PC/CD Gamer UK 28/PCGAMER28.bin/dos/csmag46/install.dat/3IRATE.TXT

Text File | 1995-12-12 | 7KB | 115 lines

~Pirates

Collection of tips obtained via the Internet.


I've just succeeded in advancing Catalina Erantzo, the female Spanish
pirate, to the rank of duke (duchess?) in *less than two game years*.
This really astonished me, because in my previous two games, with
Joao Franco and Pietro Conti, it took me 12 years (for Joao) and 8
years (for Pietro) to achieve that exalted rank.

Anyway, I've determined that the key to quick advancement for
Catalina is to be ruthlessly aggressive with going after merchant
traffic in the Med right away, and also to defect to another power
early on (I suggest Italy). The "gossip" feature on your menu, where
you contact other fleets that you're within hailing range of, is
extremely useful in determining which are good targets to attack.
If the opposing commodore says that he's heading for somewhere to
make an investment, that's a merchant fleet. I recommend you leave
convoyed squadrons alone.  Be very careful of galleys, because those
are usually pirate fleets - OTOH, if you have been tasked by your
ruler with searching out and destroying a pirate squadron so that
you can advance in rank, then definitely *do* seek out the galley
icons.

Make sure your ships are in good repair, well-manned and powerfully
armed.  In the later stages of this most recent game, I usually had
each ship at least 3/4 manned, with cannons or demicannons, and a
full store of cannonballs.  It is *very* important that you assign
at least as many men to combat as you have guns on each ship,
especially if you are going up against a combat fleet.

Once you're in the battle screen, you will see your fleet deployed
for battle.  I generally have gotten good results by going with the
default orders for the rest of my squadron, but YMMV: experiment
with other orders (but, of course, you will have saved the game
before the battle!) Merchant fleets, not generally being well-armed,
will tend to break and run for the map edges, though one or two
ships will often stay for a few turns to fight a delaying action
against your squadron.  The ship you really want is the "0" ship,
the enemy flagship, which will generally move to take you on.

If you are using the default orders the system gives to your
squadron, most of the rest of your squadron (this will depend on the
bravery and loyalty of your captains) will advance with you to take
on the enemy flagship.  I recommend that you get to cannon range and
then open up, and keep pounding as long as you can keep the enemy
ship in range.  Often, this will be enough to kill all the crew and
force the enemy commodore to surrender.  You can also close with the
enemy flagship and run a boarding action (which is where assigning
your men to combat really comes in handy, because if you assign a
sufficient number of men or a surplus, your losses in each round of
man-to-man will be lower than the enemy's).

Sometimes, though, you will want to fight the enemy commodore by
challenging him to a duel.  Make sure you have a good sword and
armor beforehand, and make sure you equip your character with them
ahead of time! I have had Catalina in half-plate and a broad sword
for most of this latest game.  When it comes time for the duel, the
enemy commodore will almost always be wearing half-plate and
carrying a scimitar.  If you're using the broad sword, strike
relentlessly on every attack turn.  When you're on defense, use
"dodge" or "block" to lessen or avoid damage from the opponent.  If
you're lucky (and your opponent is sufficiently bad at
swordsmanship), you can defeat him within 5 rounds or less.  A sword
duel is also a risky, but handy, way to get yourself out of a tight
spot when you're up against an enemy battle fleet or a stronger
pirate fleet and you're getting pounded.

Once you've won the battle or duel, you get the loot.  It's very
helpful to have at least one extra mate along (meaning a mate that's
not commanding a ship), because you can capture as many ships as you
have extra mates - and you can often build up your fleet more
quickly that way than you could if you were buying used ships or
ordering new ships.  Try to pick big, fast, well-armed ships for
your prizes; I favor Galleons, Naos and Xebecs where I can find
them.  Also try to find ships that are undamaged or lightly damaged.
After you've taken prize ships, if any, you get to the cargo, which
you should divide among your ships according to need for food,
water, lumber or shot.  Don't forget the merchandise which merchant
fleets almost always carry - try to leave enough room in one of your
ships so that you can load that cargo as well, so that you can sell
it at the next port.  You'll always get a goodly number of gold
pieces and almost always a piece of treasure, as well.

Remember that every time you do a successful attack on an enemy
fleet (except a pirate fleet), you will raise the owning nation's
enmity toward you.  The higher the hostility rating (marked by red
negative numbers in the "Friendship" section of the "Hero Info"
screen), the more likely it is that you will be accosted and hit
with a heavy fine whenever you land at any of that nation's ports.
As Catalina is already on Spain's shit list (with a perfect -100
rating in Friendship), Spanish fleets are an obvious target.  You
will, of coourse, do your best to avoid attacking the ships of
whichever nation you end up defecting to.  The general rule is to
spread your raids around and to try not to pick on any one nation
too much.  One other thing you should remember is that, once you get
your combat and navigation ratings high enough, opposing captains
will try to surrender to you.  I don't recommend you accept their
surrenders because, for some reason, if you just swoop down on a
defenseless fleet and seize it, the owning nation will become much
more hostile to you than it would if you fought and defeated the
fleet in open combat and gave the enemy fleet a fair chance.
(Hmmm....maybe that's not so incomprehensible after all! :) )  Also,
I've observed that the loot from battles tends to be richer than the
prizes from a fleet that just throws up its collective hands.

Well, that's what I've learned from playing a pirate in New
Horizons.  Keep those cannon bores clean and those cutlasses
polished!


Joe Admire ([e-mail])