Age Of Pirates 2 Map
Another problem that arises with the gameplay is that it places a higher premium on direct combat than indirect means or even peaceful skills. For example, repairing your vessel that may have been damaged in a storm or trading goods in town doesn't earn you nearly the same kinds of experience boosts that wielding a sword and firing a cannon at enemy ships will. In fact, trying to play as a peaceful trader who didn't attack anyone was an exercise in futility, as I never came close to improving my skills, making the option to be a merchant academic. Clearly, attacking and boarding ships are the focus of the game, which isn't a surprise (it is called after all).
The problem comes within the nautical view for the game, which forces a slow and clunky maneuverability on your vessel regardless of class or weight on the ship. It can actually take you up to ten minutes or longer to sail from one settlement to another with the nautical view selected, and turning from port to starboard or vice versa can take a lot of time as your sailors respond to your commands. During peaceful voyages, this is an understandable element for simulation, and can add to the gameplay.However, you're rarely on a peaceful voyage; sailing into, or even on the edge of, storms will frequently obliterate any control you have along with causing an immense amount of damage to your ship, and maneuvering your ship into place to line up a volley from your cannons is extremely tricky to do. Even worse, the firing and reloading of cannons, even with a skilled crew, can take at least twenty seconds with a fully crewed ship. Get into a battle with a fleet of ships, and you can expect the reloads to come even slower. Now, switching to the map view allows you to travel much faster, but this can also raise a few issues.
First, you're still propelled back to the horrendous nautical view if the two previously mentioned 'incidents' befall your ship. Secondly, the speed of the map view makes you wish that you could either simulate battles in this faster mode or would allow you to instantly leap to boarding your opponent. Unfortunately, this isn't an option at all. I don't expect these large vessels to be speedboats that would turn on a dime, but I'd hope for more responsiveness at least during a naval battle.
Unfortunately, the controls, especially for your ships, are clunky.Then again, I could easily say the same for boarding ships or sword fights during the game. Instead of epic clashes with rapiers and daggers on the deck of a ship between skilled duelists, the game degenerates into hacking and slashing mobs of three or four enemies against one.
While the game system is designed to take a character's energy into account, in theory preventing a Dynasty Warriors-styled button mashing approach to attacks, any character can be overwhelmed regardless of whether they're blocking or not by the sheer numbers thrown at you. The lone equalizer comes with pistols, which can inflict a large amount of damage on your enemies. However, many of your shots will simply injure or severely wound your opponents, while shots from attackers will frequently kill you with one round.Along with some of these gameplay issues comes a certain amount of visual issues that can complicate play. The game engine appears to be at least ten years old, which really stands out whenever you're in town, with rather generic character models and buildings that appear to be repurposed from location to location.
Age Of Pirates 2 Map
As a result, if you go to a new location, you can sometimes find yourself feeling as though you've already been there, because the layout will feel rather familiar. Character animation can also come across as somewhat stiff, particularly as you move and prepare to attack during combat. Additionally, for some reason allies and enemies will sometimes pause during combat as they're being attacked without attempting to defend themselves, as if the animation for movement had been paused. This results in providing a free opening for someone to attack them, which can be capitalized on. Particle effects, smoke and fire are okay, but distinctly generic as well. For instance, the lightning strikes that hit boats and cause gunpowder explosions in the middle of a storm don't provide the same visual impact that you know such an event would cause (or equal the kind of damage that you're told about once you make it out of the dangerous waves.
Age Of Pirates 2 Cuba Map
Expect to visit Davy Jones' Locker frequently.Musically, you've got the kind of sweeping soundtrack that you'd expect to come from an Errol Flynn movie, which does a pretty decent job of getting you excited to attack other ships and exact your own justice on the sea. However, the sound effects seem to have been an afterthought, particularly during fights. Much of the time, you find yourself in a battle that feels a bit muted and dies down instantly as soon as the final blow is struck. No clanging from falling weapons or sounds from dying enemies – instead, you've simply got a resolution of most sound and dynamic battle music, which sounds weird.One other thing for those players looking for multiplayer – you're not going to find it here. Unlike the first game which featured naval battles online for people to battle over, Age of Pirates 2 is solely a single player experience.
The VerdictIf you were looking for a solid buccaneer experience, probably won't give you what you're looking for. While the gameplay is deep, you're plagued with serious control and play issues, and a lack of tutorial and in-game instructions to help you fully explore the title.
If you are willing to dedicate a huge amount of patience and time in attempting to grasp what you can do, you may find some enjoyment with the game. However, the curve is so incredibly steep that most people will abandon this title long before they approach this threshold. 5 Presentation The ability to create your own fate is a decent option for players, but the lack of tutorials and poorly written instruction manual hampers the presentation of the sailing and exploring experience. 6 Graphics The engine looks rather old and generic, from the character models to the stiff movement of sailors in battle.
At least particles, smoke and fire are okay. 5.5 Sound Music sounds like it's pulled from swashbuckling movies, but the sound effects seem to instantly die after battle. 6 Gameplay There are tons of things that you can do, from trading to attacking ships and settlements. Unfortunately, the lack of tutorials, poorly written manual and clunky controls hinders exploring it all. 5.5 Lasting Appeal There's no multiplayer, so you've got to rely on the depth of the gameplay. However, with all of the earlier issues mentioned, you probably won't keep playing the game to experience them.
Is it possible to speed up the time on the main map so that you can move around faster? You could do it in both Sea Dogs and POTC, but i can't seem to do it with AOP.
I figured out that you can use the 'R' key during 3rd person sailing mode to speed up time, but the R key does nothing on the main map. Is there another key to speed it up on the main map? Is it even possible to speed it up on the main map? Also, is there a trade screen like in POTC that lists all the import and export goods of the colonies? I know that you can tell if a good is being exported or imported by its colour in the trade menu, but you have to be in the store on the colony to see that. Can't you see if a colony is exporting or importing something without actually docking at the colony?
Im a bit oldfashioned, like classic and orchestral music. Im really into the great age of sail, and i really find the pace just perfect and relaxing. The music does its job real good soothing the nerves after a tough battle