Is this really the POTCO we all knew?

[Ominous Observer]

Pirates of the Caribbean Online.


This game meant a lot to us, or did it? Was POTCO really the reason that we enjoyed playing this game so much? Was it the community? The people and the way that this game was run by Disney that made us continue to come back. It has been two years since this game has shut down and since then, we have had several “false prophets” come forth and promise us a rebuild of this game. Is it really worth it though?

When POTCO closed down, I was still a very active member of the POTCO community on this forums and others, but as time went on I continued on with different games and stuck with some of the favorite pirates throughout the years, yes I loved this game just as much as you all did. I simply knew that all good things must come to an end and decided not to back any of the POTCO remakes. I frankly, did not want to see POTCO come back by any other hand than Disney’s.

This community has been lost. As the day goes on, I continue to see less and less posts and less and less people logging on. The only thing people log on now is for updates on the remakes or forum games. This used to be a place for the community to stick together and play newer games. So that we could remember the old game that brought us together and bring that comradery to other games. However, this place has been corrupted. This is no longer a forums for the ex-potco community but a community for remakes. I cannot be the only player that feels that a remake should just be left alone. Even if someone creates it. (Which is highly unlikely imo) It will still close again. Nobody is going to make POTCO last a lifetime. It simply isn’t going to happen. None of the crews recreating the game have really done as good a job as ToonTown Rewritten either. They knew where to start, they have a team dedicated to the community and to the game. We only have developers not interested in communicating with us. They want to hide their work and work in secrecy. They are against an open source project because they don’t want someone to “steal their work” or they have fear of hackers even though they have claimed that their current technology is “unhackable”

Is anyone else tired of the drama associated with these remakes? Whilst they bring them to our beloved community board of piratesforums.co I thoroughly enjoyed coming here to learn about new games and talk amongst fellow pirates when Pirates Online Rewritten was forced to post on their own forums. What made the stance change? I don’t wish to insight drama amongst myself so I have posted this on another account and I do hope that all moderators with access to my information would be decent enough to keep it a secret. If they would like to address issues with me specifically then to take them to a PM rather than revealing myself here.


I would like to use this as a start of a discussion as to the benefits of allowing POTCO to be put to rest and this community going back to talking about new games and working together as a community rather than waiting on a remake that will eventually close just as POTCO did.
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[Mike Wass]

I agree with many of your points. It will be truly a challenge to capture that vibe that POTCO caught us all in, arguably it may never be the same.

But being such a fan of the game, I cannot personally allow this game to be put to rest. It'd be a sleeping giant. No matter what age you may be, we all are and always will truly be pirates in our hearts.

None of the crews recreating the game have really done as good a job as ToonTown Rewritten either. They knew where to start, they have a team dedicated to the community and to the game. We only have developers not interested in communicating with us. They want to hide their work and work in secrecy. They are against an open source project because they don’t want someone to “steal their work”

Just saying. TTR has never willingly released their source code. This entire point made here is pointless.

Also, there are multiple reasons why projects will not make their game source open-source. Just to name a few.

• Fear of other projects stealing the code to create new projects. The issue more/less isn't the act of them stealing the code and not giving credit, but the issue of the community being separated further. We already have our numbers spread thin; the last thing we need is to be made thinner by playing on separate versions of Pirates.
• Fear of exploitability. No matter what anyone claims, there always is a threat of people hacking a game. Making the code open source is like giving a hacker an SDK to develop new hacks/exploits to the game. It is better for the code to be closed, for security reasons. A hacker cannot exploit something it doesn't know exists.
• Fear of the legal issues that may follow. The POTCO source and other internal dependencies are copyrighted by Disney Interactive Media Group. These projects have no right to make a choice for Disney and open source Disney's software. Distribution of POTCO remakes should be done properly: adequate encryption, well maintained servers and well moderated.

 

[TorchTheWallet]

This game meant a lot to us, or did it? Was POTCO really the reason that we enjoyed playing this game so much? Was it the community? The people and the way that this game was run by Disney that made us continue to come back.​

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No matter what you say, mate, I'll always be a Pirate. I always have, and I always will. POTCO is the game that made me realize that, and POTCO will be the game that continues that realization, as well as exposes the beliefs and principles of true Pirates to the future generations of gamers.

As far as the community, yes, the community is the biggest part of why we all love POTCO so much. I say "love" in the present tense because we never stopped loving POTCO, it's a part of us. Part of the Ship, part of the Crew.

Not a day will go by in my life that I don't remember what it's like to be a Pirate, and I'll always know what it is to be a Pirate, in my heart. Not a day will go by that I won't say "Hoist the Colours" or "Raise the Black".

 

[Shamus The Brute]

Since September 19, 2013, I personally feel that 2 things seem to be occurring simultaneously (and I don't even think that 'most' of us are even aware that this is occurring). Currently to date, it's unclear to me whether such a dual polarization (mentioned below) may ultimately strengthen OUR community as a whole or completely wreck it beyond all recognition:

• The need to relive playing the POTCO experience again indirectly ties together the community one last time (in a way which would not be so, otherwise)
• Said need generates more hesitation in people to shake-off their own dependency towards POTCO in-game play to the point to where the game itself is not honored as it should be because everyone is so000oo...preoccupied in it's remake

If OUR community is so preoccupied by talk/discussion which pertains only to a POTCO remake...then I personally do feel that something has been "lost" forever (which is sad because we would have essentially 'changed' in a way which has not been seen before).

 

[Kelly O'Kidd]

"This game meant a lot to us, or did it? Was POTCO really the reason that we enjoyed playing this game so much? Was it the community? The people and the way that this game was run by Disney that made us continue to come back. This community has been lost. "

I wholeheartedly disagree with the statement you made above "Ominous observer". If the game reopens and is just like the original potco then old players will come back as well as new players and a new community of potco will emerge. Only good can come of having our game back. And if you are so against the game coming back then you can simply ignore it when it reopens (the wonderful thing about free will). Problem solved. And the forums are still here for the community, I see postings from people about other games and other topics. But of course most of us are distracted by the fact that there is new "news" to discuss with this possibility of POTCO coming back as TLOPO. so obviously it will be forefront in new posts for now on here.

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[Bad]

Thread cleaned! Everyone is entitled to their own opinion but PLEASE stay on topic and DO NOT start any drama. Further violations will get you thread banned and or banned from the forums permanently. If you have any issues or questions please feel free to start a private conversation with a Mod or Admin.

Thread reopened.

 

[ReillyLv50PEACE Keepers]

Pirates of the Caribbean Online.


This game meant a lot to us, or did it? Was POTCO really the reason that we enjoyed playing this game so much? Was it the community? The people and the way that this game was run by Disney that made us continue to come back. It has been two years since this game has shut down and since then, we have had several “false prophets” come forth and promise us a rebuild of this game. Is it really worth it though?

When POTCO closed down, I was still a very active member of the POTCO community on this forums and others, but as time went on I continued on with different games and stuck with some of the favorite pirates throughout the years, yes I loved this game just as much as you all did. I simply knew that all good things must come to an end and decided not to back any of the POTCO remakes. I frankly, did not want to see POTCO come back by any other hand than Disney’s.

This community has been lost. As the day goes on, I continue to see less and less posts and less and less people logging on. The only thing people log on now is for updates on the remakes or forum games. This used to be a place for the community to stick together and play newer games. So that we could remember the old game that brought us together and bring that comradery to other games. However, this place has been corrupted. This is no longer a forums for the ex-potco community but a community for remakes. I cannot be the only player that feels that a remake should just be left alone. Even if someone creates it. (Which is highly unlikely imo) It will still close again. Nobody is going to make POTCO last a lifetime. It simply isn’t going to happen. None of the crews recreating the game have really done as good a job as ToonTown Rewritten either. They knew where to start, they have a team dedicated to the community and to the game. We only have developers not interested in communicating with us. They want to hide their work and work in secrecy. They are against an open source project because they don’t want someone to “steal their work” or they have fear of hackers even though they have claimed that their current technology is “unhackable”

Is anyone else tired of the drama associated with these remakes? Whilst they bring them to our beloved community board of piratesforums.co I thoroughly enjoyed coming here to learn about new games and talk amongst fellow pirates when Pirates Online Rewritten was forced to post on their own forums. What made the stance change? I don’t wish to insight drama amongst myself so I have posted this on another account and I do hope that all moderators with access to my information would be decent enough to keep it a secret. If they would like to address issues with me specifically then to take them to a PM rather than revealing myself here.


I would like to use this as a start of a discussion as to the benefits of allowing POTCO to be put to rest and this community going back to talking about new games and working together as a community rather than waiting on a remake that will eventually close just as POTCO did.
​

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You have a lot of good points, I will admit.

 

[Shamus The Brute]

Talking about anything "other" than POTCO specifically here is like myself trying to add this song below to this thread simply because...well...

...it takes up space.

ONE last time, please; keep in-thread discussion "on topic," savvy? (As there remain 'other' threads available here where such posts could contribute to said discussion).

 

[Kate Goldwalker]

Ok, I've gone a step farther than Shamus did. As you see, many of the posts have been deleted. This is the LAST warning for staying on topic and not arguing. Any topic can be discussed in a civilized manner without causing an argument or drama.

If anyone wants to discuss the pros and cons of open source then please go here.

Stay on the topic that was started here in the first post by Ominous Observer. If I see or am informed of one more post that is off topic, flaming, arguing or causing drama, I will delete the post, close the thread and give out a warning. If the thread gets closed again, there will be a discussion between all staff concerning the future of this thread.

 

[Hector Blastspinner]

Although communication is rather short, the truth to stealing ideas is actually a strong claim, especially to the pirate games that are not running a parallel to the original POTCO. If you've followed the development of any game from their time of a drawing board to the full blown release, you'll know that this can ultimately take years to complete, and this is with professional teams of developers and not just a few guys with a burning desire. A remake could probably still apply to these terms as piecing up the puzzle back can be pain-staking, especially to an intricate game such as POTCO. Just imagine how developers may feel if their hard work went to waste if the competition decided to swipe their work from under them.
As for the community, I believe it is very much alive. While the forums may not show it, many still watch certain threads like a hawk and closely follow other sources. A lot of people are united by the pirate genre; usually it will take time for it to completely wither away. Your statement of "false prophets" is good observation, I can't tell you how many times I've seen proposed projects go flat that completely drain the morale of the community. Perhaps, as a community, we should set standards for ourselves to identify credible pirate ventures? I don't think that it hurts to look at both options of a remake and a new game. After all, we should never give up hope, as tenuous as it maybe in these times.

 

[Shamus The Brute]

My personal opinion on the whole matter...

*If you're willing to repeat the same (past) mistakes on account of a loss of memory, then ye have only yourself to blame for such condition/personal amnesia!

 

[Kelly O'Kidd]

I am hopeful that we can all find ourselves back in the caribbean playing pirates online again in the next few months. How great would that be?! I can't give up on that! And will it change the community? I don't think so, I think it will reinvigorate it. It will become a place we can all come back to when wanting a pirate "fix".

 

[TorchTheWallet]

I am hopeful that we can all find ourselves back in the caribbean playing pirates online again in the next few months. How great would that be?! I can't give up on that! And will it change the community? I don't think so, I think it will reinvigorate it. It will become a place we can all come back to when wanting a pirate "fix".

So, in other words, everyday!

 

[Kelly O'Kidd]

Yup! Has anyone figured out why that game was so addicting by the way?

 

[TorchTheWallet]

Yup! Has anyone figured out why that game was so addicting by the way?

The community imo

 

[Jack Wildwrecker]

@Kelly O'Kidd
Frankly, I think a lot of the addiction to POTCO stemmed directly from the social aspects of the game.
Simply put... as @TorchTheWallet said... the community.

At least for me personally, a lot of it had to do with the community.
(Not that it was the only factor.)

 

[TorchTheWallet]

@Kelly O'Kidd
Frankly, I think a lot of the addiction to POTCO stemmed directly from the social aspects of the game.
Simply put... as @TorchTheWallet said... the community.

At least for me personally, a lot of it had to do with the community.
(Not that it was the only factor.)

I just wish POTCO had an actual "player economy" like other games. ie: no gold cap, trading, unlimited inventory, more extensive loot, etc

 

[Shamus The Brute]

The community imo

@Kelly O'Kidd
Frankly, I think a lot of the addiction to POTCO stemmed directly from the social aspects of the game.
Simply put... as @TorchTheWallet said... the community.

At least for me personally, a lot of it had to do with the community.
(Not that it was the only factor.)

So, if "community" was the driving force then...can someone explain to me why "community" today is no longer valued as strongly? Well, let me correct myself in saying this; it is but it isn't.

Currently, the sense of community and such VIBE which used to run through our veins does so somewhat the same today. *However, we must admit our sense of "community" and VIBE now is 100% dependent upon the outcome of something (whereas in the past it wasn't). While no one is to blame for this, we must admit we have each forgotten what it means to genuinely speak/discuss about things and not just for the purpose of passing time for ourselves as we wait patiently on our seats for something else to happen. Isn't this truly now what our own definition of "community" entails?

By purposefully minimizing/pushing aside two things in my opinion we are doing ourselves a great disservice as we seek to transition beyond the experiences of the past towards a much needed cooperative and healthy future:

1. The mistake of implementing additional forums outlets in lieu of those heavily utilized/supported within our past
2. Reliance upon post-POTCO efforts where the majority are created by non-POTCO players whom do not understand nor can relate to our sense of community as a whole as pirates

 

[Tom O'fury]

The mistake of implementing additional forums outlets in lieu of those heavily utilized/supported within our past

I think that additional forums do in fact support the growth of the community much more than what is perceived as the "heavily utilized/supported within our past" forums that you are referring to. As, our community has never been centralized on any forums site before, with there being 3 different forums that I knew of when I played POTCO. The types of pirates that focused on those forums had simply nowhere to really go when they were shut down as the values depicted in those other forums were lost.

Forums created and utilized by pirates must not be pointless, since people continue to sign up and use them even though there is a forum that is "heavily utilized/supported within our past".

 

[Shamus The Brute]

I think that additional forums do in fact support the growth of the community much more than what is perceived as the "heavily utilized/supported within our past" forums that you are referring to. As, our community has never been centralized on any forums site before, with there being 3 different forums that I knew of when I played POTCO. The types of pirates that focused on those forums had simply nowhere to really go when they were shut down as the values depicted in those other forums were lost.

Forums created and utilized by pirates must not be pointless, since people continue to sign up and use them even though there is a forum that is "heavily utilized/supported within our past".

I can see that you feel this way simply because you never had a POTCO-related forums of your own prior to September 19, 2013. Granted, @Davy Darkrage (and if they were around more often, @Zin or @Treasurer) likely do not have a problem with other forums coming onto the scene I do and that is my personal opinion on the matter given the fact of how difficult the task has always been to bring people closer together on the net towards one common goal/purpose.

Curious, have new forums even considered the thought of what would happen to already established (POTCO-related) forums if a particular effort did accomplish the goals it set out to accomplish and achieve full launch? Wouldn't such success, in-turn, also have a significant impact on those forums which do not endorse specifically one project over any other? With those whom "insist" on implementing new forums, would they even be aware of the implications involved by such decisions (dependent upon the success or failure either way of such efforts)?

Using the past as a measuring stick, it's of my opinion that very little has been taken into consideration of how such decisions ultimately affect the community as a whole, by-and-large.