GD Notes #3. Treasure Hunting.

Hoist the topsails, set course for the bay of creativity!
Greetings from Kirill, I'm delighted to meet you all once again.

In this dev diary, we'll talk about a mechanic that is expected and loved in every pirate game - treasure hunting.
It has long needed reworking and revision, and has probably been waiting for its time longer than all other mechanics combined.

[h2]The Issue[/h2]

Treasure hunting is a theme shrouded in romance, mystery, and a thirst for exploration, and the gameplay implementation should reflect this. Since we currently don't have the opportunity to rework the treasure hunting process itself, we'll be working on the content.

Now, the big question. What would you prefer to find in a hidden treasure after sailing halfway through the archipelago in search of it:

Something valuable and immersive, telling a story and resembling what a real person might have hidden.

OR

Thirty cutlasses, twenty nails.

I'm more inclined towards the first option, but the game currently implements the second - and that's a problem. The treasure generation is too chaotic, and players can't influence it except by reloading before activating the map.
You might get lucky and find great items in your very first treasure, or you might dig up several treasures in a row and find only junk. Zero roleplay.

[h2]Treasure Generation[/h2]

Let's go step by step, starting from the moment you pick up a map.

Treasures are no longer a simple random number generator; now they're a complex and intricate random number generator with a bunch of conditions.

When generating a treasure upon picking up a map, the game checks many parameters, including:

• Map level (whether it's a simple map or one assembled from halves)
  
• Luck skill
  
• Number of treasures you found so far
  
• Accountant perk check
  

Based on these parameters, the boundaries of treasure tiers are calculated, after which a random one is selected.

Treasure tiers, in turn, determine the relative value of treasures and the list of items that can and cannot be generated in them. There are 15 tiers in total, and the set of items for each tier has been manually selected to look as immersive as possible.

Thus, treasure hunting transforms from a moderately useful side activity into a profession in which you can improve. The more treasures you find the more valuable they become. By enhancing your luck and taking a higher-level map, you can jump through several tiers at once.
The Accountant background becomes an ideal choice for finding better treasures, as it reaches high tiers much faster.



Here's an example of a low-tier treasure and a high-tier one. Reaching high treasure tiers isn't easy, but the reward is worth it.

[h2]Content Generation[/h2]

As I mentioned above, each treasure tier has its own set of items for generation, but what are these items?

In general, treasure contents are divided into 4 sections. Within each section, a treasure has a certain number of slots that can be filled with items available at the current treasure tier, each with different probabilities.

Items are generated in such a way that treasures are as diverse as possible - getting 2 identical items from 2 consecutive treasures is practically impossible.
Some items may be encountered only once, but this is a rare exception.
The Accountant background increases the probability of filling slots, making the average value of treasures higher.



These are 2 treasures taken right at the start of a new game in free play mode. Note the difference in content with and without the Accountant perk.

[h3]Equipment[/h3]

This category includes melee and firearms, armor, spyglasses, and hats.
It's worth mentioning that in free play mode, quest items from story mode can now be found in treasures.
For example, a katana can be found from tiers 11 to 14.
Each treasure can have 1 to 3 equipment slots filled.

[h3]Valuables[/h3]

This category includes money, jewelry, pearls, gems, crafting items, gold, and doubloons.
At high treasure tiers, you can find extremely valuable items - arrows, bombs, mangarosa, and a few other very special things.
From 1 to 5 valuable slots can be filled.



Here's an example of a high-tier treasure that contained bombs and arrows. Finding it required quite a bit of effort on a character with the Accountant background.

[h3]Special Items[/h3]

This category includes maps, amulets, treasure map fragments, hourglasses, chronometers, and so on.
All amulets are divided by their value to the player at different stages of the game and have a lower tier threshold for appearance, but no upper threshold.
For example, holy water and powder testers can drop at any treasure tier, from 1 to 15.
From 1 to 4 slots can be filled, plus 1 additional slot for a treasure map half, if it can appear.

[h3]Lore Items[/h3]

This section will always contain one item - a note from the treasure. We've prepared numerous small stories, some funny, some sad, which players can collect and keep in a special document in their journal.
Each of these notes appears only once, and players can earn an achievement for collecting all of them.



Here's just one example - someone's story, tragic or comical. Is the author of this note alive? I guess we'll never know.

[h2]Conclusion[/h2]

We hope to make treasure hunting as exciting and unique as possible, as it deserves to be, and we'll emphasize this in a future DLC.
Share your thoughts in Discord, and we'll see you in future dev diaries!

Kirill, Black Mark Studio
:jollyr:

Work in progress