Pirates!
GT: How would you classify Pirates? Is it a strategy game, a sim, an action/adventure…?
Firaxis: Pirates! is a game of many genres. Pirates! is a game that
really can’t be pigeon-holed to a specific genre because it’s a unique blend of
action-adventure, strategy and role-playing that allows players to tell their
own swashbuckling adventure!
GT: How did you approach designing the new Pirates game? Did you want to produce a modern version of the original game or create a new game entirely?
Firaxis: Our goal has been to stay true to what people most love about
the original Pirates! while upgrading, enhancing, and in some cases,
re-inventing the game to make it a great experience for today’s gamers. With the
3D engine we’ve created a gorgeous world full of interesting places to visit and
characters to meet. We’ve added new story elements and quests, upgraded dueling,
land battles and ship battles to give the player more options and control, and
added new action sequences like dancing and sneaking in and out of towns. Our
hope is to deliver an incredibly fun and compelling game that will give the fans
more than what they’ve been waiting for, and show a whole new generation of
gamers how much fun it is to live the life of a pirate!
GT: Are there features or aspects of gameplay that will appear in the new game that were originally conceived of for the original game, but that had to be left of it due to the technical limitations of the time?
Firaxis: Well, most importantly we’ve been able to create a living, 3D
environment that brings the world of Pirates! to life like never before. In
addition, we did get a chance to revisit and overhaul our approach to land
battles. Pirates! now come in several varieties (Buccaneers carry guns for
ranged combat instead of the cutlasses favored by regular Pirates) and defenses
now include cavalry and mobile cannon, along with the usual infantry. Things
like height advantages, tree cover and morale will impact the battles. If
successful in a land battle you’ll be able to conquer and install a new
governor.
GT: So you’ve just begun your life as a pirate. What happens next?
Firaxis: In Pirates! you take the leading role of a Pirate Captain in the 17th century Caribbean amassing fortune and fame in an attempt to seize your rightful place as one of the most revered (and feared!) pirates in history. Easily the greatest feature of Pirates! is that the player is always in control and able to make lots of interesting decisions throughout the game. The game is centered on the life of a pirate or, rather, the swashbuckling life of a movie pirate, blending action, adventure, strategy and role playing into one game. Our intent is to use action sequences as they are used in movies, to tie together story segments in a fun and interesting way. As in the original game, you will be able to choose your allegiance and switch it at any time to better suit your situation. Now, however, you will also be able to influence economic and political conditions both locally and for the entire region.
