Ahoy, Captains!
Another month of development comes to a close, and with it -- a boatload of polish! Oh yes, I went there!
So what went down this month? Well, let's look over the patch notes, shall we?
The most obvious additions of February will likely be the improved ambiance of the game with the newly animated tree cover and the NPCs that will now talk to you and each other as they sail about. Random amusing banter aside, they may give you hints that will aid your trading, ask for help when in trouble, thank you when you save them and even encourage you to stand fast when they try to save you in turn.
That said, I would say the most important addition lies in private instances. Previously when playing multiplayer the players would be often faced with a world that has already been conquered by others with little to offer to new players who wanted some action. Well, meet the new Instanced Region addition (think private random outdoor "dungeons") -- simply use the Instance button at the top left and you will be sailed away into a private region just for you (and whomever you invite to play with you). And the best part? The instance's difficulty will be hand-tailored to your level providing the optimal experience -- not too difficult, yet also not too easy.
For those on the path of exploration and sailing around, a newly added Diving Suit can be used to salvage shipwrecks found lying about. Players can now recover resources and sometimes even items while exploring. The Sojourn faction, being so uniquely suited for the nature of this work will even get experience doing so. The Diving Suit was actually a community suggestion originally brought forth on the forum.
Continuing on the path of relaxed gameplay, both trading and questing systems have been altered to better reflect distance-based demands and production. The farther away the trade commodity being produced from the town that needs it, the more it will be willing to pay for it. Similarly the farther away the quest's destination, the more the quest will offer as a reward.
Better still, for those that want to enjoy the ambiance or watch their friends play can now simply connect to the game then right-click the player's name in the newly added player list and choose to Observe them. Think "streaming video", without the streaming, or the video! Just watch your friends play in real time, offer suggestions, tips, or commentary as you see fit. And if you're not a fan of being stalked by the paparazzi, fear not! Just go /anonymous. (pro-tip: You can even observe the AI by using the /observe <Region ID> command)
Highly experienced captains may run into elite bosses (Pirate Lords) from time to time. Beware of those, as they will hire allies to follow them around. Speaking of experience, have you ever found the perfect Legendary (orange) item, just to leave it gathering dust as you've gained more experience? Well, now you can upgrade your items by visiting size 10 towns in regions with a higher challenge level than the item you are trying to upgrade. Beware though, doing so won't be cheap!
As usual, you can read the full list of patch notes here.
And finally, if you are coming to PAX East this year be sure to stop by booth 3248 to say hello!