[MOD] Privateers, Pirates, and Buccaneers

I should also point out that the leaderheads are ALSO not shown in the diplomacy screen making it IMPOSSIBLE to sue for peace or to trade.. many things go wrong with this being like this.

K25 said:

I think I saw someone else had this problem with just the Apache leader but its for all the indians for me. Unless I plop a village down right next to an indian village I don't hear anything. I sent scouts all over and met every village and I got the money and things and found out what they wanted and what they could train in but only threw the graphic picutre not the leader pop up. The only one that worked was the Sioux and that was only the village RIGHT next to city. I wanted to train some cotton planter and sugar planters there in the indian villages because unless I'm wrong I can't get them in Europe. I click on the button to live there and nothing happens then I take them OUT and next turn put bak in and I get the popup sayin Live among natives etc etc and when i click it.. nothing still. Maybe I need to activate something? Please let me know. Also, I tried a fresh map with just world builder and just plopped down colonists to test it out so i know its not just the exact game i was in. Please let me know I really like this MOD!

Click to expand...

Hey, thanks for this report. I may have left some "testing code" in the dll that would cause this. Regardless, something is obviously wrong and I'll fix this asap. I'll post an updated version with the fix in the next couple days so look for that. Things are really busy for me now, but maybe I can post the fix tomorrow eveing. K, thanks again for this post.

I should also point out that the leaderheads are ALSO not shown in the diplomacy screen making it IMPOSSIBLE to sue for peace or to trade.. many things go wrong with this being like this.

Click to expand...

Ok, if at all possible I'll post a fix for this tomorrow evening.

I took sometime this morning and isolated the bug and zapped it. I just uploaded a patch for v0.5c

To get the patch from v0.5c to v0.5d follow the link below:

Patch for Version 0.5c to 0.5d

I will also have a full patched version uploaded soon.

I LOVE this mod. I've had enormous fun trying it. I do have a question though--I've been completely unable to figure out how smuggling works. I built a smugglers inn. I tried to figure out how to re-profession criminals in it, as smugglers, but there's no mechanism I could find. Who do you have to move into the tavern? What buttons do you push then? When you have a smuggler and you put him on a ship, does that become a smuggling ship?

Is a buccaneer's den also able to instigate smuggling assignments, as well as a smuggler's inn? That is, can a buccaneer's den able to do everything a smuggler's in can, only more and quicker?

I also built a smuggler's cove. It appears that this is a building within the city. I couldn't move any people into it ever. What buttons do you push to smuggle goods?

Or is all this just not coded yet?

mastrude said:

I LOVE this mod. I've had enormous fun trying it. I do have a question though--I've been completely unable to figure out how smuggling works. I built a smugglers inn. I tried to figure out how to re-profession criminals in it, as smugglers, but there's no mechanism I could find. Who do you have to move into the tavern? What buttons do you push then? When you have a smuggler and you put him on a ship, does that become a smuggling ship?

Is a buccaneer's tavern also able to instigate smuggling assignments, as well as a smuggler's inn?

I also built a smuggler's cove. It appears that this is a building within the city. I couldn't move any people into it ever. What buttons do you push to smuggle goods?

Or is all this just not coded yet?

Click to expand...

Hey, glad you like the mod.

The buildings works as follows:

Smuggler's Inn and Buccaneer's Tavern simply convert Colonist to the Freebooter unit. Freebooters are special units that have extra commands over your normal colonist. They can board Privateers and while on board if your Privateer defeats a merchant ship they can capture it. They can also convert Merchant ships to a Pirate ship. Freebooter's have a different set of Professions as well that they can become. They can also steal canoes from natives. The Canoe can be used to highjack ships if you can get close enough to them.

The Smuggler's Cove requires a Warehouse Expansion and also the town must have 100% pirate affliation. Once built you put Pirate Ships to work here smuggling goods that your King has Contraband. Only Pirate ships can work here not Colonist or Privateersman.

For Example, you could turn a Free Colonist into a Freebooter by placeing the Free Colonist in a Smuggler's Inn. Now load your Freebooter into a Merchant ship and you will see the command to Convert to Pirate. Once the Ship is Converted to a Pirate Ship it can then be placed in a Smuggler's Cove by moving the ship over a city and selecting "Change Profession".

There are a few Pedia entrys on some of the New concepts refer to those for other info.

Hope this helps, any more questions just ask.

Thanks very much.

I'm still puzzled though and smuggling isn't working for me. You said: "Only Pirate ships can work here not Colonist or Privateersman." A privateersman or sea rover is already a pirate ship, right? I tried converting a caravel to pirate, and this seems to have worked. The ship has a little pirate icon although it's still called a caravel. But I still can't undertake smuggling missions from the smuggler's port. Do you have to set the ship for automation somehow? I load goods to smuggle onto the ship, and I see the icon to smuggle greyed out, though there is rum on board.

What unit can go into to Smuggler's Port on the city screen? I don't seem to be able to move freebooters in there. I don't seem to be able to convert freebooters into smugglers either by a profession change.

You talked about a city as a "pirate haven". I have a smuggler's inn or buccaneer's den, a pirate cove etc. Nothing about the city identifies it as a pirate haven but it seems to be working as one--I can build privateers, make freebooters, and defeated pirates can go here. So it's a pirate haven, right? What do you need to have a pirate haven?

Also, I suggest somewhere in the game concepts you refer to freebooters as "prize captains". It took me a long time to figure out that a major function of these guys is to take over ships.

Hope this is clear. Again, thanks for a great mod.

Deleted -- too dumb.

Uh... Thought you might enjoy this:

I am the Pirate King
By WS Gilbert

Oh, better far to live and die
Under the brave black flag I fly,
Then play a hypocritical part
With a pirate head and a pirate heart.
Away to the world across the seas,
Where pirates all have law degrees,
But I'll be true to the song I sing
And live and die a pirate king.

Chorus:
For I am a pirate king (You are, hurrah for a pirate king).
And it is, it is a glorious thing to be the Pirate King.
I am a Pirate King (You are, hurrah for the pirate king).
And it is, it is a glorious thing to be the Pirate King.
(It is, hurrah for a pirate king, hurrah for the Pirate King)

When I venture forth to seek my prey,
I crush my foes in a royal way.
The ladies yield and the ships go down,
Or is it the other way around?
But many a king in a guilded tower,
If he wants to cling to pomp and power,
Must manage somehow to get through
More dirty work than ever I do.

mastrude said:

Thanks very much.

I'm still puzzled though and smuggling isn't working for me. You said: "Only Pirate ships can work here not Colonist or Privateersman." A privateersman or sea rover is already a pirate ship, right? I tried converting a caravel to pirate, and this seems to have worked. The ship has a little pirate icon although it's still called a caravel. But I still can't undertake smuggling missions from the smuggler's port. Do you have to set the ship for automation somehow? I load goods to smuggle onto the ship, and I see the icon to smuggle greyed out, though there is rum on board.

What unit can go into to Smuggler's Port on the city screen? I don't seem to be able to move freebooters in there. I don't seem to be able to convert freebooters into smugglers either by a profession change.

You talked about a city as a "pirate haven". I have a smuggler's inn or buccaneer's den, a pirate cove etc. Nothing about the city identifies it as a pirate haven but it seems to be working as one--I can build privateers, make freebooters, and defeated pirates can go here. So it's a pirate haven, right? What do you need to have a pirate haven?

Also, I suggest somewhere in the game concepts you refer to freebooters as "prize captains". It took me a long time to figure out that a major function of these guys is to take over ships.

Hope this is clear. Again, thanks for a great mod.

Click to expand...

Ok, I see what the problem is. For one thing this mod is still in the development/testing phase. So what you are seeing may be an error. Also, there is just so much to this mod and I am the only one working on it so I can miss things easily. If I make a small change here it can effect the other parts of the game I didn't realize. That why I need testers such as yourself so thanks for reporting this.

So, you can see in the below pic I have coverted a Galleon to a Pirate Ship using my Freebooter. Pirate Ships are different than Privateersmen. Privateersmen can be purchased and are assumed to be working under a "Letter of Marque" while a Pirate is not and is free to attack whom ever when ever. In game purposes both units can attack whom ever when ever but only Pirate Ships can perform certain missions such as the smuggle goods.





I tested somethings just now and the Smuggler good mission and the Smuggler's Port is not working properly so I will fix this asap and post an update.

Another problem is I have changed so much from when I first started this mod. The Names I have given certain buildings have changed and even I get confused sometimes. A "Pirate Haven" would be when you have a Buccaneer's Den built. This Building allows your Pirates and Privateersman to use that city as an Evasion city.

But you are right there needs to be more info written up about the Units and such. This is all a work in progress. So bare with me here.

PS Thanks for the Pirate King song, thats cool!

Playing yesterday, I didn't see a pirate Spanish leader. Is that correct?

mastrude said:

Playing yesterday, I didn't see a pirate Spanish leader. Is that correct?

Click to expand...

Yes, that is correct. As of yet I haven't found an appropriate Spanish Captain for such a role. I have plans to add Pedro de Menendez de Avilles as a new Leader for Spain except he want be portrayed as a "Buccaneer Captain" but rather a "Pirate Hunter" with bonuses designed for anti piracy. Captain Avilles was the Spanish Pirate Hunter who routed the French Huguenots from Fort Caroline in 1565. He also founded a colony in Florida that he named St. Augustine.

I may also add the Knights of Malta as a Spanish Leader as the Knights where granted control of Malta by Emperor Charles V of Spain.

If you have any ideas for a Spanish Buccaneer leader please feel free to let me know.

Kailric said:

If you have any ideas for a Spanish Buccaneer leader please feel free to let me know.

Click to expand...

Here one of possible candidates:

http://www.cancun.com/Isla_Mujeres/

Also worth visiting are the Turtle Protection Center, committed to the preservation of this endangered species, and the remains of the famous pirate Fermin Antonio de Mundaca's estate. Mundaca, who was a dreaded Spanish buccaneer and slave trader, plundered the Caribbean for years until he eventually decided to settle here, and according to legend, he later fell madly in love with a Mayan Indian girl, who rejected him and left him heartbroken and depressed for the rest of his life.

Click to expand...

KJ Jansson said:

Here one of possible candidates:[/url]

Click to expand...

Thanks, I'll look into this one. I am uploading the next update. Not much is added new just fix some bugs and added a few more descriptions so the game will be easier to learn. It will be available for download sometime tonight.

Look for version 0.5e.

I am anxious to see what the features of the Barbary Pirates, the Sicilians and the Knights of Malta will be.

EDIT: Suggestion: How about making it so Rum, instead of being "equipped" by the Swashbuckler, is consumed when the unit becomes of that profession? (as in, the Rum doesn't return to the city if he changes profession later on)

Androrc the Orc said:

I am anxious to see what the features of the Barbary Pirates, the Sicilians and the Knights of Malta will be.

EDIT: Suggestion: How about making it so Rum, instead of being "equipped" by the Swashbuckler, is consumed when the unit becomes of that profession? (as in, the Rum doesn't return to the city if he changes profession later on)

Click to expand...

Yeah, that is a good suggestion and was actually on the list of things to do but somehow got over looked. The problem with that would be that each time you change to Swashbuckler you lose 50 rum and never get it back as you always get back your horses for Dragoons. I could make it so that 25 rum is completely consumed instead of 50 to help balance it out though, or maybe some other idea.

I mentioned it in ealier posts but the main features of the Barbary pirates and the Knights will be how they deal with converting captured slaves. You must build a temple and put the slaves to work in the temple and there will be a chance each turn that the slave will convert and be a normal citizen. This is different from the other Civs as you just purchase their freedom. Also, all citizens of these Civs will be just like Freebooters are now. They will also have the Crusader trait that gives a bonus to Privateersmen and Pirates when they attack ships that the player is at war with.

The Cicilians (for ancient Mods) and Pirate Confederation leader Zheng Yi Sao of China for mods set in the current Col time frame will be of a different play style totally as you want be able trade with "Europe" but will have to find other means.

I am also looking forward to these changes but its a slow process at the moment. I am currently on a couple week vacation and want be able to do any coding till I get back.

Thanks for the encourement though and stay tuned

Howdy all. Work is slowed down greatly on this but I am still here. My next update I plan to address issues in game balance and other suggestions by players posted above.

~Cheers

One comment I have on game balance: I think the pirates can really kill the colonies, especially if they can form flotillas. They can really suppress trade and delay victory so the other colonies will definitely lose.

Or the colonies can keep wiping out every new privateer, so the colonies win.

I don't think the game is unbalanced between pirate forces and the regular economy. But I think one or the other will win out based on a very few encounters, a few very high-stakes battles. This may not be so good. It's more fun in the outcome is in doubt for a long game.

I do think flotillas are too powerful and unbalance the game. It's almost impossible to kill them. I tried with 3 frigates in a group and failed.

Also, if you lose your dandy privateer early in the game, it's very difficult to raise up another one because the other colonies keep killing them before they can get any infamy and experience.

What do you guys think?

mastrude said:

One comment I have on game balance: I think the pirates can really kill the colonies, especially if they can form flotillas. They can really suppress trade and delay victory so the other colonies will definitely lose.

Or the colonies can keep wiping out every new privateer, so the colonies win.

I don't think the game is unbalanced between pirate forces and the regular economy. But I think one or the other will win out based on a very few encounters, a few very high-stakes battles. This may not be so good. It's more fun in the outcome is in doubt for a long game.

I do think flotillas are too powerful and unbalance the game. It's almost impossible to kill them. I tried with 3 frigates in a group and failed.

Also, if you lose your dandy privateer early in the game, it's very difficult to raise up another one because the other colonies keep killing them before they can get any infamy and experience.

What do you guys think?

Click to expand...

Hey, thanks for feedback. I am working on game balance atm actually. Thats something thats not easy to do as each player has his own playstyle and playstyles can effect how difficult the game is and also each game can have different outcomes. As one player was complaining that the game was too easy once he got a flotilla. So, flotillas as it seem will tip the balance heavily.

Hmm, we need away to balance out pirate flotillas... well in actual history when pirates become an extreme annoyance Kings would send out Pirate Hunters to track them down. Pirate hunter's got their man more times then not it would seem. I have this in the game actually but they are computer controlled so I am thinking that maybe if the player's colony keeps getting wrecked by Pirates then his king will issue him a Pirate hunter unit that he can control. This unit will be especially designed to deal with Flotillas. Once the Pirate Hunter's mark has been retired the unit then returns to his king.

How does something like that sound?

Really good realization Kailric. I like very much your mod, very original. You had very good ideas. Congratulations!! I hope that you will continue ameliorating it.

Kailric said:

Hey, thanks for feedback...

Click to expand...

I think your idea about Pirate Hunters is good. We need a way to kill flotillas and squadrons in those cases where a colony can build one or more.

I haven't seen many Pirate Hunters in the current game, and my recollection is that I could sink them fairly easily. Is that incorrect?

I think Pirate Hunters should be kind of mirror images of Flotillas. You could even change the terminology and speak of Pirate Flotillas and Hunter Flotillas. Likewise with Squadrons.

Also, maybe depart from history and have the colony able to build its own Hunter Flotillas in much the same way that Pirate Flotillas are built. Maybe Hunters should recover loot on pirate ships.

Thinking about game balance is making my head hurt, it's so complex, and I don't want to make too long a post here. I see three major issues in the mod. The first is this Flotilla thing we're discussing here.

The second is the knife-edge balance of the early game, where a single incident can make the pirates or merchants get the upper hand for a very long time, or permanently.

The third is the victory conditions. The focus of the Privateers mod is really different from vanilla Colonization. I think the focus is the fight between colonies and between the Pirates and the Merchants; Europe really doesn't have that much to do with this. In regular Colonization the aim is to declare independence from Europe and win the resulting war. The Privateers in the mod--do they really add a help to a colony in this overall aim? Or are they more a distraction--something that makes it harder to win against Europe? Just that much more to do in the limited time available. If that's true, maybe the initial and victory conditions in the Privateers mod should differ from vanilla Colonization.

I don't want my post to be too long, or to discuss too many different areas. I will see if I can find something intelligent to say about issues two and three in separate posts.