Port Royale - PC

Game Detail

From the Manufacturer

In contrast to Patrician II, this game is about adventure, exploration and sea battles. The depth of play of the trading and economic system is decreased accordingly. However, trade still remains the main driving force behind the game.
You start out as a simple sailor on a small ship in a local region. At first you explore the world and trade between towns friendly to each other. The aim is to acquire both gold and status; enough to eventually become a governor yourself.
Over time you will gain the increasing interest and goodwill of other governors. You will be able to further enlarge your riches with the initially easy orders and missions that they provide you with.
Your status in society is critical. The higher it is the more you will: Obtain better prices for goods and ships Be able to hire more sailors Be allowed to set foot in more towns Be allowed to build additional businesses Win more and better orders As the game progresses you become more and more self-sufficient and begin to fight for the interests of your nation: you will rob enemy ships and towns, annex towns or chase and battle with pirates.
Port Royale can be played to suit an individual gamer’s preferences. After the initial introductory gameplay the player can move away from the trading aspects of the game and on to enjoying the game’s adventure, exploration and conquering elements. At first, play is 50% weighted towards trade. Later on, trade can be reduced to about 20% if desired, moving the focus onto adventure.
In contrast to Patrician II the world of Port Royale is hardly known at all initially; in other words the player is only really familiar with their immediate surroundings. The unknown parts of the map are represented in an unfinished and inexact way–as if roughly sketched using word of mouth as a guide. The map is only rendered accurately when the player has explored an unknown region. In some circumstances this accuracy can be obtained via a completed order or via information supplied to the player.
Port Royale offers the player many different types of buildings or factories and a variety of production workshops. Countless buildings have their own unique and very specific function; from the small shipyard and the corner pub right up to the governor’s palace. So players can have their ship repaired in the shipyard, get the newest gossip from the pub or request a privateering letter from the governor.
After the player has established their own warehouse, they can start thinking about establishing workshops. For this a decision is required on whether to tend to the physical welfare of the population or establish plantations of tobacco, cocoa or sugarcane for export the Old World.
However, happiness is not achieved by money alone. It is important to keep observing the changing political events during the course of the gameplay and make decisions accordingly. Even if trading between, for instance, a Spanish and English port has been a nice little earner up to now, a war between these nations can scupper this lucrative source of income completely.
The unwary player will be appraised of the changed political circumstances at the latest when sailing into the now enemy port and being greeted with a hail of cannonballs from the town fortifications.