High Seas Trader

High Seas Trader
Developer(s)	Impressions Games
Publisher(s)	Impressions Games
Platform(s)	DOS
Release	1994
Genre(s)	Action/Naval/Simulation/Strategy
Mode(s)	Single player

High Seas Trader is a naval strategy video game. The player runs trade routes, fends off pirates, collects artifact and offers transport to fellow countrymen in need, all for the sake of climbing up the games ranking ladder, which in turn allows the player to buy bigger ships, more firepower and larger cargo holds to progress quickier in the ranks.

Gameplay

Starting out

The game is set in 1650. The player starts out with the most basic ship, Fluyt, and 3000 (3k) gold.

Nations

The player chooses a nation at the beginning of the game. Consequences lie in relations between nations, which nations declare war/peace will determine which ports the player can access at given times, and which ships will open fire on them at sea. The options are:

• Dutch
• English
• French
• Portuguese
• Spanish

Ships

• Fluyt (Crew of 100. Cargohold of 300t. 4 banks of 1 cannon. Price: 4k)
• Corvette (Crew of 100. Cargohold of 150t. 4 banks of 2 cannons. Price: 8k)
• Merchant (Cargohold of 500t. Price: 14k)
• Frigate (Cargohold of 350t. 4 banks of 4 cannons. Price: 16k)
• East Indiaman (Price: 21k)
• Fourth rate (Cargohold of 600t Price: 27k 4 banks of 8 cannons)

Titles

• Peddler (Fluyt and Corvette)
• Journeyman (Merchant and Frigate)
• Tradesman (East Indianman and Fourth rate, Small estate - 2 treasures max)
• Merchant (Medium estate - 4 treasures max)
• Master Merchant (Large estate - 6 treasures max)
• Viscount (end of the game)

Guild ladder

Climbing up the ladder ranks grants the player titles, access to bigger ships, and bigger estates. The player can gather points in the categories, then cash them in for a title. Once they're granted a title, the points in the categories reset, allowing them to do it all over.

• Daring
• Honor
• Loyalty
• Nobility

Ammo

• Round (Long range ammunition)
• Chain (Short range ammunition, tears up sails leaving attacking ships dead in the water)
• Grape (Short range ammunition, leaves big holes in attacking ships)

Cannons

• Swivel-gun (03.t)
• Saker (1.0t)
• Demi-culverlin (1.2t)
• Culverlin (2.0t)
• Demi-cannon (2.5t)
• Cannon (3.0t)

Banks

Players can place money in banks for safe keeping. This is useful if they ever lose a battle at sea, as they can start over with their savings. However, banks charge interest from the player's money, so the money might not be there when they need it.

Reception

The game was reviewed in 1995 in Dragon #221 by John Brunkhart in the "Eye of the Monitor" column. Brunkhart gave the game 2 out of 5 stars.

See also

• Sid Meier's Pirates! (2004)
• Sid Meier's Pirates! Gold (1993)
• Sid Meier's Pirates! (1987)

External links

• High Seas Trader at IGN
• High Seas Trader at MobyGames
• High Seas Trader at GameFAQs
• High Seas Trader at GameSpot
• High Seas Trader at GameSpy