROADMAP
February 06, 2013 / Half-Hitch
I know this update is coming out a little later than the updates from the previous days, but Fodderboy, Hamled and I had a meeting about the transition process and I wanted to wait until that was over so I could give you as much information as possible.
Things are moving forward, but we're not done yet. Rather than give you an estimated day when things will come back which will have to be adjusted if something goes wrong, I'm going to lay out exactly where we are in the transition process and tell you what else needs done. We'll update you on our progress on that roadmap, which I think will give everyone a better idea of where things stand.
After getting the website back up over the weekend, we've been troubleshooting our ability to get the servers online. There were a lot of back-end systems that needed fixed as a result of the data center move, and the Test Server coming online briefly was part of those fixes. I'm very happy to say that we can get the servers up now.
The next step is to get our log in system talking to our authorization system, basically connecting the two servers that verify your password when you try to log in. Previously this was done by Sony, and we need to get our replacement system working.
After that's done, we'll have the ability to log into the game. We'll go in and test the client, and make sure everything is working properly. Once everything is functioning, we'll open the servers again and make sure the connections are stable from outside of our internal network.
After the servers are open, we will get the new launcher configured and released. Once that goes out, everyone will be able to play again.
I know everyone is anxious to get back into their ships (we are too!), and we are doing everything in our power to make that happen as quickly as possible. I'll continue to post updates here and let you know as we reach each milestone. Thank you all for your patience!
TRANSITION UPDATE
February 05, 2013 / Half-Hitch
Good morning! I just got the most recent status report from Hamled, and here's where things stand. Hamled expects to have the servers online sometime either late tonight or early tomorrow morning, after which he'll finish getting the launcher and client patch ready.
Once the servers go up, we will start testing them to make sure everything is working properly and that nothing is on fire. We can't give you an estimate of how long that will take, since it depends entirely on what we find.
The TL;DR is that we're getting closer and we're reaching important milestones. We'll keep posting updates here as we have more information.
TRANSITION UPDATE
February 04, 2013 / Half-Hitch
I've spoken with Hamled the Tireless, and he has told me that he's run into some issues "encountered with running the servers on the latest and greatest version of Windows.” We can safely say that the servers will not be back on today. None of the problems are insurmountable, but they're taking a bit longer to solve than we expected. Tomorrow is a possibility, but not guaranteed. As always, we will give you the most up-to-date information we have here. We're sorry this is taking longer than anticipated, and we're doing everything we can to get the game up and running again.
GREETINGS FROM SUNNY LOS ANGELES
February 03, 2013 / Half-Hitch
EDIT: There has been some confusion about this post. At the moment just the website is online, the game itself is still down. We're still working on getting the game back online, and will post here again with an update soon.
Burningsea.com is back online after switching to our new Los Angeles data center. You'll notice that there are still some hiccups, some things that don't work, or some places that still mention SOE, but we're working to squash those bugs. In particular some of you may have trouble logging into the website, hopefully we'll have that resolved soon.
Please remember that the window for migration has closed. If you missed the migration window, please get in touch with us in a few days, after the transition is complete, and we will see what we can do.
¶ QUICK TRANSITION UPDATE
February 03, 2013 / Hamled
I just wanted to reassure everyone that we are still charging ahead fully on getting both the website and the game servers back online. We've successfully moved all of the user content data to our new datacenter, and I have verified that it is working.
Unfortunately it does appear that the images from Encyclopædia Piratica, as well as our featured images and player-uploaded screenshots, may have been lost. The machine that was storing them suffered a catastrophic hard disk failure at some point since the beginning of our transition to the new datacenter.
We're currently scouring all of the other machines that would likely have any back up / old copy of the data, but as yet only some very, very old wiki images (from around 2010) have been located so far.
¶ TRANSITION UPDATE
February 02, 2013 / Half-Hitch
Quick update on where things stand right now. The transition of game and forum data to the new data center is complete! Hamled (or as I have started calling him "The Tireless Hamled" and "The Implacable Hamled") realized that at the rate the data transfer was going, it would be faster to ship hard drives with copies of the data down to LA, so that's what we did. Never underestimate the bandwidth of a Volkswagen full of zip drives (or in this case a FedEx plane full of SSDs), as they say. The drives have been installed and are working.
Our next priority is getting the website back up. We know this is taking longer than we anticipated, and we're sorry our estimates weren't more on target. Rather than give you guys another estimate, I'll just say that we are doing our best to get the site up quickly, and I'll let you know if we get anything more solid.
Thank you all again for bearing with us!
¶ TRANSITION UPDATE
February 02, 2013 / Half-Hitch
Good morning! I don't have a lot to add about the transition. It looks like we're still on target for Monday, but I wanted to answer some of the questions that have been coming up in the comments threads.
Will I have to download a new launcher?
Yes. The old launcher was managed by Sony, and we have a new one. Once we have the servers back online and have tested the launcher to make sure everything is working properly, we'll make it available at www.burningsea.com.
Will I have to download the game if I've already downloaded it?
No. You will be able to patch the old client with the new launcher, so you won't have to download huge files.
What happens if I missed the migration window?
If you missed the migration window, we'll have to migrate your account manually. After the transition process is complete, please get in touch with us and we'll work something out on a case by case basis.
If there are more questions coming up I'll do another answer post, and I'll try to answer questions in the comment thread through the course of the day. Thank you all for all your support, it's been really great to see how excited everyone is about Pirates of the Burning Sea in the comments.
¶ POTBS TRANSITION UPDATE
February 01, 2013 / Fodderboy
We just got a chance to hear from Hamled how things are going with the transition and I wanted to give everyone an update on where we are at so folks trying to make plans can do so with more ease.
Right now we are going to have to say that PotBS servers are unlikely to be up and running prior to Monday (Feb. 4th). I want to say there’s a small chance we might be up a little before that but Hamled’s giving me the determined “it will be Monday” look. I know that’s not what anyone wants to hear but we were originally given a possible 72 hour down time estimate and that’s looking like it is turning out to be accurate (so far).
We felt we should get this information to players as soon as possible as we know some folks might want the information for their weekend plans. We think this way if you know there’s no chance the game is coming up on Friday, Saturday or Sunday folks can make other plans, enjoy the Super Bowl and hopefully get back to PotBS as soon as possible after.
It looks like we’ll have burningsea.com back up hopefully sometime tomorrow (Saturday Feb. 2nd). Again I want to say it’s possible it could come back up a little earlier than that but Hamled’s giving me the look again when I press for the possibility. Hitch and I are looking forward to getting back to some discussions that were starting just before we took the buringsea.com site offline so hopefully we won’t have to wait too much longer to start again.
I’ll post another update when we know a bit more regarding when something is coming online or if there are any changes in our projected schedule.
¶ TRANSITION UPDATE
February 01, 2013 / Half-Hitch
Hi everyone! We are about 12 hours into the transition process, and things are on track. Burningsea.com is still down, but we'll get that back up as soon as we can.
We've seen a lot of emails regarding account migration and what happens if you missed the deadline. If you have your migration code, don't worry! You'll be able to migrate your account with no problems as soon as the transition is complete. If you don't have your migration code, things are a little trickier. Once the transition's done, please send us an email and we will do everything we can to make sure you get your accounts.
We'll continue posting here as we have more information. Thank you all again for your support, and we'll see you on the other side!
¶ 2013-01
¶ MIGRATION IS LIVE!
January 22, 2013 / Half-Hitch
The migration system is now up and ready! You can migrate your accounts here. You must complete this process for each account you want to migrate.
Note that after January 31st there will be no way to spend Station Cash in Pirates of the Burning Sea, but any Burning Sea Notes or Burning Sea Points you have on your account WILL transfer if you migrate.
If you encounter any issues or have any questions, please let us know at support@portalusgames.com. Looking forward to seeing you all on the Burning Sea!