SID MEIER S-PIRATES
Book 1 - Getting Started......... 4
First Things First.................... 5
The ReadMe File ................... 5
Installation ............................... 5
Saving and Loading Games.... 6
Options Screen ........................ 7
Introduction............................. 8
Book 2 - The Basics ................ 11
Starting the Game ................. 12
The Main Menu.................... 13
Useful Game Information .... 14
Book 3 - The Rules.................. 15
Creating Your Pirate.............. 16
At Sea ..................................... 19
Sea Battles.............................. 34
Fencing and Swordplay ........ 42
In Town.................................. 47
Treasure Maps....................... 53
On Land................................. 55
Land Battles .......................... 58
Sneaking About Town .......... 64
Dancing with
the Governor’s Daughter...... 67
Promotions............................. 71
Missions and Quests ............. 74
Pirates of the Caribbean ....... 77
Dividing the Plunder............ 80
Aging ...................................... 82
The End................................. 84
Game Controls pages ......... 86
Português (Quickstart).............. 88
Svenska (Quickstart) ................ 94
Dansk (Quickstart)................. 100
Norsk (Quickstart) ................. 106
Suomi (Quickstart) ................ 112
Credits.................................. 118
Technical Support............... 123
Table of Contents Sid Meier’s Pirates!
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
BOOK 1
Getting Started
FIRST THINGS FIRST
The ReadMe File
The Sid Meier’s Pirates!
®
CD-ROM game has a ReadMe file where
you can view both the License Agreement and updated information
about the game. We strongly encourage you to read this file in order
to benefit from changes made after this manual went to print. The
ReadMe file is available once you install the game.
To view this file, double-click on it in the Sid Meier’s Pirates! directory
found on your hard disk (usually C:\Program Files\Firaxis
Games\Sid Meier’s Pirates!). You can also view the ReadMe file by
first clicking on the Start button on your Windows
®
taskbar, then on
Programs, then on Firaxis Games, then on Sid Meier’s Pirates! and then
on the ReadMe file.
INSTALLATION
1. Start Windows
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98/Se/Me/2000/XP.
2. Insert the Sid Meier’s Pirates! CD-ROM game disc into your CD-
ROM drive.
3. If AutoPlay is enabled, a title screen should appear. If AutoPlay is
not enabled, or the installation does not start automatically, click on
the Start button on your Windows
®
taskbar, then on Run. Type
D:\Setup and click on OK. Note: If your CD-ROM drive is
assigned to a letter other than D, substitute that letter.
4. Follow the remainder of the on-screen instructions to finish
installing Sid Meier’s Pirates!.
5. Once installation is complete, click on the Sid Meier’s Pirates! icon
on your desktop or click on the Start button on the Windows
®
taskbar and choose Program Files/Firaxis/Sid Meier’s Pirates! to
start the game.
Note: You must have the Sid Meier’s Pirates! game disc in your CD-
ROM drive every time you play.
Book One Sid Meier’s Pirates!
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Options Screen
Getting There
See the Game Controls section on pages 86-87 to learn how to get to
the Options screen.
What it Contains
Master Volume
Move this slider to control the overall volume of the game.
Music Volume
Move this slider to control the volume of the music in Pirates!
Sound FX Volume
Move this slider to control the special effects volume in the game.
Choose 3D Sound Driver
Select a different audio driver (may affect performance).
Picture Gamma
Move this slider to adjust the game’s brightness and contrast.
Water Detail
Move this slider to adjust the level of detail for the water including
movement and reflections.
Change Video Resolution
You can choose the screen resolution in which you want to play
Pirates!
Enable Shadows
Defaults to on. Turning shadows off may give better performance on
lower level computers.
Book One Sid Meier’s Pirates!
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Installing DirectX
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Sid Meier’s Pirates! requires DirectX
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9.0c or higher in order to run. If
you do not have DirectX
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9.0c or higher installed on your computer,
click “Yes” when asked if you would like to install it.
SAVING AND
LOADING GAMES
Saving a Game
You can save a game only while at sea or embarked on land - but not
while in town or during a conversation or while in a battle. To save a
game of Pirates!, hit Shift+ s. The Save Game screen appears, click on
one of the 5 available locations to save.
Auto-Save
Pirates! saves your game automatically each time you enter a town,
get involved in a battle, or quit the game.
Loading a Game
You can load a game only while at sea or on land. To load a game of
Pirates!, hit Shift+ l When the Load Game screen appears Click on
the game you wish to load.
You can also load a saved game from the main menu or from the infor-
mation screens (see Information screen pages 25-27).
If CAPSLOCK is ON, you do not need to press the [Shift] key!
Sid Meier’s Pirates!
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Book One
Enable Advanced Lighting
Defaults to off. Certain higher-level video cards will be able to dis-
play advanced lighting effects and softer shadows with a possible
reduction in performance.
Modify your Ship’s Sails
Brings up a screen that allows you to choose your fleet’s sail emblem
and flag.
Quit Game
Click on this to quit Pirates!
Introduction
Welcome to Sid Meier’s Pirates!
Welcome to the Caribbean, Captain! There's a whole new world
here, a world full of adventure and ripe with plunder. Rich, fat treas-
ure ships carry South American silver and gold back to Spain, and
French, Dutch and English vessels carry booty only slightly less valu-
able. The boisterous buccaneer towns teem with lusty pirates seek-
ing a bold commander to lead them to wealth untold. Constantly at
war with one another, the Great Powers are always in search of
doughty privateers to take to the seas and do their fighting for them.
Yes, it’s a world of high adventure, where brave and skilled men bat-
tle for treasure and glory. Those who succeed will achieve great fame
and personal wealth - the bones of those who fail will forever lie in
Davy Jones's locker.
To New Players
Greetings to our new players! Do not be alarmed at the size of this
manual - though Pirates! features rich and subtle gameplay, it is also
surprisingly easy to learn. If you check out the Game Controls pages
you’ll be well on your way to piratical greatness. Then dive into a
new game. If you get into trouble you can always hit shift+p to Pause
and dig into the manual as necessary.
In the meantime, please bear with us for a moment while we talk to
some old friends, and then we'll have you at sea in no time at all!
Sid Meier’s Pirates!
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Book One
To Players of Earlier Versions of Pirates!
To fans of original Pirates! and Pirates! Gold - welcome back! We’ve
made great efforts to update Pirates! for the 21st century, while keep-
ing true to the gameplay and spirit of the original classic game.
In this version of Pirates! we have added a number of new game ele-
ments and changed or removed others, but a veteran of any of the
older versions of Pirates! will be able to jump right into a game. Here’s
a quick summary of the major changes to the game:
What’s Gone
Ship versus Land Combat: Ship Versus Land Combat is gone. Now,
when you choose to attack a town your men are deployed ashore and
you engage the enemy in “Land Combat” (see pages 58-63).
What’s Changed
Insufficient Crew: In the old version of Pirates! you had to have eight
crewmen to man any vessel, and four additional crewmen to man each
cannon. If you had not enough men to fire all of your cannon, the
unmanned cannon never fired. If you did not have eight men to sail
a vessel, that vessel surrendered or had to be abandoned.
In the current game each ship-type has its own “minimum effective
crew” stats _ that is, the number of men you need to sail a vessel at full
effectiveness (i.e., at full speed). You can sail a vessel with fewer than
its minimum effective crew, but the ship will be much slower and less
manoeuvrable. The ship can fire all of its cannon in battle, but it will
take far longer for the reduced crew to reload the guns after firing.
Note that as a ship takes damage its minimum crew requirement
increases.
What’s New
Multi-Ship Combat: Occasionally you’ll encounter two ships sailing
together in formation, typically a merchantman and an escorting war
vessel. If you attack either of these vessels, your flagship will have to
fight both of them at the same time.
Sneaking In and Out of Cities: The original game’s “die-roll” sneak
has been replaced by an action sequence. If you attempt to sneak
into an unfriendly city, the scene will change to display an overhead
view of the city. You then have to guide your pirate through the
streets, avoiding or knocking out the patrolling guards until you
reach your destination.
Book One Sid Meier’s Pirates!
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BOOK 2
The Basics
Dancing: To impress a governor’s daughter these days, a pirate must
not only be wealthy and successful, but he must also be light on his
feet. As you romance her, a governor’s daughter might invite your
pirate to a ball. You will then move your pirate around the dance-floor,
matching your partner’s movements in time with the music. Note:
There are various “game items” available to assist the rhythmically-
challenged in this sequence. Speaking of which…
Special Items: During the game your pirate may be given (or allowed
to purchase) a number of special items. Each item assists the pirate in
a game task _ e.g., jewellery will help the pirate win the heart of a beau-
tiful maiden, a fine sword will improve his duelling, and so forth. There
are many such items available and the pirate may collect them all.
Crew Specialists: You may encounter various “crew specialists” during
play. These include cooks, gunners, sail-makers, and so forth. Each
specialist will assist you in important ways: the cook keeps your men
happier during long journeys at sea; the sail-maker repairs sail damage
after a battle; and so forth.
About this Manual
This manual is divided into various “books.” You are presently read-
ing “Book 1 - First Things First.” “Book 2 - The Basics” tells you
how to start a new game. “Book 3 - The Rules” tells you how to play
the game.
Sid Meier’s Pirates!
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Book One
The Main Menu
The main menu contains the following entries,. You can select an
entry using your mouse or keyboard.
Play Sid Meier’s Pirates!
Pick this if you want to begin a new game of Pirates! from scratch.
Load a Game
Resume a game that you began earlier. You can access games that you
saved manually as well as auto-saved games.
Change Your System Options
Change the game’s default audio and video settings, and game con-
trols. See ”option Screen “ on pages 7 details.
Visit the Firaxis Web Site
Visit Atari’s Pirates! web site, where you can register your copy of
Pirates! You will also find an exciting community of fellow pirates as
well as player-generated content, game hints and tips, and other cool
Pirates! stuff.
Visit the Hall of Champions
View the Pirates! Hall of Fame, where your top game scores are
recorded.
Quit the Game
Exit Pirates! and return to your Windows desktop.
Starting the Game
1. First install the Sid Meier’s Pirates! program and the correct version
of DirectX
®
as described in Book One.
2. Make sure that the Sid Meier’s Pirates! 1 CD-ROM is in your CD-
ROM drive.
3. If you have a Sid Meier’s Pirates! icon on your desktop, double-click
on it. If not, click on the Start button on the Windows
®
taskbar and
choose Program Files/Firaxis/Sid Meier’s Pirates! to start the game.
4. The introductory movie and title screens will appear. Watch them
through, or press any keyboard button or click a mouse button to
skip ahead to the main menu.
Sid Meier’s Pirates!
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Book Two
Book Two Sid Meier’s Pirates!
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A Word About Your Goals
Sid Meier’s Pirates! is an open-ended game, which means
you can pretty much do what you want. If you want to be a peace-
ful trader and not fight with anyone, you can do so. If you want
to be a reckless pirate and take on everybody, you can do that too.
Or you can be a romantic hero, seeking to sweep every governor’s
daughter off of her feet. And so on. You control your own destiny.
Do what you will with it.
Your pirate is not immortal, however. Eventually the pas-
sage of years will take their toll and he will grow older. And as he
ages, some of his skills will begin to diminish. At some point he’ll
find it harder to recruit crewmen, who are interested in a young,
healthy captain to lead them. Eventually you’ll need to consider
retiring this pirate and starting anew with another captain.
When your pirate retires, the game examines his piratical
career, and, based upon what he has accomplished, assigns him a
final ranking. If he’s been extremely successful, he’ll earn himself a
place in the Hall of Fame, and he may retire to become a Governor
himself. If he’s less successful, he may end his days as a lowly bar-
keep or street-cleaner.
BOOK 3
The Rules
Useful Game
Information
Pausing the Game
Press the Pause key (“Shift-p”) to pause the game during an action
sequence - while sailing the Caribbean, engaged in a ship battle, land
battle, or duel, while ashore with a landing party, while dancing, and
so forth. Time is already frozen while you’re on an information screen,
at a menu, or in a conversation, so you don’t need to pause then.
Sid Meier’s Pirates!
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Book Two
from other nations. It is not unknown for a pirate to turn on his own
nation if he gets a better offer from somebody else!
English
English is one of the easiest nationalities to play in the default era
(The Buccaneer Heroes-1660). You start the game with friendly ports
in highly useful locations, and since England is almost always at war
with Spain, you can usually gain quick English promotions by attack-
ing Spanish vessels and cities.
French
France too has a number of strategic ports - Tortuga is a great place
from which to harass southern Cuba - and she’s often at war with
Spain.
Dutch
This is not the easiest nation to play. The Dutch have far fewer ports
than the other nations (though Curacao makes a fine base for trading
with or attacking Spanish cities on the Spanish Main). Further, the
Dutch are not quite as often at war with their neighbours, so Dutch
promotions can be hard to come by.
Spanish
This may be the toughest nationality to start with. Spain has by far
the most ports on the game, which leaves you fewer targets to attack
(a problem only if you wish to remain loyal to Holy Spain). Likewise,
the juiciest target vessels in the Caribbean are often Spanish: if you
want to remain loyal, you’ll have to make your fortune attacking the
less wealthy English, French, and Dutch ships. On the other hand,
Spain is nearly always at war with somebody - privateering can be
extremely profitable.
Your Name
Type your pirate’s name into the space indicated.
Difficulty
Choose one of five difficulty levels:
• Apprentice (the easiest level)
• Journeyman
• Adventurer
• Rogue
• Swashbuckler
Book Three Sid Meier’s Pirates!
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Creating Your Pirate
Game Era
You can choose from several historical game-eras available. For your
first few games we suggest that you choose the default era : The
Buccaneer Heroes —1660 is the only era available on Apprentice
difficulty.
Nationality
There are four nationalities to choose from. You begin with a “Letter
of Marque” from your choosen nation, making you a legitimate priva-
teer in its interest. This is important in the early portion of the game
as all of that nation’s cities are opened and friendly to you. As the
game progresses you can purchase or be given “Letters of Marque”
Sid Meier’s Pirates!
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Book Three
The Memoirs of Captain Sydney
There be only three rules that ye must follow if ye
wants to be a pirate.
First, always keep your crew happy. A happy crew
will take on the world, if ye ask ‘em, while an unhappy
crew will fall apart fightin’ a Dutch herring boat.
Second, always hit ‘em from windward. If ye got the
weather gauge you can beat almost anyone - and if ye be
losin’ ye can run away a lot easier.
Third, never trust a man named, “Raymondo.” He’ll
kidnap yer family as soon as look at ye.
At Sea
The Navigation Screen
This screen displays a portion of the Caribbean. The view remains
centred on your ship at all times.
What’s on the Navigation Screen
Your Ship: Your ship appears in the centre of the map. If you have
more than one ship, your “flagship” is in the lead and the other ves-
sels are following her.
Book Three Sid Meier’s Pirates!
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The difficulty level affects a number of aspects of the game. The
higher the difficulty level, the tougher your opponents in action
sequences - ship battles, dueling, and so forth. In addition, it is hard-
er to recruit crewmen and keep them happy at the higher levels. On
the other hand, as the difficulty level rises you get to keep a larger
portion of the booty when you divide the plunder. Once in the game
you can raise or lower the difficulty level only when you divide the
plunder.
Choose Your Skill
The following skills are available to you:
Fencing
This helps your pirate in one-on-one duels against enemy swords-
men.
Gunnery
This helps your pirate defeat enemy ships in sea combat.
Navigation
This helps you get better speed at all point of sailing.
Medicine
This “skill” delays the effects of aging on your pirate.
Once you have chosen you pirate’s skill, you are ready to play! The
scene changes, and you find yourself at sea, just outside of a port of
your nationality.
Sid Meier’s Pirates!
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Book Three
The Memoirs of Captain Sydney
The Caribbean is like one of them high-born Spanish ladies: ye can
love her, but ye can’t trust her. One minute she’s as placid as a sea-cow and
yer sailin’ along as easy as kiss-my-hand, everybody leanin’ on the rail and
spittin’ to leeward; the next she throws a hurricane at ye, and yer runnin’
as if all the hounds of hell was on your trail, swearin’ that if ye gets out of
this alive ye’ll never set foot on a boat again.
But ye always do go back to her, see? Because, despite her bein’ an
untrustworthy, ungrateful, murderous wench and all, ye bloody well do love
her, more than ye love life itself.
Arg. And that’s all the bloody poetry ye’ll be gettin’ out of me today,
cully. And pour me another pint o’ rum, by the Powers!
Storm Clouds
Land
Cities
Your Ship
Landmark
Wind Speed Indicator: This indicates how fast the wind
is blowing.
Wind Direction: This shows you the wind’s
current direction.
Quest Icons: These provide links to any current quests,
missions, and treasure maps you have.
How to Sail
Steering Your Ship
The ship’s helmsman steers the vessel by turning the ship’s wheel,
which is attached to the ship’s rudder by a series of rope pulleys
(some smaller ships are steered by wooden tillers). Use the Helm
Control keys (number pad 4 and 6) to steer your vessel.
Change Sail
Your sails can be in one of the two configurations: full sails or reefed
sails. A ship with full sails has spread as much canvass as possible to
move as quickly as possible; reefed sails slow the ship down but
improve her handling in tight waters.
Push the Full Sail (number pad 8) and Reefed Sail (number pad 2)
buttons to switch between the two configurations.
Book Three Sid Meier’s Pirates!
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Other Ships: Other ships will appear on the map when they get with-
in sight of your vessel. Each ship has a coloured strip, sail emblem and
flag denoting its nationality: black for pirates, yellow for Spain,
Orange for the Dutch, red for England, and blue for France. If
unsure, you can learn a ship’s nationality and type by approaching the
other vessel or by moving your cursor over it.
Land: The islands and continents in the Caribbean.
Cities: The map displays the cities currently in sight. The name and
nationality appear above the city, and you can get an idea of the city’s
military strength by the size of the fortifications guarding it.
Shoals: Shallow rocks which might damage large vessels if the ships
sail over them.
Clouds: These indicate heavy winds. You can use them to speed your
journey.
Storm Clouds: These are dangerous storms which frequently appear
in the Caribbean, particularly during hurricane season. These storms
are accompanied by heavy winds a cunning sailor can use to speed his
journey; however, if you get too close to such a storm you risk serious
sail damage to your vessel.
Landmark: Landmarks like these dot the Caribbean. Pirates often
refer to such landmarks when drawing treasure maps. Certain land-
marks are visible only by land parties on shore.
Fame Counter: This displays your pirate’s current fame
rating. The higher the fame rating, the more successful the
pirate.
Gold Indicator: This display your current gold
amount.
Food Indicator: This displays how much food
your crew has available.
Crew Size Indicator: This tells you how many
men you have in your crew.
Morale Indicator: This displays your crew’s current morale.
Sid Meier’s Pirates!
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Book Three
Port and Starboard
As every pirate knows, port is to your left when you are standing on a ves-
sel facing forward. Starboard is to your right. (An easy way to remember this
is that the words “left” and “port” both have four letters in them.)
Very Happy
Happy Content
Unhappy
Mutinous
Enter City
To enter a port city just steer your ship into the city. Depending upon
conditions you might sail right in and anchor peacefully at harbor, or,
if the town is hostile, the city’s forts might open fire on you. You then
have the options to sail away, attack the town or sneak in.
Disembark onto Land
Steer your ship into a point on the shoreline where you want to dis-
embark. The game will ask you to confirm that you want to go ashore,
and your crew will then form a landing party (see “On Land,” below,
for more details).
Attack Ship
This is what being a pirate is all about! Over the course of the game
you’ll often find yourself wanting to launch an attack against some
other ship you encounter at sea. See below for details on ship encoun-
ters and combat.
Press the Attack button (number pad 5) or run into ship to initiate an
attack against a nearby vessel.
Pause
Press “Shift-p” to pause the game. Note that no time passes when a
menu is on-screen, when you’re in a city, and when you’re viewing an
information screen. You only need to pause the game when you’re at
sea, on land, or engaged in an action sequence (ship battle, dueling,
dancing, or in a land battle).
Zoom
You can zoom in to get a closer view of your ship, or zoom out to see
a larger expanse of the Caribbean. Use the mouse wheel to zoom in
and out.
Chase View
In “chase” view, the camera changes from the standard overhead view
to a position behind and just slightly above your ship. Press the
Change View button (number pad 9) to toggle between chase and
regular views.
Book Three Sid Meier’s Pirates!
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Manning Your Ship
You need a certain minimum number of sailors to man your ship at peak
effectiveness. If you have fewer than that number of crew, your ship will
be slower and your crew will take longer to reload cannon during combat.
If you have multiple ships in your fleet, you need enough crew to meet
the crew requirements for all ships. If you don’t have enough, your fleet
sails slower and your flagship is less effective in combat.
Note: You usually begin a game of Pirates! aboard a sloop. You need eight
crewmen to sail and fight this ship effectively.
Best Point of Sailing
Sid Meier’s Pirates!
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Book Three
Using the Wind
A vessel's hull design and sail configuration determines its sailing
characteristics. In general, ships with square sails such as the frigate or mer-
chantman tend to perform best when sailing "large" - that is, running before
the wind (for instance, in a running broad reach). Ships with triangular
sails such as the pinnace or barque tend to perform best when sailing "by
the wind" -- that is, running roughly perpendicular to the wind (say, in a
broad beam reach).
Information Screens
There are a variety of information screens available to you while at sea.
See the Game Controls pages to learn how to access them.
Fleet Status Screen
On this screen you can see all of the ships in your fleet as well as their
upgrades, crew size, and damage status. You can also change flagships,
rename your ships and abandon unwanted vessels.
Captain’s Log
This screen keeps a running list of your actions and accomplishments
as well as other events happening in the world.
Book Three Sid Meier’s Pirates!
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Change Your Flagship
When you begin a game of Pirates! you have just one ship. Once you
capture another vessel and choose to keep it, you’ll then have two
ships in your fleet. Your original vessel is designated your “flagship.”
It is the vessel in the lead; any other vessels trail behind her. You can
change your flagship via the Change Flagship button (Tab) or by
going to the Fleet Status screen.
Maximum Fleet Size
You can have up to eight ships in your fleet (including your flagship).
If you defeat an additional ship, you’ll have to abandon one of the
current eight if you wish to add the new ship to your fleet.
Crew Requirements
Each vessel in your fleet requires a minimum number of crewmen to
sail at peak performance. If you have fewer than that number, your
sailing speed and combat performance will suffer. If you have more
than the minimum number of crewmen, the additional sailors take
part in any sea battles you get yourself into.
Fleet Speed
In general, your fleet sails approximately as fast as your flagship in the
present wind conditions. However, slower vessels will reduce your
fleet’s overall speed.
Abandoning Ships
The best way to get rid of a ship is to put into a city and sell it to a
shipwright. However, you may sometimes find it necessary to aban-
don a ship while at sea - because you have insufficient crew or
because you’re being chased by a faster and stronger opponent, for
example. You can abandon ships only from the Fleet Status screen
(see next page).
Sid Meier’s Pirates!
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Book Three
Quest Log
The Quest Log shows the name of any villain you might be pursu-
ing, what he did to you (e.g., kidnapped your sister), plus any other
information you might have on him.
Treasure Maps
During the game you may acquire one or more treasure maps. You
can view them on this screen. See “Treasure maps” on pages 53-54
for details.
Top Ten Pirates List
This displays the ranking of the ten most dangerous pirates in the
Caribbean.
Book Three Sid Meier’s Pirates!
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Status Screen
This screen displays your pirate’s accomplishments, including how
many promotions he’s received, how many Top Ten Pirates he’s
defeated, how many buried treasures he’s discovered, his personal
wealth, and so forth.
World Maps
This map displays your fleet’s current location in the Caribbean. You
can zoom the map with the mouse wheel and scroll by moving the
mouse to the edge of the screen. You can click on city names to find
out what you know about the cities. (You can sometimes purchase
information about cities from mysterious travelers in taverns, or you
can always visit them yourself.)
Sid Meier’s Pirates!
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Book Three
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