Free-play PDF and UK Manual

[The Nameless Pirate]

In request of @Bartolomeu o Portugues I made a PDF of the start conditions of the Free-play side quests.
All of the information in it can also be found in the wiki, except "A new invention". But it is nice to have that all together for new players.

I have also attached the DOC file, which can be edited by others more easily.
You will need the Dolphin font to achieve the same look, and the background comes from LibreOffice Writer.
Probably other programs have similar backgrounds that can be used should the need arise.

Lastly, I have uploaded the UK manual of stock PotC. @Pieter Boelen had mentioned that it would be nice to also include it in the "Documentation" folder of NH.
(Seems like my copy not having a physical manual wasn't so bad. )

 

[Grey Roger]

Thanks, @The Nameless Pirate! I've downloaded "Manual_UK.pdf" and it will be in the "Documentation" folder in the next update.

 

[Pieter Boelen]

Thanks, @The Nameless Pirate! I've downloaded "Manual_UK.pdf" and it will be in the "Documentation" folder in the next update.

Will you be adding that list of Free Play sidequests too?
That's what it was intended for; because @Bartolomeu o Portugues figured players might look in their game folder before realising there is a Wiki...

 

[Grey Roger]

No, because it is inaccurate. I've just had a look at it. The list does mention opium smuggling, which has been disabled for some time. (To be fair, so did the wiki. This is now corrected.) It does not include any of the character-specific sidequests ("The Natividad Incident" for Horation Hornblower, "A Family Story" and "A French Companion" for José Joaquím Almeida), nor does it include Quest for the Crystal Skull or The Kapitein of Kralendijk.

There are also errors with some of the other sidequests, though most of them are also in the wiki. Someone with enough free time and knowledge of the current state of sidequests may want to update the wiki.

 

[Pieter Boelen]

No, because it is inaccurate.

Then hopefully @The Nameless Pirate can update the file some more!
The whole point would be for it to be fairly complete; to let people know the existence of cool stuff that otherwise they might not have the faintest clue about.

Someone with enough free time and knowledge of the current state of sidequests may want to update the wiki.

@Talisman, are you still around by any chance...?

 

[The Nameless Pirate]

The information in the PDF is from the wiki.
I expected some inaccuracies as I don't remember all of it, and the wiki may be (is) a bit out of date.
This is the main reason I also uploaded the DOC file, aside from new quests being added to it.

 

[Pieter Boelen]

This is the main reason I also uploaded the DOC file, aside from new quests being added to it.

Does the post by @Grey Roger give you enough hints to update it?
Seems a shame to not finish this one now that we've got it...

 

[The Nameless Pirate]

Probably yes.
Or at least for a partial update.
I shall see to updating it once I get the chance.

 

[Pieter Boelen]

I shall see to updating it once I get the chance.

@Grey Roger is about to make a new ZIP.
Any chance of having this included?

 

[Grey Roger]

If a reasonably up to date version is uploaded, yes.

 

[The Nameless Pirate]

How is this?
I removed the opium smuggling entry, and added the quests mentioned in post #4.

 

[Grey Roger]

Thanks! The PDF version is going into the "Documentation" folder in the next release.

 

[Grey Roger]

A few corrections are needed.

• Cargo for Thomas O'Reily: doesn't care about your relations with France, nor does it care about Andre Juliao. If you have the update installed then you need 750 free cargo space. (It used to be 800, i.e. 200 silk, but silk is an import at Port Royale and export at St. Pierre! It's now 750, i.e. 250 clothes.) If you don't have the update installed then you won't be playing "A New Invention" or "A French Companion".
  
• Escort Vigila Mendes' Ship: you don't need to talk to Zaid Murro, though he might give you a hint. You need to talk to Vigila Mendes!
• Help the Church - must have reputation mid way between "Bloke" and "Matey".
• Saga of the Blacque Family - can also be initiated by talking to Milon Blacque in the port.
• Smuggling for Thomas O'Reily: also doesn't care whether France is hostile, but this is the one which needs Andre Juliao to be alive because he's your contact.
• Quest for the Crystal Skull and Kapitein of Kralendijk should be moved up to separate them from "A Family Story" and "The Natividad Incident" (both character specific) as well as "A New Invention" (player type specific).

Not listed here (or in the wiki) is the quest to help Turpin Cabanel, the St. Pierre port master, with smugglers. You trigger that by talking to Orable Caron and then to Turpin Cabanel. It's the other reason why you don't want to do "Patric and the Idols" before "Smuggling for Thomas O'Reily" because when you report who is responsible for the smuggling, Andre Juliao disappears.

 

[The Nameless Pirate]

Thanks, I am going to correct those.

 

[Pieter Boelen]

Some other thoughts; maybe for future versions:

For each sidequest, mention where it came from.
For example:
- Stock game (original)
- Stock game (finished and enabled by PiratesAhoy!)
- Name of the quest writer
- Modpack version / date of inclusion (if known)

Reorder the document with some headers; such as "General", "Character-specific", "Player-type specific".
With another sub-ordering based on the Island where the quest starts.
That way, players can know if the quest is going to exist for them.
And if they're in a certain place, they could quickly find what there is to do there.

Like with "(Apothecary)", add some of the internal names (from RESOURCE\INI\TEXTS\ENGLISH\QUESTBOOK) for the others too.
For example:
- "Strange Things Going on in the Archipelago (Animists)"
- "Elizabeth Shaw's Disappearance (First Contact)"
- "Hard labors of an assassin (Hitman)"
This can be useful for support questions, because often we'll refer to the code-name rather than the 'fancy display name' in forum posts.
If there is a main character ("Fred Bob", "Peter Blood"), maybe mention that too (if not already part of the title).

 

[Grey Roger]

Some other thoughts; maybe for future versions:

For each sidequest, mention where it came from.
For example:
- Stock game (original)
- Stock game (finished and enabled by PiratesAhoy!)
- Name of the quest writer
- Modpack version / date of inclusion (if known)

That might be of historical interest to modders but not to most players, especially to novice players for whom the manual is probably intended. Perhaps you could write such a modders' manual?

Like with "(Apothecary)", add some of the internal names (from RESOURCE\INI\TEXTS\ENGLISH\QUESTBOOK) for the others too.
For example:
- "Strange Things Going on in the Archipelago (Animists)"
- "Elizabeth Shaw's Disappearance (First Contact)"
- "Hard labors of an assassin (Hitman)"
This can be useful for support questions, because often we'll refer to the code-name rather than the 'fancy display name' in forum posts.
If there is a main character ("Fred Bob", "Peter Blood"), maybe mention that too (if not already part of the title).

Again, that might be useful for a modders' manual, not for a novice players' manual. I don't think any of us have been confused when someone asked for help with an actual quest title ("The Silver Train") or even a description ("the one with Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann") rather than the code name ("Jackpot"). And I, for one, will not risk confusing a player who asks for help by referring to a name for the quest which the player will not recognise and probably never see!

 

[Pieter Boelen]

That might be of historical interest to modders but not to most players

It is of interest to ME that these novice players get this information presented to them.
So they know who they should be grateful to for what they play.

If not, they just take things for granted.
And the modders who did the work deserve better than that.

Perhaps you could write such a modders' manual?

Forgive me for letting my annoyance shine through; but do you honestly think I have nothing better to do?
Discussion - The Present and Future of "PiratesAhoy!"?

Again, that might be useful for a modders' manual, not for a novice players' manual.

Wrong again.

Those novice players are going to run into bugs.
They're going to be searching for answers.
It helps if they know as many search terms as possible.

I don't think any of us have been confused when someone asked for help with an actual quest title ("The Silver Train") or even a description ("the one with Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann") rather than the code name ("Jackpot").

I'm not worried about ANY of us being confused.
We already know.

I am thinking of helping players help themselves.

And I, for one, will not risk confusing a player who asks for help by referring to a name for the quest which the player will not recognise and probably never see!

Or do you enjoy spending a crapton of time giving the same personal 1-on-1 support over and over again?
Because I sure don't.

And if and when we manage to increase the player-base, which I am absolutely intending to happen, that is going to become completely unfeasible.

I am trying to think ahead here.
Because I have to.
It is my "job".
And it's going to be my actual job if am to be officially in charge here.

Which I'm still not AT ALL sold I am willing to do.
I have conditions to that.
And right now, I am not seeing those condition being met.

 

[The Nameless Pirate]

Reorder the document with some headers; such as "General", "Character-specific", "Player-type specific".
With another sub-ordering based on the Island where the quest starts.
That way, players can know if the quest is going to exist for them.
And if they're in a certain place, they could quickly find what there is to do there.

I already have separated the profession/character specific quests.

Not listed here (or in the wiki) is the quest to help Turpin Cabanel, the St. Pierre port master, with smugglers. You trigger that by talking to Orable Caron and then to Turpin Cabanel. It's the other reason why you don't want to do "Patric and the Idols" before "Smuggling for Thomas O'Reily" because when you report who is responsible for the smuggling, Andre Juliao disappears.

Isn't this quest part of "Patric and the Idols"?
If so, this is in the wiki and the PDF. Though it should be noted that I have added the next step to it just to be sure.

 

[Pieter Boelen]

I already have separated the profession/character specific quests.

Good.

Can you also put headers above?
Like a "Header 1" with "Subheaders 2"?

 

[The Nameless Pirate]

Yep, though for now I just did this:


Edit: I have attached today's version of the PDF.