Sid Meier's Pirates! (2004)

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Sid Meier's Pirates! (2004)
Developer(s)	Firaxis Games Full Fat (PSP)
Publisher(s)	Atari, 2k Games, Valve Corporation (Steam)
Engine	Gamebryo
Version	1.02 (August 11, 2005)
Platform(s)	Microsoft Windows, Xbox, Xbox 360 (Xbox Originals), Playstation Portable
Release date	November 22, 2004 (Windows) July 11, 2005 (Xbox) October 26, 2006 (Steam) January 22, 2007 (PSP) November 1, 2007 (Gametap) February 11, 2008 (Xbox 360)
Genre(s)	Strategy
Mode(s)	Single player
Rating(s)	ESRB: PC: E (Everyone) Xbox, Xbox 360: T (Teen) PSP: E10+ (Everyone 10 and older)
Media	CD (2), DVD (Xbox), UMD (PSP)
System requirements	Windows 98/Me/2000/XP, Pentium III or AMD Athlon 1 GHz or higher, 256 MB RAM, 1.4 GB hard disk space, 4X CD-ROM Drive (8X Recommended), 64 MB T&L-compatible SVGA video card
Input methods	Keyboard and Mouse (Windows), gamepad (Xbox, Xbox 360, PSP)

Sid Meier's Pirates! is a 2004 strategy/action/adventure computer game developed by Firaxis Games and published by Atari.^[1] The game is based on Sid Meier's earlier 1987 game, also named Sid Meier's Pirates!. Overall, the gameplay remains similar to the original game, though it features a 3D game engine (NDL's Gamebryo). Some elements such as sun sighting have been removed, but other features have been added, such as a ballroom dancing mini-game and an improved turn-based land combat system.

A Microsoft Xbox version was released on July 11, 2005 which includes some multiplayer capabilities. The Xbox version is on the Xbox 360 backwards compatibility list in North America and Europe. A version for the Sony PlayStation Portable was released on January 22, 2007. This new version features some modified gameplay mechanisms and was developed by Full Fat in collaboration with Firaxis Games. Also, a mobile version will be put out in Q1 of 2008 and is being made by Oasys Mobile.^[2] The Xbox version was released on the Xbox Live Marketplace for the Xbox 360 as an Xbox Original on February 11, 2008.

Contents 1 Story 2 Gameplay 2.1 Sailing 2.2 Naval battles 2.2.1 Ship capture and prizes 2.3 Swordfighting 2.4 Land warfare 2.4.1 Capturing cities 2.5 Dancing 2.6 Sneaking 3 Major cities 4 Types of ships 5 Ship classes 5.1 Pinnace class 5.2 Sloop class 5.3 Barque class 5.4 Brig class 5.5 Frigate class 5.6 Merchantman class 5.7 Fluyt class 5.8 Merchant Galleon class 5.9 Combat Galleon class 6 Historical pirates 7 Little known facts 8 See also 9 References 10 External links

[edit] Story

New games start off with a short back story: An (evil) Spanish nobleman, the Marquis de Montalban, enslaves the hero's family because the family does not pay their debt to him (the fleet of ships under their control is lost at sea.) The hero, at this time a boy, manages to evade capture. Several years later, he enters a bar, where he is given a list of options to define his name, difficulty level, special skill, and preferred era. After selecting these, the player must choose which nation to initially sail with: the English, Dutch, Spanish or French. In every case the voyage on this ship is harsh and the captain treats the hero and his fellow crew like slaves (oddly, no matter what nationality the player signs onto, the captain is identical to the Spanish recruiter, though not necessarily Spanish, as this is to avoid the creation of multiple movie files) until he incites a mutiny by his ill treatment. The crew sets the captain adrift and selects the hero as their new captain. After this, the ship is the hero's and he is deposited a short distance from a major city of the ship's nationality.

From this point on, the hero's future is entirely in the player's hands in an open-ended campaign in which the hero gains fame and notoriety before retiring. The story itself evolves in whatever manner the player chooses, and optimally ends with the player gaining enough fame points (by completing various achievements) to retire into a wealthy position in the Caribbean community.

[edit] Gameplay

Pirates is separated into several mini-games requiring different skills, as well as an overall "sailing map" mode where the player navigates around the Caribbean, looking for things to do. Sailing technique, evasion (running from guards), cannonplay, turn-based strategy, dancing, fencing and strategic planning are all skills needed to succeed in Pirates. During the game, players can acquire items and special crewmembers which make some mini-games less skill-dependent, but must also choose one of 5 different skills, at the start, which the game will give them an advantage in.

Most controls are relegated to the nine keys of the number pad, and the game is completely playable using only the keyboard (numpad keys and enter). This is assisted by a visual representation of the keypad in the lower right corner of the screen, which also shows the function of each key at any given time. For example, during ship-to-ship combat, the "3", "7", and "1" keys on the numpad representation are shown with images of different cannonball types - these buttons are used to select different types of cannonballs to fire. The on-screen keypad can also be clicked with a mouse, performing the same function as the keyboard key would have performed. Though the mouse can be used for various commands, the keypad is the preferred input mechanism due to the game's mechanics.

[edit] Sailing

The majority of the game is spent sailing from destination to destination around the Caribbean islands. To control their ship the player must use the number pad (or the directional arrows) on the keyboard. Mouse navigation is also possible, where clicking anywhere on the screen will send the ship sailing in that direction. During the sailing segment, the player navigates between areas of interest in the Caribbean, including colonies, cities, missions, pirate havens, and others. Wind conditions have an important effect on sailing, as winds tend to blow westwards (especially on lower difficulty levels) and as such speed up travels to the west while slowing down travel to the east. Clouds passing overhead indicate barometric depressions, and at the centers of these depressions are storms which cause powerful winds (usually assisting sailing in any direction) but also posing a threat to any ship passing underneath the storm. Unlike previous versions of the game, the Caribbean is teeming with ships represented visually by their three-dimensional models. The player can spot these ships from a distance and even collect information about their mission, port of departure, destination, and nationality. This allows the player to hand-pick his or her engagements, but also requires the player to actively pursue most ships if an attack is to be attempted. Unlike previous Pirates! games, however, enemy ships cannot force the player to fight, although they can bombard the player's ships en route to wherever. Fortified cities which hold a particular grudge against the player (or whose controlling nation holds a substantial bounty over the player's head) may also open fire upon the player's fleet as they pass by. The player must also navigate around reefs and shoals, which cause hull damage to any ship which passes over them. Finally, if the player wishes, he or she may sail their ship unto the shoreline, allowing the crew to disembark and begin to march. This can be used when the player wishes to approach a hostile city without being fired upon, or to travel on land seeking buried treasure, lost cities, or Montalbon's hideout.

[edit] Naval battles

The player will encounter numerous ships while sailing, all of which can be attacked. The player may decide to start a battle, although enemy ships may open fire and put up a chase on the sailing map. The player also gets the option to switch flagships, controlling which of the ships under his or her possession will actually engage the enemy. Sailing ships in combat is handled much the same as sailing them on the main map. The player controls a single ship, and must navigate this ship according to the prevailing winds, the ship's specific sailing strengths, and the goals he or she wishes to accomplish during the battle. Several differences do apply, mostly the inability to sail directly into the wind with most ships (which is possible, albeit slowly, on the sailing map), as well as the lack of dynamic weather (no storms, although engaging while in a storm will provide storm conditions during the entire battle). Depending on the player's ship, the enemy's ship, and various other factors, a battle may have one or more desirable outcomes. The most common goal in ship-to-ship combat would be the capture of the enemy vessel, either by directly boarding it and carrying the deck, or by subduing the ship through superior cannon fire. An enemy ship will always surrender if it is dismasted (exception: escort ships never surrender), although it can also choose to surrender if faced with a powerful boarding party compared to its own crew. Smaller ships are adept at the former strategy (quick boarding, with little cannon fire exchanged). Larger ships, especially Frigates, are often much more suited to subduing the enemy ship through cannon play, due to their powerful broadsides.

Another possible outcome may be the sinking of the enemy ship. After the enemy's hull has been hit enough with cannon balls, a shot will end up in the powder magazine, destroying the ship.

Much of the naval combat mini-game goes into attempting to out-maneuver the enemy, bringing the enemy vessel into cannon range while trying to stay out of the enemy's line-of-fire. Some players prefer to avoid firing cannons altogether, attempting to board the enemy as quickly as possible so as not to harm his ship (or to avoid damage to the player's ship). Wind direction and specific ship capabilities feature heavily into this. Some ships are adept at sailing in sharp angles to the wind direction, while others can only gain reasonable speed while sailing along with the wind. Turning speed is also different between ship types, and so some ships can actually weave between cannonballs, while others turn extremely slowly and cannot afford to make fancy maneuvers at all. There is great emphasis in knowing the particular strengths and weaknesses of one's ship, and the ability to continuously gauge wind direction and act accordingly.

Automatic aiming is also applied to the shot, which may (especially in lower difficulties) cause the cannonballs to be fired at a narrower angle to the ship's heading. This automatic aiming attempt to take into account the heading and speed of the enemy ship, and so will often cause a more accurate hit, although it can also be detrimental, especially against quick enemies. Cannons are fired in volleys, meaning that all loaded cannons will fire simultaneously. Once fired, the crew begins to reload the cannons, one by one, a task which takes a certain amount of time depending on the number of cannons, the number of crew, and several other factors. Volleys can be fired even when not all cannons have been loaded, but a full volley has a number of cannonballs equal to half the number of cannons on the ship (the rationale being that only the cannons on one side of the ships get to fire, while the others are actually pointing away from the enemy). The largest volley possible is fired by a fully armed Ship of the Line, with 24 (half of 48) cannonballs. Such a volley is often wide enough to hit the enemy regardless of his attempts to maneuver out of the way. The player needs to take into account the enemy's heading and speed when firing the broadside, as cannonballs take some time to travel the distance between the two ships, and therefore cannot be fired directly at the enemy's position unless the enemy is motionless or at extremely close range.

Another important tactical decision is the ability to choose cannonball types. If a ship has been properly upgraded, the player can choose between grape shot, chain shot, and the default round shot. Each cannonball causes a different range of damage upon impact, and also has different ballistic capabilities. Round shot, being the typical round projectile, has the longest range of the three, and also flies fastest through the air. Upon impact, it has a great chance of damaging a ship's hull (potentially sinking the ship), and a smaller equal chance of destroying cannons, killing crew, or damaging the sails. Chain-shot projectiles have a shorter range and fly at a slower speed. Their impact is most likely to cause sail damage to the enemy ship, slowing it down, or potentially dis-masting it. Chain shot also has a small chance of killing enemy crew. Grape shot is an aggregate of small cannonballs, much like buckshot fired from a shotgun. This swarm of small projectiles is very slow and has a short range, but upon impact it can kill large portions of the enemy crew, weakening the ship and slowing their cannon reloading. Grape shot also has the potential of damaging enemy sails. Without having purchased specific upgrades for one's ship, it is impossible to fire anything but round shot.

[edit] Ship capture and prizes

If a ship has surrendered, or its captain defeated in combat, it is considered "captured". The player may now unload any gold and cargo from the ship, and may also add it to his/her fleet if there is room. If the ship's crew had a specialist, like a sailmaker or a cooper, these will automatically be added to the player's crew. Some of the captured ship's crew may also be inclined to join the player's ranks, especially if the player's crew morale is high. Captured enemy crews may also have news on various events which are of interest to the player.

It is also possible to sink the captured ship. This is desirable if it has been damaged too severely to be towed quickly to port, or if the player has no interest in selling ships. Also, if the player's crew is very small or is already maintaining a large fleet, adding an extra ship may cause the whole fleet to become inefficient, slowing it down considerably on the sailing map.

[edit] Swordfighting

Several events in the game will trigger a swordfighting mini-game, where the player fences an opponent in one-on-one combat. These segments may or may not include crews fighting in the background, being affected by the progress of the battle as well.

Most often, swordfighting duels occur when two ships collide during naval combat. Swordfights can also break out during attacks on cities, particularly if the city has too few defenders to mount a land war outside the city gates, but also if the player manages to reach the town gates during such land battles without first having defeated the enemy force. During these two kinds of fights, the player's crew and the enemy crew will have an important influence on combat. Crew sizes and morales dictate which side is more likely to lose men during the conflict - any men lost on one side will cause a reduced effectiveness of that side's leader's combat moves.

Dueling also occurs when the player challenges an enemy. This often occurs in taverns, when the player challenges the captain of the guard, or when confronting a known criminal and attempting to bring him to justice. When romancing governors' daughters, they will at one point request the player to defeat a jealous suitor in one-on-one combat. These duels occur without crew presence, and as such are not subject to the effects of crew morale.

A duel is carried out with swords, although pistols can be acquired by the player to give him or her a starting advantage. During the duel, each combatant attempts to strike at his enemy without being struck. This mini-game relies mostly on hand-to-eye coordinating and quick reflexes, although in lower difficulty levels it is quite possible to defeat an enemy with very little skill or thought involved.

Each combatant can use one of three attacks - a low slash, a high chop, and a mid-stab. Each combatant can also defend against incoming blows, with a dodge (against high chops), a jump (against low slashes), or a parry (against mid-stabs). When a blow "connects" properly (that is, the opponent fails to block with the right move), the struck duelist moves backwards. When one duelist reaches the "limit" of the fighting area, he or loses the duel and either surrenders or is knocked out of the battle.

A bar across the bottom of the screen indicates battle advantage. When properly performing a blocking move, or when striking the enemy, the bar shifts towards that opponent, indicating that he has lost advantage. The duelist with more advantage can attack faster, while the duelist with less advantage attacks slower. Also, a failed attack (one that was blocked properly) has the chance of disorienting the attacker, causing them to become even slower for a short time.

Another important combat move is the taunt. If this move is executed in full without the opponent striking, the opponent loses advantage.

Also, when fighting on ships, several events can provide opportunity for a non-conventional attack. These include buckets and gaffs lying around on the ship's deck, as well as ropes swinging overhead. When the player or the enemy are situated adjacent to such an item, executing the correct attack will use the item (kicking the bucket, swinging from the ropes, etc.). If such an attack is successful, it knocks the enemy back and causes more disadvantage to him than a normal strike.

Lastly, almost every fighting scene has a middle point which has a strong effect on combat. On a ship, this is the flight of stairs leading from the poop deck or forecastle onto the main deck. In a tavern, this is the balcony and the stairs leading up to it. If a combatant has been pushed all the way to the middle point, a cut scene will show the two combatants moving past the obstacle. On a ship, they'll run down or up the stairs. In a tavern, the enemy will be knocked down the gallery, and the player will run up the stairs. This has the effect of giving time for the advantage bar to swing back to the neutral position, equalizing the fight somewhat during this cut scene.

Most importantly, each contestant in a duel will select his dueling sword out of three possible selections: the rapier, the cutlass and the longsword. The rapier is the quickest attacking sword, capable of delivering swift attacks but slow on the defense. The cutlass is a strong defensive sword, capable of quickly blocking or dodging out of harm's way but is slow on the attack. The longsword lies in the middle, with average attack and defense. When playing on the lowest difficulty setting, the player cannot choose a sword, and is automatically given a longsword.

Several items can be acquired that enhance the player's fighting capabilities. These include balanced swords (attack faster), silk clothing (defend faster), armor (chance to block mid-stabs without properly selecting a parry), and pistols (automatically pushes the enemy back a few steps at the beginning of combat). Also, selecting the "fencing" skill at the beginning of the game will allow the player faster performance.

As the character ages out of the random options the game there is a chance his swordfighting capabilities will decrease, causing him to become slower. This is one of the game's methods for ensuring that older characters be pressed into retirement. Some of the duels in the game become impossibly fast on higher difficulty levels, when the character has reached a certain age.

[edit] Land warfare

Pirates! also has land battles in which the player fights battles in a turn-based system, on a grid map. This occurs whenever the player assaults a well-defended city (100 or more soldiers in the city's garrison), or the evil Montalban's hideout.

When beginning a land assault, the player is given several units. The exact number of units is determined by the proportion of the player's crew versus the size of the city's garrison. An overwhelming superiority for either side will give that side up to 10 units to command, while equally balanced fights will generally produce four or five units for each side.

Battle takes place outside the city, on a map with hills, forests, and plains. The player's force starts out in one of three selectable positions nearer the bottom of the map, while the enemy force begins closer to the top of the map, near the city gates. The goal of this mini-game is either to defeat the enemy force altogether, or to have one unit reach the city gates, after which a swordfighting duel commences against the city's captain of the guard and all remaining defenders.

The player is given three different types of units: officers, pirates, and buccaneers. Each has different statistics and is suited for a different purpose. Officers are unique (the player may only have one unit of officers in the battle). They possess a higher attack power than any other class, and as such serve as shock troops useful against any enemy. Pirates act as melee infantry, requiring a direct attack on enemy units. Buccaneers hold muskets, and are able to attack enemies at a distance, provided that no hills or forests block their line of sight. Buccaneers are also the weakest units in melee combat, and will almost always lose when assaulted directly.

The enemy has a more versatile force, completely different than the player's. Enemy infantry make up the bulk of their forces - these are musket-bearing troops with a slightly shorter range than that of the player's buccaneers, but they are also adept at melee attack and are usually numerous. Enemy guards are slightly tougher, with a shorter ranged attack but a powerful melee attack which can devastate most units. Enemies also use Indians, both scouts and skirmishers. These units move quickly through forests, and as such are good flankers. The scouts fire devastating arrows but do not stand up too well against melee attacks. Skirmishers are dangerous on melee assaults, but possess no ranged attack. Finally, well-defended cities may also employ cavalry. These units move very quickly over open terrain, and have the most powerful melee attack of all units. However, if caught in forests, they can be destroyed easily.

The player and the AI take turns moving their units. During a side's turn, each of its units can move, attack, or fire ranged weapons. Most units can move up to two squares a turn, or one through forests. Indians can move two squares through any terrain. Cavalry move three, giving them much higher mobility. Ranged units can move one square and then shoot, or shoot first and end their turn. Units can also turn about, using one movement point. Once all units on one side have moved, fired, attacked, or skipped their turn, the other side gets to play.

Many factors determine the strength of a unit when attacking or defending. Units which have previously been damaged will have lower morale, lowering their strength. Ranged units firing at an enemy which is hiding in the trees will have their attacks halved in strength (hence stressing the importance of cover). Charging down a hill also adds strength to a unit, the greater the difference in height between attacker and defender, the more power it gives to the attacker. Similarly, charging up a hill is dangerous, giving similar bonus to the defender. Cavalry caught in a forest will have their strength divided by 3.

Finally, a very important aspect to combat is flanking. All units face a specific direction (south, west, southwest, etc.). If attacked from a perpendicular (or more obtuse) angle to their facing, the unit is said to be flanked. This increases the attacking unit's strength by a factor of 2, and is an extremely powerful tactic. During their turn, units can spend part of their movement points to change their facing, sacrificing mobility for defense against flanking opponents. So in other words you have to use math in order to be ahead of your opponent.

Units that are damaged in combat will lose morale, lowering their combat strength. When a unit drops below "panicked" morale, it is routed, fleeing from the field of battle. Some units will rout without reaching their lowest morale - this occurs when a unit is being attacked by a much stronger opponent, especially when flanking. Although this causes a quick rout and often an easier victory, decimating a unit slowly (often by ranged attacks) is often favorable, as it decreases the number of enemy soldiers left to defend the city - if this number drops to 100 or lower during combat, it becomes possible for the city to be conquered for a different nationality, with powerful results for the player.

[edit] Capturing cities

Successful land-combat on the part of the player will yield a one-time gold prize, often very large (can reach over ten thousand gold pieces). The exact amount is determined by the city's wealth and population parameters. Also, as mentioned above, if the city's garrison drops below 100 during or before combat, successful land-battles allow the player to change the city's government to that of a different nationality. This not only changes the political situation in the Caribbean, but also makes the new owning nation greatly pleased with the daring pirate (the player), as well as any other countries who disliked the original owner (who is, of course, extremely annoyed). The attack also has the effect of lowering the city's wealth rating.

[edit] Dancing

Upon performing tasks favorable to one of the four nations in the game and thus being promoted enough, the player may be given the chance to dance with a governor's daughter at a ball. Dancing is done by following the daughter's signals, and moving appropriately, using the number pad. Successful dancing is rewarded with amour from the governor's daughters, as well as gifts or valuable information. When the daughter's amour is high enough, she will request marriage. If the hero agrees it will show a cutscene of the marriage and the hero will gain bonus fame points.

[edit] Sneaking

The player may be refused docking privileges at an enemy town (a nation the player has pirated from). In these cases, the player is given the option to sneak into town. This is done by avoiding the town's guards who patrol the city and moving towards the tavern, or governor's mansion, which are pointed to by signs throughout the city. The player may run, walk, or climb over fences (guards cannot climb), and has hay bales to hide behind to avoid detection. The player may also sneak up behind guards and knock them unconscious (but this risks discovery if they are discovered or they come to). If caught, they are thrown into jail, where they must remain to serve a sentence of several months, pay a fine or attempt escape. Certain gift items can increase the chance of a player's escape.

[edit] Major cities

Spanish: Campeche, Cartagena, Coro, Cumana, Gibraltar, Granada, Havana, Maracaibo, Margarita, Nombre de Dios, Panama, Puerto Cabello, Puerto Principe, Rio de la Hacha, San Juan, Santa Catalina, Santa Marta, Santiago, Santo Domingo, St. Augustine, Trinidad, Vera Cruz, Villa Hermosa

English: Antigua, Eleuthera, Grand Bahama, Nassau, Nevis, Port Royale, St. Kitts, Barbados

French: Florida Keys, Montserrat, Port-de-Paix, Tortuga, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Leogane

Dutch: Curaçao, St. Martin, St. Eustatius

[edit] Types of ships

Ships encountered in-game have many different roles, usually identified when the player's ship nears their own.

• Merchant ships are the most common, and sail from their port of origin to a friendly port.
• Smugglers trade with nations at war with their own.
• Pirate ships originate at pirate havens, and attempt to attack and plunder cities about the Caribbean. They may carry a rival (named) pirate (see below), and can be sent to attack any nearby port by the player.
• Raiders sail from a port of their nation and attempt to damage cities or sink ships of a nation at war with their own.
• Privateers sail from a port of their nation and attempt to capture ships of a nation at war with their own.
• Pirate hunters are warships diverted to attack the player for offenses against their nation. They are usually of the Sloop or Brig classes, but repeated serious offenses against a nation may eventually draw out frigates, and very rarely, if you really make them angry, non-Spanish towns will start to send out Frigate-class warships, and Spanish towns will send out comparable Combat Galleons (up to the Flag Galleon). They rapidly pursue the player and shoot cannon balls at their ships until they lose interest (rare), are engaged and defeated, or the player reaches a friendly city.
• Treasure ships are the largest type of that nation's merchant class, and carry a large amount of valuable goods in addition to a large amount of gold.
• New Warships are ships of that nation's warship class(es), typically carrying full complements of cannon and crew, but only a small amount of gold or goods. They sail from one city to another. New Warships may be of any warship type, and a Ship of the line can appear.
• Invasion forces are ships of that nation's warship class, carrying many crew and attempting to capture a city of a nation with which their own nation is at war. If they succeed the city changes hands, if they fail, the garrison is reduced.
• Military payroll couriers are ships which carry a large amount of gold (typically no goods) to reinforce the defensive garrison of another port.
• Troop transports are warships which travel from a settlement to a city of their nation in order to reinforce its garrison. They typically carry fewer guns, a meager amount of gold and goods and a full crew complement.
• Treaty carriers are ships (typically Mail Runners or Royal Sloops) which carry an ultimatum or an offer of peace to another nation. The player may be offered missions to escort one of these ships to its destination. The ultimatum always triggers a war and the offers always suspend a war or (if there was no war going on at the time), enact a peace treaty.
• Immigrant ships are merchant ships (typically Merchantmen) carrying a number of passengers to a destination city. They boost the population on arrival, and players may be offered missions to escort them to their destination. They have a higher chance of carrying a specialist which may aid the player's crew.
• Grain transports carry a large amount of food, and sail from one port of their nation to another. They make poor targets unless the player's crew is starving.
• Other ships may transport new governors, carry a native war party, or be the personal ships of named villains in the game's central quest.

[edit] Ship classes

There are nine distinct classes of ships in-game, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. Within these classes are 3 sizes of ships. Players of the PC version may have up to eight ships in their personal fleet, however, ships other than the flagship may not participate in combat.

[edit] Pinnace class

The Pinnace class consists of the War Canoe, the Pinnace, and the Mail Runner. The class is fairly uncommon, but make decent warships due to their high speed and maneuverability. The War Canoe is the smallest, and is exclusively used by native war parties. The Pinnace itself is the most common, and is used by merchants and smugglers. The Mail Runner is the largest and is classed as a warship, but is typically only seen as a treaty carrier. Pinnaces and Mail Runners are used by all nations.

[edit] Sloop class

This class consists of the Sloop, the Sloop of War, and the Royal Sloop. This class make better warships than the Pinnace class thanks to their comparable speed and maneuverability but larger cannon, cargo and crew capacities. The common Sloop is seen as either a merchant ship or a warship (a pirate ship or an escort). The Sloop of War is a warship and usually seen escorting a merchant ship. The Royal Sloop is a warship, but is rare and usually seen as a treaty carrier or New Warship. The class is used by all nations.

[edit] Barque class

This class consists of the Coastal Barque, the Barque, and the Ocean Barque. The class is used by all nations, but make poor warships as they are slow, hard to maneuver and carry few cannons. However, these ships can be important in-game: they serve as grain transports, and Ocean Barques serve as military payroll couriers (typically for the Spanish).

[edit] Brig class

This class consists of the Brigantine, the Brig, and the Brig of War. This class has the unique ability of sailing well against the wind, and thanks to their balance of speed and power make excellent warships. The Brigantine and the larger Brig are often seen as pirate, privateer or merchant ships. The Brig of War is rarer, and is more commonly seen as a troop transport, New Warship, or military payroll courier. Brigantines and Brigs are used by all nations, but the Brig of War is never used by the Spanish.

[edit] Frigate class

This class consists of the Frigate, the Large Frigate, and the Ship of the Line. This class is used exclusively as warships, thanks to their ability to carry huge crews and many cannons, though they lack the maneuverability of smaller ships. The frigate is typically seen as carrying an invasion force, or as a pirate hunter. The large frigate is rare, but occasionally seen as a New Warship or a military payroll courier (often escorted) or the flagship of Henry Morgan . The Ship of the Line is exceptionally rare and much sought-after, being the best-armed ship in the game, but can occasionally be found as a New Warship. The class is never used by the Spanish, who use combat galleons (see below) as warships.

[edit] Merchantman class

This class consists of the Merchantman, Large Merchantman and East Indiaman. The class is used as merchant ships by the English and French. Merchantmen are used as immigrant ships by all nations, and East Indiamen serve as treasure ships for the English or French. Ships of this class make decent warships as they have moderate speed, large cargo capacity and can carry a fair number of cannons.

[edit] Fluyt class

This class consists of the Fluyt, Large Fluyt and West Indiamen. The class is used solely by the Dutch, and West Indiamen serve as Dutch treasure ships. Ships of this class make poor warships as they are slow, hard to maneuver, and carry few cannons. They are universally regarded as the worst ships in the game for the player's purposes, however they are usually easy to catch.

[edit] Merchant Galleon class

This class consists of the Trade Galleon, Royal Galleon, and Treasure Galleon. The class is used solely by the Spanish, as merchant ships, but make undesirable warships as they are slow and hard to maneuver, though packing many cannons. The Trade Galleon is the single most common ship in the game, and Treasure Galleons serve as Spanish treasure ships and make up their Treasure Fleet. What the trade galleons lose in speed, they make up for in storage space. The Treasure Galleon has the largest storage in the game and is good for carrying supplies and treasure.

[edit] Combat Galleon class

This class consists of the Fast Galleon, War Galleon and Flag Galleon. The class is used solely by the Spanish, but make decent warships due to their toughness and ability to carry many cannons and crew members. They are typically seen as new warships, troop transports, invasion forces, military payroll couriers, and the personal ships of the Spanish villains of the storyline.

[edit] Historical pirates

In the game there are 9 computer-controlled named historical pirates. Each bears his unique flag and is present on the top ten pirate list (the player is the tenth pirate on the list. Each time you defeat one of them you will acquire their plunder and their ship. The player can advance to the top by getting gold, digging up buried treasure, gaining unique artifacts and defeating the historical pirates. The nine pirates are as follows: Henry Morgan, Blackbeard, Stede Bonnet, Captain Kidd, Jean Lafitte, François l'Ollonais, Roche Brasiliano, Bart Roberts, and Jack Rackham. They each have a buried treasure worth from 10,000 pieces (Morgan) down to 2,000. If a player digs up a pirate's treasure before defeating the pirate, the pirate will act like a "Pirate Hunter" when the players ship(s) come into view.

[edit] Little known facts

Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines. The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones.

• Many in-game characters are partially modeled on developers of the game.
• The main character cannot get a parrot; however, if the bartender in taverns has nothing to say, he will ask the player where their parrot is.
• The flag on the wall of the tavern (of a pirate haven) behind the "mysterious traveler" is the historical flag of Edward Teach, better known as Blackbeard.
• If the player chooses the earliest possible time period (beginning in 1600), English governors, etc. erroneously remark that they have a new "king", although Elizabeth I reigned until 1603. In addition, even though much of the game can take place from 1640 onwards, no mention is made of the English Civil War, or the complete lack of a monarchy from 1649 to 1660 (characters will still refer to a "King" and "Crown" even during the period of the Commonwealth of England).
• Sid Meier occasionally will be the mysterious traveler or an abbot of a Jesuit Mission, with a distinct difference between the normal character and Sid's character.
• Players' personal flags can be used. The files must be saved in .dds format and placed in the custom directory.
• If a person plays the game on Talk Like a Pirate Day, the dialog in the game changes from normal dialog into a modified pirate-like dialog.

[edit] See also

• Sid Meier's Pirates!
• Pirates! Gold (1993)
• Port Royale 2
• Piracy

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Official Pirates! site
• Firaxis' (developer) site with patches
• Pirates! on Gamespot