FTL-but-pirates roguelike Abandon Ship simply sailed over the sting of its personal world. A giant replace has added sea forts and floating outposts to the game of excessive seas and low life, together with a bunch of different stuff. There are new weapons, a much bigger crew dimension, commerce routes to raid, and the added hazard of being marked as “wanted”, resulting in bounty hunters being dispatched to chase you down. In different phrases, you’re going to be wanting on the world as an opportunity for loot. Developers Fireblade Software are calling it the “Perilous Bounty” replace, as a substitute of the “Pirate’s Eye Patch”. The fools.
You can see all the details on the official site. But the massive new factor are the ocean forts. These are huge stone barnacles of fury that stick out of the water on the world map and will hearth on you in the event you come into vary. If you get caught in a combat with one other ship whereas in vary of an enemy fort’s “Mega Mortar”, then it’ll rain down bombardments from off-screen in the midst of your scrap (and presumably your enemy too, relying on their allegiance). It’s so much just like the volcanoes which exist already, besides you may as well strategy these forts and take them on. To defeat them, it’s a must to disable that Mega Mortar not directly. And whereas they’re designed to be onerous to beat, you may as well “get in super-fast and finish the battle quickly” by boarding the fort with a powerful, well-armed crew, say the devs.
The forts received’t all the time be upset with you. There are impartial ones that solely hearth on you in the event you’ve been a naughty sailor. This is the place the brand new “wanted” ranges are available in. If you assault impartial forts or do a variety of “piratical acts” you’ll now begin to achieve consideration. Which means a brand new sort of enemy.
“Bounty Hunters will be dispatched to bring you to justice,” says Fireblade. “Depending on your notoriety, they may offer to collect the Bounty in money, or prefer to shoot first and ask questions later.”
There are additionally now commerce routes on the world map. Basically, these are lengthy dotted traces that weave throughout the water. Resting your ship on these delivery lanes and urgent a “raid” button will allow you to fill your maintain with ill-gotten coin, but additionally elevate your needed degree. However, nicer captains may need to chase different NPC pirate and cult ships away from the commerce routes, which lowers your needed degree. Like being a pleasant sea policeman.
The draw back to a lot avasting is that ports will now shut their harbours to any participant who wears too many eye patches. To make up for that, there at the moment are floating outposts the place you’ll be able to cease and relaxation in the event you’ve been deemed too unruly for well mannered society. These makeshift shelters aren’t as helpful as ports, however you’ll be able to repay your fines, increase morale, purchase provides and restore your hull.
There’s a good whack of different adjustments, together with a flame-throwing gargoyle you should use as a weapon, and anti-boarding spikes. Crewmates can have distinctive expertise, such because the Navigator, who now reduces an enemy ship’s accuracy so long as they’re on the steering wheel. The world map will even repopulate with baddies in the event you return from one space to a different, and the Kraken that hounds you thru your journey additionally has some slimy new strikes.
Bad information: previous save games received’t work with this new model. But in the event you’ve been lengthy gone from its shores that in all probability received’t matter. Alec complained a couple of lack of selection in his Abandon ship review, so this is perhaps simply the peg leg it wants. Previously it eased up on the harshness, adding save points and making it in order that your crewfolk didn’t croak it on the first signal of a cutlass. in the meantime, future plans embrace including a brand new area with its personal flavour of sea hassle. But we’ll have to attend to see extra of that. My guess is on “sewer level”.
