~High Seas Trader

Complete Tips From: Douwe Achterkamp <dachterk@worldaccess.nl>


~Setting Sail...

Your goal in High Seas Trader is simple: become the best darn 
merchant sailing the secen seas. To do this you have to rise up the 
serried ranks of the merchant's guild, which is achieved by 
increasing you rating in four main skill categories: daring, 
hounour, loyalty and nobility.

You start the game with the lowly status of Peddler, but with a bit 
of effort you'll soon become a Journeyman, then a Tradesman, a 
Merchant, a Master Merchant and, finally, a Viscount. Well, to be 
honest, "a bit of effort" is something of and understatement - it 
actually takes a lot of effort. But don't worry - i'm here to make 
life easier. 

One of the first decisions you have to make regards what nationality 
you're going to be. This is actually a lot more important that it 
initially seams, because it determines where you home port will be, 
what you relationship with the other ships you encounter will be 
and, if you nation is at war with other nations, whether you're 
allowed access to certain key ports or not. Obviously, each 
nationality has its own set of plus and minus points, so experiment 
with all of them to find which suits you best.             

The game starts with your ship moored in you home port. Your first 
stop should be the local tavern - as in every computer game, the 
boozer is a mine of information. Talk to the bartender, because he 
may be able to give you some insider knowledge on the state of the 
international trade market. 

While in the tavern it's wise to enlist some new crew members - 
you're best bets at first are either soldiers skilled in combat or 
cheap apprentices. Take care to check a potential recruit's morale 
before you bring them aboard, because this will affect the whole 
crew's morale (Incidentally, if you crew's morale becoms low later 
on in the game, take 'em all down the pub and buy them a couple of 
rounds - this will cheer them up no end.) 


~Market Forces

As any businessman (or businesswoman) will tell you, one of the 
major keys to success is to start small and then build up slowly. 
Don't undertake long and risky voyages straight away - instead, 
embark on short trading runs. Okay, so they may not generate big 
bucks, but it's relatively easy money. 

After a while you should have saved up a nice little nest egg, 
allowing you to invest in a larger crew, bigger cannons and 
eventually great ships, whereupon you can start travelling further 
afield. This is essential, because the more ports you visit, the 
higer you standing in merchant society will become. 

Also, although it may sound attractive, resist the lure of 
transporting contraband. If you don't then chances are you'll find 
yourself in a fight as soon as you take to the sea. And even if you 
win the fight, you former colleagues will come down to you and brand 
you as a common smuggler. 


~Controlling The Crew

A ship's crew will follow it's captain to the ends of the Earth - so 
long as they know where those ends are. It's not a good idea to sail 
your ship into uncharted waters, or else your men may start a 
mutiny. To avoid this sad state of affairs, buy all the charts you 
can until you have one of each kind. The you'll only need to buy new 
ones to update the zones of piracy. Try to build up as big crew as 
you can possibly afford, but keep a very careful eye on your 
supplies, particularly your rations. Remember that fruit spoils over 
time so you'll need to stock more of it than you would other 
rations. Maintaining your crew's morale and health is essential to 
your success. If the mood on the ship starts turning nasty give the 
crew a shot of rum or treat them to a trip down the pub. If health 
begins to flag, up the rations 


~Fire At Will!

If you want to attack and plunder other shipts, then use Chain Shot 
in you cannons - this will rip apart your quarry's sails, bringing 
them to halt and leaving them vulnerable to a boarding party. If you 
use Round Shot then this is likely to hole your target, and the 
booty will end up at the bottom of the sea. However, bear in mind 
that Chain Shot and Grape Shot have a much shorter range than Round 
Shot. 

To avoid being boarded yourself - or, at least, to make sure you 
have a fighting chance of survival if should you ever get boarded - 
make sure that there's at least one unit of small arms for each crew 
member on your ship. Also, remember that a soldier with a gun is, 
perhaps unsurprisingly, four times more effective than an apprentice 
with a gun. Never be afraid to run from a fight if you're losing. 
When you're starting out, you might want to sell your cannon, ammo 
and repair supplies so that you free up some cash and extra room in 
your hold. Although this leaves you unarmed, it also leaves you a 
lot lighter, so you'll be able to outrun any attackers with ease. 

Finally, although the life of a pirate may sound very romantic and 
exciting, it's almost impossible to make a living from. As soon as 
you open fire on any native or friendly ships, you'll find yourself 
the enemy of everyone and have absolutely no hiding place to run to 
when you're wounded. 


~Damage Control

The sea is a deadly place. As well as natural dangers such as storm 
or submerged reefs, there's also the threat posed by rival merchants 
and pirates to deal with. If you think it's likely that combat will 
occur on your next voyage, buy in a stock of repair materials, such 
as planks, so that you can patch up any damage to your ship while 
still at sea. 

If your ship becomes severely damged and starts taking on water, 
then it's sensible to do somthing about it pretty damn quick! 
Depending on the situation, unman the cannons or lower your sails so 
that you free up some crewmen - these can then be assigned to bilge 
duty. 

When upgrading your ship, bear in mind that it really is a false 
economy to go for the cheap 'n cheerful options unless you 
absolutely have to - with the exeption of sails, lower-quality ship 
components will be damaged more esily than higher-quality ones. 

If you're a bit short of the readies, and you don't have the cash to 
go for a full ship upgrade, then the next best thing to invest in is 
an upgrade for your cannons - you can't go wrong with good guns! 
Alternatively, only upgrade one side of the ship - and then make 
sure that you always keep that side towards the enemy during combat! 

