Hey Everyone!
I don't think a day goes by when there isn't someone asking for Book 15 in Pirate101. It has gotten to the point that I have seen many members of the community saying things that I honestly do not want to repeat, mainly because I don't want to give those negative rumors any attention. This post is meant to be positive, because I am positive that all of the rumor-spreaders and people giving up on Pirate101 are making a big mistake. Let me explain why.
To start with, Pirate101 was released with more content than Wizard101 was initially. Pirate had five worlds to start off with, whereas Wizard only had four at its release date. Pirate101 was also released with mounts, housing, shared bank, and Crowns Shop, all things Wizard101 did not have at first. There may be more, but I'll be honest and say I'm not too familiar with pre-Celestia Wizard101.
Not only was Pirate101 released with Wizard101 comparable content and features, it also has its own set of things that Wizard101 does not have. Examples of this are companions, ships, skyways, not to mention a more advanced combat system. Companions alone, with all their promotions and background, would make developing Pirate101 more time consuming. This game has so many more details than Wizard101, which is one of the things I love most about it. It probably also makes adding more features and content a bigger project for the developers.
Now let's talk about updates, since this seems to be what has most people upset. Let's see. Well, going back through the update notes since May 2013 (which is when Marleybone and Aquila were released) Pirate101 has had eleven updates. Guess how many Wizard101 has had......Eleven! Imagine that! They have had the same amount of updates. If you count all of the updates for both games since the beginning of 2013, Pirate101 actually has one more update than Wizard101, thirteen for Pirate and twelve for Wizard.
People may argue that Wizard101 has had more main content updates in this period of time than Pirate101 has. Well I guess that depends on how you look at it. Wizard101 had one world added, split into two updates. Pirate101 had two worlds released in one update. Not to mention that between both of Wizard101's main content updates you can only gain 10 new levels. With Pirate101's update you can gain 15 new levels. In my opinion, this actually means Pirate has had more main content added in the past two and a half years than Wizard. Maybe Kingsisle should have released Marleybone and then waited a year before they gave us Aquila. Same amount of content, different waiting period. I honestly wonder if it would have made a difference to how people are acting now.
As far as side worlds/dungeons/quests go, both games again have had the same amount of updates; The Tower of Moo Manchu and Pirate's Regatta in Pirate, Aquila and the Four Dungeons in Wizard. There has also been numerous other features added in both games. It seems to me that the recent updates have been pretty much equal.
Then there are the people who say they don't mind the lack of updates (which, if you really look at everything I just wrote, isn't an actual problem). They say their issue is the lack of communication from Kingsisle. They say that even if Kingsisle doesn't have a release date for Book 15, they would like to know that they are at least working on it. Well, Kingsisle has communicated that to us. In fact, it was just a few months ago that Professor Falmea made a statement in the
July 2015 Producer's Letter that said:
Lastly, we know many of you have been waiting a long time to hear about when we might continue the storyline. Unfortunately, I can only tell you that we are still exploring the possibilities. The Pirate story is a big one, and telling that story is a task we don’t take lightly. We are working hard to determine the best way to advance the story, increase the level cap, and allow you to forge ahead with your epic voyage, but I just cannot make any definite promises about how or when.
So yeah, if that isn't Kingsisle communicating with its players, I don't know what is. Just because it wasn't a piece of concept art or an exact date, it doesn't mean they gave up. It says right there that they are working on it. Not only that, they are trying to make it as amazing as it deserves to be. I wonder how many people out there in the community have ever actually been involved in making an MMO. I bet the answer is none. Kingsisle knows what they are doing. I would rather them take their time and take awhile to release something amazing than have them recycle ideas and release half completed content every year.
So I guess my point is that I really don't understand why people are saying that they love Pirate101 and then in the next breath saying they are giving up on it. If you love something, why not support it? I don't just mean financially (although the less money they get, I assume it will take longer to get Book 15). I know that not everyone can afford to have a monthly membership. There isn't anything wrong with that. However, there are other ways you can support the game. Not quitting and not spreading rumors are just a couple of those.
Honestly, being pessimistic and constantly bothering the Kingsisle team about Book 15 is not going to make it show up any faster. All it will do is make you unhappy. Why not think positive? I really don't think it's all that hard to believe that they haven't given up on Pirate101. It's a choice; either you choose to believe or you choose not to. If you love the game, why would you choose to not believe in it? And if you for some reason don't love the game? Well then I ask you, why waste your time spreading rumors?
And before anyone says the thing I have heard many times before, this post is not because I am a Pirate101 fan site. I would feel the same way regardless of my blog's status. Heck, I felt the same way during my 15 month hiatus from the games and blogging, before I even knew I would be able to come back. I am making this post solely because I believe in Pirate101.....101%. (See what I did there?) :P I hope all of you decide to believe as well. The game's 3rd birthday is this week. Who knows what they have in store.....
If you made it through this post, well thanks for reading. See you soon! :)