Recent reviews by Dat Scharger

Ahoy there!

tl;dr: If you like Sid Meier's Pirates!, dislike that Black Flag only lets you control one ship, think of Buccaneers! as being too short, are turned off by (F2P-)MMOs, and the whole Sea Dogs-franchise including mods (Yes, even Caribbean Legend) is too clunky and inaccessible to you - or just want a single player-Naval Action that's both more accessible and less grindy -, then Terror of the Seven Seas might the perfect pirate game for you!

If you absolutely need fully fleshed out boarding like in Black Flag and Sea Dogs, then you can stop reading because you won't find that here. It's just numbers going down.

Hoo boy, where to even begin?

What you get here is a solo-developed pirate game that thrusts you into the endless oceans of our very planet, with only a small vessel, a bit of cash, and some questionable intentions. Nothing tells you what to do, where you must go, and how you will achieve it. There's no set end goal. Will you amass riches as a trader? Discover Eldorado as a bold explorer? Plunder your way through the seas as a dreaded pirate?
Or become a conqueror that would make every famous warlord in history die again with envy?
You decide!

If you are already accustomed to classic pirate games like Sea Dogs and Pirates!, you should feel right at home. You still start in a sorry excuse for a ship, and fight and trade yourself up the ranks and riches until you finally find yourself behind the wheels of the mightiest vessels humanity has ever built. Yes, even including the obscure, but still legendary Duke of Kent. Take that, Skull & Boner!
With gained gold, you'll purchase new ships and upgrades, hire crew and new captains to increase your fleet, attack enemy ships and, finally, ports. And you do that until you have conquered the entire world for your faction.

Whatever you do, play the tutorial first. Because the game will throw many things at you, and some aren't self-explanatory.

Sailing itself is more on the arcade side, though it is still not on the level of speedboats. Wind won't stop you completely but drastically reduces your speed and turning. Outside combat, you can accelerate time in different steps - which is a godsend, because travelling from continent to continent takes a while.

Speaking of combat: prepare to die a lot as a newbie, even on "Easy". The AI is excellent at shooting and can reliably snipe you from large distances. Difficulty only affects their HP and firepower.

Graphics are... serviceable, I would say. The ship models are amazing, their wheels and rudders turn, and cannons are all animated, qualities which even Naval Action can't offer. The environments on the other hand are extremely basic at best, and the humans look and move like animatronics. Though considering that the game not only depicts the whole Earth - something only Uncharted Waters managed to do -, but also enables literal armadas duking it out with all effects still intact and without slowdowns or further cuts regarding the graphics, I think that this is an acceptable sacrifice. Otherwise the game will probably melt graphics cards and then ♥♥♥♥ itself and die anyway. And if 3rd person isn't your thing, then you can switch into 1st person. You are always the ship, though.
There's also a rudimentary sail editor, that lets you set colours and choose from a rather small selection of emblems, but sadly, you can't use custom ones from your computer.

So what exactly is new?

Well, the map, of course! It features the whole globe with all continents, and the only places not occupied are the north and south pole. The Caribbean is tropical, while Europe features lush forests and snow-covered mountains, for instance. The different biomes have no effect on gameplay, but I still enjoy fighting along the coasts of Scandinavia due to their beautiful backdrops. Sailing next to Africa also features Savannahs and (2D-images :( ) of animals, and yes, you can visit Skull & Bones-territory.

Regarding gameplay, it takes some notes from a few other pirate games: Fighting and trading grants EXP that will increase your rank. With each level you gain skill points, that you can invest in, well, skills, which there are an entire boatload of. Some need to be activated, some can be toggled (for instance, better movement but less firepower), and others are passive. Beware though that you can't respec, so choose wisely!
Fighting boils down to whittling down enemy armour, before being able to damage the internal structure directly. The bow and stern are naturally much weaker, so position and good aiming matters! Also known from Pirates of the Burning Sea, and Naval Action, though hitting below the waterline won't do anything special. Cannons also can't be turned, only aimed up and downwards, thus your positioning becomes essential.
Really neat: you can set the order of fire. Either random, from bow to stern or vice versa. You have infinite ammunition, but reload times are long enough to not turn it into a fast-paced arcade shooter, and you can set the shot type for each battery separately.
Of course, there is also the option to capture enemy ships for personal use. Beware though that this is limited by player level; so no, you can't get from a sloop into a Duke of Kent in the first minutes by cheese tactics. And even if you could, your maximum crew is tied to your level as well, so you won't be able to sail it effectively anyway.

Also, exclusive to you, are three special weapons: mortars, fireships, and bombs. Mortars greatly expand your range, fireships deal heavy damage if they ram the enemy, and bombs are essentially mines. You have infinite amounts of them, with bigger ships having higher capacities, though they have to reload. They can help you take down much bigger foes (especially the bombs) and provide additional firepower in fleet battles, but sometimes, the only thing that will lead to victory is a bigger ship, or a fleet. And that's an entire topic on its own.

If you want to solo the entire world like in Black Flag, then no, you can't. Even a ship of the line will get quickly overwhelmed by multiple frigates - you'll maybe defeat them with clever sailing and usage of your special weapons and skills. But once you get to ports, you'll be pitted against fleets containing Man'O'Wars, and the biggest cities only field those.
That's why you can hire captains with their own ships at the tavern. You pay a one-time fee depending on their ship, and from then on, they'll follow you, require no salary, and will respawn if you dock at a port. You can have up to five (six with a skill), and can be issued orders and formations. Unfortunately, even on "Aggressive", they are very passive and serve more as meatshields, but when they decide to fight, expect them to give the enemy hell. One companion can already make a huge difference and serve as a distraction while you keep peppering the enemy with special weapons! Also, as a nice bonus, they increase overall cargo space. Thus hiring just one companion right at the start will boost money-making by a huge margin - either by plundering or trading.
It's a shame that they can't use your ships. :(

Another edge you can give yourself is upgrades. You can buy them at the lowest quality in ports or find better ones as loot from sunken hostiles. Those take the way of Tempest: They increase one or several stats, but decrease another one to keep it somewhat balanced and force you to think about playstyles. For instance, heavy cannons will greatly increase your damage but will reduce reload times, and iron planking turns your ship into a fortress, but slows you down immensely. There are many more. Higher qualities increase and decrease the bonuses and penalties further. And if you are in a pinch for cash, they can be sold for some nice sums.

(continued in comments)

Ahoy there!

First things first, it's important to note, that at the time of writing, you would be purchasing a concept. Currently, there is very little in it, outside of slooooooowly ferrying goods from A to B, and fighting pirates. If that already turns you off, then you can stop reading.
Otherwise, feel free to continue.

Sailist presents itself as a sailing-simulator in a vast open world. You start with a small ship (which are all fully explorable by the way), a bit of cash, no directions, the intentions of acquiring the biggest fleet that has ever fleeted, and money. Lots and lots of money. On your way to your own armada, you will buy and sell goods, fight pirates, upgrade your ships and character via equipment and clothing, and complete quests. Which involve selling specific goods and fighting pirates.
Did I already mention how little there is? That's literally the whole game, and I could end the review right here.
Now, why did I rate this positively?

Because what's there, works really well! With some exceptions and weird design-quirks of course, which will (hopefully) be ironed out in the future, but it has caught me!

First, the sailing. Don't expect a realistic simulation, as the ships still handle somewhat like cars and can sail into the wind just fine. However, ships have weight. They are cumbersome and move slowly, and your ship's speed is completely affected by your unfurled sails. Meaning they aren't just for show, and your ship will only accelerate when they are set, not once you push the button. With their sluggishness, you'll also have to think ahead, as mistakes during maneuvering can and probably will cost you clearly during combat. In the end it's arcadey enough to be accessible, but also challenging enough to keep you on your toes during fights.

Then, there's crew management. Instead of just filling up your crew count to the max and be done with it, you akshually have to allocate them to different positions on the ship: sails, maintenance, and cannons. Sails affect your ship's general mobility (don't ask how that influences rotation speed and how many sails can be used, though) and will repair damages, maintenance repairs and protects the ship from random accidents like fires, and cannons... well, they man cannons. The more you allocate, the more guns you can use.
All of that comes with the caveat that if you use more than half of your crew, then you'll rise fatigue. Fatigue temporarily lowers morale, hampering your ship's overall performance, and can lead to diseases, and thus dead crew. A disease during a fight is the last thing you'll want!

Combat itself is a surprisingly challenging and tactical affair. Not only is positioning essential, you also can't turn guns, only set how high and low they should fire. Some guns on specific ships are placed in specific angles, so you can only fire diagonally, for instance. Unfortunately, there's no aiming reticle or lines showing where you're shooting, and there's auto fire available, so let the AI handle it. Does a decent job at it too.
Of course there's grape and chain shot available, and you can board, so all your needs should be met. If the option to man only one specific side will be introduced, then it would be perfect.

Upgrades provide a tactical component as well. Yes, they grant flat bonuses, but as you can only install/equip one type of item (armour, sails, clothing, etc.), you'll have to decide depending on the situation, as some items boost certain stats more. There are also tiers, akin to RPG-rarities that have better or worse stats.

Fleets can be assembled, and from what I have gathered, your fleet can be literally limitless in size. Their AI is robust as well, as you can give them different formation orders, and they'll automatically defend themselves and join in your assaults. If only transferring goods and sailors wouldn't be so clunky, but hey, EA!

Finally, good old exploration. The only things you'll find are towns and (always hostile) pirate bases that spawn pirate ships. But exploration is still worth it, because every town sells unique items, some better than others. You'll also not find every vessel everywhere, and questing not only enables more valuable goods for purchase, but also unlocks more ships.
And all of that is a good thing, because the world is absolutely empty and not worth exploring otherwise, because outside of towns, there's nothing to see and find.

Now to the game's current problems, that may or may not be rectified in the future:

Trading. While goods have a +--value that shows how much more expensive/cheaper they are from standard, there's no way to know what you'll be selling for until you are finally there to sell your stuff. Also, when the tiers of goods available to buy increase due to questing, their value increases - as well as their buying prices, so all the potential profits get eaten up. Which is all null and void, because once you have found a town that sells jewelry, you have essentially found your infinite money glitch, as its profit margins are ludicrously high. Provided you can afford to buy them in the first place. There's also no supply and demand, so the prices are fixed.

Combat: There are ten ships, but most are either very small and barely suited for a fight, or big hulking galleons with lots of guns, but piss-poor mobility. The brig is both heavily armed and sturdy for its size, and stupidly fast and nimble. Do the math. With enough ammo, it can even take down a ship of the line. Oh, and if you fight a brig yourself, and it decides to flee? GG, you're never going to catch it.

Travelling: Remember at the start when I mentioned that you travel slowly? I mean that! Most of the time you'll go at a snail's pace between islands and ports, with nothing happening in between, and you can't accelerate time. Bonus points if you sail against the wind. The game is best played by Alt-Tabbing out during long voages, to be honest.

UI: Some UI-elements are not explained, like the different stat bonuses, and morale itself is needlessly complicated. It only raises if supplies on the ship can get consumed, but is also capped by veterancy. What that is? Why is this? No idea.
You also don't have a world map, only a locat map showing your surroundings. So load yourself the world map you can find in the guides, open paint, and mark the towns yourself as you find them.

Supply consumption: Once you acquire the really big ships with 200+ crew, you better stuff your entire hold with nothing but food, water, cannonballs and repair planks, because all of that gets depleted like you have a black hole on board. There's clothing that helps reducing the consumption, but you have to find that first.

Durability: Ship-equipment break by usage. Not a fan of it, but okay. What I'm not okay with is how quickly it does so. Sails are the only items that constantly degrade because, well, you'll be constantly sailing, and thus break ridiculously fast. Looted sails will maybe last five minutes tops, with freshly bought new ones maybe 20. In a game with such slow travelling, this gets annoying and expensive quickly. Then, after getting the ships with 40+ guns, you'll just burn through cannons, as they only have durability for 300 shots. Imagine the nightmare of having to lug around dozens of cannons just for the 74-gun-ship of the line. Luckily, inventories are endless, but still.

Well, there you have it.

Of course you can expect the usual grievances with Early Access. Technical problems, lacking optimization (it really heats up my system - not so awesome during summer) bugs (nothing gamebreaking so far), and it may or may not ever get finished. But the developer is very active and has already posted some coming content, so for now, I'm hopeful!

Other than that, it's twelve €€, so maybe you can give this a shot. Or you keep waiting. You decide.

Tl;dr: Arizona Sunshine 1 im Wild West-Gewand, und kommt somit sieben Jahre zu spät.

Ahoi!

Ach herrje, womit soll ich anfangen?

Nun, Black Trail sieht auf Videos echt interessant aus! Ein Wild West-Shooter in VR, ein an sich spannender Trailer, plus Weird West-Elemente, dazu noch generelle Affinität zu Wild West-Spielen, und der Kauf zu Release war geschehen. Hatten wir jemals einen Wild West-VR-Shooter? Ich glaube nicht.
Und ich hab's nach drei Level zurückerstatten lassen.

Eins nach dem anderen.

Die Geschichte an sich macht Lust auf mehr. Da haben wir zugegeben den bereits altbekannten Hintergrund dass sich Goldgräber in Indianerterritorium niederlassen und Letztere dagegen ankämpfen. Hinzu kommen aber noch magische Artefakte, die für ordentlich Stress zwischen den Parteien sorgen, und die Indianer haben großes Interesse daran, diese den Siedlern zu entreißen. Wo kommen die her? Was für ein Problem haben die Indianer mit denen? Und warum sind sie offenbar so wichtig für den Stamm, dass sie jeden niedermetzelt, der Kontakt zu den Artefakten hat? Dies und Weiteres gilt es herauszufinden, indem man abwechselnd in die Rollen eines Kopfgeldjägers und Stammeskriegers schlüpft und sich durch den wilden Westen kämpft.
Leider aber hat das Gameplay für mich zu viele Probleme, als ich mich da hätte durchringen können.

Am schnellsten abgehandelter Punkt zuerst: Grafik ist... zweckdienlich. Sieht genauso aus wie andere Indie-VR-Titel auf dem Markt. Kann man mögen oder nicht. Ich finds okay. Dass Black Trail aber eines der etwas schäbigeren Exemplare sein könnte, dürfte man allein an der schwarzen Leere außerhalb des Saloons sehen, der das Hauptmenü darstellt.

Jetzt der Shooterpart, und da fällt für mich alles zusammen. So sehr, dass ich mir denke: "Ach weißte, eigentlich könnte ich wieder Arizona Sunshine installieren."
Im Kern ist es ein simpler Arcade-Schlauchshooter mit stark eingeschränkten Interaktionsmöglichkeiten mit der Spielwelt, und ohne alternative Wege um den Erkundungsdrang und Wiederspielwert zu erhöhen. Das muss per se natürlich nichts Schlechtes sein. Manchmal habe ich das lieber, als wenn es zig Weggabelungen gibt, und dies mein OCD triggert, zusammen mit der Sorge, etwas verpassen zu können. Wenn nun die Kämpfe an sich Spaß machen, reicht das doch schon!
Tja...
Der Stammeskrieger, Weißer Adler, kämpft vornehmlich mit Äxten, die man werfen kann und unendlich am Gürtel nachspawnen. Mag ich persönlich überhaupt nicht, und so ging der Spielspaß in den Keller. Also hoffte ich, dass ich die fallengelassenen Waffen der Gegner aufnehmen kann, aber Pustekuchen. Die lösen sich gemeinsam mit den Leichen nach ein paar Sekunden ganz billig auf. Warum? Lehnt der Stammeskrieger von Vornherein Waffen der Eindringlinge ab? Weil Baum? Wurde das Spiel mit dem schwächsten Headset als Basis entwickelt, und stärkere Modelle dürfen Däumchen drehen? Habe ich da eine Einstellung in den Optionen verpasst? Wenn ja, sagt es mir bitte.
Als magisches Artefakt bekommt er eine Maske, die einen Gegner durch Wände sehen lässt, wodurch sich prima Hinterhalte und Fallen legen lassen.
Der Kopfgeldjäger dagegen benutzt Schusswaffen. So weit, so gut. Was dagegen dem Arcade-Gedanken zum Opfer gefallen ist, ist die Waffenhandhabung. So, er benutzt einen Revolver, okay? Cool! Hahn spannen, schießen, dann nach sechs Schuss schnell hinter Deckung verschwinden und ganz nervös jede einzelne Patrone nachladen, während Gegner auf die eigene Position vorrücken! Du willst schießen, aber ups, hast vergessen die Trommel zu drehen! Geil, taktisch, spannend, und nervenaufreibend zugleich!
Ja, nö.

Hahn spannen? Ist nicht. Trommel drehen? Ist nicht. Patronen einzeln nachladen? Jaein - freie Hand zur Trommel bewegen, Knopf drücken, und schon werden die Patronen automatisch (!!!) einzeln wie von Geisterhand eingeführt - die freie Hand braucht man dann nicht mehr. Man muss die Kugeln nicht mal aus dem Holster holen oder den Revolver dahin führen. Das Spiel sagt zwar, den Knopf pro Kugel zu drücken, doch das ist falsch. Ein Knopfdruck reicht, damit es von alleine alle Sechs nachlädt, und das nicht mal langsamer als "manuell"; Dust & Neon this ain't! Im Grunde hat man eine stinknormale halbautomatische Pistole mit Revolver-Skin, die ein bisschen langsamer nachlädt. An dem Punkt hätte man das Spiel genauso gut ins Jahr 1912 wie Red Dead Redemption 1 verfrachten, und dem Spielercharakter eine 1911 in die Hand drücken können. Würde spieltechnisch keinen Unterschied machen, und außerdem ein interessantes Setting darstellen. Spiele, die gegen Ende der Wild West-Ära angesiedelt sind, gibt es ja nicht gerade wie Sand am Meer. Aber hey, immerhin kann man sogar Fächern, wie in den Filmen! Warum man das allerdings tun sollte, außer dem Coolness-Faktor, weiß ich nicht, weil man damit nicht wirklich schneller schießen kann als einhändig. Oh, und zweihändig zur Reduktion des Rückstoßes kann man die Knarre auch nicht halten. Stattdessen springt die andere Hand sofort zum Hahn.
Apropos Hahn: Ich finde, dass das Korn des Revolvers zu klein ist und komplett hinter Blech und Hahn verschwindet. Sieht man etwas davon, schießt man in der Regel über dem Ziel hinweg. Hatte mich schon gefragt, ob die Gegner entweder Bulletsponges sind oder ich nur scheiße ziele. Vielleicht muss ich bloß gudder getten, keine Ahnung, aber für mich fühlt sich Schießen nicht gut an. Wenn der Revolver sich dann wenigstens wuchtig anhören würde, aber nee, Luftpistole.
Sodele, wat kriegt unser Lucky Luke hier? Eine magische Uhr, die die Zeit verlangsamt. Also Bullet Time/Red Eye. Bestimmt ist das eine wichtige Ressource, die sparsam eingesetzt werden muss, oder? ODER?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

Well guess what! Nicht nur hat man unbegrenzte Nutzungen, sie hat auch keine Abklingzeit. Heißt, nachdem die Zeit nach ein paar Sekunden wieder normal läuft, kann man sie sofort nochmal aktivieren. Sicher, auch die eigenen Bewegungen und Schüsse werden verlangsamt - nicht aber das Nachladen. Warum? Weil Lembas. Oder nein, halt, weil man sonst ohne diese Uhr hoffnungslos von mehreren Seiten überrannt werden würde. Ich möchte nicht in Abrede stellen, dass sich alle Kämpfe ohne Artefakte gewinnen lassen. Aber von dem, was ich erlebt und gesehen habe, scheinen sie auf deren Benutzung zugeschnitten zu sein, sodass es ohne sie ungleich schwerer wird.
Wie von anderen Rezensenten bereits erwähnt, gibt es nur zwei Gegnertypen: Nahkämpfer die stumpf auf einen zurennen, und Fernkämpfer, die entweder stumpf hinter Deckung stehen, oder zwischen Schüssen auf den Spieler zurennen. Da steht man dann halt hinter einem Hindernis, schmeißt Äxte um sich und hofft, dass man trifft, oder ballert wild drauflos. By the way, duckt man sich auf Knopfdruck hinter Deckung, ist man nicht sicher, da immer noch der Kopf herausragt. Warum? Keine Ahnung. Vielleicht spielt ihr dann lieber im Stehen und geht tief in die Hocke, so wie es empfohlen wird. Ersetzt man die Nahkämpfer durch Zombies, würde sich auch nichts ändern. Die Gegner in Arizona Sunshine waren manchmal immerhin durch Wucherungen an manchen Stellen geschützt, sodass genaues Zielen gefragt war. Nicht so hier.
Was gibt es sonst so für Waffen? Ein Repetiergewehr (Nicht benutzt), eine Gatling (Nicht benutzt), Dynamit (Nicht benutzt) und Wurfmesser (Zweimal benutzt, dann sofort zum Revolver gegriffen). Schrotflinten? Nö. Warum? Nein, wirklich, warum?
Wie man sich heilt? Nun, mit Alkohol, natürlich! Aber nur eine ganz bestimmte Sorte, alle anderen Flaschen mit einem Korken drauf haben wohl langweiliges Wasser oder so. Besagter Alkohol liegt bei Weißer Adler zudem an jeder Ecke.

(Review in den Kommentaren fortgesetzt)

After having followed the development for years, I can definitely say that all the wait was worth it!

What you have here is a love letter to the classic pirate games. Namely Pirates!, Sea Dogs/Age of Pirates, Pirates of the Carribbean, and probably some others I'm too young to know/have played. Those games, where you sail the Carribbean in search of fame and fortune, while you slowly build up your fleet to finally conquer the seas.

After a nice (optional) prologue questline, you are tasked to join a faction, with their own ports and bonuses. The Spanish for instance have sturdier and armoured vessels, while the British reload cannons faster. That alone encourages you to start multiple playthroughs, just to change up your playstyles.
Every faction also has their own main quest, though you are always free to just ignore it and go off on adventures. It's even encouraged, since you'll quickly come to a point where your fleet isn't strong enough and you'll need bigger ships and better equipment first. That's where bounty hunting comes in: not only do you gain money from taking down targets, you also receive EXP for important skills. Though you'll of course earn much more by capturing ships.
If you aren't in the mood of fighting, you can also go trading. It's very simple and there's no real economy, but it's a safe method of building up funds for repairs and equipment.
Once you are done with the main quest, there's still the entire Carribbean waiting to be conquered by you.
In town, you can explore the locations, talk with people, do some business, get contracts from the governor, or simply stand at the harbour and admire your fleet.

By the way, "fleet" is accurate here: You won't get far by lone wolfing everything. Enemies are skilled gunners, and multiple ships can easily overwhelm single targets. Including you. While smaller ships may destroy your sails from afar, larger ships rip your hull to shreds and go in for the kill once you're immobilized. Thankfully, you are always informed of enemy fleet strenghts beforehand, and can always decide to flee - if you're lucky.
What's extremely nicely done is the boarding. Not only does it happen in real time without sending you to an extra map; if you have allied ships, they can also assist by joining in. That's right: two ships can board one, combining their crew numbers! Which can also happen to you.
Allied ships can be given rudimentary orders like sink or capture. Though they are smart enough to always engage forts with cannonballs, regardless of order.
In case you do lose a ship, don't worry: vessels aren't expensive, and money is easy to come by.

Oh yes, combat. The game's best part. You like Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag? Then you'll likely enjoy this, as it puts you behind the wheel and requires manual aiming. Using right mouse enables the spyglass, which gives you info about enemy health, crew numbers and their armour.
The "aiming lines" also helpfully point out if you are currently, well, aiming at hulls or sails. You can freely switch between three ammo-types: cannonballs (hull), chainshot (sails), and grapeshot (crew). If you are lucky, you can even set enemies on fire! Which can also happen to you. ;)
But to prevent being completely helpless upon having your sails destroyed, you can initiate emergency repairs at low health. Beware though that you are a sitting duck during repairs, and they reset every time you get hit.
Finally, in case combat is too slow, you can change ship- and reload speed in your options.
On foot, depending on your customizable loadout, you can go sword and pistol, guns akimbo, two swords like Edward, or simply whip out a blunderbuss. Your choice. But be careful: you can't heal during a fight, and once you die, you can only reload a save. Watch out for gunners, they can really ruin your day!
It gets especially hairy during town sieges. First of you have to dispatch defending ships, then the fort, and finally fight your way through town, with no save in between. You can improve your chances by sneaking into town first to sabotage cannons and bribe the tavern keeper to make the guards drunk. Or you can steal docked ships and add them to your fleet.

One thing where the game really shines is customization. Every ship can be outfitted with paint, sails and flags, equipped with modules and armed with different cannons, each having their own stats and ammunition-types. Want to have a swimming fortress? Sure. A nimble close-range-combatant? Yes. A troop transport that absolutely dominates every crew during boarding? It got you covered. Just be sure that you are at the right port for that: depending on the size, it can only service specific vessels. Which also means that you need a large port in order to purchase the really big bois. Or you sneak into one held by the enemy.

Last but not least, graphics and sound. Polygons, yeah, but I can't deny that towns, ships and weapons look gorgeous. Especially at night, where the seas and streets are illuminated by gunfire and lit windows/lamps. Ships creak nicely, cannons and guns sound beefy, and during boarding actions, you are always surrounded by the sounds of guns, swords and dying people. It really serves to envoke the feeling of chaos, where you just jump in and slice and shoot your way through until everyone is dead.
And everything is accompanied by a great soundtrack!
There's also a photo mode, if you are interested.
Also also, you can't deny that watching your fleet of 1st rates at the docks is a majestic sight to behold. Just like sailing towards an enemy fleet, with you leading your own, waiting, anticipating, until you can fire off the first shot, never gets old.

Now, with all my praises, let's be fair here: not everything is good.

-First of, the game is short. Unless you absolutely intend to be fully levelled, have the biggest fleet with the best modules, and call the Carribbean your own, you will be done in under 10 hours. Per campaign, mind you. And there are four factions.
-Clunky melee combat. It's unresponsive and enemies hit you once they begin their attack animations. Better stick to dual guns and headshot everyone.
-There's no point to explore towns. Yes, they are pretty and alive, but there are no hidden secrets or real sidequests to speak of. There's smuggling, but selling ships is so lucrative, that it's not worthwile.
-Given how fragile sails are and the AI is programmed, simply chainshotting them is the most effective way. Unless you have access to specific late-game-equipment, or enjoy seeing ships disappearing beneath the waves, sinking is just a battle of attrition.
-No weather-effects.
-Bugs and glitches. Nothing gamebreaking, and annoying/funny at worst.
-There's content shown in the discord that didn't make it into the game, like a bomb ketch designed for town sieges, and NPCs mention non-existing sidequests. As the game is finished, and the developers have moved on, don't expect further updates. But miracles still might happen, so...
-In the end, it plays like the classics. If you don't enjoy ship-management, sailing and fighting for 90% of your playtime, then this game isn't for you.

So, there you have it. A small, but still very competent game, that's also the best thing you can get if you long for a modern interpretation of the originals - unless you are willing to do all the work to get the New Horizons-mod for Pirates of the Carribbean running, that is.
It's no Sea of Thieves if PvPvE-games are your thing. But it nevertheless absolutely blows Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag out of the water. Come at me, bro.

And besides, it's 14,99 €. And it entertained me miles better than both aforementioned games.

Fully recommended!

Okay. Let's face it.

This is not a good game at the moment.
-It's buggy (EA, d'uh).
-Very expensive.
-Steep learning curve and a text-only tutorial.
-There's no economy, as only chopping trees and buying equipment costs money and the earnings for cargo don't reflect the investment of money, time and resources. And it's grindy.
-Outside of connecting industries and running cargo, there isn't anything to do.
-Equipment has no weight.
-Building tracks is finicky and bridges on their own are arcane magic. Doesn't help that you have to do everything in first person.
-The canyon is an excercise in frustration, where you not only have to fight the building controls (especially the bridges), but also the huge differences in height just to construct a functioning, efficient track.
-No chat in Multiplayer.
-Definitely geared towards multiplayer: running long trains alone is perfectly possible, but very time-consuming.
-Requires internet connection even for singleplayer.
-Purely subjective, but I don't like the soundtrack, even though I love country/western. I think it says something that the only cover-song is the best track, and even that is lackluster.
-Early Early Access to the point, that some might say that this game was released too early. Don't forget that there's no guarantee that it will ever reach 1.0.

And yet, I can't help but put dozens upon dozens of hours into this.

You see, this game is actually two combined into one: Train Fever and Train Sim World, or whatever that simulator is called. In the first one, you have to build tracks and connect the different industries wisely, so railroad operations can commence smoothly. In the other, you have to assemble your trains and drive them yourself, so you can (un)load your freight and earn cold hard cash. Preferably without derailing, of course. And every game comes with its own challenges, that directly influence each other.

Train Fever: Everyone and their mother can build a track. But! Can you also do it smoothly, and, more importantly, efficiently? A link won't do you much good if it's so bumpy and twisty that you have to slow down constantly, wasting time and fuel. Or its turns are so sharp, that only the small Porters can handle them. Or so hilly, that you need specialized geared locomotives just to traverse it. Oh, and they need water and firewood too!
Once you reach the canyon, you're expected to have more or less mastered the art of construction, otherwise you're stuck.
What I'm essentially saying: track building here is a surprisingly deep and complex affair - if you are willing to look past the quirks, glitches and bugs. Massive yards? Yes. Roundabouts to avoid turntables? Of course. Double tracks? Got you covered.
You have complete freedom over your layouts, and depending on the locomotives you plan on using, offers multiple approaches. The canyon in particular has the nasty problem of huge height differences, so you'll have to get creative. Low grades, but long and twisty? Short and quick, but steep? You decide! Tracks are free currently, so go wild! Though bring some time to spare with you. A lot of it.

Train Sim World: Admittedly, the controls are extremely simplified, but that doesn't diminish the fun in driving one bit. Excellent models and sound design aside, this game comes with a small, yet varied selection. Most machines simply follow the logic of "Size = Power", with their prices to match. And that's where you already have to make decisions: Do I really need that big badass behemoth if I'm only running light loads on flat surfaces? Will that small engine climb the hill at the end or do I have to modify the track? Can those big engines handle my sharp turns? Would a gearbox locomotive be more efficient or a conventional one? How many cars do I need and can my engine pull them? And so on and so forth.
Every machine has its uses and (dis)advantages, so be sure to study your layouts and pick the right one for the right job!
The physics are also important to consider, as they affect your driving. Accelerate too quickly, and your cars will decouple. Brake too hard and too suddenly, and the cars will pile on each other. If you're not familiar with trains, then this will take a while to get used to. But once you do, it will only add to the challenge in a fun way.

So you slowly build up your rail network, acquire more locomotives and cars, get more industries running, rake in money, and one day, you'll look at your empire. Then you'll feel it. This special feeling, that you only get, when you finally finish your huge home of your dreams, with all the fancy stuff and redstone-contraptions you always wanted, in Minecraft.
That feeling of having accomplished something huge.

Independent from the previous points, I have to say, that this game runs and looks fine! Considering the early status, this is very impressive. And believe it or not, no crashes or gamebreaking bugs! Cyberpunk 2077 and Forza Horizon 5 have more problems for me. So huge praise to the developers of this game!
The developers are also very active on their discord-server and it's always full with people.

Also, I have yet to derail for no good reason, unlike that other game with "Derail" in its name. That's not mentioning the manual saves, which that other game lacks. :)

That said, Railroads Online isn't for everyone. It's time-consuming, grindy and requires some complex planning just to get cargo from A to B to C and back. If you only want some accessible fun without prior work (which track building is, mostly), then you'll get bored, even frustrated, quickly. But if you are patient and willing to invest and learn before getting to drive, then you'll have an incredibly rewarding, and ultimately satisfying time with this game.

Played with Index.

First of, I'd like to preface some stuff.
While this review is negative, because one thing made me more or less ragequit, it's in fact more a "Hm" at the current state. So I'll not only point out what I like, but also what I perceive as flaws more rooted in gameplay. Because, well, it's Early Access, so bugs and other technical issues are to be expected. Keep an eye on the bug reports in the forum or Discord.
As of this writing, I have spent 33 hours in the game and really enjoyed those, until that ragequit happened and left me waiting for further updates. Will be mentioned below.
With all that said, let's roll.

This game is, at it's core, very similar to the European/American truck simulators. You are casted into a vast open world with your machine, visit a location, pick a job you're qualified for, prepare your vehicle for departure and then embark on a journey to your destination, where you park the cargo to receive payment. Be fast enough for a nice cash bonus.
With that money, you pay for service, buy licences which work as the career progression to haul different types of freights and gain access to more vehicles. Repeat until you either have everything or get bored.
While trains handle completely different to trucks of course, they are still simple enough to operate (Yes, including the steam locomotive) that you'll learn the controls quickly. In fact, you'll have enough occasions to just stand outside and watch the scenery while your train roars through the countryside. Though that won't probably happen for the first hours, since you'll be always on alert for incoming speed signs to adjust speed accordingly. Once you have more or less memorized the dangerous parts and learned that you don't have to go full speed just to catch that time bonus though, the inner autopilot sets in and it can get quite boring at times. Assembling the train and putting all the cars on the correct tracks for shunting jobs are honestly more exciting than going from A to B. Nevertheless, getting valuable cargo to their destination in time with no damages makes you feel like the most awesome train driver in the world.

That said, who would have thought that all the seemingly menial work could be so engaging, thanks to the immersion? You'll manage everything: un/couple cars, switch tracks, driving the loco to a repair station to get it serviced, getting machines out of the roundhouse and storing them back in, handle computers and more. All that stuff can easily take lots of time, but you won't care because it's just that fun.
The diesels also have storage trays where you can put your papers down, say maps and job info instead of having to pull them out of your inventory every single time. Furthermore, you possess some sort of "belt" on your body similar to H3VR for quick access.

Progression itself, like mentioned above, is handled via buying licences. This is quite a neat change to the long-familiar EXP-treadmill, where progression is locked behind levels, regardless if you have the money for better gear already. Here, you gain actual experience by driving the routes multiple times, so you know where you can go fast, get to see the station layouts and once you think you are confident enough, purchase licences for more difficult, but also more lucrative hauls. Short: Low risk, los reward; high risk, high reward. Easy, effective, addictive.
Be careful though, as getting those also rises your copay!
What the flipping flip is this?
Well, damages and normal wear and tear will cause costs, in the form of fees. To prevent the player from going bankrupt immediately, you are automatically insured from the start. As a fresh and young train driver, your copay begins with 100,-$. That means, that regardless if you only looked at a car funny or outright destroy the entire valley, you only have to pay pocket change to repair and refuel everything. This is the "Newbie-Protection". That copay rises upon acquiring new licences, so feel free to explore the valley at your own leisure before getting serious and being expected to properly pay for your screw-ups. Should your fees become too high, then you'll be denied from taking jobs until you have reduced your debt. Completing a job gives you a list of all the cars including cargo and their damages as well, before and during the trip and showing you their total.
This whole thing however becomes a serious problem later on, but that's for down below.

If you have questions, the game provides ingame-guides with plenty of information to everything and there are difficulty options that affect payouts.

Aside from that, I have yet to encounter gamebreaking bugs and the developers are active on the forums, including showing their roadmap and Discord. Can't say anything about the update schedule though.

Conclusion so far: You like the relaxing, uncomplicated gameplay of ATS/ETS and have a thing for trains? Then Derail Valley might be for you!


Now, what's not to like about the game and what exactly led me to abandon it until new updates arrive?

No manual saves. The game exclusively uses autosave and when you quit the game, you'll begin where you have left off. This surely comes in handy for short sessions and forces you to pay attention, but also means that you can't just reload when you had an accident. Given how absolutely devastating a botched job can be financially - even if it wasn't your fault at all -, this can prove to be an issue. Why this isn't a higher priority is anyone's guess. There is a walkaround however, check the forums for that.

The map. Yes, the rail network isn't as varied as roads and there is pretty much only one optimal route, so I won't complain on that. What I have an issue with is the placement of repair stations. You see, not every location has one and not every repair station can refuel for some reason. Meaning that you'll have to get your train repaired/refilled via paying the fees which is much more expensive than servicing it yourself, eating large chunks of your payout. Making me wonder if driving to the Sawmill for instance is worth it.

Copay. Given how it works currently and how high the fees can get, I think that this system gets too punishing later in the game. The more licences you buy, say, the further your career progresses, the more you have to pay for everything. Once you invest in hazmat- and military-licenses, all bets are off and insurance might not exist at all. It's not unusual that the fees from only one derailed car can result in a total loss, which is why I think that the fees are way too high. Even the higher rewards from the lowest difficulty won't help. This can lead into a downward-spiral if you are especially unlucky and become a victim to the, for me, worst part of the game... namely:

Random derailments and damages. My personal dealbreaker and where I said "Screw this game" after happening one time too often. Pretty much my sole reason for the negative review.
I seriously have no idea where they are coming from. Is it a quirk in the unity-engine? Breaking too hard, too quickly? Going through a turn too fast because the sign is false? No one knows and you'll get conflicting information. Now don't get me wrong, if you derail because you didn't pay attention, then that's on you. Pay for rerailing, couple the train back together, continue the job, eat the fees and git gud next time.
But when a job goes to ♥♥♥♥ for seemingly no reason, then that's an entirely different thing. Two cars with expensive cargo, that require lategame-licences and jack up the copay accordingly, derailed at the end of a 30-turn going 20, somehow damaging the rest of the train in the process. Guess what, the fees not only took all my money, but also plunged me into deep debt. Two hours for nothing. This may sound hilarious for outsiders, but is incredibly frustrating for the player.

(Continued in comments)

Ahoy there!
A bit late since the game can't be bought on Steam anymore, but maybe someone will still check the reviews...

I'd like to preface it by saying that I'll only review the Multiplayer-part here, which differs from the career so much that I would consider it an own game.

A few words to the SP though: Personally I don't consider it that bad like the majority seems to make it out to be. Of course, it's still far from the class of the excellent predecessor, but not a total failure like Autosport where I'm asking what Codemasters was thinking when they developed it. Thus for the SP-part alone I would give a slight thumbs up.

Now, on to the meat of this review!


The multiplayer is different from the SP in that you can, in fact, earn money to buy cars, change their appearance (No body-parts like spoilers though) and buy parts to increase their performance. You know, just like GRID 1 did, but without team-management, sadly. How awesome would it be if players could found racing stables together, compete in a global ranking against others and challenge them?
The tuning does offer some opportunities to "fine-tune" your machines as you have a few options to increase specific stats to select from, so nothing stops you from turning ye olde Dodge Charger R/T in either a nimble racer or filling it with so many horses that you'll leave your competition in your dust right at the start. Just don't overdo it, or else your car will be ranked up into a higher class and you'll soon find yourself driving against vehicles your precious baby won't have a chance against. Sounds familiar to Forza? Because it is, and to be honest here, I like this system.

To get you started, the game gives you one car in each class, out of four - except the fourth one, and I'll explain later why this is one of the worst decisions the developers could make for this game. And you start at level 1 with 10.000 rubees, as far as I remember. So with three vehicles and a bit of cash, you go into the wild wild world of the online-world to prove yourself, fill your garage with some of the hottest cars mankind can offer and making them even faster. Though until then it's a long way, because cars and parts are locked behind levels, cost a fortune to buy and money comes in slowly. But hey, where's the fun if you got everything right at the beginning, hm?

The game offers you multiple playlists to chose from, which simply decides what events you would like to play. I only play Hardcore where you can total your car and rewinds are disabled, so unfortunately I can't tell you more about the others. Nevertheless, let me tell you that you'll find yourself in a room where 12 players (including you) can participate, vote for or against tracks and game modes, call for votekicks and talk to fellow drivers via voice. Because for some reason there's no text-chat. Some might find this good due to the large amount of ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ one may encounter (And I'd agree with you), but on the other hand I'd like to exchange pleasantries with those who drive fair make every race exciting.
Also, one feature Codemasters included since GRID 1 are the indicators if a player drives clean or confuses it with destruction derby. Everyone begins with a yellow one, and from there it either moves towards green and white (clean) or red (crasher). You'll additionally be rewarded with extra money for avoiding contact. Naturally the rammers concentrate where they aren't punished for hitting others - with exceptions.

Finally, if you don't feel like racing against others, you can show your skills in global challenges (requires a RaceNet-account) to win bronze, silver and gold. They reset every friday (At least in my timezone) and present you a list of random events which you can tackle on with your cars to receive points. Get the most points until the end of the challenges and win a nice amount of money and exp. Completing them also grants rewards, but they are neglible of course.
There are also rivals, but since I have no friend who plays it actively, I can't use it and thus can't explain it to you, sadly.

Finally, to counter the reviews who claim that online is dead, it's only half-true. If you are in Europe or set up your Steam to Europe, you'll always find people to play with.

So, as you can see from the red thumbs down above, I don't recommend the multiplayer for newbies. For the following reasons, which I'll present in a simple list, corresponding to my points above in the order they appeared:


1. Tuning is ultimately meaningless and only serves as just another reason to keep grinding. Because the game relies heavily on drifting to get around the track quickly, there's absolutely no point in tuning anything but the engine and maybe transmission. Improving handling and brakes may be useful for cars who handle like on ice even when they are not sliding (MP4-12C, Agera), but otherwise, don't bother. Yes, I mentioned that it's similar to Forza because cars will rank up when tuned too much, but that's it. As far as I have seen, the game doesn't take the performance of the stock-version into account. Which means that a car with good acceleration will have excellent acceleration and a car with a bad one will only get a good one when fully upgraded. An already good vehicle will become gamebreaking and a bad one will simply become less bad. Catch my drift?

2. Since you don't start with a class 4-car for some reason, the game will let you borrow a Mercedes SLR for free. That means that you can neither change its appearance nor tune it. Oh, and until you can finally buy it at level 21 and then level some more to unlock tuning, you're forced to race against much better cars in one that sucks. A lot. What, still happened to win and already dreaming about your rewards? Great, just have a 50%-reduction on prize money because you borrowed it. Lol.
Happy grinding and losing!
Who at Codemasters thought that this was a good idea? It's almost the same ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ in Battlefield 3 where newbies only get machine guns on planes.
At least you can tune your other starters right off the bat, making them competitive enough to win if you are skillful (still might not be enough to fight overpowered vehicles), and the Alfa Romeo Giulietta is an absolute beast with an improved engine.

2.1 Almost forgot: Leveling is slow. Of course, too fast isn't good or else people will get bored quickly. But for newbies currently it's like smashing your head against a massive wall repeatedly. Especially as there is no matchmaking (or there is one, but there are not enough people for it to work) and thus they are thrown into a room with veterans. What doesn't help is that there is no balance at all. Every class has cars which are blatantly better than the rest and so everyone who owns them picks them. So unless you are a truly excellent driver and/or your opponents are horrible, don't think about winning and be happy if you manage to reach the top three.

3. The indicators are a nifty idea, but are obviously created with the votekick in mind. You'll only decrease in rank if you make contact multiple times. Which means that it's easy for a dirty driver to maintain a "white vest" while he smacks an unsuspecting victim into oblivion. And if you call a votekick after that, what are the odds of people thinking that you're just a sore loser?

4. A small one: Global challenges are randomized and may produce (almost) impossible goals if you don't have the "right" cars for them. The worst offenders are the T4-challenges though, forcing everyone without a class 4-machine to attempt them in the sucky borrowed SLR that simply isn't fast enough for some events. Today it's less of a problem because nobody does them anymore, but if you aim for gold, then it can be very frustrating.


So, if you are still interested in the online-aspect of the game, then you might pick it up - if you have an enormous amount of frustration tolerance.

Ahoy!

Today, I like to introduce you to a nice little gem in the currently MMO-dominated pirate game-sector.

As usual, you are a pirate on his quest to find precious booty, which means that you will have to visit cities, tackle with various factions and their needs, fight enemy ships and buy/seize bigger and better ones. This time in a fictional world with its inhabitants, that have no similarities to real ones. Tempest also offers many storylines and quests, that are admittedly only told with text, but garnished with lots of black humour and accompanied by beautiful artworks in your journal to keep it interesting. But if you enjoy reading, maybe from games like Sunless Sea, you might like it - especially because there is a lot of it here.
And it doesn't even end after the main story.

Now, what separates Tempest from the other competitors?
Its heavy emphasis on ship customizing and fantasy.

During your travels, you will find loads of different pieces of equipment and ammunition types, like sails, cannons and hull plating, which you can use to increase your ship's stats. The gear can even be improved further by adding special parts to it. There are hundreds of different combinations to enable you to build a ship that suits your playstyle: Want a close-range-fighter, that completely annihilates your enemies with a storm of cannonballs? Install bombards! Prefer a slow, but impenetrable swimming fortress? Slap heavy armour plating on it! Or do you like to wear down your opponent with hit-and-run-tactics? Cotton sails! This way, players can have completely different ships despite using the same type.
As most gear comes with drawbacks to prevent your ship from becoming overpowered, like the aforementioned armour plating reducing your speed and manoeuvrability for giving you better protection and limiting your options with a set number of slots, you are encouraged to experiment to find the right setup for the right situation. Of course there are parts without any drawbacks - but they are rare and often require you to do dangerous quests for the factions.

The fantasy part comes with the inclusion of sea monsters, undead/ghosts and magical artifacts, which cast from a "mana"-pool to destroy your enemies with meteors (As seen in the trailer), strike them with thunderbolts or simply protect your ship with a shield. And there are more, effectively spicing up the sea battles and giving you more tactics to utilize.
Last but not least, the legends. They are separate storylines, that often lead to unique gear and give you a small, but still informative insight on real existing myths. I don't want to spoiler you on that part, as the legends are one of the most interesting parts in the game. ;)

Tempest also has an online-multiplayer, that not only lets you blast the hell out of each other, but also offers coop-gameplay up to three players.

On the technical side, we have worth seeing graphics (The 1st-person-view on your deck is excellent), stable FPS even in massive battles, an exemplary translation and a beautiful soundtrack. It did crash on me, but it's very rare and the automatic saves everywhere lessens the problem somewhat.

A rare gem amidst of early access-titles which likely won't ever leave it (Or when they finally do, are a buggy mess) and one hell of a pirate-game!

Verdammte Axt! Steam, wann kommt endlich die mittlere Bewertung, statt nur zwischen gut und schlecht wählen zu können?!

Ahoi jedenfalls.

Als Liebhaber von Pirate Ship Wars für GMOD habe ich ein Auge auf Blackwake geworfen und sobald ich gelesen hatte, dass die Entwickler selbst PSW gespielt und dieses Spiel sozusagen als Fortsetzung konzipiert hatten, war es um mich geschehen.

Soweit wurde es ja auch wirklich um Weiten gegenüber PSW verbessert: Verschiedene animierte Charaktermodelle, forderndes Zielen mit den Kanonen, wesentlich mehr zu tun als Crewmitglied außer nur an der Kanone zu stehen und endlos zu schießen, Wetter, spannende Entergefechte... und ein Levelsystem mit eigenen Erfolgen, mit denen sich Kleidung freischalten lässt, gibt es auch noch!
Also warum beschwere ich mich eigentlich, wenn es doch im Kern so viel besser ist als Pirate Ship Wars?

Damit mache ich mich sicherlich unbeliebt, aber das Kapitänssystem raubt mir leider den Großteil des Spaßes. TL;DR findet ihr unten.

Im Prinzip ist die Idee dahinter ja gut: Zu Beginn jeder Runde bewerben sich die Spieler freiwillig auf den Posten des Kapitäns, optional mit kurzem Motivationsschreiben, und werden schließlich von der Mannschaft demokratisch gewählt. Dieser darf dann als einziger das Schiff steuern (Sollte er längere Zeit vom Steuerrad abwesend sein, darf auch mal die Crew ran), Befehle erteilen und die Nutzung von Enterhaken autorisieren.
Wer hier das Problem noch nicht sieht: Das bedeutet im Umkehrschluss auch, dass die Performance des Schiffes - und somit auch von der Crew - hauptsächlich von der Kompetenz des Käpt'ns abhängt. Seit einem Update kann man die Kanonen zwar geringfügig bei langsamem Tempo ausrichten, doch den Großteil des Zielens muss immer noch der Typ am Steuerrad durch die richtige Platzierung des Schiffes übernehmen.
Heißt also, wenn der Anführer ein Dämlack ist der keine Ahnung von nichts hat, auf Teufel komm raus rammen will (Dies immobilisiert euer Schiff und geht bei vorbereiteten Gegnern immer nach hinten los) oder dem seine Mannschaft total egal ist, steckt ihr schonmal ganz tief in der Klemme. Und für die, die ihre Statistiken möglichst positiv halten wollen, ist es sicherlich auch nicht so prickelnd, wenn sie infolge schlechter Entscheidungen Dritter vermehrt Tode einstecken. Klar, die Instandhaltung des Schiffes (Pumpen und Reparaturen) gibt massig Punkte, doch Spaß sieht bestimmt anders aus, wenn man mehr damit beschäftigt ist, den eigenen Kahn zu retten, statt an der Kanone zu sitzen.

Aber halt, man kann ja noch meutern, damit ein anderer rankommt!
Richtig - wenn die gesamte Crew mitzieht (Was nur selten geschieht, sei es aus reiner Unwissenheit, weil es sich dabei um Freunde des Kapitäns handelt oder es ihnen schlicht egal ist) oder die Abstimmung nicht verbuggt ist. Und selbst dann kommt nur der nächste Freiwillige aus der Liste vorhandener Bewerber dran, geordnet nach dem Spielerlevel.

Was soll's, schluckt ihr die Niederlage halt herunter und versucht es beim nächsten Mal selbst. Tja, wenn es nur so einfach wäre.
Zunächst besitzt jeder ein sogenanntes Kapitängsrating, das bei 0% anfängt. Dieses kann nur erhöht werden, indem ihr am Ende einer Schlacht im Siegerteam seid, wobei ihr wesentlich mehr Prozentpunkte bekommt, wenn ihr währenddessen den Posten des Käpt'ns bekleidet. Werdet ihr als Anführer gewählt, sinkt das Rating wieder, während Niederlagen keine Auswirkungen haben.
Doch was ist das, ihr wollt vorher die Handhabung des Schiffes an sich trainieren? Kein Problem, geht auf einem leeren Server und pflanzt euch sofort hinters Steuerrad! Einziger, dafür mächtiger Haken: Ihr werdet automatisch zum Kapitän gewählt, was natürlich wieder euer Rating beträchtlich drückt. Und wer will schon irgendeinen Eumel mit 0% am Steuer haben?

Hier kommt nun der menschliche Faktor ins Spiel, gegen den man an sich selbstverständlich nichts tun kann (Schließlich will jeder gewinnen, ´ne?), doch mit dem Ratingsystem einhergeht.
Niemand wählt einen absoluten Neuling zum Kapitän. Nein. Nada. Nyet. Non. Nie. Was natürlich logisch ist, aber andererseits den altbekannten Teufelskreis darstellt: Wie soll man Erfahrung sammeln, wenn einem keiner eine Chance gibt?
Denn selbst falls man nun durch Siege als Crewmitglied ein Rating erreicht hat (Wie lange das dauert, hängt allein von eurem Durchhaltevermögen und Glück ab), mit dem man überhaupt halbwegs interessant für die Mannschaft wird, werden immer dieselben gewählt, mit denen die Spieler bereits gute Erfahrungen gemacht haben. Wie bereits erwähnt, ist das vollkommen nachvollziehbar, aber unfair für jene, die es lernen wollen, jedoch nicht rangelassen werden. Bedenkt man nun, dass man anschließend aus beliebigen Gründen gemeutert werden kann und das Rating somit für nichts in den Keller geht, wird es rasch frustig.
Mikrofone sind erwünscht, aber zum Glück nicht notwendig. Schade nur, dass Blackwake mein bislang einziges Spiel ist, bei dem mein Mikro nicht funktioniert. Liest man im Forum, ist das leider kein Einzelfall und eine Lösung für dieses Problem ist nicht in Sicht.

Meines Erachtens nach wäre es wünschenswert, dass die Wahl des Kapitäns entweder zufällig erfolgt (Was laut Forum zwar mal versucht wurde, aber nicht gut ankam) oder die Steuerung des Schiffes nicht exklusiv dem Anführer überlassen wird. Pirate Ship Wars kam schließlich auch ohne Käpt'n aus.

TL;DR: Spielspaß hängt größtenteils von einer einzigen Person auf dem Schiff ab, die man unter Umständen nur schwer loswird und wenn man es selbst tun will, hat man kaum Chancen.

So bleibt mir gegenwärtig nichts anderes übrig, als auf den Tag zu warten, an dem Blackwake dieses System entweder gehörig umkrempelt - oder Pirate Ship Wars wieder populär wird. Was wohl so schnell nicht passieren wird, da dieser Modus tot ist.

Ahoi!

Bevor die ersten mit "Du hast X Stunden gespielt und kannst es trotzdem nicht empfehlen?!"-Kommentaren ankommen: Ja, ich hatte meinen Spaß damit. Und ja, ich wünsche mir verdammt nochmal eine mittlere Bewertung, statt nur Positiv oder Negativ, weil meine Wertung hier am ehesten einem "Hm" entspricht.

Windward bedient sich dem üblichen Sammelwahn im Sinne eines Borderlands oder Diablo um den Spieler mit immer besserer Ausrüstung zu fesseln, und das gelingt dem Spiel echt hervorragend. Was habe ich mich immer gefreut, wenn ich mal einen legendären Ausrüstungsgegenstand erbeuten durfte, der mein Schiff weit nach vorne brachte! Und dank der Kampfinstanzen kehrt man immer mit garantiert einem besseren Gegenstand zurück, während der Rest für viel Geld verkauft wird.
Nun, da haben wir es schonmal schwarz auf weiß, dass es motiviert. Warum also die Negativwertung?

Ganz simpel, wenn man Borderlands und Diablo kennt:
Sie haben eine Handlung. Und amüsante Quests. Für die man bessere Ausrüstung braucht, um diese bewältigen zu können, damit man nach dem Fund einer besseren Waffe, bzw. Rüstung endlich die nötigen Mittel hat, diesen vermaledeiten Gegner, der einem immer wieder die Tour versaut, runter zu Davy Jones zu schicken!

Was hat Windward?
Richtig: Gar nichts.
Okay, es hat auch Quests, doch dienen diese ausschließlich dazu, die Städte zu entwickeln, damit man besseren Zugang zu käuflichen Gegenständen, sowie Schiffen erhält und sind problemlos zu schaffen. Und die Kampfinstanzen werden dem eigenen Level angepasst.
Das ganze Spiel besteht nur aus stumpfem Grind bloß des Grinds um bessere Ausrüstung - die schnell obsolet wird - willen. Keine Geschichte oder schwierige Quests, für die man diese auch braucht. Denn irgendwann fragt man sich an einem Punkt, wozu man das eigentlich macht, wenn nichts Neues mehr kommt.

Windward empfehle ich allen, denen die alleinige Befriedigung, dass die eigenen Werte um ein paar Punkte gestiegen sind, bereits ausreicht. Den anderen kann ich nur raten, sich etwas anderes zu suchen.

EDIT: In Ordnung. Ich sehe ein, dass es nicht fair dem Spiel gegenüber ist, das Fehlen einer Story und interessanten Quests anzukreiden, wenn es gar nicht erst den Anspruch erhebt, etwas zu erzählen, und sich lieber auf die Lootspirale konzentriert. Was ja, wie oben, prima funktioniert und mich durchaus bei der Stange gehalten hat - für eine Weile. Darum gehe ich mehr darauf ein, worauf es beim Spiel wirklich ankommt!
So, ich mag ARPGs, wirklich. Mit Minecraft Dungeons, The Ascent und Warhammer 40.000: Inquisitor hatte ich meine helle Freude, auch wenn ihre Plots eher zweckdienlich sind. Warum sie trotzdem Spaß gemacht haben?
Weil der Kampf an sich eine Mordsgaudi ist und die Fetzen richtig fliegen! Waffen fühlen sich wuchtig an, die Animationen sind hervorragend, diverse Gegner benötigen bestimmte Vorgehensweisen und viele verschiedene Waffen und Builds erlauben diverse Spielstile. Zudem sind die Gegenden schön und laden zu Erkundungen für Extra-Goodies ein.
Das kann ich von Windward weniger behaupten. Ja, es hat Skills, Perks und verschiedene Schiffe (Die nur verschiedene Werte haben und größer meist besser ist). Aber das ändert leider nichts daran, dass die Kämpfe für mich so unglaublich langweilig sind. Autoaim mit Autohit und Skill-Spam mit Cooldowns. Das Kampfsystem entwickelt sich auch nicht weiter und die Skills bleiben gleich, nur die Zahlen werden größer, bzw. Cooldowns kürzer. Im Grunde bleibt ihr nur nahe bei einem Gegner und hämmert die Skill-Tasten durch, bis der Typ tot ist. Bewegen nur sobald eine AoE-Attacke angeflogen kommt, oder man wegen zu hoher Schäden fliehen muss. Es gibt sogar ein Perk, das die Verteidigungswerte bei Stillstand erhöht. Schade nur, dass dieser verbuggt ist.

Wisst ihr, woran mich das erinnert? Billige F2P-MMOs mit Tab-Target-Kampfsystemen und Gegner-Reskins bis der Arzt kommt. Windward hat nichtmal Reskins, sondern nur immer dieselben Schiffe mit besseren Werten (Oh, und Drachen in Raids). Spielen sich ziemlich identisch, außer dass Bewegungen manchmal nicht nötig sind. Wo der Grind das alleinige Gameplay darstellt und alles andere nur schmuckes Beiwerk oder Mittel zum Zweck ist. Das einzige, was Windward noch fehlt, ist Auto-Kampf.
Was hat Windward gegenüber diesen MMOs? Nun, man kann's solo spielen, die Musik ist schön, das Wasser sieht toll aus, und... äh... es hat keinen Ingame-Cash-Shop?
Ach, wen verarsche ich, seien wir mal ehrlich: würde Windward überhaupt noch jemand spielen, wenn es nicht die Beutehatz gäbe? Die ohnehin durch mitlevelnde Gegner ausgehebelt wird? Wenn nicht, sagt mir das nur, wie einfach es mittlerweile geworden ist, Spieler mit Level-Ups und Grafiken in grau, grün, blau, violett, und gelb/gold zu ködern. "Jau, also der Kampf, der Kern des Spiels, lutscht, grafisch kann's mein Handy packen, andere Inhalte als sich durch generische Archipel zu prügeln jibbet nich', warum verschwende ich meine Zeit mit diesem Mü- OH, EPIK L00T! GEILSTES GAME EVAR!!! :D:D:D"
Das soll beim besten Willen kein Vorwurf sein. Wenn euch das schon reicht, prima, viel Spaß! Mein Punkt ist lediglich, dass ein Spiel aus mehr besteht als nur aus Leveln, EXP und Legendaries. Und dass es keine Schande ist, Ansprüche zu haben. Vor allem, wenn man zahlt.

Neue Empfehlung: Spielt lieber F2P-MMOs. Die sind wenigstens gratis und haben, wenn sich die Mapper Mühe gemacht haben, auch mal was interessantes zu sehen, als nur zufällig generierte Inselgruppen. Oh, und "Plots" und "richtige" Nebenquests haben sie auch, obwohl sie meist bloß auf "Töte X" hinauslaufen. Und wenn es euch ausschließlich um immer höhere Zahlen geht und alles andere egal ist, gibt's den Cookie Clicker dafür.
Oder wenn ihr Windward nur in besser haben wollt: King of Seas.