Caribbean Legend: Age of Pirates news & patch notes

Greetings, captains!

We continue to polish the game based on your reports and are releasing patch-fix 1.1.2 for the current version of the game.

Quests & Story

• DLC «Sea Dogs» («The Leper»):

  • Removed redundant dialogue with an ordinary inquisitor. Now Carl can only be handed over strictly to the Grand Inquisitor.

  • Fixed the main character getting stuck in a bench in the Santo Domingo tavern after talking to the boatswain.

  • Fixed a bug where the inquisitor was missing from the execution if the player had previously killed all NPCs inside the Inquisition building.

• French Questline: The mission to rescue Roche Brasiliano now progresses correctly (the Grand Inquisitor temporarily leaves the Inquisition building during this quest, preventing a softlock).

• English Questline: Fixed an incorrect spawn of the character replacing Mansfield in the 8th quest.

• Pirate Questline: The entry about eliminating Edward Low now appears in the logbook in a timely manner, including when entering the global map.

• The tavern room doors are now securely locked until the end of the fight with the wench's "boyfriend" to avoid unexpected bugs when exiting the location.

• Fixed an error (softlock) in the dialogue branch with the wench's suitor.

Gameplay

• Fighter officers have been returned to the store trade interface — their inventory is now correctly displayed during trading again.

• Maps can now be viewed directly through the "Miscellaneous" tab (previously they were only displayed via the cartographic atlas).

• A large number of text fixes and translation errors have been resolved across all language versions.

• Technical Fixes:

  • Fixed an error that caused a black screen when certain loading illustrations appeared.

  • A minor general code refactoring has been performed.

  • Fixed an annoying bug where game time would spontaneously accelerate after ending dialogues.

Locations, Models & Visuals

• Fixed a strange hole in the 3D model of Guadeloupe island.

• Fixed a visual artifact on the floor in one of the tavern models.

• Fixed the "Flying Dutchman" model. Algae and moss on the hull are now correctly displayed on both sides (previously they were invisible from the stern).

• For Modders: Fixed duplication of ship texture folders when using Steam Workshop modifications.

If you continue to encounter any difficulties, please let us know!

🗨 Where to report bugs?

• Our Discord server

• Steam Discussions

The patch is compatible with the current version and does not require starting a new game.

Thank you for your detailed bug reports and support!

Greetings, captains!

We continue to polish the game based on your feedback. Patch 1.1.1 is not a major overhaul, but the number of targeted fixes, optimizations, and code adjustments in it is quite impressive. We focused on stability, increasing FPS, and closing bugs you reported.

Quest Fixes and DLC "Sea Dogs"

• "Settled Pirate" DLC:

  • Fixed a critical game crash during the grotto cutscene if the main character had a musket equipped at that moment.

  • Fixed incorrect (too bright) lighting on British fortifications.

  • Added a hint marker to display the progress of the ability to search the pile of gold.

• Pirate Offer: Fixed a bug where the quest would hang. If for any reason the initial dialogue with the PGG did not start, the quest trigger now correctly terminates and resets when the player leaves the location.

• Steal blueprint at the shipyard: Fixed quest logic. If the player threatened the shipwright, the task did not close properly — now the branch concludes correctly.

Gameplay, Items, and Balance

• The passive effect of the "Shark Tooth" amulet grants +10% damage against deep-sea creatures (crabs).

• The changes to the "Alchemy" perk from the previous patch have been temporarily removed; the perk has been restored to its former state and sent for a conceptual overhaul.

• The unique item "Excellent Saw", obtained from a citizen's quiz answers, can now be freely sold to merchants or transferred to officers.

• Boarders are now correctly displayed in the banker's item selling interface.

• Logs and notifications:

  • The Indian Tichingitu no longer triggers erroneous logs about receiving ship skill points.

  • Added missing text logs when using energy jars and potions.

Text, Visuals, and Localization

• Loading screens: Extensive work has been done on the loading screens (touching up artwork, fixing incomplete details, and fixing missing or swapped images).

• Localization: Fixed a huge number of text errors in all languages. Added missing dialogue lines, fixed incorrect translations, location markers, and character names.

Optimization and Performance

• FPS Increase in Cities: Deep optimization of character AI has been carried out. This noticeably boosts performance in locations with a large accumulation of NPCs, such as major cities.

  • Health, energy, firearm charge, and intoxication regeneration/calculations are no longer tied to the frame rate (FPS). They are now calculated strictly at a 1-second interval (game standard).

  • Fixed the balance of healing potions: removed an erroneous additional energy restoration (+0.1 per sec) that was accidentally added.

  • Fixed stamina recovery code: energy from potions and jars will now be provided even if the bar is already full (similar to HP regeneration).

• Engine micro-optimizations: Optimized some internal engine processes.

• Map loading: Loading of map textures from the cartographic atlas has been optimized and split into parts. Currently, the atlas update is available for English and Chinese localizations (Russian is expected in the near future).

Modding Tools

• Implemented the ability to partially load modifications via the overlays.txt file using a configuration like: modfolder:Resource\\...\\xxx.

  This line allows recursively loading only what is in the specified directory from the mod folder, ignoring the rest of the content. Multiple conditions can be set for a single mod folder to selectively combine the necessary files.

If you continue to encounter any difficulties, please report them!

🗨 Where to report bugs?

• Our Discord server

• Steam Discussions

The update is compatible with current saves and does not require starting a new game.

Thank you for the detailed bug reports and your support!

Greetings, captains!

We continue to polish the game based on your reports and are releasing patch-fix 1.1.2 for the current version of the game.

Quests & Story

• DLC «Sea Dogs» («The Leper»):

  • Removed redundant dialogue with an ordinary inquisitor. Now Carl can only be handed over strictly to the Grand Inquisitor.

  • Fixed the main character getting stuck in a bench in the Santo Domingo tavern after talking to the boatswain.

  • Fixed a bug where the inquisitor was missing from the execution if the player had previously killed all NPCs inside the Inquisition building.

• French Questline: The mission to rescue Roche Brasiliano now progresses correctly (the Grand Inquisitor temporarily leaves the Inquisition building during this quest, preventing a softlock).

• English Questline: Fixed an incorrect spawn of the character replacing Mansfield in the 8th quest.

• Pirate Questline: The entry about eliminating Edward Low now appears in the logbook in a timely manner, including when entering the global map.

• The tavern room doors are now securely locked until the end of the fight with the wench's "boyfriend" to avoid unexpected bugs when exiting the location.

• Fixed an error (softlock) in the dialogue branch with the wench's suitor.

Gameplay

• Fighter officers have been returned to the store trade interface — their inventory is now correctly displayed during trading again.

• Maps can now be viewed directly through the "Miscellaneous" tab (previously they were only displayed via the cartographic atlas).

• For Modders: Fixed duplication of ship texture folders when using Steam Workshop modifications.

• A large number of text fixes and translation errors have been resolved across all language versions.

• Technical Fixes:

  • Fixed an error that caused a black screen when certain loading illustrations appeared.

  • A minor general code refactoring has been performed.

  • Fixed an annoying bug where game time would spontaneously accelerate after ending dialogues.

Locations, Models & Visuals

• Islands & Towns: Fixed a hole in the 3D model of Guadeloupe island.

• Taverns: Fixed a visual artifact on the floor in one of the tavern models.

• Ships: Fixed the "Flying Dutchman" model. Algae and moss on the hull are now correctly displayed on both sides (previously they were invisible from the stern).

If you continue to encounter any difficulties, please let us know!

🗨 Where to report bugs?

• Our Discord server

• Steam Discussions

The patch is compatible with the current version and does not require starting a new game.

Thank you for your detailed bug reports and support!

Update 1.1 — Global Patch

Greetings, Captains!

We are thrilled to present you with the massive 1.1 update. In this patch, we did extensive work on the game's combat interface and engine, closed many old quest vulnerabilities, reworked the economy and crafting balance, and added a number of pleasant new features.

Attention: Due to the abundance of technical fixes, a New Game is required to play with patch 1.1!

To stay on update 1.0.3, please switch to the Legacy branch

Below is a detailed list of changes.

Main Features

DLC «Sea Dogs»

We have completely transferred and reimagined 7 cult quests from the original game «Sea Dogs» (2000). You are in for over 10 hours of pure nostalgia: improved directing and variability, new cutscenes, unique officers for your crew, and valuable rewards. Exactly what was missing at the start of the game - real adventures!

New Interface

The entire combat interface has been fully updated - on land, at sea, and on the global map, and a new spyglass interface has been implemented.

Updated Loading Screens

A lot of work has been done to improve the loading screens, resulting in almost every location now having its own unique image.

Community Rewards System

From now on, the Indian Tichingitu and his musket will also be available to all buyers of Caribbean Legend (if you have the reward for the AoP playtest, the Indian will still be available to you without purchasing CL).

Balance, Crafting, and Economy

• Crafting and Alchemy:

  • Many crafting components can now be found in treasures, on enemy corpses, or from street vendors.

  • Fixed recipe descriptions. Increased the number of "Arrows" (+2) and "Grapeshot charges" (+3) received. Removed revolver powder from the percussion cap recipe.

  • The "Alchemy" perk no longer strictly requires tailoring, locksmithing, and alchemical chests.

  • Rebalanced ammunition crafting for the legendary Collier Revolver.

• Trade:

  • Removed strict and pointless restrictions on item trading with lighthouse keepers and bankers.

  • Bankers now buy any jewelry at a 10% higher price than regular merchants.

• Item Rebalance:

  • Increased the chance of finding rare crafting items in the best stashes.

  • Increased the value of some Indian jewelry, rebalanced the value of Toltec skulls.

  • In the Cumana quiz, the useless statue was replaced with an excellent saw providing a repair bonus.

• When starting for the Pirate Nation, the main character now immediately has access to the "Shore Repairs" perk (instead of "Long-range Boarding").

Quests and Storyline

• Spanish Questline:

  • The new governor of La Vega no longer falls through his chair and has received his own voice acting.

  • Fixed Mansfield disappearing upon reloading during the duel in the residence.

• English Questline:

  • Thomas Lynch now sits correctly at the end of the questline and doesn't get stuck in the chair.

  • Fixed a bug where the garrison and fort became hostile at the end of the questline.

  • During Modyford's arrest, weapons are now immediately drawn for combat, and reloading doesn't remove the ability to fight.

• Pirate Questline:

  • Capturing the "Sea Brig" now counts even if it was commanded by a companion.

  • Added a clarifying journal entry stating that Low will attack class 5 ships and below.

  • The key to the governor's chest in Panama has been moved to the fort commander's desk.

  • Restored the ability to resist in Sawkins' residence when they try to kill you (although by design you are supposed to run away).

• French Questline: The main character is now correctly stripped of their musket when sent to prison.

• Island of Justice (CoAS):

  • Blocked the application of navigation penalties for the "Dog of War" ship while staying on the island (penalties will only apply after sailing away).

  • Fixed a bug with duplicating rumors about yourself.

  • Removed unnecessary quest items after rescue.

  • Fixed getting into an isolated part of the city when going out the wrong door.

  • The logic of winning the drinking contest with Malcolm now depends on the sum of Strength and Endurance stats. With the minimum sum (6), the win chance is 5%, with the maximum (20) — 100%.

  • Fixed technical issues when clearing out "Caspers".

  • Fixed John Workman's attack when attempting to hire him as an officer.

• Kill All Beggars:

  • Fixed a bug with the disappearance of the dialogue branch with the banker about the one million.

  • The Keymaster will no longer repeat the same thing in the tavern.

  • The Keymaster in the tavern now leaves and hands over the key correctly, even if the player uses time skip while in the tavern.

• The Stars are Right:

  • Fixed a softlock when talking about Teaser in the cabin.

  • Fixed a situation where a wounded Teaser wandered around the main character's ship.

  • Fixed the logic of Hannibal Holm's condition checks.

  • Temporarily blocked the ability to loot corpses at certain moments of the battle to prevent breaking scripts.

  • After escaping, the mine will now be correctly populated with NPCs.

  • NPCs in the secret beggar fort no longer respawn earlier than they should.

• «Rat Hunt»: fixed the quest blocking in Bermuda and Port-au-Prince.

• «Captain's Commission (Ransom)»: fixed a bug preventing exit from the location after rescuing the captive.

• «Blue Bird»:

  • fixed the inability to hand over cargo to a hostile merchant.

  • Sandro Torn significantly weakened, except on the "Impossible" difficulty level.

• «Condottiere»:

  • fixed a softlock when killing Halen in the city;

  • The Rat now spawns correctly at the table in the tavern.

• «Steal the blueprint» generator: the chance of being issued has been changed to daily random (33%), added cooldowns on receiving.

• Church Quests:

  • Fixed the discrepancy between the title ("grotto") and description ("dungeon") in the undead-clearing quest.

  • Fixed the generation issues with the quest bay during the church robbery quest.

• "Ghost Ship": Fixed duplicate dialogue and a double entry in the ship's log after collecting 666 pearls.

• Dutch Storyline: Fixed the 200,000 pesos payout for man-of-war ships in the Dutch storyline.

• Other Quest Fixes:

  • Fixed a bug that blocked the exit from the Fort Orange town when taking a priest as a passenger (instead of a companion).

  • Convoy and passenger quest generators will now always propose different colonies.

  • Timely clearing of quest markers on land and removal of duplicates on the world map (such as "Mummy Powder" and "Slave Trader").

  • The names of certain pirate barons now display correctly in the ship's log.

  • Fixed the sitting animation for quest NPCs in churches (characters now generate at the correct time) and removed jittery animations for priests.

  • Escaped convicts generated in the jungle will now run away upon encountering the player instead of standing completely still.

  • The quest marker for "The Beautiful Isabella" is no longer displayed if the protagonist is female. You can now gift jewelry (diamonds) to Isabella.

  • Fixed the strange spawning behavior of Sharp's vessel (Sharponosets) in certain locations like Fort Orange.

  • Fixed the townswoman's ring search quest generator in Charlestown.

  • Fixed a bug preventing players from leaving the location in the "Captain's Errand (Ransom)" quest after rescuing the captive.

  • Neutral/strange ships will no longer spawn in the "Pirate's Offer" quest (the group of ships is now correctly cleared).

  • Fixed character generation in the "Matter of Honor" quest.

  • Fixed a softlock in quest generation requiring a church or a usurer (quests are no longer given in towns where these buildings do not exist).

  • Fixed a softlock in target colony selection for quest generators if the player has captured all settlements of that nation (checks are now based on the starting conditions of the game).

NPCs and Gameplay

• Companions and Officers:

  • Important: Boarders no longer unequip their gear when exchanging items! Now, to take an item from them, it must first be unequipped in the inventory.

  • Fixed bugs with semi-immortal officers (getting stuck in tables, retaining immortality upon hero's resuscitation).

  • Fixed a bug where the cooldown of the "Emergency Repair" perk for companions didn't reset after reloading the game.

  • The "Eagle Eye" perk for officers now works on land only if they are in the same location as the protagonist. At sea, the perk always works. Officers can now highlight harvestable grass in the jungle.

• Unique NPC Update:

  • Unique appearance models added for Van der Decken and the head of Des Moines.

  • Updated the model lineup for Danielle Shepard, including her cursed appearance (in case the player forgot to take the Jade Skull during the Queen's boarding).

  • Fixed model errors for Bartholomew Sharp.

  • A player in Leif the Lucky's body will be able to use a musket.

• Misc:

  • Fixed a bug with the duplication of Captain Sharp.

  • Fixed a bug with the duplication of some quest markers on the map.

  • Patrols during contraband checks now correctly check the skill of the exact weapon currently equipped by the hero.

  • Storms now end at a random time, rather than on a fixed timer.

  • Fixed a rare bug with incredibly high ranks for quest opponents.

  • Dice game: bets no longer remain on the table after a draw.

  • Fixed the calculation of gambling win statistics.

  • Added new interaction sounds with objects (herb gathering, picking up keys, transferring quest items).

  • Prostitutes in the brothel no longer service sailors if the protagonist currently has no ship and crew.

  • Fixed incorrect locator spawning during duels inside taverns.

  • Improved the reaction of patrol soldiers and ordinary civilians in the jungle to drawn weapons and attacks.

  • Removed redundant ship creaking sounds when a storm ends.

  • Fixed an issue with incorrect audio cues notifying about the "starboard side reloaded".

  • Fixed a bug with ship value calculations at Port Authorities.

  • Fixed problematic brick freights (previously delivered in incomplete quantities).

  • Fixed missing display of certain goods in dialogue options.

  • Patched an exploit with P.I.R.A.T.E.S. attribute distribution: increased stats are now highlighted in gold, and modification arrows appear only if there are free points available and proper conditions are met.

  • Fixed incorrect map counting for the "Cartographer" trait (fixed a vanilla bug regarding the CoAS map and double-counting after the atlas was confiscated).

  • Reduced the frequency of guards questioning the player at town gates.

  • Gonâve Bay now correctly belongs exclusively to the French territory.

  • Fixed the unloading of goods to the warehouse when checking a ship into the Port Authority.

  • Fixed the sitting positions/animations of quest NPCs in taverns.

  • Added a restriction blocking shipyard services if your ship is not moored in the local port.

  • When starting as the Pirate nation, the protagonist now immediately receives the "Shore Repairs" perk (replacing "Long-range Boarding").

  • Alexus no longer offers incorrect cannon upgrades.

  • Items from the old cabin are now correctly transferred to the new one.

  • Fixed the generation of the "Arrow" captain (resolved the issue where two brigantines would spawn).

  • A massive amount of text fixes across all language localizations.

Engine and Technical

• Stability:

  • Massive work has been done to eliminate memory leaks.

  • Fixed many engine bugs that led to unstable game behavior.

  • Removed dangerous recursions and scripts that caused critical errors when generating NPC equipment.

  • Quest headers now always update when opening the journal.

• Saves (Save/Load):

  • Optimized the format for saving game time (the total number of minutes is now saved). In new saves, time will be displayed taking localization into account.

  • Text in the save description is center-aligned and cropped when exceeding bounds; icons adjust to the text.

  • Broken or inaccessible loads due to the game version are now highlighted in red.

• Launcher: Added refresh rate support for specific monitors (from 50 to 60 Hz) and correct UI scaling for Windows.

• Misc:

  • Fixed a visual bug of a glowing point on the global map near Jamaica.

  • Model fix for ship collisions at Hispaniola (Santo Domingo, La Vega).

  • Sprinting while swimming (in alert mode) now works correctly.

  • The "Always Run" setting now works without interruptions.

  • Added functionality for mod creators to clear the Notifications log and the ability to embed custom images/messages when receiving items.

  • Added a designated position for the FPS counter text display (this required resetting your engine.ini configuration).

  • Unlocking "In the Service of the Nation" achievements has been moved to the final dialogue with the governor to close an exploit allowing players to get them before the assault on Panama.

  • A large number of minor improvements and location fixes.

This update is the result of immense work based on your feedback and bug reports. We continue to develop Age of Pirates and make it exactly the way we all want to see it.

Attention: Due to the abundance of technical fixes, a New Game is required to play with patch 1.1! To stay on update 1.0.3, please switch to the Legacy branch.

What's next? We plan to continue improving the quality of life for players and the level of reworking for old storylines. We have already begun full-scale work on a complete Peter Blood questline! Take a look at the announcement trailer.

Don't hesitate to share your impressions of the new quests from the DLC and the balance changes — your feedback helps us set priorities.

If you like the scale of our work, your positive review on Steam is the best support for us. Join the discussion in our Discord and talk directly with the developers!

See you at sea, Captains!

Changelog:

• Fixed an issue where the ability to save during sea battles was disabled for all languages except Russian and English.

• Minor improvements of some ship models.

• Improved the appearance of Jeremy Pitt when wearing cuirasses.

• Removed a number of junk files that were not used in the game.

New game not required!

Greetings, Corsairs!

Today is a historic day for modding in our project. As promised, we are officially opening access to the game's code. We have always believed that the life of this wonderful series is prolonged by a dedicated and unfading modding community.

Open Scripts

Starting today, the current version on Steam comes with an open Program folder. This means unlimited modding is available to you: you can change old logic or add completely new content to the game. But here in Age of Pirates, we have some features that differ from our big brother Caribbean Legend:

• We have only one script folder - it has become much easier to navigate, without the need to duplicate changes across multiple dialogue files.

• We moved all localization into separate .ini text files. Now you don't need to dig into the script code to translate the game or edit dialogues. (however, you will need an IDE for convenient navigation)

• The build will update automatically soon, opening all files for editing.

Tools and GitHub

Instructions on how to upload mods to Steam are available here. But we also want the entry threshold for authors to be minimal, therefore:

Ahoy!

This is Konstrush - head of the ReCon Team.

A little over two weeks have passed since the release on March 13, and it's time to sum up the first results. I'll be honest: it was massive. As Joruba from BlackMark Studio noted, the release turned out to be really solid. We have already released a number of prompt patches to polish the rough edges, and we continue to closely monitor your feedback.

The number of players is especially pleasing — many newcomers who were previously unfamiliar with the "Corsairs" series have entered the game, and judging by the reviews, they liked the game very much, though not without nuances.

A huge thank you to all of you: those who support us by purchasing the Support Pack, who cover our remaster on their streams, who send detailed bug reports, help with improving localization, and are already creating mods with might and main. We can say with certainty — you are the best community.

And now — to the plans. Even though it hasn't been a month since the release, we have something to tell you about the future.

Balance and Bug Fixes

We will continue to analyze your feedback. In the immediate plans — a targeted rebalance of some mechanics and general gameplay improvements based on your suggestions.

New Interface

We already gave you a glimpse of the updated interface before the release, and now it is almost fully approved.

• In the short term: A fully updated combat interface.

• In the long term: Reworking the entire game UI in terms of functionality and visuals.

In April, the new interface will become available to everyone in open beta testing mode.

Reworking Original Quests

We hope you appreciated the updated versions of the "Kill All Beggars", "To the Island of Justice", "Rat Hunt", "Secrets of the Pearl Trade" questlines, as well as Leif the Lucky's quest. And we do not plan to stop: a similar reworking format awaits all the other remaining quests and quest branches.

Return of Legendary Quests

Many fans remember the quests that we postponed at release due to the need for their additional reworking. We decided not just to return some of them, but to do it as fully and beautifully as possible! ReCon Team together with the author Sinistra is preparing a massive gift for all fans of the "Curse of the Distant Seas" part in the form of a DLC. This will be a full-fledged remake of the classic quests from the original game, taking into account our vision and careful attitude to the source material, namely:

Greetings, Captains!

We have promptly prepared a small technical update that fixes several errors discovered immediately after the release of patch 1.0.3. The main focus is on fixing "softlocks" in quests.

Quests and Storyline

• The Stars have aligned:

  • Eliminated the risk of a softlock when searching bodies in the jungle: during the combat phase behind the gates, opening the loot menu is temporarily disabled to avoid interrupting dialogue logic. Looting functionality returns after the phase is completed.

  • Fixed the character getting stuck in the mine. The location is now blocked until Teaser Dan enters it according to the story.

• Maiden in the Jungle (only for new generations):

  • Girls no longer wander around the church and stand in their designated places;

  • Fixed a critical error where they might not engage in dialogue, blocking controls.

• Boat loading locators now close correctly during the Governor's quest to find a spy at that mission stage.

• Fixed an error where the player could exchange their ship for a lugger in Providencia before sailing to the Island of Justice.

Gameplay and Mechanics

• Fixed a bug where the "Pre-reload" perk could remain in an infinite cooldown (CD) state.

• The block on the interface for hiring and firing sailors has been removed. Previously, if another captain visited the tavern, access to crew management was closed for 3 days. Now the sailor firing function is always available.

• Your companions now move correctly through large cabins if you have granted them access to these rooms.

• Chests washed ashore can now appear in bays where they did not appear before.

Technical Part and Interface

• Restored correct restart of the sound scheme in the game's start menu.

• Fixed an error where music was not playing during a storm.

• Excessive spray and wakes at the ship's sides now correctly disappear after the storm ends.

• Implemented an additional fix for lighthouse lighting.

• Adjustments were made to the layout of some interface windows for more correct display.

• Another package of text fixes in all language versions of the game.

The update will be installed automatically. It is fully compatible with your current saves.

Greetings, Captains!

We continue to polish the game based on your feedback. In update 1.0.3, we have conducted extensive work on the logic of semi-immortal officers, closed several serious quest vulnerabilities and softlocks, and made minor improvements to trade and interface optimization.

Officers and Boarders

• Comprehensive fixes for semi-immortal officers:

  • Fixed a bug with model transparency and lack of collision;

  • Fixed incorrect behavior where unconscious officers would jump up when receiving the "follow me" order.

  • Fixed an issue where unconscious officers could be hit by firearms;

  • Fixed an infinite loop of falling and rising, including cases of poisoning;

  • Fixed hanging in the air while falling;

  • Fixed animation breaks when removing an unconscious officer from their post.

• Fixed the display of female officers and musketeers when sitting on chairs (missing animations added).

• Boarders no longer unequip melee weapons or reset firearm ammunition types after an interface item exchange with the captain.

• The "Take All" button when exchanging with officers now works correctly and strictly accounts for the available weight limit.

Quests and Storyline

• Spanish Line (La Vega): Fixed an error where the player and the pirate baron could not draw weapons during the story duel.

• "Kill All Beggars" Quest: Resolved a conflict with a generator quest for slave ransom, which prevented the dialogue about Teaser Dan from appearing at the mine. Planter dialogues now work correctly.

• "Girl in the Jungle" Quest:

  • The reward now matches the description;

  • Fixed an error where the girl would not appear in the church to collect the pearls. (Note: if she has already disappeared in your current save, she cannot be brought back — the fix will work during the next quest playthrough).

• "Industrial Espionage" Quest: Closed a vulnerability that allowed infinite leveling of certain skills through dialogue with the shipyard guard.

• French Linequest: Clarified the dialogue text and log entry in the task to rescue Roche Brasiliano for better player understanding of the goals.

• Other Fixes:

  • Bandits from governor and church tasks no longer spawn in locations currently closed by the story.

  • Redesigned the algorithm for issuing the captain search generator to fix a rare error in task assignment.

Gameplay and World

• Improved the auto-sell mechanic - a convenient "Sell Excess" checkbox has been added to the trade interface (active when a purser is present).

• Fixed a bug with the perk for choosing from three freights. Previously, refusing delivery in one city could block receiving freights from traders on other islands.

• Pearl oysters (Pinctada) can now be bulk-delivered to bankers-jewelers for processing in exchange for small and large pearls. Caution: watch your inventory weight!

• Eliminated a bug with monster aggression across the entire location. Previously, after completing Leif the Lucky's quest, the aggro radius for all monsters was permanently maximized, causing all monsters to attack the player upon entering the location.

• Random encounters (Indians, bandits, etc.) that block exits will no longer generate in locations captured by the story (e.g., at the exit from La Vega).

• Resolved a conflict with the spawning of a coastal hidden chest on Old Providence, which led to a black screen when landing ashore.

Technical Part

• Redesigned the item handling algorithm. The game now iterates only through a specific character's items rather than all existing items in the world, improving performance.

• Made minor interface optimization adjustments; removed debug system messages that were erroneously displayed to the player.

• Locations:

  • Adjusted physics on lighthouses — jumping over a wall using a dash (Shift) is now significantly harder.

  • Character models in several locations no longer fall through objects or hit invisible walls.

  • Fixed a visual bug with "floating in the air" lighthouse light.

• Corrected the number of cannons for the frigate "Queen".

• The Support Pack parrot, which was previously missing, has been added to several types of cabins.

If you continue to encounter any issues, please report them!

🗨 Where to report bugs?

• Our Discord Server

• Steam Discussions

The update is compatible with current saves and does not require starting a new game.

Thank you for your detailed bug reports and support!

List of changes:

• Fixed the dialogue with Master Alexus when the protagonist did not have a ship.

• Fixed a random bug when taking freight with a special perk.

• Improved the Chinese localization.

• Fixed several textual inaccuracies.

List of changes:

• Fixed an error where Malcolm Fawn would die after being rescued from the Island of Justice, even though he was supposed to survive.

• John Workman has been granted the status of a semi-immortal officer.

• Optimized interface windows in the character, ship, and other menus.

• Fixed several textual inaccuracies and missing lines in localizations for all languages.

Other improvements are in the process of being fixed or tested. Thank you for the feedback!

Ahoy, Captains!

We continue to work on the game's stability and fixes. Here is the list of changes:

Quests and Story

• Peter Blood's Questline: Fixed NPC behavior during the capture of the "Cinco Llagas." Allies no longer get stuck on ladders, blocking cutscene progression.

• The Story of Isabel:

  • Removed the risk of a softlock in Isabel's house when trying to wait for dinner using the rest function;

  • Fixed an error where Isabel could stop responding to the player after boarding a ship near Portobelo.

• "Kill All Beggars" Questline:

  • Fixed a softlock in the captain's cabin that led to loss of character control after leaving the Fort Orange mines;

  • Fixed a dialogue error in the cabin when the chaplain was the only officer on the ship.

  • Ship chests are now visible in Justino's item storage cell.

• "Captain's Commission (Ransom)" Quest:

  • The quest now correctly accounts for the possibility of rescuing the slave from any available plantations and mines, not just from Barbados.

  • Fixed the description of escape objectives;

  • Fixed missing entries in the ship's log.

• "Enchanted City" Quest:

  • Fixed an error causing the quest to close prematurely after boarding the quest ship;

  • Fixed the missing final dialogue with Elizabeth.

• "Island of Justice":

  • Malcolm Fown now guaranteed to leave the ship after the story segment;

  • Adjusted the logic of the Narwhal clan and their aggressiveness inside the ship;

  • The Narwhal clan leader now remains immortal strictly until the required story moment;

  • Fixed door blocking after destroying the Casper clan (if the player was without a support squad);

  • Fixed an error in the log entry about the bartender's readiness if the conversation with him had not yet occurred.

• "Leif the Lucky" Quest:

  • The Viking sarcophagus can now be opened with a crowbar again.

  • It is no longer possible to enter the tomb prematurely through the door.

  • Attention! Players who have completed the "Tenochtitlan" quest will be given an additional Jade Skull in certain cases. This is to prevent a softlock for those players who have not yet had time to disenchant the captain as part of the "Enchanted City" quest.

• Fixes for other quests:

  • Multiple bug fixes for the "Maiden in the Jungle" quest, including those that caused them to disappear from the game permanently.

  • Fixed a softlock in the "Pirate's Proposal" quest when transitioning to the companion's ship.

  • Fixed character getting stuck in the jungle when the player prematurely attacks the Indians.

  • The generated quest "Family Heirloom" is no longer given in settlements without moneylenders.

  • Fixed Halen's combat behavior in the "Condottiere" quest if the fight occurs in the port.

Gameplay and Balance

• Trade and Freight:

  • Fixed an error with incorrect weight of goods (e.g., bricks) when merchants issued freight. The quantity of goods issued now always matches the order.

  • Pirate shops now only offer freight to pirate settlements if a pirate flag is raised on the ship.

  • Provisions have been removed from contraband lists in all shops, as they are essential goods.

  • Fixed sorting of goods in the "Ship's Hold" tab. Planks and canvas no longer disappear from the list when switching tabs.

  • Fixed an error where, when changing the displayed colony, the scroll position of the goods list was retained even though the content reset to the beginning (to the cells).

  • The chest in the hold, where items from boarding are stored when auto-loot is enabled, is now directly available for trade and has priority in the interface.

• Fixed the behavior of "semi-immortal" officers. Resolved an issue with the falling animation, as well as the possibility of automatically using healing potions while in an "unconscious" state.

• The carpenter's tool has been temporarily removed from treasure generation, as it currently has no active gameplay mechanics.

• Changed the logic for stashes inside city buildings.

• Lowered the conditions for showing quest markers on the global map for starting some quests.

• The "Emergency Repair" perk is now available on the "Impossible" difficulty level, due to its necessity later in the skill tree.

Technical and Optimization

• Stability:

  • Optimized log operation to avoid unnecessary entries.

  • Removed micro-stutters and lag when moving on the global map.

• Fixed a critical error that prevented deleting saves through the in-game menu.

• Visual Fixes:

  • Fixed background darkening when using quick save (F6);

  • Fixed tomb collisions on Guadeloupe (you can no longer pass through doors at speed).

  • Adjusted color scheme variants for the Light Corvette.

• Fixed the removal of immortality from Azzi.

• Fixed overlapping of audio tracks (rain and other effects) in sound schemes.

• Added missing animations for Jessica Bradford.

• Fixed errors in equipping the musket and other items for Tichingitu and unique musketeers.

Other

• Added a parrot to one of the middle cabins (for owners of Supporter Pack).

• Implemented "rumor clearing" after finding quest ships to prevent information duplication in the log.

• Fixed model and portrait of the random officer from among the townsfolk hired in the jungle.

• Minor improvements and fixes in locations.

• Multiple typo fixes, clarification of quest entries, and addition of missing translation strings.

If you continue to encounter any issues, please report them!

🗨 Where to report bugs?

• Our Discord Server

• Steam Discussions

We await your bug reports and feedback. Remember, your help now directly impacts the quality of the release!

The update is compatible with current saves and does not require starting a new game.

Thank you for your detailed reports and support!

1.0.1 - Changelog

Greetings, Captains!

We continue to promptly address the bugs discovered after release. This small patch 1.0.1 is focused on fixing several critical quest errors and improving overall game stability. Thank you for your detailed bug reports!

Quests & Storyline

• Peter Blood’s Questline:

  • Fixed a critical error where the final script (execution and game over) failed to trigger at 5 PM, which blocked saves and progress. + Colonel Bishop will now personally notify you about these game conditions.

  • Fixed the behavior of Spanish soldiers in Bridgetown: they will now attack immediately if approached with a drawn weapon, without initiating dialogue.

  • Fixed the behavior of the captured Jeremy Pitt: loading a save in the city before the night plantation raid now guaranteed restores the character's ability to engage in dialogue.

  • Fixed an issue on Tortuga where purchasing the "Swift Boar" ship at the shipyard caused game time to stop and blocked gameplay.

  • Fixed the smuggler spawn in the Tortuga tavern immediately after completing Blood's questline.

• Island of Justice: Added a dialogue line notifying the player about the transfer of all items from Teaser Dan’s stash to the "Dog of War" ship (this functionality was already present).

• “Vacker’s Offer” Quest: Fixed a confusing quest marker pointing to the tavern during the stage where you need to collect 7,000 piastres.

• “Fluyt Orion” Quest: Adjusted the hiring conditions for Martin Blecker (one of the unique officers capable of holding two officer positions simultaneously). It now requires a Charisma stat of 8 or higher and available space in the officer limit.

• Governor Missions: Resolved a rare error with overlapping location IDs in the Fort Orange jungles, which could cause a gang not to appear, leaving the player trapped in an empty house.

• Church Missions: Fixed a soft-locking church quest generator in Fort Orange.

• Spy Hunt: Fixed an error in the logic of the "wrong witness" character spawn that led to broken dialogues.

Items & Crafting

• Fulminating Silver Recipe: If your hero doesn't know this recipe yet, it can now be found in several locations:

• In Admiral Chad Capper's chest.

• In Level 2 treasure hoards (rare chance).

• From the Captain of the "Flying Dutchman".

Gameplay & Mechanics

• Fixed "dialogue looping" when rapidly clicking on a gambler. The camera no longer locks onto the table after exiting the game.

• Fixed an animation bug where the character would "sit on thin air" when transitioning from the cabin to the city or sea.

Technical Fixes & UI

• Fixed a screen flickering effect when loading saves caused by a conflict between fast travel and quick saves.

• Preliminary fix for the control remapping issue (your settings may be reset).

• Vertical synchronization is now enabled by default in the launcher; if you require higher FPS, please disable it (your startup settings may change).

• Fixed an issue with remapping the Sprint key in the control settings.

• Fixed typos and inaccuracies in texts.

• Added translations for previously untranslated strings.

• Added a portrait (128x128) for Captain Emmanuel Esteban.

If you continue to encounter any difficulties, please let us know!🗨 Where to report bugs?

We look forward to your bug reports and impressions. Remember, your help directly impacts the quality of the release!

• Our Discord Server

• Steam Discussions

Thank you for your support and feedback!

List of Changes:

• Keybindings: Preliminary fix for the key remapping issue (please note: your current control settings may be reset).

• VSync: Vertical synchronization is now enabled by default in the launcher. If you need higher FPS, please disable it (please note: your startup settings may change).

• Localization: Fixed several text-related issues and typos.

The remaining fixes are currently in progress. Thank you for your feedback! Attention!

Q: After hotfix update my character stuck! Or I Have broken keyboard layout!

A: Go to Options - Controls. Click Default and Accept.

Caribbean Legend: Age of Pirates — Official Release!

Captains, the hour has come! We're officially announcing the launch of the remaster of City of Abandoned Ships — Caribbean Legend: Age of Pirates. It's been a long road, and today we turn a new page in the history of corsair adventure — together with you!

While you're gearing up to buy and launch this long-awaited game, we've put together some important information.

Supporting the Project

For those who want to support the game's continued development, the "Supporter Pack" DLC is now available in the store. It's a great way to get a head start in-game, show your appreciation for the team, and contribute to the future of the project.

Playtest Reward: How to Recruit Tichingitu?

We deeply appreciate everyone who helped us during the testing phase. If you earned the Rank 5 achievement during the playtest — you'll be able to recruit a unique officer, Tichingitu.

• Instructions: after meeting Alskold and completing the mummy powder delivery quest, a special dialogue line will appear that triggers a mini-quest for him to join your crew. Don't miss it — or the native warrior is gone for good!

Exclusive Caribbean Legend Rewards

Great news for rare gear collectors! Thanks to our collaboration with BlackMark Studio, players can earn a unique reward for Caribbean Legend — the "Chief's Musket".

• Condition: to obtain the musket, purchase Age of Pirates by ReCon Team. Don't miss the chance to add it to your arsenal!

Workshop and Mods

The Steam Workshop is officially open! You can already share your creations and modifications.

• Note: script access will be unlocked a little later — roughly a month from now — to give us time to ensure the stability of the base game.

Technical Improvements and Launcher

We've done a lot of work on the engine and overall game experience:

• New launcher: you can now directly select your monitor and GPU before launching the game.

• AMD stability: frequent crashes on AMD 6xxx–9xxx GPUs have been fixed, which also improved stability for NVIDIA cards.

• Playtest bugs: the majority of critical issues and inaccuracies identified during testing have been fixed.

Steam Achievements

As promised — available from day one. The first batch of 40+ achievements is already waiting to be unlocked in-game! Some of them are hidden...

• Heads up: achievement hunters, stay sharp — the list will keep growing with upcoming updates.

A Word from the Developer

Ahoy, this is the lead developer — Konstrush. There's something I want to say personally. Let's go.

Looking at the final result, it's hard to believe how far this project has come. Caribbean Legend: Age of Pirates started as a desire to fix a few rough spots in the original — technical and visual. But it grew into an official remaster that pays tribute to that very spirit of pirate romance. The one that made us fall in love, on first launch, with the sound of waves and the creak of the deck.

The project was born on pure enthusiasm — fueled by arguments about what the perfect corsair game should look like. There were moments of despair, heated clashes, technical dead ends, and sleepless nights. But your support and belief in the team kept us going. This release is the result of thousands of hours of work and a deep love for the original.

P.S. Thank you to everyone who supported us with encouragement, hard work, and advice! And a special thank you to BMS — for believing in us and for their invaluable help in developing and releasing Age of Pirates. None of this would exist without you.

🗨 Your role in development

We're looking forward to your bug reports and feedback. Remember, your help right now directly impacts the quality of the release!

Discuss your playthrough and submit bug reports here:

• Official Discord

• Our Steam Forum

See you at sea, captains! Fair winds!

Ahoy, sea wolves!

Our team is working at full steam to make the release of "CoAS" remaster as enjoyable and stable as possible for you. We remind you that the release is coming very soon - March 13, 2026. Add to your wishlist so you don't miss the release of Caribbean Legend: Age of Pirates!

There were many questions from players, but we will only answer the most important ones.

Q: Can I purchase the game anywhere other than the Steam store?

A: No. Other platforms are not being considered at this time. If anything changes, we will announce it on our official channels.

Q: How did the playtest for developers go?

A: It was a valuable experience for our team. You could say it was a dress rehearsal before the release. And it was successful and ran at a very high pace - there were many players, bug reports were processed on the fly, and the feedback from players was mostly positive.

Q: Will you have time to fix and add everything?

A: All the most critical soft locks, blockers, and issues have already been fixed.

Q: How can I get the Native American companion upon the game's release? Will they be with me right away?

A: Not exactly. You'll have to rescue them from the clutches of Fadey Askold. Ironic...

Q: Will playtest saves work with the release version of the game?

A: Absolutely NOT. Even if they miraculously load, there will be plenty of bugs. We ask you not to do this. Support will be denied for such saves.

Q: Will there be autosaves at release?

A: We'll rely on player feedback. Possibly, we'll add this functionality in critically important places.

Q: Why isn't there ship aiming like in CL?

A: Ship aiming is a development by the studio BlackMark Studio. They informed us that they will help us port this mechanic, but only when it is fully polished and finalized in its concept. We ourselves are waiting for this moment, so it will come after release.

Q: Will there be a character creation system, like in other RPGs?

A: The AoP character creation system already provides more freedom than in CL. If only because you can choose a nation and any P.I.R.A.T.E.S. characteristics. In the future, we will improve the character creation system with various traits and backgrounds. As for a visual character editor, we are unlikely to take that step.

Q: What will happen to the Blood storyline? Do you plan to expand it?

A: Perhaps not everyone noticed, but we have already expanded it up to the arrival in Tortuga, although this was not originally part of our plans. However, if all the stars align - then the continuation of Blood's adventures will happen. Moreover, work in this direction is already slowly but surely underway.

Q: Why don't you have the same ships as in CL?

A: There are three reasons for this:

Ahoy!

Release Date

Price

Special Offer

About the Game

All hands on deck!

5,000 applications and counting — so we've made a call: everyone's in. The full game in beta — yours for 5 days.

🛠 How to join?

Ahoy, sea dogs!

Our remaster is entering the home stretch before release, and we're inviting the most seasoned sea wolves and newcomers alike to join the closed playtest for Caribbean Legend: Age of Pirates!

But most importantly — make sure to add the game to your wishlist!

🌊 The entire archipelago at your disposal

We've decided to take a bold step: for the duration of the playtest, all content and features will be temporarily available without restrictions.

• Optimization for modern systems and configurations.

• All storylines and side quests.

• All quality-of-life improvements from Caribbean Legend: tutorials, markers, controls, camera.

• Full archipelago map and expanded ship roster.

• Fresh visual enhancements.

• No cut gameplay mechanics.

🛠 How to participate?

Access is granted through the Steam Playtest system:

Ahoy, on deck!

While we're preparing a meaty developer diary on "Quest Improvements" — the winner of the recent poll — today we'll talk about the main character's property: equipment, items, ships, and goods. We've put a solid chunk of work into these. Fair warning to all fans — things are going to heat up towards the end...

But before we dive into the property overhaul — don't forget to add Age of Pirates to your wishlist!

Chapter 1 — Storage

A true captain isn't just a terror of the seas — let's be honest — they're also a professional hoarder and packrat. Sooner or later in the original game, everyone faced the same problem: the chests in your cabin are stuffed to the brim, and you'd really like to save all that plundered loot for later. Well... It's time to leave behind this nomadic romance and move on to civilized storage.

Personal Vault

The lack of anywhere to store your hard-earned goods was frustrating. In the original, players had to exploit bugs — hiding items in stoves, caves, dubious chests on deck — which obviously wasn't ideal. Finally, the moneylender's house has been upgraded into a proper bank with a vault! Now, for a reasonable fee, you can use their services to safely store your belongings.

Making storage arrangements before heading off to the Isle of Justice.

Commodity Warehouse

Storing goods isn't the most sought-after feature, but for stockpiling players it'll be a dream come true. Now in every town, shipyard managers have joined forces with port authority chiefs to expand their warehouses into proper storage facilities. Specially trained clerks at the shipyard building will now offer cargo storage services at reasonable rates.

With the warehouse, you can start stockpiling materials for Master Alexus in advance.

Ship Docks

While storing items and goods is now possible, ship storage — though it existed from the start — needed an overhaul. Forget about clunky dialogues with the port authority chief and the need to assign an extra officer just to babysit your vessel at the docks.

• Mooring a ship no longer requires a spare officer.

• Under the new port authority rules, sailors no longer live aboard docked vessels. You can discharge them ashore with their wages or redistribute them across the rest of your squadron with a single click.

• The port authority doesn't allow storing cargo in the hold. So when handing over your ship, you'll need to empty it. You can:

  • Sell everything to the shop at once (contraband will be confiscated);

  • Transfer the entire cargo to your flagship (if there's room);

  • Offload it to a rented warehouse (slaves will be set free).

• The docks will always have 3 slots available for ships, though there may be exceptions.

All fleet management in the player's reserve is now handled through a convenient interface.

A Place for Officers

An attentive player will likely have a reasonable question: "How do I keep my officers now if I can't hand them over with the ship?" Fair point, but... Let's be honest — the old mechanic of handing ships over to the Port Authority was sometimes used to bypass the officer limit.

The exploit was simple: hand over an officer with any old tub for storage, hire a new one, retrieve the old one — and suddenly you have more officers than your (A) Allure allows, which we discussed in the first developer diaries. This turned yet another Main Character stat into a meaningless number and broke the intended progression.

We've solved this problem radically but fairly: An officer's place is beside the captain. Since they're no longer "preserved" along with ships, the limit regains its meaning. This approach forces players to think more carefully about building their crew. You'll have to choose the best of the best.

That said, there will be a way to keep officers around — but we'll save that little secret for release.

Chapter 2 — Goods

In this category, we tried not to mess too much with the balance and types of goods. Still, some changes related to ship cargo did happen. For example:

• Players should now stock up on more medicine, as there was a bug with consumption rates;

• Slaves can now be purchased on the new island of Providence, but in limited quantities;

• Contraband goods can be bought in small amounts from shops with a special perk;

• Trading with smugglers will now happen through an interface, not dialogues;

• Pearl divers now give you actual ship cargo, not just fill your pockets with pearls.

However, our team understands the original still has many problems in this category:

• lack of strategic goods for ship upgrades;

• historically and logically questionable goods;

• no interaction between production buildings and the player;

• no ability for players to produce goods by starting their own business;

• goods are barely connected to other gameplay aspects, representing only basic trade and plunder;

• icons and rarity of goods are often hard to identify.

Working on improved cargo icons. For now, we can only show a very rough draft.

In the future, we'll try to pay more attention to this gameplay aspect and approach the problem more comprehensively. Maybe you have thoughts on this — share them in the comments!

Chapter 3 — Items and Equipment

The entire list of items in the game — from important documents to cold steel — has undergone a massive overhaul. Let's break down the changes and improvements into several main directions.

Visual Changes

Icons for almost all items have been redrawn not just for aesthetic pleasure and historical accuracy (in the case of weapons), but also for convenient readability:

• markers: bonus +, mixed ±, negative - and set *;

• backgrounds: quest (gray), unique (purple), and legendary (gold);

• charge count and ammo type.

Three icon versions, since the AT 1.3.2 patch from BlackMark Studio was only available in Russian.

Semantic Changes

First and foremost, we revised the names of some melee weapons, matching them to historical analogues of the era (where possible). We did extensive work with historical sources, examined some of the blades at the Hermitage exhibition, and consulted with fencing reenactors.

It was the amateur mod "Reblading", which replaced the weapon arsenal, that started BlackMark Studio's journey.

A monetary reform deserves special mention for the sake of logical financial relations. This might remind you of the doubloon mechanic from CL. Now the hero's pockets will jingle with the well-known silver piastres, while heavy chests stuffed with gold remain reserved for serious matters like ship upgrades.

Functional Changes

These are essentially gameplay and QoL changes. We tried to fix old problems and expand the player's equipment options. Here are some of these improvements:

• more firearms, including the blunderbuss (the original had a meager selection);

• restoration of unused items from the original;

• documents can now be conveniently read in a separate interface;

• new ammo types for firearms;

• proper resurrection with the jade skull;

• item and potion crafting;

• and... a rebalance of bonus items.

Thanks to his backstory, Peter Blood is the only one who starts with the "Alchemy" perk.

Chapter 4 — Bonus Items

And now — the promised heat. The ancient Mayan gods grew angry and stripped almost all enchantments from their idols, totems, and artifacts. And not just those...

You can see some of the cut items from the game that have been restored in AoP.

After studying the ins and outs of the leveling system, it became clear: the old "bonuses from the backpack" mechanic is hard to justify and leave "as is". Let's highlight several problem points:

Artifact Slots

Let's start with the fact that the original has no slots for bonus items. This means the mechanic of getting bonuses from your backpack is very hard to balance and expand with new items. Your first thought might be — "Just add slots or port everything from CL!"

Well, another popular mod already added slots for bonus items, but it didn't make things better. It's still quite imbalanced — items can be easily juggled at any moment, turning into excessive actions, routine, and inventory clutter. Taking this mechanic from CL doesn't fit AoP conceptually.

Devaluation of Progression

Keeping all these bonus items in your backpack is quite easy and doesn't require anything from the player in return, except weight. Moreover, they all become useless junk once all skills reach their maximum values.

Let's say even if an item permanently gives +10 Stealth just because the player rummaged through ordinary containers rather than something valuable, that's a bad mechanic to begin with.

For example: Giving +20 Navigation (Atlau) in a barrel on the global map with the possibility of save-scumming is an example of bad game design. Such an item breaks linear progression, allowing you to jump an entire ship class higher.

Giving too few bonuses from many items means cluttering the player's inventory, which isn't good either.

Value of Rewards

Thirdly, unique items are very hard to make desirable for players, as is adding new ones as quest rewards. If a regular idol gives 20 pistols and 10 accuracy (out of 100), then what should the hard-to-obtain and set bonuses from the great Toltec skulls give? 50 out of 100 everywhere? But that leads to the next point...

Lack of Logic

And my favorite — there's a certain absurdity that such seriously enhancing items are lying around everywhere, yet the game's lore doesn't explain where these wondrous properties come from. And moreover — nobody is particularly interested in them, except for quest-specific bonus items.

Additionally, it's a bit strange that all these enchanted things work "out of the box" on a European.

Conclusions

It would be great to see a separate mechanic for shamanism/Christianity with obtaining bonuses. But introducing such a gameplay layer just for bonus items is a bad idea — such a theme should comprehensively affect the entire game.

And that's a huge resource expenditure and pushing back the release date. I think everyone's a bit tired. Players are tired of waiting, and the team is tired of adding new things and reimagining old ones without live feedback.

Besides, we have a monstrous design document for a mechanic that could easily replace the old bonus items. But for now, let's not rush — we might overload the game and the player's brain, so it's better to take it slow and postpone it for later.

📢 What's next?

Leave a thumbs up and write your comments. We're always glad for feedback and criticism — even the kind that sometimes sounds negative. We're doing this for you and for the game we've always dreamed of ourselves.

As a bonus, we'd like to share a concept of our new land interface with you.

See you in the next issue of the developer diaries!

Forget about your past life — you will start a new one here from scratch...

Sooner or later, this had to happen. It's time to openly address the elephant in the room — "Island of Justice". The game's main adventure suffered on all fronts. Plot holes, visual flaws, narrative logic issues and technical implementation problems, and most importantly — a strange reward system. The ReCon Team has thoroughly studied all the issues with this questline and reached one conclusion - retcon.

Quick menu:

• new content and characters;

• skill checks and playthrough variability;

• connection to the original Caribbean Legend lore;

• improved visuals, lore and narrative;

• elimination of bugs and "stuffiness" from the original;

• updated musical accompaniment.

But before we dive into the depths of the Island of Justice — don't forget to add Age of Pirates to your wishlist!

Chapter 1 - Approach

Initially, our goal was to patch old holes and add some content, but... At some point, we accumulated over 100+ tasks in this direction, and everything grew into a full-scale, comprehensive reimagining of the entire Island of Justice macro-quest.

Why?

This would likely be the most popular question from series veterans. And the answer is simple: while the questline offers an unforgettable atmosphere, unique experience and rich rewards, the City of Abandoned Ships quest causes the player terrible suffocation and, in places, combustion. You simply don't want to return to it... Yet a good sandbox should have high replayability.

The abundant bottlenecks in the code leading to soft locks and bugs didn't add any charm either. And some technical decisions only prevented full immersion in the atmosphere. One such example is docking at the Island of Justice. Now we're greeted by the forces of nature in all their beauty and power. For this, we specifically improved weather effects. See for yourself!

Besides this, the original suffered in narrative and story aspects, not revealing the character and motivation of certain key characters, the reason for clan conflict, the Dutch West India Company's desire to exterminate the poor on the archipelago, and much more.

Therefore, in addition to cosmetic and technical fixes, we're tackling the root of the problems while preserving the spirit of the original.

How?

We understand that you can't just take and remake a quest, ignoring its original concept. Carefully weaving the new into existing lore and plot while preserving atmosphere and style has become a real challenge for us.

So we took the harder path - the path of evolution:

All Hands on Deck! No Quarter Given!

Ahoy, corsairs! Today we'll discuss the RPG system from the original COAS and its controversial aspects. We'll cover it comprehensively, but without excessive details and technicalities. We'll also tell you how we've tried to address some of the problematic areas.

Improvements in brief:

• All PIRATES stats now affect gameplay;

• Improved personal and ship skills;

• Rebalanced abilities (perks);

• Expanded ship officer functionality;

• Added a new parameter — Character Traits.

In "Caribbean Legend", BlackMark Studio took the path of almost completely reimagining the RPG system. We (ReCon Team) in "Age of Pirates" aimed to expand and build upon the original ideas while not drastically changing its core concept.

For newcomers, this will serve as a manual for our RPG system, and veterans of the series will find plenty of useful discoveries. But first — add "Age of Pirates" to your wishlist!

Chapter I — Attributes

Character development directly depends on initial "P.I.R.A.T.E.S." attributes. Attributes are measured from 1 to 10, and players can distribute values at the start of the game from 3 to 10 out of a total of 42 points. You can set some to maximum 10, others to minimum 3, thus defining unique character development tailored to your playstyle.

Sounds good... but here's the problem: some of these attributes simply did nothing in the original CoaS. Let's take a closer look:

Ahoy, sea dogs!

Did BlackMark Studio abandon their project and is releasing a new game instead of patch 2.0?

No, Age of Pirates is being developed by ReCon Team. BlackMark Studio only acts as the publisher, provides technical support for the engine, and continues working on their own game as before.

Is ReCon Team qualified enough?

This is the most talented team in the modding community. The speed at which they completed the engine transition, made translations, and passed Valve's build verification shows they're ready to one day grow into a full-fledged studio. As publisher and franchise owner, I have complete confidence in them. – Joruba

Now that you have a publisher, do you still have creative freedom?

There's a minimal list of necessary things we must implement legally in Age of Pirates. These primarily relate to controls, tutorials, and QoL features. Otherwise, BlackMark Studio stated at the contract signing stage that they don't intend to interfere with our vision for the project.

What's the price?

Still being discussed. There will be a discount for Caribbean Legend owners.

So what's the difference between Caribbean Legend and Caribbean Legend: Age of Pirates?

First, the name. Second, if CL has a 30/70 freeplay-to-story ratio favoring the story, we have the opposite. If you love sandboxes, want a female protagonist, and are interested in letters of marque and colony conquest, then Age of Pirates is definitely for you.

How does Age of Pirates differ from CoAS and global mods?

Besides porting technologies and some useful features from Caribbean Legend, AoP will include fresh updates from ReCon Team such as:

• improvements and reworks of original quests;

• enhanced RPG elements;

• a female protagonist;

• restoration of cut content;

• new gameplay mechanics and QoL features;

• new locations and characters;

• improved graphics;

• localization into numerous languages.

So not all features from Caribbean Legend will be ported to Age of Pirates?

Exactly. These are different games, and we strive to maintain a unique vision and different style for each.

Will there be high-resolution texture improvements?

If we manage it, by release; if not, after. The ReCon Team wants to take an alternative approach to texture improvements, preserving the original's visual identity while enhancing visual quality.

Is the interface shown in the trailer final?

No. The interface will continue to be refined.

Will there be updated ships, characters, and locations from CL?

Some locations – yes. Characters and ships – no. The AoP ship roster differs in balance, composition, and number of ships. We don't want jarring inconsistencies in visual design. I'll repeat: our goal is to preserve the game's unified style and not turn it into a hodgepodge.

I love Captain Blood and his storyline, but I want to see it developed further!

The ReCon Team, consisting of longtime series fans, wants this very much too. This will be one of our priority goals after the game's release.

Why did you choose the name Age of Pirates?

A: Most of our quests revolve around famous pirates such as: Peter Blood, Henry Morgan, Edward Low, Bartholomew Roberts, John Morris, Mansfield, Roche Braziliano, and Bartolomeo el Portugues. If that's not the Age of Pirates, what is?

Will other characters have storylines?

No. Only Peter Blood's storyline will be available at release.

Will there be new quests?

Yes, a short time after release.

Will other female characters from the series be adapted to the new controls?

At release – only Danielle Greene. Beyond that – anything is possible.

Will there be a remaster of the first Sea Dogs?

No, but there will be a pleasant surprise for fans of that game in Age of Pirates.