Games PC CORSAIRS User Manual

SSummary

ummary

22BBefore p

efore pll

aying

aying

2

2

1.1 Introduction 2

1.2 Installation 2

22Bas

Bas

ic princip

ic princip

les

les

3

3

2.1 Object of the game 3

2.2 Learn to play in 5 minutes 3

33Det

Detaa

iled instructions

iled instructions

4-3

4-300

3.1 Interface 4

3.11 Main game screen 4-7

3.12 Interface Bar 7-10

3.2 Sailing 11-13

3.21 Field of vision 11

3.22 Selection of ships 11

3.23 Move a ship 12

3.24 Manœuvre the sails 13

3.3 Trade and trans shipment of merchandise 14-17

3.31 General points 14

3.32 Trade of merchandise 14

3.33 Transshipment of merchandise 15-17

3.4 Naval combat 17-20

3.41 Fire the cannon another ship 17-19

3.42 Fire the cannon against an enemy port 19

3.43 Combat in armada 19-20

3.5 Boarding 20-24

3.51 Resolution of a boarding 20-24

3.6 Crew management 24-25

3.61 Your reputation 24

3.62 Recruitment 25

3.7 Management of ports and principalities 26-29

3.71 A port’s buildings 26

3.72 Trade of marchandise and ships 26-27

3.73 Spies 28-29

3.8 Pirate hideouts 29

3.9 Treasure islands 29-30

3.91 Hide a part of one’s treasure/isolated islands 29

3.92 Look for a treasure 30

44Miss

Miss

ions

ions

330

0

4.1 Principles 30

4.2 Messages 30

55Reference Guide

Reference Guide

3311-36

-36

5.1 List of ships 31-33

5.2 List of merchandise 34

5.3 Alarms 34-35

5.4 Keyboard shortcuts 36

1

v

v

Cor

Cor

sa

sa

ir

ir

s M

s M

anu

anu

al

al

v

v

1 B

1 B

efore p

efore pll

aying

aying

1.1 Introduction

1.1 Introduction

W

elcome to the world of Corsairs, a world of adventure, of freedom, where
the exhilaration of sailing, gold fever, the sound of cannons and the

fierceness of boarding are combined.

You will soon embody one of these corsairs, who, devoted to the cause of his
nation, will do anything to make that nation prosper and shine in the four
corners of the world, from the Caribbean to the coast of Australia...

During numerous missions, you must:

- Sink or capture enemy ships.

- Capture enemy ports.

- Protect your nation’s ports.

- Sink or capture pirates, like the terrible Blackbeard.

Moreover, whether by lucrative trade or by the force of weapons, you can also
grow richer for your country’s benefit...and your own!

And as your exploits, conquests and feat of arms go by, your reputation will
not cease to grow and you will soon possibly be even more admired than your
king and more dreaded than the most ferocious pirates!

1.2 Inst

1.2 Inst

all

allaa

tion

tion

System Requirements:

Computer: PC or 100% compatible
Processor: P133 minimum, P200 recommended.
Memory: 32 MB of RAM recommended
Minimum hard disk space required: 100 MB minimum.
Speed of CD-ROM drive: X4
Video card: All cards are supported by Direct X
Keyboard and mouse 100% Microsoft compatible

Game installation

Insert the CD Corsairs in your drive and wait a few seconds for a window to
appear on screen.( If the window does not pop up, double click on “Work station”
and then on “CD ROM”, and finally on “AutoPlay.exe” )

Choose Installation, then follow the instruction on screen. A message will tell
you if the installation was successful.

2

22Bas

Bas

ic princip

ic princip

les

les

22.1.1Object of the ga

Object of the gamme:e:

Y

ou are a corsair, devoted to the nation that you have chosen.

In the adventure mode, you must perform a series of missions entrusted to you

by your king, and at the same time improve your reputation as much as possible.

You objective will thus be to successfully complete all of your missions, while
in addition obtaining the best possible score. Your “score” will be directly
dependent on your reputation.

In the tutorial mode (training), the object of the game is simply to successfully
complete a mission.

22.2.2Learn to p

Learn to pll

ay in 5 minutes

ay in 5 minutes

I

n order to quickly absorb the basic principles of the game, you are offered 4
tutorial missions.

These 4 missions are meant to familiarise you with all of the important aspects
of the game.

Mission 1: Explorer ’s certificate

Mission 2: Gunner ’s certificate

Mission 3: Boarding certificate

You must board a ship and capture it.

Mission 4: Corsair ’s certificate
You must place a spy on board an enemy ship.
You must capture the enemy port.

At the launching of the game, choose “Sail” then “Tutorial Missions” then
“Explorer’s certificate”. Then you just follow the instructions displayed on screen.

3

3 Det

3 Detaa

iled instructions

iled instructions

Convention used in this manual:
“Click” means to click with the left button of the mouse.

33.1 Interface

.1 Interface

33.11 M

.11 Maa

in ga

in gamm

e screen

e screen

W

hat do we see?

1- The ship:

The flag it bears designates the nation to which it belongs.

4

5

4

2

1

6

89

7

3

10

2- The cursor of selection of your ship:

You can see several facts summed up in it:
1,2,3 and 4 are the conditions of the ship.
When the colour is green, there is no problem.
When the colour is orange, the ship is damaged.
When the colour is red, the damage is significant.

1: Condition of the sails
2: Condition of the hull
3: Various facts:

u The background is the colour of the nation

(Blue background = French...)

u The head:

l Jolly Rogers (skull & cross-bones): 2 cases

s You have selected a ship from your nation: the corsair

is not located aboard this ship.

s You have selected an enemy ship: representation by

default. This does not mean that the corsair is not
located aboard this ship.

l The corsair’s head: the corsair is located aboard the selected ship.
l The eye: You have a spy aboard this ship. If a special character

(enemy corsair for example) is located aboard this ship then
you see the head of the character blink in alternation with
the eye.

4: Percentage of men aboard the ship in relation to the maximum capacity that

the ship can hold.

Note: When you select an enemy ship you cannot control it. If a spy is
aboard you can study the hold of this ship and will possess all information
concerning this ship.

3- The ship-info window:

It displays various facts about the ship currently selected, like the cargo
breakdown, the condition of the hull, etc. We will explain it in detail a little
further on in this manual.

5

4

3

2

1

4- The port:

The group of buildings and structures which make up the port.

If it belongs to your nation here you can:

Repair or build ships.

Build, repair or improve buildings.

Tranship resources from one ship to another,
anchored in the same anchoring zone.

Sell or purchase merchandise.

The flag that the port bears designates the nation to which it belongs. It is not
possible for a ship to anchor itself in a port’s anchoring zone unless this port
belongs to its nation. If the ship attempts to anchor itself in a foreign port, the
port’s defences engage in combat against the intruder.

5- The compass rose:

Permanently displayed on screen, it allows the direction of the wind to be
known at all times.

6- Anchoring zone:

The zone of light blue sea indicates that your boat can drop anchor here.

7- The mini-map:

It shows the whole of the maritime region concerning the current mission.
By clicking with the right button of the mouse on the mini-map, the main game
screen displays this zone.

8- Alarm icons:

These icons inform you of all important events that unfold outside of the main
game screen.
Moreover, an event’s direction is indicated by the position of the icon around the screen.
You can centre the game screen on one of these “events” by clicking on it with
the right button of the mouse, or simply find out about the type of event by
clicking on it with the left button.
The alarm icons are explained in detail further on in this manual (Cf. chapter 5.3).

6

9-Unknown zones:

The zones displayed in light yellow indicate the zones beyond the view of all
friendly ports or ships.

10- The cursor:

By default, its form adapts to that which it is pointing.

33.12 Interface Bar

.12 Interface Bar

(no ship s

(no ship s

elected)

elected)

T

he illustration above represents the interface bar permanently situated to the
right of the screen.

It is split into 2 parts:

1: The fixed interface, which always looks the same.
2: The contextual interface, whose appearance varies according to the
manipulations executed in the fixed interface or the context (example: the ship is
anchored to a port)

7

1

1

1

1

2

2

33.121

.121TT

he f

he f

ixed interface

ixed interface

L

et’s examine the above illustration and explain in detail each numbered
element’s function:

Unless otherwise specified, we consider that a ship is selected.

8

32 4

1

5

8

97

10

6

12 13 14 15

11

1 Indicates the amount of treasure aboard the ship.

If no ship is selected, it indicates the cumulative total of your fortune (total
treasure of all your ships and secret hideaways).

2 Allows you to adjust the sail level, the ship’s type of cannonballs.

3 Allows you to consult the condition of the sails and the hull of the selected

ship.

4 Allows you to consult in detail:

- The ship’s cargo ( quantity of: Cannons, Munitions, Rum, Provisions,
Freight, Precious freight, Special objets )

- The personnel aboard the ship ( number of corsairs, captains, sailors,
special characters )

5 Location for the contextual interface.

6 Allows you to access a list of all the cities classified by nation. When you

click on the button you unroll the list of cities.
You have the name of the city and above it 2 figures. These 2 figures
correspond to the price of the selected resource.

On the left = price for which you will purchase this resource
On the right = price for which you will sell this resource

The cities are classified by nation.

Cities Button : classification by city name.
Sale Button : classification from the most expensive to the least

expensive in Sale mode.

Purchase Button : classification from the least expensive to the most

expensive in Purchase mode.

Scroller page : By clicking on this button you unscroll the pages.
Scroller Nation : By clicking on this button you unscroll the Nations.

If you click with the right button of the mouse on a city, you centre the
screen directly on this city.
If you click with the left button of the mouse, the selected boat goes to this city.

7 Allows you to reread the objective(s) of the mission.

8 Allows you to reread the objective(s) of the mission.

9 Allows you to consult the list of messages.

10 Mini-map: It represents the whole of the maritime region concerning the

current mission, and allows you to localise at a glance the “visible” ships
and ports of each nation (visible = within the of sight of a friendly port or
ship or also a ship with a friendly spy aboard). It also allows you to quickly
display any part of the map on screen.

9

11 Contextual interface’s port icons. Although a part of the contextual

interface, this series of 4 icons (13,14,15,16) is so frequent on screen that it
is important to know them well. They appear on screen as soon as the ship
is anchored to a port or a principality.

12 Repair or build a ship in a port.

Purchase or sell a ship in a principality.

13 Repair or build a building.

14 Tranship merchandise from one ship to another.

15 Trade with the port or a principality.

10

33.122 T

.122 T

he contextu

he contextu

al interface

al interface

T

he contextual interface varies according to the manipulations executed in

the fixed interface or the context (example: the ship is anchored in a port)
The working order of the contextual interface will be explained in detail in the
chapters concerned (Example: the working order of the Way-points will be
explained in detail in the Sailing chapter)

33.2 Sa

.2 Sa

iling

iling

33.21 Field of vis

.21 Field of vis

ion

ion

33.211 P

.211 P

rincip

rincip

le:

le:

Y

ou cannot see everything that happening on the map.
Your field of vision is limited to the line of visibility of:

n Your ships
n Your ships

As such, an enemy ship will not appear unless it sails into the field of vision
of one of your ships or ports (or also if you have a spy aboard an enemy ship.
See “Spies” chapter)
Everything that you cannot see is displayed by a yellow beige parchment,
on screen.

33.212 Discovery of the zon

.212 Discovery of the zone:e:

O

n the mini-map as well as on the game screen you can distinguish the yellow

beige zones. This zone is not yet known and is represented in the form of a
parchment. As in the past, this parchment is not very precise: it is possible that
certain islands do not appear or that the islands are not situated at the location
indicated on the parchment

33.213 R

.213 R

ange of vis

ange of vis

ibility

ibility: :

E

ach ship possesses a range of visibility. So you cannot see enemy ships

evolve unless one of your ships is located close at hand. However, one can
also see them pass in proximity to your ports by placing a spy aboard them
(Cf. 3.73 Spies)

33.22 S

.22 S

election of ships:

election of ships:

B

efore being able to operate a ship, and in particular to move it, you must

first select it.
To select a ship, just click on it with the left button of the mouse.
To select several ships, you have 2 possibilities:

n Include the ships in a square drawn with the mouse. To do this, the left

button of the mouse must be held down and the cursor moved so as to
draw the square.

n Click on the icon of the interface bar to select all of one’s ships.

11

33.23 Move a ship

.23 Move a ship

T

o move a selected ship, click on the zone where you want to move your ship.

The zone must be valid.
The form of the cursor indicates both if the zone is valid and the action to take
once the destination is reached. The different forms of the cursor are:

: Square of sea, do nothing particular once the destination is reached.

: Anchorage zone, anchor oneself once the destination is reached,

generally in front of a port or a principality.

: Enemy ship, attack it with the cannon once within reach of the cannon.

In this case, the cursor can take on other forms, depending on the type
of cannonball used. Here, it’s a question of a classic cannonball.

: Inaccessible zone.

12

33.24 M

.24 M

ano

ano

euv

euv

re the sa

re the sa

ils

ils

Each ship has 3 levels of sails at its disposal:

13

Level 0: no sails
Level 1: average sails
Level 2: maximum sails

Level 0 Level 1 Level 2

The level of sails directly influences the speed of the ship.

Without an order to the contrary on your part, the ships automatically use

maximum sails during their travels.

During cannon combats, a ship can sustain damage to the sails.
The condition of the selected ship’s sails is indicated in the “ship-info”

window.

The only means of repairing the sails is to go to a friendly port.

The player can raise/lower the sails with the keyboard arrows or by clicking on
the “sails” button of the interface bar.

33..33TrTrade and tr

ade and tr

anshipm

anshipm

ent of marchandis

ent of marchandise e

33..3311Gen

Generer

al points:

al points:

E

ach ship anchored in front of a port or a principality can purchase or sell

merchandise there. It is equally possible for two friendly ships anchored side
by side to tranship merchandise from one ship to the other.

33..3322TrTrade of marchandis

ade of marchandis

e:

e:

L

et’s consider the illustration above. It represents the state of the interface

bar after the player has anchored his ship in front of a port (or a principality)
and then clicked on the trade icon (1) to sell or purchase merchandise in
this port.

14

2

3

4

5

5

6

7

8

11

13

14

12

9

10

1

Let’s examine the role of each icon:

15

1 Trade icon: allows you to purchase or sell merchandise when your ship is

anchored in an anchoring zone.

2 Name of the selected boat.

3 Allows you to enter the sale of merchandise mode.

4 Allows you to enter the sale of merchandise mode.

5 Allows you to select merchandise among that which is offered

(for sale or for purchase).

6 Representative icon of the selected merchandise.

7 Unit price of the selected merchandise (in gold coins).

8 Icon representing the port’s warehouse (or the principality’s).

9 Icon representing the ship. One recognises a bar on the right that

corresponds to the current level of the selected resource, in relation
to the maximum transportable.

10 Allows you to set the quantity of merchandise to sell or purchase.

11 In the purchase mode: indicates the quantity of merchandise still available

in the port or principality.
In the sale mode: indicates the quantity of merchandise currently ready to
be sold at the port or principality.

12 In the purchase mode: indicates the quantity of merchandise currently

ready to be purchased at the port or the principality.
In the sale mode: indicates the quantity of merchandise still available
in the port or principality.

13 Current amount of the transaction.

14 Allows you to validate the transaction underway.

33..3333TrTranshipm

anshipm

ent of m

ent of m

erchandis

erchandise:e:

33..333311PPrincip

rincip

les:

les:

One recognises 2 types of transhipment:
Transhipment from ship to ship.
Transhipment from ship to treasure island.

33..33332 Tr

2 Tr

anshipm

anshipm

ent between ships

ent between ships

L

et’s consider the illustration below. It represents the state of the interface bar

after the player has anchored his ship in front of a port (or a principality)

then clicked on the Transhipment icon . It is imperative that there is at least
2 ships anchored at the same port.

16

1 Name of the preceding ship
2 Name of the following ship
3 Name of the ship
4 Quantity of selected commodities in the ship’s hold
5 Choose the type of commodity to tranship (or the character)
6 Tranship the commodity on a ship
7 Symbolises that one tranships between two ships

1 23

4

7

6

5

4

3

33..33333 Tr

3 Tr

anshipm

anshipm

ent between 1 ship and an isl

ent between 1 ship and an isl

and

and

C

ertain islands will allow you to conceal all or a part of your booty, and to set

up a treasure island. Once the island is discovered, anchor your ship in the
anchoring zone, then proceed to tranship your merchandise, in the same manner
as earlier indicated in the case of a classic transhipment between two ships. If
you subsequently wish to recuperate certain merchandise, perform an inverse
transhipment.

33.4.4NNavaval comba

al combatt

33.41

.41

Fire the cannon aga

Fire the cannon aga

inst another ship

inst another ship::

33.411

.411PP

rincip

rincip

les:

les:

Your ship must be within firing range of the designated target.
Several methods exist for firing at an enemy ship:
Auto Réaction: when an enemy ship passes in proximity of one of your ships and

it is in its line of fire, your ship releases a broadside on the
intruder.

Left click on an enemy ship: Your armada or your selected ship will try to sink

the designated target. If the enemy rams you, however, boarding
will be launched (see boarding chapter).

Use the keyboard buttons (Only valid when a single ship is selected):

SPACE: fire by the 2 scuttles of the ship.
W : fire by the port side
X : fire by the starboard.

17

33.412

.412

Choos

Choos

e cannonball ty

e cannonball ty

pe and f

pe and f

ire by u

ire by uss

ing the interface:

ing the interface:

W

hen one or several ships are selected you can decide on the type of
cannonball to use.

Let’s look at the interface below:

18

1

2

3

4

5

6

8 7

9

1 Icon that allows you to activate the adjustment interface of the selected

ship’s cannons and sails.

2 Normal cannonball: hits indiscriminately the hull, sails, men and cannons.

This cannonball is selected by default.

3 Cannonball & chain:More particularly designed to damage the sails.

4 Explosive cannonball: More particularly designed to damage the hull

and cannons.

5 Grapeshot: More particularly designed to kill men.

6 Select the cannons at port side and fire them. Above, a gauge empties itself

and then refills itself. This corresponds to the reload time.

7 Select the cannons at starboard and fire them. Above, a gauge empties itself

and then refills itself. This corresponds to the reload time.

8 Select all of the cannons and fire them. Above, a gauge empties itself and then

refills itself. This corresponds to the reload time.

9 Allocation of a behaviour to a ship:

n Fight to the death.
n Flee when the percentage of damage to the hull, sails or

men is higher than 75 %.

n Flee when the percentage of damage to the hull, sails or

men is higher than 50%.

n Flee when the percentage of damage to the hull, sails or

men is higher than 25%.

19

33.413

.413

Des

Desii

gna

gna

te the t

te the tarar

get and let the ship f

get and let the ship fii

ght without

ght without

inter

inter

vening

vening

W

hen you have selected a ship, move your cursor onto the enemy ship.

The cursor changes form. By clicking with the left button of the mouse,
you give the order to your ship to attack the enemy. The former will use the
cannonballs that you have chosen or those by default if you did not previously
choose any. (Cf. 3.412) Your ship will try to move into position to release a salvo.

33.42 Fire the cannon aga

.42 Fire the cannon aga

inst an en

inst an enee

my port:

my port:

T

he firing process is identical to that of cannon fire against another ship.

33.43 Comba

.43 Comba

t in armad

t in armada:a:

33.43

.43

1 P

1 P

rincip

rincip

les:

les:

W

hen you have selected several ships you possess an armada.

As with combat with a single ship you can designate a target to the armada by

clicking with the left button of the mouse on the enemy.

33.5 B

.5 B

oar

oar

ding

ding::

33.5.51 Resolution of a boar

1 Resolution of a boar

ding

ding::

33.5.511 P

11 P

rincip

rincip

les:

les:

W

hen 2 enemy ships collide, boarding is launched. At this instant you

cannot disengage this phase but have a certain time at your disposal to
bring other ships into the conflict.
Let’s look at the interface bar below:

20

Warning: If your corsair is engaged in a boarding you pass automatically
into manual resolution.

33.5.512 A

12 App

point ships to the boar

point ships to the boar

ding

ding::

W

hen a boarding is launched, you have a certain time at your disposal to

decide to manually control your crew or to let the computer carry out this
task (except in the case where your corsair is implicated in the boarding, you
must resolve the boarding manually). During this allotted time, you can appoint

1 Name of the enemy ship boarded plus its nation (represented by the flag).

2 Balance of power between the two ships.

3 Countdown: you have a limited time at your disposal to involve other

ships in this phase.

4 Resolve the boarding in the manual mode.

5 Automatic resolution. The computer resolves the boarding in your place.

1

5

4

2

3

additional ships and thus increase your chances of success at the time of
the boarding.

You just direct your ships to the site of the boarding and have them collide

with the ships engaged in this phase.

33.5.513 A

13 A

utoma

utoma

tic resolution:

tic resolution:

T

he computer resolves the boarding in your place unless your corsair is
engaged in the assault.

The automatic resolution starts up at the end of a certain time and is

instantaneous. At the close of this boarding, you can either win or lose.

33.5.514 M

14 M

anu

anu

al resolution:

al resolution:

T

o access the boarding screen click on the 4 button (diagram 3.511)
Your men are on your deck and await your orders. You can recognise

different classes of men (Cf. 3.515 Type of troops).

Select and manoeuvre a unit:

u To select a unit move your cursor onto the character and click on it with the left

button of your mouse.

u To deselect a unit, click on the right button of the mouse.
u To move the unit, click on the ground with the left button of the mouse.
u To designate a target, click on the enemy with the left button of the mouse.
u To use the grapnels, click on the “grapnel locations” with the left button of the

mouse. Your unit will use the grapnel and will find itself on the opposite deck.

To select several units, there are several methods:

u Hold the left button of the mouse down and draw a box. When you release the

button of the mouse, the units included in the box are selected.

Terms of victory:
The enemy surrenders according to the following parameters:

u According to the number of men you posses on the deck in relation to the

enemies present.

u According to the number of officers.

21

22

1

2

8

1 Character’s life points.

2 Number of gun shots that the character can fire.

You have an interface bar during the boarding.

1 Name of the ship

2 Captain or corsair

3 Life points of the captain or corsair

4 Name of the captain or corsair

5 Number of sailors on the deck

6 Number of officers on the deck

7 Balance of power between the 2 enemies

8 Information about the enemy

1

2

3

4

5 6

7

33.5.515 T

15 T

he crew:

he crew:

I

t is made up of different categories of characters

33.5.515151 T

1 T

he sa

he sa

ilor

ilor::

T

his is the basic unit. This unit fights with a sabre.

33.5.515152 T

2 T

he of

he offf

icer

icer::

H

e is armed with a double-barrelled gun and a sabre. He only uses his sabre
after firing both barrels of his gun.

33.5.515153 T

3 T

he capit

he capitaa

in:

in:

H

e is only present if the corsair is not on the ship. He is armed with a
four-barrelled gun and a sabre.

33.5.515154 Le cor

4 Le corsasairir::

H

e represents you in the game. He is armed with a six-barrelled gun and a
sabre. He possesses the same characteristics as the captain. If the corsair

dies, you lose the game.

23

33.5.516 Fi

16 Fi

ght on l

ght on l

and

and

33.5.516161 If you a

1 If you atttt

ack a pir

ack a piraa

te hideout or a port:

te hideout or a port:

L

ike for boarding in the middle of the sea, you have the same type of crew at
your disposal. The practicalities are identical to those described above.

33.5.5162 If you defend a port:

162 If you defend a port:

H

ere, you manage a garrison comprised of soldiers, officers and the governor.

The soldier has the same characteristics as the sailor.
The governor has the same characteristics as the captain
but he does not have a firearm.
The practicalities are identical to those described above.

33.5.5163 If you defend your hideout:

163 If you defend your hideout:

L

ike for boarding in the middle of the sea, you have the same type of crew at
your disposal. The practicalities are identical to those described above.

33.6 Crew manage

.6 Crew managemm

ent

ent

33.6.61 Your reput

1 Your reputaa

tion:

tion:

33.6.611 F

11 F

actor

actor

s increas

s increas

ing your reput

ing your reputaa

tion as cor

tion as corsasairir::

33.6.6111 P

111 Posos

itive factor

itive factors:s:

u If you sink an enemy ship with your corsair.
u If you capture an enemy ship with your corsair.
u If you capture a port with your corsair.

33.6.6112 N

112 N

ega

ega

tive factor

tive factors:s:

u If your corsair does not participate in any combat action

during a certain time.

u If during a boarding or an attack on land, your corsair

does not fight.

33.6.612 Wha

12 Wha

t your reput

t your reputaa

tion of cor

tion of corsasa

ir influences:

ir influences:

T

he better your reputation of corsair, the more luck you will have to see the
price of commodities and structures drop.

24

33.62 Recruitm

.62 Recruitm

ent:

ent:

Y

ou have 2 methods at your disposal to recruit men:
Purchase men in a port or a principality.

Recuperate men after a boarding.

25

33..7 M

7 M

anage

anagemm

ent of ports and princip

ent of ports and princip

alities

alities

33..71 A port

71 A port’’

s buildings

s buildings

33..711 T

711 T

he buildings:

he buildings:

A

port possesses 4 types of buildings on which you can have an influence:

Dry deck: You can order the construction of ships. According to its level of
evolution, you can build ships that are more and more significant. At the
maximum level of evolution you can choose up to 12 types of ships. The more
evolved the dry deck, the more quickly your orders will be honoured.

Lighthouse: This building allows you to localise the enemies that sail in the
port’s neighbourhood. The higher the level of evolution this building has, the
more its line of visibility is significant.

Fortress: This is the first earthly rampart of your port. The fortress fires on
enemies within firing range. The more significant its level of evolution, the more
cannons there are and the more significant its range of fire.

Governor’s house: This is the last rampart of your port. One finds here a
garrison as well as the governor (the local representative of your King).

33..712 B

712 B

uildings improve

uildings improvemm

ents:

ents:

E

ach building has 4 levels of improvement:

Level 0: The building does not exist.

Level 1: The building exists but its efficiency is low.

Level 2: The building is more resistant and more efficient.

Level 3: The building is at the maximum of its capacities.

33..72 Tr

72 Tr

ade of m

ade of m

erchandis

erchandis

e and ships

e and ships

33..721 Pl

721 Pl

aces where on

aces where on

e can tr

e can tr

ade:

ade:

Y

ou can trade in the ports sailing under the flag of your nation as well as in
the principalities.

The purchase and sale prices in the principalities are generally higher. But

be careful, the prices vary according to the merchant’s available stocks.

26

33..722 Tr

722 Tr

ade of m

ade of m

erchandis

erchandise:e:

Cf. Chapiter 3.32

33..723 Tr

723 Tr

ade of ships:

ade of ships:

I

f one anchors in a port, it is possible to order the construction or repair
of a ship.

If one anchors in a principality, it is possible to sell the ship or ships (except
for the one where the corsair is found) or to purchase used ships. The money
will automatically be credited to the corsair’s ship when it is a matter of the
sale of a ship.

27

33..73 Spies

73 Spies

33..73731 Recruit a spy

1 Recruit a spy::

Y

ou must anchor yourself in a principality to recruit a spy. Let’s look at the
interface bar of the principality below:

28

5 6

3

4

4 4

2

1

1 Name of the ship.

2 Spy’s nationality: he will climb on board the first ship, having the

same nationality as himself, to berth in this principality.

3 Summary of the spies still alongside the quay.

4 Free square: one can still purchase a spy.

5 Price of the spy.

6 Confirm: one purchases the services of the spy.

The number of spies on land that you can possess in a principality is
limited to 8.

33..73732 R

2 R

ole of the spy

ole of the spy::

W

hen you place a spy on an enemy ship, he allows you to locate the enemy

ship on the map and the mini-map. You obtain information about the
condition of the ship as well as its stock in the hold by clicking on the enemy
ship wherever it is.

33.8 P

.8 Piriraa

te hideouts:

te hideouts:

P

irate hideouts are places where pirates come to resupply.

Destroying a pirate hideout can allow you to recuperate parchments
permitting localisation of certain pirate hiding places, each with riches
to take over...

It is not because a pirate hideout is destroyed that is activities will

definitively cease.

It is very possible that the hideout is rebuilt and that pirates newly

establish themselves there afterwards.

33.9 Treasure isl

.9 Treasure isl

and

ands:s:

33.91Hide a p

.91Hide a p

art of on

art of onee’’

s treasure/isol

s treasure/isolaa

ted isl

ted isl

and

and

s:

s:

D

uring the game, you will have the chance to discover islands on which it will

be possible for you to conceal a part of your booty. The operation is
described in chapter 3.333.

29

33.92 Look for a treasure:

.92 Look for a treasure:

Y

ou will sometimes be led to learn of a treasure’s existence.

The existence of this treasure can be communicated to you by a prisoner
or some other character during the capture of a port, during the destruction
of a pirate hideout.

4 Miss

4 Miss

ions:

ions:

4.1 P

4.1 P

rincip

rincip

les:

les:

W

hen you start up a new mission, a page describes to you the mission and

the context in which you find yourself.
During the mission, different objectives said to be “primary” will be given to you.
If you accomplish these objectives, the mission will be successfully completed.

There are missions said to be “secondary”. These are requests made to your
Corsair to solve a problem in exchange for which you will obtain a premium. You
have no obligation whatsoever to carry them out.

When you accomplish an objective this directly influences your reputation.

4.2 Messages:

4.2 Messages:

T

he objectives do not appear on your screen. To read them, you have 2
buttons at your disposal.

button 1 button 2

When button 1 blinks, this means that you just received a new objective. If
you click on this button, you open the missive and can read the objective.

If you want to read the summary of primary objectives to accomplish or that
have been accomplished, click on the 2 button.

30

5 Reference guide

5 Reference guide

55.1 List of ships

.1 List of ships

31

Caravelle

Merchant ship
Crew : 80
Cannons : 30
Tonnage : 600
Speed : 6,5
Very difficult to handle, it serves above all for
the transport of merchandise.

Flûte

Merchant ship
Crew : 30
Cannons : 10
Tonnage : 200
Speed : 5,5
Slower but easier to handle than the caravel,
this is a ship that serves above all for the
transport merchandise.

Pinasse

Merchant ship
Crew : 60
Cannons : 20
Tonnage : 400
Speed : 6,0
Ship that serves above all for the transport
of merchandise. It is sometimes used
as a warship.

Chebec

Small rapid ship
Crew : 15
Cannons : 6
Tonnage : 120
Speed : 6,2
This is the smallest ship. Costing little, it is
especially used by pirates.

Cotre

Small rapid ship
Crew : 30
Cannons : 14
Tonnage : 280
Speed : 6,3
It is equivalent to the Xebec but possesses a
superior firepower.

Lougre

Small rapid ship
Crew : 20
Cannons : 8
Tonnage : 160
Speed : 6,5
It is the easiest to handle in its class.

Brigantin

Rapid warship
Crew : 150
Cannons : 40
Tonnage : 800
Speed : 9
Ship very easy to handle, as well as having a
hold of great capacity at its disposal.

Frégate

Rapid warship
Crew : 200
Cannons : 50
Tonnage : 1000
Speed : 9,5
It is the most powerful warship in
its category.

32

Goélette

Rapid warship
Crew : 100
Cannons : 30
Tonnage : 600
Speed : 8,5
This ship is very useful for escorting
other boats.

Corvette

Slow warship
Crew : 400
Cannons : 74
Tonnage : 1480
Speed : 6,3
The corvette is certainly the easiest ship to
handle in its category.

Galion

Slow warship
Crew : 600
Cannons : 120
Tonnage : 2400
Speed : 6,5
Slow but very powerful, the galleon is used
above all for the capture of ports or for transport
of important characters.

Galiote

Slow warship
Crew : 50
Cannons : 10
Tonnage : 60
Speed : 6,0
Very easy to handle, the galliot is quite useful
against ships with a weak capacity like luggers,
cutters and xebecs.

33

55.2 List of m

.2 List of m

erchandis

erchandisee

There are several types of commodities:

55.21

.21

Resources for sa

Resources for sa

iling

iling..

34

Men If you do not possess enough men to manoeuvre your ship

(which is to say less than 10% of the transport capacity in men
of the ship), you can no longer fire the cannon and the sails
will remain blocked at level 1.

Cannons The more cannons you have, the more damage you will inflict.

Munitions When you fire the cannon, you consume this resource.

1 munition per shot and per scuttle.

55.22

.22

Resources for ex

Resources for ex

change.

change.

T

here are 2 types: Precious freight and classic freight. In the precious
freight you can trade jewellery etc. In the classic freight you can trade

sugar cane etc

…

55.23

.23

Special objects.

Special objects.

I

n certain missions you will be led to recuperate special objects. These objects
cannot be sold.

55..3 3 AAllarms

arms

55..3311PPrincip

rincip

les

les

T

he alarms are mobile icons which figure on the edge of your screen and of
your interface. They generally permit you to:

u Localise ships not visible on the game screen.
u Stay informed of the situation on the ship(s) not visible on the game screen.

u You centre the game screen on the ship and have an indication of its condition

by clicking with the right button of the mouse.

Note: Sometimes the port alarms will appear. This case presents itself when your
port is attacked or it detects an enemy thanks to the lighthouse.

55..332 List of al

2 List of al

arms

arms

35

Your ship sails.

Your ship is awaiting orders, it has cast anchor.

Naval battle: your ship is in the process of fighting an enemy.

Boarding: your ship is in the process of launching a boarding.

Spy: you have a spy on this ship.

Port: your port detected an enemy ship or defends itself in the
face of an enemy attack.

55.4 Keyboar

.4 Keyboar

d shortcuts

d shortcuts

36

W Fire port side

X Fire starboard

SPACE Fire from 2 scuttles

Up arrow Raise the sails

Down arrow Lower the sails

ENTER Centre on the selection in process

ESC Load the menu

PProducer

roducer

MICROÏDS SA

PProduct M

roduct M

anager

anager

Franck QUERO

Des

Desii

gn et Scénario

gn et Scénario

Pascal MORY

PProgr

rograammmmererss

Vincent L'HERMITE
Fabrice COLARD
Henri DE CHAUVERON
Vincent DUVERNET
Rudolf FELLER
Marc-Olivier MERY
Olivier MOREL
Franck QUERO
Nicolas VIBERT

GrGraphics A

aphics A

rtists

rtists

Ludovic DELCROIX
Gayak LAMAZE
Fabien LAOUER
Stephen MAGNARDI
Julien MARTY

Eric ROYOU
Loïc YVART

MMaps Des

aps Desiigngn

Xavier-Claude PASSERI

GGaamme Tester

e Tester

Jean Christophe MAIROT

Developm

Developm

ent

ent

MManager

anager

Vincent BAILLET

AArtistic Director

rtistic Director

Loïc YVART

Sound Des

Sound Desii

gn and

gn and

VVoice P

oice P

roduction

roduction

KNOCKIN'BOOTS
PRODUCTIONS
Vicky BAZOMBANZA

Intro S

Intro S

equence

equence

KATARSYS

PPackaging Des

ackaging Desiigngn

DONALD SIMPSON
& MR WANG
Fabien LAOUER

MManu

anualal

GAYAL
AGENCE CONSEIL
Sébastien BERGER
Nicolas GUERINEAU
Pascal MORY
Eric ROYOU

Localisa

Localisa

tion

tion

MManager

anager

Nicolas GUERINEAU

TThanks

hanks

Nicolas GOHIN
Didier POULAIN
Laurent PLU

Note that there may be other keyboard shortcuts,

please consult the README.TXT

Credits

Credits