PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN - XBOX
STRATEGY GUIDE & WORKAROUNDS
Version 1.0
NOTICE: This guide is for personal use only and may not be reproduced,
re-posted or republished without the express consent of the author.
Copyright 2004, Thomas J. Race
CONTENTS:
I. Workarounds & Safety Procedures
1. Corrupted Saved Games
2. Lost and Duplicated Officers
3. Misdirected Cargo Quests
4. Lockups
II. Strategy Guide (SPOILER ALERT!)
1. "New Game" Strategy
2. Starting a New Game
3. Negotiating with and Hiring Officers
4. Cargo and Escort Quests
5. Assigning Officers to Active Duty
6. Arming the Boatswains
7. Ship Selection
8. Sailing on the Map
9. Sea Combat
10. Capturing Ships
11. Boarding & Land Combat
12. Managing Additional Ships
13. Repairing, Buying and Selling Ships
I. WORKAROUNDS & SAFETY PROCEDURES
1. Corrupted Saved Games
The "Save Game" feature is buggy. Save game files become corrupted and display
a "Bad Save" message in the save slot.
There is a limited workaround for this problem:
- Do NOT overwrite an existing save game location. Always use the "Delete"
function to blow them away, and then save your game in a new, clean location.
This will extend the life of your game, though eventually it will show signs of
degradation, e.g., "Bad Save" messages in saved game slot. This seems to be
aggravated by performing the Main Quest thread.
2. Lost and Duplicate Officers
Several situations result in permanent disappearance of officers on your
passenger list:
- You hire (or acquire in a quest) more than eight (8) officers on your ship.
The officer that occupied the eighth portrait at the top of the Passenger
display will go bye-bye, forever.
- You sell a ship or use the "Change Captain" function on the Shipyard display
when there are officers on the ship in addition to the Captain.
- You place an officer in addition to the Captain on a second, third or fourth
ship that you've acquired, and then hire a new officer. Regardless of how many
officers you have on any ship, hiring a new officer will make ALL of the
officers (that aren't Captains) on your additional ship(s) disappear. Had the
feeling somebody is missing? Now you know why.
Duplicate officers: when your extra officers disappear, a portrait of the new
guy will appear on each ship that had an extra officer. He also shows up on
the passenger list for you ship. (Boy that guy gets around!). He actually
exists only on your ship.
If you can't reverse the damage by reloading a saved game, you can eliminate
the duplicates by using the "Remove Officer" function on the ship-to-ship
Exchange routine.
Fortunately, there are workarounds for all of these problems:
- Never hire more than 8 officers for your own ship, and beware of additional
passengers that quests may force upon you.
- Always remove "extra officers" on your "extra ships" before hiring new
officers, changing Captains or selling the ship. This is painful since you can
only remove them with the ship-to-ship "Exchange" function (don't try to use
Change Captain at the shipyard, they'll disappear).
Having to shuttle these officers around from ship to ship limits the total
number of officers you can have for all of your ships. Except for the other
ships' Captains, each officer requires space on the Passenger list of your own
ship to be stored temporarily when you want to hire someone. This is discussed
in detail in the " Negotiating with and Hiring Officers " section, below.
3. Misdirected Cargo Quests
Every now and then, a Store Owner will send you to the wrong island to fulfill
his Cargo Quest. This can be quite frustrating, especially if you're short on
time to deliver the goods. There is no workaround for the bug itself, but
there are things you can do to prevent delivery failure, which ends all future
Cargo Quests in that game.
- If he sends you to the Oxbay Port (not Greenford) and the war with France is
still going on, it's the wrong destination. You can't land there because
French ships guard the port and will fire on you, even if a diplomat has fixed
your relations with France. Reload the game if you can, or start searching for
the correct destination as soon as possible.
- If he sends you to Falais when you have "war" relations with France, it's the
wrong destination. Reload or start looking for the right destination.
- If you arrive at the location he specified and the Store Owner won't take it,
reload it or start searching. You'll probably find the right spot eventually,
but sometimes NOBODY wants the cargo, and that ends the Cargo Quests for that
game (bad).
4. Lockups
Beware of the "white screen of death." (It's like the program has
surrendered.) It can strike anywhere, at anytime, but especially when
"Loading."
Save your game often, especially if you capture a ship. Save it on the Open
Sea immediately after the battle. This will insure safe arrival of your prize.
Nothing is more frustrating than spending an hour or two shooting cannonballs
just to flush it down the toilet when you land at the port.
II. STRATEGY GUIDE (SPOILER ALERT!)
WARNING: this section provides tips that some players would rather discover on
their own. Read at your own risk!
1. "New Game" Strategy
The keys to the game are:
- Learning the basics of sword fighting and naval combat
- Developing elite officers
- Sailing with precision on the Map
- Making the right decisions in sea battles
Sword Fighting:
Start a New Game and practice with Malcolm until you can defeat him without
getting hit. This means blocking until you see an opening; then hitting him
quickly and getting your block back up before he hits you. When you're able to
do that consistently, you're ready to play the game. If you can't do that,
you're ant food. It can take an hour or two to master this skill, but it's
well worth it. (Sorry if your block finger gets sore!)
Sea Combat:
This game is a lot of fun early on if you buy Culverines right away. Then you
can hit the enemy ships from long distance, and they can't shoot back. If you
find yourself trading broadsides in a Lugger, you're going to be fish food.
Developing Elite Officers:
You need competent officers to succeed in battle, and to increase your profits
in trading. You can't do it all by yourself. You must focus your own skill
points on Leadership and Melee, and let your officers cover the rest. If you
don't focus your skills on Leadership and Melee, you'll lose the boarding
battles by being killed or having your officers exterminated by the excellent
sword fighters you encounter on board ships. (Remember that Leadership adds
Melee ability to all active officers in combat.)
Sailing on the Map:
Your skill in avoiding storms and unwanted sea battles will determine your
destiny to large extent. Having an officer with medium to high Luck is
essential.
Making the Right Decisions in Sea Battles:
When you hit "A" on the map and go into battle, the first 30 seconds may well
decide your fate. The first decision is whether to fight or flee. The next
decision is which direction to go, which often depends on wind direction.
Learn to trust your instincts, and when it doubt, put some distance between you
and the enemy. Don't hesitate to order Captains of allied ships to "Sail
Away." You can always give them another order later. Without orders, they
tend to sail right into trouble.
2. Starting a New Game
Recruit Officers when you are at Level 1:
If you've been practicing with Malcolm and have increased beyond Level 1, be
sure to start a brand new game and train with Malcolm only once.
- This is very important because you want to recruit officers when you're at
Level 1 (see "Hiring and Firing Officers," below).
- Your chance of finding Level 1 officers is then the greatest.
Get the Master Spyglass Capability:
Do NOT "equip" a spyglass of any kind, ever. The program will then
miraculously give you the Master Spyglass capability right at the beginning of
the game. While this appears to be a cheat, it actually overcomes a major
frustration in the game:
- Captains didn't need a spyglass to estimate how many crew remained,
especially when they closed to grappling range.
- If you equip the early spyglasses, you have no idea how many crew remain.
(The number of animated crewmembers on other ship never changes).
- This makes boarding decisions impossible for many game-months and takes a lot
of fun out of the game.
Note: the program will automatically equip the cheap spyglass unless you:
- Train one time with Malcolm
- Distribute your skill points" when he prompts you to.
- "Go on to something else" after distributing your points
- Take him with you to the Oxbay dock and dismiss him there, (or anytime after
that).
If a spyglass gets equipped, start over.
Distributing your Skills and Abilities: most of your skill points should go
into Melee and Leadership. But at Level 1, distribute your first two skill
points in a very strange way:
- Put one skill point in Commerce, which will allow you to negotiate
effectively with officer candidates (see below)
- Put the other skill point in Luck; this will help you find better officers.
- Put your single ability into "Shared Experience"
Things NOT to do:
- Do NOT put points in Leadership yet; this tends to recruit higher-level
officers, which you do not want (see below)
- Do NOT put points in Accuracy or Cannons (as the game advises); your
Cannoneer will take care of that.
3. Negotiating with and Hiring Officers
Our objective is to hire eight Level 1 officers before we leave Oxbay.
Why Level 1?
- Like you, Level 1 officers frequently start the game with undistributed Skill
and Ability points. Usually they will have 1 Ability and 2 Skill points ready
for distribution. Sometimes they have 2 Abilities and 4 Skill points ready for
distribution. Talk about a Bonanza!
- When these undistributed points are added to the skill points they already
have, you can create a superlative officer right off the bat. I started my
last game with a Level 1 Boatswain who had 9 skill points in Melee; and a Level
1 Quartermaster with 10 skill points in Commerce.
- Also, like you, Level 1 officers "Level Up" rapidly, allowing you to put all
of their vital Abilities in place early in the game. So your Cannoneer will
have "Critical Hit" in a few months, and your Navigator will have "Advanced
Ship Defense."
Where is the money going to come from to hire 8 officers in Oxbay?
- You don't need money because the program allows you to negotiate indefinitely
with officers until they reduce their gold requirement to near zero (or even
"go negative" and pay you).
It's not fair to cheat your way to victory by having them pay you, but it is
realistic to recruit them for near zero. Pirates, especially, signed on board
for a share of the loot; starting bonuses were non-existent.
To perform the extended negotiation:
- Keep saying "Isn't that too much for you?"
- Regardless of his response, say "Farewell."
- Then simply ask him again - the negotiation will start where it left off, at
a gradually reduced fee.
At your Commerce level of 2, the officer will reduce his price by 200 gold
about one-third of the time you ask him, "Isn't that too much for you?" So, it
takes about 20-30 conversations to get him near zero. This takes less than two
minutes when you figure out the button pattern.
- IMPORTANT: don't give up negotiating if he refuses to lower his price
several times in a row. Eventually, he will cave in.
After you hire each officer, take his money and his extra weapon by using the
person-to-person Exchange function. Your gold stash actually grows during this
hiring process.
It takes about an hour to "Fast Move" between the Port and the Tavern for all
those officers to show up (at the upstairs table). But then you're done with
recruiting until you have casualties or add more ships.
After you have hired most of the officers, the new candidates you find tend to
duplicate a specialization you already have. This may be ok if the officer
you've already recruited is higher than Level 1 - you get an opportunity to
replace him. (Fire him if you do, so you don't go over 8 passengers).
To save time, you can save the game before talking to the new candidates, and
reload it if they are not the type you're looking for. When you reload it, the
officer will pick a new specialization. Just don't talk to him before you save
it.
Here is the mix of officers you need:
- You need a Cannoneer and a Navigator for your ship, and for each additional
ship you add to your fleet. (It's beneficial to hire those guys now at Level 1)
- You do NOT need a First Mate, Quartermaster or Boatswains on the ships you
add.
- You need three Boatswains on your ship to assist you in boarding actions and
land battles.
- You need one Quartermaster.
- You need one "Lucky Guy," e.g., a First Mate.
Therefore, 7 officers are required for your ship, and two for each ship you
add. Problem - you can only hold eight on your ship. Here are some
suggestions for reducing the number you need for your ship to 6. If you can
manage that, you can hold two extra Level 1 Officers for transfer to the first
ship you add:
- If you get a First Mate with undistributed skill points - turn him into a
Navigator by putting his undistributed points into Sailing.
- If you get a Navigator with undistributed skill points - add Luck skill
points instead of Sailing or Defense. (Be sure to pick the Ship Defense
abilities early on to compensate for lack of Defense). You won't need a First
Mate.
- Cover Luck with your own skill points, and don't hire a First Mate. (This is
the last choice because it comes at the cost of Melee or Leadership). If
you're going to be a smuggler, this option fits into your plan. Getting caught
smuggling depends on your personal Luck, not on your active officers' Luck.
In addition to saving space on the passenger list, getting Luck covered by
someone besides the First Mate frees an active officer slot; e.g., you only
need a Navigator and Cannoneer when sailing, not a First Mate. You can place
anyone who needs experience in that extra slot while you're sailing and in sea
battles.
4. Cargo and Escort Quests
These quests are important for making money and gaining experience at the same
time.
- Every "active" officer receives experience points when the Quest is completed.
- Choose your active officers carefully when you're about to complete a quest;
pick the ones that are about to level up. It's not unusual for three guys to
level up at once upon completion of a quest early in the game.
Only "Quests" make a lot of money AND gain a lot of experience at the same
time. Sinking ships, boarding ships, fighting Melee battles, and selling goods
gain money or experience, but not a lot of both.
5. Assigning Officers to Active Duty
Active duty officers are those that are in the three slots next to you on the
Passenger display. You must constantly manage who is active to get the biggest
benefit.
- Activate your Cannoneer, Navigator and Lucky guy when sailing the Map.
- Activate your Boatswains when you're closing on a ship to board it.
- Activate your Quartermaster when starting a Cargo or Escort Quest; when
buying or selling cargo when smuggling; or doing "normal" merchant activities.
Also, (very important) activate him when you're buying "personal" items. Note:
you don't need your Quartermaster physically in the room to get the benefit.
All you have to do is get his portrait activated on the Passenger display.
- Most importantly, activate the officers who are about to Level Up when you
complete a Quest of any kind. They are the only ones that will get the
experience.
6. Arming the Boatswains
Boatswains make great use of pistols. They fire at the right time (which is
every chance they get) and seldom get cut up for using them. This can make the
difference in a close battle. Spend the money and watch them work!
You can use the person-to-person Exchange display to give Boatswains new
weapons and health potions. They will only equip the weapon if it's "better"
than the one they have:
- First, give them the new weapon and exit the Exchange screen.
- Then, go back to the Exchange screen to make sure they equipped it (it will
no longer have an arrow in your direction). Grab the weapon they are no longer
using.
Sometimes they have a strange idea of what is, "better." For example:
- If your Boatswain has the much sought after $10,000 Conquistador sword (with
a block of 90) it can be exchanged by giving him the $5,000 Nicholas Sharp
sword, which has a higher attack rating. (You get the Nicholas Sharp sword
through a quest in Douwessen. Look for a guy in the Tavern dressed in green
clothes when you're Bloke or above).
- They don't like the $10,000 Quad Pistol, probably because it doesn't do much
damage with each shot.
7. Ship Selection
Speed and firing range are the keys to success in sea combat.
The fastest ship decides if a battle will take place, and when it will end.
The lowly Lugger is a good example of the type of ship you need to fight
battles and capture other ships. The Galeoth and Schooner are also good
examples, but a little slow. The Brig and Corvette are the ultimate choice.
Arm your ship with Culverines to gain the range advantage. Culverines are only
$2,400 for the Lugger. Also, have your Cannoneer select the "Increased Range"
Ability to further this advantage and improve accuracy (lower trajectory means
more hits).
The beauty of having a fast ship with long-range weapons is that you can fire
at them, and they can't shoot back (poor guys). If you wonder how aggravating
this can be, you'll eventually encounter ships armed with Culverines; and
they'll drive you crazy, and maybe to the bottom.
IMPORTANT: another beautiful thing about extended range is that you can
usually shoot Bombs slightly farther than enemy ships can shoot Cannonballs.
Bombs will dish out the damage quickly, despite the fact that you're using
Culverines.
Other ships to consider:
The Frigate is excellent because:
- it's more powerful than all the ships that are faster
- it's faster than the Battleship, which is the only ship that's more powerful
Therefore, the Frigate's main adversary is another Frigate, of which there are
plenty in the game.
The Battleship is nearly indestructible and lives at the top of the food chain.
Beware of overconfidence, however.
- While enemy Battleships are rare, a group of Corvettes and Frigates are fast
enough to close the distance, and team up to defeat you.
- They are a significant threat from which there is no escape.
8. Sailing on the Map
This is somewhat unrealistic because everything happens so fast. In real life,
sails appeared on the horizon hours before decisions had to be made.
Make sure you have your "Lucky Guy" activated on the Passenger Screen. This
minimizes storms and encounters with enemy ships.
You must give the Map your complete attention to survive:
- Avoid storms by sailing away.
- Avoid unwanted encounters by hitting "A" when the aggressor is out of range
and no "battle icon" (the grapple) is present. When you return to the Map the
aggressor will magically disappear.
- VERY IMPORTANT: when seeking battle, hit "A" when the enemy ship is as far
away as possible, with the battle icon still showing. This will start the
battle with the enemy ships from far, far away. Perfect for Culverines!
- Avoid, at all costs, letting the enemy ship close to minimum distance and
initiate battle themselves. At best, you'll be severely damaged. At worst,
you'll be sunk in less than a minute.
- When possible, try to align your ship so that it is broadside to the enemy
when you hit "A." This sets you up to shoot immediately when the battle
starts, and gives you the option of closing or running away with a 90-degree
turn.
- When possible, wait for daylight to hit the "A" button and go into battle.
This makes everything a bit more obvious and easy to figure out quickly. (This
is a lower priority than the other concerns, listed above).
When you are skilled on the Map, you'll find yourself "doing the dance,"
maneuvering for position at long range, broadside to the enemy in broad
daylight.
One more little trick: when leaving port your ship is frequently pointed the
wrong way, and you may have to have to sail all the way around the island to go
in the desired direction. By then, you may encounter storms or enemy.
Before you hit the Map button:
- Use the "Sail To" function to move to a location that has access to the
direction you want to go.
- Turn your ship to point toward the open sea using time compression.
Now, when you hit the Map icon, you'll be pointing in the right direction and
minimize sailing around the island.
9. Sea Combat
This is where the rubber meets the road. The first 30 seconds are crucial:
- Make a quick, intelligent assessment regarding your survival chances. This
means identifying the number and quality of enemy ships with your spyglass.
- When in doubt, put some distance between you and the enemy. This gives you
more time to make a decision, and allows you to turn more in the direction of
the wind.
- If you decide to run, determine your chances of doing so. No ship is so fast
that it can't be chased by one of the same make and model. So, a Lugger's
greatest enemy may be another Lugger.
- If your escape is not assured, start working on the sails of the fastest
enemy ships with Cannonballs (Knippels are worthless due to their short range,
don't carry them). Shoot slightly above the red target area, into the yellow,
and monitor sail damage with your spyglass.
- If your escape path is dead-on into the wind, remember to "tack." This means
sailing slightly to one side of the wind, then switching to the other side.
The computer-controlled ships don't know how to do this and cannot keep up.
- If you decide to fight, plan the order in which you'll try to sink the ships.
The goal of every sea battle is to come away with a prize, but this is
difficult when other enemy ships are shooting at you, and your damaged prize.
Figure out which ships you want to sink, and which ones you'll attempt to board
when they're gone.
- Be sure to check the number of crew on each ship, this may affect your prize
selection.
- Once the desired outcome is determined, work on the sails of the ship(s) you
want to capture, this will make them lag the pack of enemies and make them
easier to capture at the end.
Most importantly, get into a rhythm for shooting volleys. If you get
distracted and fire slowly, the "Cannons" rating of your Cannoneer might as
well be 1:
- Shortly before reloading is completed, take a look at the target ship through
your spyglass to center the aiming cursor.
- Unzoom your spyglass and raise the cursor straight up to aim it in the red
zone, or slightly into the yellow if you're going for sails (no left or right
adjustments because of ship motion). Look for the green target reload
indicator and fire the volley as soon as it lights up.
- Zoom in your spyglass immediately after hitting the fire button to watch the
fall of your shot, and to determine whether they are long or short. Adjust
your next shot accordingly, moving the aim point up or down within the red zone.
Always maneuver to minimize your own damage. If an enemy succeeds in closing
the range, anticipate his turn to broadside by watching his sails (They'll move
to "half way" when he starts his turn). Turn away and increase the distance to
make his shot more difficult, and to restore your range advantage.
Don't trade broadsides unless you:
- Can't increase the distance
- Enjoy paying for damage
- Have a death wish
When fighting in close (god help you), try to cross their "T." Position your
broadside to face their stern or bow. Adjust your speed to hold this position
as long as possible as the enemy ship turns. (And be sure to use bombs.)
Above all, beware of sharp-shooting pirates with Culverines. Some Cannoneers
have an Accuracy of 10 and they'll make your life miserable and short. Put the
pedal to the metal and increase the range. (That's why "Ship Defense"
abilities are more important than sailing skills for the Navigator, with the
exception of "Increased Speed")
10. Capturing Ships
If you want to live a long life you will not attempt to board another ship
that's aggressively attacking you. It's a rare occasion that your ship will
stay afloat long enough to throw the grapples.
The conventional method of capturing a ship is to beat them senseless until
they go into "flee mode." The program constantly evaluates this decision for
the enemy ships, and if they decide their situation is hopeless, they'll all
turn and run. This program calculation is based on the strength of ALL the
enemy ships' compared to yours - they'll either all fight, or all run.
Two enemy ships will usually not "flee" if you're alone, unless your single
ship is much more powerful than both of them combined. They'll charge you
until one is sunk, then the remaining ship will fight until its strength is
much less than yours.
So, sink them patiently from a distance, and then damage the last ship until it
"flees." Once it starts running, it will only turn to keep the stern guns
pointing at you, if they can. If it's doing this effectively, damage the
sails, but try not to damage the hull:
- It will soon be your ship, and you'll have to pay for the damage.
- The hull has to remain intact to withstand the grapeshot you're about to
deliver.
Once the enemy ships sails are sufficiently damaged, it can no longer turn to
keep the stern guns pointing at you. Then, they'll sail along in a straight
line. Now, is your chance to close:
- VERY IMPORTANT: sail toward the prize through the "no-fire" gap between
their broadside cannons and their stern cannons.
- Press "X" to compress time, but be ready to turn off time compression when
you get close, or if he makes an unexpected turn.
- As you close, continue to position your ship in the no-fire zone, slightly
astern and off to one side or the other. Arm with grapeshot.
IMPORTANT: be sure not to get close enough for boarding. Nothing is more
embarrassing than to sink a few enemy ships, cripple the last one, run it down,
and then have them board you when you get there. You can minimize this
possibility by having the maximum number of crew on board. But even then, you
may be vastly outnumbered. So, stay clear of boarding range until you've
reduced his crew with grapeshot.
When you are as close as you dare, and are in position astern to one side:
- Slow down with "half sails"
- Make a sharp 45-degree turn away from the enemy ship to point your broadside
at the center of his ship.
- Aim toward the top end of the red zone. You're trying to hit the hull,
however, not the sails.
- Fire salvo after salvo until their crew is less than 10. This will insure
that you only have to fight one person when you get on board.
- VERY IMPORTANT: adjust your speed frequently (even to zero) during this
close-in maneuver to avoid leaving the "no-fire zone." Your ship may be
damaged when you start; blundering into his broadside can ruin your day.
As you sail away to the side at a 45-degree angle, the enemy ship will continue
to move ahead, and be unable to fire any cannons at you. The range will slowly
increase, so adjust your aim point higher and higher (aiming above his sails to
hit his hull is pretty common). If you can't reduce the crew enough before he
gets out of range of grapeshot, turn back toward him and close the range again.
Repeat as often as necessary to reduce the crew to a manageable number.
Keep your eye on his hull strength as you fire the grapeshot. Grapeshot only
does one-fifth the damage of cannonballs, but you're hitting him often with
full broadsides, so significant damage still occurs.
- If his hull strength gets below 10%, he is in danger of sinking, even if you
don't fire another shot. (I've captured heavily damaged ships and sailed them
back to port, just to have them sink in the harbor).
- If the hull strength gets to 10%, it's decision time. Do you board it
anyway, and risk your life and those of your Boatswains, or sink it with bombs
and call it a day? The choice is yours.
In a perfect world, his sails are damaged but his hull is healthy and you're
ready to board and fight his one (1) remaining crewmember, the Captain. Now
all you have to remember is to adjust your Passenger list before you select the
grapple symbol.
11. Boarding & Land Combat
Boarding fights and Land fights are two very different combat environments.
Land combat:
This is relatively easy, and a good place for your Boatswains to team up and
murder everyone in seconds.
- When in open terrain, position yourself at the end of your "line" so you
don't block your own officers' field of fire and access to the enemy.
- Expect a volley of pistol shots from your officers as the enemy closes. You
should fire your pistol as well.
IMPORTANT: don't fire your pistol at close range if the enemy is approaching
you; you'll be sliced up before you can get your sword out. You can shoot at
close range if the enemy is fighting someone else.
IMPORTANT: remember to use take your health potions if you get hurt. You can
do this while you're blocking by hitting the "Y" key, then "A," "A."
Boarding actions pit you and your officers (or crewmembers) against the
toughest swordfighters in the game. An enemy Captain can penetrate your
"trusty" blocking ability. And when he hits, he hits hard, taking a minimum of
half your life with each stroke, and frequently, all of it.
Approach boarding actions with caution until you and your Boatswains have the
"Professional Fencing" Ability. And look for the "Conquistador" sword which
has a block rating of 90. (You can get this sword by exchanging the Nicholas
Sharp sword, as described above)
Boarding Action:
This is a "set-piece" battle where everyone always starts in certain positions:
- The Officer you place in the upper right-hand corner of the Passenger screen
(in the active section) will be on the same ship as you, and fight the enemy
first officer who stands next to the enemy Captain.
- The other officers will start on the other ship, and come over the ramps to
help if they win their battles, or have no one to fight.
- If you win your battles quickly, you can run over the ramp to help in the
fights on the other ship. So, don't assume the battle is over simply because
your ship is clear of enemies.
In boarding battles where 3 or more enemy officers are present, the winner of
the fights on the other ship can come in behind you. Be aware of this and
place your second best melee fighter in the bottom left position on the
Passenger screen. He will start on the other ship and be guarding the ramp
behind you.
VERY IMPORTANT: do not, repeat, do not put your non-professional fencer
Boatswains into a boarding action unless you have reduced the crew to less than
10:
- Less than 10 enemy crew means you'll have to fight only the Captain. You and
your Boatswains can surround and kill him quickly.
- More than 10 enemy crew means you'll have to fight multiple defenders. Your
non-professional Boatswains that are matched up against enemy officers are
likely to die because their blocking skill is poor. (So much for recruiting.)
If you are a Professional Fencer, and your Boatswains are not, it is better to
take on multiple defenders by removing all of your officers on the Passenger
screen before you Board. You'll get three crewmembers to help you and you can
probably win though sheer numbers and your ability.
If you and your Boatswains are not professional fencers, and you take on
multiple enemies in a boarding action, you have a death wish. Forget about
boarding; just sink the ship and call it a day.
In situations where there are multiple enemies in a boarding action, it can be
effective to:
- Immediately turn around and run away from the enemy captain when the battle
begins
- Make a left turn around the mast to support your first officer in his battle.
- The enemy captain will usually follow you slowly, and will be out of the
fight for a few crucial seconds.
- You can then help your first officer in his fight by firing your pistol at
his opponent.
- Then you and your first officer can team up on the remaining enemy.
12. Managing Additional Ships
While having additional ships sounds great, you have to work to make them
effective:
- Each additional ship MUST have a Cannoneer and Navigator. (They don't need
anyone else.)
Cannoneers and Navigators assigned to other ships must have 9 or 10 Skill
points to perform reliably. In fact, they become safe only because they're so
deadly.
- Highly skilled computer-controlled ships can sink comparable enemies in two
or three broadsides.
- If you are short on skill level, your additional ships become a liability.
You frequently have to order them to "Sail Away." That may work for hauling
cargo, but it stinks as a partner in combat.
Use your ship as a "spawning ground" for developing elite Navigators and
Cannoneers. Then transfer the best ones to your added ships and fill the
vacancies on your ship with rookie Level 1 officers. They'll climb steadily in
experience.
A big advantage of multiple ships is that the enemy goes into, "flee mode" a
lot sooner - they consider the situation hopeless. If you have a Battleship,
Frigate and Corvette, the enemy will frequently turn tail as soon as the battle
starts! You can then send your Frigate and Corvette after the fastest ships to
sink them. Then order them to "Sail Away" to collect your prize with the
Battleship.
You can use the "Defend" order to make your ships follow you, or one another.
It doesn't always work, but it's worth a try. You end up in a "Line Ahead"
formation, which is quite effective.
You can put your ships in a different order, e.g., put your faster ships in
front so they don't fall out of formation when they approach the back of a
slower ship. Do this by sailing next to them and use "Swap Ship" function.
Multiple ships allow you to haul more cargo and make more money. Having a
Fleut or Pinnace can serve as a "stepping stone" to purchasing a Corvette,
Frigate or Battleship. Don't use Galleons and Caravels; they're dangerously
slow.
How many ships should you own?
While having four ships is impressive, you can't capture new ships because four
is the max you can own.
Having two additional ships is workable, but they tend to interfere with each
other. You frequently have to order one to "Heave To Drift" to let the other
one get clear. This becomes hard to manage in a tough fight.
Consider having one additional ship:
- This leaves room for you to capture two ships if the opportunity arises
- One additional ship is easy to manage/give orders to.
You can take the most powerful ship, to preserve your life. Make the other
ship a fast one, e.g., a Brig or Corvette is best. With high skill levels, a
Brig, Corvette of Frigate can do amazing things. In fact, you frequently have
to make it "Sail Away" so they don't sink all your prizes.
13. Repairing, Buying and Selling Ships
Repairs: Big ships can be very expensive to repair when heavily damaged.
Repair bills for multiple big ships can be $50,000 gold or more. Small ship
damage can also be inconvenient, especially early in the game when you don't
have a lot of money.
If you don't have the money to make a complete repair, it may be better to
repair the hull and sails to 80%, and repair the rest by buying sailcloth and
planks. However, the space used to carry your repair materials cannot be used
to carry cargo on quests, and puts you out of business for a while.
The general rule is to repair all the damage at the shipyard, and keep your
cargo space at max to make the money back by doing Cargo Quests.
Buying and Selling Ships: you can only add ships to your fleet by capturing
them. You cannot "buy a new ship," you only buy one to replace one you already
have. So, it's an upgrade, not a new purchase.
Keep in mind that when you sell a ship, you only get half the price of what a
new one costs, less the damage. So, when you upgrade, try to make big jumps in
ship capability to minimize the number of purchases and the associated loss of
revenue. The glory scenario is to go from the Lugger to a Schooner to a
Corvette to a Battleship. This eliminates the Galeoth, Brig and Frigate as
"intermediate" purchases, and the associated loss of 128,000 gold (13,500 +
40,000 + 75,000).
It doesn't make sense to repair the damage to a ship before selling it. The
shipyard discounts the repair cost to what you could do on your own with
sailcloth and planks. So just bring it in as junk and take the price they give
you.
Be aware that every ship you buy starts with 12-pound cannons. Upgrading the
armament is necessary to do as soon as possible.
Keep in mind that the full price of your cannons and culverines is always
returned to you if you upgrade to bigger guns or sell the ship (it's included
in the sell price). So, you can continually upgrade your armament without
losing any money. This is handy when you buy a big ship with a high upgrade
cost for cannons and culverines. For example; seventy 24-pound Culverines (for
a Battleship) costs 70,000 gold. Buy the ship and arm it with 12-pound
Culverines first, then upgrade to 16 and 24-pound when you make more money.
You don't lose a dime.
Selling Prize Ships:
When you return to port with a prize ship that you're not going to keep or
upgrade, you need to do a few things before you sell it.
First, sail over to it and initiate the ship-to-ship Exchange process:
- Remove the crew
- Remove any officers in addition to the Captain
- Do NOT remove the Captain, the ship will sink when you exit the Exchange
screen.
- Remove any contraband cargo. (BTW - success in smuggling depends on your
personal Luck skill, not the luck of active officers. If you want to smuggle
for a living and not get caught doing it very often, you need a luck of 9 or
10.)
Exit the Exchange screen, go to the Store and sell all the cargo, including the
ammunition.
When you sell the ship the Captain you assigned will be returned to your ship's
Passenger list. Make sure there is room for him!
