Port royale 3 secrets. Port royale guides and walkthroughs. Ships in the game

Once upon a time, German economic strategies were popular, and they had a large number of fans. However, this genre has slowly become too niche, few new games are being released, some of the strategies have become MMOs, and there are almost no really high-quality single-player projects left.

Company Ascaron was one of the largest developers of these strategies, but the crisis did not spare them. However, the publisher Kalypso Media managed to pick up almost all the main developers and continue to release games in this genre. Came out first Patrician IV, which was quite a thoughtful and interesting project. The main emphasis in the game was placed on trade, battles were given much less importance. However, the fans were satisfied and now we have the continuation of another cult series. Port Royale 3 .

Learn Economics

Frankly, all games Ascaron Entertainment or current Gaming Minds Studios pretty similar in concept. The main thing that a player needs is to successfully speculate. Moreover, by playing these games, you can learn the basics of economics, and the idea often slips that it will be much easier for modern schoolchildren or students to understand the basis of this science after the games from these developers. Everything is done visually - you buy a product where it is cheaper and then you sell it at a higher price. So you can understand how many current millionaires earned their money. However, if in previous games of the series and the same Patrician IV it was necessary to monitor the situation in the cities, plan routes, but now everything is much easier.

So it turns out that now everything has become much easier for fans of these strategies, and the game itself is much more friendly to beginners. You can just build a lot of routes that will make a profit. Actually, more routes - more profit. Yes, sometimes pirates can attack our ships, but they won't be a big problem. We'll talk about battles later, but the developers didn't pay too much attention to them.

The second way to enrich will be the construction of buildings. Everything is simple here - you need to earn a reputation, buy a license and that's it. Next, you just need to monitor the supply of raw materials and bring workers, and then you can hire a manager and the buildings will bring a lot of income. And again, everything is done quite simply. Even with a shortage of raw materials, the buildings will be profitable, and the population will be satisfied, because it works for you. And you will not see any strikes, discontent of workers. You don’t even need to keep track of your salary - everything is automated.

You can also complete various assignments of governors to earn reputation in the country and city, as well as money. Moreover, if you do not complete the back ones, then the reputation will not decrease, soon you will be given another chance. And the reputation of the country and the city can help you in obtaining licenses for construction, as well as the opportunity to become the governor of the city.

All this looks interesting, but it is boring to play. Too many features are lost, you can easily trade, build buildings and become rich. There will be practically no one to stop you - countries rarely attack merchants, and pirates can pick up cargo and sometimes destroy a convoy.

About fights

Actually, we have come to another important component - the battles. On the one hand, now you can control not just one ship, as before, but the whole fleet, on the other hand, ship management is not very convenient, there are no duels, and many battles are won simply due to the strength or weakness of the fleet. There are no tactical tricks here, and quite often it is easier to make the automatic mode for completing the battle. Victory depends on how many guns and sailors you have. The latter can be easily taken in any city with a high reputation, and guns are bought for money.

About campaigns

All this will be taught to you in trading and adventure companies, which are not very different from each other. You will be given tasks, in parallel to teach the basics of the game. Only now there was a problem - newcomers are not explained some aspects of the game, which were, for example, in Patrician IV. There is no explanation in training about supply and demand. Moreover, it is not shown that it is necessary to monitor the amount of goods in the warehouse, which are indicated by lines. There are four strips and the more of them are filled - the more goods and vice versa. Also, it must be taken into account that sometimes the price difference between the previous unit of goods and the next one differs several times. However, all these aspects can be easily understood during the game.

Campaigns do not manage to attract players much, in the same Port Royale 2 there were different political situations and different goals for the player. And now everything is simple - two companies, where the emphasis is on trade, and in the other, attention is paid to battles. There is even a small plot that is tied to a small affair, it's a pity that almost no one was involved in the script, so the story looks rather sluggish. But you could come up with a few more short scenarios, set a time limit and different goals - this would diversify the game.

Technically, the game has become better than its predecessor, but the battles could look cooler. And so - pretty standard graphics, however, for such strategies it's good. With melodies, the developers also did not really try - I would like to hear more pirate romance, some kind of bass in battles, so that there is a desire to destroy the enemy. But everything is in order with the atmosphere - at first you feel like a simple messenger for happiness, and then a rich merchant, with whom other countries must reckon.

But what upset - various bugs and crashes. Often when leaving the city Port Royale 3 hangs and you have to re-enter the game. There is also a problem with becoming the governor of the city - you have completed all the tasks, but you are not appointed. Well, another comical situation. Those who have played previous games in the series or the same Patrician IV from the beginning of the game they will try to build more trade routes in order to get money. However, the game will explain to you later how to do this and offer you to create the first trade route much later, when you have done it repeatedly.

In addition to campaigns, there are free play where you set your own goals. You can also try multiplayer, but there are very few players there and it will be difficult to find an opponent.

***

Port Royale 3 came out pretty ambiguous. The game will appeal to beginners who have not yet played economic strategies. But for ardent fans or veterans of this genre, simplicity will kill the buzz from the process. Instead of coming up with interesting routes, cunning and insidious diplomacy, everything is automated here. Campaigns are also few, and the AI ​​is much to be desired. And yet, good graphics, a variety of battles can also attract veterans, who, after familiarization, will continue to play with nostalgia.

Lucky, and then we will open these lands in ourselves,

And we'll go ashore, and we'll stay there forever!

V.V. Vysotsky

What Port Royale , you ask? Take the trouble to imagine the "Corsairs" who took and returned from the 3D "scattering" to the intelligible isometric ancestral home. Here a natural question arises - why? Well, let's answer. So that it would be more convenient for developers to merge "Corsairs" with Anno 1503 The New World, which, as we know, is isometric, and clearly cannot be converted to 3D format.

In other words, we can now not only roam "across the seas, over the waves", entering ports-settlements according to our needs, but also take an active part in the life of the latter, be respected citizens "on land" - owners of manufactories or other property, and the one who is lucky can break out into governors and lead the whole colony to his heart's content.

In this guide you will find:

* Description of the geography of the game (its setting is the Caribbean region "in full" - from Venezuela to Florida).

* Information about nations and settlements in the game.

* Analysis of the "anatomy" and "physiology" of each individual settlement.

* General information about the character and his abilities.

* Trade description.

* Description of production.

* Description of battles.

* Information about the main types of ships.

Geographic base

To carry out all the trade and production manipulations required by the status, to fight, and also to rebuild, the player now has to do not "in a certain kingdom, in a certain archipelago", but on a completely geographically reliable map of the Caribbean region, the map is quite detailed and quite well executed in graphic terms. Now about what I specifically mean by the somewhat vague phrase "Caribbean region". Greater Antilles (Cuba, Haiti, Jamaica, Puerto Rico), Lesser Antilles and Bahamas, and, of course, the coast of the American continent from Florida to Venezuela. On this occasion, Sabatini lovers will be pleased with the city of Maracaibo, exactly in Venezuela and located, so that if desired (and the correct line of conduct), everyone will now be able to repeat the "golden campaign" of Captain Blood. But keep in mind that the narrow exit from the Gulf of Maracaiba is by no means expanded by the developers - it is exactly the same barely passable neck, where angry dons can easily catch you...

Nations and settlements

This map is not only physical, but also (using the standard classification) political and economic. Because it is overburdened with signs of an intrusive human presence - from cities-settlements to ships of various sizes scurrying between them, equipped with appropriate banners. Not without flags, in fact, the city. As it is quite easy to guess, the type of flag marks the belonging of a given settlement (or vessel) to one or another national-political community, colloquially referred to as a "state". There are four of them in the game: England, Holland, France, Spain. On the seas, in principle, ships are also moving "under the sign" of the "Jolly Roger", that is, pirates, but in their own settlements "gentlemen of fortune" are denied.

Nations exist in the game not for beauty and entourage. They really live, declare wars, reconcile, conclude trade agreements. Which directly affects your personal destiny. So, if you are an Englishman, don't expect to be liked in the Spanish colonies. And during the war, any Spanish captain will consider it his patriotic duty to attack you. So even if you decide not to get into politics and adventures, but just trade peacefully, still follow the actions of the authorities. Wherever you at this moment no matter where you are - in the city or on the high seas - at your service is the "Chronicle", a scroll in a circle located in the upper left corner of the screen, next to the current date. Click on the image - and check out the current international situation.

Note that you can choose not only the nation, but also the start date of your career. There are four of them - starting dates.

1570. Spain is at the height of its power. Two-thirds of the settlements on the map belong to her. So citizens of other countries have a hard time at this time.

1600 year. France acquired a dozen settlements in the region, and, in alliance with England, entered the struggle for predominance in the Caribbean.

1630. England is expanding its possessions - acquiring new cities without losing those already captured.

1660. Spain lost half of its colonies. The region has become a paradise for corsairs and adventurers of all stripes.

Each settlement is represented on the map by an icon-image, provided with the name and the above-mentioned symbol of nationality. But not only. Next to the "basic" designations, there are necessarily additional ones. If you take a closer look, you will successfully recognize in them the emblem of one or another product, in which the settlement especially needs at the moment. So - hurry up, enterprising merchants, hurry up to deliver what you need first, because the benefit in this case will be very great for you. However, we will talk about the intricacies of the trading craft in detail in a section specially designated for this. In addition to trademarks, a square with a number can also be found next to the settlement icon. But this is only if your ships are currently in the harbor of the city. And the number indicates their number. There is an icon that speaks of an excess or, conversely, a lack of inhabitants. If you see a crossed-out plate next to a settlement, it means that the city is on the verge of starvation. And if somewhere, God forbid, you find a red cross, postpone your visit to this colony: an epidemic is raging there. A completely different thing is a square with a pickaxe and a bar of yellow metal: if you are not a citizen of this city or cannot open your own production there, cry without being embarrassed by those around you. For gold mines were discovered in the vicinity of the settlement, but alas! Don't go to this source...

If you click on the settlement icon, where your ships are not currently, left mouse button, then you will have an interesting reference "board" containing a lot of useful data. So, from it you will get information about the name and surname of the governor (isn't it absolutely necessary information?), the number of residents, the attitude of the residents towards you. And also about the production "capacity" of the settlement (what goods the city myself produces in abundance or even in excess), and even about how much of a particular resource a given human anthill consumes daily. And if you are going to capture this city for one reason or another, you will be more interested in information about the composition of the garrison and the cannon equipment of the fort.

City "from the inside"

Starting the game, the first thing you see is not the general map, but your hometown from a bird's eye view. You can find yourself "inside" another city from the general map mode by clicking on its icon with the left mouse button, if your ships are in its harbor.

All cities, in general, are similar to each other, at least the cities of the same nation. But, no matter under whose jurisdiction the settlement is, there will in any case be a fort-fortress with located inside it standard buildings. Standard - that is, their list and functions are the same for all nations, only the appearance(of course, a Dutch Lutheran church cannot look like a Spanish Catholic church). Outside the fortress are manufactories and residential buildings. The latter can be more or less luxurious, depending on how rich people live in them. Of course, huts and palaces can coexist, i.e. the city is not filled with the same houses according to the "average rating" of prosperity. By the way, buildings of civil architecture, like municipal buildings, differ in the national style of decoration, but manufactories do not.

In this section, we will deal with standard, that is, municipal, buildings, since the game is largely based on them, and they are the same everywhere, i.e. their presence or absence does not depend on the personal whim of the player or the commercial interests of other residents of the settlement. We will list and describe the manufactories in detail in the section on production and construction.

City Hall. She, concurrently, the residence of the governor / vice-governor. The governor lives in the main settlement of a state in the region (it is also the player's "starting city"). In all other cases, if you please, deal with the vice-governors. However, they do not differ too much - both in terms of their role in the career of the protagonist, and ... in terms of characters.

Entering the town hall (as in all other buildings, not only municipal ones) is very simple - by clicking on the image of the building. It is not written anywhere that this is the town hall, but do not be afraid - you are unlikely to confuse it with a church, a market or a tavern. Having "knocked", you find yourself in front of a window, to the left edge of which planks with inscriptions are "pinned" (as in all other municipal buildings). Planks - six: "Governor", "General", "Architect", "Treasurer", "List of Pirates", "Close". With the latter - everything is clear, and everything else requires explanation. By the way, you find yourself in the building through Personal Area governor - whether you like it or not, the building will "open" for you on the activated bar "Governor". He will either offer you to purchase a patent for the extermination of pirates and representatives of hostile nations, or offer to perform this or that mission, or say that nothing nothing new and this is the most common. If you are at an audience with the higher authorities of another settlement, if the attitude towards you in the city is good, he may offer you to purchase a "residence permit".

The general - the head of the local garrison - will sternly ask you if you are ready to invest in the defense of your native (or friendly) city, i.e. to subsidize the purchase of extra guns or the hiring of a dozen or two soldiers. If you agree, the attitude towards you in the city will improve dramatically.

A visit to the architect makes sense if it is the architect of another settlement, because. its only function is to sell you a permit to build buildings in the city, and in your home settlement you have it in advance, and for free. The treasurer will lend you money at a completely unthinkable percentage, sometimes a quarter of the borrowed amount. Check out the list of pirates - because they are not just pirates, not corsairs-in-themselves, but subjects for the destruction of which the city agrees to pay good money at times.

City temple. Here you can, of course, pray, then for a certain amount ask for the blessing of heaven on your (or any - at your choice) ships, or donate money for temple decoration. Reputation, gentlemen, reputation... And a bit of luck in difficult situations.

Shipyard. Well, what do they do at the shipyard? That's right, they sell and buy ships. They are still being repaired. The most interesting thing here is the ability to change the name of your vessel. I highly recommend sailing the seas on a ship with the name of your beloved girl (an option for girls is a young man). This adds pathos to the game, and if you are a pirate, it's generally piquant.

City warehouse. This is where you buy and sell goods. In connection with the warehouse, there are a lot of subtleties, but about them - in the "trading" section.

Tavern. Here you can hire a captain for your second (third, fourth ...) ship, if you have one, and also play plenty of dice. Sometimes in the tavern you can stumble upon a pirate who will ask you to use your ship, promising a third of the proceeds in return. Agree or refuse depending on the mood and the state of the financial account.

Market. In the market you can order - at your own expense, of course - a holiday for all residents of the city. In the early stages of the game, doing this, of course, is not recommended.

Well. By clicking on it, you will get the same help panel that is usually opened from the general map mode. The well is needed, because it is impossible to open this panel for your city "from the outside", from the map - clicking on the icon of your city will only lead to the fact that you will find yourself "inside".

It is impossible to ignore the elements of the "intracity" interface. On top of the mini-map, which is hard to miss, there are five picture circles. Click on the leftmost circle - and in front of you, in all the boundless expanse, the distances of the common map will open. A similar action with the adjacent picture - the one with a hammer - "activates" the construction interface. Using the middle button, you can go from the mini-map of the city to region mini map, staying in the city. The next one will give you a list of all your ships. And using the latter, that is, the extreme right, you can jump into the next day if you do not want to wait until this event occurs in a natural mode.

A little to the left there are two more round buttons, on one of which, the left one, depicts an anchor, and on the other a steering wheel. By clicking on the anchor button, you will receive a list of ships awaiting your orders, that is, free at the moment from any useful work. Pressing the button with the steering wheel, on the contrary, will provide you with a list of ships that are "in business".

Well, of course, there is a branded "sign" with the name of the city, the number of inhabitants and the index of prosperity.

The fate of man

Still main character the game was somewhat reminiscent of the famous Gogol Inspector General - all the talk was about him and around him, but where, in fact, is he himself? Now, when the game world is rough described, when the stage is ready, it would be nice to finally have a hero appear on it.

Attention, start!

As mentioned above, you can choose the time of your "incarnation" and the nationality of your in-game alter ego. But not only. While continuing to use the theatrical metaphor, you may also prefer one role or another. Which fate do you prefer - a merchant or a pirate?

The difference between them is not so great. Just a merchant increasing the indicator reputation and an experience through successful trade deals, and the pirate - by winning naval battles. Both of them can also choose a fundamental personality trait from the following list - enterprise, charm, accuracy. The latter, of course, can be attributed to personal qualities with a big stretch, it is rather a physical advantage, well, let's not find fault. So. An enterprising subject earns 5% more for his goods if he trades himself, and not in the automatic mode of the trading route. A charming character's reputation grows by the same 5% faster, but a comrade with increased vigilance will aim more efficiently in battle... well, who can guess it faster?... of course, by 5%. This is the magic number. That is, it is clear that he will not aim, but the guns of his ship.

And the last - start-up capital. You can start the game with a large amount of gold (30,000 pesos) and a small ship - pinasse (8 guns - its fire "ceiling"), you can, on the contrary, get at your disposal a 16-gun brig, arguing that gold (it stands out in this variant only 12,000) in this situation, it will be easy to loot, or you can, without rushing to extremes, calmly take possession of a 14-gun sloop, knowing that 20,000 gold lie in the "stash" for yourself.

Yes, not to forget - you always "incarnate" in the main city of your nation in the region, in the city-residence of the governor.

Personal file no...

For everyone who dares to decorate the restless Caribbean region with his presence, or, more simply, to enter the game, a personal file is immediately opened, modestly called a "magazine". However, only you can get acquainted with it yourself, so do not be alarmed. You can open the magazine by clicking on the circle with the image of the chest to the right of the date. By the way, on the other side of the journal button, your current cash is displayed. There are a lot of headings in the magazine, which we are just going to familiarize ourselves with.

News. Here you will store all kinds of personal information - letters from higher authorities, IOUs, notes on the purchase and sale of real estate and other business stuff.

Missions. If you manage to prove yourself brilliantly in your chosen field, city governors of all stripes will be imbued with confidence in you and will issue you instructions from time to time. The rubric exists in case you accidentally forgot in the hustle and bustle what, in fact, you were entrusted with.

Review. Looking here, you will find out without much hassle how many ships, buildings and manufactories you have, and in which cities all this splendor is located. Especially true for ships - you know, they have the ability to constantly move.

Production. It's simple - here you can find information about how much you currently have ready for the sale of goods produced by your enterprises.

Balance. Banal accounting page. Income, expenditure, of which the cost of wages, maintenance of buildings, repairs, and so on. Whether you like it or not, you will have to love this section of the magazine very much. At least keep it open.

trade routes. Sooner or later you will have a lot of ships. And personally to drive them from harbor to harbor you will not only be lazy, but simply have no time. You will have to assign them automatic trade routes. Well, in this section you will simply keep a list of them.

Personal. The most personal rubric of personal affairs. Here you can always find out how cities and nations treat you, whether you have a wife, and if so, what is her name. There is some very useful information here.

Nations. It is not clear what the information about the demographic dynamics of the region has to do with you personally. However, very detailed charts (by nation) can be found on this personal file page.

Cards. One day a solemn day will come, and the governor will quietly hand you, as a special trustee, a card with which you can find pirate treasure. Well, so - the manuscript will be pasted right here.

Sailing as an extreme sport

Learning how to properly (and most importantly, quickly) manage your sailing transport is not an easy task. Since this will have to cope with a very non-trivial interface. First, the ship must be found in the harbor (on the mini-map of the city, it is shown as a blue dot). Find. Since in the harbor, as a rule, there are a lot of ships - some sail, others sail - the inscription above the ship will help to distinguish yours among them. The inscription is simply your name. Once the property is identified, click on it. A blue arrow will appear above the ship, pointing with its tip somewhere in the middle of the deck. And something else will appear in the lower right quarter of the screen, which we will study with you.

There are two windows in front of you. The top one is full of all kinds of images: barrels, knots, skulls - and numbers. The bottom one contains only the silhouette of your ship in a beautiful frame with rounded corners. The frame also has a green vertical bar. This is the "health" of your ship.

Let's go to the top window. The symbol of an empty barrel on its right side is, of course, an indicator of the fullness of the hold. Now it is empty and the barrel is transparent. If you buy at least a little of the goods and unload it into the hold, the barrel will begin to fill with liquid, for some reason red.

At the top, next to the blue square, is the name of the captain - now this is your name. At the small anchor is the name of the colony in whose harbor the ship is currently moored. The number next to the node is the current speed (now it is zero). Next to the image of the guns is also zero: the guns still need to be bought. The minimum required number of sailors on your ship at the beginning of the game is always there, so the number next to the sailor figure is non-zero. Dagger icon - stocks of edged weapons. Also zero, you also have to buy.

In short, this panel gives you information about the actual state of your ship at the moment. And now click on the silhouette in the lower window, yes, yes, on the same frame. Again, look at the top table. Isn't it true that the picture has changed dramatically? Now you can find out the maximum speed of your boat and its standard displacement. A new click on the lower window will return the upper one to its original form.

On the top panel there are five more button pictures, and they always stay there, regardless of the "window" mode. In order, from left to right... A picture with a barrel (how many barrels are there!) - go to the hold, see how much and what kind of goods are there. Picture with an anchor - a list of ships. Do not forget that you can get the same list by pressing one of the buttons above the mini-map, I already wrote about this. The picture with the eye is another reference board regarding the actual number of weapons on your ship and the crew's consumption of your funds. A picture with a steering wheel - opens the interface for assigning trade routes, detailed description which is impossible due to the limited volume of the journal. And finally, a picture with a cannon - in the menu that opens, you can determine in advance which nation's ships should be "run into" in the first place.

With panels and buttons, like, figured out, then it will be easier. By the way, it doesn't hurt to get a weapon. Yes, and when buying a new ship, you buy it empty, without a team, and without it the ship will not leave the harbor. So - everything is in stock! At dedicated ship click on the building city ​​warehouse. A lot of tabs will open, we are now interested in one - "Equipment". Looking around, shopping. They won't sell you more guns than the status of your ship, take the rest in any quantity, at least everything, if you have enough money and displacement. To repair (and ships in the game "wear out" even without battles, just during raids), sell-buy a ship, change its name - with the ship selected, click on the shipyard building. Repair, depending on the severity of the damage received, can take several days.

Hiring a captain for a freshly acquired ship is required in a tavern. Be careful - the hiring panel always indicates which ship should lead new captain, do not forget to switch between ships, otherwise you will retire the old, experienced one. However, you can immediately hire him again, but why do we need extra trouble? Although ... My advice to you - if the ship you bought is better than the previous one, transfer your "sea wolf" there (for reference - captains gain experience in trade, maneuverability and accuracy). And let the newcomer command the old "vessel".

It is impossible to see how your ship (ships) move on the harbor roadstead, you can only admire how strangers do it. Select all your ships (with the Control key pressed, if there is only one ship, the key is not needed) and go to the map of the region. Don't forget to also click on the square with the number next to the icon of the city where your ships are located, and which you just (at least visually) left. I remind you: the number in the box is the number of your ships. Now everything is finally ready. Click right click mouse anywhere on the map - and your ships will hit the road. To take them to any harbor - right-click on the colony icon. It is possible to drive ships in a "flock", but not at all necessary - each of them may well make independent navigation. By the way, the map does not open all at once - on the contrary, at first you only see the immediate surroundings of your "homeland". Therefore, if you find an extra ship, send it to explore the region.

If in this or that city you are treated badly, or the settlement belongs to a nation that is at war with yours, be prepared for the fact that you may not be allowed into the harbor. You can buy equipment and hire a crew in any available settlement, but you can sell and buy ships only at the shipyards of especially friendly colonies. Repairs can be made anywhere. If you are desperate to fight - right-click on the silhouette of the ship sailing past you, which you have chosen as a victim / rival. Your ship will try to catch up with the "target". If he succeeds, the battle will take place. But more on that in a different place.

Expenses - the engine of trade

You will have to trade in the game all the time. And not only because you are such a zealot for the idea of ​​​​common prosperity and well-being. Otherwise, you will go bankrupt in the most banal way. "Pure" corsairry, without constant help to the budget by trade (I mean trade not only booty, but also honestly acquired with your hard-earned money ...) does not pay for itself in any way.

What's the matter? Why, as soon as you are in the game and not having time to really see all the surrounding beauties, should you rush to trade?

How else? Do you have a team? Contain. However, it's not about her. It’s just that in addition to the ship, you are also awarded personal warehouse. Not urban - attention - but your own. Moreover, it is impossible to refuse a gift - the warehouse is not demolished. It is needed at the very beginning of the game very, very relatively, but meanwhile a lot of money is spent monthly (in automatic mode) to maintain it in good condition. And if you do not show promptness, after a while, negative values ​​\u200b\u200bwill begin to show off on your account.

So again - all in stock! On the city, of course, yours is still empty for the time being, and there is nothing to do there. With the ship selected, click on the already known building. In addition to the "Equipment" tab, which we have already used, the city warehouse menu contains three more headings: "City - ship", "City - warehouse", "Warehouse - ship". I explain. By "city" here we mean a city warehouse, by "warehouse" - your personal one, but a ship - it is a ship. It is clear that under the heading "City - ship" you move goods from the city warehouse to your hold and back, under the heading "Warehouse - ship" - the same thing, only instead of the city warehouse, your warehouse is filled and emptied, but in the heading " City - warehouse "stores exchange material values ​​among themselves.

We are now interested in the point of exchange between the ship and the city warehouse. I will not describe the interface through which the sale and purchase act itself is carried out - it is simple. I would only advise you to set the "movement" of goods in large batches in advance, since "carrying" it one at a time takes a long time, and in the game, after all, real time ...

There are a lot of types of goods: from banal potatoes to super-elite cocoa and tobacco. Prices, of course, are not fixed - they depend on local conditions and your reputation. It is clear that in a city where there are many manufactories for the production of cotton, cotton is not dear to you.

Before buying, go to the general map and see what goods are missing in the nearest colonies. Buy them in the one you are now yourself. Benefits are guaranteed. True, it is possible that while you are sailing, others will have time to deliver a deficit to the destination city, but here, as they say, half the battle is luck and luck, and everything else is fate. Note that the closer the goal of navigation, the less likely such a blunder can occur.

And do not forget - you will have to trade the whole game: from the beginning to the very end. When you have a lot of ships, distribute the "obsolete" tested trade routes: a certain constant supply-demand structure for some types of goods still takes place and can be traced. Sail on the largest ship yourself, but do not forget to supply it with at least some weapons - when you transport large consignments of cargo, pirate attacks are almost guaranteed to you.

In addition to goods, in cities where there is a shortage of inhabitants, you can bring settlers. People will be grateful to you, which will improve your reputation, and even some money will be paid for the fare: a trifle, but nice.

Manufactory, or how to go bankrupt without any problems

Building manufactories at an early stage of the game is tantamount to bankruptcy. And irrevocable and fast. Like a warehouse, each manufactory will withdraw a certain amount from your budget to maintain itself in a working and decent condition. Do not forget about the salary of the workers, and it is oh so great. Moreover, while your popularity indicator is not so high, you will not be able to reduce the wages of workers: the enterprise will stop working instantly.

In a word, first accumulate money and charm - and only then become an industrialist. The construction of each enterprise will require a certain amount from you, which again depends on your popularity. In addition to the money in your account, the construction requires the availability of appropriate materials in the warehouse of the colony, where this whole adventure is started. If there is no wood or stone in the city storages - do not be lazy, drive a ship to the neighboring city after them.

There are manufactories that require for work raw materials already in your warehouse, and requiring it constantly. There is no way out here - either maintain the entire production chain yourself by building an additional manufactory, or constantly purchase what is required from your hometown.

The manufactured products will arrive at your warehouse, and then figure out what to do with it. Either hand over the goods on the spot, or load them onto a ship and take them to another city. At the discretion - how profitable, and how lazy you are.

By the way, you can also build residential buildings in order to rent them out. Your tenement houses will grow in level themselves - as already mentioned, their rank depends on general level welfare of the colony. The richer your tenants become, the higher the rent you will receive from them.

Manufactories are also able to rise in rank, thereby starting to produce more products and require, accordingly, more workers and raw materials. At the manufactory of the 1st level, 30 people work hard, the 2nd - 60, the 3rd - 90, and so on.

There you are full list manufactories available for construction.

Grain farming

Produces: Grain

potato farm

Produces: potatoes

Requires additional raw materials: none

Saltworks

Produces: Salt

Requires additional raw materials: wood

fisherman's house

Produces: fish

Requires additional raw materials: none

Rum plant

Produces: rum

Requires additional raw materials: wood, sugar

cotton plantation

Produces: cotton

Requires additional raw materials: none

weaving factory

Produces: cloth

Requires additional raw materials: cotton, dyes

Sawmill

Produces: wood

Requires additional raw materials: none

cocoa plantation

Produces: cocoa

Requires additional raw materials: none

hemp plantation

Produces: hemp

Requires additional raw materials: none

On the issue of experience

Unlike all games of this kind, the number of experience points gained is hidden from the player. Sometimes a non-marking inscription appears in the lower left corner of the screen about reaching the next level. No one offers you to pump skills - the computer does it itself, and how exactly it scatters your hard-earned points by skills, the program does not even bother to tell you. Meanwhile, how "advanced" the ship you can buy at the shipyard depends precisely on the accumulated experience. Therefore, every time the appearance of a new ship model at the shipyard will be a complete surprise for you.

However, when you get a new rank (assistant, cabin boy, captain), you are always informed about it. All titles, as you can see, are marine, although you can get them without ever having been to the sea - for example, by setting up five manufactories. By the way, obtaining a title does not affect the appearance of new ships at the shipyard.

In the footsteps of Flint

The military component of the game is almost entirely inspired from the unforgettable "Corsairs" - the similarity will amaze you. The same three types of charges - cores, knipels and buckshot, the same switching between them, the same boarding, but without the "personal duel". Victory during boarding depends mainly on the number of sailors on your and the opposite side and stocks of melee weapons. True, now by pressing a certain button with the image of a grappling hook, you can enter your ship into the mode of automatic rendezvous with a hostile ship, and not maneuver manually. In a word, "Corsairs" in isometry - you can't say anything else.

When storming enemy cities, you will be offered a choice - to attack the city from land or from the sea. If from the sea, then everything is standard, again, as in the "Corsairs" - loom in front of the harbor, methodically shooting enemy forts. If you decide to take a settlement from land, you will be offered a wild-looking menu, somewhat reminiscent of the same in Civilization: Call to Power. Only you will still be given a choice of combat formation. And to be honest, the success of the assault will depend on the number of your soldiers and stocks of now firearms.

In general, the war in the game is an occupation for wealthy subjects who do not know what they would do now. It is impossible to earn extra money in it - rather, on the contrary. Moreover, there are no in-game incentives to conduct it, except for starting with a certain moment boredom, no. And this, of course, is a significant minus of the game.

Marriage and other holidays of life

I think you already understood how much in the game depends on your popularity indicator. What needs to be done to grow it? I will summarize the recommendations scattered throughout the text and add a few new ones that have not yet been mentioned.

So. You can perform certain missions, invest in the defense of your (and not only) city, destroy pirates whose names are on the "black" list, help your state in the war, transport settlers, lend money to cities (yes, when you will become rich, you will not borrow from the city budget, but you yourself will become a creditor). You can donate a hospital building to this or that city, you can plant trees. But the main thing is to regularly arrange holidays. More about this.

You will be asked for money to arrange a holiday. This is normal and there is nothing unexpected about it. But you will still be asked to deliver some goods necessary for the celebration - at your own expense. Don't be stingy, deliver. Otherwise, on the day of the holiday, you will be informed that the celebration was terrible, and, on the contrary, you will get a negative reputation.

The same is with your marriage. When the governor offers you his daughter's hand in marriage and you agree, there will be a similar demand for the delivery of merchandise for the occasion. If you do not deliver them, there will be no break with the bride, but, firstly, the governor will never talk to you again, and secondly, the same minus, even more solid ...

By the way, I advise you to get married. Your spouse will discover the talents of an outstanding informant - in particular, she will periodically inform you at the shipyard of which city you can buy the best ship in the region. It helps a lot, you know... You can talk to your wife in the same building of the governor's residence, where a corresponding tab will be added on this occasion.

Ships in the game

Ships are military and commercial. As a matter of fact, the difference between them is purely nominal, since a merchant ship armed with cannons is also a joy ... In a word, here is a complete list of available ships with all the parameters.

merchant ships

Sloop

Displacement: 50

Maximum / minimum speed (in knots): 6/11

Maneuverability: 98%

Resilience: 50%

Number of masts: 1

Minimum team: 6

Number of guns: 14

Pinasse

Displacement: 50

Maximum / minimum speed (in knots): 6/10

Maneuverability: 100%

Resilience: 50%

Number of masts: 2

Minimum team: 4

Number of guns: 8

Caravel

Displacement: 200

Maneuverability: 86%

Resilience: 200%

Number of masts: 3

Minimum team: 10

Number of guns: 36

heavy flutes

Displacement: 200

Maneuverability: 74%

Resilience: 200%

Number of masts: 3

Minimum team: 6

Number of guns: 10

flutes

Displacement: 120

Maximum / minimum speed (in knots): 4/10

Maneuverability: 82%

Resilience: 120%

Number of masts: 3

Minimum team: 8

Number of guns: 16

Warships

Barque

Displacement: 80

Maximum / minimum speed (in knots): 5/12

Maneuverability: 90%

Resilience: 80%

Number of masts: 3

Minimum team: 8

Number of guns: 20

Brig

Displacement: 80

Maximum / minimum speed (in knots): 5/11

Maneuverability: 92%

Resilience: 80%

Number of masts: 2

Minimum team: 6

Number of guns: 16

Frigate

Displacement: 180

Maximum / minimum speed (in knots): 5/11

Maneuverability: 80%

Stability: 180%

Number of masts: 3

Minimum team: 10

PORT ROYALE 3 : PIRATES AND MERCHANTS
What will present a common person at the word "Port-Royal"? Probably something pirated. Thugs with pistols and sabers, a one-eyed captain with a parrot on his shoulder, boarding and, of course, chests with stolen gold.
If the game is called "Port-Royal", then it will most likely also be about pirates.
But no. Down with stereotypes, Port Royal is not pirates. "Port-Royal" is merchants, caravans of ships, commerce, supply and demand and gold, but not someone else's, but one's own, honestly earned. Well, maybe not entirely fair.
There are many series of economic simulators: Tropico, Guild, Anno, Transport giant and others. In some series, the era changes from game to game or scene,
in others, the very principle of the game, but in general they are all related to the production, transportation and sale of goods.
Approximately the same thing happens in the games of the series "Port Royale 3: Pirates & Merchants" - buy goods cheaper, sell more expensive. The game may be interesting because this simple scheme is harmed by many side elements. Commodity prices are constantly changing, so that yesterday's scarce tobacco is today sold at the price of the worst canvas. A warehouse is necessary for the maintenance of goods, ships are needed for transportation, ships need a team and weapons - additional costs lie in wait everywhere. And even if the commerce is successful, the calculation is correct and you manage to bring the goods before the price drops, then some lucky pirate captain can easily deprive you of profit. What is the use of profit if it all goes to the repair of ships and replenishment of the crew?
But it is not necessary to list in detail the features of past games in the series, because there is little new in the third.

THIS WE'VE SEEN ALREADY
The principle of the game has been preserved - buy cheaper, sell more expensive. Every city in the Caribbean produces some goods and imports others. In addition, some goods are not produced in the colonies - they are brought from Europe. The merchant only needs to notice when there is an excess of goods in the warehouses of one city that is needed in another city.
This is what commerce is based on.
As in previous games in the series, in Port Royale 3 this simple scheme is complicated by many unforeseen events. For example, the player saw that New Orleans produces bread, which is in great demand in Havana. Ships are loaded with bread, sailing to Havana, but someone sold bread there earlier and the price dropped sharply. It is no longer possible to sell goods with a profit; one must look for another city with a high demand for bread. However, the player always has a warehouse, which is given for free at the beginning of the game. The warehouse is located in the starting city and can store goods that cannot yet be sold profitably.
Scarce goods icons are placed above each city on the strategy map. This makes it easier to figure out what and where it is more profitable to sell. Sometimes events occur in cities that increase the demand for certain goods - a famine for food of all kinds, an epidemic for medicines, a fire or a recent attack for building materials. Such events are also marked with icons.
Cities in the game are gradually growing, colonists are constantly arriving from Europe, in addition, competition and wars are affecting - prosperous cities can fall into decay,
and once small trading posts will become large colonial and trading centers. These changes also affect supply and demand. The player himself, having accumulated capital, can add production to trade - build workshops or plantations and independently produce goods for sale. As a result, you can build a huge trading empire, with warehouses and enterprises in different cities and many trade caravans.

Complicate the player's life and pirates that appear on busy trade routes. There are especially many of them in the triangle between Havana, the Bahamas and Haiti. Over time, a significant part of the profits will have to be spent on arming and protecting merchant ships. But even the largest and most protected caravan can become a victim of an equally large pirate flotilla. Either way, you still have to fight.
If the economic component of the game was transferred from Port Royale 2 unchanged, then combat system complicated, but not better or more interesting.
The ships remained the same as in "Port Royale 2”, with two main advantages - some are faster and more spacious, more suitable for trading, others are slower, but they carry more guns. Most types of ships are available at the shipyards, any ships can be captured and made your own after a successful boarding. A kind of "experience" appeared - a counter of the number of battles in which the ship visited. Of course, an "experienced" ship is preferable in battle, even if the crew has changed several times.
In addition to sabers, muskets and artillery shells, which must be purchased in cities, there are now also barrels of gunpowder. They are very expensive (one barrel costs 2000 gold), but without them ships can only board. However, for a small caravan of one or two ships, one barrel is enough, which is not very plausible. The same barrels can be used to blow up enemy ships - the only new tactical option, though not particularly useful.
The control of ships in battle has deteriorated. In Port Royale 2, it was enough to select a ship and click on it to indicate the path or target, but now, having selected the ship, you have to direct it with mouse movements - which is much more inconvenient. However, by setting the character of the battle for each ship (“aggressive”, “defensive” or “standard”), you can automate the battle. The abortion became more difficult. In "Port Royale 2" it was enough for the ships to touch each other, "Port Royale 3" requires the ships to be nearby for some time, and the speed of the ship going to boarding falls. If the enemy's masts are not knocked down, then he will easily get away from boarding.

Wars between colonial powers lead to a redistribution of territories - colonies change hands. From "Port Royale 2» missions to storm enemy cities have been preserved. They can be taken from the sea by destroying coastal fortifications. Given the inconvenient system sea ​​battle it's pretty hard. However, as in Port Royale 2» you can land a team on land and take the colony by storm, although you have to deal with the garrison. Moreover, in such an assault, the combination of sabers and muskets is important. Due to the lack of muskets, the assault team can simply be shot down, and if the arrows are not covered by sabermen, they can be killed in hand-to-hand combat.
When the team disembarks, an ordinary fight begins, which is similar to the fuss of ants. This battle cannot be controlled - the attackers and the garrison fight on their own, in the end everything is decided by numerical superiority and the correct ratio of sabers and muskets. The best proportion is 50/50.
True, a land assault is possible only if the colony is not guarded by warships. If there are warships in the colony port, they will interfere with the landing, so you have to defeat them first.
The social system remained unchanged. Starting with "cabin boy", the player can grow to the position of admiral. Moreover, already at the level of the cabin boy, you can maintain ships and captains, but you still can’t build in cities and turn to governors.
With the growth of capital and social status, the governors can give the player tasks, over time, you can even get the city yourself or marry the governor's daughter. However, as in many economic strategies, this is not the goal of the game - you can remain a simple merchant as long as you like.
Nothing prevents you from choosing another path - to become an adventurer, a pirate or a privateer, making capital through robbery. However, since Port Royal 3 is still an economic strategy, and the combat system has deteriorated, the path of the adventurer is not very interesting. Unless, it allows you to get rich faster and increase your status.

It's easy to think that this is Port Royale 2 if it weren't for the graphics. A map of the Caribbean, cities and ships, nature around the colonies - it looks very beautiful. The colonies of different states are not similar to each other - the architecture and the appearance of the townspeople are noticeably different. Seagulls and even exotic birds like pink flamingos fly in the sky above the cities, and fish splash in the sea, sometimes you can see a whale. Visiting the next port, you can catch a change in the weather, but this does not affect the game in any way. Storms and hurricanes are not visible, although they were encountered in Port Royale 2 and could severely damage ships.

Summary
It turns out that the game "Port Royale 3" is a recolored "Port Royale 2". Even the map is still flat, two-dimensional, simply embossed - you can see the depths and elevations.
The third part was not even tried to be disguised as a novelty. The principle of the game, the scene, the era, goals and objectives - everything went to the "new" game from the second part. For those who are not familiar with this series, "Port Royale 3" will seem quite good. economic strategy, however, if they play Port Royale 2, they won't see any difference other than the graphics.

Lucky, and then we will open these lands in ourselves,

And we'll go ashore, and we'll stay there forever!

V.V. Vysotsky

What Port Royale, you ask? Take the trouble to imagine the "Corsairs" who took and returned from the 3D "scattering" to the intelligible isometric ancestral home. Here a natural question arises - why? Well, let's answer. So that it would be more convenient for developers to merge Corsairs with Anno 1503 The New World, which, as we know, is isometric and obviously cannot be converted to 3D format.

In other words, now we can not only roam "across the seas, over the waves", entering settlement ports according to our needs, but also take an active part in the life of the latter, be respected citizens "on land" - owners of manufactories or other property, and the one who is lucky can break out into governors and lead the whole colony to his heart's content.

In this guide you will find:

* Description of the geography of the game (its setting is the Caribbean region "in full" - from Venezuela to Florida).

* Information about nations and settlements in the game.

* Analysis of the "anatomy" and "physiology" of each individual settlement.

* General information about the character and his abilities.

* Trade description.

* Description of production.

* Description of battles.

* Information about the main types of ships.

Geographic base

To carry out all the trade and production manipulations required by the status, to fight, and also to rebuild, the player now has to do not "in a certain kingdom, in a certain archipelago", but on a completely geographically reliable map of the Caribbean region, the map is quite detailed and quite well executed in graphic terms. Now about what I specifically mean by the somewhat vague phrase "Caribbean region". Greater Antilles (Cuba, Haiti, Jamaica, Puerto Rico), Lesser Antilles and Bahamas, and, of course, the coast of the American continent from Florida to Venezuela. On this occasion, Sabatini lovers will be pleased with the city of Maracaibo, exactly in Venezuela and located, so that if desired (and the correct line of conduct), everyone will now be able to repeat the "golden campaign" of Captain Blood. But keep in mind that the narrow exit from the Gulf of Maracaiba is by no means expanded by the developers - it is exactly the same barely passable neck, where angry dons can easily catch you...

Nations and settlements

This map is not only physical, but also (using the standard classification) political and economic. Because it is overburdened with signs of an intrusive human presence - from city-settlements to ships of various sizes scurrying between them, equipped with appropriate banners. Not without flags, in fact, the city. As it is quite easy to guess, the type of flag marks the belonging of a given settlement (or vessel) to one or another national-political community, colloquially referred to as a "state". There are four of them in the game: England, Holland, France, Spain. On the seas, in principle, ships are also moving "under the sign" of the "Jolly Roger", that is, pirates, but in their own settlements "gentlemen of fortune" are denied.

Nations exist in the game not for beauty and entourage. They really live, declare wars, reconcile, conclude trade agreements. Which directly affects your personal destiny. So, if you are an Englishman, don't expect to be liked in the Spanish colonies. And during the war, any Spanish captain will consider it his patriotic duty to attack you. So even if you decide not to get into politics and adventures, but just trade peacefully, still follow the actions of the authorities. Wherever you are at the moment - in the city or on the high seas - the Chronicle is at your service, a scroll in a circle located in the upper left corner of the screen, next to the current date. Click on the image and check out the current international situation.

Note that you can choose not only the nation, but also the start date of your career. There are four initial dates.

1570. Spain is at the height of its power. Two-thirds of the settlements on the map belong to her. So citizens of other countries have a hard time at this time.

1600 year. France acquired a dozen settlements in the region, and, in alliance with England, entered the struggle for predominance in the Caribbean.

1630. England is expanding its possessions - acquiring new cities without losing those already captured.

1660. Spain lost half of its colonies. The region has become a paradise for corsairs and adventurers of all stripes.

What's new in international relations?

Each settlement is represented on the map by an icon-image, provided with the name and the above-mentioned symbol of nationality. But not only. Next to the "basic" designations, there are necessarily additional ones. If you take a closer look, you will successfully recognize in them the emblem of one or another product, in which the settlement especially needs at the moment. And that means - hurry up, enterprising merchants, hurry up to deliver what you need first, because the benefit in this case will be very great for you. However, we will talk about the intricacies of the trading craft in detail in a section specially designated for this. In addition to trademarks, a square with a number can also be found next to the settlement icon. But this is only if your ships are currently in the harbor of the city. And the number indicates their number. There is an icon that speaks of an excess or, conversely, a lack of inhabitants. If you see a crossed-out plate next to a settlement, it means that the city is on the verge of starvation. And if somewhere, God forbid, you find a red cross, postpone your visit to this colony: an epidemic is raging there. A completely different thing is a square with the image of a pickaxe and a bar of yellow metal: if you are not a citizen of this city or cannot open your own production there, cry without being embarrassed by those around you. For gold mines were discovered in the vicinity of the settlement, but alas! Don't go to this source...

If you click on the settlement icon, where your ships are not currently, left mouse button, then you will have an interesting reference "board" containing a lot of useful data. So, from it you will get information about the name and surname of the governor (isn't it absolutely necessary information?), the number of residents, the attitude of the residents towards you. And also about the production "capacity" of the settlement (what goods the city myself produces in abundance or even in excess), and even about how much of a particular resource a given human anthill consumes daily. And if you are going to capture this city for one reason or another, you will be more interested in information about the composition of the garrison and the cannon equipment of the fort.

City "from the inside"

Starting the game, the first thing you see is not the general map, but your hometown from a bird's eye view. You can find yourself "inside" another city from the general map mode by clicking on its icon with the left mouse button, if your ships are in its harbor.

All cities, in general, are similar to each other, at least the cities of the same nation. But, no matter under whose jurisdiction the settlement is, there will in any case be a fort-fortress with located inside it standard buildings. Standard - that is, their list and functions are the same for all nations, only the appearance differs (of course, a Dutch Lutheran church cannot look like a Spanish Catholic church). Outside the fortress are manufactories and residential buildings. The latter can be more or less luxurious, depending on how rich people live in them. Of course, huts and palaces can coexist, i.e. the city is not filled with the same houses according to the "average rating" of prosperity. By the way, buildings of civil architecture, like municipal buildings, differ in the national style of decoration, but manufactories do not.

In this section, we will deal with standard, that is, municipal, buildings, since the game is largely based on them, and they are the same everywhere, i.e. their presence or absence does not depend on the personal whim of the player or the commercial interests of other residents of the settlement. We will list and describe the manufactories in detail in the section on production and construction.

City Hall. She, concurrently, the residence of the governor / vice-governor. The governor lives in the main settlement of a state in the region (it is also the player's "starting city"). In all other cases, if you please, deal with the vice-governors. However, they do not differ too much - both in terms of the role in the career of the protagonist, and ... in terms of characters.

Entering the town hall (as well as all other buildings, not only municipal ones) is very simple - by clicking on the image of the building. It is not written anywhere that this is the town hall, but do not be afraid - you are unlikely to confuse it with a church, a market or a tavern. Having "knocked", you find yourself in front of a window, to the left edge of which planks with inscriptions are "pinned" (as in all other municipal buildings). Planks - six: "Governor", "General", "Architect", "Treasurer", "List of Pirates", "Close". With the latter - everything is clear, and everything else requires explanation. By the way, you find yourself in the building through the personal account of the governor - whether you like it or not, but the building will "open" for you on the activated bar "Governor". He will either offer you to purchase a patent for the extermination of pirates and representatives of hostile nations, or offer to perform this or that mission, or say that there is nothing new, and this is most often. If you are at an audience with the higher authorities of another settlement, if the attitude towards you in the city is good, he may offer you to purchase a "residence permit".

The general - the head of the local garrison - will sternly ask you if you are ready to invest in the defense of your native (or friendly) city, i.e. to subsidize the purchase of extra guns or the hiring of a dozen or two soldiers. If you agree, the attitude towards you in the city will improve dramatically.

A visit to the architect makes sense if it is the architect of another settlement, because. its only function is to sell you a permit to build buildings in the city, and in your home settlement you have it in advance, and for free. The treasurer will lend you money at a completely unthinkable percentage, sometimes a quarter of the borrowed amount. Check out the list of pirates as well - because these are not just pirates, not corsairs-in-themselves, but subjects for the destruction of which the city agrees to pay good money at times.

City temple. Here you can, of course, pray, then for a certain amount ask for the blessing of heaven on your (or any - at your choice) ships, or donate money for temple decoration. Reputation, gentlemen, reputation... And a bit of luck in difficult situations.

Shipyard. Well, what do they do at the shipyard? That's right, they sell and buy ships. They are still being repaired. The most interesting thing here is the ability to change the name of your vessel. I highly recommend sailing the seas on a ship with the name of your beloved girl (the option for girls is a young man). This adds pathos to the game, and if you are a pirate, it's generally piquant.

City warehouse. This is where you buy and sell goods. In connection with the warehouse, there are a lot of subtleties, but about them - in the "trading" section.

Tavern. Here you can hire a captain for your second (third, fourth ...) ship, if you have one, and also play plenty of dice. Sometimes in the tavern you can stumble upon a pirate who will ask you to use your ship, promising a third of the proceeds in return. Agree or refuse depending on the mood and the state of the financial account.

Market. In the market you can order - at your own expense, of course - a holiday for all the inhabitants of this city. In the early stages of the game, doing this, of course, is not recommended.

Well. By clicking on it, you will get the same help panel that is usually opened from the general map mode. The well is needed, since it is impossible to open this panel for your city "from the outside", from the map - clicking on the icon of your city will only lead to the fact that you will find yourself "inside".

It is impossible to ignore the elements of the "intracity" interface. On top of the mini-map, which is hard to miss, there are five picture circles. Click on the extreme left circle - and before you in all boundless expanse the distances of the common map will open. A similar action with the adjacent picture - the one with a hammer - "activates" the construction interface. Using the middle button, you can go from the mini-map of the city to region mini map, staying in the city. The next one will give you a list of all your ships. And using the latter, that is, the extreme right, you can jump into the next day if you do not want to wait until this event occurs in a natural mode.

A little to the left there are two more round buttons, on one of which, the left one, depicts an anchor, and on the other a steering wheel. By pressing the button with the anchor, you will receive a list of ships awaiting your orders, that is, free at the moment from any useful work. Pressing the button with the steering wheel, on the contrary, will provide you with a list of ships that are "in business".

Well, of course, there is a branded "sign" with the name of the city, the number of inhabitants and the index of prosperity.

The fate of man

Until now, the protagonist of the game is somewhat reminiscent of the famous Gogol Inspector General - all the talk was about him and around him, but where, in fact, is he himself? Now, when the game world is rough described, when the stage is ready, it would be nice to finally have a hero appear on it.

Attention, start!

As mentioned above, you can choose the time of your "incarnation" and the nationality of your in-game alter ego. But not only. While continuing to use the theatrical metaphor, you may also prefer one role or another. Which fate do you prefer - a merchant or a pirate?

The difference between them is not so great. Just a merchant increasing the indicator reputation and an experience through successful trade deals, and a pirate by winning sea battles. Both of them can also choose a fundamental personality trait from the following list - enterprise, charm, accuracy. The latter, of course, can be attributed to personal qualities with a big stretch, it is rather a physical advantage, well, let's not find fault. So. An enterprising subject earns 5% more for his goods if he trades himself, and not in the automatic mode of the trading route. A charming character's reputation grows by the same 5% faster, but a comrade with increased vigilance will aim more efficiently in battle... well, who can guess it faster?... of course, by 5%. This is the magic number. That is, it is clear that he will not aim, but the guns of his ship.

And the last one is start-up capital. You can start the game with a lot of gold (30,000 pesos) and a small ship - pinasse (8 guns - its fire "ceiling"), you can, on the contrary, get at your disposal a 16-gun brig, arguing that gold (it stands out in this variant only 12,000) in this situation, it will be easy to loot, or you can, without rushing to extremes, calmly take possession of a 14-gun sloop, knowing that 20,000 gold lie in the "stash" for yourself.

Yes, not to forget - you always "incarnate" in the main city of your nation in the region, in the city-residence of the governor.

Personal file no...

For everyone who dares to decorate the restless Caribbean region with his presence, or, more simply, to enter the game, a personal file is immediately opened, modestly called a "magazine". However, only you can get acquainted with it yourself, so do not be alarmed. You can open the magazine by clicking on the circle with the image of the chest to the right of the date. By the way, on the other side of the journal button, your current cash is displayed. There are a lot of headings in the magazine, which we are just going to get acquainted with.

News. Here you will store all kinds of personal information - letters from higher authorities, IOUs, notes on the purchase and sale of real estate and other business stuff.

Missions. If you manage to prove yourself brilliantly in your chosen field, city governors of all stripes will be imbued with confidence in you and will issue you instructions from time to time. The rubric exists in case you accidentally forgot in the hustle and bustle what, in fact, you were entrusted with.

Review. Looking here, you will find out without much hassle how many ships, buildings and manufactories you have, and in which cities all this splendor is located. Especially true for ships - you know, they have the ability to constantly move.

Production. It's simple - here you can find information about how much you currently have ready for the sale of goods produced by your enterprises.

Balance. Banal accounting page. Income, expenditure, of which the cost of wages, maintenance of buildings, repairs, and so on. Whether you like it or not, you will have to love this section of the magazine very much. At least keep it open.

trade routes. Sooner or later you will have a lot of ships. And personally to drive them from harbor to harbor you will not only be lazy, but simply have no time. You will have to assign them automatic trade routes. Well, in this section you will simply keep a list of them.

Personal. The most personal rubric of personal affairs. Here you can always find out how cities and nations treat you, whether you have a wife, and if so, what is her name. There is some very useful information here.

Nations. It is not clear what the information about the demographic dynamics of the region has to do with you personally. However, very detailed charts (by nation) can be found on this personal file page.

Cards. One day, a solemn day will come, and the governor will quietly hand you, as a special trustee, a map with which you can find pirate treasures. Well, the manuscript will be pasted right here.

Sailing as an extreme sport

Learning how to properly (and most importantly, quickly) manage your sailing transport is not an easy task. Since this will have to cope with a very non-trivial interface. First, the ship must be found in the harbor (on the mini-map of the city, it is shown as a blue dot). Find. Since in the harbor, as a rule, there are a lot of ships - some sail, others sail - the inscription above the ship will help to distinguish among them yours. The inscription is simply your name. Once the property is identified, click on it. A blue arrow will appear above the ship, pointing with its tip somewhere in the middle of the deck. And something else will appear in the lower right quarter of the screen, which we will study with you.

There are two windows in front of you. The top one is full of all kinds of images: barrels, knots, skulls - and numbers. The bottom one contains only the silhouette of your ship in a beautiful frame with rounded corners. The frame also has a green vertical bar. This is the "health" of your ship.

Let's go to the top window. The symbol of an empty barrel on its right side is, of course, an indicator of the fullness of the hold. Now it is empty and the barrel is transparent. If you buy at least a little product and unload it into the hold, the barrel will begin to fill with liquid, for some reason red.

It's time to get guns. A visit to the armory.

At the top, next to the blue square, is the name of the captain - now this is your name. At the small anchor is the name of the colony in whose harbor the ship is currently moored. The number next to the node is the current speed (now it is zero). There is also a zero next to the image of the guns: the guns still need to be bought. The minimum required number of sailors on your ship at the beginning of the game is always there, so the number next to the sailor figure is non-zero. Dagger icon - stocks of melee weapons. Also zero, you also have to buy.

In short, this panel gives you information about the actual state of your ship at the moment. And now click on the silhouette in the lower window, yes, yes, on the same frame. Again, look at the top table. Isn't it true that the picture has changed dramatically? Now you can find out the maximum speed of your boat and its standard displacement. A new click on the lower window will return the upper one to its original form.

There are five more button pictures on the top panel, and they always stay there, regardless of the "window" mode. In order, from left to right... A picture with a barrel (how many barrels are there!) - go to the hold, see how much and what kind of goods are there. The picture with the anchor is a list of ships. Do not forget that you can get the same list by pressing one of the buttons above the mini-map, I already wrote about this. The picture with the eye is another reference board regarding the actual number of weapons on your ship and the crew's consumption of your funds. A picture with a steering wheel - opens the interface for assigning trade routes, a detailed description of which is not possible due to the limited volume of the log. And finally, a picture with a cannon - in the menu that opens, you can determine in advance which nation's ships should be "run into" in the first place.

With panels and buttons, like, figured out, then it will be easier. By the way, it doesn't hurt to get a weapon. Yes, and when buying a new ship, you buy it empty, without a team, and without it the ship will not leave the harbor. So - everything is in stock! At dedicated ship click on the building city ​​warehouse. A lot of tabs will open, we are now interested in one - "Equipment". Looking around, shopping. They won't sell you more guns than the status of your ship, take the rest in any quantity, at least everything, if you have enough money and displacement. To repair (and ships in the game "wear out" even without battles, just during raids), sell-buy a ship, change its name - with the ship selected, click on the shipyard building. Repair, depending on the severity of the damage received, can take several days.

Hiring a captain for a newly acquired ship is required in a tavern. Be careful - the recruitment panel always indicates which ship the new captain should lead, do not forget to switch between ships, otherwise you will dismiss the old, experienced one. However, you can immediately hire him again, but why do we need extra trouble? Although ... My advice to you - if the ship you bought is better than the previous one, transfer your "sea wolf" there (for reference - captains gain experience in trade, maneuverability and accuracy). And let the newcomer command the old "vessel".

It is impossible to see how your ship (ships) move on the harbor roadstead, you can only admire how strangers do it. Select all your ships (with the Control key pressed, if there is only one ship, the key is not needed) and exit to the region map. Don't forget to also click on the square with the number next to the icon of the city where your ships are located, and which you just (at least visually) left. I remind you: the figure in the box is the number of your ships. Now everything is finally ready. Right-click anywhere on the map and your ships will set off. To take them to any harbor, right-click on the colony icon. It is possible to drive ships in a "flock", but it is not at all necessary - each of them may well make independent navigation. By the way, the map does not open all at once - on the contrary, at first you only see the immediate surroundings of your "homeland". Therefore, if you find an extra ship, send it to explore the region.

If in this or that city you are treated badly, or the settlement belongs to a nation that is at war with yours, be prepared for the fact that you may not be allowed into the harbor. You can buy equipment and hire a crew in any available settlement, but you can sell and buy ships only at the shipyards of especially friendly colonies. Repairs can be made anywhere. If you are desperate for a fight, right-click on the silhouette of the ship sailing past you, which you have chosen as a victim / rival. Your ship will try to catch up with the "target". If he succeeds, the battle will take place. But more on that in a different place.

Costs are the engine of trade

You will have to trade in the game all the time. And not only because you are such a zealot for the idea of ​​​​common prosperity and well-being. Otherwise, you will go bankrupt in the most banal way. "Pure" corsairry, without constant help to the budget by trade (I mean trade not only booty, but also honestly acquired with your hard-earned money ...) does not pay for itself in any way.

What's the matter? Why, as soon as you are in the game and not having time to really see all the surrounding beauties, should you rush to trade?

How else? Do you have a team? Contain. However, it's not about her. It’s just that in addition to the ship, you are also awarded personal warehouse. Not urban - attention - but your own. Moreover, you cannot refuse a gift - the warehouse is not demolished. It is needed at the very beginning of the game very, very relatively, but meanwhile a lot of money is spent monthly (in automatic mode) to maintain it in good condition. And if you do not show promptness, after a while, negative values ​​\u200b\u200bwill begin to show off on your account.

So-so... The city lacks bricks. We must take note.

So again - all in stock! On the city, of course, yours is still empty for the time being, and there is nothing to do there. With the ship selected, click on the already known building. In addition to the "Equipment" tab, which we have already used, the city warehouse menu contains three more headings: "City - ship", "City - warehouse", "Warehouse - ship". I explain. By "city" here we mean a city warehouse, by "warehouse" - your personal one, but a ship - it is a ship. It is clear that in the "City - ship" section you move goods from the city warehouse to your hold and back, in the "Warehouse - ship" section - the same thing, only instead of the city warehouse, your warehouse is filled and emptied, but in the " City-warehouse" storehouses exchange material values ​​among themselves.

We are now interested in the point of exchange between the ship and the city warehouse. I will not describe the interface through which the sale and purchase act itself is carried out - it is simple. I would only advise you to set the "movement" of goods in large batches in advance, since "carrying" it one at a time takes a long time, and in the game, after all, real time...

There are a lot of types of goods: from banal potatoes to super-elite cocoa and tobacco. Prices, of course, are not fixed - they depend on local conditions and your reputation. It is clear that in a city where there are many manufactories for the production of cotton, cotton is not dear to you.

Before buying, go to the general map and see what goods are missing in the nearest colonies. Buy them in the one you are now yourself. Benefits are guaranteed. True, it is possible that while you are sailing, others will have time to deliver a deficit to the destination city, but here, as they say, half the battle is luck and luck, and everything else is fate. Note that the closer the goal of navigation, the less likely such a blunder can occur.

And do not forget - you will have to trade the whole game: from the beginning to the very end. When you have a lot of ships, distribute the "obsolete" tested trade routes: a certain constant supply-demand structure for some types of goods still takes place and can be traced. Sail on the largest ship yourself, and do not forget to supply it with at least some weapons - when you transport large consignments of cargo, pirate attacks are almost guaranteed to you.

In addition to goods, in cities where there is a shortage of inhabitants, you can bring settlers. People will be grateful to you, which will improve your reputation, and even some money will be paid for the fare: a trifle, but nice.

Manufactory, or how to go broke without problems

Building manufactories early in the game is tantamount to bankruptcy. And irrevocable and fast. Like a warehouse, each manufactory will withdraw a certain amount from your budget to maintain itself in a working and decent condition. Do not forget about the salary of the workers, and it is oh so great. Moreover, while your popularity indicator is not so high, you will not be able to reduce the wages of workers: the enterprise will stop working instantly.

In a word, first accumulate money and charm - and only then become an industrialist. The construction of each enterprise will require a certain amount from you, which again depends on your popularity. In addition to the money in your account, the construction requires the availability of appropriate materials in the warehouse of the colony, where this whole adventure is started. If there is no wood or stone in the city storages - do not be lazy, drive a ship to the neighboring city after them.

There are manufactories that require for work raw materials already in your warehouse, and requiring it constantly. There is no way out here - either maintain the entire production chain yourself by building an additional manufactory, or constantly buy what you need from your hometown.

The manufactured products will arrive at your warehouse, and then figure out what to do with it. Either hand over the goods on the spot, or load them onto a ship and take them to another city. At discretion - how profitable, and how lazy you are.

By the way, you can also build residential buildings in order to rent them out. Your tenement houses will grow in level themselves - as already mentioned, their rank depends on the general level of prosperity of the colony. The richer your tenants become, the higher the rent you will receive from them.

Manufactories are also able to rise in rank, thereby starting to produce more products and require, accordingly, more workers and raw materials. At the manufactory of the 1st level, 30 people work hard, the 2nd - 60, the 3rd - 90, and so on.

Here is a complete list of manufactories available for construction.

Grain farming

Produces: Grain

potato farm

Produces: potatoes

Requires additional raw materials: none

Saltworks

Produces: Salt

Requires additional raw materials: wood

fisherman's house

Produces: fish

Requires additional raw materials: none

Rum plant

Produces: rum

Requires additional raw materials: wood, sugar

cotton plantation

Produces: cotton

Requires additional raw materials: none

weaving factory

Produces: cloth

Requires additional raw materials: cotton, dyes

Sawmill

Produces: wood

Requires additional raw materials: none

cocoa plantation

Produces: cocoa

Requires additional raw materials: none

hemp plantation

Produces: hemp

Requires additional raw materials: none

On the issue of experience

Unlike all games of this kind, the number of experience points gained is hidden from the player. Sometimes a non-marking inscription appears in the lower left corner of the screen about reaching the next level. No one offers you to pump skills - the computer does it itself, and how exactly it scatters your hard-earned points on skills, the program does not even bother to tell you. Meanwhile, how "advanced" the ship you can buy at the shipyard depends on the accumulated experience. Therefore, every time the appearance of a new ship model at the shipyard will be a complete surprise for you.

However, when you get a new rank (assistant, cabin boy, captain), you are always informed about it. All titles, as you can see, are marine, although you can get them without ever having been to the sea - for example, by setting up five manufactories. By the way, obtaining a title does not affect the appearance of new ships at the shipyard.

In the footsteps of Flint

The military component of the game is almost entirely inspired from the unforgettable "Corsairs" - the similarity will amaze you. The same three types of charges - cores, knipels and buckshot, the same switching between them, the same boarding, but without the "personal duel". Victory during boarding depends mainly on the number of sailors on your and the opposite side and stocks of melee weapons. True, now by pressing a certain button with the image of a grappling hook, you can enter your ship into the mode of automatic rendezvous with a hostile ship, and not maneuver manually. In a word, "Corsairs" in isometry - you can't say anything else.

When storming enemy cities, you will be offered a choice - to attack the city from land or from the sea. If from the sea, then everything is standard, again, as in the "Corsairs" - loom in front of the harbor, methodically shooting enemy forts. If you decide to take a settlement from land, you will be offered a wild-looking menu, somewhat reminiscent of the same in Civilization: Call to Power. Only you will still be given a choice of combat formation. And to be honest, the success of the assault will depend on the number of your soldiers and stocks of now firearms.

In general, the war in the game is an occupation for wealthy subjects who do not know what they would do now. It is impossible to earn extra money in it - rather, on the contrary. Moreover, there are no in-game incentives to lead it, except for boredom starting from a certain moment. And this, of course, is a significant minus of the game.

Marriage and other holidays of life

I think you already understood how much in the game depends on your popularity indicator. What needs to be done to grow it? I will summarize the recommendations scattered throughout the text and add a few new ones that have not yet been mentioned.

So. You can complete certain missions, invest in the defense of your (and not only) city, destroy pirates whose names are on the "black" list, help your state in the war, transport settlers, lend money to cities (yes, when you will become rich, you will not borrow from the city budget, but you yourself will become a creditor). You can donate a hospital building to this or that city, you can plant trees. But the main thing is to regularly arrange holidays. More about this.

You will be asked for money to arrange a holiday. This is normal and there is nothing unexpected about it. But you will still be asked to deliver some goods necessary for the celebration - at your own expense. Don't be stingy, deliver. Otherwise, on the day of the holiday, you will be informed that the celebration was terrible, and, on the contrary, you will get a negative reputation.

It's the same with your marriage. When the governor offers you his daughter's hand in marriage and you agree, there will be a similar request for the delivery of merchandise for the occasion. If you do not deliver them, there will be no break with the bride, but, firstly, the governor will never talk to you again, and secondly, the same minus, even more solid ...

By the way, I advise you to get married. Your spouse will discover the talents of an outstanding informant - in particular, she will periodically inform you at the shipyard of which city you can buy the best ship in the region. It helps a lot, you know... You can talk to your wife in the same building of the governor's residence, where a corresponding tab will be added on this occasion.

Ships in the game

Ships are military and commercial. As a matter of fact, the difference between them is purely nominal, since a merchant ship armed with cannons is also a joy ... In a word, here is a complete list of available ships with all the parameters.

merchant ships

Sloop

Displacement: 50

Maximum / minimum speed (in knots): 6/11

Maneuverability: 98%

Resilience: 50%

Number of masts: 1

Minimum team: 6

Number of guns: 14

Pinasse

Displacement: 50

Maximum / minimum speed (in knots): 6/10

Maneuverability: 100%

Resilience: 50%

Number of masts: 2

Minimum team: 4

Number of guns: 8

Caravel

Displacement: 200

Maneuverability: 86%

Resilience: 200%

Number of masts: 3

Minimum team: 10

Number of guns: 36

heavy flutes

Displacement: 200

Maneuverability: 74%

Resilience: 200%

Number of masts: 3

Minimum team: 6

Number of guns: 10

flutes

Displacement: 120

Maximum / minimum speed (in knots): 4/10

Maneuverability: 82%

Resilience: 120%

Number of masts: 3

Minimum team: 8

Number of guns: 16

Warships

Barque

Displacement: 80

Maximum / minimum speed (in knots): 5/12

Maneuverability: 90%

Resilience: 80%

Number of masts: 3

Minimum team: 8

Number of guns: 20

Brig

Displacement: 80

Maximum / minimum speed (in knots): 5/11

Maneuverability: 92%

Resilience: 80%

Number of masts: 2

Minimum team: 6

Number of guns: 16

Frigate

Displacement: 180

Maximum / minimum speed (in knots): 5/11

Maneuverability: 80%

Stability: 180%

Number of masts: 3

Minimum team: 10