Caribbean Legend News

[h2]Ahoy![/h2]

[h3]On the menu:[/h3]

• Patch 1.4 beta is now available.
  
• New controls are done.
  
• Lots of new features.
  
• Besides German, we've added support for Spanish, French, and Polish.
  
• No new game required.
  
• Access via instructions below - as usual. Please choose version 1.4.
  

Patch 1.4 was initially planned as an intermediate update aimed at solving two major game issues that we've all been suffering from for a year: tank controls and inconvenient key rebinding. The first one simply killed the game from the first seconds for a huge number of people, while the second severely limited left-handed players and simply didn't meet modern convenience standards.

Both problems are solved: the controls have become modern and dynamic, and keys can now be rebinded almost without limitations. And... is that all? Ready to release?

Not quite. As it turned out, while working on 1.5, we have already managed to complete many cool things that, moreover, don't require starting a new game. Let's throw them in too.

[h3]What's new:[/h3]

• Modern Controls 1.0
  In brief: the new control system is ready in its basic version. You can move along all axes, switch to sprint, jump with weapons in hand, aim manually, have full camera view control, and break through enemy formations. If you haven't seen the video below, take a look, although the game now has an even better version.
  
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2RROaiNY9c
  
  The development of the new control system cost a lot of money and man-hours, but I'll gladly invest just as much again - because I really want to see Modern Controls 2.0. Since we've figured out shooting, I'd say it is time to reimagine fencing? Add gamepad support?
  
  
• Weapon switching while moving
  Now you can draw and put away weapons, switch between musket and saber and back while moving. Seems like a small thing, but it actually changes the game dramatically. With the addition of this feature, the controls have finally become fully dynamic, and it works especially well in new boarding scenes, where players can combine jumps, sprinting, aiming, pushing, and quick switching between musket and melee weapons.
  
  
• Improved key rebinding
  It's important for Steam players to have full control over key rebinding. Not to mention left-handed players who found it quite difficult to play our game. I can't say that development in this direction is completely finished, but now, hopefully, key rebinding meets modern standards and player expectations.
  
  
• Improved German localization (beta)
• Added Spanish, French, and Polish localizations (beta)
  I'm not ready to announce official support for these languages yet, but work on localizations continues. For example, people are already actively working on Italian, Hungarian, and Ukrainian translations. It's a long process, and all participants of this Discord server are heroes. Join if you want to contribute and earn you rightful place in the game's credits.
  
  
• New grapeshot logic
  It used to be like this: the player targeted one enemy, and if grapeshot was loaded, all enemies around the target took damage. Now grapeshot actually fires pellets. We've introduced new parameters of spread and the number of projectiles per charge. Using different weapons and ammunition, you can either cover the entire deck or turn your grapeshot into a real "trench sweeper" and send dozens of pellets into a single enemy right in front of you. Or chose something in the middle perhaps?
  
  It's funny that during testing, we replaced the pellets with candles to make it easier to track the spread and test the mechanics. As a result, at the end of each battle, every battlefield started to look like a church.
  
  
• One more boarding scene
  We've added a Corvette VS Pinnace scene, which triggers if at least one boarding participant is a third-rate merchant ship. With this, rates 5, 4, and 3 are complete, and we're taking a break from boarding scenes. We have big plans for second and first rates, but making ships for them takes time. Hopefully, by then, the controls will have improved so much that we'll be able to make full vertical gameplay, fortification point assaults, and turn large ship boarding scenes into real battlefields.
  
  
• New Charles de Maure model
  The realization that we vitally needed new models for the main characters came exactly when I saw how bad everything looked when zooming in while aiming. Moreover, all the new accessories we have made (armor, weapons, hats) are very high quality, and the old, blurry model of the main character really starts to stand out. And anyway, let's face it - we are all tired of that green jacket with cuffs. Future plans include different clothing, dyes, and new models for Willie, Diego, and Helen.
  
  
• Hats
  We've wanted to add hats and helmets for a very long time. The game really needed another loot category and additional character customization. Hats can be found through the story, but almost all of them can be found in treasures too. Some hats have very powerful bonuses, but don't limit yourself to them. Fashion rules the world. Wear what you like. Hopefully, we'll manage belts and helmets in the future, thus allowing you to fully customize your characters. I think this is important. Bad news: for now, only Charles and Diego can wear hats.
  
  
• Treasure system overhaul
  Treasure contents now resemble something that a real person might have hidden, and they drop with more fair random. Level up your luck skill, make treasure hunting your job - and the game will reward you. Free play mode enjoyers are especially lucky: you'll be able to get all story mode rewards through treasures. Including the mighty Colt Revolver. All in all, check out Kirill's latest dev diary in case you've missed it.
  
  https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/2230980/view/525336841073722793?l=english
  
• New Port Royal
  Making locations on this engine, especially exterior ones, is hellish work. And that's why I sincerely thank karlik.nos for helping us progress with updating colonial capitals in the game. We've adapted his work to the game's style and finally released it. Two more upgrades remain: Havana and Capsterville.
  
  
• New interior
  We've added another location - wine cellar. It was initially planned for one of the new scenes in 1.5, but we found use for it already. Small thing, but nice.
  
  
• "Mystery of Port Royal" event
• "Mystery of Willemstad" event
  Locations should not only look decent and serve the player and their ship but also tell stories. Until recently, there wasn't much to explore in the game. We're starting to fix that. Next up - Le François and Saint-Pierre.
  
  
• Bulk purchase of strategic goods
  If you have a high trading skill, need ironwood, silk, ropes, or resin, but don't have time, try negotiating with suppliers for large deliveries and become a shareholder. Now it will make sense to come for each delivery on a specific day of the month.
  
  
• Complete special effects overhaul
  New direction of work. We've redrawn effects from scratch - smoke, fire, explosions, blood, magic - basically, almost everything. The old effects were from 2008, had only 4 frames and 512x512 resolution. New ones have 16 frames and 2k resolution. There's still a lot of work, we'll be polishing and optimizing, but I like the first version. Good way to improve game graphics, enhance combat intensity and impact.
  
  
• Improved indoor graphics
• Texture improvements
• Lighting improvements
  This kind of work never stops. We're gradually improving various textures, adjusting ambient occlusion (AO) in interiors, improving lighting, and removing glare. Small steps, but the game is becoming more beautiful with each patch.
  
  
• New handheld firearm sounds
  We've upgraded shooting so well that it not only became OP but also demanded special attention. We've replaced all shooting sounds: from loading to firing.
  
  
• Improved body looting
  More convenient looting, especially for the new controls. When attempting to search an "empty" body, you'll get a quick and unobtrusive notification without opening the loot window.
  
  
• Removed camera restrictions in boarding scenes
  Since we've finally replaced most of the boarding decks in the game, we can now afford the luxury of disabling camera restrictions during boarding. Just don't look up on first and second-rate boarding decks. All for the better: someday we'll put marksmen on the fighting tops.
  
  
• Various fixes
  Bugs, spelling, crashes, exploits, improvements. There won't be a list - we still have chaos in this department. But I can say for certain: today is better than yesterday, and tomorrow will be better than today.
  

[h3]Mod of the Month[/h3]
It's been a month since we added modding support. Unfortunately, no proper mods for Helen and Mary have been released during this time, but the community has still rolled out plenty of cool stuff.

For example, Direct Sail feature improvement mod by Gregg. Allows you to travel the game immersively - without using the global map. This feature has always been in the game, but we hid because it was a potential bugfest. Nevertheless, you often asked to make it work properly, and what we couldn't or didn't want to do, the talented modders might do.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3433429137

Thanks, Gregg.
[h3]DLC[/h3]
This is us announcing the announcement of the second part of the Ships Pack DLC series. You'll meet Captain Albert Blackwood and his madness, actively employing new shooting and treasure mechanics in the process. A full Steam page with release date will appear next week.



See you at sea.
ːjollyrː

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

We've updated beta 1.3.7. You can access the beta the same way as before — by selecting it in your Steam settings.



A new game is not required.

[h2]General:[/h2]
Various fixes and improvements. This work never stops.

• The flashback segment in "Long Shadows of Old Sins" companion quest has been redesigned, as well as all combat scenes for Charlie Knippel
  
• Fixed a bug in the "Mousetrap" quest where if you talk to Kaspar Gratton and immediately leave the location without letting the NPC reach the pier
  
• In the beginning of Sandbox mode, the dialogue with Sandro now has a new camera
  
• Fixed a bug with immortal Tonzag after the ending of "The Nemesis"
  
• In the "More Than Gold" quest, Angerran's phrase has been changed if you complete the quest before the defense of Saint Pierre
  
• Fixed controls for Steam Deck
  
• Fixed animations for secondary characters
  
• Updated German localization
  
• Fixed a bug during a court visit in "The Pirate Saga" quest
  

Proofreading of German, Spanish, French and Polish versions, as well as translation into Ukrainian and Hungarian, is already in full swing in the separate Discord translators channel. If you're interested in speeding up the release of official translations, welcome to join us!

[h2]Mods:[/h2]
We continue to improve support for user modifications.

• Scripts have been moved to GitHub
• Added tools for modders to avoid a new game requirement
  
• The engine will have a new function to get a list of mods and their full paths
  
• All documentation in the official wiki will be updated soon
  

[h2]Controls:[/h2]

We've fixed and improved a lot - all thanks to your feedback. But don't limit ourselves with only fixing, we continue to add new features to the new controls and camera scheme. We haven't even begin balancing it though, so the Sharpshooter's background is currently the most overpowered. Seize the moment!

• Fixed camera in cutscenes. There were many complaints about camera glitches in cutscenes. We've made every effort to fix this bug, and now it no longer occurs. If you encounter it again, please let us know
  
  
• Fixed control disabling in combat. Finding and fixing this problem was difficult, but after significant code rework, the bug no longer appears. If it occurs again, please report it with a detailed description of the conditions
  
  
• Significantly improved maneuverability. We've reworked the character's reaction speed to button presses, as well as acceleration and deceleration dynamics, especially in combat mode. The mechanism for changing direction during running has been changed — the character no longer performs a long, uncontrollable animation. Now control and positioning are much more convenient
  
  
• Adaptive turning speed. Many complained about the inconvenience of turning the character with the free camera. Now the turning speed increases depending on the angle of deviation from the camera, allowing quick 180-degree turns almost in place. Finally, people will stop falling in caves
  
  
• Fixed turning in aiming mode. Character behavior in aiming mode has become significantly smoother and more consistent
  
  
• Improved interaction with NPCs. Increased responsiveness when interacting with NPCs and improved adaptation to the over-the-shoulder camera
  
  
• Fixed the running issue during looting. The character no longer continues running in place after activating interaction with objects (searching corpses, chests)
  
  
• Fixed swimming and diving suits. Underwater swimming and movement in diving suits, including Justice Island, now work correctly
  
  
• Sprint in peaceful mode no longer consumes energy. You asked — we delivered. There may be minor bugs due to complex interaction with the hostility mode. Report any inconsistencies, and we'll fix them promptly
  
  
• Adaptive camera for swimming. The long-standing problem with the awkward camera while swimming has been fixed. Now when swimming above water, the camera automatically adjusts, providing an excellent view. We recommend testing it at Justice Island!
  
  
• New strafing animations. The old sideways running animations looked inappropriate and drew unwanted attention. Now they've been replaced with more realistic and attractive animations
  
  
• Headshots. Damage from headshots is doubled, combining with critical hits and aiming mechanics. While this mechanic is not yet balanced, enjoy spectacular 1000-damage shots without much effort
  

[h3]To be continued in 1.4[/h3]
ːjollyrː

A year ago, Caribbean Legend was born. ːbombingː Anniversaries usually involve summing up results, but this time we won't do that, because it's the beginning and we're only just getting started.

And in general, the only result that matters now is that we have formed the best team and the best community, and through their efforts, the game will be incredibly transformed over the next year. We're starting today.

[h2]On the menu:[/h2]

• Release of patch 1.3.5
  
• Opening scripts and modding support
  
• Launch of beta 1.3.7
  
• First version of new controls and camera
  
• Localizations
  
• Roadmap for the next 12 months
  

[h2]1.3.5[/h2]

The patch is finally out of beta and is now available to everyone! Thanks to those who weren't afraid of the ominous beta prefix and even managed to complete the game with it. All bugs have been caught. A new game is not needed.

Much has already been said about the patch itself, and you can find the full changelog here. The most important things: improved graphics, new ships and boarding decks, reworked "Flying the Jolly Roger" quest line, and the speed on the global map is no longer so sluggish.

Overall nothing new for those who have already participated in beta testing. But there's a nuance.

We've unlocked the script files.

[h2]Mod Support[/h2]

Starting from today, any version in Steam will come with an open Program folder. This means that you have unlimited modding available: you can add any new content to the game or modify the old one.

Instructions on how to upload mods to Steam are available here. In the future, we hope to turn this wiki into a full-fledged modding guide and post plugins, Blender projects, and any development tools there. We'll start somewhere in about a month. This way, a complete mod kit will be assembled, accessible even for beginners.

Modding is a serious topic, so let's dwell on it a bit and establish the new order of things.

[h3]For mod creators:[/h3]

• The game doesn't have a modular system, load queue, and file merging yet. Consequently, any patch or even fix can make your mod non-functional
  
• Mods may require a new game or may not support all game languages. Please specify such nuances on your pages
  
• You can monetize your work in any way as long as the mod is available for download in our Steam Workshop
  
• If your mod conflicts with another, try to negotiate with each other about creating compatibility versions
  
• If you believe your work is worthy of being an official DLC or even a separate game, contact us
  
• If your work violates someone's copyright, we reserve the right to remove it from the platform
  

[h3]For players:[/h3]

• Any installed mod, whatever it may be, can and will cause bugs and crashes. Install at your own risk
  
• If you have installed mods and are experiencing technical problems in your game, contact the mod creators on their respective pages
  
• Support your favorite mods by liking them in Steam Workshop. This way you help both the authors and develop the platform as a whole
  

[h3]On our part, we will also take several important steps:[/h3]

• We no longer release hidden hotfixes. Now any patch, no matter how small, will receive a corresponding news post with a changelog. Hotfixes will be released less frequently, but this way we can make life easier for mod authors
  
  
• Any major numbered patch, starting with 1.3.5, will always remain available - in a separate Steam branch. This will allow you to play with your favorite mods until the authors adapt them for new versions
  
  
• Every quarter, we will choose the most popular mod and give its author a cash prize. We'll start small: the mod that comes out after February 15 in Steam Workshop and gets the most likes by May will receive $1000 as a prize
  
  
• Once a month, we will select the top works and actively highlight them in the news, supporting the best authors
  
  
• We no longer fix saves. Even before opening the scripts, half of them came with traces of Artmoney hacks, etc. What will happen after opening the scripts is scary to imagine
  

You can still report bugs and crashes in the relevant Steam topics and Discord - in the latter, all restrictions have been removed on the #technical-support channel and anyone can write there now.

If you really need to fix your save, try reaching out to people with the @Modmaker role in Discord. We will encourage the most active volunteers - I don't know how yet, but we'll figure something out.

The main reason we only opened the scripts now is that starting from patch 1.4, the game will begin to change very strongly and irreversibly, and I wouldn't want to limit those people who might not like our vision.

[h2]Speaking of irreversible changes[/h2]

[h2]1.3.7[/h2]

The intermediate beta patch 1.3.7 is available in a separate Steam branch. Instructions on how to access it are below.

Select 1.3.7 and the game will update itself!

There are exactly two changes. But what changes!

[h3]New controls and camera[/h3]
No aspect of the game has received such devastating reviews as the tank-like controls with the camera.

And quite deservedly:

• Instead of exploring locations, we were rushing around on acceleration, frantically rotating characters with the camera
  
• Instead of fun battles, we could barely see the enemy behind the character's back and had to put away weapons to push through the dummies
  
• Shooting was single-button
  
• Many got motion sickness
  
• The character walked as if on rails
  

The system hasn't changed for twenty years, and most experienced players have gotten used to it, although for any player more or less unfamiliar with the series, these problems are obvious and unacceptable. But if we want Corsairs to have a future, we need to start with the controls.

• The character walks on all axes, and the player can freely rotate the camera
  
• Two camera perspectives are available: over-the-shoulder and centered
  
• Sprint has been added. In peaceful mode, it allows you not to use time acceleration, which kills immersion in the game. In combat mode, it allows you to push enemies away by spending energy, without putting away weapons
  
• Allies can be pushed without sprint
  
• Aiming mode has been added. The better you prepare your aim, the more damage you'll deal with firearms
  
• Quick shot has been added - deals less damage but has become much faster
  

What's there to say - just watch the two-minute video below. Hundreds of new animations and man-hours later.

[previewyoutube]https://youtu.be/I2RROaiNY9c
[/previewyoutube]

This is the very first version, and it's not perfect, but in the next two months, we'll add a lot more and bring the controls up to modern standards. To be honest, I don't want to go back to the old controls anymore. It plays incredibly fresh and in many ways new.

Bad news: Helen McArthur will be temporarily removed from the list of main characters. She will return once we make animations for her and adapt her to the new controls.

Be sure to try the beta and write about your impressions. The more feedback about the controls we collect now, the better it will turn out in the end.

[h2]German Localization[/h2]
The first of the planned additional localizations. We have translated 97% of the dialogues in the game into German and will soon add Spanish and Polish. In total, the following localizations are planned:

• German
  
• Spanish
  
• Polish
  
• French
  
• Italian
  
• Brazilian Portuguese
  
• Ukrainian
  
• Chinese
  

If you're interested in getting involved in this, you're serious about it and want to help us, join our separate Discord server. All instructions will be posted there next week.

[h2]Roadmap[/h2]
And now for the parade of goodness and pictures! A complete list of free content that we have planned for the next 12 months - until February 15, 2026.

[h3]Ships:[/h3]

• Snow
  
• Cazador
  
• Caleuche
  
• Restored Caleuche
  
• Brig
  
• East Indiaman
  
• Frigate
  
• Heavy Galleon
  
• French Ship of the Line
  
• Spanish Ship of the Line
  

[h3]Locations:[/h3]

• 3rd rank boarding deck: corvette vs pinnace
  
• 2nd rank boarding deck: frigate vs heavy galleon
  
• 2nd rank boarding deck: frigate vs East Indiaman
  
• 1st rank boarding deck: French vs Spanish
  
• Universal boarding deck
  
• New cabin
  
• New Port Royal and its secret
  
• Several new small interiors for quests
  
• Improved textures and lighting for all old interiors
  

[h3]Characters:[/h3]

• Improved Tommy Irons model
  
• New Charles model
  
• New Diego model
  
• New William model
  
• New Helen model
  
• Improved Mary model
  

[h3]Quests:[/h3]

• 20 new mini-quests and events
  
• Big personal quest for Mary
  
• New ending for the Secret Organization branch
  
• Epilogue for Charles de Maure's story
  
• Adaptation of the personal island Isla Mona for free play mode
  
• Adaptation of Caleuche for free play mode
  
• Adaptation of Gambit and officers' personal quests for free play mode
  

[h3]Mechanics and other:[/h3]

• Improvement of the control button change system
  
• Hats (9 total), improve characteristics and can be worn by player and officers
  
• Highlighting of unsupported saves
  
• Highlighting of items, NPCs and chests
  
• New Martinique and tutorial
  
• New energy logic
  
• More sensible use and distribution of healing items
  
• New treasure system - with notes and events
  
• New crew hiring formula
  
• Complete ship rebalance - with subclasses and traits
  
• Redesigned generation system - more immersive, without freezes and making each playthrough truly different
  
• New stealth system, allowing to manage without random events and failures
  
• Rebalance of paper cartridges and handheld weapons
  
• Rebalance of ammunition, weapons and gunpowder at sea
  
• New sounds and logic for artillery, weapons, sea and environment
  
• News feed in the launcher window
  
• New economy system and a total rebalance of money and prices
  
• Several new items
  
• Several new animations in cities
  
• Engine improvements
  
• Old bug fixes
  

[h2]DLC[/h2]

[h3]Ships Pack 2-5[/h3]

The next mini-DLC in this series will be released in March and will tell about the difficult fate of a professional treasure hunter, the captain of the snow "Beth". Each pack gradually sheds light on a terrible and global story connecting all these extraordinary captains, and adds to the game a unique ship, boss fight, as well as powerful sets of items.

Total: 4 more ships, 9 items, a couple of locations and characters.

[h3]Project "OtE"[/h3]

A large addon that grew from the idea of adding a new super-location comparable to the City of Lost Ships to the game, with unique gameplay and logic, available both in the story and in free play. You'll find new mechanics, characters, several complex locations, a ship, items and, of course, a new romantic interest. We already have sapphire and ruby. Perhaps this emerald will outshine them.



And... that's all. The year will fly by quickly. I feel that at the next anniversary, February 15, 2026, we'll have very interesting results and a serious conversation with you. As usual, you're required to do the most difficult thing: play, make awesome mods and leave reviews as blue as the Caribbean Sea. Here, by the way, is such a review from studio founder Mikhail Kovalenko.

Happy hunting. Happy holiday, Sea Dogs!
ːjollyrː

Hoist the studdingsails, setting course for the Gulf of Creativity!
Greetings everyone, this is Kirill here.

On December 31st, we published the first in a series of dev diaries about the new direction for the game and its gameplay.

It sparked intense debates within the community, primarily around the new ship balance, and more specifically - around ship speeds. Many were grieving over their favorites getting their wings clipped, which was expected, but there were also constructive opinions that we took into account.

In this diary, I'll talk about working with the community, the new speed system, and the new tavern recruit calculation mechanics, but first, I want to emphasize - your opinion matters, and we consider it.

[h2]To Each Their Own[/h2]

Any serious changes in a project are always met with resistance from those parts of the audience that are used to the old ways. That's Game Industry 101. However, the game will continue to change, sometimes radically, right up until the final patch, because the game needs these changes. We perfectly understand that not everyone will like them, so we've decided to allow those who are satisfied with the current state to stay with the old balance and mechanics, rather than joining us in venturing into the exciting unknown seas of the new. More detailed information will be in a separate dev diary coming very soon.

[h2]Complete Speed Rework[/h2]

[h3]The Real Problem[/h3]
The speed rebalance, intended to reduce the imbalance between ships and give them more character, highlighted a more important issue. Behind the overpowered quest ships and motor-boat galleons lay a broken mechanic of ship speeds and sail types.

Currently in the game, there are ships with fore-and-aft rigs, having shallow drafts, high speeds, and ability to sail at any angle to the wind, and ships with square rigs - having generally lower speeds, huge penalties when wind direction doesn't match course angle, and typically being less maneuverable.

In such a situation, it's completely unclear why anyone would choose square-rigged ships if they're inferior in every way. This deprives players of interesting choices, the ability to find their preferred tactics, and forces us to make quest ships with square rigs unrealistically fast.

The problem is exacerbated by the fact that, in accordance with historical development, rate 1, 2, and most of rate 3 ships had square rigs. Fast and maneuverable vessels with fore-and-aft rigs had an overwhelming advantage in combat. The player ends up in a situation where there's an absolute favorite and an absolute outsider.

Clippers, as the fastest sailing ships in history, had square rigs and were the pinnacle of sailing vessel development.

[h3]The Power of Mathematics[/h3]
We've identified the problem, but what to do about it?

As always with large and complex systems, it's easier to throw everything out and start anew than to untangle complicated interconnections. I threw out all the speeds and gave ships new ones according to the following logic:

• Each ship has a certain base speed
  
• Base speed is determined by rate, specialization, and the development of its rigging relative to mass
  
• Base speed tends to gradually increase towards rate 3 and gradually decrease towards rate 1
  
• Depending on the course angle (i.e., how close to the wind the ship can sail), speed receives a bonus or penalty that grows non-linearly
  
• Quest ships, as works of art, have increased base speed compared to their generated counterparts
  

Now ships with fore-and-aft rigs compensate for their course advantage with lower speed, while square-rigged ships develop the highest speeds with favorable winds.


[h3]Combat Dynamics[/h3]
Speed changes can't be viewed separately from other mechanical changes that affect ship speeds in battles. We slightly reduced the course angle penalty, which strengthened differences and emphasized the strengths of vessels with fore-and-aft and square rigs.

Additionally, we changed how speed penalties accumulate from sail damage. Now severe speed penalties appear along with serious sail damage and loss of sail area. We'll also slightly reduce the course angle penalty to emphasize this logic.

[h3]Summary[/h3]
This time we'll skip the balance sheet - it will likely change dramatically by release. The main pain points have been heard. The new system will present players with many interesting choices and encourage exploration in naval combat tactics.

• Average ship speed has barely decreased (in some cases even increased due to the base speed system)
  
• Ship sail type now truly affects tactics, wind severity has decreased
  
• A couple of hits to the sails aren't as terrible. Catching a broadside of grapeshot while under full sail - yes, that is
  

Thus, battles have actually become faster.

[h2]Tavern Recruit Calculations[/h2]

As promised, let me explain the new tavern recruit calculation system. The old formula worked rather poorly - recruiting for large ships was very difficult, and players couldn't influence the number of sailors in taverns. The biggest effect in the formula came from daily random numbers and difficulty.

Running through 10-12 colonies to gather sailors doesn't seem like an interesting activity, especially considering the increased crew sizes in the rebalance, so the formula has undergone changes.

The following factors now influence the number of sailors:

• Player level
  
• Relations with the nation in specific ports
  
• Charisma skill
  
• Player honor and daily random factor
  

I see no point in showing the formula - without lengthy explanations of its mechanics, it would remain unclear. I'll just provide the general principles.

First, we expanded the range of people in taverns, with a minimum of about 20-30 sailors up to a maximum of ~250. This is a step towards game logic rather than real world logic, but these numbers are still believable.

The formula includes both passive growth and opportunities for targeted growth (improving relations with nations), as well as items to maximize recruitment. Wearing items that increase charisma before entering a tavern allows you to exceed the normal limits and squeeze even more sailors from the tavern.

This change demonstrates the game's development path - where possible, we try to provide opportunities for all layers of players to apply their skills - both newcomers and hardcore players.

Additionally, we'll update the recruitment screen to make all these modifiers and their effects visible. Now the number of sailors will become more predictable. This also aligns with our course toward improving the readability of game mechanics.

Sometimes infographics aren't enough to understand why some numbers are red and others green. For such cases, a tooltip is available.

[h2]Conclusion[/h2]

Thank you very much for your attention, and see you in the next dev diaries!
We look forward to your opinions in the comments here or in Discord channels.

Kirill, Black Mark Studio
:jollyr: