User Content Overview 
Official FLS Guides
Fans and Fansite Resources
- Coldfront Flag Making Tutorials
- LINK: Scooder’s Unofficial 2D Previewer
1.0 Overview
What is “User Content?”
User Content is our collective name for Flags & Sails that you, artist and sea captain alike, provide for the Burning Sea!
What kinds of 2D content can I create?
Currently, only textures for sails and flags are supported.
How much content can I create?
How much you can submit is dependent on your participation in the review process! Every 20 flags or sails you rate entitles you to submit one flag or sail of your own. Read further for more information on how reviewing User Content works.
What tools should I use to create items?
For textures, Adobe’s Photoshop is the standard tool, but Paint Shop Pro is an excellent low-cost alternative. Many Flag & Sail artists also use The Gimp, available for free.
What happens to content I create?
It’s presented in the User Content section of the site, and all registered users have the opportunity to review it. Once your submission receives a sufficient number of positive reviews, it’s sent to Flying Lab staff for a final check. If it meets all our user content guidelines it will then be made available for your characters to purchase in-game. Note, all submissions become property of Flying Lab Software, regardless of whether they’re approved or sent back for more work.
How does voting work?
When you go to review flags and sails, you’re presented with a random pair of submissions (both flags or both sails) to compare. Pick the one you think is better—it’s that simple! Once a submission has a sufficient number of positive reviews, it’s sent to the Admins for final review. Conversely, if your submission is consistently passed over for other flags or sails, it’s sent back for more work. In some instances—where a flag or sail is getting mixed reviews, but not enough to warrant final review or being sent back for more work—you’ll get specific feedback from the 2D Steering Committee on how to improve your design.
What kind of content is off-limits?
We aren’t permitting anything obscene, offensive, or copyrighted in the game. Any items that violate this rule will be deleted, and repeat offenses may compromise your ability to participate in User Content, the forums, and the game.
Flags and sails also must fit into the setting of the game. We’ve prepared an extensive 2D User Content Guide which will help you meet that goal. Becoming familiar with the 2D Guidelines is an absolute must for the successful flag or sail maker!
How do I report offensive or copyrighted content?
Use the ‘report’ link. This will mark the item as having been reported; if enough reports are submitted, the item will be removed from the site temporarily while the administrators review it.
I don’t know a thing about graphics. What should I do?
Never fear—Pirates of the Burning Sea has an active, helpful community who will make you feel welcome and help guide you through the process of making Community Content. Visit the Flags and Sails Forum and post a first draft of your work. Help will soon arrive!
Who is the 2D Steering Committee?
The 2D Steering Committee is a group of community volunteers who have been recognized as being helpful, supportive, and skilled at making flags and sails for Pirates of the Burning Sea. Their job is to help guide you in getting User Content accepted to use in-game. They also form the committee that decides on appeals if someone thinks their flag or sail was sent back unfairly. Note however that the 2D Steering Committee does not participate in the initial review process beyond voting on flags and sails along with the rest of the community.
Sounds great! How do I submit my designs?
If you’re new to making User Content for the game, start by reading the 2D User Content Guide. It will tell you all you need to know what works in the game from a technical and artistic standpoint.
Next, use your favorite graphics program to develop your design. Start a thread in the Flags and Sails Forum called “(Your Name’s) Flags and Sails” or something similar, and post your designs for community feedback there. If you submit your designs “In Review,” you can use the [uc]item-number[/uc] tag to show a preview directly in your post, and you can update your design as many times as you like before submitting it “In Voting.” Note however, you will need to vote on others’ flags and sails before you can submit your design to the User Content system.
Once you’ve gotten feedback and are confident your flag or sail is ready for voting, find your design in My Content and click “Put Into Voting.” You should receive an email within a week at most if your design was accepted or if it still needs more work.
2.0 Flags
What size and format do I use for flag textures?
128w x 85h, 24-bit or 32-bit PNG format (non-interlaced). 32-bit PNG includes an alpha channel, which may be used for flag transparency.
What is the file size limitation on flag textures?
49k.
3.0 Sails
What are the dimensions of sail textures?
256w x 256h pixels, 32-bit PNG format (non-interlaced), alpha channels supported.
What is the file size limitation on sail textures?
257k.
What file format should I use for sail textures?
All our textures use the PNG format. When saving as PNG, select ‘non-interlaced’.
How will my sail decal be displayed?
Sail decals are overlaid atop the default, high-resolution sail texture. You’ll have options to scale your decal (make it take up less of your sail) or tile it so it repeats across the height and width of your sails. Correctly made sails, with an alpha transparency, will have the default sail texture show through the design. This is required!
What about fore-and-aft sails?
You can tile a texture across your fore-and-aft sails, shrink them to fit in only the bottom corner, or let them stretch across the whole sail. Stretched decals on most fore-and-aft sails will appear to be cut diagonally, from lower left to upper right, so that only the bottom right portion of your decal will display. You’ll be able to choose what method looks best when applying decals to your sails in-game. See the Help section for illustrations.
Can I color my sails or decals?
Yes! You may color your sail and decal independently. The color you choose is multiplied over the existing texture. See the Help section for more detail.
4.0 Other Flag & Sail Questions
How do I get my items?
There are Flag & Sail Customization vendors at each faction’s starter towns—Charlesfort (France), Vera Cruz (Spain), Jenny Bay (Britain), and Marsh Harbour (Pirate). You may visit the vendor at any time to purchase your approved content for a nominal in-game fee.
Can anyone else buy my items?
Flags & Sails may be sold or traded just like any other game commodity, but only you can purchase your approved content from the Flag & Sail Customization vendor.
Hey, my submission looks black on the web page!
Your file probably includes an alpha channel, making it a 32-bit PNG. 32-bit PNG graphics do not display properly in Internet Explorer. Preview your texture with the Flag & Sail Preview Tool to ensure your alpha channel is working correctly.
5.0 Ships
Can I make ships for the game, too?
Yes! Players are constantly making more ships to be added to Pirates of the Burning Sea. It can be a long, complicated, but very rewarding process. Look in the Ships Forum for more information.
What kinds of ships can I make?
Most historic sailing ship types built and used between 1660-1740 are eligible for inclusion in Pirates of the Burning Sea. Ships primarily powered by oar (such as galleys and galleasses), bomb ships, and fire ships are not eligible at this time. Currently, User Content Ships are limited to fewer than 50 guns.
What do I need to make a ship?
You need a 3D modeling package, such as Autotesk Maya or 3ds Max. Other tool suggestions may be found in the Shipwright Discussion Forum.
What about game balance? Who decides how fast and powerful my ship will be?
Flying Lab Software chooses the stats for your ship, and tests your ship in-game to ensure it’s appropriately balanced against other ships in its class.
Can I make a ship just for myself?
Ships submitted as User Content may be built by anyone with the required in-game resources. Your ship is a gift to all of the Burning Sea.
How can I sail my ship once it’s accepted into the game?
If your character has the appropriate level and career requirements, you’ll be able to build or buy your ship just as you would any other ship in-game. Submitting a ship does not guarantee that your characters will be able to sail it.
Where can find out more?
Visit the Shipwright Discussion Forum and have a look around!
What’s the process for getting a ship into the game?
After you’ve made a model, your ship can be sent to the 3D Steering Committee for review. Models should be sent in Maya ASCII (.ma) or Maya Binary (.mb) format, compatible with Maya 7.0. Reviews usually take several passes, even for professionally modeled ships. Once the Committee and Flying Lab Software are satisfied that your creation meets our high standards of quality, you’ll need to submit a signed< a href="/forums/showthread.php?p=43876">Shipwright Agreement for your ship to be further processed. Flying Lab will take it from there!
Can I make the Black Pearl from “Pirates of the Caribbean”? How about the Flying Dutchman? What about the USS Constitution or HMS Victory?
All User Content Ships must be free of copyright or trademark restrictions. The Black Pearl and the Flying Dutchman as seen in the movies are Disney creations, and thus ineligible as User Content Ships. However, you’re welcome to research period-appropriate plans to create ships similar to these famous, fictional ships. Ships like the USS Constitution (1797) or HMS Victory (1765), however, are too far outside the game’s technological setting (1660-1740) to be appropriate for Pirates of the Burning Sea.