StarDestroyer.Net BBS

I realize there was another thread about this earlier, but it seems best not to tempt with thread necromancy, and I just started playing today Mind you my experience is the X-Box version, I have no idea if there's any differences between the different platforms

The Good

• Ship Battles: There are no words to express the joy of taking a Frigate up against a War Galleon and just blasting each other with broadsides. But there's also a need to think out your strategy before and during battle which keeps them from being boring slugfests. You ship's position in relation to the enemy's and the wind's direction, which type of shot you use, whether to force their surrender or board their ship, ect.
• Famous Pirates: When I was a kid I was in love with pirate stories, and read up on all of the famous ones, like Blackbeard and such. I find it very cool to match swords against them, and even steal their rides (esp. since they kick so much ass! )
• Being a Pirate, Argh!: C'mon, who doesn't think that sailing across the Spanish Main, snatching up Merchantmen and Galleons and avoiding pirate hunters isn't an amazing concept? Or working for a specific country, gaining promotions, free repairs and Governors' daughters Like I said, good idea, but the execution is poor

The Bad

• Boarding Ships: Apparently the size of your crew matters almost nothing when you're trying to capture a ship, just how well you are with your sword (I will admit, one time they had killed off the enemy crew and forced the captain to surrender, but that was one out of hundreds). I kid you not when I say I've captured treasure ships with a crew of hundreds using no more then half, even a quarter of that number in Pirates. Even when you're horribly outnumbered, a simple mashing of a few buttons before the timer goes out can "even the odds" enough for your über-Pirates to carry the day.
• Land Battles: Incredibly simplistic. Apparently, men armed with rifles and bayonets are no match against a bunch of scurvey dogs with a few swords and axes in close combat, and reaching the gates of a port is an automatic win (because, of course, the enemy will deploy his entire force in the field, and not bother to man the city defences or, god forbide, lock the main gate!). At least it's not like capturing a ship where the fight is decided by you and the enemy captain.
• Duels: Which reminds me again why I hate sword fighting. Now I'm not expecting something like Street Fighter or anything, but don'tcha think swordplay could be a little more advanced then three different attacks/blocks? And why is it when I got for an overhead swing that I must spin around wildly because by opponent ducked, leaving me perfectly open to his attack? Am I not suppose to be somewhat good at what I do?
• Fleet Battles...or lack thereof: Was the computer progamming just too complexe for these guys to put in a decent fleet battle? Hell I've captured half the Spanish Armada and I can only use my flagship in battle? Worst yet the AI is forced to send single ships after me, which is a useless move considering I've usually captured a capital ship by the time they send lone Sloops after me. "Yes Gov'ner, I'd be more then happy to go with my 10-gun 50-man Sloop and bring justice to the Dread Pirate Balrog with his 40-gun 250-man Large Frigate"
• Dancing: Oh dear God, make the pain stop! Nothing could be more mind-numbingly boring then waiting for X or Y to come up on the screen so I can punch in the correct button. Worst of all is that most of the time all I get out of dancing is that there's a criminal half-way across the Gulf in an enemy port that I have to sneak into and try to capture him. "Oh thank you ma'am, perhaps next time your daft father the Governor could just tell me instead of having to waste my time with your stupid ass"
• The Mysterious Stranger: The idea is good, a mysterious stranger willing to give you a map to a burried treasures or a something rare like a Sacred Relic or Spanish Rutter. But is there really no store in all of the Carribean where I can buy a couple of pistols or a spyglass or a nice ring? Why the hell must I visit every single port just so some weird man in the corner with a monopoly on common items can reach into his grab bag and pull out exactly what I'm looking for?
• Upgrades: Is there some Cosmic Law of the Universe that somehow prevents shipwrights from offering more then one upgrade at each port? Did they all get together at the union meeting and decide that they would all specialize in one area so that no one would have a monopoly? How rediculas is it that I have to go half-way across the map just to install better cannons on my ship?
• Specialists: And speaking of which, what is up with these guys? Did all of the Carpenters in the world get snatched up by other captains and I have to steal one just to plug up a few holes in my ship? Are there no Gunners, Quartermasters or Navigators sitting around in port just waiting for someone to come by and recruit them? God forbide if a Cook dies while under another other captain's care before I can liberate him, othewise I'll be stuck with eating raw meat and veggies for the rest of my life
• The Evil Baron Raymondo: I hate this man even more then I hate the main bad guy, if only because he has caused me hours of fruitless searching and banging my head trying to sail against the wind looking for him. Apparently this guy knows all about where my missing family is, and I need to capture him in order to find their locations. So, defeating him in single combat and with my sword up against his throat, does he reveal, if not my entire family, then at least where one is? No, he gives me a friggin piece of a map of where one of them might be, and I have to go chasing after him all over again just to get enough pieces to figure out this one relative's location. I hate this part of the game almost as much as I hate the next...
• The Main Quest: I know the main goal of the game is to eventually get my revenge on the evil pirate, rescue my family, ect. and it's a good idea. Problem is, all of the missions leading up to it seem pointless. Yes finding my long-lost sister is important, but what does having to capture a sloop have to do with that? Why is it so important that I talk to the bimbo barmaid in Tortuga when she doesn't even give me information (except, of course, the all important tidbit that Baron Raymondo has *gasp* Fine-Grain Powder!)? Why must I go capture Vera Cruz in my quest to seek justice? This is incredibly frustrating when it askes the seemingly impossible, such as "Get a Promotion from the Spanish" after having racked up a $45,000 bounty from them. But no worries, all I have to do is divide the spoils with the crew and set out again in a few months, and I get a completely different mission to complete ("Oh joy, I've got to go liberate the Florida Keys, there go a few months of sailing against the wind")

The Ugly

• Voice Acting: Honestly, was there just not enough budget left for them to even record voices, much less get people to read lines? What in god's name is "Chubong" or "Slambang"? Why is everyone speaking gibberish? At least have the English speak fracking English!
• Music: I swear I'm going crazy after listening to the same few notes repeated over, and over, and over, and over, and over......
• Sneaking into Port: Not that good, but not that bad either. It's fun running through the dark alleys at night, but after awhile it gets tiring, much like the other mini-games. I've got that Theatrical Disguise, why can't I just walk into town as someone else? Actually, why not just walk in as if everything's normal? It's not like every port is going to have an accurate discription of me, and since I rarely leave survivors they wouldn't know it was me anyways!

Conclusion: It's all fun at first, but after awhile the only reason you keep playing is just to see if something interesting actually happens. 6/10.

the ugly wrote: * Voice Acting: What the fuck? Honestly, was there just not enough budget left for them to even record voices, much less get people to read lines? What in god's name is "Chubong" or "Slambang"? Why is everyone speaking gibberish? At least have the English speak fracking English!

Havent played it for a while but I believe it's supposed to be "Sims" style chatter

Cannon upgrades, you say? Were the upgrades any better than those found in Monkey Island 3, where you could upgrade to the Destructomatic T-47, among other things?

Dooey Jo wrote:Were the upgrades any better than those found in Monkey Island 3, where you could upgrade to the Destructomatic T-47, among other things?

Did it have auto loading and fax modem?

Yes! Destructomatic T-47 armour-piercing System with auto-loading and fax-modem!

I especially like it, because it's a reference to the T-47 Snowspeeder from ESB

Dooey Jo wrote:Yes! Destructomatic T-47 armour-piercing System with auto-loading and fax-modem!

I especially like it, because it's a reference to the T-47 Snowspeeder from ESB

Nitpick: It's called the Destructomatic T-47 armour-piercing carnage delivery system with auto-loading and fax modem.

Well, it's still awesome and Sid Meier's Pirates! should have it!