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Bounty Bay Online shutting down
After five years of operation, it's time for the good ship of Bounty Bay Online to pull into port and never set sail again. The game has announced that it will be shutting down in the near future, with the servers currently scheduled to go dark on September 20th. No specific reasons have been given for the shutdown, although the announcement does make note that the years of operation (and several management changes) took their toll on the game. Client downloads are already disabled; the community team is planning events for players sticking with the game during its last weeks of operation. Players who purchased items from the game's cash shop recently will also be compensated accordingly, although exact details have not yet been announced. It's a sad day for anyone in love with the game or simply fond of a broad MMO landscape, and we can only hope that the development team moves on to bigger and brighter projects.
Bounty Bay Online expands into the Raging Seas today
Man the crow's nest! Tighten that jib! Swab the poopdeck! For today, Bounty Bay Online is sailing away from safe harbors and into the Raging Seas content update. This free-to-play pirate MMO is no stranger to constant peril and sizable patches. Raging Seas adds three new ships to the game and a much improved system to upgrade your boat, with special items that can boost your rudder, hull, cannon range, and more. Also included in the patch is an exciting group instance called the Naval Battle of Gravelines that throws you into an epic sea battle during the Spanish Armada era. Raging Seas follows this past May's Bounty Bay land-based Atlantis update. You can watch the short trailer for the patch after the jump!
Bounty Bay Online prepping Raging Seas expansion
Is your life lacking a little high seas adventure? Yearning to unleash your inner pirate, learn to be a naval captain, or possibly even score some booty? If so, you'll want to check out Bounty Bay Online's new Raging Seas expansion. The update features a group instance called the Naval Battle of Gravelines, and players bold enough to brave the waters will be rewarded with a face-to-face encounter with the fearsome Spanish Armada. According to a new Frogster press release, "a special points-based system will play a decisive role in whether you leave battle victorious or are cast down to Davy Jones' locker." You can learn more, as well as download the game, at the official Bounty Bay Online website.
Bounty Bay Online announces new expansion
All those in favor of a new Bounty Bay expansion say yarrrrr! This July, "unknown worlds, grandiose ships, and challenging new adventures" await fans of Frogster's pirate-themed free-to-play title. The last expansion, Atlantis, focused heavily on land engagements, and the as-yet-unnamed July patch will sweep players back out to sea courtesy of three new ships as well as the chance to challenge the encroaching Spanish Armada. Player captains will receive three new ammo types, which incapacitate enemy vessels, deliver huge amounts of damage, or debuff enemy cannon accuracy. The new expansion also brings the Ship Improvement System, which will allow for ship customization via special items. Bounty Bay Online takes players on a journey through the Age of Discovery and immerses them in 15th and 17th century naval combat. Check out the official site for more info.
Atlantis surfaces in Bounty Bay Online
Long ago thought lost, the lands of Atlantis have resurfaced in Frogster Interactive's Bounty Bay Online! The new area offers two new islands for players to check out: Bimini and the Northern Islands. The free expansion also offers a wealth of new content for players at endgame, as well as some modifications to systems that will make the game more enjoyable overall. To top it all off, all Bounty Bay Online players of all levels will get twice the experience all weekend long to celebrate! Players will find a new level cap of 150, crafting improvements, tricky treasure map puzzles, an all-new achievement system, quests, and several new dungeons among the numerous additions. In short, this new update is absolutely bountiful! If you'd like more details or to sign up for some historical(esque) MMO free-to-play fun, head on over to the Bounty Bay Online site!
Bounty Bay Online increases the scale of city wars
What good is a proper game in the age of the high seas without the option to take over cities? Fortunately for everyone who thinks along those lines, Bounty Bay Online not only has the option to take on cities, but an expanded list and more frequent times available for those who wish to take part in the conflicts. Merchant alliance cities Alexandria, Venice, Lisbon, Bordeaux and Amsterdam are all now in the lineup to be taken by fleets with strong enough ships and military might. But the addition of the cities isn't the only change that's being made. Previously, only two cities per day were available for guilds to attempt to conquer. The adjustment and merging of times will now force players into different tactical decisions, as there will be more ports to assault or defend and less opportunity for a single fleet to move from port to port. A detailed breakdown of the changes is available here, and the full system of attacking and taking cities can be found here. For players in Bounty Bay Online, things most likely have gotten a fair bit more interesting on the ocean.
Bounty Bay Online celebrates three years of operation
It's been three years since Bounty Bay Online has set sail for the high seas, yet it doesn't feel like it, does it? Sure, Frogster Interactive's pirate MMO may not bring home the chests of gold like its big sister, Runes of Magic. But the game is still gliding along with a decently sized community who are more than willing to spend their rum money on it. So there's no better way to celebrate 3 years of operation than by running some promotions for the community! The promotions certainly aren't bad, as they already involve double experience going from today until the 24th, and double cash shop points (buy any amount of points, get that same amount of points again for free) until the 25th. The celebration will be continuing until March 31st, so be sure to log on and reap some of the rewards. Nothing like discounts and faster leveling to say thanks to the community!
Bounty Bay Online's upcoming expansion to introduce PvP tournaments
Beyond the Horizon, the free expansion to Bounty Bay Online, has been confirmed by Frogster as on track for its intended Q4 2009 launch. Along with this good news, they also updated their expansion teaser site with details that are sure to please PvPers. Beyond the Horizon will introduce a new weekly PvP tournament system, offering 1v1, 2v2 and 5v5 battles, with both prizes and a highly detailed ranking system.But since Bounty Bay Online features sea and land combat, the question must be asked: which of these locations will the tournaments be held at? The answer is "both". Two new arenas will be added to the game, one for land and the other for sea combat. The player will get to choose which type of battle they want to register for, which is kind of too bad, from a comedy perspective -- imagine turning up for a sea battle without a boat.
Going "Beyond the Horizon" with Bounty Bay Online's next expansion
Arrrrrr matey! The pirates of Bounty Bay Online be going over the edge of the ocean in their new free expansion, "Beyond the Horizon!" Pirate captains will be happy to see the addition of a new area of the world and brand new character classes to the game.If you were interested in checking out South America and perhaps circling past Cape Horn, then you can now rejoice as these new lands are available to you with the coming expansion. Further more, you can also now check out the Western US and visit the ports of San Diego and San Francisco. Players will also supposedly get to check out the "legendary lands" which will include parts of Europe.Most importantly, five new character classes will be added to the game, including the military officer, imperial guardian, caribbean pirate, treasure hunter, and armed-businessman. But we won't hit you with all of the details here on this post. Set your sails for the Beyond the Horizon mini-site to claim all of the spoils and plunder!
Bounty Bay Online expansion "Beyond the Horizon" coming Q4 2009
Frogster has announced that the next Bounty Bay Online expansion, titled Beyond the Horizon, is just ... well, beyond the horizon. Beyond the Horizon will add six cities to the game, as well as five character classes of a brand new type called 'professions'. Our favorite of the new professions (based solely on the name) would have to be the 'Armed Businessman'. He's not a sleazy criminal, he's a businessman; but if a deal is going south, you better believe he's got the equipment to take care of himself. The other four professions are Treasure Hunter, Royal Military Officer, Imperial Guardian and Caribbean Pirate.There's a whole host of other features planned for the free expansion: a wedding system, new merchant factions with rewarding quest-lines, extra mini-games, and pets. There will also be a rankings system to help sort the wheat from the chaff, showing who the richest players are, as well as the best guilds, fighters, and fishermen. Beyond the Horizon is scheduled to be released in Q4 this year. A new site devoted to the expansion is up, but it looks like most of the site's links aren't available just yet.
Frogster will drown you in new MMOs ... if you live in Europe
Frogster, noted European and Asian MMO publisher, has released a flying voidship-load of information about their upcoming MMOs for the European market.Long awaited fantasy MMO The Chronicles of Spellborn is still due out late this year, with open beta to begin in October. We've been following this game closely for some time, but it looks like the rumored US publisher (given their prior relationship, perhaps Aeria Games) is not yet ready to announce North American release dates for the game. The World of Warcraft-ish Asian Import Runes of Magic, newly rescored and tuned toward Western tastes, will enter closed beta in September, for a European release about two months later. Isometric pet-raising, caveman-themed MMO StoneAge 2, already in open beta in North America, will be entering European closed beta in August ahead of a fall release. Next week, Frogster will release more information on its latest MMO, soccer-themed Kickster (formerly Kick Off). And they want us to keep an eye out for an expansion to the Bounty Bay Online pirate MMO.Assuming you live in Europe, which ones should you particularly keep your eye on? If you bought a Gameboy just to play Pokemon, you might really enjoy StoneAge 2. If a subscription fee is keeping you from playing World of Warcraft, Runes of Magic might just be different enough to get you interested, and it will be free to play. If you liked Age of Conan's innovative combat system but couldn't get into the world of Hyboria, Spellborn's unique setting and combat system combined with its lush visuals might sell you.Check out screenshots from each of these games in the gallery below.%Gallery-28277%
Bounty Bay opens a free-to-play server
High seas sailing Bounty Bay Online just recently began releasing their client free of charge, and dropped a brand new island into the Atlantic. Developer Frogster is still changing things up, with the announcement that they're opening a brand new free-to-play server for the game. Despite the free client, the older servers require a subscription fee, and have no microtransaction component. This new game shard, named the "Mary Read", will require no regular fee and offers players several unique items via an in-game item store.The store charges 3 cents and upwards for a variety of items, including potions, figureheads, and treasure maps. Players can buy points, which they can then exchange for in-game items. They are also selling items that will boost your level and character power, allowing you to purchase your way to a level of power comparable with your friends. BBO players on the older "William Blight" server should remain unaffected by this new game addition; items bought in the store are only available on Mary Read.
