Mod Release Build 14 Final Now Available

Done:

http://piratesahoy.net/build/b14_installer.exe

http://piratesahoy.bowengames.com/potc/b14_installer.exe

This is it.
I am finished.
I deserve the vacation that my dear friend(s) have been recommending I take for two years straight.

In other words, this is where I leave things.
It is up to whoever reads this to take things where I left off.

Think:
Plastering this all over the internet (ModDB, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, NexusMods and what have you more; like GOG.com/Steam, etc. and the list goes ever on).
I hope you fine peopsels enjoy this cumulative result of 14 years' of effort by easily 100+ different people from all over the globe, working together voluntarily in their spare time for zero charge.

 

I deserve the vacation that my dear friend(s) have been recommending I take for two years straight.

And indeed I got it!

Slightly different than imagined those 2 years ago.
But very real all the same!

It is up to whoever reads this to take things where I left off.

I just read it.
Now what...?

 

Your is apparently version 14.944, a number I don't recognise - the current version with the 21st July update is 14.943.

Agh.
It's supposed to be 15.000 by now!

Am I going to have to interfere again?
WARNING: I will do so.

Once I stop being freaked out by my eerily ticking laptop...

How about packaging you current release as Build 15 STANDALONE (no stock game CDs needed) by the end of the year?
Kind-of skirting the edges of legality there, but what do I care?
If anyone had a problem with us, they had nearly TWENTY YEARS to tell us.
And on my head be it.

 

Agh.
It's supposed to be 15.000 by now!

No, it is supposed to be 14.943 unless there is a change which makes the game unable to use previous saves.

Am I going to have to interfere again?
WARNING: I will do so.

As you wish. You are now in charge of maintaining updates. I shall continue to maintain my own private collection but you're now responsible for the official update.

 

As you wish. You are now in charge of maintaining updates. I shall continue to maintain my own private collection but you're now responsible for the official update.

No rush.
Right now, I cannot trust my hardware.
And my life's a right mess indeed.

But for the sake of pushing the community forward, I do intend to do something again at some point.
Probably your version as full standalone released as "New Horizons: Build 15 Standalone" to ModDB at the very least.
Just to see what would happen if we stop bothering enforcing a copyright that nobody else seems to care about.

No, it is supposed to be 14.943 unless there is a change which makes the game unable to use previous saves.

Your version does build on the 1 Jan 2022 release, right?
Or did you revert more of my changes?


I really so wish eventually we could all merge things towards a similar track again.
It's NUTS keeping track of the Grey Roger version and the my-old-version and the @Hammie version and the @Mirsaneli version.
It's getting out of hand; and for the player-base, the situation isn't improving.

 

No rush.
Right now, I cannot trust my hardware.
And my life's a right mess indeed.

But for the sake of pushing the community forward, I do intend to do something again at some point.
Probably your version as full standalone released as "New Horizons: Build 15 Standalone" to ModDB at the very least.
Just to see what would happen if we stop bothering enforcing a copyright that nobody else seems to care about.

The community is already moving forward, it does not need to be pushed.

Your version does build on the 1 Jan 2022 release, right?
Or did you revert more of my changes?

Both of the above. It's based on the 1st January 2022 installer with several reverses of your changes, mostly putting back original textures due to problems with the new ones, plus reverting to the correct version number. And, of course, a lot of advances from various contributors such as extensions to "Devlin Opera" and "Hoist the Colours", special starts for some FreePlay characters, and some bug fixes.

Perhaps when "Devlin Opera" and "Hoist the Colours" are complete, that would be a good time to declare it as Build 15?

Incidentally, I've moved these posts out of the thread about problems with fast travel and the "Ardent" storyline. They're nothing to do with that problem and more to do with the "Final" version.

 

Incidentally, I've moved these posts out of the thread about problems with fast travel and the "Ardent" storyline. They're nothing to do with that problem and more to do with the "Final" version.

The community is already moving forward, it does not need to be pushed.

We need eventually to move past the 14 number.
We remained stuck on that one a ridiculous amount of time.
More by accident than design.

But...

Perhaps when "Devlin Opera" and "Hoist the Colours" are complete, that would be a good time to declare it as Build 15?

That'd be nice.
But I think it works like great art.
Never quite finished, only abandoned.


I look at it more from a future-proofing pount of view.
If Build 14 = Storm 2 mod for original game
Perhaps Build 15 = Storm 2 STANDALONE, put also on Steam/GOG.com
And Build 16 = Also on Itch.io, officially incorporating whatever possible from @Mirsaneli's team's work
Then Build 17 = @Hammie latest engine port version

Not each version needs to exist for a long time.
If devs go well, we could jump full Builds quite quickly.

Eventually it'd be nice to release a Build a year.
So if I claimed 14 finished on January 1st this year, it'd be pretty awesome to have something worth a 15 number by December 31st.



At the moment I have time aplenty but hardware issues plus depression-induced motivation issues.
But if we keep pressing the right buttons, both those should be solvable.

 

We need eventually to move past the 14 number.
We remained stuck on that one a ridiculous amount of time.
More by accident than design.

But...



That'd be nice.
But I think it works like great art.
Never quite finished, only abandoned.

That is certainly the case with Build 14. It hasn't been abandoned. To paraphrase a character from my favourite science fiction series... What is built endures. What is loved endures. And Build 14 endures.

I look at it more from a future-proofing pount of view.
If Build 14 = Storm 2 mod for original game
Perhaps Build 15 = Storm 2 STANDALONE, put also on Steam/GOG.com
And Build 16 = Also on Itch.io, officially incorporating whatever possible from @Mirsaneli's team's work
Then Build 17 = @Hammie latest engine port version

Especially if Build 15 is to go onto any commercial site, it should look finished, even if there will be subsequent updates. Both "Devlin Opera" and "Hoist the Colours" must be finished before it goes anywhere that people pay for it.

The whole point of making Build 15 standalone is to free it from copyright ties. There is little point in then binding us to another copyright, namely Maelstrom. So I'd advise against Build 16 in the form you suggest. When @Hammie's engine port is ready, that can be Build 16.

 

That is certainly the case with Build 14. It hasn't been abandoned. To paraphrase a character from my favourite science fiction series... What is built endures. What is loved endures. And Build 14 endures.

You are not wrong...

What series is this?

Especially if Build 15 is to go onto any commercial site, it should look finished, even if there will be subsequent updates. Both "Devlin Opera" and "Hoist the Colours" must be finished before it goes anywhere that people pay for it.

Who mentioned asking for payment?

It is true I might need to turn PA! into a livelihood for myself, but I hope I can figure out a different way than asking money for what is definitely not exclusively my own work.

The whole point of making Build 15 standalone is to free it from copyright ties. There is little point in then binding us to another copyright, namely Maelstrom. So I'd advise against Build 16 in the form you suggest. When @Hammie's engine port is ready, that can be Build 16.

The rift between us and the Reef needs fixing.
They feel we don't value their work.
How am I to ever prove otherwise if I and we keep ignoring it?

Give me another way of letting @ChezJfrey and @Mirsaneli and @modernknight1 feel included and I'll happily consider it.

As it is, since negotiations keep getting stuck, I was considering just going pirate and TAKING their work.
Not because I want to but because I have no choice.
And then we can see what happens.

Who knows what a different attitude/dynamic could bring us?
At least something NEW.
This decade-long impasse is getting nobody anywhere.

It is dumb.
It is stupid.
It must end.

 

Please stay away from the paywall. I don't want to pay to play this mod.

 

You are not wrong...

What series is this?

Babylon 5. The character who spoke the original line is Delenn.

Who mentioned asking for payment?

I'd have thought that putting it on Steam or GoG means payment.

The rift between us and the Reef needs fixing.
They feel we don't value their work.
How am I to ever prove otherwise if I and we keep ignoring it?

Give me another way of letting @ChezJfrey and @Mirsaneli and @modernknight1 feel included and I'll happily consider it.

They're happy to grab our updates and @KillPhil gave me copies of some of his ships. Such exchange of material is fine. But we don't want to be tied to Maelstrom, the only PoTC mod for which payment is required and which is copyrighted.

Meanwhile, if you want to move forward with NH, here's a radical idea - scrap the build number entirely! No more Build 14, Build 15 etc., just New Horizons, which can continue to evolve as people add storylines, sidequests, character and ship models, etc. at their own pace. New installers can be released whenever someone finds time to do so. The version number continues to do what it's been doing for ages, which is to change only when something in the game has changed to prevent it from working with old saves. A new version number means the game won't recognise those old saves so you have to start a new game.

 

Please stay away from the paywall. I don't want to pay to play this mod.

Agreed in principle.

I'd have thought that putting it on Steam or GoG means payment.

Doesn't need to.
Freeware exists.

They're happy to grab our updates and @KillPhil gave me copies of some of his ships. Such exchange of material is fine. But we don't want to be tied to Maelstrom, the only PoTC mod for which payment is required and which is copyrighted.

Since my proposed tie is only until the Hammie release is readier, it would be a short-lived tie anyway.
Hopefully just enough to show them we're deliberately NOT hating on them, despite their alternate distribution method.

here's a radical idea - scrap the build number entirely! No more Build 14, Build 15 etc., just New Horizons, which can continue to evolve as people add storylines, sidequests, character and ship models, etc. at their own pace.

Eventually that sounds really good.
"New Horizons As A Service".

Certainly the PotC part should be dropped from the name also.

Unless we can start also from scratch another similar mod/game in a different basin of water...?

I would love to see the Med starting in Medieval times.
Or Indonesia!!

 

Since my proposed tie is only until the Hammie release is readier, it would be a short-lived tie anyway.
Hopefully just enough to show them we're deliberately NOT hating on them, despite their alternate distribution method.

Yes, I can see that going down well.
"Let's all be friends, then we get to use your nice new engine."
Later:
"We've got an even newer nicer engine which we're giving away for free. Good luck continuing to sell your version!"


Alternatively, just accept that they've gone down a different path, encourage exchange of material, and leave it at that.

Certainly the PotC part should be dropped from the name also.

Yes, if you go ahead with the standalone version.

Unless we can start also from scratch another similar mod/game in a different basin of water...?

I would love to see the Med starting in Medieval times.
Or Indonesia!!

Presumably you're willing to do the work on the maps for these regions? How about something a bit closer to home - the Baltic had its own fair share of piracy and naval history, and we already have two suitable ships, the Castell Friedrichsburg and the Brandenburg Frigate. For that matter, we also have some Mediterranean ships, the polacca and xebec.

 

Yes, I can see that going down well.
"Let's all be friends, then we get to use your nice new engine."
Later:
"We've got an even newer nicer engine which we're giving away for free. Good luck continuing to sell your version!"

If I'm announcing in advance what we're doing and why, it doesn't need to be a nasty surprise to them.
I'm being quite open about it now here, aren't I?

Alternatively, just accept that they've gone down a different path, encourage exchange of material, and leave it at that.

That is asking me to let the concept of war remain in existence.
No.
Something else needs doing.
I will NOT let the rift outlive my own life.
I will not.

resumably you're willing to do the work on the maps for these regions?

If I knew how, I'd be all over it!
Using NetCDF files would be bloody awesome; and I'm quite familiar with those.
Alternatively, the VIrtual Sailor scenery approach.
Both would give us SOOO much freedom!!

How about something a bit closer to home - the Baltic had its own fair share of piracy and naval history, and we already have two suitable ships, the Castell Friedrichsburg and the Brandenburg Frigate.

I have no objection to the Baltic either.
Why not?
Can do some interesting stuff with the Dutch and the trade plus wars in that area.
Dutch Fleuts were specifically designed for Baltic trade, after all.

Stupidly high stern was a result from the way tax was calculated.
They took the width of the main deck as large input; and so Dutch made the REAL NARROW.
You'd say they'd change the rule soon enough after the Dutch found the lookhole, but no..
We here made a bloody FORTUNE! Golden Age indeed.

 

Mediterranean: I have at least six towns more or less ready to go here.

 

I just updated all my pirate game installations so I can test stuff side-by-side.

Goof news: they ALL seem cool and promising.
I see nice things in the Maelstrom branch too.
Eventually they're going to deserve official credit from us, one way or the other.

 

That'd be nice.
But I think it works like great art.
Never quite finished, only abandoned.

I believe the key to great art is actually "Finished, not perfect".

So I think we should finish Build 14 before calling it final, make sure all questlines have at least a clear ending (even if it is not a satisfying one), fix as many fixable bugs as possible and possibly disable any broken features. This would then give people a stable version of the mod to play for a long time.

For Build 15 I also think we need to bring something new to justify it's existing. Building Build 15 around a few central ideas will help limit the scope a bit (so we have a clear goal/endpoint at which to consider Build 15 "finished") and guide us towards making a coherent update that is both fun and easy to explain/promote (so people WILL play it).

A few ideas:
* A new and rebalanced combat system. Both Maelstrom and StormX engines need to change the combat system, so this is almost required, the challenge will be finding a good system that everyone can enjoy.
* Expanded and improved map. The worldmap is the largest missing piece for the StormX version, so I would be happy to improve and expand the worldmap to include additional regions. And with full access to the source code I can also guarantee we can make to work really well. Personally I would also like to modify the world map to match the real world, and use real coordinates for islands and locations, so people can learn useful navigation skills by just playing the game - or use existing navigation experience to play the game.

As for

The rift between us and the Reef needs fixing.

I prefer to focus on things I can change.

 

* Expanded and improved map. The worldmap is the largest missing piece for the StormX version, so I would be happy to improve and expand the worldmap to include additional regions. And with full access to the source code I can also guarantee we can make to work really well. Personally I would also like to modify the world map to match the real world, and use real coordinates for islands and locations, so people can learn useful navigation skills by just playing the game - or use existing navigation experience to play the game.

That sounds great! Do you think StormX has the capability to sail between islands without loading screens? That would be a huge bump in immersion.

 

That sounds great! Do you think StormX has the capability to sail between islands without loading screens? That would be a huge bump in immersion.

I think it should be fairly easy to dynamically (un)load islands and ships as you sail. The difficult part will be updating all the other systems and quests to use such new system, like for example quests stages that trigger when leaving an island might need to be updated. And for such a system to be fun, the ship AI would also need some serious improvements I think.

 

Especially if Build 15 is to go onto any commercial site, it should look finished, even if there will be subsequent updates. Both "Devlin Opera" and "Hoist the Colours" must be finished before it goes anywhere that people pay for it.

The whole point of making Build 15 standalone is to free it from copyright ties. There is little point in then binding us to another copyright, namely Maelstrom. So I'd advise against Build 16 in the form you suggest. When @Hammie's engine port is ready, that can be Build 16.

I will try to work on Hoist the colours again soon, and i do intend to finish it, i wish i had more time these past couple of months, but i ain't going anywhere, just busy

So many cool ideas above from everyone!