Up for a good game? « 38 Pitches

Up for a good game?

Jan 10th, 2008 by Curt Schilling

I am stepping out on the limb, but I don’t think I’m stepping out too far. Just back from CES and I’ll try and do a wrap up at some point, but I wanted to throw some kudos to the guys at Flying Labs.

I am arguably the last person on the planet to think Pirates and that whole genre are cool, but from my first 30 or so minutes of exposure to

http://www.burningsea.com/page/home I can’t say enough good things about it.

First off the folks at FL are incredibly passionate about the product and that comes through in the first 10 seconds of conversation, but the game is visually stunning, and my exposure to it had me installing it and getting ready to log in and play as soon as I got back.

I can’t vouch for the game play after the initial stuff I saw but I am going to bet it’s going to be a hell of a lot of fun. Partners, competitors, whatever, I love seeing cool passionate people make great games and I think this is going to be a great one.

I’m interested to hear what people that are playing think and those that check it out as well.

Posted in 38 Studios, Games, General, Websites

40 Responses to “Up for a good game?”

on 10 Jan 2008 at 9:36 am1 geoffmanning

I’m not much of a gamer, but I am looking forward to your wrap-up of CES. Hope the off-season is treating you well.
on 10 Jan 2008 at 10:05 am2 natefrancis

Hmmm.

I have the beta all downloaded, but never actually logged in to play, heh. Which is strange - I became a huge “Sid Meier’s Pirates!” fan in ‘87 (when I played it on a monochrome Apple IIE, heh), and I still play it to this day. The revamped Pirates! launched by Firaxis a few years back still enthralls me. For some reason, though, I just haven’t been able to get excited for this title.

Maybe it’s my Warhammer Online obssession, I dunno.

I’ll load it up tonight, I guess, and post back. It’s still in Open Beta, right? Not released yet?
on 10 Jan 2008 at 10:07 am3 cyanbane

I didn’t dig the amount of instancing.
on 10 Jan 2008 at 10:10 am4 saladinyussuf

hey glad to hear that you enjoyed the game. while i myself am not a huge fan of that genre, i did have the pleasure of playing the game in beta and wowiewow wow. GREAT game, deep, immursive, good economic structure and pvp system. good guild system, too. crafting is rich and detailed…not to mention no griding of items and everything is useful. can i get a hells yeah?

anyway im glad to see that youre delving deeper into the game world, and staring your own MMO. i,m going to be looking forward to see what it is your company is up to. i think its great that you’re following one of your other passions and starting the company….i think thats a dream many of us gamers have anyway, just thought id drop a line. if youre ever looking for a mature group of adults to play with, check out sghq.com.

_saladin
on 10 Jan 2008 at 10:10 am5 jjccb

Thanks for the link! I am a certifiable geek, so I’m always looking for new games like this. I think I’m going to look into this one.
on 10 Jan 2008 at 10:46 am6 Daniel @ Garanhuns

Add me to that list, I get my jollies and giggles from that game. In fact, when I was a kid, after a ride on Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean dreamed of being a pirate when I grew up.
on 10 Jan 2008 at 12:01 pm7 atlsoxfan1964

Curt,

I sent an email to your 38Studios team. I have a game idea that is out of this world. In fact, a premier Trading Card company has invited me to meet with them at the end of this month to discuss my concept. If all goes well, then the point will be mute. If they do not run with it, I’d like to speak with someone at 38 to intro this concept to your Product Development Team.

This is a killer idea. If you can get me to a person at 38 who I could speak with I would appreciate it.

DAK
on 10 Jan 2008 at 1:44 pm8 jeepster5271

FOR THE HORDE!!!

World of Warcraft of course. Actually I have alts in a really great pirate themed guild on the Shadow Council realm…so no, you’re not the only that thinks pirates are cool.
on 10 Jan 2008 at 3:02 pm9 bugmn

So you haven’t played it and don’t even like the genre. Basically you’re just telling us that you heard a great sales pitch….
on 10 Jan 2008 at 3:35 pm10 solas99

Curt, please check out the website

http://www.andrewolmsted.com

It was a blog written by a major in Iraq who was recently killed in action. He had the forethought to write a letter to be posted in the event of his death. It’s sad but amazing stuff.

thanks for 2004, 2007 and all of your charitable endeavors.
on 10 Jan 2008 at 3:41 pm11 spoodini

Man I would love to try it out but my schedule for a college student is pretty hectic. I am excited about your company and the MMO you plan to put out and know I will definitely try that out when you guys finish it up.

If I have time this weekend I’ll try the Pirates game and let you know. Well make that Saturday since I’m in the PacNW and will actually get to watch a Pats game! Man, I miss New England
on 10 Jan 2008 at 3:58 pm12 genxvoice

Great game. I’m sure they’ll polish it up more in the upcoming months. Thanks for the link!
on 10 Jan 2008 at 4:28 pm13 nyoung44

Curt (and all other blog readers),

I know you are a busy man, but if you have a chance, please check out Ribbons For Jaiden, located at jaident.blogspot.com. This is a blog established for a very special young girl in Milford, NH, who is now at Children’s Hospital in Boston because of an accident that she had with a snowblower right before Christmas. Many folks in town have gotten together and they are planning on having a few fundraisers for her in the near future, and anything you could do, (contribute, raise awareness, talk about it on your blog, let other people you know who may be able to help this young girl, etc.) would be greatly appreciated. The people in this town have really come together because of this young girl who is fighting for her life, and its great to see the human spirit come alive, as it has recently here in Milford.

I know, as do most people who know of you and your family, that you contribute to many things and this is just some anonymous person asking you to take your time and help a young girl in need of a lot of help and prayer. If you can assist, that would be wonderful, but if you can’t I understand. I’m just trying to spread the word about Jaiden and her situation to help her the best that I can. Thank you very much for you time.
on 10 Jan 2008 at 5:08 pm14 justagirlinboston

While I’m proudly a “guys girl” - a gamer, I am not.
But the screenshots look stunning. I never ceased to be amazed by the unbelievable talent that is out there in the design world.

You must be pretty psyched about your candidate’s placement in NH…
on 10 Jan 2008 at 6:03 pm15 shmeags1

Great game from what I can see, Curt did you ever play UO?
on 10 Jan 2008 at 8:10 pm16 64kismet

Curt Schilling, a gamer?
Who would have thunk it?
Just don’t forget about that incentive clause for loosing weight in your new contract! How about some more active gaming, like basketball? Just kidding, Curt. Have a great final year with the BoSox, we love you!
on 10 Jan 2008 at 9:23 pm17 riyno

I just can’t do the whole “pirate thing”. I just ended a 2 year EVE career. And tbh the last 6 months of it was worthless, just kept playing because there was nothing else to play. I’m an mmo addict with an understanding wife. Although I haven’t seen her around for a few months lol.
But it’s good to see someone who is passonate about mmos making one, instead of a bunch of non gaming deep pockets doing it.
on 11 Jan 2008 at 12:29 am18 dcinsidekorea

Though I don’t start your game, I expect your game.

Hi, I am your Korean fan. I want your reply.

Thanks!
on 11 Jan 2008 at 2:46 am19 sasukei

Heya. Curt. I am an avid EQ2 player and a current Vanguard:Saga of Heroes player. I also play some GuildWars from time to time.

Have you tried of Vanguard yet? The world is huge just like a MMO should be.
on 11 Jan 2008 at 7:02 am20 rkulman

Any thought of designing a MMOG for kids to help them problem solve and use judgement, We are working on helping parents use kids video game experience to help them in setting goals and working cooperatively. MMOGs are a great vehicle for that. A sports-based game would be ideal.
Our website is in its infancy, up for about 2 months, just introducing a section on MMOGs.
on 11 Jan 2008 at 9:28 am21 mtrink413

I talk to some people who were in the beta for that game, and were VERy excited about it. And they said the game play was really not all that great. it’s to bad. There are so many games being made that have such promise and then they fall flat in a few key areas.
on 11 Jan 2008 at 10:38 am22 shortwave

I’ve tried these massive role players before and quickly became bored.

This seems like one I might get into big time. I have had the same experience as nate did with Meier’s “Pirates” and the PC versions of same - enjoyed them without reservation.

I’ve pre ordered it - now we’ll see what happens.

Thanks for the heads up.
on 11 Jan 2008 at 11:03 am23 varrius

I’m not a big pirate nut either, but I’d probably be game to check it out if it wasn’t for SOE. Hopefully your MMO will have no ties whatsoever to SOE?
on 11 Jan 2008 at 3:56 pm24 jlo73

“two-time” world series champ…? They must be Red Sox fans to think the one in 2001 doesn’t count eh?
on 11 Jan 2008 at 4:15 pm25 yorick5

Quote from the site:

“Two-time World Series champion Curt Schilling blogged about his time with Pirates of the Burning Sea at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show!”

Anyone other than me see something wrong with this quote? lol
on 11 Jan 2008 at 4:17 pm26 soxwin28

YAY Mirabelli’s back!!!!
on 11 Jan 2008 at 4:27 pm27 rmazin

I’ve been beta testing for a few months now. Here is my summary:

The game is pretty repetitive.
The ship to ship battle is pretty fun but gets old fairly quick.
Graphics are good but not groundbreaking
Land exploration and avatar combat is pretty limited and way to linear for my taste.
The game does have potential.

If you liked PoTBS try out Voyage Century. It’s a free Korean developed game that is very similar to PoTBS but has been around for a few years already. Graphics in VC are not as good as POTBS.

Keep your eye on Stargate Worlds based on the movie and sci-fi series. This one looks promising.
on 11 Jan 2008 at 9:58 pm28 theillien

I was told about this game about two or so years ago when it was still under early development. A guy I work with was hoping they would look into hosting at the data center I work at. Sadly, from what I’ve been told, this is not the case and they instead went with Sony Online Entertainment.

As a person that played Star Wars Galaxies and experienced it’s utter failure at the hands of SOE I have to implore anyone that might consider this game to think otherwise. One also only has to look up the various complaints regarding most SOE games to realize that this one is now doomed to failure. It’s a shame, I was interested in trying this one out.
on 11 Jan 2008 at 11:11 pm29 jb3838

Mr. Schilling:

I know this question has been pondered and talked about, however I would like to know what your solution is for Performance enhancing sustances. I have just finished reading the Mitchell Report, as well as Mr. Jeff Kent’s thought on taking blood and freezing now and finding out later who is clean based on future tests.

I have been a life long baseball fan, and an admirer of many careers. This cheating subject has hurt my heart and taken some zesto out of my love for the game. I still follow closely, but much ambiguity surrounds the subject. If it isn’t to much to ask, please expound upon what you think is the best way forward. Thank you!
on 12 Jan 2008 at 1:12 am30 morineko

So you don’t like pirates? Either you’re supporting ninjas or you’re one of those people who watched Pirates of the Caribbean and were pointing out all the naval errors. Navy > Pirates.

Is this based on that board-type game where the ships come in packs of cards and you have to assemble them yourself? I liked that game, but the ships are a pain to assemble (it’s always great to have bits of ship go flying across the room and the dog eating them. Also, I have very small hands and if I can’t put the things together, what’s with the 8 and up? Anyway.)

Won’t run on this POS PC of mine, though. (Am so, so not a computer gamer. P&P forever!)
on 12 Jan 2008 at 6:37 pm31 mikejacobsesq

Schill, the question on everyone’s mind is……how is the off-season conditioning program going? Are you going to hit your weight limits? Maybe President McCain will put you as head of his Department of Fitness.
on 12 Jan 2008 at 7:13 pm32 TheNorEaster

Curt:

The people on that Pirate site were wrong–You are a THREE time World Series Champion.

Once when the D’Backs beat the Yankees in 2001.

And, well, TWICE with The Red Sox!!

(Gee, I never get tired of saying that!!!)

Happy New Year!

thenoreaster.wordpress.com
on 13 Jan 2008 at 12:01 am33 icky0

Been waiting for this game to come out for a loooong time now. Can`t wait till the 21st! Will probably keep my WoW account active for my fantasy fix, but like others I`m a big Sid Meyer`s Pirates! and Port Royale fan, and can`t wait to get into some broadsides action.
on 13 Jan 2008 at 8:00 am34 theillien

The Monkey Island series. Now THERE were some good pirating games
on 13 Jan 2008 at 3:00 pm35 denisesoxfan

Hey Curt! Checked out the Pirates game but apparently, I am not a gamer. BUT…how about McCain’s commercial at Christmas time when he told the story of being a POW and the soldier loosened his bonds, then came the next day and drew a cross in the dirt - POWERFUL!
AND….Mirabelli’s back!!!!!!! Is that awesome or what!
When do pitchers and catchers report to spring training? Good grief, we need some baseball!
Take care, Curt -
Denise
on 14 Jan 2008 at 11:23 am36 jsnock

The main things I love about PotBS are the economy and the conquest system.

The economy is fairly deep, but not as immense as say EvE. There is zero grind to the economy, it’s all based on organization and efficiency.

The conquest system involves fighting for control of the carribean by taking over ports. You kill NPCs and players near a nations port to create unrest which ultimately can end up in a final battle which is 25vs25. I can’t wait for release on 1/22. The game is currently in ‘pre-boarding’ which is 2 weeks of playing before live with a level cap of 21, mainly to get the economy established before the unwashed masses roll in.

Snok Perez - Spanish Privateer - Antigua Sever
Sturmgrenadier
on 17 Jan 2008 at 9:42 pm37 sigtaulefty

I’ve known you to be a gamer for a while now. It’s interesting that a major leaguer would take to board games. Do you game online during the season? The only convention I go to is WBC in August, but I’d like to challenge you to an online game.

I play Tikal on spielbyweb —
my SBW user handle is lefty
my BGG user is sigtaulefty

Full disclosure, I am a Yankees fan but I can put aside the fact that you play in boston to knock you around the Tikal board.
on 19 Jan 2008 at 4:22 am38 rptravis

Saw your CES video from tentonhammer. Great interview i’m excited about the mmo your developing. You’ve assembled a very talented, passionate, and experianced team and I expect great things from 38 Studios. Maybe i’m biased though since i’m from MA and am a huge Red Sox fan!!!

Anyway, I’m a huge mmo gamer and always enjoy testing, bug reporting, and giving feedback on all upcoming mmos during their beta phases. I was looking into POTBS for years and was very excited about it. POTBS does have a lot of enjoyable aspects such as the naval combat, beautiful environments, and a deep crafting system However, after testing it out for a few weeks I have to be honest and say i’m disappointed in POTBS as a whole.

The main problem I have with POTBS is that it lacks the social interaction that all mmos should have. Everything, besides the port cities are instanced. All missions are instanced, so you’ll never see anyone out on the open seas. Even pvp is instanced. When a port becomes contested only 25 players are allowed to engage in the contested seaport battle. All the instancing really kills the games immersion and social aspect. In the end, it felt more like a single player game than a mmorpg.

Guess i’ll be sticking to Tabula Rasa until I get a chance to beta test Age of Conan. AOC looks fantastic and the visuals are amazing in full DX10 glory. Perhaps, it will even be a game that can push the beefed up specs you have on your alienware computers
on 26 Jan 2008 at 12:53 pm39 txrangerfan

I haven’t tried POTBS..yet, just dropped WOW after 3 years and picked up DDO, but the point of this blog is, you beat the Rangers too many times. I’ll get my revenge in Warhammer. The Rangers can’t get to the playoffs, but I’ll be happy to kill a Ranger killer on-line.

Rangers, 2008, I mean 2009. Umm, maybe 2010. Nevermind, lets go Cowboys!
on 28 Feb 2008 at 8:30 am40 rsnationtampa

POTBS was very dissapointing for me. I second with what “rptravis” posted above, except I don’t really care about social interaction except with my guild.

in a game i want:
mmoFPS - ww2online, fixed version. thats the only game that held me for 4.5 years.
i want REALITY or historic based weapons and vehicles, one shot kills etc… if say a tank was historically easy to kill with a side shot…then keep it that way, don’t make something into what it’s not. i wish some company would buy crs out or re-invent that thing. a game based in old world, ww1, ww2 or even a modern day battlefield with reality but has to be large scale would be great.

what i don’t care too much for is…
8v8, 16v16, 32v32…bunny hopping, instanced pvp, pve or optional pvp, leveling, anything to do with dungeons, lazers, 100’s of hits to kill something, instant med/health packs, unlimited spawns at the same location, aircraft in which dogfighting consists of doing circles, turning invisible, magical spells, grinding the same pve mob for hours, +whatever hit ratings, i could go on and on.
/rant off…i feel better now.