Wizards vs. Pirates Rebuttals

It's one thing to state an opinion based on your views of Wizard101 and Pirate101, but to back it up is a whole other skill in itself. And that was exactly what I was watching for when it came to Wizards vs. Pirates. Not which game was better, but which game was better based on who was arguing for it. Was it the Wizards or the Pirates? Let me tell you now, if you think everyone sat back and kindly offered only their opinions, you've got a bit of reading to do.

"Incompletion" Becomes a Theme

A debate doesn't necessarily start with someone questioning another's idea. It actually begins with the first comment that sparks a discussion - and it's usually written to do just that. JinZah, as early as the tenth response on Wizard101 Central, made the following comment about Pirate101's lack of a "complete game" feeling: "I played P101 up to the point that I realized that there that there was no bazaar/AH, then I thought well maybe I'll come back and play when they actually finish making the game! Seriously that is something that should have been in the game from second it went live, and KI really screwed up by leaving something that important until later," he started. "[Since] then I've uninstalled P101 to make room on my HD for other games. When I upgrade my system I may reinstall as it was a fun game, but until then Wiz is just fine for me."

The debate began over at Pirate101 Central at about the fourteenth thread reply. Remember EmeraldRider101's comment about the lack of features, fantasy feel, and required strategy in Pirate101? A user called "bnbnbnbn43299" had a few counter-arguments:

1. Wizard101 is 3 years old, or so I've heard. Pirate101? Not more than 1/2 a year! Of course it's going to have pet training, advanced pvp, gardening and crafting. The game didn't start with that.
2. Really? Cards you have little effect on accuracy with is more strategic than battleboard? I think not. I treat it as a small-scale version of Civilization 4 or 5. Battleboard strategy? BIG. Cards? (looks around, trying to find the big strategy in cards)

In a way, it combated JinZah's post. And that wouldn't be last of the "this game isn't complete" argument.

It's Always About the Money...

One of the other big topics was gold. In Wizard101, your limit is 300,000 while pirates are limited to a third of that. Immediately, the issue was brought up that pirates did not receive enough gold. Cret92 disagreed: "The comment about gold being difficult to obtain: It may seem like gold is hard to get, but that's only because it doesn't have to same value as it does in Wizards. There isn't anything that you go around buying for 10,000 gold or more unless you are trying to get a house or a ship. The main reason I feel people generally have a shortage of gold is that they don't manage their companions effectively (not saying that you do, but it's a common thing). A lot of people don't realize that keeping all your companions up with your level just isn't worth the hassle. They are just as effective up to 10 levels lower than you are and require a lot less to level them. I've leveled a character before without buying and training tomes and never had to deal with any sort of shortage of gold. He is now level 45 and has 30 something training tomes and plenty of gold to spare (no I didn't do any side quests on that character)."

EmeraldRider101 returned, however, with her counter-argument. She said "A good ship is one of the most important purchases of the game. And yes, I do, in my mind, manage my companions effectively. I never, ever, train a companion unless they can gain at least a whole level with one point, preferably more. Also, in beta I did get partway through Cool Ranch so it's not like I'm a level 7 stuck in Skull Island or anything."

The gold topic didn't end here, either.

Wait, Didn't This Go Away?

Seeming to be one of the top Wizard101 debaters, EmeraldRider101 returned with a rebuttal to bnbnbnbn43299's post:

1. Yes, Wizard101 is 3+ years old. Yes, Pirate101 will likely have more side activities added to it as it goes on. However, since gold is so difficult to obtain, do you expect that most people will enjoy, or even be able to do, things like gardening and crafting? If there's so much work involved, I, and probably many others, will likely choose not to do them.
2. In Wizard101, you (generally) have to buff to kill the monsters quickly, and calculate how many buffs it will take to kill. You have to configure your arrangement of cards so that you have bigger chances of getting the cards you need, and deciding which ones to leave out. In the higher levels, monsters can remove your blades, so you need to take that into account as well and change your strategy accordingly. You call that not strategic? In Pirate101, the strategy seems to be to run over to whichever enemy and keep hitting until they're dead and hope they don't dodge or block and that none of you die. Repeat. 

Can't-Miss Posts

There were a couple of pretty humorous posts that stood out to me. Maybe it was the context, the fitting avatars, the people, or just my dry sense of humor.

When EmeraldRider101 posted this... "I wouldn't like this thread to turn into an argument, so let's calm down a little", bnbnbnbn34299 replied with You said that like I'm the one who has to calm down. I'm perfectly fine!" Now, I know that she was serious, but I just envision this whenever I think of the post...

Now not everyone knew exactly what they were talking about, and some people did, they just didn't word it quite right. Again, maybe it was the fitting avatar, context, or whatever else, but this one gets me every time! (Click to enlarge)

The Round-Up

In the end, Pirate101 Central ended up playing host to about seven major debates, three of which were for Wizard101. The debate that Pirate101 did not offer enough opportunities for gold or a strategic enough system was fairly easily overturned here.

On the other hand, Wizard101 Central had a whopping fifteen big debates, with focus on about five people who were really passionate about their game - and it wasn't all Wizard101! In fact, less than half (seven) of the debates were for Wizard101. Hmm.

Last Call!

Wizards vs. Pirates is nearing its end, as the March Madness season is also quickly coming to a close. The final post will be on the eighth, so take advantage of the comment area in this post if you've got an opinion to share. Thanks for reading, and see you in the Spiral!