Pirates of the Caribbean: New Horizons mod

PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: NEW HORIZONS

a mod for Pirates of the Caribbean

"Pirates of the Caribbean: New Horizons", also known as PiratesAhoy! Community Build 14, has been in development ever since the release of Build 13 in early 2007. We have come a long way since then, adding much new content and many new features, some of which were thought to be impossible to achieve even by the original game developers themselves.

FEATURES

Although the game is called "Pirates of the Caribbean" and a lot of movie-specific content has been added, that is not all that's been done. Better still, there is a lot to enjoy even for those people who don't much care for the movies and it is entirely possible to play the game as a fully realistic period naval simulation, rather than a movie tie-in.

The following are a couple of the main features you will find in "New Horizons". However, be sure that there is a lot more new content than just that listed below.

- Direct Sail:
This mod has often been requested by fans of realism in the game and was long thought to be impossible to achieve given the game engine limitations. However, achieve it we did and now you can sail from island to island in 3D sailing mode without making use of the worldmap. Along the way, you will occasionally encounter other ships and items drifting in the sea, which may or may not be dangerous. But those who prefer arcade-like gameplay need not fear; the worldmap is still working as it always did.

- Save At Sea:
Despite game engine limitations, you can now save the game also in 3D sailing mode. This works especially well with DirectSail.

- Periods Mod:
The game world will be historically correct for each storyline, with periods ranging from 1500 to 1820. [More information]

- Shipyard Interface Updates:
Buy upgrades for your ships at the shipyard, choose a new paint job and install and remove cannons as you see fit. This is all possible now.

- Selectable Storylines:
Arguably one of the biggest new features in "New Horizons", the "Selectable Storylines" mod will enable you to select different main quests to play. The original game's main quest has been retained, but there are now five additional main quests to choose from:

• Assassin

As a disillusioned former Dutch soldier, you have turned to smuggling to make a living. After a deal gone bad, you end up in the service of the Spanish Crown to do their "dirty work". [More Information]

• Bartolomeu o Portugues

When Bartolomeu first sets foot in the Caribbean, little does he know that he will soon become the most famous Portuguese pirate in history, feared by the Spanish and hailed by his countrymen. [More Information]

• Devlin Opera

As the female lead, the story leads you and your sister searhcing for long lost family members, and a vast treasure... that is, if you can survive! Along the way you will encounter a band of rather colourful characters who will help you on your journey. [More Information]

• The Chronicles of Horatio Hornblower

As a seventeen-year-old with a touch for seasickness, young Horatio Hornblower hardly cuts a dash in His Majesty's Navy. Yet from the moment he is ordered to board the Indefatigable, he proves his seafaring mettle on the waves. [More Information]

• Tales of a Chevalier

The story of Jean de la Croix chronicles the life of a French nobleman who finds himself inprisoned over a duel with a Spanish Don. You must find a way to escape the clutches of the Spanish Crown and repay them in style for their treatment of you in prison. [More Information]

• Hoist the Colours

A lot has been speculated about the early days of Jack Sparrow and we're not even sure if this particular account is entirely accurate. It does explain some of the events that shaped this infamous pirate, but the journey can take multiple twists and turns depending on your choices, which may or may not end with you sailing into the sunset after lifting the Curse of the Black Pearl. [More Information]

- Capture Colonies:
This is probably the most often requested mod, ever since the release of the stock game. Originally you could sack enemy towns, but you couldn't capture them. With this mod, however, you will be able to parlay over the terms of surrender with the town's governor, enabeling you to sack the town as usual, give the town to another government or take it for yourself!

- Realistic Weather:
Build 12 added a mod that would allow weather to change while sailing around in 3D sailing mode. However, this was not a very sophisticated mod and weather changes could be rather abrupt. The weather system has been rewritten and weather updates will now occur much more smoothly. Therefore paying attention to what the weather is doing can play an important part in naval battles and having the weather guage in a chase becomes very worthwhile.

- Walk on Deck:
When sailing at sea, you can now freely walk around your ship and visit your captain's cabin, the crew quarters, cannon decks and cargo holds. Depending on the size and class of your ship, you will have a different captain's cabin and outside deck. On deck, you will be able to interact with your officers and crew.

- New Locations:
A new town is added on Nevis and three new islands are included as well. Nation-specific texture work has added greatly to making each town unique and many of the models have been further modified or completely replaced. [See examples]

- New Models:
In addition to the above, 177 new ships and 564 new character models have been added, including some from the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, but also many others. [See examples]

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DEVELOPMENT

"Pirates of the Caribbean: New Horizons" is still heavily in development, the latest release being Alpha 10. This has proved very playable in testing and will be the last Alpha release before we go to Beta.

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EXTERNAL LINKS

PiratesAhoy!
PiratesAhoy! Forum
Bug Tracker