Bounty Bay Online puts gamers in the heyday of sailing ships. With their own boat, they can explore the known world and visit 60 harbour cities in America, Australia, Africa and Asia, but they can also set course towards European cities like London. There, players can drop anchor and walk into the British capitol with its typical look in 3rd person perspective.

Gamers can choose their path to fame and fortune. They can act as a blood thirsty pirate, or as a peaceful fisherman. And even if they don´t like the water, they could become a farmer, a blacksmith or a lumberjack.

Also, a career as a trader is a possibility – thanks to the trading system that calculates all the prices based on supply and demand. The political situation also has an influence on how business runs – if the situation between Britain and Portugal is somewhat strained, then it will be difficult to sell one’s products in Lisbon. Additionally, some trading skills also influence if all the effort was worth the price.

If one prefers sabre over silver, then the way of the skull might be the preferred choice. Pirates can attack and conquer cities, fight sea battles and capture other ships. They can collect goods from sunken ships, and sell them in the next best harbour, if there’s no price on their head yet or if they bribed the city guards – otherwise, they might have to sail to special pirate nests instead.

Every member of the Bounty Bay Online world has its own ships. Right after start, they have a simple boat, but while playing they gain access to lots of better ships, for example, a beautiful frigates with a hand-picked crew. With those vessels, one can even explore the more dangerous waters. And there is a lot to explore – from the pyramids of Gizeh to the Chinese Wall. Findings, as such, are put – automatically – into the logbook, so that every gamer writes his own book of fame and adventure.

Olives that go to London, then a charge of wood to Shanghai followed by iron ore to Portugal – and the invested capital might already have multiplied. In online rpg Bounty Bay Online, players can manage their money largely like in the real world. The historic microcosm of the 15th century enables all virtual economists to act as if they are in a real market. But one diference: They ship their goods not yet by plane, but in a ship. And meet other tradesmen in their guild instead of the business-club – and can collect debts with their sword, if necessary!

The economic system in Bounty Bay Online is based on real market mechanisms. If none of the players is producing or importing fabrics or frigates, a gap in supplies emerges and the prices rise – which is a first-class chance for clever merchants with a hunger for cash flow. If, on the other side, the demand from the buyers side is too low, then prices fall. The game's internal resource system only produces some essential items for very high prices – like food for ship travels –, which can easily be underbid by human tradesmen. So: Everyone who takes market laws serious and has an eye for some other parameters like the capacity of his ship or local taxes, can become a virtual millionaire quite soon.

Right now, the Bounty Bay Online closed beta test is running. Players can sign up to take part for free: www.bbo.yusho.de/en/Beta_Registration/

Bounty Bay Online puts gamers in the time of early discoveries in the 15th century. Every gamer builds his own online destiny, whether you choose to be a merchant, adventurer, fisherman or pirate. Besides Europe, Africa and Asia also await players to be explored.

Scheduled release is end of August 2007.