Corsairs Legacy News

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The last devlog sparked many discussions about the current implementation of the battle system in Corsairs Legacy. We realized that the audience wanted to see a more modern battle system.

Thank you for your comments. After getting feedback, we started implementing alternative variants of the new battle system. It will get better!

Currently, we are focusing on polishing other aspects of the game and preparing the demo, but we’ll get back to the battle system in the near future. For now, we can’t guarantee the first release will include the heavily changed battle system, but we’ll try our best to finish it in time.

We’d also like to mention sounds – all sounds that currently exist in test versions of the game are collected for testing. We started to implement the full sound design, but for now, we have the final audio for the mini-game.

In the last weeks, we made a lot of important updates, and in the next few videos, you’ll see a complete mini-game Perudo, a finished tavern location, a global update of the graphics, and much more. Each next episode we’ll be showing a new portion of graphics content.

Today we’ll show a model of the main hero, Jack Rackham, and the results that we achieved while developing characters over the last month, from the moment of presenting models of British soldiers in the eleventh devlog.

It should be reminded that currently in all videos we use a model from a purchased set of characters for the main character. We think that the model was perfect for the main hero, but it was only used as a placeholder until we made our unique model of Jack Rackham. We got a few emails from our viewers with questions stating that they saw the exact same main character in the mobile game Evony. It’s simple – they also bought this character, used it in their icon, and actively used it in advertisements which you can see on social media or in other apps.

When designing the main hero, we wanted to not just make a unique character model but to make a technology that will allow character customization. Our 3D character artist used an image of a corsair as a basis, the same image our illustrator drew for a game poster that you see at the end of each video and on the game’s page on Steam.

So, drumroll, we are glad to present you Jack Rackham, the main hero of Corsairs Legacy. We tried our best to make the model look good to make a player feel comfortable while playing the game.



Currently, we’re working on additional elements of customization that will be included in the project’s architecture, but, most likely, they won’t make it to the first game. Later in Corsairs Legacy, we plan to expand the features of the main hero’s customization.

In the second part of Corsairs Legacy, we’ll add an eyepatch. We also made the first hat that you could use for the main hero.

We already designed a second set of clothes with the ability to combine a top and bottom half and change their color. You can see all the changes of the main character in the new development diary video.

Subscribe to our YouTube channels in order not to miss news about the Corsairs Legacy development!

Official Corsairs Legacy YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtvxcqkgrIC3fHpSpKSeMnA/
Official Russian YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/SaveThePirate/

Subscribe and wishlist our free version of Corsairs Legacy: Prologue.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1852510/Corsairs_Legacy_Prologue/

Today we are announcing a free version of the Corsairs Legacy: Prologue game. We have published a naval gameplay teaser of the upcoming free version and launched a separate page for Corsairs Legacy: Prologue on Steam.

Initially, we planned a closed beta test but changed the plan to a public release on Steam in order to get more feedback from the audience and check the technical readiness of the engine for a full release.

Everyone who sends us their feedback inside the free version via the feedback form will receive a digital bonus in the game release version for active participation in the development :)

Wishlist and subscribe so you don't miss out on the game release!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1852510/

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Hello everyone. Today we’ll talk about a new location, the battle system, and plans for the future.

In the game series about corsairs, in our opinion, the player didn’t have the ability to train fighting skills and refine different methods of combat. Getting killed on a ship while trying to capture a bigger one, the player had to keep trying to win a fight using the same combination of attacks from previous fights.

In Corsairs Legacy, the player will have the ability to train fighting skills and test new methods of combat in the arena with other fighters. We implemented the ability to fight with one, two, or three opponents without a fatal outcome at any time. As a reward for winning, the player will receive a healing item. The economy is structured in such a way that it’s impossible to use the arena to quickly earn coins, however, the player will benefit by defeating opponents without using healing potions.



Earlier, in a different devlog, we’ve shown you battle animations. We tried to make the most recognizable animations while having 2 goals:

1. Corsairs Legacy will be interesting to fans of games about pirates created earlier. Respecting the gaming experience of players, we make a simple and comfortable transition to the new game.
   
2. Before creating something new, it’s important to realize the main pros and cons of the decisions that fans appreciated in previously released games. Thoroughly having dealt with the battle system, we noticed a few things that could be improved and made more interesting. But before we start working on the global “update” of the battle mode, we will give players an opportunity to play, as usual, collect reviews, and based on well-established mechanics we will start making changes in the next games.
   

Nevertheless, the first game will include several features that people who play RPG games got used to over the last years.

When the character receives damage, the screen gets red. On low health, the red border starts blinking and all other sounds are muffled by heartbeats, simulating pulsing in the temple.

In those moments of a fight, the game will give the player a hint that a healing potion can be used if there are some in the inventory. The game can also inform about the inability to heal if there are no healing potions in the player’s inventory.

The player can pause at any time of a fight to tactically evaluate the situation on the battlefield and resume fighting when they are ready. Hints about controls will allow beginner players to quickly find the necessary combination of buttons.

For those who like playing with a clean screen, in Corsairs Legacy, there is an ability to turn off UI and, thanks to red indicators, you can always be aware of the character’s state.

We developed our own shooting system and camera movement when a shot occurs. We added a chance to miss if the player’s aim will be inaccurate.

We also reimplemented a circular attack and now characters aren’t turning their backs at the moment of a hit.



The battle system is composed of 6 different types of blade attacks, block attacks, and a pistol shot. The character can do:

• chopping hit – the quickest hit that requires a minimal amount of time, it’s effective when trying to stop an opponent from doing a piercing hit;
  
• piercing hit – the most energy-intensive hit, it’s able to penetrate block, however, due to larger swing, it can be stopped by an opponent;
  
• thrust – a quick stabbing hit that’s more effective than chopping hit but requires more time;
  
• circular hit – it’s able to deal damage to multiple opponents at once. It’s most effective when fighting more than one opponent;
  
• parry – it allows to reject any hit of an opponent without wasting energy;
  
• feint – it allows parrying a hit with an immediate counterattack.
  
• Block allows defending against thrust, chopping, and circular hit.
  

A healing potion can be canceled by any hit at the moment of drinking it.

We plan to remove pistols from the arena, but for now, we kept the main character’s shooting ability to test all mechanics.

You can watch the full devlog video to see all battle animations :) Subscribe to our YouTube channels in order not to miss news about the Corsairs Legacy development!

Official Corsairs Legacy YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtvxcqkgrIC3fHpSpKSeMnA/
Official Russian YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/SaveThePirate/

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Today we will tell you about developing characters. At the outset of the game development, we found and bought sets of thematic characters that would fit the game well. This approach allows to speed up the development and reduce expenses for the game. Having 32 different models in the same style, we considered the issue with characters closed. However, while writing the game script, it became clear that we don’t have enough characters to represent all the main heroes and people on the island in the future game.

We standardized all models to be able to use the same animations for every character and then we started to look into creating new models. We also looked into 3D scanning real people in costumes as an alternative to modeled characters. In the process of exploring options for implementing the technology for customization, we started creating our first characters.



The more experience we gained, the more we started to spot things that could be improved in bought characters, especially in the model of the main hero that you’ve seen in all previous videos. But before we started working on the main hero, we decided to make models for British soldiers. In the vastness of digital markets with 3D models, we managed to find only this model. It has a very low level of detail and doesn’t fit the style of the rest of the characters.

In order to fully keep historical authenticity, we studied how soldier uniforms had changed in the 17-18 centuries and started with depictions of soldiers in 1690, which is when the game events take place. Our historical adviser emphasized that back then soldiers didn’t have facial hair, so we took this fact into account in the development. As a result, we created 10 different faces that are historically accurate and allow us to avoid showing multiple soldiers with the same face on a screen.



We are considering making models with facial hair for officers to differentiate them from soldiers not only by the quality of the blade but also by their appearance, therefore emphasizing their higher status.

To find out all the details about the character models for the game - watch the full devlog video :) Subscribe to our YouTube channels in order not to miss news about the Corsairs Legacy development!

Official Corsairs Legacy YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtvxcqkgrIC3fHpSpKSeMnA/
Official Russian YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/SaveThePirate/

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Hello everyone. In the new diary, you’ll see 33 answers to audience questions posted under the last few devlogs:

• When will the game come out? Will it be in Early Access?

We will announce the release date in the near future. For now, we plan to release the game in Early Access with 80% of quests, collect all feedback and during three to four months with the help of the audience carry it to the full release.

• How big are the towns?

The first town is much bigger than the towns in Sea Dogs. After the release, we’ll analyze audience reaction, watch players’ streams and start making the next towns based on the received feedback.

• Are you reworking the circular attack?

We’ll try to get it done before the release. We have plans for reworking the combat system, but more on that in a separate video.

• Will there be animals?

Yes, we already started adding the first animals to the game.

• Will there be any character customization? Breastplates? Costumes, hats?

We have that in our plans, but it’s unlikely to be in the first game. At the current stage, it’s easier to use ready-made character models, although we’re already working on customization.

• Are the dialogues text-only or fully voiced?

Dialogue mechanics will be text-only. However, there will be one surprise waiting for players; we’ll talk about that a bit later :)

• How many islands are you planning to have in total? How big will the archipelago be? Do you want to make three islands and fill them with life?

We want to make all the main islands of the archipelago. After developing technology for that, the speed of making new islands will increase. By how much – we'll see after the release. We plan to please players with new high-quality detailed locations regularly.

• Will there be a finishing move like in Assassin's Creed or The Witcher?

No, but we planned it for the future.

• You’re carefully studying everything and trying to make the game historically accurate. But won’t it make the pirate romance disappear? When you have to spend a ton of time destroying a fort in the game. This could quickly become boring.

Studying history provides two benefits at the same time:

1. Using historical information makes it much easier to create a context for the game, locations, weapons.
   
2. While keeping historical accuracy we allow players to gain actual knowledge about their favorite topic. We think that it’s a lot better than fictional worlds in this setting.
   

Sea Dogs has a great balance between game conditionality and historical accuracy. Sea battles are very simplified but you can’t call them casual. The same approach applies to the land part of the game. We make it similarly.

There were a few comments under the last devlog that the game could become more casual than Sea Dogs. Corsairs Legacy will have different difficulty levels. A key feature that will be optional is a marker that shows you where to go next in a quest. You won’t have to go to a forum, it will be as simple as selecting a hint button. On high difficulty, this button won’t show up. Additionally, there will be a hardcore mode for those who like Sea Dogs: To Each His Own.

• Will it be possible for the main character to have some shack in a jungle to store loot? And will cities have a real estate?

It’s an interesting thought, GTA: Vice City comes to mind. Not yet, but we’ll write it down for the future.

• Is there any progress on the sea part?

Yes, we have already started to develop a sea part.

• Will there be a quick teleportation system?

No, the layout of locations allows quickly getting to any point without a teleport. Level design makes a player enjoy staying in locations and there are interesting bonuses for observant travelers.

• Will the islands be a part of the open-world or will they be as a separate location with loading?

Sea and land are their own locations.

• Will there be a crafting system? If yes, what would be possible to make for yourself, so to speak?

We planned it and even made a few quests for it, but it’s unlikely to be in the first release.

• A parkour system. Will it be in the game or will the movement be linear like in Sea Dogs?

The movement will be linear. Far from Assassin Creed.

• Are you planning to launch pre-ordering on Steam in the next month or two? (I think it can help your project’s budget).

As soon as we know the exact release date and are ready to show a gameplay video – we plan to launch pre-ordering, it will really help us to expand the project.

• This old man (in a hat and a white jacket) runs and swings his arms nicely. It’s a great run animation, I want to play with it =).

In the “Open World” devlog we showed different stages of developing a location. At first, we were using the model of a man in a hat and default animations. Each month we replace a bunch of animations with our own.

• By the way, this is an interesting thing. Turns out developers are working with more progressive characters with a great animation inside the engine? Can’t he be used in the game? Is he some kind of a walking camera? Or is his animation too expensive? If anyone knows, please tell me.) I just like this character too much.

Here we have to ask the audience a question. Many of you drew attention to the man in a hat. Are you trolling or did you really like him?

• How about adding transport to the game, like horses, carts, and carriages to the game? That would make the gameplay more diverse.

It’s not about Corsairs Legacy. For now, we only plan to travel by ship and by foot.

• So the combat stays the same as in Sea Dogs?
  

We’ll tell you about the combat in one of the next devlogs.

• By the way, I’m interested in generated quests. What type will they be? Parts of a map to find treasure, a pirate offering a robbery… And merchants asking you to carry an item… That’s classic). Will that be in the game?

That’s all in the plans.

• Do you plan to add uninhabited islands that aren’t colonized? And also, will the game take place in the same archipelago as in Sea Dogs, or are you planning to expand territories? I’d like to see Cuba in the game, after all, it’s the most powerful island in the Caribbean.

Yes, we plan to design islands that aren’t colonized.

• Are you planning to add kids? In the City of Abandoned Ships, there were only adults on the streets… Kids in cities and cabin boys could liven up the city.

That’s a good idea. But it’s separate work. Currently, we’re working on animation for women and men, kids are a different specificity… In the future – yes, we plan to add kids.

• Will gunpowder in pistols and muskets get damp during rain and cause a misfire?

We haven’t planned such a mechanic yet.

• Are you planning to make the main character change over time, so that the wounds or signs of aging would appear and so on?

We planned it, but we’re not sure if we can implement it in time.

• Will there be the ability to build a ship or get one by capturing/buying an existing ship?

For now, it’s possible only by capturing/buying a ship, but it’s a cool idea.

• Will there be references to previous Sea Dog games?

We already left a couple of small references and we plan to add more tiny ones in the future.

• Will it be possible to start a Freeplay immediately after the first playthrough?
  

At first, there is a story opening, and then players can choose their own path. The opening will be there each time you start a new game.

• I asked this question under one of the previous videos – why is the camera placed a bit to the side while the character is running, like in Skyrim? Will it be possible to somehow change it in the game?

We did a few tests with the camera and concluded that this format looks the most comfortable in the game. Currently, we have two cameras – close and far from the character. The center of the screen is reserved for elements and characters the main character interacts with.

• Will there be any references borrowed from well-known books about pirates and the sea?

Oh, yes. The references are very explicit and close to fans of the genre.

• Are you familiar with Blood and Gold: Caribbean!? It’s a modification for Mount & Blade: Warband in the pirate world made by our compatriots. However, it’s not just a mod, it’s a full game that is sold on Steam. Currently, the developers are making a game about sailboats in their setting, similar to the world in the movie “Waterworld” (1995). It would be nice to see an interview with those guys, about their previous and current projects.

We noticed that our viewers like videos about Corsairs Legacy and Sea Dogs, that’s why we’re making this content. We know about that game but we haven’t contacted the developers. We had a full interview with the developer of Tempest from April that came out only last week on our official Russian-language channel. While we have more targeted content, we’ll be posting it with a higher priority.

• I demand a version for PS5! Who’s with me? Let’s vote guys

We will release the game only on Steam. We don’t want to spend time dealing with other platforms but we plan to get into nuances between console platforms in the near future.

• Will there be catacombs?

Yes.

Subscribe to our YouTube channels in order not to miss news about the Corsairs Legacy development!

Official Corsairs Legacy YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtvxcqkgrIC3fHpSpKSeMnA/
Official Russian YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/SaveThePirate/