Pirates of the Burning Sea interview for the PC

Brand new MMO Pirates of the Burning Sea looks set to create waves among MMO gamers, and as we prepare to set sail, we talk exclusively to lead designer Kevin Maginn. Kevin answers all our pressing questions about the game and gives us the background on how Pirates has been developed to be the most swashbuckling of MMOs. Find out more - and get news of the massive Gamerzines Pirates of the Burning Seas competition - in our exclusive interview now!

Pirates of the Burning Sea interview for the PC

Life on the main is tough but rewarding. Even if those rewards tend to be someone else's booty ending up in the hold of your schooner after a deadly sea battle. Kevin ‘Isildur' Maginn is Lead Designer on this salty MMO and kindly took time out from whittling a new peg and grooming his parrot to hahh ahhhhnswer some questions, me lad! Don't miss Issue 3 of MMOZine where we'll have the full review and an exclusive PotBS in-game item to give away to lucky readers – see www.gamerzines. com for details.

What does swashbuckling mean to you and how will our swashes be buckled in PotBS?
We actually began the design process with a document trying to define ‘swashbuckling' to ourselves, so that we could measure our combat against a fixed set of expectations. In short, we believe swashbuckling has three important components: cinematic swordplay, a hero against impossible odds, and environmental interactions. We've focused on the first two as part of our initial strategy; we've spent a lot of time ensuring that our animations tie together correctly, and the system is designed to allow and encourage a single player to take on groups of enemies and cut through them like a hot knife through butter. As for the third part of the definition, we're still discussing the best way to approach it. Something to look forward to.