Yeah local oppinion and growth is cool.
Also siding with one faction and driving out a colonizing power. This will demand military engagement on a larger scale then small scale pirating though... I have loose plans to allow for several commanded ships at the same time.
Modern pirate game - what would you add in terms of gameplay?
I'd avoid setting a game about pirates in an unglamorous place (the explored and disciplined seas of the 20th century), full of unglamorous people (your pirates would be random African, Arab, Indian etc. criminals, with only their cool and unique personality to make them likeable) using unglamorous technology (rifles and, even worse, radar; offshore bank accounts; boring steel ships without guns).
A modern naval setting could be redeemed by prominent marvelous elements (e.g. a secret war of mutant superheroes, sea monsters and mystical islands against Nazi sorcerers, submarines and undersea fortresses), but the game wouldn't be about being a pirate captain.
Instead, setting your game in 17th century and in the Caribbean Sea has the advantage of interesting and likeable pirates, appropriate and fun technology, and interesting political background (including the choice of privateering for different powers or going rogue). The ultimate purpose of a "classic" pirate game could be, for instance, becoming powerful enough and uniting enough people to make Jamaica or some other major island independent from European masters and turning it into a nice place to live.
This people-oriented approach would require management of crews (recruiting skilled pirates but not traitors), managements of diplomacy (being nice to other pirates and to governors and officers), management of secrecy (mainly hiding your objectives and movements), management of finance (raising capital, paying shareholders, making long-term investments) and less focus on upgrading guns and replacing ships (a real pirate uses captured or rented ships; even if he could pay for custom-built ones, being able to wait and plan for them would be unusual) and on trading loot (a real pirate is in the business of making raids, not of managing warehouses: there are trusted partners for that).
A modern naval setting could be redeemed by prominent marvelous elements (e.g. a secret war of mutant superheroes, sea monsters and mystical islands against Nazi sorcerers, submarines and undersea fortresses), but the game wouldn't be about being a pirate captain.
Instead, setting your game in 17th century and in the Caribbean Sea has the advantage of interesting and likeable pirates, appropriate and fun technology, and interesting political background (including the choice of privateering for different powers or going rogue). The ultimate purpose of a "classic" pirate game could be, for instance, becoming powerful enough and uniting enough people to make Jamaica or some other major island independent from European masters and turning it into a nice place to live.
This people-oriented approach would require management of crews (recruiting skilled pirates but not traitors), managements of diplomacy (being nice to other pirates and to governors and officers), management of secrecy (mainly hiding your objectives and movements), management of finance (raising capital, paying shareholders, making long-term investments) and less focus on upgrading guns and replacing ships (a real pirate uses captured or rented ships; even if he could pay for custom-built ones, being able to wait and plan for them would be unusual) and on trading loot (a real pirate is in the business of making raids, not of managing warehouses: there are trusted partners for that).
Author
its going more towards a naval/war adventure game. In the fifties, with the main powers from ww2 still at war. There will be some pirate-flavour to it but not a traditional pirate game.
I find the modern setting, using enough creative freedom, to be very interesting. It's fresh and I can imagine a lot of fun play coming from that. Taking over and/or raiding ships and coastal villages, trying to get loot and hostages before some army/navy/local warlord intervenes, taking down other pirates, setting up your operations so that the danged westerners can't locate you for long enough to hit you with a cruise missile or a squad of GIGN commandos, acquiring heavy weapons and forcing your enemies to back off by threatening to wipe out oil refineries and such.
I'd prob go for a Syndicate-like mood - no hero BS, no explaining anything, just quality banditry and running a good business. Game ends when you have accumulated enough influence to be the unofficial ruler of your seas, crushed the last large concentrated attempts to take you down, and tied the hands of anyone who would want to try again.
(I note Starcraft: Brood War more or less ended like this and it was a lot of fun!)
I'd prob go for a Syndicate-like mood - no hero BS, no explaining anything, just quality banditry and running a good business. Game ends when you have accumulated enough influence to be the unofficial ruler of your seas, crushed the last large concentrated attempts to take you down, and tied the hands of anyone who would want to try again.
(I note Starcraft: Brood War more or less ended like this and it was a lot of fun!)
Otherwise a pirate is just a nasty cutthroat like the guys on the Somalian coast.
Sorry, have to comment this... Are you aware that a lot of international fishing companies fish out there waters, and even destroy the nets of small fishing villages with there huge nets and boats. Most of those "pirates" have nothing left to feed there families. They are that poor because of the western world, i'm not saying it's good or anything but i certainly can't blame them for getting there fair share. As for the whole of africa, they would certainly have a better live if we in the western world stopped using silly luxuries. Slavery is still going on in these modern times and we are befitting hugely from most of africa and other poor countries.
As for the game,
Setting up trade routes and defending them would be an option. Also bribing and extortion could be good mechanics.
I also love micromanaging stuff like finances (wages, maintenance, upgrades, etc), and having to store food, gear and ammo while still having enough cargo hold for loot. Mutiny or betrayel by your man could be a viable option too when your not paying enough or run out of food/luxuries.
I would also stick to the idea of not implementing too much macro management (building/managing outposts/colonies). You ‘ll loose the pace in the game very fast if your player has to start to pay too much attention on stuff he probably doesn’t wanted in the first place. Make the game fun to play and focus on the game mechanics during fights.
I would love to have the time to tend to my ship and crew as much as possible. Try to follow me on this. Imaging a game where you can hire/save specialists for fighting (canons/mellee) navigation, cooking, repairing, customizing, bribing, healing etc.
The player would be drawn to perfect his crew and ship. In that way he would be motivated to engage in certain missions.
e.g. - Save artillery specialist from prison (improve naval fighting capability)
- Wrestle for control over a port were they have lemons (improve health of crew)
If you ship “grows” as does your crew you get much more attached to it as in comparison if you buy/steal a new “better” one. Ever played Homeworld, specially Cataclism? It was awesome to see how your mining spaceship evolved to a battleship. Even more, your players might want to paint their ships and attach stuff to it so it suits their personality better, which will make them to commit even more.
You choosing your crew could also be used to express your ingame-morality (good/evil). You could gather a cutthroat crew that is awesome in battle but very unwanted in any port (high prices for supply) or have high rewards on their head (government/military trying to catch you). In comparison a “nice” crew might gather allies or might buy stuff others can’t.
Reputation would also be a very important gameplay feature, imho.
I would love to have the time to tend to my ship and crew as much as possible. Try to follow me on this. Imaging a game where you can hire/save specialists for fighting (canons/mellee) navigation, cooking, repairing, customizing, bribing, healing etc.
The player would be drawn to perfect his crew and ship. In that way he would be motivated to engage in certain missions.
e.g. - Save artillery specialist from prison (improve naval fighting capability)
- Wrestle for control over a port were they have lemons (improve health of crew)
If you ship “grows” as does your crew you get much more attached to it as in comparison if you buy/steal a new “better” one. Ever played Homeworld, specially Cataclism? It was awesome to see how your mining spaceship evolved to a battleship. Even more, your players might want to paint their ships and attach stuff to it so it suits their personality better, which will make them to commit even more.
You choosing your crew could also be used to express your ingame-morality (good/evil). You could gather a cutthroat crew that is awesome in battle but very unwanted in any port (high prices for supply) or have high rewards on their head (government/military trying to catch you). In comparison a “nice” crew might gather allies or might buy stuff others can’t.
Reputation would also be a very important gameplay feature, imho.
Seriously, real pirates have always be plagued by venereal disease (with the first thing the pirates heading for on a newly capture ship being the medicine chest to try to find mercury compounds)
Little more PG-rated would be drug/alcohol addictions.
Proper/appropriate injuries for crew members might add interest (names like lefty and one-eye werent happy nicknames)
Little more PG-rated would be drug/alcohol addictions.
Proper/appropriate injuries for crew members might add interest (names like lefty and one-eye werent happy nicknames)
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