Caribbean Legend News

[h2]Ahoy![/h2]

Important stuff:

• This is the biggest patch we have ever done so far.
  
• New game is not required.
  
• The size of the game increased to 30 GB.
  
• To celebrate the birth of 1.1 we launched a 30% discount for nine days.
  

[h3]Visual Enhancements[/h3]
We've dedicated the past month to addressing longstanding gaps in our game graphics. Thanks to new people in the team, we managed to figure out in a relatively quick time frame what we do best and how fast.

Even though we are just at the beginning of the post-release development of Caribbean Legend, patch 1.1 is a significant bump of visual experience already. We didn't deliver everything we planned though. Things like an improved lugger model and a helmet for the Milanese cuirass still require some work, therefore we will make another small update in the near future to catch up.

• Added a new jungle location.
  
• Introduced a new lighthouse location.
  
• Over 500 textures have been improved for enhanced visual quality.
  
• Refined the model of the island of Martinique in sea mode.
  
• Finalized Charles' model with increased polygons, improved body structure and extra equipment details.
  
• Completely redesigned armor in the game, now displayed in 3D with updated visuals. Brigantine, corset, and wicker armor have their own models now.
  
• Implemented new animations and added more attacks for musketeers.
  

[h3]New Content[/h3]
The initial release feedback from players often pointed out the lack of new quests in Caribbean Legend. That's not entirely true - it's just that almost all of the new quests start way into the mid-game or in about 50 hours of playtime.

Therefore, in 1.1 we set ourselves the task of uplifting the beginning of the game, making it more non-linear and eventful. Thanks to the efforts of our new programmer, we've successfully achieved this goal, resulting in a much fresher experience within the first two hours of gameplay.

Furthermore, we've completed numerous tasks related to sound design, video enhancements, voice acting, achievements, and compatibility with Steam Deck - areas we originally promised to deliver, but failed to address properly before the release in February. Regrettably, cheat menu which was also originally planned for 1.1, lost a fight to its competitors of the task list and will be delivered later in a future small update.

• Added a new event - "Cocoa Leaf".
  
• Added a new event - "Deluc's Debts".
  
• Added a new event - "First Meeting with Diego".
  
• Added a new event - "Killing a Teacher".
  
• Added a new quest - "Money On Trees".
  
• Added a new quest - "Rat Problem"
  
• Added a new quest - "Crab Salad".
  
• Added 5 new Steam achievements.
  
• Made numerous edits to English localization.
  
• Included fonts for Spanish, German, and French translations.
  
• Optimized video formats and adjusted video volume based on music settings.
  
• Additional improvements of the Steam Deck version - we are this close to Deck Verified status.
  
• Additional improvements of Steam Workshop - allowing for a better modding experience.
  
• Added new quest videos featuring Jessica and Guardian.
  
• Reworked all old sound effects and added new voiceovers.
  

[h3]General Improvements[/h3]
Although there are over a hundred changes in this category, we've opted to spotlight only the most significant ones to streamline communication for both our team and our players. Most of these changes involve refining elements that were somewhat rough upon release or were influenced by the valuable feedback we received post-launch.

• Finalized Exploration Mode by disabling most timers and adding notifications for deadlines.
  
• Refined the quest markers system with icons and points of interest displayed above characters and on the global map.
  
• Made adjustments to Martinique's tutorial for faster progression.
  
• Implemented numerous refinements to Isla Mona, including new events and references.
  
• Finalized the "Dead Man" quest, including reward and dialogue adjustments.
  
• Increased energy restoration rate when below 10% to reduce pauses in battles.
  
• Slowed down skill experience gain rate as players approach maximum level.
  
• Reworked several perks and adjusted descriptions accordingly.
  
• Amulet Ritual Knife now gives a Critical Strike bonus even without the Critical Strike perk being unlocked.
  
• Amulets Teredo and Shochipili now provide autonomous repair even without the corresponding perk being unlocked.
  
• Enabled a bonus ship acceleration on the global map at full upgrade.
  
• Side quests "False Trace" and "Chief of the Redskins" can no longer spawn at the same location..
  
• Restricted access to the quest "The Price of Consumption" until after completing “The Dutch Gambit“.
  
• Players can now ask Michel to give “The Dutch Gambit“ quest starting from level 9.
  
• Made "Dishonest Competition" quest to always spawn in one specific city.
  
• Adjusted achievement requirements for "Silver Tongue" - added the required second hard bargain in Island of Justice.
  
• Adjusted achievement requirements for "Honoring the Classics" and "Caribbean Virgin" to be obtainable in any ending.
  
• Tweaked difficulty for the "Flying the Jolly Roger" questline - should be a more pleasant experience now.
  
• Tweaked global difficulty based on hero and flagship rank, and selected difficulty level.
  
• Player’s Vanguards are no longer eliminated from boss fights against Diego and William.
  
• Exchanging items in chests no longer consumes time.
  
• Loxley will recall the assault on Cartagena and charge extra for that.
  
• Players can find the "Joker" talisman when searching a dead cheater’s body in a tavern.
  
• The "Golden Eagle" pistol is now available to all hero backgrounds for sale at East India’s store (DLC).
  
• Implemented numerous quality of life improvements, text adjustments, bug and crash fixes.
  

Good work continues.

ːjollyrː

Ahoy!

Fixed the crash case caused by DRM leftover from Early Access. I sincerely apologize for this oversight.
Patch 1.1 is on track for release on April 5th and is shaping up nicely.

ːjollyrː

[h2]Ahoy![/h2]

Patch 1.1 is set for April 5th, 22 CET - just before the weekend.

We initially aimed for March, but ended up doing much more than planned. Most likely, this will be the largest free update the we have ever done. Lots of fixes and new content.

Starting a new game is not obligatory, but it's encouraged as some of the changes are aimed at improving the early game experience.

ːjollyrː

[h2]Ahoy![/h2]

It's been a month since the release - time to count the loot and make some tough calls. What's it gonna be - 5, 10, 15, or 25?

[h2]Past[/h2]
Let's rewind the clock back a month. The game's release was marked by three rather unpleasant factors.
[h3]A ton of content and features missing in the release version.[/h3]

• Three new side quests were never delivered, namely "Unforgiven", "Pirates Don’t Need Heavens", and "Old Sea Dog’s Tales". I only discovered this a couple of days ago. Now, that's some quality project management. ːrofl_pirateː Those responsible for this monumental screw-up will leave our ranks very soon unless they rectify it promptly.
  
• The Exploration, aka No-Timers mode, was underdeveloped. The issue lies in underestimating the complexity of the task - all quest timers need to be manually deactivated in each quest to avoid conflicts. Delving into old code is a rather unrewarding task, but this is the way, and the mode will be set right in patch 1.1.
  
• Balancing amounted to only 60% of the estimated target - new weapons were poorly integrated, new features like stealth remained largely untested, and numerous adjustments of the difficulty curve and side quests remained on paper.
  
• English localization is still a mess - despite the entire game's text being proofread, thanks to the heroic efforts of Goddart and Co., only a portion of it was integrated by the time of release. Same as with the quest timers - lots of manual labor and no technical way to merge new texts fast. Furthermore, due to the lack of my time to proofread the interface, nearly half of the players are still unaware that the Iron Will perk can save characters from mortal wounds once in several minutes. And that's just one example of the issue.
  

These questionable results are primarily attributed to the small team size and its part-time involvement, the outdated engine, and the colossal workload: Sandbox, Demo, and a 200-hour game with tons of legacy code.

In other words: not in the office and not on the payroll. Of course, that's our problem, not yours. You've paid real money for the product, expecting a certain quality bar. However, I believe that without such details, our today's summary would be incomplete.

[h3]Steam doesn't count pre-order reviews[/h3]
That's almost 5% subtracted from the final rating. Nevertheless, even this cost is justifiable - without pre-release testing and the financial support from our community, the game might never have seen the light of day. To be honest, that was projected beforehand, and these 5% of user score should not have played a significant role if not for the following point.

[h3]An organized review bombing[/h3]
Crafted almost like a coordinated attack, a mass of negative reviews was deployed and then pushed up in the list for everyone to see. Undoubtedly, the game is not perfect and it totally deserves being criticized, but the concerted effort against the game costed us another 4% of the user rating. It nearly dealt a fatal blow to the full version and most likely killed Sandbox for good. In a perfect world, the game would boast a score of ~75%. In reality, everything Caribbean Legend aimed for has taken a hit.

[h2]Present[/h2]
We deliberately took a month to gather all the metrics before making difficult decisions. Plans may be futile, but planning is always essential. Last summer, I outlined four scenarios for our trajectory.

Scenarios:

• Pessimistic:
  5,000 copies sold in the first month, averaging 10 copies/day without discounts. In this scenario, we release patch 1.1, fulfill everything we originally promised, and close shop. Game Over. You Died.
  
• Realistic:
  10,000 copies in the first month, averaging 20 copies/day without discounts. We can continue working for another six months or so, bring the game to version 1.3-1.5, release one medium-sized DLC, and bid farewell. You know what I mean.
  
• Realistically Optimistic:
  15,000 copies, averaging 30 copies/day without discounts. At this level, we can establish a sustainable enterprise for the long term. We develop version 2.0, release several exciting DLCs, and carefully commence pre-production of the sequel on Unreal Engine.
  
• Optimistic:
  25,000 copies, averaging 60 copies/day without discounts. With such resources, we can establish a large studio, not only completing the aforementioned plans rapidly but also focusing on significant expansions featuring the other two heroes - Diego and Patterson.
  

5, 10, 15, or 25? I've spent the past few months pondering which option we'd land on. The release of any indie game is inherently unpredictable. Guessing is futile; one can only consume craft brews in quantities sufficient to fuel a ballistic missile.

And so I did. And, perhaps for the first time in my career, everything went according to plan. ːcharles_happyː

• Caribbean Legend surpassed TEHO's first-month sales in just one day.
  
• Within a week, it matched TEHO's entire first-year sales.
  
• In a month, Caribbean Legend earned more revenue than TEHO did in 12 years.
  

We've landed in the optimistic-realistic territory. ːrespect_soldierː And for the first time in memory, mixed reviews haven't significantly impacted sales dynamics. The game continues to sell, even now, at a solid $20-30 on the cusp of Steam Spring Sale.

We've won. You've won. ːauthorityː

For the first time in BlackMark Studio's history, we're turning a profit and truly becoming a studio, a company. The core team now receives stable royalties, and we've brought on board several more exceptionally talented people for full-time and part-time roles. Payments are scheduled, and we're operating in a professional manner.

Why is this significant? We've often been criticized for appearing greedy, supposedly trying to milk fans for a second time. Money grab - that's another word that comes up often in reviews. Welp, personally I earned around 3000 - 5000 USD over 12 years from TEHO. Furthermore, for the rest of us, who will now receive a share of Caribbean Legend's sales monthly, this marks our first earnings from the project ever.

There's nothing wrong with that; no one was coerced into working so hard, for free and for so many years. It just feels right when talented individuals can finally do what they love without distraction.

[h2]Future[/h2]
[h3]Patches 1.1 - 1.3[/h3]
Conceptually, these three patches aim to bring the release version of the game up to speed and serve as a testing ground for our new production processes. Patch 1.3 will deliver a version of Caribbean Legend that, in a perfect world, should have debuted in February.

Fulfillment of Promises

Firstly, numerous long-promised features have yet to be implemented in the game:

• Quests, including the Epilogue, extra romance scenes with Mary, and the aforementioned three side quests.
  
• Full-fledged Exploration mode, where deadlines should be properly disabled with appropriate notifications.
  
• Enhanced system of quest markers with improved context and organization.
  
• Improvements of all new quests, addressing gameplay, balance and proofreading.
  
• Balance adjustments to address existing critical issues. The complete overhaul will come later.
  
• A plethora of edits, improvements, and features born from community feedback. And everything that was already described in our original GDDs but wasn't delivered yet.
  

R&D

Secondly, we've onboarded several new team members in just over a month, filling gaps in texturing, modeling, and animation - areas where we previously had nothing but a gaping black hole.

This presents exciting opportunities for creating new assets. For instance:

• New locations, from uplifted island models to cities and jungles.
  
• Ships - we will start improving existing models and see if we can make completely new ones.
  
• Higher-quality character models with increased detail.
  
• 3D models of equipment, accesories, and armor. Hats and helmets.
  
• Global texture refinement. We have inproved over 200 textures so far, over a thousand still remains.
  
• New combat and civil animations to enhance immersion. Critical hits, diffrent moves for different weapon types, street musicians, gambers, beggars etc.
  

We're still gauging our capabilities, costs, and production pipelines for each asset category. Without this, planning remains uncertain, so we aim to explore a variety of avenues before setting goals for the upcoming year.

Patches 1.1, 1.2, and 1.3 should introduce 1-5 new assets from each category, significantly refreshing the game and refining our internal processes.

Following the release of patch 1.3, we'll reevaluate the game metrics and make a final decision regarding the roadmap towards version 2.0.

[h3]Patches 1.4 - 1.5[/h3]
30% of New Assets delivered

By this stage, we anticipate having a clearer understanding of which assets we can produce efficiently. These patches may include a third of the planned new assets such as: ships, locations, new animations or significant updates to main character and story characters models.

Companions Quests

Tichingitu, Longway, and Charlie Knippel will each receive their own storylines. At this point Charles de Maure's main storyline can be considered concluded.

[h3]Patch 2.0[/h3]
100% of New Assets delivered

We'll execute whatever goals we set for ourselves. Whether it's introducing 20 new locations, enhancing city life, diversifying combat, expanding the ship fleet, or offering more customization options, we'll adapt based on feedback and observations from patch 1.3. Regardless, significant changes are on the horizon and the game will get a massive visual update.

New Balance

With content finalized, including items, ships, and game mechanics, it's an ideal time to adjust the balance to reflect these new realities. Initial changes will undergo extensive beta testing to ensure a balanced gameplay experience.

Tutorial System

We'll revamp the tutorial system to better educate players on game mechanics, from combat tactics to ship navigation. This will involve substantial interface adjustments to lower the entry barrier for new players. Besides new players, this system should also stand as a massive and useful QoL update even for the series veterans.

Redesigning Story Quests

Currently, players tend to choose only the most optimal and profitable paths in quests. There is no real choices in the story and there is always a golden path. Several story quests will be reworked to emphasize player choices and increase their impact on the game world. We aim to restore the value of "To Each His Own" narrative principle.

[h3]DLC[/h3]
Our DLC plans include:

• Cosmetic additions with new items and assets, offering players the chance to support developers while receiving extra content like items and ships.
  
• Medium-sized quest DLC.
  
• Large quest DLC.
  
• An open release of updated and finalized Vile Little God quest, tailored to the 2.0 balance.
  

We face a dilemma regarding quest DLC. While we've received numerous requests for more quests, we worry about overwhelming the game with such content. We're eager to hear your thoughts on this matter in the comments section. Do we add more quests to the game or should we focus on other types of extra content?

[h3]Patch 1.1[/h3]
Still scheduled for this month, but we may postpone it to ensure we incorporate as many planned features as possible, including new assets. We want each numbered patch to be an event, not just a mundane list of changes.

That wraps it up for today. Remember to share your thoughts in the comments; your feedback is crucial to us, escpecially when we are only about to start executing this roadmap.

See y'all on the high seas!
ːjollyrː

[h2]Ahoy![/h2]

A batch of fixes has been implemented over the past week, consolidating numerous smaller patches. We're confident that we've addressed all major blockers up to this point, allowing us to fully focus on Patch 1.1 moving forward.

The first major patch will be released soon and will include a ton of stuff: alongside fixes, quest and balance adjustments, and some of the content we promised during the pre-release stage, it will introduce entirely new content that hasn't been revealed anywhere previously.

In addition, on March 15th the will be the first post-release dev diary in which I will provide a sales summary, share some insights and present the first draft of Caribbean Legend's update roadmap.

What's New:

• Corrected the appearance of Pouncey's tailor in the English version.
  
• Fixed Rodgar's dialogue allowing the option to leave the crew in the English version.
  
• Cromwell's squadron now appears a year after the player reads the dispatch for the first time, instead of a month.
  
• The arrival date in the dispatch has been corrected.
  
• Fixed a bug causing the ship exchange menu to close unexpectedly while on land.
  
• Stealth skill no longer levels up in hostile colonies if the chance of deception is above 60%.
  
• The quest "On Pair with Shark" is now properly archived.
  
• Resolved a crash occurring due to a large number of ships stationed on Isla Mona.
  
• Fixed an issue where an empty item was received as a reward after sacking a colony from the sea.
  
• Addressed the disappearance of doubloons from Gaspar the Gold Tooth.
  
• Enemy pirates and gentlemen of fortune now spawn 50% less frequently on the global map.
  
• Fixed Mary's behavior after completing the "Rumba" quest.
  
• Revised timers for the "The Last Lesson" questline.
  
• Reduced the difficulty of the "The Last Lesson" questline.
  
• Increased the chance of obtaining admiral quality maps from quest ships.
  
• Fixed crashes caused by broken masts on an East Indian.
  
• Quadruple-barreled rifle now spawns correctly.
  
• Added "Monster" (a gun) to treasure and quest rewards.
  
• Persian Axe has been added to quest rewards.
  
• Reworked timers for the "Dutch Gambit" quest in exploration mode.
  
• Fixed the initiation of the "Happily Ever After" quest.
  
• Resolved an issue where a pirate would not appear in Le Francois during the "Long Way to the Gallows" quest.
  

ːcharles_happyː ːjollyrː