Need Help Game is hard!

[lurk3r]

Hey there,

First post on these forums sorry if its a repeat of something else, had a little search through but am feeling overwhelmed.

Randomely discovered this site and decided to try and play POTC + build mod 14. Haven't played a pirate game since Sid Meiers so am extremely newbie.

Just asking if there are any general tips on what settings/campaign i should use/play and any other tips on how to actually play. I tried playing the captain jack campaign but went straight into a sea battle and for some reason my cannons weren't firing... I have no idea why. The camera scheme etc. is also really confusing, I couldn't work out which one is better or what was going on.

Happy to keep trying, and I'll try post updates if I can figure anything out, but help would be hugely appreciated!

Lurk3r

 

[morgan terror]

Well, knowing the controls helps. I remember having to learn the controls step by step when i first started playing, and they've only gotten more complicated since. Most of the stuff you can find in the control menu are correct, except for the speedup settings. R is now up, G is down.

Also, i don't know if you've played the original game, but cannons need gunpowder now. I suggest you look through the advanced options to see what else you should pay attention to. In fact, even if you've played the original game i suggest you play the original nathaniel plotline first to see what's changed since the original game. It also has a more easy introduction than most plotlines.

 

[Pieter Boelen]

As for the camera, are you using Build 14 Beta 2.1 Full or also the Beta 2.2 Light released yesterday?
There was a mistake in the Beta 2.1 Full installer that has Free Camera mode enabled by default, which could be confusing you.
However, that is fixed with Beta 2.2 Light, so if you don't have that, be sure to get it. Link in my signature.

How were you trying to fire your cannons? If from First Person mode, we enabled auto-fire there too, so Spacebar is auto-fire in all sailing modes.
If you want to manually aim and fire, use the [V] key in First Person mode.

Well, knowing the controls helps. I remember having to learn the controls step by step when i first started playing, and they've only gotten more complicated since. Most of the stuff you can find in the control menu are correct, except for the speedup settings. R is now up, G is down.

As per Build 14 Beta 2.2, that should be noted correctly. Refer also to "Default Key Assignments.txt" in the "Documentation" folder.

 

[jaco]

Hi, I'm also a New Horizons noob so thought I would chime in here. I played the original POTC when it first came out but didn't really get into it much. I wish I'd found your mod years ago because it really transforms the original game.

I've been playing a couple of weeks now. The Nathaniel Hawke storyline seems like a good way to get into it, especially if you start with the Malcolm Hatcher tutorial section which gives a lot of clues about the fighting and trading aspects of the game. I also reckon playing arcade mode is a good way to start. I know it's more like driving a speedboat than "real" sailing, but sadly my first attempt at realistic sailing mode was just hilarious -- I ended up getting keelhauled by my own crew when we ran out of rum and I couldn't reach an island in time to stock up. Anyway, I'm sticking with arcade for the first campaign and will try realistic mode for the next one. I now prefer direct sailing between the islands and never use the world map view. I reckon it's vital to acquire a good compass as soon as possible and then it's not too difficult to navigate using the archipelago map that Nathaniel gets for free at the start.

There's a lot of things to discover as you go along, but I really miss a basic manual that explains the interface screens. The original POTC manual is obviously out of date, and the New Horizons manual is inspirational but doesn't give much info about the interface. Also I would love to see a spreadsheet-style list of ships with their various capabilities, and the different types of weapons. Is there anything like that around anywhere?

Well, I just wanted to say thanks to everyone who has worked on this mod. It really is fantastic. I don't think I'll be playing any other game for the foreseeable future.

 

[morgan terror]

The manual is something that probably won't be finished until the mod is finished. And since the mod is constantly changing, a manual is quite far off. One rather popular idea is to just do away with malcom's tutorial purpose and make a tutorial main plot and character instead. All sidequests would explain different parts of the game and would all be available from the start, so the player could just pick everything that they need teaching on and ignore the rest.

 

[Hylie Pistof]

POTC has evolved over the years from an arcade style game to a realistic sim. This makes it hard on newbies. The best way to start is to play the tutorial in arcade mode until you are comfortable playing the game. Then move on from there.

To find out which buttons do what open up your POTC folder and: POTC--->program--->controls--->defaultcontrols.h. It opens with notepad. There you can find which buttons do what and you can edit them to suit your preferences.

Jumping in head first sometimes results in a bellyflop. Take your time. Walk around and explore your world. There are a lot of big fish out there and you are just a minnow.

 

[Armada]

Also I would love to see a spreadsheet-style list of ships with their various capabilities, and the different types of weapons. Is there anything like that around anywhere?

Ahoy mate, thanks for your compliments. Glad you're enjoying the mod!

We have had various spreadsheets over the years which document the ships for modding reference, but they're a bit messy and out of date at the moment. What we'd like to eventually do is have a complete spreadsheet posted on the Wiki, which shows each ship with a small screenshot, description and its attributes. Such a document would take some time to organise though, so you'll have to wait a while before that appears.