User manual GAMES PC SID MEIER S-PIRATES!-ERAS AND POINTS OF CALL

[. . . ] It also requires something not so obvious: a strong and loyal crew. Without them, you might as well just be floating around on a plank of driftwood for all the good it'll do ye. Keeping a crew happy and loyally serving your purposes is a matter of feeding their morale. This chapter will explain everything about riding the Caribbean waves and becoming a leader of strong, salty men who say "Yar!" Seafaring Running a tight ship is one of the keys to a productive pirating career, and the key to that elusive skill is knowing how ships function. USING THE WIND Ships of the time were, of course, driven by the wind. [. . . ] See chapter 2 for a list of the ships given for each start date and nationality. TIP Ships can be renamed in the Fleet Status screen. The only way to get a new ship is to win it in combat and make it your new flagship. 56 Ships, Upgrades, and Specialists Ships cannot (except in one situation) be bought; they must be won. If you wish to upgrade, you're going to have to do it at someone else's expense. NOTE The shipwright will only offer a ship for sale if you sell all your warships. The sale is completely out of pity, so you'll get only a lowly sloop. NOTE The best ships for plundering are won, not surprisingly, from the nine named pirates. Ship Economics The expenses involved with running a ship are: Food: The more crew your ship needs, the more expensive the ship will be to own. A smaller crew can go farther on the same amount of food as a large one. Having a cooper on board will reduce this cost. Repairs: Upgrades and repairs are more expensive for larger vessels, but they are a necessary cost of doing business. Higher ranks discount and eventually eliminate the costs of repair in ports held by the nationality that bestowed the rank. Upgrades: To acquire an upgrade, a ship must either come with it or you'll have to pay to add it. Try to target upgraded ships to save yourself some gold. 57 primagames. com Ship Directory Every kind of ship is unique in its combination of attributes: Size: The physical size of the craft. Turning Radius: The ship's ability to turn over short distances. Can be tightened by purchasing the Copper Plating upgrade. Classification: The customary use for the ship. Typically, warships have less cargo space, have more gun ports, and are faster than merchant ships. Minimum Crew: Crew needed to run the ship at full speed and reload guns effectively (though not optimally). Maximum Crew: The maximum number of crew the ship can hold. Can be increased with application of the Triple Hammocks upgrade. Maximum Cannon: The maximum number of cannons the ship can hold. Maximum Cargo: The maximum tonnage of cargo the ship can hold. This figure must include the weight of food and cannons. [. . . ] 72 OF BATTLEFIELDS, BALLROOMS, AND BACK ALLEYS: SPECIAL MODES . 219 3 primagames. com The Prima Games logo is a registered trademark of Random House, Inc. , registered in the United States and other countries. Primagames. com is a registered trademark of Random House, Inc. , registered in the United States. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system without written permission from Prima Games. [. . . ]