How to play
You start as a captain with a small ship in a port of your chosen flag. Steer out of the harbour, find a ship to fight or a cargo to carry, and make your name. Here is what the keys and the main systems do.
Controls
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
| A D | Steer |
| W S | Raise or lower sail: furled, battle sails, full sail |
| Q E | Fire the larboard or starboard broadside |
| Space | Fire the broadside the camera faces |
| 1 | Round shot |
| 2 | Chain shot |
| 3 | Grapeshot |
| 4 | Explosive shells |
| F | Make port inside a harbour's gold ring, or anchor in a cove and row ashore |
| B | Board an adjacent ship |
| V | Switch between close sailing and fast map sailing |
| T | Close in on the enemy you are looking at, or sail to a harbour or cove within 3.5 km |
| Z | Spyglass: the name, colours, guns and state of the ship in the glass |
| M Tab I | Sea chart; captains and reputation; your fleet and skills |
| Enter | Chat |
| Esc | Menu: settings, save, game info |
On phones and tablets the touch controls appear on their own: a helm stick, sail buttons, an ammunition button and two broadside buttons. Landscape gives the best view.
Ammunition
| Shot | Hull | Sails | Crew | Range | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round shot | ×1 | ×0.25 | ×0.12 | ×1 | All-round damage to the hull |
| Chain shot | ×0.15 | ×2.6 | ×0.05 | ×0.82 | Shredding sails so the enemy cannot run |
| Grapeshot | ×0.08 | ×0.25 | ×1.5 | ×0.6 | Killing crew before you board |
| Explosive shells | ×1.6 | ×0.45 | ×0.6 | ×0.7 | Heavy hull damage at short range, slow to load |
Sailing and the wind
Ships are fastest with the wind on the beam or quarter and crawl straight upwind. The compass around the minimap shows how well your ship sails on each heading. Storm cells drift across the archipelago: inside one the sea runs high, the wind veers, and carrying more than battle sail tears your canvas.
Combat and boarding
Green arcs on the water show each broadside's reach, and turn red while the guns reload. Crew size drives reload speed and how many guns are manned. When you grapple, the bigger crew wins, with a bonus for rank and an edge to the defenders. Win and you take her gold, then choose to take command of her, give her to a captain of yours, or scuttle her; her cargo stays in her hold until you move it.
Trade
Each colony produces some goods cheaply and pays well for others, and prices move as you buy and sell. See ports and trade for what each port makes and wants. After dusk you can anchor off a cove and sell to smugglers at a premium, at the risk of a coast-guard patrol.
Skills
Experience comes from fighting, trade, contracts and voyages. Each level (to 30) gives two skill points to spend on nine skills, each from 1 to 10.
| Skill | What it does |
|---|---|
| Leadership | Boarding parties fight harder, and sailors sign on for less |
| Fencing | Your blade bites deeper ashore and in boarding fights |
| Gunnery | Tighter broadsides that carry further |
| Cannons | The guns are reloaded faster |
| Sailing | She sails faster and comes about quicker |
| Repair | Cheaper shipyard work, and the crew patches her at sea |
| Commerce | You buy cheaper and sell dearer |
| Defence | Shot does her hull less harm, and you shrug off cuts ashore |
| Luck | Richer plunder and better-paid contracts |
Ashore
- Taverns have sailors for hire, delivery contracts, bounties, officers (captains, boatswains, master gunners, navigators and carpenters) and a room to sleep the night.
- The moneylender lends against your name and keeps deposits at 2% a day. Overdue loans anger his crown.
- The church takes alms that raise your standing with its crown.
- Stores sell pistols (flintlock pistol, duelling pistol, double-barrelled pistol, musketoon and three-barrelled pistol), gems, jewellery and curios.
- Shipyards repair and sell ships.
Day and night
One clock runs for everyone: a day lasts 48 minutes, and the nights pass faster than the days. The sun, moon and stars cross the sky, ships are seen later at night, and smugglers come out after dusk.