Captain's Log "On returning to the ship from business in the port, I was informed that my ship was raided, and my daughter Katherine has been kidnapped by Bloodthroat the Pirate. He demands a ransom of 50,000 pieces of gold within thirty days or he will sell her into the harems of the Coast. Now I must raise the ransom, and try to rescue my beloved Katherine." Welcome, Captain, to the Pirates of the Barbary Coast, a strategy/action game based on the days of the pirates around the coast of Africa. You will need to trade goods in the ports to raise the sum necessary to ransom your daughter. On your voyages between the ports, you will often be attacked by other pirates. You can choose to fight these battles or run from them. If you are able to sink the pirate ship, you may board it to either read the captain's log or take accumulated booty. The captain's log may contain information about which goods are getting good prices where, or where they can be bought cheaply, or it may give clues to the location of Bloodthroat's hideout. The accumulated treasure on the ship may be small or large. You decide what to do. In port you may sell your cargo, buy new cargo, repair the battle damage to your ship, buy supplies or hire a crew at the general store. You may also bribe the storekeeper for trading information or clues. The treasure is located on one of the islands, as is the hideout of Bloodthroat. When you think you're ready, sail to the islands to hunt for either or both. But be prepared!! Use the time between scenes to make notes on the trading values you've discovered, any clues you might have gained and the strategy you intend to use. There is more to Pirates of the Barbary Coast than you might first suspect. Successful trading has always paid off best for those who remember what other people forget! CHOOSING YOUR OPTIONS In most scenes, you have many options. Use your joystick or keyboard to the move the arrow around the screen until it rests on the function you want. Then press the fire button to make your selection. LOADING THE CANNON In your regular sea battles you may only fire your 15 cannons one at a time. If you decide to engage Bloodthroat in a battle you may broadside him. However, before you can fire your cannons you must load them in the same way as did sailors on the actual ships (i.e. put in the powder, tamp it down, put in the ball and brush out the barrel). Using the on screen arrow, make the following selections: 1. LOAD 2. Select each cannon you wish to load by number (They will change color when selected) 3. Select the following IN ORDER: POWDER....hanging just to the right of the cannon CANNON....just below the railing PUSH ROD..hanging next to the powder CANNON....just below the railing BALL......stacked to the left of the cannon CANNON....you know where it is by now BRUSH.....hanging to the left of the cannon CANNON....it's still there If you didn't miss anything the cannon indicators (below the numbers) will turn green to show they are loaded and ready for action. If you goofed, then select UNLOAD to clear and then LOAD to start over. With a little practice you'll get the hang of it. TO FIRE A CANNON Set the elevation by selecting the up/down arrows. Select the cannon you wish to fire by moving along the deck with the left/right arrows. Select FIRE and the fuse will burn for a second before the cannonball sails out across the screen. An information message will appear above the UNLOAD command and tell you if the shot was a hit or a miss, or long or short. Raise or lower the cannon elevation as appropriate on your next shot. If you hit the other ship hard enough and often enough, your First Mate will alert you that the other ship if going down and may be boarded. When boarding the ship you can fetch either the information from the Ship's Log OR seize its booty. You won't have time for BOTH so choose wisely!! If you choose not to fight, you may select FLEE to leave. THE FINAL BATTLE WITH BLOODTHROAT If you find Bloodthroat while cruising through the islands the First Mate will alert you by saying "Someone's here!". Should you choose to enter that lagoon, it's unwise to do so without having all available cannons loaded. If necessary go back out to sea (i.e. select another destination) and load all the cannons you can muster on the return trip. Once you enter the lagoon Bloodthroat will confront you and ask whether you came to pay or fight. If you haven't enough gold you'll have to fight. Shoot as quickly as you can to find the right elevation and once you've found it, select BROADSIDE and hope you are fast enough and strong enough to win! OTHER HINTS Remember to feed your crew!!! This requires 1 unit of rations per man per day. If you have, say, 30 crewman and you set out on a 7 day sail, you'll need 30 X 7 units of food to keep them alive. When you have money to spend, stock up on food!! Also remember that you need at least 16 crewman to run the ship. If you happen upon an island that matches your treasure map you might choose to search it and try to find the treasure. Hints as to its location might be obtained from sea battles or by bribing a storekeeper. There will be a number of spots where it might lie and each is marked with an "X". Try them if you dare but beware. The Master Traders were very wise by always looking to make their best profits based upon the law of supply and demand. Prices changed regularly as word spread that certain items were bringing high prices at certain ports. As many more people began trading certain items, market gluts caused prices to fall. You can both BUY and SELL the same item in the same port but remember, the Master Trader sells higher than he buys. Remember, PRICES CHANGE!!!! Good hunting, Captain!