This week we released a big Runescape update, the Player Owned Ports.

I worked like a billion hours on it, so much so that the words player, owned and ports in the same sentence make me cry a little.

Not that it wasn’t fun or anything. I mean, there are pirate ships in it.

It’s just that we had a fairly short notice, the project was huge and managing the whole thing really took some effort.

Anyway, the idea behind it is that Runescape players can now build their own port (sob), customize and upgrade their ships and send them around to trade goods for exotic stuff.

To be precise, they can upgrade and customize pretty much anyything in the port: the Shipwright, the Pub, the Warehouse and so on.

Here you can see good old Mod Moltare explain how things work, and also have a look at how things look like in the Runescape world. I think we did a pretty good job all in all:)

Once the port’s re-opened, you’ll be the proud owner of one ship. You’ll name her, hire a captain, crew her with an assortment of diversely skilled nautical ne’er-do-wells, and send her off on voyages to the Eastern Lands, with the goal of harvesting the east’s untapped bounty. The likelihood of success depends on how well the skills of your ship’s crew fit the task at hand, and also on how you’ve fitted your ship – for example, you’ll stand the best chance of waylaying a roving band of pirates if you fill your ship with fierce combatants and top-notch cannons.

Voyages will progress in real time. Depending on your success, they can yield resources such as bamboo, spices, chi and lacquer, among others, which can be used to upgrade your port and ships, and to craft amazing new gear for you to wear and food for you to eat.

Drawing the concepts themselves was indeed quite fun. I did most of the ships, the piers and the portals, while other Concept Artists of the team took care of the buildings and the characters.

So, this is the base ship the other tiers will be based upon.

These are instead the other, improved versions of the basic galleon.

Some props for the piers and the different kinds of portals players can obtain.

By Paolo Puggioni