Indie Caribbean Legend - Classic Pirate RPG Sea Dogs: To Each His Own Remake/Remaster

[cyborgboy95]

Welcome to the Caribbean in 1654 AD, a place teeming with opportunities and mysteries. Assume the role of Charles de Maure, a young French noble who embarked on a journey to the New World to assist his brother. What initially appeared as a simple family matter quickly evolves into a lifelong adventure. Immerse yourself in the tale of a noble dilettante who rises to become the most influential figure in the Caribbean. Riches, titles, power, and romance – the ultimate booty awaits, and it's up to you to seize it all.

• Embark on a 200-hour-long story.
• Undertake hundreds of quests.
• Experience a historical narrative with a touch of mystique.
• Explore romantic interests and companions.
• Choose from various career options, from general-governor to pirate baron.

The Caribbean Sea – a realm of dozens of islands and cities, a grand archipelago shrouded in mystery and secrets. From the summits of Indian pyramids to the ocean depths, unique rewards, quests, and curiosities await. This open world is your sandbox, and you are free to explore and shape it as you see fit. Your decisions determine where to go, what to do, and with whom.

• Discover dozens of islands and settlements.
• Build your very own colony.
• Explore caves, pyramids, jungles, Indian tribes, and lost cities.
• Visit taverns, brothels, shipyards, churches, forts, and many other points of interest.
• Engage in treasure hunting and gambling.
• Experience dynamic weather and the serene turquoise sea.

Owning a warship is a privilege, a symbol of status and luxury. You are among the select few who can afford such grandeur. Begin your journey with a simple sloop and work your way up to commanding a ship of the line or even a fleet of these formidable vessels, ready to plunder cities at your whim. No one will stand in your way. Yet, in moments of tranquility at sea, relish the stunning views, embrace the sense of exploration, or navigate the heart of a storm.

• Command dozens of ships representing the glory of the Age of Sail.
• Customize, paint, upgrade, and repair your vessel.
• Engage in unforgiving yet enjoyable naval combat.
• Experience intense boarding action, from the upper deck to the captain's cabin.
• Collect unique vessels to rule the seas.
• Manage booty distribution, morale, and the threat of mutinies.
• Assemble a formidable team of officers.

Captains are most vulnerable when they set foot on land. Surviving naval combat can be challenging, but at least you won't face it alone – your crew will have your back. Land battles are different. Bring your companions with you, poison your weapons, study the terrain, craft deadly items, and confront thugs, soldiers, pirates, and rivals head-on.

• Tailor your character's build – become a heavy swordsman, a nimble rogue, a master sharpshooter, or a silver-tongued diplomat.
• Equip yourself and your companions with a wide array of swords, axes, rapiers, armor, muskets, and pistols.
• Craft amulets, ammo, potions, and always be prepared for battle.
• Seek out challenges – the more you fight, the stronger both you and your character become.
• Command military operations from raiding to sieges.

 

[cyborgboy95]

Must Read
Caribbean Legend is the unique game you've been longing for.

Ahoy!
Caribbean Legend is the unique game you've been longing for.

Now, that must have gotten your attention! But first things first. We'll be summarizing the Steam page release and launching the next big thing this Sunday. After that, it's crunch time until February 15th, 2024.

The theme of today's episode is to tell you why you need Caribbean Legend.

When the trailer launched, it became apparent that everyone had different expectations for the game. Some thought it was merely a significant paid patch for
To Each His Own, and we exceeded their expectations. Others expected an entirely new game on a different engine and were left disappointed. It's our fault; we should have explained things better and shown you more.

Our to-do list before the release includes:

• Sharing the full changelog this Sunday.
• Launching a free demo in February.
• Creating another trailer.
• Allowing unlimited streaming.

All of this means that you'll have all the information you need to make your own decision about purchasing the game.

But regardless of the decision you make, this release won't go unnoticed by you because we all share the same pain: there are not many games like this on the market.

A long time ago, my mom bought me Sea Dogs. "Oh, it looks cool, give it a try," she said. I wasn't entirely convinced, as
Cossacks was the other option, and I was always a fan of the RTS genre. In the end, she bought me both games, but it was Sea Dogs that left a lasting mark on me.

During the first 20 hours, I struggled desperately and remained on the starting ship, a Pinc, I think. But at one point, something miraculous happened: I leveled up when I accidentally won my first boarding and the game allowed me to change my ship to a Lugger. I believe it was not far from Shark Island.

People with perception 10 will notice the familiar pause menu on the monitor.
That dose of dopamine changed me, and since then, I've always had this Sea Dogs fever:

• I spent days downloading endless mods for PoTCand bragged to other school kids that I was a programmer.
• I frequented Seaward, PA! and other Sea Dogs websites that were popping up like mushrooms back then. I got trolled super hard there for asking dumb questions. Nevertheless, I kept coming back for more.
• On New Year's Eve, when a girl visited me from another city, I had her play CoASall night.
• And then, I met this guy, made a career in gamedev, released or published dozens of games, and well, here we are.

I'm sharing this because I want you to see why I've longed so much to understand why the *Sea Dogs series* left such a mark on us. I've had long conversations with fans and industry veterans, and I think I've finally figured it out. It wasn't the series that drove us crazy; it was the genre.
Not the brilliant music, not the modding scene or childhood nostalgia. Not even the Caribbean setting.

It was a unique genre that got us. There are almost no games in the world with so many working game systems:

• Combat at sea.
• Land combat.
• Exploration on land.
• Global map.
• RPG system.
• Dialogues.
• Companions and love interests.
• Linear and generated quests.
• A deep narrative with choices and consequences.
• Loot, collectibles, and crafting.
• Building and management.

Take any modern open-world Action/RPG, and it may excel in some aspects from that list, but it will never have everything. Even if it does, it won't work seamlessly.

And that's what pains us. These are the types of games we want to play, but all we have are the *Sea Dogs series* and global mods for other games. Mount & Blade, Kenshi, maybe? And now, Caribbean Legend is about to join the ranks.

Let me reiterate - there are almost no games like that on the market. Games that we desire. Games that provide the true freedom of choice that game marketers have been promising for the past 25 years.

Sure, there are mods. Not just Sea Dogs mods, but mods in general. Some of the global ones offer more content and mechanics than *Caribbean Legend* and most open-world RPGs out there. However, they can't reach a wide audience for various reasons and thus remain niche. We play them, but we can't simply go to Steam, press the purchase button, and immediately get a polished product.

The original Sea Dogs: TEHO, which forms the core of Caribbean Legend, is exactly the same. Bugs, lack of localizations, unnecessary hardcore elements, a steep difficulty curve, and a lack of promotion prevented it from reaching a wide audience. It's a great game but a poor product.

We want to fix that. Bring TEHO to the peak of its potential. Keep the series' veterans happy and open the game to a new audience. For the former, we have new content and plenty of reasons to replay; for the latter, we have polishing, a proper difficulty curve, translations, tweaked visuals, and marketing.

Regardless of which group you belong to, every release like this is a significant event that should not be ignored. Caribbean Legend'ssuccess or failure will be observed by the market, and it's up to you to ensure we have more games like this in the future.

I have 2000 hours in TEHO and another couple of thousand in other Sea Dogs games. And still, the first thing I'll do on February 15th is start a new playthrough as a gamer, not a developer. Because there are very few games like this out there. And that pains me.

 

[cyborgboy95]

Official Soundtrack - Main Theme
Ahoy!


No walls of text today, there will be plenty of them tomorrow.

Just enjoy how Caribbean Legend sounds like.
And pay attention to the Main Menu. Yesterday we had discussion on Discord about the abundance of small and super fun features, that make this game a must-buy. The lantern is a good example of such a feature.

Don't mind these cyrillic words on screen - all they tell is how awesome you are.

This dynamic Main Menu that tracks your in-game path to power is one of such features, and it has surprises of its own.

 

[Lyre Mors]

Interesting, but maybe unnecessary unless the improvements are big? I think if they improved anything in terms of land exploration and combat it might be worth it. Something tells me they're not going to offer it as an upgrade if you already of own To Each His Own though.

 

[Modron]

Well you could always buy the maelstrom engine if you wanted to get your money's worth and download complete fan recreations of each game made from scratch: https://chezjfrey.itch.io/gentlemen-of-fortune-maelstrom-engine

I am still waiting for some codexer impressions on it.

 

[cyborgboy95]

Dev Diary
Ahoy!

With only a few months remaining until the release, it's the perfect time to resurrect our Dev Diary series. After a much-needed one-week vacation following our previous crowdfunding campaign, we're back in full swing, ready to tackle the challenges ahead.

• We've sent the build to Valve for their final approval.
• I did a complete playthrough of Cyberpunk 2027.
• We've conducted interviews with several talented 2D artists to update our key art and in-game portraits.
• Questwriting is underway. That’s a lot of text and documentation.
• Adding new nextgen visual features to the engine.
• Adding more items like weapons and loot.
• New music tracks incoming!
• Looks like we have one more 3D modeler now. Good opportunity to make new land levels.

While we can't reveal everything we've accomplished over the past couple of weeks, we're excited to share a few enticing sneak peeks.

Music

Our composer has been diligently working on completing the OST. Only six tracks remain to be composed, which will encompass national themes and music for Justice Island, also known as the City of Abandoned Ships.

Here's a work-in-progress French theme, offering a glimpse of what we're aiming for:

New music track (WIP): French Americas

Originally, we had planned to remix the legendary themes from the first Sea Dogs game, invoking a sense of warm nostalgia. However, we are now considering the possibility of creating entirely new compositions.

We have another track to share with you today, one of the new tavern themes. There's no better place for gambling, drinking, seduction, and shady activities than a tavern!

New music track: Party Like 1660

Levels

As mentioned previously, we faced challenges in our 3D department. However, the situation has improved, and we're excited to announce the addition of more land locations to the game. We've already added two new ones in the past two weeks. The video below showcases one of these locations, which will serve as an office for a smuggler specializing in heavy ship armaments.

Wait a sec, how did he get those inside?

But that's not all. We really want to expand our jungle locations. The original set felt limited and somewhat repetitive, so we're considering not only adding more locations but also making them distinct and introducing additional gameplay mechanics.

New weapons

This serves as a testament to how crowdfunding enhances game development. Initially, we only had a couple of new items planned for release, but now we've expanded our arsenal to include over ten unique weapons. Our goal is to make each new weapon stand out, providing players with fresh and exciting experiences. Some of these new weapons are downright unconventional but undeniably enjoyable.

Consider the customizable barrel musket: if muskets aren't your preference, simply remove the long barrel and stock to transform it into a stylish pistol.

True high-tech.

The Sclopetta grenade launcher is effective but requires both hands to operate. If you prefer wearing heavy armor and swinging a big axe or broadsword, this compact weapon might come in handy.

You are gonna need a lot of crafting materials for that special ammo.

And please, don’t forget to equip a powder tester!

Lastly, behold the sexiest pirate cutlass in the Caribbean.

That wraps up today's update. The next diary is scheduled in two weeks. Don't forget to add our game to your Steam wishlist and follow us for the latest updates. Join our Discord community; tonight, we're hosting a stream and a podcast!

 

[cyborgboy95]

Dev Diary II
Ahoy!

… and a Happy New Year! It has been a super productive couple of months for us. If we double the same amount of effort for a couple of months more - the release is going to be something to remember.

This dev diary will be focused on the progress we have made recently, and even though we can’t show you the best part just yet, you are in for a treat!

But first, let’s go through the master schedule again:

Jan 15th: Release for the owners of the Early Access Edition.

Jan 15th: The third and the final pre-order push - last chance to purchase Exclusive Edition/Early Access.

Jan 15th: Steam page release for an unannounced title.

Jan 22d: ???

Feb 8th: Release for the owners of the Exclusive Edition.

Feb 12th: ???

Feb 15th: Caribbean Legend Release Day.

Notable Items:

UI fixes
The original game was quite notorious for obscuring important mechanics and stats. Well, that’s not the case anymore. No matter what perks you choose, what attributes you buff or what equipment you wear, you will immediately see the changes in stats of your build.

Two more experience bars added to allow better progress tracking. Skill Points never had their own bars, even though they are more valuable than level ups. One look at the character window and you will see everything you need.

Stealth System
Stealth was never the most fun and well thought feature of the series. We added a few adjustments to make it less reliable on save/load. First, check out the eye indicator on the character’s portrait at the top left. The closer you get to a hostile guard, the more intense it gets.

You still have options if they catch you. Stealth is now heavily dependent on: Stealth skill, character’s notoriety, clothes, amulets and social perks. Early game, when your character’s mug is not very well known, you can get by with amulets. But it will take either an expensive trading license or a much better prep in the late game though. The game will always tell you of your chances to pass a stealth dialogue check.

New Items
Originally we promised 9 new items to you. Welp, we got 29 , armament mostly . Some of which will be available only to the owners of First Wave or Exclusive Editions. We found a place for each in the balance, often introducing new and fun way to play the game.

Basse-Terre Expanded
As an experiment we increased the location size of the capital of Guadeloupe. After the release we will do the same to other cities in the game, thus giving you a better sense of townspace and colony life.

New jungle locations are a different story though. We managed to produce two of them, but they will require a significant improvement before we allow them into the release build. Maybe later?

Achievements
The game will have 98 achievements in total, and I guess we will need to add two more to make it a nice round number. Below are the 25 new ones - try to guess what lies behind each title, but rest assured that you will need at least two full playthroughs to get them all!

• Dating Sim
• My Soulmate
• Very ******* funny!
• My temple, my rules!
• Vile Lil' God
• Clean Hands
• Caribbean Legend
• Hi, dad
• Pension and Benefits
• Deadman
• Hogar, dulce hogar
• All your base are belong to us
• El Comercio
• Point Blank
• First of many
• No Regrets
• So it begins!
• Money do buy happiness
• Live By the Sword
• The Most Notorious Pirate
• Lootbox Hunter
• A*!
• Honoring the Classics
• Caribbean Virgin
• Three's Crowd

Main Character’s Visuals
We promised you new skins for the main character, and now it’s time to deliver.
Added a second tier of the French Navy Uniform along with a new quest to make it.

Currently we are making a new model for the leather armor. The screenshot below is a WIP, but it represents the idea of having headwear for top-tier armor in the game, like helmets or hats, allowing a better feel of progression.

Old models will get an update as well, for example we plan to add leg armor to a heavy chestplate.

Animations
Thanks to super talented Antix we have more diverse animations now. At this moment, we focus on the combat animations and musket handling. Big one, really, something that was never intended to be included in the game, but the most welcome addition to be sure!







More dodging. Feels more natural now!

We have all kinds of crazy plans for the animation department. Next ones in our to-do list are street musicians, gamblers and fishermen to spice up the colony life.

Uplifted Textures
Same as with animations, this was not planned, but thanks to our community we have a way to improve the oldest and the ugliest textures that had been with us for almost 20 years! Thank you so much, КА!

It is tedious work, but the effect should be noticeable in the release build.

Examples:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Ebvl890DZaukH-YOMP-pmetSDvw1ySFU/view?usp=sharing


As bonus, we have also uplifted textures of the sails. Sea scenery is already looking fantastic and now it is even better. New sails complement the new sea, improved weather, updated sky so well!

Ship Gameplay
Now, what is the way to make the old naval combat formula a second life? How to make it more tactical and fun? Right, change some numbers!

• The Caleuche (Ghost Ship) now requires 100 Navigation Skill. She is the strongest ship in the game.
• You can’t hire Navigators with more than 75 Navigation Skill in taverns.
• Helen McArthur and Longway are the best Navigators in the game now.
• Ships get x2 to hull HP. Unique ships get x3.
• Ships get x0.75 to max crew. Unique ships get x0.85..
• Grapeshot loses all efficiency after depleting more than 50% of the target’s crew. Bombs don’t.
• Bombs cost much more and you can buy or loot much less of them in game.
• The game takes in account the rank of the player’s flagship and adjusts quest naval battles to it.
• The heaviest warships in the game now cost a fortune to command.
• 1 and 2 rank warships can be encountered in the open world only after the player reaches level 30.

Therefore, the game encourages you to command lighter vessels until the mid-game. It makes naval combat more tactical, forgiving and more welcome to experiments. You don’t have to reload a game after a bad volley or grind from the start to get yourself a warship before the midgame. But if you do get a warship early, it wont auto level your enemies accordingly or punish you. You will have a fun time ruining everyones day as long as you can afford to operate such a monster.

OST
The OST is complete - over an hour of new music, making almost two hours in total. Fits the 200 hours of content we have.

 

[cyborgboy95]

Check out the new national themes - playing for French, English, Dutch and Spanish towns!

 

[cretin]

I think this looks fantastic. Had no idea about the original game.

 

[Rarre]

Played sea dogs 2 a long time ago and was pretty fun!!

 

[taxalot]

I haven't played the Sea Dogs game : is this a remaster/enhanced edition, or is it a game heavily inspired by it ?

 

[Serus]

Welcome to the Caribbean in 1654 AD, a place teeming with opportunities and mysteries. Assume the role of Charles de Maure, a young French noble who embarked on a journey to the New World to assist his brother. What initially appeared as a simple family matter quickly evolves into a lifelong adventure. Immerse yourself in the tale of a noble dilettante who rises to become the most influential figure in the Caribbean. Riches, titles, power, and romance – the ultimate booty awaits, and it's up to you to seize it all.

• Embark on a 200-hour-long story.
• Undertake hundreds of quests.
• Experience a historical narrative with a touch of mystique.
• Explore romantic interests and companions.
• Choose from various career options, from general-governor to pirate baron.

The Caribbean Sea – a realm of dozens of islands and cities, a grand archipelago shrouded in mystery and secrets. From the summits of Indian pyramids to the ocean depths, unique rewards, quests, and curiosities await. This open world is your sandbox, and you are free to explore and shape it as you see fit. Your decisions determine where to go, what to do, and with whom.

• Discover dozens of islands and settlements.
• Build your very own colony.
• Explore caves, pyramids, jungles, Indian tribes, and lost cities.
• Visit taverns, brothels, shipyards, churches, forts, and many other points of interest.
• Engage in treasure hunting and gambling.
• Experience dynamic weather and the serene turquoise sea.

Owning a warship is a privilege, a symbol of status and luxury. You are among the select few who can afford such grandeur. Begin your journey with a simple sloop and work your way up to commanding a ship of the line or even a fleet of these formidable vessels, ready to plunder cities at your whim. No one will stand in your way. Yet, in moments of tranquility at sea, relish the stunning views, embrace the sense of exploration, or navigate the heart of a storm.

• Command dozens of ships representing the glory of the Age of Sail.
• Customize, paint, upgrade, and repair your vessel.
• Engage in unforgiving yet enjoyable naval combat.
• Experience intense boarding action, from the upper deck to the captain's cabin.
• Collect unique vessels to rule the seas.
• Manage booty distribution, morale, and the threat of mutinies.
• Assemble a formidable team of officers.

Captains are most vulnerable when they set foot on land. Surviving naval combat can be challenging, but at least you won't face it alone – your crew will have your back. Land battles are different. Bring your companions with you, poison your weapons, study the terrain, craft deadly items, and confront thugs, soldiers, pirates, and rivals head-on.

• Tailor your character's build – become a heavy swordsman, a nimble rogue, a master sharpshooter, or a silver-tongued diplomat.
• Equip yourself and your companions with a wide array of swords, axes, rapiers, armor, muskets, and pistols.
• Craft amulets, ammo, potions, and always be prepared for battle.
• Seek out challenges – the more you fight, the stronger both you and your character become.
• Command military operations from raiding to sieges.

"Helem McArthur, ordinary sailor". I'm not* even sure what is more cringe, her being there or her name
*edit, forgot the "not"

 

[Modron]

wtf are these guys doing

Probably just a demo, lots of companies do this nowadays calling them prologues or whatever. They make them something you have to add to your library to gain the ability to pump things directly into your news feed on top of your library and your regular news page of course.

 

[Cologno]

• Additional Notes: V-Sync must be enabled

Uh, okay.

 

[Modron]

Well uh this has a regular demo now, probably as part of the steam pirate fest going on. It's 20 GBs.

 

[OSK]

Why does that "ordinary sailor" look like a member of an 80's glam metal band?

 

[Modron]

Why does that "ordinary sailor" look like a member of an 80's glam metal band?

Because you didn't make a big enough stink about it back then? https://store.steampowered.com/app/223330/Sea_Dogs_To_Each_His_Own/

 

[OttoQuitmarck]

I am such a sucker for pirate games, undoubtedly I'll but this day one even if it's garbage poo.

 

[Taka-Haradin puolipeikko]

 

[Sibylla]

my only complaint: TEHO campaign and dlcs was boring, no offense to the devs. you cant tack on a linear goose chase main quest to a game that should be more like MOUNT AND BLADE in gameplay.

 

[Serus]

my only complaint: TEHO campaign and dlcs was boring, no offense to the devs. you cant tack on a linear goose chase main quest to a game that should be more like MOUNT AND BLADE in gameplay.

Yeah, they want the old Pirates! but they also want a big story. There is a reason why games like M&B or Pirates! usually don't have those. Gameplay of such games is not meant to create a long, god forbid linear at that, story. Typical attitude of "I want to eat the cookie but i also want to keep the same cookie".

 

[thesecret1]

M&B viking conquest had a good and fairly linear story (for the first half, that is. It dives off of a cliff once you reach England), so I'd say it can be done. But you need good writers capable of making a gripping story supported by the game mechanics, and those are in very short supply in the gaming industry

 

[cyborgboy95]

Textures Update and New Global Map
Ahoy!

This is one of the biggest visual leaps Sea Dogs series ever had. We've revamped over 200 textures along with the Global Map - most of the work involved manual reimagining of textures that hadn't been updated since the 2000s. The effort has started not so long ago, so we are definetely planning to bring more in the post release era.

Take a look for yourself and don't forget to watch in fullscreen and 2K.

Owners of the Exclusive Edition[www.patreon.com] will get the pre-release access and the opportunity to experience everything for themselves tomorrow. If you haven't secured your copy yet, fear not! Feb 8th marks the beginning of the final round of sales for the Exclusive Edition and it will last until Feb 17th.

Good hunting, pirates

 

[Cancer]

I'm assuming this is going to be similar to the old Sea Dogs/Pirates of the Caribbean/Age of Pirates 1 & 2, which were all essentially the same game released every 3 years. Looks like it anyway. There were some problems with those games (broken and easily abused economy, terrible map, shallow RPG, and an overall lack of direction), but the ship-to-ship combat in modded AOP 2 was FANTASTIC. Worth playing it for that alone.

I truly hope they've finally ditched the "ghost pirate" nonsense, which was something tacked on to ride the POTC hype, and never really made sense in what was essentially a continuation of Sid Meier's Pirates!.

Downloading the demo and will give it a shot.

 

[Cancer]

my only complaint: TEHO campaign and dlcs was boring, no offense to the devs. you cant tack on a linear goose chase main quest to a game that should be more like MOUNT AND BLADE in gameplay.

Exactly, the right way to do this setting is to have strong AI factions (the various European nations, other pirates, etc.) who do high politics in a non-player centric world. Part of the fun is navigating (no pun intended) through the diplomatic options between the different nations, as they go to war or form alliances. There is no reason why you can't have strong role-playing without a main quest. Speaking of Sid Meier, no game ever has had better narrative qualities than Civ 4, and that's because you and your opponents make your own "main quest" every game.

The original Pirates! was the first "big brain" game I played (on C64) as a kid, and I've been looking for something to recreate the magic ever since. The 2004 remake didn't cut it. They didn't add enough depth to really rise above what had already been done, only a bunch of corny minigames. The Akella games are fine, but were also just too disjointed in conception to really excel.