Build 14 Alpha 9

Pieter Boelen · May 5, 2009

I think any of the others do replace the battle music.

Faradin · May 5, 2009

Thanks for the info, Pieter.

I've got 9.5 installed and I'll let you know what happens when I try to capture Bridgetown.

DirkStruan · May 5, 2009

Here's a few things I've noticed. Keep in mind this is my first game of 14 since playing through 13 final...

1. When clicking on the "use Item" icon in front of a chest or ammo barrel my game has crashed to desktop 3 times. I'll try and find a way to repeat the bug...

2. Two things in Governor's Harbor Point:

a. <img src="http://i711.photobucket.com/albums/ww114/Dirk_Struan/bugs/BATCH-TWO014.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />
We'll be waiting for you in a place called 'error'

b.<img src="http://i711.photobucket.com/albums/ww114/Dirk_Struan/bugs/BATCH-TWO015.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />
Two things. One, the governor has no portrait and the player is referring to him as <i>Monsieur</i>.

3. The workshop fella on the beach in Barbados spells manufacture as "manufacutre"

4. For the protection missions where you guard the npc in his house from the roof dropping bandits, I have a few things:

a. It would be more enjoyable if the npc didn't aggro on you for accidentally nicking them and you didn't get a reputation penalty. I wouldn't be all that angry if a guy I hired to protect me nicked me in the process of us fighting for our lives.

b. This side quest is a bit easy to exploit early in the game both for status and gold. The reward should probably be nerfed.

4. I've got a level 4 ship and the captain's quarters it rains inside while in port at San Juan Puerto Rico. I'm not sure if it does this anyplace else.

5. The icon for spending gold (cash) is invisible.

6. The sound loops about 3 times after i click repair all in the shipyard.

7. I really dislike the attacking comrades reputation penalty. The way it currently is, I'm pretty much forced to just do nothing during boarding and let my men fight for me. I'm fine with it for non party npcs but not for quest npcs and my own men, the penalty ought to be removed.

8. I notice slight sound glitches while boarding and there is also a brief pause.

9. With the Jack Sparrow quest there are a number of style errors in the writing such as [brackets being used] when it comes to jacks' inner thoughts instead of (parenthesis) in writing we generally use italics for that. There are also an astronomically out of control number of ellipses... Which... Are... Inappropriately... Used... to the point of being distracting.

a. In one of the first dialogue boxes I think jack's father says "That's as maybe" instead of "That's a maybe"

10. Almost forgot:
<img src="http://i711.photobucket.com/albums/ww114/Dirk_Struan/bugs/BATCH-TWO017.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />

Peter Willemoes · May 5, 2009

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>I wouldn't be all that angry if a guy I hired to protect me nicked me in the process of us fighting for our lives.</div>
<img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="

" border="0" alt="smile.gif" />

-I have autolooting on. I can still manually loot more items from enemy crews, but after installing patch 5 doing this with the captains will in (approximatly) one out of three cases make the game crash (to desktop).

-Sounds from fired guns in front of me (in this case on my Wicked Wench) sometimes sound distant, I think it has something to do with the mixing of the background music. When pressing F1 or F2 the music reset, and the normal sound are back again.

-The default or random parameter for encountering storms and twisters on the worldmap are way too high, I think.

-Maybe this is just me - but the weather seems a little tricky, especially whenever I try to get to an enemy surrendered ship. The wind always seems to be working directly against me. Even when I change my position and try from another angle, the wind changes to my misfavor. I use timecompression for this, and it looks like the weather is punishing me for doing so! <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="

" border="0" alt="biggrin.gif" />

When entering a new location, a major battle sometimes starts right away with all the characters in the location involved. This is very sudden and violent and I never even get to reach for my sable before my fellow mates and I have died.

Good news:

no more missing captains on captured ships <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/onya.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=" :onya

" border="0" alt="onya.gif" />

no more enemy or friendly crews inside masts or beneath the ship during boardings <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/onya.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=" :onya

" border="0" alt="onya.gif" />

Adlain · May 5, 2009

Still having issues with bording, however they are greatly reduced in number (thank you people <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="

" border="0" alt="biggrin.gif" />)

- This predomermently happens when the captain Surrenders his vessel, after a breif conversation, i will ether offer him a position as an officer, or string him up on the rafters and watch him dance the Hemp Fandango, and the screen will flicker and go darker, i can no longer talk to the captain and when i exit back to the sea the sea is black, there are no visable vessels and i cannot move the camera.

Suffice it to say i have to re-load the game and start from a previous save point. On the Whole, much better reliability on this version than last sofar - well done all <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="

" border="0" alt="smile.gif" />

Peter Willemoes · May 5, 2009

Adlain, did you experience any issues with captains surrendering and in the boarding screen his ship is then named "error" with patch 5? Any crashes after this?
I didÂ´nt experience any of these anymore (..which may be coincidal)

Adlain · May 6, 2009

Yes i did, however this is an Entirly Clean install for Alpha 9.5, even using a different directory than last time as i was unsure wether installing in program files was affecting it (i am using XP, not Vista)

Just incase, this is what i did:

- Uninstalled PotC using its own Uninstaller
- Rebooted
- Removed old Dir from Program Files
- Rebooted
- Installed fresh copy of PotC
- Rebooted
- Installed Build 13 per Instructions
- Rebooted
- Installed Build 14 A9.5 Per Instructions
- Rebooted

I know i rebooted alot more than nesserserry, however it takes less than 1 Min on this system as it is a clean install of XP itself (less than 1 month scince i re-built the system) so i decided to clear the registary after each stage but a reboot to see if that would help with the stability from my end <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="

" border="0" alt="smile.gif" />

Peter Willemoes · May 6, 2009

Allright, thats what I call a clean install! <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="

" border="0" alt="biggrin.gif" />

I get the "error" and crash, if I choose to recruit a captain. If I kill him or lock him down, the game is stable no matter how much ships and captains I deal with in this way.'

Hook, you think you can fix this?

LarryHookins · May 6, 2009

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (PeterWillemoes @ May 5 2009, 06:57 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=317752"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'>I get the "error" and crash, if I choose to recruit a captain. If I kill him or lock him down, the game is stable no matter how much ships and captains I deal with in this way.'

Hook, you think you can fix this?</div>
See my previous post on the enemy captain dialog. Something got screwed up somewhere and I don't know what to do about it. There is one thing I did a few months ago to make sure damage got transferred properly between swapped ships that might cause problems, and I'll check into that first chance I get.

----------

I see the "no memory" error occasionally. I suspect it happens if you have too many save files. Try moving some of the older save files to a different folder, even a folder in your SAVE folder and see if the error doesn't go away. I don't know of the "no memory" error causes any problems.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>-Maybe this is just me - but the weather seems a little tricky, especially whenever I try to get to an enemy surrendered ship. The wind always seems to be working directly against me. Even when I change my position and try from another angle, the wind changes to my misfavor. I use timecompression for this, and it looks like the weather is punishing me for doing so!</div>

I've noticed that often the ship I'm fighting ends up directly upwind of me. It's just the way I end up maneuvering, and will happen unless I take steps to prevent it. I've also noticed the wind changing against me in such cases.

The random number generator hates us and wants us to be miserable. It's not a pseudorandom number generator, it's a sadorandom number generator. It's both psychic and psychotic: it knows what you want and refuses to give it to you. It does things like giving you a Bosun's Choice in the first place you look in one game, and not giving you one until you're level 20 in another.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>7. I really dislike the attacking comrades reputation penalty. The way it currently is, I'm pretty much forced to just do nothing during boarding and let my men fight for me. I'm fine with it for non party npcs but not for quest npcs and my own men, the penalty ought to be removed.</div>

I get it happening occasionally during boardings. I think some boarding locators were moved around putting you behind your crew and you have to push your way through them to get a valid target to hit. This was probably a good thing as it used to be really easy to die if you were in front of your crew. It's still fairly easy to die, and I think a lot of people prefer to let their crew do most of the fighting for them. Boarding dynamics have changed quite a bit since Build 13.

Hook

LarryHookins · May 6, 2009

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (priatnia @ May 5 2009, 05:22 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=317555"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'>I would also suggest that the starting ship lugger in the quests has full hull 100%. With 30% you can't pass through a battle or storm without being sunk. It's funny. Only a large ship can allow to start with 30%. But for those small crappy ones...</div>
Repairing your starting lugger is part of the tutorial. It's there to teach you how to use the shipyard. I'd suggest that even if you skip the tutorial you repair your ship before setting out to possibly encounter storms.

Hook

LarryHookins · May 6, 2009

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Pieter Boelen @ May 5 2009, 05:23 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=317556"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Hook @ May 4 2009, 04:57 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=317360"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'>There's at least one part of town where the lighting isn't right at night. I don't remember exactly where this is, but it's in Oxbay or Greenford. That's with the building set turned off.</div>Could you please check where that is and make a screenshot? The only place I can think of is the suburb, which had the location model modified.
I just checked, but that DOES seem to have the correct COL-files.
</div>
It's Greenford/Bridgetown in the area of town that has the church. Note the distinct lack of buildingset stuff. <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="

" border="0" alt="smile.gif" /> The characters and buildingset items are lighted properly for that time of night.

Note that you'll have to pass through this part of town at night during the early parts of the main quest (assuming you landed in town and not at the shore), so it's pretty obvious and everyone will see it. It's right after you deal with Massoni.

Hook

Pieter Boelen · May 6, 2009

Thanks for that Hook; looks like COL-file troubles, though I'm not quite sure yet why that would be happening. I'll look into it. <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/yes.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=" :yes

" border="0" alt="yes.gif" />

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Dirk Struan @ May 5 2009, 09:47 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=317685"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'>a. <img src="http://i711.photobucket.com/albums/ww114/Dirk_Struan/bugs/BATCH-TWO014.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />
We'll be waiting for you in a place called 'error'</div>The RANDOM smugglers give errors! Thanks for posting that one; there's no smuggling code defined for Eleuthera yet.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Dirk Struan @ May 5 2009, 09:47 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=317685"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'>5. The icon for spending gold (cash) is invisible.</div>Is that always or sometimes? I also have that, but only sometimes. <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wacko.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":wacko:" border="0" alt="wacko.gif" />

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Dirk Struan @ May 5 2009, 09:47 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=317685"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'>7. I really dislike the attacking comrades reputation penalty. The way it currently is, I'm pretty much forced to just do nothing during boarding and let my men fight for me. I'm fine with it for non party npcs but not for quest npcs and my own men, the penalty ought to be removed.</div>I think there definitly shouldn't be a reputation hit for hitting immortal characters or indeed characters in your party who don't take damage for it anyway. <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/no.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=" :no

" border="0" alt="no.gif" />

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Dirk Struan @ May 5 2009, 09:47 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=317685"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'>9. With the Jack Sparrow quest there are a number of style errors in the writing such as [brackets being used] when it comes to jacks' inner thoughts instead of (parenthesis) in writing we generally use italics for that. There are also an astronomically out of control number of ellipses... Which... Are... Inappropriately... Used... to the point of being distracting.</div>As far as I'm concerned, you'd be welcome to go through the various dialog files and clean them up. I know there's a whole bunch of them with spelling that could use improving; some of our quest writers are not native English speaking people. <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/dunno.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=" :shrug

" border="0" alt="dunno.gif" />
We can't use italics in dialogs though.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Dirk Struan @ May 5 2009, 09:47 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=317685"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'>a. In one of the first dialogue boxes I think jack's father says "That's as maybe" instead of "That's a maybe"</div>I think it was intended as "That's as may be".

Thanks for your reports; we'll look into them. The dialog and head issues should hopefully not be too hard to fix. <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/mybad.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=" :facepalm

" border="0" alt="mybad.gif" />

Peter Willemoes · May 6, 2009

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>It's not a pseudorandom number generator, it's a sadorandom number generator. It's both psychic and psychotic: it knows what you want and refuses to give it to you.</div>
HAHA <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="

" border="0" alt="biggrin.gif" /> Meet HAL9000 <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/bow.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=" :bow

" border="0" alt="bow.gif" /> I need you to teach it to socialize with other people to prevent it from going psychotic and sadorandom. So I dont have to <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="

" border="0" alt="smile.gif" />

Sorry for not spotting your earlier reply to priatnia - my homework could be better but youÂ´re right, I do have a lot of saves, IÂ´ll try deleting them.

I am still rather stunned by the great amount of work that has been done to this build already. This is going to be really, really great guys!

Fairweather · May 6, 2009

Does anyone know what problem would cause 3/4 of the screen (I think the bit where the sea should be) to be black, as soon as you go to the sea view? I suspect its something to do with the graphics card. Any ideas would be much appreciated.

DirkStruan · May 6, 2009

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Hook @ May 5 2009, 10:06 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=317776"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'>It's still fairly easy to die, and I think a lot of people prefer to let their crew do most of the fighting for them. Boarding dynamics have changed quite a bit since Build 13.

Hook</div>
It's also more realistic. Captains who don't let their crew die instead of them generally have short and forgotten careers!

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Pieter Boelen @ May 6 2009, 02:05 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=317785"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Dirk Struan @ May 5 2009, 09:47 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=317685"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'>5. The icon for spending gold (cash) is invisible.</div>Is that always or sometimes? I also have that, but only sometimes. <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wacko.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":wacko:" border="0" alt="wacko.gif" /></div>

Since switching from 13 to 14-9.5 I have yet to see the icon.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Pieter Boelen @ May 6 2009, 02:05 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=317785"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Dirk Struan @ May 5 2009, 09:47 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=317685"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'>9. With the Jack Sparrow quest there are a number of style errors in the writing such as [brackets being used] when it comes to jacks' inner thoughts instead of (parenthesis) in writing we generally use italics for that. There are also an astronomically out of control number of ellipses... Which... Are... Inappropriately... Used... to the point of being distracting.</div>As far as I'm concerned, you'd be welcome to go through the various dialog files and clean them up. I know there's a whole bunch of them with spelling that could use improving; some of our quest writers are not native English speaking people. <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/dunno.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=" :shrug

" border="0" alt="dunno.gif" />
We can't use italics in dialogs though.</div>

I'd be happy to. Should I just toss them into my ftp directory when they're done?

<b>edit:I've noticed a few more bugs</b>

1. Ship Berthing doesn't seem to work at all and when I exit it from it's menu I crash to desktop.

2. When I give my passengers a +1 compass they don't get the benefit of the item. I'm guessing it has to do with it needing to be equipped. I'd guess that the sextant probably doesn't work either but I haven't tested this.

3. Looks like the chest/drawer/ crash to desktop bug happens every time I click Use Item when the chest icon is present.

4. <img src="http://i711.photobucket.com/albums/ww114/Dirk_Struan/bugs/potc006.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />
The Dutch 2 Decker is missing a portrait.

5. <img src="http://i711.photobucket.com/albums/ww114/Dirk_Struan/bugs/potc036.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />
Pointe apitre has some flooding on the dock.

Pieter Boelen · May 6, 2009

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Dirk Struan @ May 6 2009, 06:34 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=317874"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'>I'd be happy to. Should I just toss them into my ftp directory when they're done?</div>Sure. <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/yes.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=" :yes

" border="0" alt="yes.gif" />

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Dirk Struan @ May 6 2009, 06:34 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=317874"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'>1. Ship Berthing doesn't seem to work at all and when I exit it from it's menu I crash to desktop.</div>It's something to do with the new islands; Ship Berthing never was properly updated for that.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Dirk Struan @ May 6 2009, 06:34 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=317874"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'>2. When I give my passengers a +1 compass they don't get the benefit of the item. I'm guessing it has to do with it needing to be equipped. I'd guess that the sextant probably doesn't work either but I haven't tested this.</div>The sextant doesn't need equipping. Can you equip the compass for them in the Exchange Items menu? Probably not, eh?
Maybe we should look into officers auto-equipping any equippable items that you give them.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Dirk Struan @ May 6 2009, 06:34 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=317874"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'>Pointe apitre has some flooding on the dock.</div>Indeed; not sure what to do about it though. Either somehow limit the wave height in land locations further or alternatively try and raise the model further out of the water.

Jason · May 6, 2009

I am playing the main quest, chasing Rhiems to Grenada, when I arrive there is an escalated battleship flying priate colors in the harbor when I take it or it surrenders, it doesn/t show up in my flleet. Also the capaitn was wearing a French or Spanish unitform. My question is the ship part of this quest, if so I completely forgot about it or some other quest like Bartolomeo and what should I do about it?

priatnia · May 7, 2009

@ Dirk Struan :Jees, man why don't you relax a bit ?! This ain't a novel, it is a game. The syntaxis is not the most important for gamers...And I have to tell you at its current status the mod is almost perfect. In its early versions it had more bugs than there were letters in the dialogs. It has turned an old game into something incomprehensibly and uncomparably better than it was and to what is available as new games at the moment. Hats off to such ingenious people. In fact I think we should publish applausing reviews for the mod in magazines instead of looking at it through a magnifying glass.

veritas · May 7, 2009

Officers will auto equip most things you give them including the ammo pouch and gunpowder flask. Some odd things like the Borgiablade and the compass they will not equip. All other items that give a skill boost seem to work fine on officers but make note that those are limited. I believe they have it set to 4. So after you get more than +4 skill points through items, you can't get any more. You also seem to be unable to raise an officer's skill from 9 to 10 by using items. It also seems to be limited to 1 skill point per item type, meaning if you have 2 of the same item, you'll only get 1 point. (this of course excludes items that takes 3 of them to get 1 point)

Stallion · May 7, 2009

Eeeii!! What the heck?! Seems like only yesterday I updated my game to Patch 2! You moddin' fellers is a crazy bunch! Don't y'all ever take breaks? <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="

:" border="0" alt="laugh.gif" />

Build 14 Alpha 9

Navigation Officer

Landlubber

Landlubber

Corsair

Landlubber

Corsair

Landlubber

Corsair

Buccaneer

Buccaneer

Buccaneer

Attachments

Navigation Officer

Corsair

Powder Monkey

Landlubber

Navigation Officer

Buccaneer

Lord of France

Landlubber

Sea Dog