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SUBSIM Review |
 Pirates
of the Caribbean Interview with Director of Marketing Pete Hines, Bethesda |
 What
began as a sequel to a successful title (Sea Dogs) has been leveraged onto a
Disney blockbuster movie starring Johnny Depp and Geoffrey Rush: Pirates of the
Caribbean. We bow before the individual who managed this PR coup. Now the
commercial success of the video game is most certainly assured. We caught
up with Pete Hines, Director of Marketing with publisher Bethesda after E3.
Hines has been at Bethesda for about 3 ½ years. Prior to that he worked in
marketing and PR for some associations and also was a writer for The Adrenaline
Vault for several years. When not brainstorming the next PR move for Bethesda he
can be found playing Planetside, Munch’s Oddysee, Age of Wonders 2 email
multiplayer, Black Hawk Down, Vietcong, Advance Wars, and a little BF1942 every
now and then. |
Subsim: How was E3 for Bethesda and Pirates of the Caribbean this year?
Bethesda: Good. The game was actually featured all over the place. In addition to having it on the big screen in our booth, it was featured in booths for Buena Vista Games, Xbox, ATI, and NVIDIA.
Subsim:
The last time I saw Pirates was E3 2002. It was called something else, then… I
forget what. The demo had crew climbing the rigging and manning the cannon.
Has this remained in the game?
Bethesda: While at sea you will see crewmembers on the decks of ships walking around loading guns and doing performing other duties depending on what’s going on. You won’t see them on the deck of your own ship if you’re walking around on deck…only in 3rd person.
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Subsim: Will the player be able to interact with the crew on the ship while at sea?
Bethesda: No, at sea you command your ship and any other ships sailing under your command. There’s no interacting with crew or officers while at sea, other than issuing orders like changing the type of shot in your cannons and things like that.
Subsim:
In Sea Dogs, the player set sail and the map would show his progress,
announcing contact with other ships. Does this method remain in POTC?
Bethesda: The world map is now much more interactive. You see you ship on a 3D map and steer it around the ocean. Other ships will appear in the distance as you spot them, and you’ll also see other nice touches like clouds floating overhead and even storms approaching.
Subsim: Has Danielle Greene been shanghaied? Will she appear in the game?
Bethesda: The main character’s name is Nathaniel Hawk. You can only play one character in the game. Nathaniel does have a love-interest in the game and she’ll appear during the main story. (See Subsim Tactics & Tips for a "Danielle Greene" cheat to get back in action. --Ed.).
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Subsim: What weapons does the player have at his disposal? A sword, of course, but what about a pistol or muskets?
Bethesda: You can carry a pistol, and there are different types of swords and pistols that you can obtain during the course of the game.
Subsim:
Can you describe the key strokes used for sword fighting? Is there some skill
involved, as was the case in Sea Dogs?
Bethesda: The fighting is similar to the way it worked in Sea Dogs in that it’s not a contest to see who can put together the best combos, like in DOA3. It’s more of a strategic thing…deciding when to strike, when to block and when to use your pistol. The addition of other NPCs fighting with you or against you adds another layer, since
Subsim: What level of graphics card will a player need to enjoy the Storm II graphics?
Bethesda: The minimum requirement is an NVIDIA GeForce2, but to enjoy the full effect of the effects in Pirates you’ll want to have one of the newer cards from NVIDIA or ATI.
Subsim: Will Pirates of the Caribbean make its July release date?
Bethesda: The game will be out the first week of July, a week before the movie comes out.
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