New Game Covering the Age of Sail upcoming

[WSUCougar]

Sorry for the barrage of new threads, but this sounds like a pretty cool upcoming offering from Shrapnel Games. I am skeptical until I see the end product, as this genre always ends up disappointing me (this is my favorite historical era):

Full speed ahead into harm's way!
Upcoming title set during the golden age of sail announced!

Cary, NC, 24 March 2004
An oft-neglected era, the age of sail has produced only a few computer games over the years, much to the disappointment of would-be Horatio Hornblowers everywhere. Because of this it is with great excitement that Shrapnel Games would like to announce the signing of Spruegames, a new independent developer who will be joining our award- winning lineup with the imminent release of Salvo for the Windows OS.

Inspired in part by the great naval paintings of that era, Salvo has been designed from the keel up to provide an engrossing gameplay experience that allows armchair master and commanders to effortlessly face off against mighty armadas using a very intuitive interface. Players will be able to command fleets of close to sixty ships per side in a single battle with just a few clicks of the mouse, thanks to the unique 'Action Marker' system found in the game. With this system orders can be given to each individual ship in a scenario, or ships can be moved by squadron, allowing large scale engagements to be easily managed.

Combat is a wonderfully aesthetic aspect of the game, with vessels lovingly rendered in full 3D and battles playing out in a full broadside of sight and sound. Salvo keeps the number crunching behind the scenes, allowing gamers to concentrate not on combat result tables, but fighting the battle. For example, while gamers will see a text report of "Constitution receives light damage" the player will also witness their ship shudder under a blaze of fire, with sails ripped to tatters and gaping holes peppering the hull. With such visual feedback reinforcing what's occurring behind the scenes it becomes second nature for gamers to appraise how the battle is faring, and makes plotting strategy a snap without the need to catch every single text message like in some wargames.

The battles themselves are spread out over twenty-four campaigns (!), covering naval warfare from the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. All the major naval forces of the era can be found in Salvo, along with the nefarious pirates of the Caribbean and Barbary coast. Whenever possible the vessels are historically named and rated. And yes, land will be found in Salvo, increasing the strategic possibilities for wily commanders.

Salvo is slated for a late Summer 2004 release. It is for the Windows OS. More information on what will surely be the naval hit of 2004, including a full features list, will be available in April.

For press related information please contact Scott R. Krol at: [email protected]

[Nyarlahotep]

Pirates of the Burning Sea is the game I am waiting for just because it is a MMORPG. As far as single player games go, this sounds pretty good.

[WSUCougar]

Originally Posted by Nyarlahotep

Pirates of the Burning Sea is the game I am waiting for just because it is a MMORPG.

I've seen a few references to this, but know little about it since I don't do MMORPGs. Is it on the verge of release? Any good/bad pub?

I've often wondered why games in this genre fail. It seems like such a viable topic for a good game, in terms of everything: graphics, gameplay, strategy, RPG aspects, trade, etc. Frustrating.

[RendeR]

NOthing beats PIRATES!


Yar!!

I'd love to check these games out, but I'm terribly dissapointed in all MMORPG's and am never one to buy something as soon as it comes out anyway.

The problem with the MMORPG,s is of course, the other people. There are far too many wacked out lame asses who just ruin the fun for everyone.

[Fritz]

Shrapnel usually puts out good games

[WSUCougar]

Originally Posted by Fritz

Shrapnel usually puts out good games

Yeah, that's the encouraging part for me.

[sachmo71]

Trafalgar, eh? I'll take the British!!!

[Nyarlahotep]

Originally Posted by WSUCougar

I've seen a few references to this, but know little about it since I don't do MMORPGs. Is it on the verge of release? Any good/bad pub?

I've often wondered why games in this genre fail. It seems like such a viable topic for a good game, in terms of everything: graphics, gameplay, strategy, RPG aspects, trade, etc. Frustrating.

Fourth quarter this year if it releases on schedule. I haven't been following too closely since that usually leads to a let down.

Pirates of the Burning Sea