Mod idea: Converting Pirates of the Caribbean back into Sea Dogs II

[EldritchNexus]

So I love Pirates of the Caribbean, both the movies and the game. But I personally consider this to be more of a Sea Dogs game than a Pirates of the Caribbean game. And can you blame me? By all rights, Akella's Pirates of the Caribbean was supposed to be Sea Dogs II, but then Disney took over the development and slapped their brand on it at the last minute (and condemning it to the fate of other licensed games that can't get a digital re-release due to the original developers/publishers no longer holding the license).

While I do enjoy all the mods that try to make Akella's POTC game more like the Disney movies, I think someone should also try doing the opposite; I think someone should make a mod for this game that removes all Pirates of the Caribbean references from the game, and changes the title to Sea Dogs II, as it was originally intended. They won't have to do too much, since none of the movie characters appeared in the vanilla game, nor are they even mentioned. The cursed pirates and undead creatures can stay where they are. And we can keep Keira Knightley's narration, since I don't think she uses the Black Pearl's name. All that needs to be done is to rename the Black Pearl and get the Pirates of the Caribbean stuff off the menus, etc.

I've already gone into the data files and changed all in-game text referencing the "Black Pearl" and renamed it the "Black Queen" (after the cut character from The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion). I just need to find a way to get rid of the Pirates of the Caribbean logo and skull icon on the title screen and loading screens and place the original Sea Dogs II logo in its place. Alternatively, the Pirates of the Caribbean logo can stay where it is, but place Sea Dogs II above it so that the full title reads "Sea Dogs II: Pirates of the Caribbean". Though I still think Disney's POTC skull icon should still be removed for copyright/trademark reasons.

I know that this can be done, since the digital re-releases of Age of Pirates: Caribbean Tales and Age of Pirates 2: City of Abandoned Ships were renamed to Sea Dogs: Caribbean Tales and Sea Dogs: City of Abandoned Ships, respectively. Even the title screen for those games used Sea Dogs instead of Age of Pirates. If anyone wants to know what the original Sea Dogs II logo looked like, here's an early trailer from the game that came out before Disney got their hands on it.

 

[Pieter Boelen]

Nothing ever came off it, but you might like to have a look through this thread:
Standard Storyline De-filmization

The Sea Dogs II is already hiding somewhere in the original game files.
Either Build 11 or 12 temporarily changed the main menu logo to that one.

progress.tga.tx is the rotating coin graphic.
You can restore the one from the original game.

 

[EldritchNexus]

Nothing ever came off it, but you might like to have a look through this thread:
Standard Storyline De-filmization

The Sea Dogs II is already hiding somewhere in the original game files.
Either Build 11 or 12 temporarily changed the main menu logo to that one.

progress.tga.tx is the rotating coin graphic.
You can restore the one from the original game.

Okay. Thanks! I have it set now.

 

[EldritchNexus]

Check it out. I changed the loading screen and the logo, and now it feels like I've rewritten history.

 

[Pieter Boelen]

Congratulations!

Logo looks a bit oddly stretched.
If you go into RESOURCE\INI\INTERFACES\mainmenu.ini (I think), you can tweak the coordinates if you want.

 

[EldritchNexus]

Congratulations!

Logo looks a bit oddly stretched.
If you go into RESOURCE\INI\INTERFACES\mainmenu.ini (I think), you can tweak the coordinates if you want.

Thanks, but I already fixed the stretching, and tweaked the colors a bit for the logo. I'll post a screenshot whenever I get around to it.

Anyway, I think I'm going to go through with making the conversion back to Sea Dogs II myself. And while I'm at it, I think that I'll make some other adjustments, like fixing the various grammar/spelling errors in the game. Since all of the characters present were invented solely for the game, I'll keep their names where they are. I could probably change Nathaniel Hawk's name back to Blaze (his original intended name), but I'd rather not bother. Plus I think it would be confusing since one of the playable characters in Caribbean Tales goes by that name.

I think I'll let the supernatural stuff like the cursed pirates and undead creatures stay where they are. I know some people would prefer a realistic Sea Dogs game with no occult stuff, but even the first Sea Dogs hinted at things like superstitions and curses. And I believe Sea Dogs was originally going to be a fantasy RPG with a nautical setting before it got turned into a full-fledged pirate simulator. So I think bringing the supernatural aspects into the forefront still isn't that huge a departure from the rest of the series. And I think they brought some of the occult elements back in City of Abandoned Ships.

On a side-note, does the Storm Engine support other video types besides WMV? I ask because I'm playing these games on Mac OS X with Wineskin, which won't play WMV files. If there's another video file that's supported, I could convert them and configure the INI files accordingly.

 

[Cerez]

I know some people would prefer a realistic Sea Dogs game with no occult stuff...

Caribbean Tales is exactly this, and most people are not crazy about the realism (I'm one of the rare exceptions). My advice is best to keep the fantasy content, just move it away from the POTC movies for your mod -- perhaps expand it with other pirate-fantasy stories as well, eventually? You could research some mythological nautical tales and develop voluntary campaigns surrounding them in your mod.

So that it becomes a mythology-infused Sea Dogs adventure without relying on the world/themes of POTC as a base -- its own, new thing.

On a side-note, does the Storm Engine support other video types besides WMV? I ask because I'm playing these games on Mac OS X with Wineskin, which won't play WMV files. If there's another video file that's supported, I could convert them and configure the INI files accordingly.

I don't think so. I think the video playback framework featured in the game/engine is Microsoft technology based.

But there should be a way to make the video playback work. You will need to install an earlier, stable version of Windows Media Player that contains the necessary libraries/dependencies for the video playback to work. I've done it with other games in the past. It's a bit fiddly, as not every version of WMP offered through WINE services (Winetricks) is whole/stable enough to get the job done, but there are versions that do work.

Start with the version of WMP released the few years before or the year POTC was released: in 2003. See here:
Windows Media Player - Wikipedia

The WMP 8 options should be the safest bet. If I remember correctly, they are quite stable, too.

Back up your current Wineskin wrapper, and start experimenting with the settings/packages in Winetricks a little, until you get the video playback to work in the game. Note down your steps/findings to help you make sense of it all.

Edit:

Also, here's a helpful community resource with notes written by other community members who tried to get the game to work under WINE, and played around with the settings:

WineHQ - Pirates of the Caribbean

It may come in handy, and if you can get the game to work better than they did, you should share your findings.

 

[EldritchNexus]

Caribbean Tales is exactly this, and most people are not crazy about the realism (I'm one of the rare exceptions). My advice is best to keep the fantasy content, just move it away from the POTC movies for your mod -- perhaps expand it with other pirate-fantasy stories as well, eventually? You could research some mythological nautical tales and develop voluntary campaigns surrounding them in your mod.

So that it becomes a mythology-infused Sea Dogs adventure without relying on the world/themes of POTC as a base -- its own, new thing.

Right now, I just want to remove all the Disney/POTC related content from the game so that the game could be presentable as the Sea Dogs sequel it was meant to be. Like if Bethesda got the rights to re-release the game as long as they ditched all the references to Pirates of the Caribbean (which shouldn't be too tall an order, since there's very little content relevant to POTC in the game and fans of that series view it as the oddball of the franchise anyway). I could add more fantasy stuff and maybe create entire islands with their own characters, quests, etc. if I had more resources and experience when it comes to modding, but all I currently know what to do is change around some texture files and reconfigure some other stuff. And I don't mind that right now.

As for running it in Wineskin, yeah I had some problems at first. It used to crash whenever I sailed anywhere near islands (which basically cut me off 95% of the game) But once I downloaded the City of Abandoned Ships wrapper from Porting Kit, I used its 2.6PirateFix engine for POTC to fix the crashing. Thought I'd mention it in case other people are experiencing the same problem. Right now, the only problem I have is not getting the WMV files to run for POTC and the other Sea Dogs sequels as well as other games that use the WMV format like Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth (yeah, I'm a big fan of Bethesda, so I got a lot of their games from GOG).

 

[Pieter Boelen]

Caribbean Tales is exactly this, and most people are not crazy about the realism (I'm one of the rare exceptions). My advice is best to keep the fantasy content, just move it away from the POTC movies for your mod -- perhaps expand it with other pirate-fantasy stories as well, eventually? You could research some mythological nautical tales and develop voluntary campaigns surrounding them in your mod.

So that it becomes a mythology-infused Sea Dogs adventure without relying on the world/themes of POTC as a base -- its own, new thing.

If any of that is done, I'd be sorry to see it happen as a parallel path to New Horizons.
We always aimed to be largely all-inclusive and I'd hope somehow there is space in NH for that too.

I've got to admit large personal responsibility for NH having more movie tie-ins than the original game.
For example, that turning cursed coin during loading was made by @Petros specifically at my request.

But it's not my intention to force that onto others.
@The Nameless Pirate and @Grey Roger have already been doing work to add an option to remove all mod-added music.
I could imagine the original game progress.tga.tx to also be added as an option in the installer.
Maybe also alternate main menu and loading screen graphics to fit with Sea Dogs II instead.

As I started that thread about it in the past, I'm also open to having all film references removed from the Nathaniel Hawk storyline.
Swap out the Black Pearl model with the stock game "Lineship1".
And change the cursed pirates to not have Barbossa anymore (note: he has TWO character init entries).

The film cursed coins show up at random even when the curse is not in effect.
Set their rarity to zero.

There is also Mr. Gibbs in Tortuga.
If his presence is distracting, that could be disabled too.
It's a single line of code that puts him there.

Am I forgetting something?

 

[EldritchNexus]

If any of that is done, I'd be sorry to see it happen as a parallel path to New Horizons.
We always aimed to be largely all-inclusive and I'd hope somehow there is space in NH for that too.

I've got to admit large personal responsibility for NH having more movie tie-ins than the original game.
For example, that turning cursed coin during loading was made by @Petros specifically at my request.

But it's not my intention to force that onto others.
@The Nameless Pirate and @Grey Roger have already been doing work to add an option to remove all mod-added music.
I could imagine the original game progress.tga.tx to also be added as an option in the installer.
Maybe also alternate main menu and loading screen graphics to fit with Sea Dogs II instead.

As I started that thread about it in the past, I'm also open to having all film references removed from the Nathaniel Hawk storyline.
Swap out the Black Pearl model with the stock game "Lineship1".
And change the cursed pirates to not have Barbossa anymore (note: he has TWO character init entries).

The film cursed coins show up at random even when the curse is not in effect.
Set their rarity to zero.

There is also Mr. Gibbs in Tortuga.
If his presence is distracting, that could be disabled too.
It's a single line of code that puts him there.

Am I forgetting something?

Thanks, I'll look into those things. By the way, is there a way I can swap the original progress.tga.tx file? What's the name of it?

 

[The Nameless Pirate]

As I started that thread about it in the past, I'm also open to having all film references removed from the Nathaniel Hawk storyline.
Swap out the Black Pearl model with the stock game "Lineship1".
And change the cursed pirates to not have Barbossa anymore (note: he has TWO character init entries).

I agree on everything except this, I for one liked the stock game's PotC references.
And the real Black Pearl looks far better than "Lineship1".

If it will be done it should be optional, as of now I personally didn't see a reason to play without the mod, if these changes will be mandatory; then there will be a reason to play the stock game.
At least that is how I see it.

 

[Pieter Boelen]

Thanks, I'll look into those things. By the way, is there a way I can swap the original progress.tga.tx file? What's the name of it?

It is RESOURCE\Textures\Loading\progress.tga.tx, both in the original game and in the mod.
Remove the mod one and put the original back in its place.

 

[EldritchNexus]

It is RESOURCE\Textures\Loading\progress.tga.tx, both in the original game and in the mod.
Remove the mod one and put the original back in its place.

Oh, okay. I thought you meant that there was some other version of the progress texture that was left over from Sea Dogs II before it was converted into POTC, like with the logo. My mistake.

Anyway, if there are references to Barbossa in the game's data files, I could probably just change his name to something else. And I'm sure the cursed coins just need a different texture so that it looks less like what was in the film.

Now are there any other POTC things in the base/stock/vanilla game I should look out for besides what was previously mentioned? Because my work is based on that, not the New Horizons mod.

 

[Pieter Boelen]

Oh, okay. I thought you meant that there was some other version of the progress texture that was left over from Sea Dogs II before it was converted into POTC, like with the logo. My mistake.

Ah; no, it's just the two of them.
The stock game one has no relation to the PotC film.
I assume it'd have been the same if it had remained Sea Dogs.

AoP and CoAS have different ones though.
A turning ship's wheel and a chainshot cannonballl, if I remember.

They're all compatible with each game, so you can pick which one you like.

Anyway, if there are references to Barbossa in the game's data files, I could probably just change his name to something else. And I'm sure the cursed coins just need a different texture so that it look

Barbossa name and the cursed coins are both in New Horizons only.

Of course the stock game generic "pirat10" character model (I believe) does look clearly inspired by Barbossa.
But it's not him; and shows up plenty times at random.

Now are there any other POTC things in the base/stock/vanilla game I should look out for besides what was previously mentioned? Because my work is based on that, not the New Horizons mod.

I don't believe so.
The PotC film links in the original game were close to zero.
Just that black ghost ship called Black Pearl at the end.
And Kiera Knightly's voice acting.

 

[The Nameless Pirate]

I don't believe so.
The PotC film links in the original game were close to zero.
Just that black ghost ship called Black Pearl at the end.
And Kiera Knightly's voice acting.

And the quest that you talk to a former crew member of the Pearl.
You know, the quest where you first encounter her.
There are references to the coin curse there.

AoP and CoAS have different ones though.
A turning ship's wheel and a chainshot cannonballl, if I remember.

Yep, and in TEHO there is a pocket watch.

 

[EldritchNexus]

Ah; no, it's just the two of them.
The stock game one has no relation to the PotC film.
I assume it'd have been the same if it had remained Sea Dogs.

AoP and CoAS have different ones though.
A turning ship's wheel and a chainshot cannonballl, if I remember.

They're all compatible with each game, so you can pick which one you like.


Barbossa name and the cursed coins are both in New Horizons only.

Of course the stock game generic "pirat10" character model (I believe) does look clearly inspired by Barbossa.
But it's not him; and shows up plenty times at random.


I don't believe so.
The PotC film links in the original game were close to zero.
Just that black ghost ship called Black Pearl at the end.
And Kiera Knightly's voice acting.

Okay. So it looks like I took care of everything POTC related. Keira Knightley's narration can stay where it is as long as she doesn't say the Black Pearl's name. And since I already renamed the Black Pearl, changed the logo and loading screens, and even replaced the trailer WMV with the early Sea Dogs II trailer I shared above, that just leaves the extra polish, like fixing the spelling/grammar/punctuation errors in the in-game text. Thanks.

 

[Pieter Boelen]

And the quest that you talk to a former crew member of the Pearl.
You know, the quest where you first encounter her.
There are references to the coin curse there.

The Falaise de Fleur bit, eh?
Can't remember if the Pearl was mentioned by name there.
I do remember the curse described didn't quite match the movie.

 

[EldritchNexus]

The Falaise de Fleur bit, eh?
Can't remember if the Pearl was mentioned by name there.
I do remember the curse described didn't quite match the movie.

Yes, in fact that's where you learn the ship's name. But you can easily edit the name in the text files.

 

[Cerez]

AoP and CoAS have different ones though.
A turning ship's wheel and a chainshot cannonball, if I remember.

They're all compatible with each game, so you can pick which one you like.

Here's the AoP/CT one, if you like (the turning ship's rudder wheel):

 

[Cerez]

I could add more fantasy stuff and maybe create entire islands with their own characters, quests, etc. if I had more resources and experience when it comes to modding, but all I currently know what to do is change around some texture files and reconfigure some other stuff. And I don't mind that right now.

A lot can be done with just writing, and some minor changes. Don't underestimate the power of mystery/suspence.

Right now, I just want to remove all the Disney/POTC related content from the game so that the game could be presentable as the Sea Dogs sequel it was meant to be. Like if Bethesda got the rights to re-release the game as long as they ditched all the references to Pirates of the Caribbean (which shouldn't be too tall an order, since there's very little content relevant to POTC in the game and fans of that series view it as the oddball of the franchise anyway).

Akella developed POTC independently of Disney's POTC franchise. Disney stepped in at the end of the development cycle, and Akella entered into an agreement with them to rebrand the game and add a few POTC-related bits into it to reflect this theming. They were only able to license a few of the iconic characters/assets from the film, such as the Black Pearl and Kiera's narration.

What you have there is essentially the Sea Dogs II game that Akella was developing. (This is why Disney POTC fans are not happy with it -- because it's not a Pirates of the Caribbean game.)

Three years later, Akella released another sequel to the first Sea Dogs game, called Caribbean Tales. In this game, they decided to keep it as close to possible to the original game, and to not expand on the game's features as they did in POTC (with more fantasy elements, quests, etc.).

Then they took what they had created with CT, and turned it into something more POTC-game-like with City of Abandoned Ships.

As for running it in Wineskin, yeah I had some problems at first. It used to crash whenever I sailed anywhere near islands (which basically cut me off 95% of the game) But once I downloaded the City of Abandoned Ships wrapper from Porting Kit, I used its 2.6PirateFix engine for POTC to fix the crashing. Thought I'd mention it in case other people are experiencing the same problem. Right now, the only problem I have is not getting the WMV files to run for POTC and the other Sea Dogs sequels as well as other games that use the WMV format like Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth (yeah, I'm a big fan of Bethesda, so I got a lot of their games from GOG).

Nice work, thanks for sharing!

Regarding WMV video support, see the guidance I've given you. Many years ago I had a Mac, and I managed to get video playback to work in my Wineskin games. It's tricky-finicky, and the one of the hardest things to get to work right (because of poor/restricted initial support to begin with -- in the games themselves), but not impossible.