Daniel R. Miller is the Lead Writer and PR Rep for Volite Games.
One of the things that the team at Volite Games emphasized during the development of Booty Hunters is fostering the player’s sense of experimentation with very deep and easy-to-use ship customization mechanics. Among the game’s many foundations is the player’s ability to tailor their ship’s statistics to their own play-styles. Players can mix and match different parts with varying statistical bonuses along with unique abilities every time they reach port so that they will be able to keep the gameplay fresh. When designing a ship’s strengths, players must account for eight different sections of the ship, all of which affect a particular statistic or mechanic.
Sails – For players who rely on speed and evasion, you will likely invest your resources into the quality of your ship’s sails. While choosing to invest in your sails may leave you more vulnerable to enemy fire, it won’t matter much if your enemies can’t hit you.
Cannons – The quality of your cannons determines how much damage you can do to your enemies thorugh cannon fire. In other words, a bigger cannon = bigger boom.
Hull – If you decide to be more aggressive and would rather face your enemies then sail around and away from them, then the Hull is the upgrade you will be looking to invest in. A ship’s Hull correlates directly with defensive efficiency, allowing it to take more hits from enemy fire before being sunk.
Quarters – A captain may get all the glory, but they are nothing without their subordinates. The quarters of your ship directly correlates to its crew capacity. As you lose crew in battle, the efficiency at which your vessel operates will deteriorate, namely for things like sail speed and vessel repairs. A larger crew can compensate for casualties much easier than a small one, so if you choose to invest in your quarters, you will be able to focus more on your adventures.
Quarter Deck – Finding trouble is the epitome of the pirate life. So when trouble befalls your vessel, it’s always a certainty that you will need to patch yourself up. As you go from battle to battle, you will notice that your ship will be repaired from the damage it sustains. The Quarter Deck is the part of your vessel that determines its repair speed.
Hold – The quality of your ship’s Hold, dictates how much food it can carry. Maintaining crew morale in the game is just as important as succeeding in battle as you can’t have one without the other. The best way to keep spirits high aboard your vessel is by keeping bellies full. As you work your way through the game and start getting bigger and bigger crews, you will find that the rate at which you burn through your food stores increases, and if you run out of food, crewman will start to abandon ship.
Galley – One of the core mechanics that makes Booty Hunters stand out from other pirate adventure games are its Abilities. Abilities consume Energy, which is the facet of your ship that is dictated by the Galley. Your Energy does regenerate, but a better Galley will help your crew recover it faster.
Crow’s Nest – Being caught off guard is an easy way to find your ship sinking into Davey Jones’ Locker. The best way to prevent this is by having a strong Sight Radius which is measured by your ship’s Crow’s Nest.
By focusing on particular areas of your vessel, the correlating stat upgrades will reflect many of the typical classes you would find in your favorite MOBA games. For example, by investing in your Galley, you can give your vessel a similar statistical setup to that of your typical Crowd-Control classes. Investing exclusively in the sexy stats like Attack and Speed will turn your ship into a Glass Cannon class that will work for more advanced players. Playing as a Glass Cannon will serve up a greater challenge, as ignoring the quality of the crew and hull will leave the ship highly vulnerable but you will have the firepower to topple advanced enemies. Building a ship to be self-sufficient by investing in areas like your Hold, is just as important to succeess in Booty Hunters as dealing damage to your enemies.
At the outset of the game, success in combat requires a more tactical and methodical approach, and depending on the state of your vessel and crew, you may find that avoiding conflict is an effective strategy. While this may sound a bit daunting, Booty Hunters achieves a successful balance between being easy-to-learn and difficult-to-master so that both new and experienced players can find an enjoyable gameplay experience from every system the game has to offer. You can play the game can be played in so many different ways that you can change your gameplay style on a whim every time you make port, keeping you from feeling stuck in the decisions you make.
Booty Hunters is aiming to be released on iOS devices in Q1 2015 . The team at Volite Games is dedicated to bringing the most engaging and accessible high seas adventure on mobile to pirate fans everywhere. For the latest news on all things Booty Hunters, like Booty Hunters on Facebook and follow the game on Twitter.
