Overview
Interaction between Captains will be the key feature of your gameplay experience. To succeed you'll need to master all the different ways of influencing and engaging other Captains. There are several ways to do this. You can interact with your fellow Captains from the Map interface by going to the Map and positioning your mouse over another Captain's Haven and choosing an action (Trade, Raid, etc.) from their Haven's pop-up menu.
You can also interact by visiting their Haven. Go to the other Captain's Haven, click "Actions" on the right-hand menu and choose the action you want to perform. Alternatively, you can perform most interactions from your Naval and Command Buildings.
As you make more contacts (friend or enemy) you'll find that keeping track of them all will be easier from the Command Building interface than by scrolling on the map. You can perform acts of Piracy, conduct diplomacy, and engage in trade from the Pirate Stronghold, Brethren Court and Market, respectively. All these methods allow you to use the following features:
Player Designations
There are several different player designations for other Captains you will encounter in the game. Their designation may depend on your previous interactions, their Level, or their game history. You can view a Captain's designation by opening the "Captain's Log" tab at your Pirate Stronghold, or by viewing their Haven's information from the Map. A white flag indicates a Novice. A skull marks a Sworn Enemy. A pirate's head in a hat indicates your Shipmate. Those Havens marked with a white flag are Novice players - you will be unable to attack them until they attack you or attain a higher Level.
1. Novices are players below Level 9 who have recently started playing Pirates: Tides of Fortune and are under temporary Novice protection. Novices may challenge any Captain they like, but they will subsequently lose any protection. Captains of Level 15 and under may only battle Captains in the same range - should they attack a higher Level Captain, they will lose their protection as well. A war started between Captains below Level 15 will continue regardless of their future Levels.
2. Sworn Enemies are those Captains who have attacked your Haven or whose Havens have been attacked by you.
3. Shipmates. To become Shipmates with other Captains, you send an "Offer Accord" for other players to accept. If they do, you become Shipmates. Your allied status comes with certain benefits - Reinforcements and Galleons sail faster between allied Havens.
Friends Panel
Your Friends Panel is an important interface for interacting with other Captains. You will see all your social network Friends who are currently playing Pirates: Tides of Fortune. To add someone to the Friends Panel you must send them a friend request from within your social network. These people will be added to the Friends Panel when they accept your friend request.
A player displayed on your Friends Panel isn't necessarily your Shipmate. The Friends Panel displays Neutral Captains, Sworn Enemies, and Shipmates - anyone currently on social network. The Panel allows you to perform the following actions:
- visit other Captains' Havens;
- find a Captain's Haven on the sea Map;
- send Letters;
- send Reinforcements;
- send Sketches;
- send Resources;
- open Captains' Diary;
- view their Brotherhoods' Info;
- summon Dark Corsairs.
Use your Friends Panel to Raid, Blockade or Scout your Enemies' Havens.
Visiting other Havens
Interaction between Captains will be the key feature of your gameplay experience. One way to interact with other Captains is by visiting their Havens. Go to another Captain's Haven, click "Actions" on the right-hand menu and choose the action (Raid, Scout, Blockade, Parley, Send Reinforcements, Invite to Brotherhood, Send Sketches, or Send Resources) you want to perform.
To go home, click "Return to Port" from the Map or Haven menu, or double-click on your Haven.
Raiding
Raiding other Captains' Havens is definitely the most satisfying way to earn Resources in the game.
To conduct a Raid, choose the number and type of Units you want to send. If your Raid is successful, you will seize a certain amount of Resources. The amount of Resources seized depends on the carrying capacity of the Units that survived the Raid.
After the Raid you will receive a report from your Master at Arms detailing the number of casualties and the amount of Resources your Units had seized.
Users under Level 9 have Novice protection. They can attack any player but no one can attack their Haven. Users from Level 9 through Level 14 (or the ones registered for less than 5 days) can only attack players up to Level 14 (or the ones registered for less than 5 days). Users of Level 15 and higher can only attack players of Level 15 and higher.
You can perform 10 Raid attempts every day. A new attempt will be added every 2,5 hours. Any Raids in excess of the allotted 10 will not result in any acquired Resources.
You can view the current number of Raids available at the Pirate Stronghold ("Captain's Log" tab) or on the Map by positioning your mouse on other Captain's Haven. After you've reached the daily Raid limit, you can still send your Crew to raid other Havens, but they won't seize any more Resources.
5% of captured Resources will be subtracted as the cost of the Raid.
A Raid can be performed in 3 ways:
From the Map:
1. Click "Map" in your Haven.
2. Place the mouse over the Haven you want to raid.
3. Choose "Raid" on the Haven menu.
From inside the enemy's Haven:
1. Go visit the Haven of the player you want to raid.
2. Select "Raid" from the "Actions" menu.
From your Battle Reports:
1. Open a Battle report.
2. Click the"Get Even!" button.
Be aware: Your battle Report after each Raid shows ONLY the enemy Units you defeated in battle. If you want full information about the number and type of Units in other Havens, you'll need to do some Scouting.
Blockade
To Blockade other Captain's Haven, choose the number and type of Units you want to send. If successful, your Crew will Blockade the Enemy's Haven and you'll take a higher position in the Blockade Rankings.
Blockades can be broken only if the Blockaded Captain produces enough offensive Units or receives enough Reinforcements to defeat the Blockading force. If your Haven has been Blockaded, you can still produce Units to defeat the Blockader or ask your Friends to send you Reinforcements.
A Blockade will not adversely affect your Haven's performance unless the Blockader chooses to Ransom you. Once held for Ransom, a percentage of your Gold or Lumber production will be collected as Tribute by the Besieging Captain until your Haven is liberated.
Blockades can be performed in 3 ways:
From the Map:
1. Click "Map" in your Haven.
2. Place the mouse cursor over the Haven you want to blockade.
3. Select "Blockade" from the Haven menu.
From inside the enemy's Haven:
1. Visit the Haven of the player you want to Blockade.
2. Click "Blockade" on the "Actions" menu.
From the Pirate Stronghold:
1. Go to the Pirate Stronghold.
2. Open the "Captain's Log" tab.
3. Select "Blockade" from the action list.
4. Click "Blockade".
The Top 10 Captains in the Invasion and Ransom Rankings may also earn Rubies for holding their positions each week. Blockading an opponent does not eliminate them. You may also choose to ransom Havens you are currently Blockading. Once held for ransom, these Havens will offer you a percentage of their Gold or Lumber production.
The "Territories" tab displays information on:
- All currently occupied Targets and Ransomed Havens
- The amount of Resources currently ready for collection
- Time remaining until the next collection
- Time remaining until the Ransomed Haven or Target's storage is full
- Number and type of Units at each Ransomed Haven or Target
To collect all Resources accumulated in a Territory, click "Collect" when the button is active.
To select a different Blockaded Haven to ransom, remove one from your Territories list and add the desired Haven from your "Territories" tab.
Scouting
Research Flight and build the Dutchman's Hangar to perform Scouting missions. Upon completion purchase several Flying Dutchmen. Send your Flying Dutchmen to another Captain's Haven to scout out their forces.
Your Master at Arms will inform you of the outcome of your scouting attempt and any information collected. Scouting missions allow you to get a full picture of the number and type of Units in other Havens and the amount of Resources they have available for Raiding. Your Flying Dutchmen can be defeated by a targeted Haven's Flying Dutchmen if they're outnumbered or if the Haven's Stealth Bonus is high enough.
Scouting missions can be performed in 2 ways:
From the Map:
1. Click "Map" in your Haven.
2. Position the cursor over the Haven you want to scout.
3. Select "Scout" from the Haven menu.
From inside the enemy's Haven:
1. Visit the Haven you want to scout.
2. Choose "Scout" from the "Actions" menu.
Reinforcements
You can support your Shipmates by sending Reinforcements! Reinforcements help them defend themselves from enemy attacks.
You can also receive Reinforcements from your Shipmates.
To send and receive Reinforcements, you need to discover Order of Battle and build the Pirate Stronghold.
You can send Reinforcements in several different ways:
From the Map:
1. Click "Map" in your Haven.
2. Place your cursor over the Haven you want to send Reinforcements to.
3. Click "Send Reinforcements" on the Haven menu.
From inside their Haven:
1. Go to Haven of the player you want to send Reinforcements to.
2. Choose "Send Reinforcements" from the "Actions" menu.
If you send Reinforcements, you do so at your own expense. This means that if you send Reinforcements to another Haven, you'll still have to spend Rum to support the Crew you've sent.
Sending Reinforcements to other Targets does not allow you to collect Resources from that Target, but if you help your Friends control their Targets they might return the favor or pay you a percentage for protection.
If you recall all of your Units from one of your Targets, all Reinforcements belonging to other players will automatically be returned to their respective Havens. If all your Units at a Target are destroyed, all surviving Reinforcements automatically return to their owners.
Parley
You can become Shipmates with other Captains by offering an Accord for them to accept. If they do, you become Shipmates.
Being Shipmates comes with certain benefits - Reinforcements and Galleons travel faster between your Havens.
To form Brotherhoods, build a Brethren Court. Your Envoy will report new offers and inform you every time a Brotherhood has been formed or terminated.
You can become Shipmates in the following ways:
From the Map:
1. Click "Map" in your Haven.
2. Position the cursor over the Haven of the Captain with whom you wish to become Shipmates.
3. Click "Parley" from the Haven menu.
From other Captain's Haven:
1. Go to the Haven of the Captain you want to become Shipmates with.
2. Choose "Parley" from the "Actions" menu.
From your Brethren Court:
1. Go to the Brethren Court.
2. Click "Parley".
3. Choose the Captain from the list window.
4. Click "Offer Accord".
You can't raid your Shipmates' Havens, however, you can raid any Targets they currently control. (Do this at the risk of breaking your Accord!)
Sending Resources
You can gift Resources to any player to help him or her construct new buildings, purchase Units, or research Discoveries. You can also receive gifted Resources from other players.
To send Resources as a gift, you need to discover Trade at the Observatory and build a Market.
You can send Resources in the following ways:
From the Map:
1. Click "Map" in your Haven.
2. Position the cursor over the Haven of the player you want to send Resources to.
3. Click "Send Resources" from the Haven menu.
From their Haven:
1. Visit the Haven of the player you want to send Resources to.
2. Choose "Send Resources" from the "Actions" menu.
The amount of Resources you can send at a time is limited by the number and capacity of your Galleons. You can't send more Resources to one player than your Haven produces per day, and you can only gift Resources twice a day.
Sending Sketches
Sketches are required for researching almost every Discovery. You will receive one new Sketch from your Tinker each day you play.
You can also receive Sketches as gifts from your Friends, or send spare Sketches to other players.
If you've already researched a Discovery, trade any extra Sketches you receive for it or gift them to Friends. Once given or traded, these Sketches are gone. You do not keep a copy.
You can send Sketches in the following ways:
From the Map:
1. Click "Map" in your Haven.
2. Position the cursor over the Haven of the player you want to send Sketches to.
3. Click "Send Sketch" from the Haven menu.
From inside the other Haven:
1. Visit the Haven of the player you want to send Sketches to.
2. Select "Send Sketches" from the "Actions" menu.
From the Market:
1. Go to the Market.
2. Click "Trade Sketches".
3. Choose a player from the list.
4. Click "Send Trade Offer".
To send a Sketch, choose it from the pop-up window and send a loaded Galleon to their Haven. You can send no more than two Sketches to the same player per day.
Counselors
Counselors help you to keep track of changes in your Haven. There are 4 Counselors in the game: Master at Arms, Merchant, Envoy, and Tinker.
Counselors keep you informed on all acts of piracy, commercial activity, status of offered and current Alliances, Discoveries research.
Master at Arms
Your Master at Arms keeps you informed on all acts of piracy. The Master at Arms reports on:
- Your Scouting mission results;
- Other players' attempts to scout your Haven, Targets, and Presidios;
- Tracking Reinforcements to and from your Haven;
- Results of battles between you and your Sworn Enemies;
- Any event involving reinforcements you have sent to your Shipmates or captured territories.
You will also receive reports from your Master at Arms when you recover a Relic following a battle - these reports will be marked with a treasure chest instead of the usual envelop. Information on your newly acquired Relic can be found at the top of the battle report. Click the "Move" button in the report to go directly to your Skeleton Cave.
Check the filters to view reports on specific actions like Blockades, Raids, Scout missions, etc.
Merchant
Your Merchant keeps you updated on your commercial activity. The Merchant reports on:
- Galleons arriving at your Haven;
- Your Galleons arriving at their destination Havens;
- Other players' exchange requests.
Envoy
Your Envoy keeps you informed on the status of offered and current Accords. The Envoy reports on:
- "Accord" offers sent to you;
- new Shipmates;
- Brotherhood invitations;
- termination of Accords;
- Shipmate activities.
You can customize your Envoy's reports on Shipmate activities and get updates you find most relevant:
- reports if your Shipmate was raided;
- reports if your Shipmate was blockaded;
- reports if your Shipmate was scouted.
To start modifying your Envoy's reports, click your Envoy icon, click the "gear" icon to access the Settings, and select the information you want to receive.
Tinker
Your Tinker updates you on the status of your Discoveries. The Tinker reports on:
- Discovery research completion;
- Sketches exchanged with other players;
- New Sketches created by your Tinker;
- Discovery upgrade.