Server!? I barely know her!

 Server!? I barely know her!



Ahoy!

    It's been bumpy lately for the Sky Pirates team. Russ has been fighting server issues for so long that we don't recall when it began. We had always planned on moving to a hosted server, though we'd hoped it would be because we had so many people playing that the old PC-turned-server was turning into a pile of molten silicon.

    Last week, despite several hours on hold, replacing all hardware involved, and excessive swearing, begging, and praying, we finally bit the bullet and found a server provider.


    This, of course, wasn't the end of it. We were able to get our service migrated and back up on Friday, watch it crash Saturday, and cause a mind-numbing set of headaches on Sunday. Now, while we will not be able to physically punish our server…


...hit me harder...



…this should be a much more sustainable long-term solution.


    During this time, we've also been reviewing our puzzles and how they work with the ship. Russ has been banging on about how the puzzles should have a more direct effect on the ship, but it's been difficult to wrap our heads around it in a functional way. After several sit-downs and a lot of brainstorming, we were able to come up with a few new solutions. 


    First of all, we wanted the ship captain to have a lot more control over their ship, making it feel much more like flying a ship, instead of plotting a course. This will also make the battles and the world as a whole feel less static. 

    Rounds will be dramatically faster with only a few seconds between, and you`ll have to quickly make decisions with the options in front of you during battles. Those cards will now come much faster, as will opportunities to fire or dodge. With some luck and good timing, you`ll be able to hit targets right as they are passing by!

    Our next update to the demo will also, for PC, switch to a live view of the ship, allowing you to view the Navigation puzzle as not just a 2D set-piece board, but as a live environment. This helps give situational awareness, and also means someone can appreciate all my islands and clouds :) 


    With this overall faster pace, it will mean that puzzles like Windcatcher, Hydronautics, and the repair puzzles will also undergo changes.


    Windcatcher will generate movement cards not by maintaining a rating over time, but with goal and board completions as well. Each goal cleared, as well as each board cleared, will generate ship movement cards. These go right into the pile that the captain draws from to control the ship. There will be a stock of cards, but the variety and quality go up with how well the players are doing.


    Hydronautics will have a slightly different function. Instead of locking move positions on the captain board, they now add to how many cards the captain draws each round. This creates a bigger pool for the captain to choose from, as well as higher chances every round of better cards. 

Beware though! A high-performing hydronautics team and a poor team on sails may burn out all the cards quickly. 


    The repair puzzles will also have an overhaul of the process. Instead of a steady rate of repair, players will be making repair patches! Each board will have a number of repair patches you can create from it, and at the end of the board, you will be able to select other stations to patch up. As the ship takes damage, each type of station will take battle damage, impacting their ability to play well. Repairing them using your earned patches will repair the board and heal the ship at the same time! Nice right!?


    


    Rest assured, if you have already been practicing your skills at the current puzzles, you`ll do just fine with these changes!


    We will also be creating a player inventory with items (no coinage just yet). These will be representative of clothing, trinkets, badges, and other things that will allow your character to have access to power-ups. Afraid not everyone will have every power-up at their disposal unless you’re in training mode!



    You will be able to swap out from your inventory of items, and you`ll have sets you put together with your favorite powerups and bonuses! More powerful powerups will be rarer, and you can only fit so many pairs of boots on (one, let's be clear, ONE pair of footwear). 


    When our next demo day comes along, we may even have a little challenge or two to earn a few before your first battle!


    
Join us below and don't forget to wishlist!

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