New Horizons is among the longest-running complete overhaul mods in PC gaming historical past, rebuilding Akella’s 2003 Pirates of the Caribbean recreation into “the deepest colonial Caribbean simulator ever made”. Now, its Refined Version is making it a totally standalone expertise that doesn’t require the unique recreation.
Initially developed as a Sea Canines sequel by developer Akella, Pirates of the Caribbean was rebranded on the final minute to grow to be a film tie-in of Disney’s first Pirates film.
New Horizons: Refined Version is the successor to New Horizons Construct 14, but it surely’s a standalone which requires no copy of the 2003 base recreation. For reference, the unique mod’s Construct 14 nonetheless labored with the unique engine and was put in on high of Pirates of the Caribbean. There’s additionally the Past New Horizons standalone mod, primarily based on the open-source Storm Engine however restricted to Construct 14’s options, with none of the brand new ones.
New Horizons is outlined by its seven primary quests and a customisable Free Play mode, traditionally correct eras (from 1500 to 1820) with “dozens of recreated islands and cities”, and an non-compulsory Realism Mode that gives a larger stage of depth and problem.
However after all, its uncooked numbers may be extra eye-catching and spotlight the work completed over 20 years: 194 new ships and 632 character fashions added over time, “drawing from each the movies and historic sources”. When coupled with popularity, nationwide relations, and crew programs that embrace RPG design, it’s simple to see why New Horizons has endured and stored rising as a pirate-themed sandbox.
On the tech entrance, New Horizons: Refined Version is an interesting standalone overhaul too, because it runs on a “closely modified” Storm Engine 2.8 (the supply is printed right here) with DirectX 9 rendering and MSA assist, each of which had been optimised for the mod and the unique recreation particularly.
Furthermore, growth on New Horizons: Refined Version isn’t over but. On the time of writing, Model 70 is reside, with WIP content material as a part of the most recent bundle.
You may obtain (and assist) the New Horizons: Refined Version mod through the Captain’s Haven itch.io web page. Be certain to hitch and observe its Discord channel for official updates on the continued growth, too.
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