Pirate101

Pirate101
File:Pirate101.png Pirate101 logo.
Developer(s)	KingsIsle Entertainment
Publisher(s)	KingsIsle Entertainment
Platforms	Windows, OS X
Release date(s)	October 15, 2012
Genre(s)	MMORPG
Mode(s)	Multiplayer

Pirate101 is a Pirate-Based MMORPG created by KingsIsle Entertainment. Players assume the role of heroic pirates that set out in search of the treasures of the Spiral, the same fictional universe used in its sister game Wizard101.

Players can complete quests, sail ships, befriend companions, and battle enemies in a turn-based combat system similar to board games.

Overview

The fictional universe of the Spiral is divided into several worlds, each consisting of multiple areas. The game's content is divided into numerous "Books" which are further subdivided into individual "Chapters". Players may purchase Chapters with "Crowns" (the game's premium currency) which grants access to all areas related to a chapter. Purchasing a membership grants unlimited access to all chapters for a limited time. Upon character creation, players are given free access to the "Introduction" and "Prologue Part 1" or the first Book.

As the player progresses, more areas become available. Currently, the maximum level one can obtain is Level 65. The first and only main storyline takes the player through Skull Island, Monquista, Valencia, Cool Ranch, MooShu, Marleybone, and Aquila.

Side activities in the Spiral include Practice PvP, Ranked PvP, a nautical gauntlet, training pets, pet sparring and housing.

The game holds a rating of E10+ from the Entertainment Software Rating Board for crude humor and Cartoon Violence.

Characters

Pirate101 has several types of in-game characters. Two NPCs in the game, Boochbeard and Gandry, serve as the player's guide into controlling the technical aspect of the game. Enemies, hostile non-player characters and bosses can be encountered, and peaceful NPCs can be interacted with, traded with, and assigned quests from. Companions can serve the player in combat, but they also provide comic relief during the story.

Classes

Depending on the class chosen by the player, as well as the origin world they chose, different members of sets of companions will be assigned to the player. For example, if a player chooses the witchdoctor class, they will fight alongside Kan Po of the Mooshu Five and Mormo of the Kraken Skulls Five. Other companions are reserved for one class only. There are currently, however, seven major companions that all players have the capacity to gain access to (as they progress far enough in the story). They are prominent enough to shape the plot directly.

Payment model

The game offers a choice of either subscription or "Free-to-Play" with microtransactions. Free-to-Play customers can purchase access to different chapters of content using in-game currency called Crowns. Chapters only need to be purchased once, but other actions in the game may be necessary before accessing them. Crowns also can be used to buy in game exclusive items and to use the Transportaler system to instantly transport to other worlds.

Players who purchase a subscription may adventure through all playable worlds during their timed subscription days but are also able to gain access to faster Energy regeneration, a larger backpack, larger friends list, and will be able to reset companion talents for gold. Players will also be able to post on the Pirate101 Message Board.

Player interaction

Due to its young core audience, Pirate101 restricts player interaction when compared to other games in the massively multiplayer online genre. There are three different types of chat: Menu Chat, Open Chat and Text Chat.

Players may duel each other in open arenas known as the "Brawlin' Hall" and the "Spar Chamber", which allows for up to four players on two opposing teams to participate in player versus player combat. Most houses in the game also come complete with duel arenas as well, though the number of players that can fight at once varies depending on the house itself.

Players can also participate in a trading system of Doubloons, which are powers that may be used once within a battle. Doubloons can be reorganized in the ability interface and may be discarded during battle in order to draw newer Doubloons. Pirates can trade equipment, housing items, mounts, or pets. However, a system of pet morphing is available for players.

Online safety features

Parents must activate controls for players under 13, including setting levels for interaction with other players in the world. Three different levels of chat are available. At the most restricted level, players select from a menu of predefined phrases, and players using this option can only see menu chat from other players. At the next level, players may type what they want, as long as the words are available in the game’s dictionary. If a word is not present in the dictionary, or part of a forbidden phrase, such as asking another player’s age, it will not be visible. The official game forums are filtered and moderated.

Loot drops are provided by chests at the end of battles, all of which are distributed equally among the players in battle.

Other features have been designed with a preteen audience in mind, for example, opponents in combat disintegrate or vanish, and there is no blood. Names are restricted to a preselected list that players must choose from. The game does include the use of weapons such as guns and magic; however, the guns shoot electricity rather than bullets. Also, the enemies faced in player versus enemy combat are not humans, but different enemies. Each world has its own type of enemy (i.e. the Bison of Cool Ranch, or the Dogs of Marleybone).

Reception

Reception
Review scores Publication Score MMORPG Gamezebo
Awards Publication Award RTSGuru Best Hybrid Strategy (2012) MMORPG Game of the Year (2012).

According to a KingIsle Entertainment's press release, Pirate101 had 5 million registered users in October, 2013, matching the first year success of Wizard101. In terms of reception, Suzie Ford of MMORPG noted the game's bright aesthetics and commended its use of strategic turn-based gameplay; however, she considered the micromanagement of units overwhelming for kids thus making the combat system too complicated for children. Nick Tylwalk of Gamezebo insists that the helpful interface makes combat very clear and is of great assistance to children. Karen Bryan of Massively also stated that KingsIsle succeeded in making a complex enough system to challenge players without over-complicating it.

Two months after the release of Pirate101, the game won the Player's Choice Award for Game of the Year from MMORPG with 27.8% of the vote, only 0.5% more votes than Guild Wars 2.

External links

• Official website