Corsairs of the Archipelago

Sailing

AD steer · WS raise / lower sail

Ships are fastest with the wind on the beam or quarter, and crawl straight into it. Watch the wind arrow beside the chart.

F inside the gold ring off a harbour to make port — or inside the pale ring off an island's cove to drop anchor and row ashore (any island, even an enemy's: walk through the jungle to its town)

Camera

Click the scene, then move the mouse to look around (Alt frees the cursor). Scroll to zoom — all the way in (or X) to stand on her quarterdeck — C to reset, Esc for the menu.

Map sailing

V switches between close sailing and fast map sailing: hold W for full ahead, S to go astern, AD to steer — let go and the ship lies still. If your course crosses an enemy, battle begins up close.

Ashore

Making port puts you on the quay. E talks to whoever is nearest — the merchant, shipwright, barkeep, harbour master, officers, townsfolk — pick a reply with ↑ ↓ and Enter. T quick-travels to your ship, the harbour master, shipyard, square, tavern or store. Weigh anchor from your ship at the pier.

R draw your sabre · click to cut · right-click or Q to block · G fire your pistol (its charges reload one at a time; the store sells better ones)

M shows the map of the town or area you're in; the tavern, store, shipyard and exits are marked.

Battle

Q fire larboard (left) · E fire starboard (right) · Space fire the broadside you're looking at

1 round shot (hull) · 2 chain shot (sails) · 3 grapeshot (crew) · 4 explosive shells (hull, short range, slow to load)

The moneylender on every town square lends and keeps deposits; after dark, smugglers on a colony's cove beach buy and sell with no questions asked (anchor off the cove first).

Spend skill points as you level up in the Captain & fleet screen (I). In a storm, shorten sail to battle sail or less, or the gale tears your canvas.

Z spyglass. With no enemy about, T sails you to a harbour or cove nearby. In battle, T closes in on the enemy you're looking at (or click one in the list). B or the Board button grapples an adjacent ship. More crew wins the melee — soften them with grapeshot first. Victory lets you plunder the prize or take command of her.

Fortune

Buy cheap where goods are produced, sell dear where they're wanted. Taverns offer delivery contracts and bounties; the barkeep finds you sailors and officers sit at the tables. Trade down to a smaller ship and what her hold and berths can't take — cargo, hands — stays ashore; sell your only ship and you go on in the yard's old tartane. He also lets the room upstairs: sleep there to wake at seven the next morning — and see what the last lodger left in the sea chest.

Hire a captain, take a prize by boarding and put him in command: she sails in your squadron, her hold still full. Win a boarding fight and her deck is yours to walk and her captain's strongbox yours to open before you decide her fate. In port the market trades from any of your ships there; in the Captain & fleet screen, Exchange… with a ship lying with yours moves goods and hands, gives her to another captain, or hoists your flag in her.

Attacking a nation's ships angers it; sink its enemies to win favour. Hostile forts open fire and their harbours stay shut — until round shot silences their guns: then make port to storm the fort, and take the colony for your crown (a crown's last colony is only sacked).

M chart · I your captain & fleet (officers, squadron, ships at anchor) · Tab captains, standing & the nations' wars · Enter chat