Anyone with dreams of swashbuckling on the high seas, or even just those who just can't get enough of Captain Jack Sparrow now have a new title to add to the canon of virtual pirating experiences: Of Ships & Scoundrels.
Functionally, Of Ships & Scoundrels is a real-time strategy game that puts players in charge of commanding pirate ships competing for naval dominance out in the open ocean. Gameplay is a mix of both resource management required to build new ships and structures, and combat against enemy ships and other nautical hazards. This requires players to balance careful planning with real-time combat.
Dominance of the sea is required to expand onto new lands, located throughout the game map, which can then be used in service of building an even larger fleet of ships. Each game map is procedurally generated, meaning that no two games will ever play out in quite the same way. In addition to competitors' squads of ships, players will run into a number of other oceanic phenomena. These include both the real and imaginary, so trust that all legends of the fearsome Kraken are true before jumping into the game.
Of Ships & Scoundrels has just launched on Steam Early Access as of November 14th. In addition to its multiplayer content (which supports up to four players), this initial release also includes a single player campaign mode that, as of now, includes four unique missions. The single player content is procedurally generated as well, ensuring that even solo play will require strategizing in the moment each time embarking on a quest, new or old.
The game is being developed by German company KORION. Their past releases include Alien Escape, Memorrha, Space Battle Core, and even a piratey precursor to their newest title, called Conquest of the Seven Seas. Over the course of its Steam Early Access availability, KORION will be gathering feedback from its community of Of Ships & Scoundrels players in order to get the game in the best shape possible before its full release. The title is available for a 15% discount until November 21st, so if you're planning on giving the game a shot, make sure your arrs and mateys are in good shape before then.
Source: UberStrategist