Questions from a cabin boy

[Kondor]

Howdies. I'm a PotBS veteran, and really enjoyed the port battle there (except for the 3 am start times sometimes). I didn't like it too much when my Hercules sunk and was irreplaceable.  I'm now retired and on a fixed income, so I need to minimize my game purchases of those with short shelf life. Enough of my personal backstory, now on to the questions....

 

1, Do ships die permanently if sunk, and if so, how onerous is it to get a higher class ship?

 

2. After the initial purchase of the game, is there a monthly charge? 

 

3. Is there a store for microtransactions, and how influential (ie, non-cosmetic) is real world money to giving combat advantages?

 

4. How many people are actually playing during both peak and non-peak hours?  I live in Wenatchee, Washington.  Is the population increasing or decreasing right now?

 

5. Is the game still considered to be in beta?

 

Thanks for your time.

 

Kondor

Edited March 16, 2016 by Kondor

[Henry d'Esterre Darby]

1. Ships bought from crafters or the market generally have 5 durabilities (except fourth through first rates - they have the same number of durabilities as their rating - e.g. Victory, a First Rate, has a maximum 1 durability) - they can sink/be captured five times before they're gone for good.  Materials and costs required are commensurate to having 5 "lives".  These are to prevent players from having to spend so much time assembling/moving ships to PvP with.

2. No monthly charge.  Buy once and done.  A cash shop with cosmetics and "unique" (but not overpowered) ships is planned to keep server maintenance paid for.

3. See #2.  There will be a store eventually, but the Developers are adamantly against pure Pay to Win.  Items available will not be more powerful than items that can be purchased/crafted in the game.

4. Depends on the server.  PvP1 has nearly 2k at peak time.  Living in Washington, you'll see less online, but see what server works best for you.  Population is decreasing somewhat from launch, but this is normal.

5. Yes, the game is in "early access" and is still considered to be in testing.  Expect bugs and problems.  That said, I've been playing for nearly 2 years and have never seen a more stable, fun game that is still in testing.

[Kondor]

Sounds great. D/ling now.