Pirates is separated into several minigames requiring different skills, as well as a "sailing map" mode where the player navigates around the Caribbean. Sailing technique, evasion (running from guards), naval gunnery, turn-based strategy, dancing with the daughter of a governor,[15] fencing, and strategic planning are all skills needed to succeed in Pirates. The player must choose one of five different skills at the start, which the game will give them an advantage in. During the game, the player can acquire items and special crew members that make some minigames less difficult.
In the PC version, most controls are assigned to the nine keys of the number pad, and the game is completely playable using only the keyboard (numpad keys and enter), excluding the start menu and control screen. This is achieved by a visual representation of the keypad in the lower right corner of the screen, which also shows the function of each key at any given time. For example, during ship-to-ship combat, the "3", "7", and "1" keys on the numpad representation are shown with images of different cannonball types. These buttons are used to select different types of cannonballs to fire. The on-screen keypad can also be clicked with the mouse, performing the same function as the keyboard key. Though the mouse can be used for various commands, the keypad is the preferred input mechanism due to the game's mechanics.
Story
Each new game comes with a short backstory, which starts at the time the player character is still a young boy. The player character's family receives a visit from an evil Spanish nobleman, the Marquis de la Montalbán, who proceeds to enslave them all for failing to pay their debt to him. The player character manages to evade capture, vowing to avenge what Montalbán has done to his family. Ten years later, the player character, now a young adult, enters a tavern to start his journey to the Caribbean. At this point, the player must name the character, choose the difficulty level, special trait and starting era, in addition to which nation to sail with at the beginning.
Once the player completes the registration, the scene proceeds to the player character aboard a ship as he takes a voyage to the Caribbean. The voyage is harsh, and the ship captain frequently abuses his crew, causing the player character to incite a mutiny out of ill treatment. The mutiny is successful, with the captain set adrift and the player character named the new captain, making the ship his own. This marks the start of the game, with the ship immediately entering the port of a major city of the player's chosen nationality.
Sailing
The majority of the game is spent sailing from destination to destination around the Caribbean islands. To control the ship(s), the player must use the number pad (or the directional arrows) on the keyboard. Mouse navigation is also possible, where clicking anywhere on the screen will send the ship sailing in that direction. During the sailing segment, the player navigates between areas of interest in the Caribbean, including colonies, cities, missions, pirate havens, and others. Wind conditions have an important effect on sailing, as winds tend to blow westwards (especially on lower difficulty levels) and as such speed up travels to the west while slowing down travel to the east. Clouds passing overhead indicate barometric depressions, and at the center of these depressions are storms which cause powerful winds that usually boosts sailing in any direction, but also poses a threat to ships passing underneath the storm. Unlike earlier versions, the Caribbean is filled with ships represented visually by their three-dimensional models. The player can spot these ships from a distance and even collect information about their mission, port of departure, destination, and nationality. This allows the player to select their targets, as well as actively pursue most ships if an attack is to be attempted. Unlike previous Pirates! games, however, enemy ships cannot force the player to fight, although they can bombard the player's ships en route to a destination and even sink some (but not all) of the player's ships if they bombard them long enough. Fortified cities which hold a particular grudge against the player (or whose controlling nation holds a substantial bounty over the player's head) may also open fire upon the player's fleet as it passes by. The player must also navigate around reefs and shoals, which cause hull damage to any ship that passes over them (but rarely sink ships, unlike in previous versions). Finally, if the player wishes, they may sail the ship onto the shoreline, allowing the crew to disembark and begin to march. This can be used when the player wishes to approach a hostile city without being fired upon, to attack a friendly city, or to travel on land seeking buried treasure, lost cities, or Montalban's hideout.
Trade and economy
During the course of the game, the player can acquire large amounts of resources from ships captured, including cannons, food, supplies, and trade goods. These goods have fluctuating values around the Caribbean, though most do not change much at any given time. Areas with many nearby pirate havens will pay more for cannons, isolated settlements will pay more for supplies, and may have very cheap local goods, such as spices, and so forth. This is offset by smaller villages having fewer tradeable goods and less gold than larger cities, which will also trade less under poor economic conditions and small population size. The player can also repair or upgrade ships at particular ports. These repairs depend on the player's rank and reputation in the cities' controlling government. As the player rises in rank, the repairs become cheaper, and eventually are done for free.
Naval battles
The player will encounter numerous ships while sailing, all of which can be attacked. The player must decide to start a battle, although enemy ships may open fire and begin a chase on the sailing map. The player also has the option to switch flagships, controlling which ships will engage the enemy. Sailing ships in combat is handled much the same as sailing them on the main map. The player controls a single ship and must navigate it according to the prevailing winds, the ship's specific sailing strengths, and the player's goals during the battle. Several differences do apply, mostly the inability to sail directly into the wind with most ships (which is possible, albeit slowly, on the sailing map), as well as the lack of dynamic weather (no storms, though engaging while in a storm will provide storm conditions during the entire battle). Depending on the player's ship, the enemy's ship, and various other factors, a battle may have one or more desirable outcomes in addition to the sinking of the player's ship. The most common goal in ship-to-ship combat would be the capture of the enemy vessel, either by directly boarding it and carrying the deck, or by subduing the ship by cannon fire. An enemy ship will always surrender if it is dismasted (except escort ships, which never surrender) although it may also choose to surrender if faced with a powerful boarding party compared to its own crew or if very seriously damaged. Smaller ships are suited to the former strategy (quick boarding, with little cannon fire exchanged), though some are nimble enough to evade enemy fire and win by wearing down even the most powerful warships, whose large crew makes early boarding impractical. Larger ships, especially frigates, often are more suited to subduing the enemy ship through cannon fire, due to their powerful broadsides.
Another possible outcome is the sinking of the enemy ship. After the enemy's hull has been hit enough, a shot will end up in the powder magazine, destroying the ship.
Much of the naval combat minigame consists of attempting to outmaneuver the enemy, bringing their vessel into cannon range while trying to stay out of the their line of fire. The player may also attempt to board the enemy's ship as quickly as possible to avoid damage to either ship.
Ship capture and prizes
If a ship has surrendered, or its captain is defeated in combat, it is considered "captured". The player may now unload any gold and cargo from the ship, and can also add it to their fleet if there is room. If the ship's crew had a specialist, like a sailmaker or a cooper, they will be automatically added to the player's crew. Some of the captured crew may also be inclined to join the player's ranks, especially if the crew morale is high. Captured enemy crews also may have news on various events of interest to the player.
It is also possible to sink (scuttle or burn) the captured ship, desirable if it has been damaged too severely to be towed quickly to port, if no friendly ports are near, or if the player has no interest in selling the ship. If the player's crew is very small or is already maintaining a large fleet, adding an extra ship may also cause the whole fleet to become inefficient, slowing it down considerably on the sailing map.
Sword fighting
Several events will trigger a sword fighting minigame in which the player fences the opponent in one-on-one combat. These segments may or may not include crews fighting in the background, being affected by the progress of the battle as well.
Sword fighting duels often occur when two ships collide during naval combat. Sword fights can also break out during attacks on cities, particularly if the city does not have enough defenders to mount a battle outside the city gates, and if the player manages to reach the town gates in the land battles without first having defeated the enemy force. During these two kinds of fights, the player's crew and the enemy crew will have an important influence on combat. Crew sizes and morale dictate which side is more likely to lose men during the conflict. As a leader loses men, the effectiveness of his combat moves is reduced.
Dueling also occurs when the player challenges an enemy. This often takes place in taverns, when the player challenges the captain of the guard, or when confronting a known criminal and attempting to bring him to justice. When the player impresses a governor's daughter, she will eventually request him to defeat a jealous suitor in one-on-one combat. These duels occur without crew presence and are not subject to the effects of crew morale.
A duel is carried out with swords, although pistols can be acquired by the player to gain a starting advantage. During the duel, each combatant tries to strike at his enemy without being struck. Each combatant can use one of three attacks: a low slash, a high chop, and a middle thrust. Each combatant can also defend against incoming blows with a dodge (against high chops), a jump (against low slashes), or a parry (against middle thrusts). When a blow "connects"—that is, the opponent fails to block with the right move—the struck duelist moves backwards. When one duelist reaches the "limit" of the fighting area, he loses the duel and either surrenders or is knocked out of the battle.
Land warfare
Pirates! also has land battles in which the player fights battles in a turn-based system on a grid map, much like in Civilization. This occurs whenever the player assaults a well-defended city (80 or more soldiers in the city's garrison) or Montalban's hideout.
When beginning a land assault, the player is given several units. The exact number of units is determined by the proportion of the player's crew versus the size of the city's garrison. An overwhelming superiority for either side will give that side up to 10 units to command, while equally balanced fights will generally produce four or five units for each side.
Land combat is asymmetrical; the player possesses strong units that specialize in either close or ranged combat, while the enemy's units are equally capable in both but excelling in neither. The enemy also has exclusive access to cavalry, which is a specialized close combat unit that is extremely powerful when attacking open, flat terrain, but poor on the defense and on hills and in woods. Native Americans may join a city's defense, augmenting the local garrison. Natives deploy two types of units—one for close combat and one for ranged attacks. Neither are particularly powerful, but both can move quickly through woods.
Battle takes place outside the city, on a map with hills, forests, and plains. The player's force starts out in one of three selectable positions nearer the bottom of the map, while the enemy force begins closer to the top of the map, near the city gates. The goal of this minigame is either to defeat the enemy force altogether or to have one unit reach the city gates, after which a sword duel commences against the city's captain of the guard and all remaining defenders (or, in later versions, the city is captured immediately). If the garrison initially has fewer than 80 soldiers, the battle immediately segues to the duel with the captain of the guard.
Combat is turn-based. During a side's turn, each of its units can move, attack, or fire ranged weapons. Most units can move up to two squares a turn or one through forests.
Capturing cities
Successful land combat on the part of the player will yield a one-time ransom. The exact amount is determined by the city's wealth and population parameters. If the city's garrison drops below 100 during or before combat, successful land battles allow the player to change the city's government to that of a different nationality. This not only changes the political situation in the Caribbean, but also makes the new owning nation greatly pleased with the player, as well as any other countries who disliked the original owner, with whom the player's standing drops. The attack also has the effect of lowering the city's wealth rating.
Romance
Upon performing tasks favorable to one of the four nations in the game and thus being promoted enough, the player may be given the chance to romance a governor's daughter, starting with a dance at a ball. The more attractive she is (plain, attractive, beautiful), the more difficult she is to romance, and the more fame points she is worth upon marriage. Dancing is done by following the daughter's hand signals (left, right, back, forward, spin left, spin right) and moving appropriately, with higher difficulty including more complex steps and more demanding scores. Successful dancing is rewarded with 'amour' from the governor's daughter, as well as gifts or valuable information. The player becomes more nimble with the purchase of dancing shoes from the tavern merchant. When the daughter's 'amour' is high enough, she will request items such as a diamond necklace or ruby ring (purchased from the mysterious stranger at the tavern) or notify the hero that someone seeks to fight a duel over her. In the final step, the daughter is abducted, and the hero must track down the abductor aboard his ship and defeat him. Upon returning the daughter to her home city and the hero subsequently agreeing to marry her, the game will show a cutscene of the marriage, and the hero will gain bonus fame points.
Sneaking
The player may be refused docking privileges at an enemy town. In these cases, the player is given the option to sneak into town. This is done by avoiding the town's guards who patrol the city and moving towards the tavern, or governor's mansion, that are pointed to by signs throughout the city. The player may run, walk, or climb over fences, and has hay bales to hide behind to avoid detection. The player may also sneak up behind guards and knock them unconscious, which risks capture if the unconscious guards are discovered or if they wake up. If caught, the player character is thrown into jail, where he must remain to serve a sentence of several months, bribe a guard, or attempt an escape. Certain items can increase the chance of a player's escape.
Historical pirates
In the game, there are nine computer-controlled historical pirates, though many of them could not have existed at the same time because they are based on pirates who were born at different moments in the 16th and 17th centuries. Each pirate bears his own unique flag and is present on the "top ten pirates" list with the player ranked tenth. Each pirate is also based in a particular Pirate Haven. Each time one is defeated, his plunder and ship are acquired. Part of the player's overall score is determined by how many of the pirates have been defeated. The nine historical pirates in the game are Henry Morgan, Blackbeard, Stede Bonnet, Captain Kidd, Jean Lafitte, François l'Olonnais, Roc Brasiliano, Bartholomew Roberts, and John Rackham.
Each pirate has a buried treasure, and portions of the treasure maps are sometimes available for purchase in taverns. If a pirate's treasure is dug up before defeating him, that pirate will act like a "Pirate Hunter" when the player comes into his view. However, the ships they possess are not historically correct, as Blackbeard's ship "Queen Anne's Revenge" is controlled by Henry Morgan and other pirates in the game. This issue can be corrected for the computer version with the v1.01 patch.[16]
