Piracy, Remastered
A new game mode, new economic rules, and more in this ecosystem proposal!
Captain & Company is preparing an entirely new game mode & economy for all o’ ye scallywags! We’re evolving into a more player-friendly and reward-driven structure, and the overhaul coming to the core Pillage game mode described below is how we propose to get there. Climb aboard!
The Big Picture
Being a pirate is about exploring the open sea, stealing loot from foes, and battling alongside friends in massively multiplayer naval skirmishes. We feel that the current gameplay has deviated too far from this core fantasy for a number of reasons that we’ll get to at the end of this post. To resolve that, we’re proposing a colossal adjustment to the core gameplay and economy that we expect will result in substantially more player and trader interest in the game, and better prepare us to list on Google Play, Epic Games, and others.
Core features proposed include:
Creating a two-faction system in the game (e.g. like WoW’s Alliance vs Horde)
Changing the main map to be split into two sides with capture points on each side
Changing the core game mode to be a persistent two-sided war (e.g. like Foxhole)
Resetting all crafted items at the beginning of each war for fresh start gameplay
Adding a huge reward pot for the winners of the war funded by crafting fees & airdrops
In short, this proposal will transform C&C from an endless airdrop farming simulator where issuing new ships would be dilutive to holders (which is the game’s current state), into a self-sustaining recurring MMORPG war between player sides, with substantially more multiplayer team deathmatch-style combat, ship variation, and reward potential. This means we’ll be adding more ships, more objectives, and faster progression.
This blog is accompanied by a shipholder vote, which can be found here. If the vote passes, the game mode and changes outlined here will go in over the next few weeks, all at the same time when they happen. The date will be communicated ahead of time.
Over the past two years, shipholders have enjoyed a huge plethora of benefits, with the majority of purchases well above-water for return on investment due to partner airdrop farming campaigns that we brought to holders, with the total sum of value we’ve enabled exceeding $2,000,000+ USD. You can view that historical performance here.
We’ll dive into each of the proposed changes individually, and then we’ll break out the rationale that got us here at the end of the blog.
Faction War
The new Pillage mode proposal would transform it into a faction war between two sides: the Iron Corsairs and the Sea Wolves. Both sides would be vying for territory control to ultimately claim the Warchest, a huge pot of treasure and rewards split out to the players. We were inspired by a combination of WoW Classic’s Alterac Valley and Foxhole’s endless wars to create a mode that would drive players to engage in high ship-count, high player-count team deathmatch battles with strategic economic depth and rapid, fulfilling progression.
All players would start at the same level ground, with nothing. “Back to the beach” in a raft, for everyone, literally. We’d be introducing a new ship, the “Dinghy,” a single-player, single-seat, single-cannon, low-HP rowboat, and the “Raft”, a single-player, single-seat, low-HP platform ship. Players would venture out and collect resources at various resource nodes by fishing up resource-laden fish and taking them back to their own faction’s port, eventually accruing enough to be able to craft a ship (e.g. a classic Clockwork Brig, or other ship blueprint recipes we release). Once they’ve crafted a ship, they’d set out and either farm more resources to create more ships to sell to other players, or they’d aggressively try to take capture points from the enemy, or slay the boss in the center for a chance at rare loot.
The game mode is 24/7, meaning the lobbies are always open, and the war would last until one side had captured all towers on the map. Then, the Warchest rewards would be split out to players, and the game would reset, sending everyone back to the beach in a rowboat. We would expect these wars to last for potentially weeks, and we would make balance decisions along the way to get to that kind of a result.
You can see an early drawing of our lead’s concept for the mode here. The mode would be extensible, so adding new objectives, bigger ships, more supply lines, and more progression would be possible.
New Ships and Progression
While it is true that we already have an extensive talent and perk progression system, and technically new players are able to save up and craft a ship on their own, in reality almost no one is completing these objectives due to them being too complicated, too time consuming, or too expensive. We feel that is antithetical to the free spirit of piracy we want to cultivate, and will not be palatable to a mainstream audience.
Instead, this economic and gameplay shift will enable us to overhaul progression dramatically and ensure that all players are constantly growing in power every time they log into the game, like a traditional MMORPG. There will be three primary progression loops:
Collecting resources and blueprints to craft bigger, better, and different ships
Leveling up your character to collect talent points
Crafting and min-maxing builds via the perk system to outwit opponents
For old hat players, what you should immediately understand is that we want more ships. We want Man-O’-Wars, we want sloops, cutters, junks, steam frigates, and all other manner of fantastical nautical vehicles. We want you to have a plethora of options to choose from and for those to be strategically tactical as you help your faction push for glorious victory and claim the Warchest.
If the proposal passes, we’ll be immediately adding the Wraith Brig, the Dinghy, and the Raft as playable ships to the game, and more will follow.
The blueprint system will change slightly. Blueprints will become consumable one-time account unlocks that allow a player to always craft that ship in all future seasons. You will no longer need a blueprint every time you craft a ship. This will also apply to perks, where blueprints will be a one-time unlock and you will only require resources to craft that perk in the following seasons.
Resource Collection and Fishing
Every good game needs fishing! There’s no better way that we can imagine to collect resources than by hauling up resource-laden fish from the depths, and that’s exactly what you’ll be doing the first time that you spawn into the new mode in a rowboat.
While resources will still drop from certain NPCs, we’ll be largely removing the swarms of NPCs as you know them now in the current gameplay. Instead, those NPCs will participate in random invasions, but no longer be a centerpiece of core combat, more of a side quest.
Fishing will instead be the “passive farming” loop, which frankly is just a well-deserved stress-free break from the thrills of piracy. Because the map will be divided into two faction sides, and because friendly fire will be off, you’ll be able to potentially farm in peace without pirates coming and attacking you (maybe, no promises). But because we hate bots, there will of course be the occasional shark that wants to give your ship a friendly boop, which may or may not send you to the bottom of the ocean.
What Will the Core Loop Become?
The core progression loop we envision looks something like this:
Start your first gameplay session on your own in a rowboat with a single cannon, and fish peacefully for some resources
Depending on if you’re rushing Day 1 of the war:
If you’re rushing, then you’ll keep farming resources until you personally have enough to craft a bigger combat ship, or you’ll pool with your guild
If you’ve joined slightly later, you may opt to join a crew instead as Company on an existing combat ship
You’ll set out and head to the enemy faction’s control point towers, engaging in massively multiplayer team deathmatch combat alongside your friendly faction’s ships and attempt to capture the control point
Along the way you’ll level up and gain talent points, further increasing your combat potential
You’ll also discover perk blueprints and potentially new ship blueprints, both also presenting opportunities to craft and increase your combat potential
You’ll (hopefully) eventually win the war alongside your faction mates, and, depending on your performance, split out the Warchest rewards
You’ll unlock new ship recipes, cosmetics, pets (potentially), titles, and badges as you participate in more wars over time
This loop is simple and compelling, and follows the natural demands of players we get constantly — let us build bigger and better ships and blow stuff up. And, because the new economic proposal would have the entire economy reset at the end of each war, you’d then have the chance to do it all again (even better) the next time. Plus, given the relative simplicity of the loop, and the fact that new ships will not dilute old ships any longer, we’ll be able to focus on adding new and zany power spikes and ships for players to experiment with during the wars.
What About Our Old Ships & Items?
We’re proposing an exchange for all old ships and items that will convert them into useful ecosystem assets. Keep in mind that in order to add the above gameplay dynamics, we must reset the economy fully at the end of each faction war. Otherwise, we will not be able to consistently add new assets and drive crafting fees into new prize pools.
If the proposal passes, then the below will take effect sometime in the next few weeks, which will align with the $CNC node sale launch.
Every current Clockwork Brig would be swapped for:
1x permanent Pirate Pass code (est. value $20/mo saved in perpetuity)
1x Clockwork Brig Blueprint (can be used to unlock the recipe on an account)
10x $CNC nodes which will begin producing $CNC
A permanent cosmetic hat representing your Clockwork Brig OG status
A number of land crystals
2x paint items to unlock the colors of the ship as options in-game
Every current Wraith Brig would be swapped for:
1x permanent Pirate Pass code (est. value $20/mo saved in perpetuity)
1x Wraith Brig Blueprint (can be used to unlock the recipe on an account)
100x $CNC nodes which will begin producing $CNC
A permanent cosmetic hat representing your Wraith Brig OG status
10x the number of land crystals assigned to the Clockwork Brigs
2x paint items to unlock the colors of the ship as options in-game
Every current Clockwork Lootbox would be swapped for:
2x $CNC nodes which will begin producing $CNC
A number of land crystals
Every other resource would be swapped for:
The value of held assets in each account would be summed, and, if great enough to exceed the value of a Clockwork Brig, would be swapped for an equivalent number of $CNC nodes as they are valued in terms of Clockwork Brigs
A number of land crystals, if sufficient assets held
The net result of this will be a complete wipe of the existing in-game economy & a transfer of value to a) the $CNC nodes and b) in-game bonuses, all of which would enable us to transform gameplay dramatically. At the time of conversion, the value of the assets swapped for ships may easily exceed their spot market price, depending on how long you utilize the granted Pirate Pass for and the ultimate price of $CNC. We cannot make any guarantee that the assets swapped for will be any more liquid or valuable than the current assets, but as a general rule, standard tokens are more liquid than NFTs.
Ship colors will become itemized, and you’ll be able to consume a paint item to unlock that color for your account, which can then be applied to your ships. Paints are intended to be rare, and shipholders will control this initial supply. If the proposal passes, ship trading will continue to be live before the final snapshot. At the time of the snapshot, all assets will be converted and credited simultaneously.
Skellies and cosmetic items will remain as they are, as they are not economic gameplay components and do not require adjustment. Blueprints will also remain.
$CNC, Player Governance, & Ownership
Because the $CNC nodes and token will play such a large role in the new economy, it’s important to explain exactly what the token will be doing. There are four key utilities the $CNC token will have:
A percentage of the in-game Warchest rewards will go to $CNC holders who vote correctly for who the winning faction will be of each faction war. This model is similar to Karate Combat’s “Up Only Gaming” model, in which you are not losing tokens if you bet the wrong side, but you are gaining rewards (from the Warchest) if your bet is correct. This will be done from inside the game.
The tokenholders will be able to vote directly on new features & adjustments to the game, sent directly to the engineers by way of Snapshot votes. A small number of features are off-limits, but, otherwise, the intention is to allow the players to control the game — a truly decentralized studio.
The token will be used to measure assets held for the guild quest bonuses, and other bonuses across the ecosystem.
The token will be convertible to nuggies, and, when nuggies are withdrawn, they become $CNC. All purchases in the C&C ecosystem can be made by using $CNC.
In sum, the token will have direct in-game rewards, governance, and spending utilities from launch. Meaning that the nodes that you receive for your ships during the swap that will ultimately produce $CNC will help you accomplish each of the above objectives, all while allowing the game to explore substantially more vibrant gameplay dynamics.
You can visit the whitepaper to learn more about the CNC token and land.
Rationale for the Changes
This is a ton of changes, all at once. The blockchain-enabled gaming market moves very quickly, and we’ve been keeping close tabs on the narratives and gameplay loops that are and are not working in the space. Overwhelming, “blue chip” style “forever” gameplay-impacting NFTs in gaming have performed abhorrently, with the majority taking massive value hits over the past year. Those teams are also stuck with initial promises to their communities that can never be fulfilled, because enough value likely can never be created to prop back up those assets while simultaneously creating revenue for the development studio to continue.
This is a vicious cycle, leading more users to dump the assets which makes it harder for developers to, in turn, create new features and drive new trading to provide additional value. The net result is that those studios may have to close.
We are proposing a fundamentally different fate. NFTs are a phenomenal method to enable user ownership, decentralized trading, and governance. But what they are not are infinitely cash-flowing pots of gold, and, without constant new influxes of narratives and marketing campaigns and “KOL”-driven pushes, it is not possible to maintain sufficient trading volume to keep speculators happy.
By performing this conversion & reset, we instead will be changing the game to revolve around “natural hype cycles,” as each new faction war can potentially come with completely different rules, ships, NFTs, rewards, and more. All of that will drive additional on-chain activity and incentives to participate in an attempt to win the Warchest. The Warchest is filled with the crafting fees from that player activity, as well as subsidized with third-party partner rewards (like Abstract XP and other potential advertising sponsors per war).
This is substantially more sustainable than us simply relying on airdrop farming campaigns or infinitely diluting our own holders with more token emissions or NFT drops. We have already begun scoping for the new gameplay mode, and will likely be able to deliver the initial version within a month if the proposal passes.
In conclusion here, our objectives are to:
Immediately swap existing NFTs for a potentially similar or greater value of ecosystem assets
Open gameplay design and rewards possibilities substantially
Drive higher interest and speculative hype cycles through recurring wars in a new mode
We see a higher probability for upside here than downside, with a serious chance that the new, faster, more rewarding & more web2-palatable gameplay & economy may drive Captain & Company to the top of the collective gaming charts. And now you, the shipholders, will be the final vote on the above proposal. The fate of Captain & Company is now entirely in your hands. Godspeed, pirates!
Find fortune, foes, and friends for life in Captain & Company: the ultimate pirate MMORPG. Set sail with friends into epic naval battles with massive multiplayer crews, and pillage your way to becoming the wealthiest pirates on the high seas.
Make sure you join our Discord and claim your exclusive roles! You’ll have access to private channels only shared with other Captains and the devs o’ the Goldcoves themselves. Plus, if you have 25 or more ships, there’s a set of channels rumored to be hidden to all except the greatest of Admirals… conquer on, pirate!