Who's playing 'Pirates!'?

[Doc Bosch]

Anybody pick up the new Sid Meier "Pirates!" yet? How is it?

I'm thinking about mail ordering it, but it's expensive to ship overseas and I'm not 100% certain it will run well on my laptop, so I'd like some opinions.

-Brent

[Torosk]

I'm playing it! It's a blast. Imagine the original Pirates! game elements but all updated graphically and with better sound. Now imagine some added things, like easier navigation at sea, ballroom dancing with governor's daughters, Pirate Havens, an actual cohesive storyline...

It's wonderful.

Some of the most appreciated features: When moving about on land, either to scout or to attack a town by land or looking for buried treasure, you can simply press "R" to return to your ship(s). No more walking all the way back. You can see your whole fleet of ships when you are travelling between towns, trailing behind your flagship. You can mouseover nearby ships and find out nationality and type of ship, and decide to attack or not. There's more nifty stuff in the swordfights such as pistols, using the items nearby in the fight, and such.

It's wonderful.

[Jack]

I'm playing it! It's a blast. Imagine the original Pirates! game elements but all updated graphically and with better sound. Now imagine some added things, like easier navigation at sea, ballroom dancing with governor's daughters, Pirate Havens, an actual cohesive storyline...

It's wonderful.

Some of the most appreciated features: When moving about on land, either to scout or to attack a town by land or looking for buried treasure, you can simply press "R" to return to your ship(s). No more walking all the way back. You can see your whole fleet of ships when you are travelling between towns, trailing behind your flagship. You can mouseover nearby ships and find out nationality and type of ship, and decide to attack or not. There's more nifty stuff in the swordfights such as pistols, using the items nearby in the fight, and such.

It's wonderful.

What he said...though I am single-handedly proving that pirates cannot dance. ;)

[CosmicCowboy]

This will probably be a must have. I love the original.

[Doc Bosch]

Sounds great! What kind of machines are you playing on?

My laptop has a 2.4ghz processor, 640 megs of RAM, and generic 64-meg onboard video card. I'm a little worried about the video card, but it does meet minimum requirements.

-BRent

[Jack]

Sounds great! What kind of machines are you playing on?

My laptop has a 2.4ghz processor, 640 megs of RAM, and generic 64-meg onboard video card. I'm a little worried about the video card, but it does meet minimum requirements.

-BRent

You should be fine. My Radeon 9800, 1.8 Athlon runs it perfectly with the same amount of RAM as you have.

[Robovski]

This will probably be a must have. I love the original.


That sounds like me too :)

I bout Port Royale 2 today as Pirates! won't be available here in the UK until 05/12/04. Hopefully, it will be a good game as well.

[Doc Bosch]

Color me ignorant, Robovski, but why not just pick it up from Amazon or eBay? I'm in Japan, and that's how I'm getting my copy.

A couple of extra bucks on shipping, not so bad...

-Brent

[iTim]

Interrobang.

[Quasar]

Woo Hoo!

Its finally out.

Now to see when its actually released in Australia. It better be soon, or someones gunna be seeing Davy Jones' Locker.

[Seroster]

Regarding graphics cards, does anyone know what the minimum requirements are?

I ask this because I know that my laptop's onboard video card does not have the shader support for the game I'm working on (which I don't think has been officially announced, so I guess I can't say what it is). I never played the original Pirates! but I would really like a new game to play on this machine o' mine. (Slower processor but more memory than Doc's computer, similarly with an onboard video card.)

[eyeballstew]

I'm playing it! It's a blast. Imagine the original Pirates! game elements but all updated graphically and with better sound. Now imagine some added things, like easier navigation at sea, ballroom dancing with governor's daughters, Pirate Havens, an actual cohesive storyline...

An actual cohesive storyline? Tell me more, this is scary.

[J Arcane]

This, is a very good thing to hear.

I was worried that after all this time, it might not turn out to be too much like the original.

I want this game now. REally, really, bad.

I'm gonna have to find a way to nab the original and get it on my Net-less home computer, so I can prepare for the new goodness.

[Robovski]

Color me ignorant, Robovski, but why not just pick it up from Amazon or eBay? I'm in Japan, and that's how I'm getting my copy.

A couple of extra bucks on shipping, not so bad...

-Brent

Because the £17.00 I was charged for customs and excise last time left me cold. Damn customs agents. The exchange rate is nice, but doesn't make up for jerkwad government and international shipping.

[cbeilby]

Well, I got it wednsday, along with RCT3, and couldn't play either until last night, because I was running into a Windows XP error. I finally had to install Service Pack 2 (something which I had been loathe to do previously.) Then last night, I stayed up until 3 AM playing it...

[Prodigal Python]

Other exciting news is that Firaxis' deal with Atari allows them to update other older games like...Covert Action!

Anybody remember that one? You play a male or female superspy travelling the world looking for the clues and items needed to thwart evil plots and capture the masterminds behind them. I spent hours on it and was only able to catch about thirty of the fifty or so masterminds. Decrypting messages, hacking computer networks, planting bugs, cracking safes, it was wild.

Now that Pirates! is back, bring back Max Remington!

[Jack]

Now that Pirates! is back, bring back Max Remington!

Here, here.

[Prodigal Python]

An actual cohesive storyline? Tell me more, this is scary.

The Pirates! storyline is kind of like the Grand Theft Auto storylines. It's there if you want to follow it, otherwise do what you want.

In a nutshell, your dad borrowed money from an Evil Spaniard and couldn't pay it back so the swine had you all shipped off to the Caribbean as slaves. You manage to avoid this fate, and 10 years later make your way to the Spanish Main in search of your fortune, your family, and a long-overdue dish of revenge.

[NoCarrier]

But the really important question is: can you play a Dutchman? :D

[David J Prokopetz]

Because the £17.00 I was charged for customs and excise last time left me cold.Get an American buddy to pick it up for you and ship it marked "gift". :D

(Well, at least in Canada, items marked "gift" are exempt from sales tax and customs fees, up to a certain value. Does it work that way where you live?)

[Jack]

But the really important question is: can you play a Dutchman? :D
Of course you can. :) They added no nationalities to where you can hail from actually, though Pirate havens, Jesuit missions, and Indian villages have all been added as "cities"

[Curt]

This game is hot buttered crack. A friend gave me a copy as an early Christmas gift this morning and I figured I'd just mess around a few minutes ....

Eight hours later I realized that I needed at least a couple of hours of rest before work. :D

Sid Meier, why do you do this to me?

Civ, Alpha Centauri and now this game.

Does my sleep mean nothing to you, you cruel, cold man?

:(

Signed, Captain Rafe Sabatini, Her Majesties' Privateer, Duke of Tortuga Bay, Master of the Stiletto (finest ship of the line ever stolen from the French).

[Doc Bosch]

That seals it. Curt's Approval is good enough for me.

-Brent

Arr!

[Curt]

That seals it. Curt's Approval is good enough for me.

-Brent

Arr!

Word of advice the manual doesn't give you: Don't split the loot too often. Not only do you end up wasting entire months in port, you have a hard time getting above 'apprentice captain'.

Also, buy everything that whacko in the back corner of the inn offers you. Even if it seems remarkably stupid. :D

Oh, and I suck at the dancing part. I've been told off by every Governor's daughter from Saint Augustine to Maricaibo. :D

[Objob]

Captain Stone of the Angel's Choir here.

Ranking officer of every navy in the carribean.

Slayer of pirates. (9/9 in the first three years of play!)

Conqueror of Campeche. (Blasted game wouldn't let me keep it tho, so I gave it to the British.)

Womanizer Extraordinarie. (Man the Governor of Florida Key's daughter is smokin')





...what? :D

[NoCarrier]

Oh my god, this game rocks so hard it makes me wanna kick my granny in the face. I love how the open-ended gameplay from the original C64 version is basically unaltered.

If only those Dutch governors would stop talking about the King, damnit. We were a Republic at the time, for Chrissakes!

[Thornhammer]

Other exciting news is that Firaxis' deal with Atari allows them to update other older games like...Covert Action!

Anybody remember that one? You play a male or female superspy travelling the world looking for the clues and items needed to thwart evil plots and capture the masterminds behind them. I spent hours on it and was only able to catch about thirty of the fifty or so masterminds. Decrypting messages, hacking computer networks, planting bugs, cracking safes, it was wild.

Now that Pirates! is back, bring back Max Remington!

Oooh, that one was *fun*. I loved busting into buildings and nosing around. I'd love to see it updated.

-Thornhammer

[Andy K]

I just played this game for the first time for three hours. It's probably the most fun I've had in 2 years of PC gaming. I'm looking forward to seeing more about this family plot business. I'm already Pirate #8 on the Most Awesome list.

-Andy

[Objob]

Is it just me or does the wind never ever turn to the east?

[Tower]

Is it just me or does the wind never ever turn to the east?

It's not just you. The number of times I've had to sail to Campeche and then sail east with the wind working against me the whole time is starting to get to me.

Although I did notice that after I went up a difficulty level the wind would sometimes change from west to slightly northwest or southwest. Maybe it's difficulty-related?

[Lautrec]

I like how the game describes Ships of the Line as being very, very rare and extremely dangerous in battle, and how private ownership of one was totally unheard of.

Yet I came across one after two in-game months of play and captured it with no difficulty whatsoever. :rolleyes:


-L

[NoCarrier]

Is it just me or does the wind never ever turn to the east?
It has to do with the prevailing winds in the Caribbean. They're always blowing from the east. If you want to run upwind you'll need to zigzag up the wind.

[snafubar]

I'm getting this (and the Xbox to play it on) for Christmas. I can hardly wait.

[Mikko Kauppinen]

I'm getting this (and the Xbox to play it on) for Christmas. I can hardly wait.

I recall reading that the Xbox version would come out in spring 2005. Has it been moved up?

Otherwise, a most excellent plan. :)

[Jack]

It has to do with the prevailing winds in the Caribbean. They're always blowing from the east. If you want to run upwind you'll need to zigzag up the wind.

It was that way in the old game too.

[Doc Bosch]

I salivate in anticipation.

*salivate*

-Brent

[Andy K]

Funny story. My friend got a ...ahem... demo copy (Arrrrrr!) from a buddy of his. So both of them had it. For free.

Within a day, both of them purchased the full version. My friend, too, said it totally blew his expectations out of the water, and that they wanted to support the development and release of this kind of game.

So I guess, like in the game, that there are good pirates, afterall! :)

[Objob]

It's not just you. The number of times I've had to sail to Campeche and then sail east with the wind working against me the whole time is starting to get to me.

Although I did notice that after I went up a difficulty level the wind would sometimes change from west to slightly northwest or southwest. Maybe it's difficulty-related?
I just set sail out of Vera Cruz.. and I have to sail to some place on the far east of the map.

Quite frankly I won't even start on that before I'm really really bored.


It's a good game but there are quite a few repetitive and annoying elements in it.

[snafubar]

I recall reading that the Xbox version would come out in spring 2005. Has it been moved up?

Otherwise, a most excellent plan. :)

I honestly don't know, I haven't checked to see when it's coming out. My one brother told me he is getting me the Xbox and that my other brother was getting me the game. I presumed (Because I never assume. ;) ) that he meant for this Christmas.

[Robovski]

Funny story. My friend got a ...ahem... demo copy (Arrrrrr!) from a buddy of his. So both of them had it. For free.

Within a day, both of them purchased the full version. My friend, too, said it totally blew his expectations out of the water, and that they wanted to support the development and release of this kind of game.

So I guess, like in the game, that there are good pirates, afterall! :)


I *ahem* understand what you are saying, and can most heartily agree.



That said, The Wife and I cannot get enough. I may have to get a second computer together because of this game. It is more than I could ever hope for - an actual updated version of the game with expanded gameplay. It is utterly astounding that they actually did what I want to see done with all my favorites, and may I hope this trend continues into the distant future.

[Chocobo]

I got this over the weekend, and spent a good part of Sunday playing it. I was just blown away. It's everything I wanted :) And I was pleased to see my old pirating skills were still there. I can still beat any ship with a sloop, but I was pleased to see all the ship variants so I upgraded to a royal sloop when I found one. The bigger ships, to me, were just for hauling cargo and attacking ports in the original. Since you can only attack towns by land now...

Dancing was challenging (still is even) but practicing with every girl I met, and getting the dancing shoes I eventually managed to impress the beautiful daughter of the governor of Caracas.

[RemyDuron]

Oh... GAWD! I mean, I bought the game, expecting some fun... But this is dangerously fun, like I might quit going to classes and bathing fun...

I'm going to go by a numpad for my laptop today so i can play this thing on higher diffculties.

Just... Jesus Christ, this is the most fun I've had with a game since I first played Escape Velocity for Mac YEARS ago (Which is another great line of games, kind of like Pirates! in space).

[Doc Bosch]

What does a numpad have to do with anything? Dancing or swordfighting controls, maybe? Can't you just remap them?

-Brent

[NoCarrier]

What does a numpad have to do with anything? Dancing or swordfighting controls, maybe? Can't you just remap them?

-Brent
The numpad is used for pretty much everything in this game, and you can't remap them, I think. Doesn't bother me because I'm handy with the numpad anyhow.

[Jeffrey Moore]

I'm guessing the numbad setup is because it's a PC/console game. And yeah, I wouldn't mid remapping a few commands, but by in large the numpad setup is as good/better than anything I could think of.

As for the game itself: rock, rock on. I'm constantly wondering why my Pirates! time keeps getting taken from me for petty concerns like sleep, work and friends. Pah, I have no need for such things now. I have the warm Caribbean to keep me company, and the cheers of my men at my mounting victories.

[Tait Ransom]

I'm loving it. I love the updated feel. I love the gameplay. I love the graphics and sound. I love the family storyline. I love advancing my character and upgrading my ship. I love that the collectors edition was the same cost as the regular version. The game rocks on toast, and was well worth the $49.99.

The only things I don't like are:

The dancing (at which I suck).

Land combat. I like the idea, but I hate that it takes FOREVER for each squad to move. I like the combat itself, I just wish that moving them didn't take so long.

Repetitive victory animations (though I loved how they changed up the victory for the 4th or 5th named Pirate I defeated). I love the animations, but it gets old seeing the same one each time.

[shodan]

I just picked up this game today. Soon, the name of the dread pirate Cabinet Sanchez and his mighty ship, El Pollo Diablo, will be known throughout the Carribean!

.... known as what, exactly, is anybody's guess. I seem to suck at all aspects of this game so far, but I've really only just started. :)

[Jezrael]

I just picked up this game today. Soon, the name of the dread pirate Cabinet Sanchez and his mighty ship, El Pollo Diablo, will be known throughout the Carribean!

.... known as what, exactly, is anybody's guess. I seem to suck at all aspects of this game so far, but I've really only just started. :)

"You must be the worst pirate I've ever heard of."

"But you have heard of me."

Can't wait 'til it hits XBox, I need a decent pirate game.

[Doc Bosch]

So, say a guy ordered a copy of Pirates from eBay. Now, say that guy lives in a country far from the US and shipping takes at least a week... and say that on top of that, the seller drags their feet and takes a week to even get the damned thing in the mail.

Under those circumstances, if the guy bit-torrents a copy of the game to play until his legally purchased copy arrives, then it's not really piracy, is it?

-Brent

Arrr.

[StephenO]

I looked up Pirates! on amazon.co.uk and found the following review:

Reviewer: nchase17 from Zurich, Switzerland
Who wants to be a pirate? Maybe in real life, but not in a computer game. This game is tedious and woeful. I think this is a poor attempt at cracking a new market. There are many better ideas to make a game of than this. Like a knitting game.

Fantastic! One has to wonder why he purchased a pirate-based video game, called Pirates!, if he has no interest in playing a game with pirates in it!

[Seroster]

About the numpad... I hadn't heard about this. Will the game work as well with a controller (gamepad, whatever you want to call it)? I don't want to have to buy a numpad for my laptop just to play Pirates. :(

[NoCarrier]

Fantastic! One has to wonder why he purchased a pirate-based video game, called Pirates!, if he has no interest in playing a game with pirates in it!
Well, to each his own. Some people find navigating eastwards against the prevailing Caribbean western winds tedious and woeful. I consider it a challenge. The "poor attempt at cracking a new market" bit gets my dander up, though. That new market was already cracked in 1987.

[StephenO]

Pirates! Well, to each his own. Some people find navigating eastwards against the prevailing Caribbean western winds tedious and woeful.

Oh of course, but my point was that, in his review, he says that he doesn't think a pirates game can be fun. So why buy Pirates!?

[suedenim]

Well, perhaps people from landlocked, mountainous countries don't quite get the whole pirate paradigm....

And being a pirate in real life (with all the attendant bad food, scurvy, pestilence, being susceptible to swift automatic execution simply because of your profession, etc.) is preferable to being one in a computer game?

So how does this game compare to the original Pirates? Is the basic structure of the game more or less the same, but with more bells and whistles, or is it substantially different?

[Curt]

What does a numpad have to do with anything? Dancing or swordfighting controls, maybe? Can't you just remap them?

-Brent

Consider picking up one of these .... http://catalog.belkin.com/IWCatProductPage.process?Merchant_Id=&Section_Id=2071&pcount=&Product_Id=157024

I first bought the previous model (the N50) to be a machine gun archer in EQ and I've found that almost any game benefits from it. I have my eye on working up some dancing macros if I can determine that the dances basically follow the same patterns with the same girls (as I suspect they do).

[Doc Bosch]

I'm not happy about this numpad thing. I already dropped 50 bucks on the game, now I need 50 more to buy a numpad for my laptop?

Not to mention the shipping time if I can't find a decent one locally.

A thousand 'Arrrrs'!

-Brent

[Andy K]

I'm not happy about this numpad thing. I already dropped 50 bucks on the game, now I need 50 more to buy a numpad for my laptop?

Not to mention the shipping time if I can't find a decent one locally.

A thousand 'Arrrrs'!

-Brent

If you have a laptop, you've gotta have an old keyboard around, USB or PS/2, that you can plug into the thing??

-Andy

[Doc Bosch]

If you have a laptop, you've gotta have an old keyboard around, USB or PS/2, that you can plug into the thing??

-Andy

Actually, no. I bought the laptop mailorder after I arrived in Japan, so I don't have a keyboard handy.

That being said, I can pick one up on the cheap. So no problem, really...

-Brent

[Tait Ransom]

So how does this game compare to the original Pirates? Is the basic structure of the game more or less the same, but with more bells and whistles, or is it substantially different?

I'd say the basic structure is still in place. The graphics are much improved, which is nice for things like the world map. I find navigation easier that I remember from the original Pirates!. There are some added bells and whistles. To woo a governor's daughter, you must be able to dance with her. To take a city, you have to engage in land combat (which isn't bad, but a bit slow for my tastes).

If you liked the original, I think you'll like this one as well. The Collectors Edition (oddly at the same cost as the regular edition) comes with the original Pirates!, though I haven't tried it on my machine yet.

[Andy K]

Actually, no. I bought the laptop mailorder after I arrived in Japan, so I don't have a keyboard handy.

That being said, I can pick one up on the cheap. So no problem, really...

-Brent

Akiba. Sen-en.
Or your local Kojima/Yamada Denki, Sato Musen, etc.

===========================================

BTW, anyone give themselves or their ships interesting names?

I'm Captain Sissybeard, currently the 3rd most powerful pirate on the high seas. People flee when they see my ship, the "IDSPISPOPD".

-Andy

[shodan]

So, say a guy ordered a copy of Pirates from eBay. Now, say that guy lives in a country far from the US and shipping takes at least a week... and say that on top of that, the seller drags their feet and takes a week to even get the damned thing in the mail.

Under those circumstances, if the guy bit-torrents a copy of the game to play until his legally purchased copy arrives, then it's not really piracy, is it?

-Brent

Arrr.

Arr, indeed. The funny thing is, by ordering from eBay (used, I assume, from a private individual), the developers and publishers gain no income from the sale. From their perspective, you might as well have just downloaded it in the first place, since it's lost income in either case. This is also based on the assumption that the seller has made his own copy.

Like, why buy new cannons from the back-alley merchants, when you can just capture 'em from another ship, right? Carribean Munitions(tm) won't benefit from either transaction. :)

(Although if you're in an area of the world where the game isn't physically available, for whatever reason, I can understand going this route. And if we're talking about a new, still-shrinkwapped box, then that certainly makes the whole thing a lot "cleaner".)

[Doc Bosch]

(Although if you're in an area of the world where the game isn't physically available, for whatever reason, I can understand going this route. And if we're talking about a new, still-shrinkwapped box, then that certainly makes the whole thing a lot "cleaner".)

Yes to both counts.

My temporary borrowed copy has shown me that this game is ALL KINDS OF SWEET, although I'm definitely going to have to go out for a keyboard tomorrow.

I'm running into one recurring graphics glitch though- about 1 time in 4, the character models look like they're made out of wood or chrome. Probably my weak video card...

-Brent

[NoCarrier]

So how does this game compare to the original Pirates? Is the basic structure of the game more or less the same, but with more bells and whistles, or is it substantially different?
It's more or less the same. They've dropped the coastal fort bombardment mini-game, for lack of a better word, and added dancing and sneaking mini-games. But the basic gameplay is exactly the same.

[shodan]

Yes to both counts.

Ah! Okay. :)

My temporary borrowed copy has shown me that this game is ALL KINDS OF SWEET, although I'm definitely going to have to go out for a keyboard tomorrow.

The gameplay and concept is really pretty simple - I'm surprised this game is as addictive as it is. Must be the KISS principle at work, I suppose. :)

I'm running into one recurring graphics glitch though- about 1 time in 4, the character models look like they're made out of wood or chrome. Probably my weak video card...

Hmmm.. They *do* look a bit plasticy and mannequin-like under ideal circumstances, come to think of it. Although I haven't seen a wooden pirate yet; that'd be something...

"Yarr, why ye be made o' wood?"
"Well, first I lost me legs, so I got two peg-legs. Then, I lost me arms. (Peg arms ain't as useful as they sound.) Eventually, after losin' many more battles, I lost me entire body!"
"Ah, 's why they call ye 'Pegbody' now?"
"Aye."
"How are ya even *talkin'*?"
".... Ya know, I never thought about that before!"


(Hm, I must need more coffee.)

[CosmicCowboy]

Arr, indeed. The funny thing is, by ordering from eBay (used, I assume, from a private individual), the developers and publishers gain no income from the sale. From their perspective, you might as well have just downloaded it in the first place, since it's lost income in either case. This is also based on the assumption that the seller has made his own copy.

It's not really the same. Buy selling it on Ebay, the original owner is transferring the license to the new owner. Whether or not the original owner made a copy is irrelevant.

[Waiwode]

Well, perhaps people from landlocked, mountainous countries don't quite get the whole pirate paradigm....

So how does this game compare to the original Pirates? Is the basic structure of the game more or less the same, but with more bells and whistles, or is it substantially different?

A) Well then, shouldn't there be a number of Bandit video games?

B) Yes, it is essentially the same. Sail around. Shoot stuff. Find treasures, and your family, and stuff. Same four nations (plus Pirates). You know. Pirates.

Doug.

[shodan]

It's not really the same. Buy selling it on Ebay, the original owner is transferring the license to the new owner. Whether or not the original owner made a copy is irrelevant.

I was about to say that "license transferral" through resale was a no-no, but then went ahead and actually read the EULA.

(I'll show that CosmicCowboy guy! *reads* .... Oh. He's right.)

There's a restriction if the seller retains his own copy (Permitted Uses, line 3), but that's about it.

Though, since Doc's already clarified the details of what he's actually buying, we're really just splittin' hairs, since none of this really applies to the situation anymore. :)

[Powergamer]

"Yarr, why ye be made o' wood?"
"Well, first I lost me legs, so I got two peg-legs. Then, I lost me arms. (Peg arms ain't as useful as they sound.) Eventually, after losin' many more battles, I lost me entire body!"
"Ah, 's why they call ye 'Pegbody' now?"
"Aye."
"How are ya even *talkin'*?"
".... Ya know, I never thought about that before!"
Pinocchio is a pirate?!?!?!

[tornspace]

It's not just you. The number of times I've had to sail to Campeche and then sail east with the wind working against me the whole time is starting to get to me.

Although I did notice that after I went up a difficulty level the wind would sometimes change from west to slightly northwest or southwest. Maybe it's difficulty-related?

The wind there almost always blows to the west. Tradewinds.

[tornspace]

Ugg... the Sneaking mini "game" is awful. I can't believe it passed playtesting. The "take the city" combat is ok, but not great. It's a little to easy. Even on the highest setting I can win while outnumbered 100 to several thousand.

To all those who think dancing is hard... it's actually really easy. Just look at her hands, as there are only 5 moves. Most moves are put into batches of 2 moves repeating.

The only thing I can't figure out is how to get the last "point" in the romance thread. I get 9/10 every time. They stop handing out quests, so I'm not really sure what's next.

[David J Prokopetz]

It's not really the same. Buy selling it on Ebay, the original owner is transferring the license to the new owner. Whether or not the original owner made a copy is irrelevant.Note that most software EULAs these days attempt to forbid any form of license transferal - nearly all prohibit reselling the product, and some even prohibit giving it away.

Of course, there's the whole legal kerfuffle over whether EULAs are actually enforceable, but let's not get into that. ;)

(Tho' I see from an above post that this particular EULA may not actually forbid resale - that's very interesting.)

[Doc Bosch]

This game is all kinds of fun, but I think my video card is subpar... the ship battles and swordfights run at about 2/3 speed.

-Brent

Slow, but smooth.

[Chocobo]

Ugg... the Sneaking mini "game" is awful. I can't believe it passed playtesting. The "take the city" combat is ok, but not great. It's a little to easy. Even on the highest setting I can win while outnumbered 100 to several thousand.

To all those who think dancing is hard... it's actually really easy. Just look at her hands, as there are only 5 moves. Most moves are put into batches of 2 moves repeating.

The only thing I can't figure out is how to get the last "point" in the romance thread. I get 9/10 every time. They stop handing out quests, so I'm not really sure what's next.
The last point is for getting married. I know it seems like that would make you lose all your romance points :) but it works.

Watching the hands... can be difficult. Don't you have a giant hat that gets in the way? You just need to learn the dance sequences. They all make sense, and usually come in 4 repititions of a pattern. For Example:

Step Right - Step Left - Step Right - Step Left - Step Left - Step Right - Step Left - Step Right

Turn Left - Turn Left - Turn Left - Turn Left

Turn Left - Step Right - Turn Left - Step Right - Turn Left - Step Right - Turn Left - Step Right

Step Back - Turn Left - Step Back - Turn Left - Step Back - Turn Left - Step Back - Turn Left

Step Forward - Turn Right - Turn Right - Step Forward - Turn Right - Turn Right -Step Back - Turn Right - Turn Right - Step Back - Turn Right - Turn Right

Anyway, you need to only see a couple hand gestures, or just let your dancing shoes cover for your clumsiness for a second and then you know where to go for the rest of the sequence.

[shodan]

Dancing took a while to figure out. Until I noticed that the sequences are pretty much set in stone (though it tends to vary depending on the daughter's nationality), my partner was almost literally shoving me around the dance floor, while my legs were wrapped around each other like a pretzel the whole time.

Oh, yeah. I'm smooth. :)

I also got 9/10 romance points, but I did get married. Makes me wonder if there was some little quest that I missed somewhere.

Heh, speaking of daughter-quests, ever notice that if the governor's daughter gets kidnapped, and you revisit the governor, she still shows up sometimes before you rescue her? :)

<Governor> My daughter has been kidnapped!
<daughter> Hi!
<Governor> *frantic shooing motions* (Shhh! Not NOW!)
<daughter> !!
* daughter sneaks back out of the room.

[JonAcheson]

I like how the game describes Ships of the Line as being very, very rare and extremely dangerous in battle, and how private ownership of one was totally unheard of.

Yet I came across one after two in-game months of play and captured it with no difficulty whatsoever. :rolleyes:

Well, historically speaking, they are completely accurate. Even the "big" pirate ships like Blackbeard's Queen Anne's Revenge were only frigates or armed merchant vessels.

But that's no fun, so they toss out historicity in actual game play. Which is good, right?

[NoCarrier]

Well, historically speaking, they are completely accurate. Even the "big" pirate ships like Blackbeard's Queen Anne's Revenge were only frigates or armed merchant vessels.

But that's no fun, so they toss out historicity in actual game play. Which is good, right?
I can understand what he's saying, though.

In the original game, when boarding another vessel you got to fight the other captain as well. But, each time a captain was struck he lost an extra couple of crew members, until one side ran out of crew and lost the fight. That meant that you tended to avoid very lopsided fights (100 pirates vs. 200 opponents).

Now, if you're quick, you and your scurvy band of 40 pirates can defeat the other captains and hijack vessels with a crew of over two-hundred. This is one of the few things I don't like about the new game: hijacking other ships is way too easy.

[Chocobo]

I also got 9/10 romance points, but I did get married. Makes me wonder if there was some little quest that I missed somewhere.

Heh, speaking of daughter-quests, ever notice that if the governor's daughter gets kidnapped, and you revisit the governor, she still shows up sometimes before you rescue her? :)
Hmm... find someone beautiful, dance your ass off, give her a diamond necklace, fight a duel, rescue her from the kidnapper, marry her. I think that's all I did for 10/10.

<Governor> My daughter has been kidnapped!
<daughter> Hi!
<Governor> *frantic shooing motions* (Shhh! Not NOW!)
<daughter> !!
* daughter sneaks back out of the room.

When she got kidnapped the governor told me they wer holed up in San Juan, but when I got to San Juan they said the kidnapper was really in Caracas (a.k.a. her home town). You might be on to something there...


I can understand what he's saying, though.

In the original game, when boarding another vessel you got to fight the other captain as well. But, each time a captain was struck he lost an extra couple of crew members, until one side ran out of crew and lost the fight. That meant that you tended to avoid very lopsided fights (100 pirates vs. 200 opponents).

Now, if you're quick, you and your scurvy band of 40 pirates can defeat the other captains and hijack vessels with a crew of over two-hundred. This is one of the few things I don't like about the new game: hijacking other ships is way too easy.
In the original there were only 2 ways to lose a duel and thus the battle.
1. You get backed off your side of the screen - by being hit multiple times.
2. Your crew is killed in battle and THEN a single hit is landed on you.

If you never got hit, you could not lose. I would generally win duels by the first method because it's quicker and you can then hire on a portion of the enemy's crew. So to me, taking a ship is still pretty much the same as its always been. I always used a sloop for piracy on the high seas. For attacking a port town, I'd generally use a fast galleon for one main reason which wasn't to be assured of victory (you could do that simply by dueling perfectly), but to increase the chance of the governor being replaced.

[Seroster]

For anyone wanting to play with a laptop/wanting to remap keys, you might want to read this discussion here. There are some suggested workarounds and a couple of comments from Firaxis staff.

http://www.cutlassisle.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=500

[Jais]

Now, if you're quick, you and your scurvy band of 40 pirates can defeat the other captains and hijack vessels with a crew of over two-hundred. This is one of the few things I don't like about the new game: hijacking other ships is way too easy.

What difficulty are you playing at?

[NoCarrier]

What difficulty are you playing at?
Rogue Captain.

What can I say? I think I still got the reflexes of a 12-year old.

[Jais]

Rogue Captain.

What can I say? I think I still got the reflexes of a 12-year old.

Well, well, well :)



Try Swashbuckler ;) :D

[Rikimaru]

I may be missing the obvious here, but how do you attack a port? I tried sending my men over land to the port, but they just entered the town. Can someone fill me in?

I scanned the manual but again, I probably missed the obvious since I didn't want to spend time reading the dense manual when I could be sailing the Spanish Main. :)

[Lautrec]

I may be missing the obvious here, but how do you attack a port? I tried sending my men over land to the port, but they just entered the town. Can someone fill me in?

I scanned the manual but again, I probably missed the obvious since I didn't want to spend time reading the dense manual when I could be sailing the Spanish Main. :)


IIRC you can't attack cities from the sea.


-L

[NoCarrier]

I may be missing the obvious here, but how do you attack a port? I tried sending my men over land to the port, but they just entered the town. Can someone fill me in?

I scanned the manual but again, I probably missed the obvious since I didn't want to spend time reading the dense manual when I could be sailing the Spanish Main. :)
Just strike anchor near the port and march your troops over.

[Moah]

IIRC you can't attack cities from the sea.
You can't? Awww :(
You could in the original game. :/

And I'm still annoyed that I can't find the collector edition in France.

[Tower]

I've got a problem:

I've managed to place Dutch governors in all the cities from St. Martin to Guadeloupe. Unfortunately, all the cities are dirt poor and have no soldiers. I'm stuck patrolling my new territory so they don't get sacked by raiders or taken over by ships on an invasion mission.

I've seen ships carrying soldiers to reinforce a city, but the Dutch never seem to produce these. Does anyone know how I can reinforce these cities and get out of this mess I've gotten myself into?

[Jack]

I've got a problem:

I've managed to place Dutch governors in all the cities from St. Martin to Guadeloupe. Unfortunately, all the cities are dirt poor and have no soldiers. I'm stuck patrolling my new territory so they don't get sacked by raiders or taken over by ships on an invasion mission.

I've seen ships carrying soldiers to reinforce a city, but the Dutch never seem to produce these. Does anyone know how I can reinforce these cities and get out of this mess I've gotten myself into?
Go to missions and offer to escort immigrants to Dutch ports. Its not a perfect solution, but it should help.

[NoCarrier]

I've got a problem:

I've managed to place Dutch governors in all the cities from St. Martin to Guadeloupe. Unfortunately, all the cities are dirt poor and have no soldiers. I'm stuck patrolling my new territory so they don't get sacked by raiders or taken over by ships on an invasion mission.

I've seen ships carrying soldiers to reinforce a city, but the Dutch never seem to produce these. Does anyone know how I can reinforce these cities and get out of this mess I've gotten myself into?
Instating governors of your own faction might seem like a good idea, but I'd advise against it. The only things that encourages growth in colonies is trade and a steady stream of new governors. This means that the more colonies your faction has, the slower their growth is.

Besides, it isn't "your" new territory anyway.

[RPG_Wombat]

Damn Sid Meier

Damn him to hell.

Doesn't the man understand we need sleep?

This game is crack, even the miserable dancing thing.

[shodan]

I may be missing the obvious here, but how do you attack a port? I tried sending my men over land to the port, but they just entered the town. Can someone fill me in?

I scanned the manual but again, I probably missed the obvious since I didn't want to spend time reading the dense manual when I could be sailing the Spanish Main. :)

Also, you can only attack a town if its hostile to you; the option never appears otherwise. To piss 'em off, just capture a bunch of their own ships near port, or fire some shots at the town (hit spacebar to lob cannonballs at the fort). You won't actually do any damage to their military by shooting the fort, but it'll certainly annoy 'em.

Once they start firing back at you and launching pirate hunter ships, then you can sail into port and get the invasion option.

[Tower]

Instating governors of your own faction might seem like a good idea, but I'd advise against it. The only things that encourages growth in colonies is trade and a steady stream of new governors. This means that the more colonies your faction has, the slower their growth is.

I didn't know that, thanks! I'll put world conquest aside until I've beaten everything else in the game.


Besides, it isn't "your" new territory anyway.
True, bad choice of words there on my part.

And thanks for your suggestion, Jack. I'll keep it in mind for the next time I try to take over a city.

I have another question now, though. What happens if I wipe a nationality off the map (is it even possible to attack settlements)? Are they gone for good or will they bring in a big invasion fleet from off the map and take a city?

[Jack]

I have another question now, though. What happens if I wipe a nationality off the map (is it even possible to attack settlements)? Are they gone for good or will they bring in a big invasion fleet from off the map and take a city?

I think they can come back and of course you can always install one of their governors in a port you sack if you're feeling helpful. :D

Actually its not a bad idea if you're being truly mercenary. You can sac a bunch of ports and then turn around and convert them to another nationality if that nation goes to war with another country you don't mind working for.

[shodan]

EDIT: Nevermind, solved the problem.

[Pteryx]

Out of curiosity, how do you steer in this version? In the old Mac version you used the mouse and it supported steering in 16 different directions. Since the mouse is apparently used for mouseovers in this version and games tend to be ported more directly these days when they're ported at all, I'm curious as to the alternative... and hope said alternative doesn't rule out sailing north-by-northwest. -- Pteryx

[Robovski]

I found it usefull to set up a variety of non-spanish governors to eliminate the Spanish presence from all but one corner of the map to save myself having to make long treks to track down the Baron and his ilk, as he will only be travelling between Spanish cities :)

Also, these captured ports would give me usefull bases for repairs and upgrades - being a Duke has it's perks.

[Sigilistic]

Ha ha ha! Major Allister Dash of the Meridian Blue, Buccaneer in service to His Majesty, the King of England, shall not rest until he has charmed every Governor's daughter and bested every pirate legend. Ha ha ha!

[Rikimaru]

Arrggh! Now I have a map to the hideout of the Marquis, and it says to search north of Vera Cruz. But the map doesn't have any coastline on it, and I can't find any landmarks that look like the map north of Vera Cruz. Not to mention that there's a lot of land north of Vera Cruz - just how far north does it mean? :mad:

[shodan]

Arrggh! Now I have a map to the hideout of the Marquis, and it says to search north of Vera Cruz. But the map doesn't have any coastline on it, and I can't find any landmarks that look like the map north of Vera Cruz. Not to mention that there's a lot of land north of Vera Cruz - just how far north does it mean? :mad:

VERY far north.

Is there any kind of landmark at all? My own Marquis-hideout map was also "North of Vera Cruz", and there was one of those "Skull Rock" type landmarks on the map.

Turns out it was *miles* away.

Although, hm, with no coastline, and presumeably no coastal markers... No idea. It could be anywhere between Vera Cruz and the end of the world. :/

[Rikimaru]

VERY far north.

Is there any kind of landmark at all? My own Marquis-hideout map was also "North of Vera Cruz", and there was one of those "Skull Rock" type landmarks on the map.

Turns out it was *miles* away.

Although, hm, with no coastline, and presumeably no coastal markers... No idea. It could be anywhere between Vera Cruz and the end of the world. :/
Posts on the Cutlass Island forums indicate I might have to go as far north as Texas to find it. On the plus side, the hideout is very visible through the spyglass so if I can find the area, I should be okay. I think I'll be able to pin it down tonight - there are so many landmarks on the map that it can't be a heavily forested area so they should be easy to see when I find the right place.

I am annoyed at the use of maps that don't include the coast. If they have to do this, can't some of the inland landmarks like arch rocks or incan temples be visible from the sea? At least through the spyglass. It would really save a lot of trouble.

Anyway, one way or another the Marquis is getting what's coming to him tonight. Then the remaining criminals that I've put off tracking down in order to get the Marquis. Then I'll get my promotion to Duke I hope, and I can convince the daughter of the Governor of Port Royale to marry me.

After that, looting Lost Cities is the only thing I haven't tried. And after that, I do the whole thing again on a higher difficulty. :)

[Sigilistic]

Sid Meier has once again consumed my soul. That is all.

[shodan]

Agh. Rikimaru, did your map look something like this?

http://colossus.shodan.net/~shodan/maya-map.jpg

Looks like I'm in the same boat. Geez, where to even begin....

[adamsmith]

A friend of mine said he was having play issues because he's playing on a laptop. Is that the case?

[shodan]

A friend of mine said he was having play issues because he's playing on a laptop. Is that the case?

Er. Sure! Why not?

(You need to be a bit more specific about the issues he's having, I think.) :)

Though I can say that the game makes heavy use of a numpad; just about everything in the game is built around the idea that the user has an actual ten-key pad. Since most laptops don't have those, is that the issue he's having?

[adamsmith]

That's the one!

[shodan]

Hm. There's probably little that can be done, aside from remapping all the keys to a squarish block of keys that he actually does have. The keymap.ini file has default alternative mappings for /some/ functions, but not all of 'em.

[Doc Bosch]

I might add that if your laptop sports on integrated video card without hardware T&L support, the sailing, swordfighting, and most especially the ship battle parts of the game will be glacial.

Grrr.

-Brent

[Rikimaru]

Agh. Rikimaru, did your map look something like this?

http://colossus.shodan.net/~shodan/maya-map.jpg

Looks like I'm in the same boat. Geez, where to even begin....
Yes, it looked very much like that. After an hour of wandering Mexico, I found it just above the second river visible on the main map north of Vera Cruz, a good bit inland.

The guys on the official Pirates! forum said it could be as far north as Texas though. The only positive side to it is that if you are anywhere on the square that the treasure map dsecribes, you should be able to see the hideout through the spyglass. It's as big as a city, and very visible.

I'd reccomend starting just north-west of Vera Cruz and wandering north, veering east or west every so often, more frequently as you get further north. I'd guess that it's not in heavily forested areas. The stone head and Incan temple landmarks don't seem to show up in those areas.

Now I have to pleasure of tracking down an Incan city "north of Gran Granada". This map has a piece of the coast, but no coastal landmarks. Again, I have to ask why landmarks such as Incan temples or geysers can't be seen from the sea. It would be so much better that way - even if you had to use the spyglass to see them, being able to search from the boat would help a lot.

[shodan]

Yes, it looked very much like that. After an hour of wandering Mexico, I found it just above the second river visible on the main map north of Vera Cruz, a good bit inland.

The guys on the official Pirates! forum said it could be as far north as Texas though. The only positive side to it is that if you are anywhere on the square that the treasure map dsecribes, you should be able to see the hideout through the spyglass. It's as big as a city, and very visible.

I'd reccomend starting just north-west of Vera Cruz and wandering north, veering east or west every so often, more frequently as you get further north. I'd guess that it's not in heavily forested areas. The stone head and Incan temple landmarks don't seem to show up in those areas.


Yeah, that's pretty much what I tried. I think I got up to the river, and gave up around that point. That's a /lot/ of land to cover.

I eventually just retired my pirate; the only thing left to do was find that city (plus one other), and deal with the Marquis. While the Marquis' fort was in the same general area in my game, I couldn't retain nearly enough crew to deal with his defenders anyway. :)

Now I have to pleasure of tracking down an Incan city "north of Gran Granada". This map has a piece of the coast, but no coastal landmarks. Again, I have to ask why landmarks such as Incan temples or geysers can't be seen from the sea. It would be so much better that way - even if you had to use the spyglass to see them, being able to search from the boat would help a lot.

I would have /loved/ to have some coastline on my Maya map; just a tiny little bit, so I can at least get an idea of its general area. A couple of my treasure maps have had coastline but no landmarks, and they weren't /too/ difficult to find.

[shodan]

Haha, wow. I hearby nominate THIS (http://unixsucks.de/map.jpg) as the Worst. Map. Ever.

[Sigilistic]

Question: What Nationality do you all like to play, and which time period is your favorite?

For me, it's the Spanish, circa 1640, in a time when prospects are very promising.

[NoCarrier]

Question: What Nationality do you all like to play, and which time period is your favorite?

For me, it's the Spanish, circa 1640, in a time when prospects are very promising.
Dutch, 1660. It often seems we're at war with everybody, and those blonde Dutch daughters are still the prettiest. :p

[Lautrec]

I serve whatever nationality is currently at war with the Spanish, so I can plunder their Treasure Ships and Royal Galleons without feeling guilty. :D


-L

[shodan]

Question: What Nationality do you all like to play, and which time period is your favorite?

For me, it's the Spanish, circa 1640, in a time when prospects are very promising.

I tend to play in the 1660s, which as I gather, is the "easiest" age to play in for outright piracy. As for nationality, I just pick a random country to sail with whenever I start a new game.

I'm on *my own* side. While all of the frequent wars breaking out all the time may sometimes make my actions appear to coincide with the interests of some countries, rest assured that it only appears that way. :)

It's not unusual for me to escort a new governor to a town, blockade the town against raiders, pirates, and their declared enemies (while letting merchant vessels through).... and then turn around and sack the town after a while. :)

They call me Captain Unpredictable.

[Sigilistic]

I tend to play in the 1660s, which as I gather, is the "easiest" age to play in for outright piracy. As for nationality, I just pick a random country to sail with whenever I start a new game.

I'm on *my own* side. While all of the frequent wars breaking out all the time may sometimes make my actions appear to coincide with the interests of some countries, rest assured that it only appears that way. :)

It's not unusual for me to escort a new governor to a town, blockade the town against raiders, pirates, and their declared enemies (while letting merchant vessels through).... and then turn around and sack the town after a while. :)

They call me Captain Unpredictable.

You know, that sounds like more fun! In my current game, I just realized my pirate is a dog of the English. Time to start a new game, this time on my OWN team.


That's what I love about this game...so many possibilities!

[Sigilistic]

Ha ha ha! Soon the entire Spanish Main shall learn to fear the name of Rafael De La Vega, the most terrifying pirate alive!

[shodan]

You know, that sounds like more fun! In my current game, I just realized my pirate is a dog of the English. Time to start a new game, this time on my OWN team.


That's what I love about this game...so many possibilities!

For a time, I've been gaining a lot of rank with the French (the nation I started with in this game). Since they're at war with all of their closest neighbors, I can shoot at nearly everything that moves, without angering my allies-of-the-moment.

Of course, now that I've gained the rank of French Duke, I suspect it's time to marry the beautiful daughter, and then bite the hand that's been feeding me.

The English and Spanish seem pretty upset with me at the moment; sacking all of these French cities (*wealthy* French cities, thanks to my tireless efforts to protect their waters, I might add) should help turn things around. :)

[Goodsport]

      There will also be a Pirates! boardgame (http://www.eaglegames.net/products/PIR/pirates.shtml) coming soon. :D


-G

[Breogan]

For the obvious reasons, I find myself completly incapable of playing anything but a very loyal Spanish corsair. Which means that I dont lay my hands on the big bing BIG treasure...

Fortunately, Spanish girls are the prettiest :-P And kicking the English and Dutch dogs all out of the Caribbean is fun for me ("Do you want to install a new governor of Gran Bahamas" Yes, and you bet its going to be an Spaniard). I let the French in just cause I want them to give me some acres of land too :-)

[NoCarrier]

Fortunately, Spanish girls are the prettiest :-P And kicking the English and Dutch dogs all out of the Caribbean is fun for me ("Do you want to install a new governor of Gran Bahamas" Yes, and you bet its going to be an Spaniard). I let the French in just cause I want them to give me some acres of land too :-)
On the other hand, I don't feel compunction about making the whole of the Spanish Main my bitch. As a Dutchman, I take especially great pleasure in sacking those big, juicy Spanish cities like Havana, Gran Granada and Caracas.

[Breogan]

On the other hand, I don't feel compunction about making the whole of the Spanish Main my bitch. As a Dutchman, I take especially great pleasure in sacking those big, juicy Spanish cities like Havana, Gran Granada and Caracas.

I know I know, I'm missing all the big targets! But I cant bring myself to do it!

Well, except Caracas. I lived ~ 25 years there. I'm going to make a separate save game just to invade it :-P

[Goodsport]

      I've just finished watching The Pirates of the Carribean: The Curse of the Black Pearl on DVD (Widescreen version, of course ;) ). Is that good preparation for this game? http://home.pacbell.net/torvic1/pirateface.gif


-G

[DLathrop]

      I've just finished watching The Pirates of the Carribean: The Curse of the Black Pearl on DVD (Widescreen version, of course ;) ). Is that good preparation for this game? http://home.pacbell.net/torvic1/pirateface.gif


-G


Aye, that's perfect preparation!

I have two versions of myself/

First, the Englishman, Duke Richard Tavistock, commander of the fast galleon Arcturus, husband of the governor's daughter of Port Royale, and scourge of Nova Hiapania. We took Villa Hermosa and Campeche, but the Dutch went and took Campeche after us. San Juan has been an English city since nigh the beginning... and I did NOT do that.

The other is Duke Juan de la Rivas, the man who wiped the English out of the Antilles...

DL, this is addictive. It is the greatest game I have ever played. EVER.

[Bob the Insane]

Can't.stop.playing.pirates.to.much.fun....

Help.me.....

[Goodsport]

Aye, that's perfect preparation!

      How about Cutthroat Island (which I haven't seen yet)? :confused:


-G

[Polymath]

I'm playing it and loving it. I'm restricting myself to play on weekend nights. I lose too much sleep if I play it during the week.

[Azidhak]

Lauritz Jonssøn here. As a young man in Arendal I always wanted to be out at sea and after the evil spanish pirate Montalban raided the norwegian coast and captured my family I knew that my only chance of vengeance were at sea. I joined an english ship to the Carribean and after enough abuse we mutinied. All was forgiven when we came to the english port. I sailed under Spanish flag, was very loyal to the Dutch and as was known as the scourge of the french. My flagship "Den Norske Gut" (the norwegian boy) was one of Montalbans own Flag Galleons. I later got a deal from the french and let my ire set on the English instead. I retired as Governor of Antigua and married the former governors French (originally ducth) daughter as the most infamous pirate ever.

[Qusoor]

Instating governors of your own faction might seem like a good idea, but I'd advise against it. The only things that encourages growth in colonies is trade and a steady stream of new governors. This means that the more colonies your faction has, the slower their growth is.

Besides, it isn't "your" new territory anyway.
Well, if you're going to world conquest, that means you're also going to need to escort a bunch of governors around in order to keep your colonies alive. This will take up a lot of your time, but Captain Vanderdecker, with 36 cities plundered, and more than twelve Spanish governors replaced with Dutch ones, learned that you can really change the history of the region.

And when you do so, there is a gradual increase in the number of your nationalities ships in the area. After conquering Maracaibo and Gibraltar, I never saw any Spanish ships in the Straights of Gibraltar again, and in fact, my piracyt was fairly curtailed, because there wasn't nearly as much Spanish shipping in the area as there used to be.

[Qusoor]

      How about Cutthroat Island (which I haven't seen yet)? :confused:

Meh. It's an OK pirate film, but you should watch Muppet Treasure Island first.

Maybe I can replace one of those "Happy crew" songs with "When You're a Professional Pirate" sung by Tim Curry...

[NoCarrier]

Well, if you're going to world conquest, that means you're also going to need to escort a bunch of governors around in order to keep your colonies alive. This will take up a lot of your time, but Captain Vanderdecker, with 36 cities plundered, and more than twelve Spanish governors replaced with Dutch ones, learned that you can really change the history of the region.

And when you do so, there is a gradual increase in the number of your nationalities ships in the area. After conquering Maracaibo and Gibraltar, I never saw any Spanish ships in the Straights of Gibraltar again, and in fact, my piracyt was fairly curtailed, because there wasn't nearly as much Spanish shipping in the area as there used to be.
True, it's fun to change the whole region's history, but it doesn't buy your character much tangible benefits career-wise to instate governors of 'your' faction (assuming, of course, you're privateering for a faction).

Luckily, in my campaigns, warfare between the Dutch and every other European power seems to be endemic, so prizes abound.

[Li of Orchid]

Well, if you're going to world conquest, that means you're also going to need to escort a bunch of governors around in order to keep your colonies alive. This will take up a lot of your time, but Captain Vanderdecker, with 36 cities plundered, and more than twelve Spanish governors replaced with Dutch ones, learned that you can really change the history of the region.

And when you do so, there is a gradual increase in the number of your nationalities ships in the area. After conquering Maracaibo and Gibraltar, I never saw any Spanish ships in the Straights of Gibraltar again, and in fact, my piracyt was fairly curtailed, because there wasn't nearly as much Spanish shipping in the area as there used to be.

Yeah, I pretty much stopped conquering enemy colonies when I realized that. I almost never install a new governor, except for the rare occasion once or twice a game when I need to secure a good base on the Spanish Main. I even like to let governors and immigrants of enemy countries reach their destination, so I can rob a prosperous town.

Got to be careful, as a predator, not to deplete the herd. :)

[Li of Orchid]

Anyone capture the Spanish Treasure Fleet yet? I'm not talking about your run-of-the-mill, single-treasure-ship-with-one-escort here. I'm talking bout the FLEET. Apparently it enters Caribbean waters in January and sails west along the main, stopping at all the capitals, up to Vera Cruz, across to Havana, then out past the Bahamas back to Europe. Apparently it also consists of several treasure ships and their escorts.

I kept hearing rumors in my last game about the fleet being on its way to Rio de la Hacha, so I held station outside the city for about five months, and took three isolated treasure galleons, but no fleet ever showed up! Anyone else have any luck?

[Fade]

I kept hearing rumors in my last game about the fleet being on its way to Rio de la Hacha, so I held station outside the city for about five months, and took three isolated treasure galleons, but no fleet ever showed up! Anyone else have any luck?

It's always 'heading for Rio de la Hacha', even if Rio's not even Spanish any more. I think it's a bug.

[Fade]

True, it's fun to change the whole region's history, but it doesn't buy your character much tangible benefits career-wise to instate governors of 'your' faction (assuming, of course, you're privateering for a faction).

Changing the nationality of large swaths is bad for you, but a couple of English and French ports along the Spanish coast have served my pirate in good steed - free repairs and a good place to sell plunder, without having to sail east to English territory.

[Qusoor]

True, it's fun to change the whole region's history, but it doesn't buy your character much tangible benefits career-wise to instate governors of 'your' faction (assuming, of course, you're privateering for a faction).

Well, except that you can establish repair points in otherwise hostile territory. Taking Rio de Hacho, for example, makes an assault on Panama much more possible.

[Li of Orchid]

It's always 'heading for Rio de la Hacha', even if Rio's not even Spanish any more. I think it's a bug.

Actually, I've seen barmaid rumors that it's headed for Cartegena, Havana and Europe as well. So I know it exists, and I know it moves... it's elusive!

EDIT: Oh wait, that is a bug. I guess it's intermittent, because this is the first time I've actually seen it. The last couple games I played, I used to get different rumors. Stupid bug. :mad:

[Goodsport]

      Now that Take 2 Interactive has taken over the rights of this game (and other games) from Atari, you can now find the game's website here (http://www.2kgames.com/pirates/pirates/home.php), and can download the 1.02 patch from here (http://www.2kgames.com/pirates/pirates/news_story.php?id=126).

      In any case, I just started playing this game again for the first time in a while, and oh man does it still rock!

      Actually, it rocks even more than before after the solution occured to me to the mistake I kept making the first time I played:

      Before, I'd (as the pirate captain) immediately spend our hard-earned money on ship upgrades to improve our chances of not sinking or going down in battle, on food so that the crew wouldn't starve out at sea, etc., yet I'd notice that crew morale would sing rapidly anyway (sometimes to Mutinous levels).

      It seems that the crew only really cares about the gold that'll eventually be divied up between us, and any spending of that gold (even on essentials) lowers how much they'll eventually get. They're kinda like children in they don't appreciate what needs to be spent on food, shelter, clothing and such... they just want their toys, even at the expense of those necessities.

      So once I started paying closer attention to keeping the crew's morale up while still purchasing what was necessary, I was able to sail longer. That led me to attack more ships (thus far, mainly other pirate ships) to supplement the necessary food and cargo while not having to spend the gold (as a matter of fact, to gain more gold and other cargo) further led me into the truer spirit of the game, and the rest of the game-experience flowed from there.

      Other aspects include no longer being afraid to battle other established pirate captains, finding buried treasure often and courting governors' daughters. :D

      It seems that this game has a lot more depth than I'd previously realized, and I'm having more of a blast playing this now that I know what I need to do to survive and thrive as a pirate/privateer. I can't wait to play this game again soon. :cool:


-G

[Goodsport]

yet I'd notice that crew morale would sing rapidly anyway (sometimes to Mutinous levels).

      Oops... that was meant to be "sink", not "sing". :o

      What's also cool is that the game does have a backstory and an overall quest: to find your pirate captain's family and to get revenge against the evil Spanish nobleman who had abducted them ten years earlier.

      You can either follow the clues to the quest or simply go off to do your own thing - or both. But your time isn't unlimited as you do age over time in the game. :eek:


-G

[snafubar]

I would love for an "assault the city" minigame to be in there. I love picking which terrain and tactics to use. (Do I shoot the infantry next to my pirates, or do I weaken the riflemen behind them?) It's my favorite part of the game, more than the sea battles.

[Goodsport]

      My pirate captain/privateer/admiral/etc. just got married to the beautiful daughter of a Spanish governor, after having rescued her from the clutches of Captain Mendoza. :eek:

      I can't recall another game I've played where my character got married (did it ever happen in any of the Final Fantasy games?). It was a pretty neat touch. :cool:


-G

[snafubar]

      I can't recall another game I've played where my character got married (did it ever happen in any of the Final Fantasy games?). It was a pretty neat touch. :cool:

-G

Phantasy Star III: Generations of Doom allowed your main character to pick a bride for each of the first two generations. Each mother / father combo gave the next gen character different abilities. (Better magic, tougher, etc.)

[harkon]

I can't recall another game I've played where my character got married (did it ever happen in any of the Final Fantasy games?). It was a pretty neat touch. :cool:


You can get married in the Atari (I think) computer game for the Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil. Being commonfolk though, your spouse is generally quite the liability in the dungeon.

In Fallout 2, you can get married (and divorced!) if you try hard enough. But then again you can do weird things like become a porn star as well in that game...

I found with Pirates, the secret of doing better than would be sanely possibly is to actually have a minimal crew. Crew happiness is basically total gold divided number of crew factoring in static modifiers for various things like time and sea and whatnot. I found the best deal was having a small fast ship with full crew take on a larger ship with grapeshot until they surrender or only the captain is left (amking the boarding action an auto win). With such cheesy tactics I managed to keep my crew happy aboard my ship for well over two centuries!

One tip for getting better ships is to actually capture nearly wrecked hulks and having htem repaired for free once you have sufficient military rank. A cheap merchant ship with lots of crew to man ships captured by your ninja team in a one cannon cannoe can quickly become the scourge of the Spanish Main.

[Goodsport]

Phantasy Star III: Generations of Doom allowed your main character to pick a bride for each of the first two generations. Each mother / father combo gave the next gen character different abilities. (Better magic, tougher, etc.)
You can get married in the Atari (I think) computer game for the Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil. Being commonfolk though, your spouse is generally quite the liability in the dungeon.

In Fallout 2, you can get married (and divorced!) if you try hard enough. But then again you can do weird things like become a porn star as well in that game...

I found with Pirates, the secret of doing better than would be sanely possibly is to actually have a minimal crew. Crew happiness is basically total gold divided number of crew factoring in static modifiers for various things like time and sea and whatnot. I found the best deal was having a small fast ship with full crew take on a larger ship with grapeshot until they surrender or only the captain is left (amking the boarding action an auto win). With such cheesy tactics I managed to keep my crew happy aboard my ship for well over two centuries!

One tip for getting better ships is to actually capture nearly wrecked hulks and having htem repaired for free once you have sufficient military rank. A cheap merchant ship with lots of crew to man ships captured by your ninja team in a one cannon cannoe can quickly become the scourge of the Spanish Main.

Awesome info! Thank you, snafubar and harkon. :)

So has the upcoming Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (http://disney.go.com/disneypictures/pirates/atworldsend/) (due in theaters on May 25th) whetted your appetite for this game and/or vice versa? :cool:


-G

[Goodsport]

Awesome info! Thank you, snafubar and harkon. :)

So has the upcoming Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (http://disney.go.com/disneypictures/pirates/atworldsend/) (due in theaters on May 25th) whetted your appetite for this game and/or vice versa? :cool:

As well as the marathon I'll have with the previous two movies on DVD just prior to watching the third in theaters? ;)


-G

[Something Else]

This game is annoyingly fun, although I'm frustrated to hear that finding the Marquis' hideout will be hard. I hate the land portion of the game...

[Qusoor]

This game is annoyingly fun, although I'm frustrated to hear that finding the Marquis' hideout will be hard. I hate the land portion of the game...
With the patches, the land locations are easier to find. Not easy, mind you, but easier.

[Samaritan]

I got this game (Xbox version) this weekend.

I have lost much sleep.

I have also become an English Marquis, a French & Spanish Colonel, and Dutch Major.

I have found a fabled Incan city, as well as Blackbeard's treasure. I've found one sister. And married the governor of Port Royale's beautiful daughter.

Now I hunt for my uncle, and the evil man who took my family.

Getting the Ship of the Line would be nice too, but first things first!

I can't get enough of this game!

[woodsmoke]

Spanish Colonel?!

Bah, I say! What kind of pirate are you, anyway?

;)

[Samaritan]

Spanish Colonel?!

Bah, I say! What kind of pirate are you, anyway?

;)

The kind that likes lots of land to his name.

It's not like I don't still sink their ships, anyhow. ;) If the Treasure Fleet were actually in the game, I'd totally go after it (my understanding is that it got cut from the Xbox version, though the references still remain).

I should note that I got that promotion AFTER I appointed an English governor to San Cantalina. :D

[woodsmoke]

There's plenty of land to be had from France and Holland--and plenty of wealth to be had from Spanish and English ships to fill it with. :p

I suppose Spanish land has its advantages, I just side with Captain Sydney; the 50k Spanish bounty on me is the sweetest title one could hope for. :D

If the Treasure Fleet were actually in the game, I'd totally go after it (my understanding is that it got cut from the Xbox version, though the references still remain).

I've never actually seen it in the computer version, either; though I've yet to take my frigate and camp outside the city of destination to wait for them. The most I've ever seen is the occasional treasure galleon.

[Something Else]

There's plenty of land to be had from France and Holland--and plenty of wealth to be had from Spanish and English ships to fill it with. :p

I suppose Spanish land has its advantages, I just side with Captain Sydney; the 50k Spanish bounty on me is the sweetest title one could hope for. :D



I've never actually seen it in the computer version, either; though I've yet to take my frigate and camp outside the city of destination to wait for them. The most I've ever seen is the occasional treasure galleon.
So far as I can tell the "treasure fleet" is just the occassional galleon...

[hunterburgess]

The Treasure Fleet exists on PC, it just appears on a very rare basis. It's best to hang out near the major Spanish ports to the south and it will show up. There are a large number of galleons though so be prepared.