Pirates Ahoy!: Pirates Ahoy! News

Sorry I've been away guys, my laptop got stolen on Thursday (along with my passport and I was due to fly to Australia on Saturday..... )

Now back to the news, I have got in contact with Kalypso regarding a Q&A with the Patrician 4 head honcho, Daniel Dumont and that have agreed

So if any of you would like to ask a question please put it in a reply.

Here's and interesting tactic I don't think I have seen before, over at Pirates of the Burning Sea, Flying Lab Software is giving any former players 28 days to play the game for free! They are giving former players the ability try out some of the new additions and content added to the game in hopes of winning them back. So if you have ever been a subscriber, head on over and have a look around, if nothing else, at least you get the rest of the month of February to play around!

Quote

You can read the rest and find out more info HERE!

As a followup from Paradox's announcement of a new game by Nitro, Kim has made a post in the new official forum for Commander outlining some of the key gameplay aspects to expect.

Most of it sounds like a cardboard cutout of SM's Colonization, that's not necessarily a bad thing. It does however look like that have expanded greatly from the gameplay of EIC which was an area of great concern to may players which is good news.

In another post from a person who actually saw a demo while at the expo they mentioned that the naval battles are that same "tactical" view.

Anyway another Age of Sail game, so all is good

Oh, and we have some box art aswell.

I picked this up from a post made by Frigger in the official EIC forum (HERE). As many of us are fans of the series, especially me, it was quite nice to see an interview with the lead designer of P4 Daniel Dumont. The article is in German but the link HERE is with the mighty google translation.

The interview is short and does not give alot of insight into what to expect, nor a date (Rumored to be around July). The one feature however that does get mentioned is the transition to 3D which is something most people would have expected.

I might actually try and see if we can get an interview with Daniel to asked a few more pointy end questions sometime in the near future.

Small Note, the Release Dates area has been updated to include both Pat4 as well as Nitro's new Commander game.

Thanks to bumpkin and his forum post HERE, it looks like we have a new naval combat and trading game to look forward to! I missed this one completely when it was announced last week!



Over at IGN, they have a full preview, including the video!

Quote

You can read the full preview HERE!

On this day in 1624, Sir Thomas Warner founds the first British colony in the Caribbean, on the island of Saint Kitts.

Quote

You can read more about St Kitts HERE, and more about Thomas Warner HERE!

This is not the kind of story I usually post on the main page, but Odyssey Marine Exploration is not your typical salvage company! Last year they discovered the wreck of the HMS Victory, not the one made famous by Admiral Nelson at the Battle of Trafalgar, the other one! In 1990-91 they salvaged artifacts from a wreck that is likely the remains of the Nuestra Senora de la Consolacion, one of the Spanish vessels sailing with the 1622 Tierra Firme treasure fleet bound for Spain loaded with the wealth of the New World. They are also featured on The Discovery Channel television series "Treasure Quest," the second season of which is currently in production.

Quote

You can read the rest of the story and find out more about Odyssey Marine Exploration and the wrecks they have discovered HERE!

Not much happening pirate wise this week. Somali pirates are once again threatening to kill Paul and Rachel Chandler, who were captured on Oct. 23 as they sailed their yacht from the Seychelles towards Tanzania. Reached by satellite phone, one of the pirates holding the couple is quoted as saying "We die first before they get freed,". Apparently there was a rescue operation in the works by the Special Boat Service to rescue the couple, but it was "bungled" before it could reach them because of technical problems. Also, there are reports of ongoing negotiations to free two other vessels held by Somali pirates. The bulk carrier the St. James Park, carrying a crew of 26, and the Asian Glory, a car transporter with a crew of eight. Both vessels sail under a British flag, and are owned by Ofer Brothers company Zodiac Maritime Agencies of Israel. There are no Israelis among their crews. The pirates currently hold at least ten ships and 228 seamen.

There is a little more action on the ICC report this week, but nothing major :

Quote

On this day in 1865, CSS Shenandoah arrives in Melbourne, Australia. With the recent introduction of an experimental steam ship into New Horizons, I thought you might like to see just what one of these could do!

Quote

You can read the full story of the CSS Shenandoah HERE!

Frogster Interactive have released a huge new expansion pack for Bounty Bay Online. Personally, I have never played this game, but they do seem to update it quite a bit. The new expansion sounds like it has some pretty cool stuff! It features six new cities on the shores of North and South America, five new character classes, merchant alliances, and a new ranking system. It also features a new wedding system, new wardrobe/clothes sets, several new mini-games, over 40 new main quests and several new pets. The new expansion pack is called “Beyond the Horizon”, sounds vaguely familiar doesn't it?

Quote

You can read the full press release on GamersHell HERE!

After several years of development, and the hard work and dedication of our fantastic modding team, the Pirates Ahoy community is proud to announce New Horizons : Build 14 Beta 1!!!

New Horizons has been in development ever since the release of Build 13 in early 2007. We have come a long way since then, adding much new content and many new features. Some of which were thought to be impossible to achieve, even by the original game developers themselves! While some of these features have been around since the first early stages of Build 14, there have been many new enhancements and additions in just the last couple of months.

For the first time, the Build is also being released with PDF documentation, that's right, we have our own full blown set of manuals! The main game manual gives you a bit of history of the Build Mod, and a brief history on piracy, and also shows you how to play the game in a very unique way! There is also a manual with as much of the build history as we could dig up, and a full set of coding tutorials that will help teach you how the builds have been put together. And there is a Ship Recognition guide that will help you more easily identify ships and give you an idea of what each ship is capable of from much more than just a statistical point of view!

There have been several additions to both game play and content over previous builds, and you will find the Caribbean to be much more vibrant and alive than it ever has been before! A few of the more recent additions include :

Build 14 Beta 1:
- New Horizons Manual document by Thagarr and Snow White Sorrow
- New Horizons Tutorials & History document by Thagarr
- Willemstad Builders' Trials by Snow White Sorrow
  . REALISTIC GAME MODE ON BY DEFAULT!!!
  . All ships' maneuvering characteristics and stats historically re-tuned and     balanced
  . Ship types renamed and waterline values amended
  . In Realistic Game Mode, inertia becomes important
  . In Realistic Game Mode, now counter-rudder is required
  . More information in "Documentation\New Horizons Ship Recognition Guide.pdf"
  . Based on advice by Morgan Terror, Rum Runner, Bumpkin and Captain Maggee
- Code updates:
  . Animated Interface changed to Dynamic Interface by Pieter Boelen
  . Dynamic Interface contains transparent itemsbox interface and additional explanation texts on item icons
  . Wind direction log message only shown if you've got a compass equipped byPieter Boelen
  . Ship Upgrades descriptions updated by Snow White Sorrow
  . DirectSail random ship event distances increased by Snow White Sorrow
  . Kraken Attack code updated by Pieter Boelen
  . Bronze cannons and chasers prices and balancing fixed by Snow White Sorrow
  . Four new special sail types added for Spain and Portugal and Sea Shepherds by Snow White Sorrow
  . Fire On Ship icon updated by SuperDurnius, code by Pirate_KK
  . Hendrick Vanderdecken set to always present by Pieter Boelen
  . Antigua regulating captain dialog crash fixed by Pieter Boelen
  . Constitution walk file fixed by Snow White Sorrow
  . Cannonball damage retuned by Snow White Sorrow
  . Brown Interface Questbook interface updated by Snow White Sorrow and Thagarr
  . Martinique town loading screens replaced by Pieter Boelen
- Quest updates:
  . Assassin storyline various fixes by Bartolomeu o Portugues
  . Bartolomeu o Portugues storyline various fixes by Bartolomeu o Portugues
  . Jack Sparrow storyline various fixes by Captain Maggee
- Model updates:
  . Two steam ships added, based on ZarethPL's USS Constitution
  . Model modifications by SuperChango, particle code by Pieter Boelen and particle effects and support by Snow White Sorrow
  . New Black Pearl model by Kazeite and ZarethPL
  . British texture of ZarethPL's USS Constitution model by KroKoDyl
  . French texture of ZarethPL's USS Constitution model by Snow White Sorrow
  . Spanish Battle Galleon model by SuperChango, texture and support by Snow White Sorrow
  . Kraken tentacle models added to the Kraken Attack by Iron Roger Flint
  . Hornblower storyline character models by Short Jack Gold
  . Deck location lighting files made by Screwface
  . English (Elizabethian) Galleon 1st person walk patch fixed by SuperChango
Build 14 Alpha 10 Patch 1:
- Code updates:
  . Profile and Save Bugs fixed by Screwface
  . Current load of cannonballs is no longer lost upon Save/Load at sea by Screwface
  . "Guns Ready" sounds fixed by Pirate_KK and Pieter Boelen
  . Deck texture directory use disabled for boardings (Black Pearl boarding missing texture fix) by Pieter Boelen
  . No surrendered ships in ports by Screwface
  . In Realistic Game Mode, spyglass does tell you ship's name for nearby ships by Screwface
  . Realistic Game Mode 'Fast Travel' disabled in Kralendijk too by Screwface
  . Realistic Game Mode removes 'list of ships' log messages upon entering 3D sailing mode at an island
  . War_Pinnace (HMS Indefatigable) now limited to England only by Pieter Boelen
  . Brown Interface 'Hire Crew' interface small fix by Pieter Boelen
- Quest updates:
  . Zaid Murro and Vigila Mendes moved to Standard storyline only by Pieter Boelen
  . LaCroix storyline slight fixes by Thomas the Terror
  . Standard storyline attempted fix for Silehard not appearing in his bedroom at night by Captain Maggee
  . Standard storyline various fixes by Captain Maggee
- Jack Sparrow Quest Updates by Captain Maggee:
  . EITC Office errors fixed
  . Cutler Beckett 'making profit' money values fixed
  . Maykin Blundas leaving during dialog fixed
  . Sao Feng sidequest fixed
  . Anabella Brin Nevis island mention in dialog fixed
  . Attempted for for Cutler Beckett not appearing on the dockside after the escort quest
  . Annamaria appearance fixed
- Model updates:
  . Alternate Assassin storyline character model in "Assassin's Creed" style available from F2>Character menu by Damski62 and Bartolomeu o Portugues

Download Links :
New Horizons Build 14 Beta 1 Full : http://forum.pirates...14-beta-1-full/

New Horizons Build 14 Beta 1 Light : http://forum.pirates...4-beta-1-light/


Full Version Installation Instructions
This file is readily compatible with the stock game.

To install, please follow these instructions:
1 - Install Build 14 Beta 1 Full, following the instructions in the installer and allow it to run RunMe.bat
2 - OPTIONAL: Tweak the controls and the game's settings to your liking in the Options menu
3 - Start a new game, select a storyline and ENJOY!



New Horizons Beta 1 Light Version Installation Instructions
This file is to be installed on top of Build 14 Alpha 10.
GET THE FULL VERSION IF YOU CAN!

To install, please follow these instructions:
1 - Install Build 14 Alpha 10 (if you haven't done so already)
2 - Install Beta 1 Light, following the instructions in the installer and allow it to run RunMe.bat
3 - OPTIONAL: Tweak the controls and the game's settings to your liking in the Options menu
4 - Start a new game, select a storyline and ENJOY!

We have also added a little extra that may help improve the games graphics on some computers, these are not selected by default during the install. Currently we recommend that you don't select either of these options during installation, please download them separately!

The Swiftshader is intended as a fix for mobile Intel graphics cards ONLY! Do not install it if you are not using an Intel mobile graphics adapter!

ENB Improved Graphics was originally developed by Vorontsov Boris for another game, but has been reworked by one of our PiratesAhoy! Community members to work for this game.
It is possible to change the default settings further, though lots of care has been put into achieving the best settings for this particular game. Refer to the accompanying ReadMe files.
You can download ENB HERE!


Again, this IS A BETA! Please keep that in mind while playing and SAVE OFTEN! If you run in to problems or spot bugs, please see the New Horizons Beta support thread HERE!

While not directly pirate related I know many of you guys are fans of the Silent Hunter series. OP had a link about this on the other forum & Neal from subsim.com has also emailed me about an interview they have had with the dev team.

Haiti devastated by massive earthquake

BBC news Wednesday, 13 January 2010

A massive 7.0-magnitude earthquake has struck the Caribbean nation of Haiti.

The extent of the devastation is still unclear but there are fears thousands of people may have died.

Haiti's worst quake in two centuries hit south of the capital Port-au-Prince on Tuesday, wrecking the presidential palace, UN HQ and other buildings.

A "large number" of UN personnel were reported missing by the organisation. Many people have spent the night outside amid fears of more aftershocks.

The Red Cross says up to three million people have been affected.

Describing the earthquake as a "catastrophe", Haiti's envoy to the US said the cost of the damage could run into billions.

A number of nations, including the US, UK and Venezuela, are gearing up to send aid.

The quake, which struck about 15km (10 miles) south-west of Port-au-Prince, was quickly followed by two strong aftershocks of 5.9 and 5.5 magnitude.

The tremor hit at 1653 (2153 GMT) on Tuesday, the US Geological Survey said. Phone lines to the country failed shortly afterwards.

There is still no official word on casualties and the extent of the devastation is only now becoming clearer with dawn breaking.

China has already indicated in reports in state media that eight of its peacekeepers are buried and feared dead, with another 10 unaccounted for.

The AFP news agency quoted the Jordanian army as saying three of its peacekeepers had been killed and 21 wounded.

The Brazilian army said four of its peacekeepers were killed and a large number were missing.

A French official told AFP about 200 people were missing in the collapsed Hotel Montana, which is popular with tourists.

There have also been some reports of looting overnight.

Rachmani Domersant, an operations manager with the Food for the Poor charity, told Reuters that overnight the capital was in total darkness.

"You have thousands of people sitting in the streets with nowhere to go. There are people running, crying, screaming.

"People are trying to dig victims out with flashlights. I think hundreds of casualties would be a serious understatement."

Earlier, bodies white with dust could be seen piled on the back of a pick-up truck as vehicles tried to ferry the injured to hospital.

Haiti is the poorest country in the western hemisphere and has suffered a number of recent disasters, including four hurricanes and storms in 2008 that killed hundreds.







These news are almost 6 days old. The extenct of this disaster is now getting clearer. With each day passed, the numbers of deaths caused by earthquake are increasing. On radio today I heard: “70 000. More are expected”. What I was surprised of is that nobody mentioned about the disaster here at PA! As a community who is about modding games that are settled around Caribbean, WE SHOULD CARE! They need water, food, medicaments, medical treatment, shelter.

Therefore I call for every member here on PA! to help support the Haitian people by donating to any of these organizations at their sites:

http://www.supportun...OALpE&b=1023561 Unicef;

http://www.icrc.org/eng International Commitee of Red Cross;

https://www.wfp.org/donate/haiti World Food Programme;

http://www.savethechildren.org Save The Children;

http://worldrelief.o...e.aspx?pid=2364 World Relief;

http://www.worldvision.org World Vision;

and any other thrustworthy sites.
You can also donate to special foundations (created by your authorities) at your own country.

Mété Main (In Haiti this would mean “lend a hand”)

Thank you for your support

Iron Roger Flint

It's been a slow week for piracy, but there have been a couple of interesting things going on. The Greek oil tanker that Somali pirates captured back in November was released after a record ransom payment of $5.5 million, quite a haul! At least some rivals in the area where the ship was being held sure thought so, as they tried to intercept the ransom drop and got into a gun fight with pirates ashore in the area. You can read more about it in my Pirate News thread HERE!

Also, over at Maritime Global Net, David Hughes has a pretty good write up about some very recent comments made by the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS)Chairman, Spyros M Polemi. Rightfully, Mr Polemi is a bit frustrated at the way things are being handled in the Indian ocean region :

Quote

You can read the full story HERE!

The ICC's piracy report so far this week is rather small, only one incident :

Quote

As always, you can find the ICC's Live Piracy Report and maps HERE!

Big day in the chronicles of piracy today as on this day back in 1671 Henry Morgan captured Panama from the Spanish.

For what would seem to be a great achievement, Henry had only beaten some local militia, got bugger all of the loot and then got shafted by the people whose very interests he was looking after. Not a good day at the office.... In fairness he got off of the charge and ended up doing pretty well for himself. Read all about it HERE