Chapter One Improvements!

One could argue that the start of any game is the most important part of the game. If the first few hours aren't fun then it's unlikely that anyone will make it to the ending. Pirate Code is constantly being improved and this update focuses on the beginning. The results speak for the themselves: a more streamlined, strategic experience that sets a better tone for the rest of the game.

More Strategic Variety

Previously, only the Sea Dog was available at the beginning of the game. There are three other ships to unlock, but it would likely be hours before most players would have them. The two cheaper options (the Molo sub and the clockwork ship) were unlocked right at the end of the chapter which meant players had very little time to use and upgrade them before the boss fight at the end. To fix these problems, there are now three ships that start unlocked (the common Sea Dog, the clockwork ship, and the Molo sub). Additionally, instead of starting the game with several of the same ship, players will now start with one of each. This instantly adds more variety to the decisions made in combat in the first chapter.

I you have an existing save file in the first chapter, you will still have the old starting ships, but the sub and clockwork ship will both be unlocked so you can purchase them right away.

Less Forced Fishing

In Pirate Code, you have the option of fishing to gather resources (fish, as it turns out) to sell and make extra gold. To introduce this, the first chapter previously had several missions that required the player to go get fish. These were main story missions that had to be completed to move forward in the game. Now they've been moved off the main quest line and have been remade as side quests. Fish if you want - or don't. But it wasn't just the fishing missions stepping aside. In fact, four missions in total were moved from the main quest line into side quests. Players can now arguably finish the first chapter much faster and move on to the deeper waters of chapter two.

If you have an existing saved game that was on a mission that has moved to a side quest, your game file will be updated with the new main quest automatically. Be sure to check your mission log once you load into your game.

Skip the Tutorial

The tutorial in Pirate Code has received many compliments, but let's be honest, once you've played it, you don't need to play it again. This has been a point of pain for many players who start a new game. Well no more! You can now skip the tutorial and get straight into the action. This is particularly important for player who may want to start over and enjoy these first chapter changes. However, if you've never played Pirate Code, I would strongly urge you to play the tutorial.

The Complete List of Changes

Here are a complete list of the changes that happened in this update.

• Four main story missions were moved to sub missions.

• Players now have three ships unlocked at the start of the game.

• Players can skip the tutorial.

• The cost of many ship colors in the first chapter were decreased.

• Removed a few very expensive items from the Nautical Academy.

• Players now start with 100 gold.

• The main map now displays island liberation.

• Fixed a bug that displays the red exclamation mark (!) incorrectly at times.

• Fixed a bug with the helpful hint text not resizing in one edge case.

• Fixed a bug where you couldn't move a newly purchased ship into your fleet.

• Removed the starting ship unlocks and crew from the total percent complete calculation.

• Fixed several smaller bugs and typos.

This update is live for Windows and will follow in a few days for Mac.