While ship-to-ship combat in Pirates of the Burning Sea has been well-received by players since launch, the avatar combat, which sees players taken on enemies with swords and guns, has been a bit of a mixed bag. Build 1.11, which went live yesterday morning, completely overhauls the system, adding new skills and skill categories plus new combat animations to keep things interesting.

To help ease the jarring transition, the PotBS folks have posted a rather lovely Swashbuckling guide that explains the nuances of the overhauled system. It seems like they've made it an entirely new experience, to the point where I'm considering popping back in just to see how things have turned out.

Build 1.11: The Clash of Steel Goes Live Tuesday Morning! [Pirates of the Burning Sea]

In order to give lapsed players a taste of what they've been missing, Flying Lab and Sony Online Entertainment are extending their free 14-day trial to returning players as well. Those with canceled accounts in good standing will be able to simply log in to check out the expansive changes made to the MMO since launch, including new classes, revamped ship combat, the dueling system, ship insurance, and an enhanced chat system that includes handy chat bubbles.

Check out the community website for a full list of the many changes that might make Pirates of the Burning Sea worth another look-see.

Rejoin the Adventure!

Free 14-day Trial Extended to Previous Pirates of the Burning Sea™ Captains

Like the capricious winds and waters of the high seas, Pirates of the Burning Sea is continually updating and evolving. Since the game launched in January 2008, there have been countless developments that have propelled Pirates of the Burning Sea to a new level. As such, we are proud to share all of our innovative changes by extending our free 14-day trial to our retired captains! Players who joined us in the early stages, but have yet to navigate the waters of the enhanced Pirates of the Burning Sea, are invited to set sail once again!

Over the last eleven months, the crew at Flying Lab Software has worked tirelessly to make Pirates of the Burning Sea more accessible across the board. From new pirate careers, to new cities with stunning graphics, better tutorials, and new group missions for high level players, all renovations are focused on bringing exciting improvements to the game. Players can enjoy revamped avatar combat and missions, dynamic new sword fighting animations, and an improved user interface. With a bigger effort to incorporate community feedback and support interactive game play, Pirates of the Burning Sea has never been more immersive or dynamic.

Check out the link below to read a more comprehensive list of the new features:

http://www.burningsea.com/page/community/new

We are currently in the last phase of completely revamping Avatar Combat, which combines slashing, tactics, more evenly matched one-on-one battles, and a refitting of the balance based system. Learn more at:

http://www.burningsea.com/page/play/avcom

Former players who wish to be a part of the adventure, should log back in! Their accounts have already been reactivated! Players can manage their Station Account by visiting this link:

https://account.station.sony.com/

We look forward to seeing our returning players on the open sea!

This is the sort of game that should have had a free-trial from the get go, really. The unique flavor combination of ship-based travel and battles with trading and character combat is something you really need to play before deciding if it's the right game for you.

Welcome to the Pirates of the Burning Sea 14-Day Trial! [PotBS]

Buccaneers are pirates too, but a bit subtler than their burning-bearded brethren. They steal and loot, but also manipulate the black markets. Some would call them gentleman adventurers, though few are true blue bloods. Buccaneers do not have the raw power of cutthroats, but they work well in groups and can help friends and cripple enemies.

1.4 Skill Changes: The Buccaneer [PotBS Community Site]

"Working with top notch developers like Flying Lab Software is at the heart of Platform Publishing's mission to market and distribute a portfolio of games like Pirates of the Burning Sea that stand shoulder to shoulder with our SOE flagship franchises," said David D Christensen, Vice President, Business Development and International Operations, Sony Online Entertainment.

PIRATES OF THE BURNING SEA FINDS A HOME PORT WITH PLATFORM PUBLISHING
Platform Publishing to Work with Flying Lab Software, Add to SOE's E3 Title Lineup

SAN DIEGO, CA AND SEATTLE, WA - June 26, 2007 - In an agreement reached today, Pirates of the Burning Sea, the hotly anticipated MMO (Massively Multiplayer Online) game developed by Flying Lab Software LLC featuring high seas action and swashbuckling adventure in a bold world of pirates and plunder, will be published by Sony Online Entertainment LLC's Platform Publishing label. The game will be added to SOE's title lineup for the E3 Media and Business Summit, July 11-13 in Santa Monica, CA.

Pirates of the Burning Sea will feature action for every play style, whether it's epic ship combat, piracy, building economic empires or sword-swinging adventure. Burning Sea takes place in the New World circa 1720, a dramatic time of conflict and riches. Choosing one of four Nations - France, Spain, England or Pirate - players can set sail as a valiant naval officer, a devil-may-care privateer, a savvy merchant adventurer, or a fearless, rampaging pirate. With one thousand missions to play, dozens of ports to explore, and the entire Caribbean as their domain, players will find an online experience like no other.

Virtual buccaneers can engage in fierce ship-to-ship combat in real time, complete with the roar of cannon fire and the crunch of timber as masts and hulls are shattered, sending foes to the bottom of the briny deep or leaving them helpless and ripe for looting. Pirate games aren't complete without the clashing of swords and Pirates of the Burning Sea delivers with three swashbuckling styles, from the deadly and formal Fencing, to the flashy dual-wielding Florentine, or the rowdy and treacherous Dirty Fighting. The combat system is fast and fluid with awesome swordplay and powerful finishing moves.

Pirates of the Burning Sea also features an economy completely run by players, who build their own empires across the Caribbean. Build your own forges, quarries, and rum distilleries and manage large-scale production and distribution in a cutthroat world of gold and galleons where profits are the dream and desperate measures the reality.

The game's Conquest system turns any port into a battleground, as rival players rack up points through PvE (Player vs. Environment) missions and combat culminating in a period of intense PvP (Player vs. Player) gameplay to determine who takes the port — and the valuable resources it provides for economic gameplay. If you want the cannons, you have to capture the iron, making the Conquest system something that impacts the career of every single player.

"Platform Publishing and SOE possess a level of expertise and success in sales, marketing and distribution that makes them the perfect co-publisher for Pirates of the Burning Sea," said Russell Williams, CEO, Flying Lab Software LLC. "This relationship will allow us their world-class expertise in marketing, distribution, and billing so we can focus on developing an amazing swashbuckling adventure for the pirate in all of us — and building a community of players who will live that life for years to come."

Pirates with be published in partnership with SOE's Platform Publishing, which allows Flying Lab to keep control over development, the community, support (thank god) and server operations, while SOE handles billing, the game launcher, retail distribution, localization and marketing. I could have just cut and paste that lot from the Pirates community site, but you know I love typing for you people.

Basically it comes down to this. Flying Lab keeps creative control of the game, period. They don't need SOE to approve their content. Once again, thank God.

For SOE this means they'll have a game worth playing on their hands, which hasn't happened for awhile.

For those of you interested in the Pirates of the Burning Sea beta, they're going to start running the brand new build through its paces in the next twenty-four hours, and after a few weeks testing they will literally open the floodgates, so if you haven't yet, now would be a great time to sign up for beta.

There'll be officially stuffy press releases tomorrow, but for now, head over to the PotBS community pages and read more. Michael Fahey

Time for an update!! [Pirates of the Burning Sea]