Once apon a time in a place and time not so far away; Pirates got popular. Really popular. So much so that holidays like "Talk Like a Pirate Day" were born. It's no suprise that there have been a number of Pirate themed MMORPG's popping up in the last couple of years. Pirates of the Burning Sea, Pirates of the Caribbean and now, "Voyage Century". While VC isn't a new game by any means; it does remain one of the only Free-to-Play Pirate themed MMO's on the market.

We had the opportunity to sit down with Bill Lian, one of the Product Managers working on the title. In the interview we drank some rum, talked about Pirate Ships, and the unique Sea Battle System in Voyage Century. Enjoy!

Allakhazam : Thank you for dropping anchor to talk with us about Voyage Century. Would you care for some Rum?!?

Bill : Yes, please. Allakhazam is a wonderful wharf to Voyage Century and all other online games. I must drink to my heart's content this time.

Allakhazam : Please tell us a bit about Voyage Century.

Bill : Voyage Century is a free 3D nautical MMORPG from IGG that prides itself on its real world geography, historical design, and eye-catching graphics. Players are able to travel around the 5 continents and 7 oceans freely, and take part in both land battles and sea battles. There are tons of things for players to have fun with, such as guild battles, port battles, refining, fun-filled quests and events, and so on. If your guild owns a city, you can not only earn fortune and glory easily but also can use some functions to expel strangers to establish a kingdom that only belongs to your guild.

Allakhazam : This certainly isn’t your average MMORPG. What would you say is the most unique feature of your game?

Bill : The most important feature of this game is the Sea Battle System. In Voyage Century, you will experience the excitement of hundreds of warships in combat simultaneously. The rolling ocean waves represent the grand stage of these sea battles and bring you extraordinary experiences. There are even many different combat strategies to choose from. You can choose any one, whether its grand barrages of cannon fire or the excitement of grappling. Battles between countries, guilds and parties could break out at any moment.

Allakhazam : Now there are 5 different classes but when you start a character you don’t actually choose which one you’d like to be. Players have the freedom to do whatever they want. Does that distract from the overall flow of the game?

Bill : Freedom is actually one important theme of our game. Players are able to decide in which direction they want their characters to develop after starting a character. They can try to become a pirate, businessman, explorer, or warrior, and learn the skills they like. Of course, if you want to become a shrewd businessman, you are supposed to be eloquent, so you have to learn the related skills. If you want to become a strong pirate, you have to learn various sea battle skills.  If you want to become an explorer, you have to learn various skills that will come in handy when exploring. We believe this setting gives players more freedom and fun to choose their own destiny.

Allakhazam : Are there any groups of players that only go one route; say 100% Pirate or Warrior. Is that even possible?

Bill : The difference between pirates and the other classes is pirates are able to rob other people freely, but they will be branded with red names after killing other players to get their belongings. What is worse, they will probably be put in jail, so some players prefer to manage their own finances instead of robbing, which means there can be a 100% warrior, but there is no 100% pirate.

Allakhazam : Ship versus Ship sea battle is one of the key features of Voyage Century. How does your version compare to Pirates of the Burning Sea or Pirates of the Caribbean?

Bill : On the surface, the 3 games have a similar gameplay style. However, sea battle in Voyage Century has more battle modes. Apart from the traditional gunfire mode, players can also board an enemies’ ship to conduct a melee attack. In addition, if your ship is big enough, it can easily sink small ships by just ramming them.

Allakhazam : Are there any future plans for the addition of a system in which players can design their own ships?

Bill : This is a great idea. The feeling of steering a cool warship designed yourself could be very special, which we believe can become another highlight of Voyage Century.  Maybe in the future, players will be able to design their own ships, but currently this is not practical. We will also release some other interesting functions and systems in the not too distant future.

Allakhazam : Umm alright. on that same note, how many different types of ships exist in game?

Bill : Generally speaking, there are over 50 kinds of ships in Voyage Century. In terms of their power resource, these ships can be divided into 3 types: Sail boat, Oar-boat and Sail & Oar boat. In terms of functions, these ships can be categorized into 4 types: Gunboat, Merchant boat, Pirate boat and Fishing boat.

Sail & Oar boats are specially designed for pirates to use; and they are usually very expensive. These kinds of ships are also extremely large, which just implies their masters are pirates; bold and arbitrary. Of course there are some ships bigger than pirates’ ships, the typical one is a Spanish Square sailboat worth over ten million gold. It is mainly made of firm timber with a height of around 20 meters. It has over 80 cabins, and is equipped with advanced cannons and strong soldiers. When it sails, it’s like a moving mountain.  Some of the Spanish ships have very unique designs, for instance, the combination of foursquare and lateen sail techniques can move these boats along swiftly. With a veteran steering the helm, this kind of boats can sail at 30 nautical miles per hour.

Allakhazam : Is it safe to assume that Warriors and Pirates are naturally enemies in Voyage Century?

Bill : Basically, you can say they are naturally enemies, because warriors always defend their homeland, and pirates always try every means to invade others’ ships and rob others. However they are not born to be enemies. Pirates have their own ranks. If they are titled the king of pirates, they will be able to wear some exclusive pirate gear. Actually if pirates don’t violate others’ rights, they can live together peacefully. Besides warriors have certain traits that could easily turn them into pirates, and vice versa. This kind of function enables players to use only 1 character to experience different classes.

Allakhazam : Thank you again for your time. *hiccup*

Bill : Thanks for your rum. I'm Bill Lian, Captain of Voyage Century Team. See you next time.