All prelaunch keys are deactivated right now (as of 6pm PST). The Launch keys go live at 9am PST tomorrow. Since you bought from SOE direct, you won’t have to activate anything.
<waits impatiently for the launch key to show up>
Skipper
203
Yeah same here Jarrodhk. The Amazon boxes haven’t shipped yet. :( My fix for Pirates may reach beyond the pre-order. If so maybe some lucky QT3 member will get a full key later this week.
I’ll be heading to BB this morning when they open to see if they have the game on the shelves, even though they list tomorrow as the release date on their website. Although I pre-ordered, I’ve been waiting to purchase the guide before starting to play. So, I’ll be picking up the game and the guide today if they have both in stock. Hope they have it!
From the same guy who made the ship comparision, an economy tool:
http://www.exchangeguild.com/potbs.php
You can save your production lines, input price lists, it looks like its really helpful for keeping track of the economy and your contributions to it. It makes me realize that I’ll need a second tar distillery for maximum hemp rope production. It kinda pissed me off though that as a pirate I’ll never be able to make lignum vitae blocks as those are a free trader only manufacture. As these are key components for making sail upgrades, it drastically increases the cost of my production line. Maybe this is to encourage piracy around ironwood ports?
I like that only Freetraders have the ability to produce certain goods. And, as you hinted to above, you’re a pirate! Take what you want, and leave the producing to those wussy Freetraders! :-)
(Spoken by someone who wants to play a Freetrader on another server. Anyone else interested in playing as one of the other three nations on a different server, as well?)
Skipper
207
How will that work though if we can only hold ports for three days as Pirates? Probably a huge assumption on behalf of the devs is that the Pirate faction will always be balanced on a server enough that piracy legitimately supports their Nation.
I’m increasingly getting the feeling that the Pirate faction is more or less intended for people who play part-time or just want to mess around on another server and for people who want to solo. It’s the anarchist faction.
The depth of the game is the economy and the strategic game. There’s more tactical variety in characters and how to play in the Nationals so they’ll probably attract more of the people who make it a point to live on PoTBS. Pirate is something you can pick up and play with fairly easily.
Could well be the developers don’t think the Pirates will often win but will always be unpredictable and disorganized spoilers.
Xemu
209
Hm, if you can only be one faction on one server, maybe we should pick a server other than Bonny to check out one of the national factions?
Before I really understood the economy I bought Ironwood plans… I guess I need to start lower on the totem. What’s the best way to raise enough doubloons to start up a higher tier economy? Selling common wood & gravel seems to be a totally losing proposition.
Lorini
210
Remember that until folks start losing ships in the RvR PvP, the economy is stalled. Of course I would assume that the economy won’t jumpstart just because the full game went live today. It will probably take a bit to work out all the backlog.
Maybe someone who was in the beta where the RvR PvP was enabled can comment on how well the raw materials sold during that time.
On the other hand, it dawns on me, that just as Pirates can’t permanently hold National ports, Nationals can’t permanently hold Pirate ports. So this means Pirate ports will probably be less attractive targets. Only when Pirates as a whole become a real threat will people come after them, I’ll bet.
Lorini
212
If Pirate ports have resources that the nationals need, they will be targets, don’t worry :)
In other news, the launch has been delayed because (gasp!) SOE screwed up the launcher. 10AM PT at the earliest.
Yeah, but why take 'em from Pirates knowing you’re going to lose the investment (or have it taxed to a ridiculous extent) if you can take a National’s port and hold onto it? At any rate, Freetraders do have an optional skill that offsets hostile nation tax penalties so it’s easier to just go ahead and set up shop in a Pirate port that way anyhow.
Pirates can also get that skill in the smuggling line I believe it is. 60% reduction to the tax rate.
I’m definitely interested in playing a national on another server… And selling Lignum Blocks to Pirates :). I started out a French Freetrader on Morgan, but i’ve barely played her. Anyone else set up as a national on a sever besides bonny? If so (or not) lets get a Qt3 national, i don’t care which nation, going on one of the other servers.
As for good startup production lines, focusing on leather or iron seems to be pretty important to the early economy. Demand is always going to be there for things that people always need to replace, ammo, permanent upgrades, and later on, ships. Follow those production lines and you’ll find the ingredients people need the most. Hemp rope and wood tar have been pretty successful for me, and I’d imagine leather and iron can be profitable as well. Getting the seed money is easiest by doing missions and open seas plundering.
I made a small mistake on an earlier post. It looks like the goons are playing as French on Antigua, not Spanish.
That said, while I’m keen to try it out, I’m still enjoying the pirate’s life. For one thing, we get first chance it looks like on pvp on ports in contention, and for another, who needs to build ships when we can let them make them and we just take them?
I have a lvl 10 or 11 Brit Naval Officer on Blackbeard.
Skipper
218
Although trying out another server sounds cool, I’m not sure I would stick with it as my main. Free Traders of the Burning Sea just doesn’t have the same ring to it, nor would it be as interesting for me, not to say it won’t be fun. I’m hoping (and really haven’t even seen it yet) that the PvP aspect of the game is pretty deep and engaging. If pirating ends up not only valid but fun, man that’s going to be a blast.
Sneaky
219
I started on Blackbeard before I found out Q23 was going to gang up on PotBS as well! Anyway, here’s my character, for good measure, though she changes outfits almost daily :P
She’s a french NO
Josiah West - Pirate on Bonny
