It Could Be Worse (or could it?) Challenge - Adve

[Tom Pullings]

It Could Be Worse (Or Could It, Really, Mate?) Challenge

(Adventurer)

In which those who wish to may download a saved game that begins several months into 1660, as you attempt to sail into Nevis harbor in a battered fluyt, with a mutinous crew, and a price on your head. If you follow the script, this puts you in prison, at which point the challenge begins. You are not stuck with that ship or those conditions; indeed, the idea is to try to work your way out of them. But you are stuck with the name Horatio Cornblower (apologies to E.M. Forester, and kudos to Loki for the name and trainer set up). You are also stuck with wit and charm as your skill (Cornblower needs plenty of both, but might also wish for fencing skills).



The following narrative introduces the game.

Horatio Cornblower was not considered to possess the qualities of an officer in the British Royal Navy. And as his family had lost its fortune and been imprisoned somewhere in the Caribbean, he was without interest to support his career. Oh, he was not shy (far, far too bloody bold, mate, was the opinion of the more seriously maimed survivors of his later crews). But Cornblower was, well, awkward. Because he was dimly aware of this himself, and because he had a somewhat high opinion of his skills as a fencer and navigator (somewhat too high was the view of the shipmates) he took the trouble to enroll in the Bristol School of Nautical Etiquette, as it was known in the service. There he sought to improve himself, so as to gain advancement in his chosen profession and leave behind his years before the mast. Unfortunately, opportunities were scarce, so armed with his new found wit and charm, Cornblower decided to seek his fortune (and his family) as an adventurer in the new world.

Thus began a series of increasingly unfortunate events. Cornblower shipped as a gunners mate on the Titan, 12, a large merchantman commanded by the sadistic Captain Stump. Pushed beyond all decency, the crew mutinied and elected Cornblower their captain. Stump was put over the side in a long boat. As it happened, Stump had the good fortune to be picked up by HMS Annihilator, 48, a bare two days later, and arrived in Nevis, where his brother was the governor, many months ahead of the considerably less fortunate Cornblower.

Not withstanding the mutiny, Cornblower remained (at least at that time) a patriot. Since England and Spain were then at war, he felt honor-bound to attack when Titan came upon the flag galleon, El Desear Muerte, 40. He also had visions of entering Nevis with a prize in tow, and like all gentlemen of fortune, wished to begin making his without delay. After exchanging six or seven broadsides, one or two of which were from the Titan before she lost the last of her guns, Cornblower and his crew abandoned ship. Under the cover of the smoke (the Titan was burning to the waterline) Cornblower and the survivors rowed to the enemy vessel and, against all reason, succeeded in completely surprising her crew and taking the ship in desperate hand to hand fighting. Cornblower left the Spanish crew marooned on a nearby island. As it happened they were rescued only a few days later by a passing mail runner and soon arrived in San Juan, where the viceroy, although happy to be reunited with his son, was most interested in making Cornblowers acquaintance.

Apart from the loss of the galleon, the viceroy and his good friend the French governor of Guadeloupe blamed Cornblower (quite unfairly) for a sudden rift between the viceroys son and his intended, the governors beautiful daughter, who was also a passenger on El Desear Muerte (in truth, this had little to do with Cornblower, whose infatuation with the daughter was sadly unreciprocated).

The French governor, who accepted the Spaniards account without question, was also much (perhaps even more) affronted by the loss of some $5,000 that was to have been delivered to Guadeloupe by El Desear Muerte. The governor dispatched the Revanch, 48, to bring Cornblower to justice and recover the gold. When the two ships met, a lucky shot from the Revanch struck the magazine of the galleon. Cornblower and those of his crew not blown to bits in the spectacular explosion that followed were fortunate to escape with their lives (or so it seemed at the time). They were rescued several days later by a Dutch fluyt, the Albatross, 8.

As luck would have it, Captain van deer Hook of the Albatross, was an even greater sadist than Stump, if such a thing were possible (curiously, he too was missing a hand). Once again pushed beyond all decency, Cornblower lead his second mutiny and the captain was cast adrift (had Cornblower known he was a cousin of the governor of St. Martin, he might have ransomed him). Fortunately for van deer Hook, but less so for Cornblower, the Dutchman was soon rescued by the Revanch, whose captain was delighted to know that Cornblower was not already dead.

Over the following weeks, the Revanch pursued the Albatross relentlessly, and only by throwing off the last of her guns was Cornblower able to escape into the fog, his ship a battered wreck. When the Albatross finally reached the Caribbean in April of 1660, the crew was starving and now ready to mutiny against Cornblower. Relieved to limp into the harbor at Nevis (see picture above), Cornblower could not understand why the fort was firing on them, but resolved to go directly to the authorities in order to get things straightened out.

And so the challenge begins. Download the game and save it to an open slot (say 13?). (No known problems, but like everything about the internet, the download is at your own risk). You may want to save your progress to a different slot so you can return to the start if you want to later.

http://www.divshare.com/download/1063591-4a9

If this works right, you should be paused just outside Nevis. Enter Nevis. Choose the (only) option to sneak into town, and accost the first guard you meet. To your surprise, he and his comrades will throw you in prison.



You vow to escape, rescue your family, vanquish the EVIL Montalban, marry the beautiful daughter of the governor of Guadeloupe (it is ok if you want to change her nationality first), and return to Nevis in triumph as its governor (in other words with at least 103 points).

From the point of your imprisonment you are on your own (you might want to review all the status screens so you know exactly how bad it is). The challenge is intended to reward strategic thinking as well as a range of game skills. Reload only to escape a technical glitch, or to start over at the beginning of the save game. A 500 gold prize is offered to the youngest in game time to complete the quest and post their ending status screens as of September 1, 2007, but there is no time limit on the challenge, and the honorable pirate will pass on the prize money should someone post a better time later on. Informative or amusing posts always appreciated. I am still trying this myself, so no guarantees on how it will work out. A first hint is to capture something more seaworthy quickly, before the Albatross sinks.

Thanks to Loki (and others) for the Ideas for a Challenge thread and for getting the trainer and other help.

[Tom Pullings]

I think this is fixed now, but if you are prompted for a password when you click on the download, type in "awkward".

[Roland]

Thanks! I just downloaded both versions. I'll probably give the Adventurer version a go the next time I have time to play.

[SlipperyJim]

I'm taking a stab (heh) at the Adventurer version of this challenge. My reflexes just aren't fast enough for Swashbuckler play, and I'm very grateful that this challenge has a lower-level option.

So, here's my status so far:

And my "fleet" of one swift Sloop O' War:


Now, I have to mention something else. I really didn't want to post a message like this, but my honesty compels me to do so. My game is spoiled. I engaged a Spanish pirate-hunter right outside of Petit Goave just before these screenshots were taken. Sadly, I am far-too-used to Skill at Fencing to give me an edge in sword-to-sword fighting. The scurvy Spaniard had a Rapier, and he was a bit faster than I would have liked.

We fenced up and down the deck of the ship. Once, I had his back to the edge, but I couldn't score the final blow to win the duel. Then, he steadily marched me back until my back was against the wall. Fortunately, I managed to keep my composure and score a number of hits that put us back in the middle of the deck. Meanwhile, as we fought, my scurvy crew were being slaughtered by the dozen. When we finally reached the midpoint -- just as I thought I'd be able to beat the son-of-a-gun -- my last crewman fell in battle. Surrounded on all sides, I surrendered to the Spanish pigs. They swiftly clapped me in irons, and I was thrown into the Santiago prison.

I bribed a guard to escape ... and then it happened. My ship was stuck aground on the eastern edge of Cuba. No matter what I tried, I was unable to sail in any direction. 'Twas an odd quirk of fate. Verily, the noble Major Cornblower hath been bitten by a Vile Bugge!

I was left with no choice but to reload from my battle save. I re-engaged the pirate-hunter, and this time he had a Longsword. Needless to say, I trounced him quite easily.

By the letter of the rules, I reloaded to avoid a bug, not a defeat. Nevertheless, I have clearly departed from the intent of the challenge. Therefore, I'm not eligible for the 500 gold reward. Still, I'd like to keep playing, because the scenario is just so much fun! So I'll keep going, and I'll post some updates now and again. Only don't plan to give me any reward for my efforts, even if I should manage to turn in the best time.

Furthermore, I'll match the reward that Cap'n Pullings has offered: 500 gold from my coffers for the best time! That's 1000 gold total! Get piratin', ye lazy lubbers!
_________________
Steal the crew, set fire to the gold, and make the ships walk the plank!

What? Oh, NOW I get it....

[SlipperyJim]

Hmmm ... I think I have a way to redeem my spoiled game. What if I strolled into Santiago and surrendered to the guards? Assuming that I can avoid the same Vile Bugge that bit me earlier, would this sacrifice bring my game back into the realm of respectability?

BTW, even if it does, I don't really need the 500 gold, and my offer to match the reward with my own gold still stands. Gee, I'm a nice guy, aren't I?
_________________
Steal the crew, set fire to the gold, and make the ships walk the plank!

What? Oh, NOW I get it....

[loki59]

Why James Bolivar DiGriz, I be truly amazed ye let a scurvey Spaniard best ye at swordplay. Ah well, Since ye be jest startin out anyway, Ye wouldn't be losin any ta start over. I had me the same problem from the begining and lost ta the Spanish Pirate hunter and ended up coolin my heels fer a couple of months in the hole till I escaped. That left me with me Fluyt in even worse condition an still no money. Soon as I got me freedom fer the second time I captured a nice little Brigantine deliverin a Spanish Guvna to San Juan with a Ship's Gunner aboard. I be weighin anchor ta continue me voyage shortly, hopin fer calmer seas and steady trade winds.

[SlipperyJim]

[SlipperyJim]

[Tom Pullings]

For what it is worth, I would not consider the reload a spoiled game if it was the only option on a technical glitch. I think that's well within the rules.

I am having a heck of a time trying to even get started on swash. I think I may have damaged the fluyt too badly in the save game. After numerous starts over, I have gotten away to another ship only a couple times and then made stupid mistakes (engaging a pirate hunter with too few crew; trying to escort Pablo for amnesty with too few crew). If I make it to a new ship again, I am going to take it slower and build gradually.

Anyway, glad folks are enjoying this. The save game is really mostly Loki's - I just made it a little worse, and resaved.

[SlipperyJim]

[Roland]

I don't really have time to play right now, but I wasn't about to let you scalawags get too big a jump on me, so I started the challenge last night. After my escape from prison, I quickly came to realize just how badly damaged my fluyt was - the first two ships I chased escaped. I finally engaged a French barque, which proceeded to sail circles around me. By all rights she should have sunk me, but I somehow stayed afloat and boarded her. I scuttled the fluyt and let my ravenous crew eat for the first time in over a month at sea.

I quickly traded up from the barque - first a sloop, then a sloop of war. Finally, I engaged a very persistent pirate hunter who wouldn't go away, and his vessel, Terrible, turned out to be a royal sloop! I made her my flagship and have kept her ever since.

I found an English village and put into port to liquidate some cargo and make necessary repairs. I realized this crew would never be happy again, so I divided the plunder and hired a new crew.

I earned my first fame point by ending the career of Stede Bonnett. Shortly thereafter I dug up his treasure, which doubled my gold. That should keep my crew happy for a little while!

The Jesuits have been very good to me. They gave me a lead on my sister, persuaded the Spanish to grant me amnesty, and gave me a mission escorting immigrants to San Juan. This latter city has become my base of operations for forays against Dutch shipping (everyone is at war with Holland right now). The governor has promoted me to major, and his beautiful daughter looks forward to my escorting her to the ball after I am granted a title.

Nevis has become very isolated. The French hold St. Kitts, and the Dutch hold Antigua. I think my next move will be to ease the pressure on Nevis by capturing Antigua and appointing an English governor. (Would that be sufficient to put me back on good terms with England? Or will it just reduce the reward on my head by a few thousand gold?)

[Tom Pullings]

I think the capture of cities for another nation has an unpredicatable and somewhat random impact, but at least once it wiped out a fairly large price and got me a letter of marque. At a minimum, it gets you a city you can sail into.

[loki59]

The times I have kept track on the reduction of the bounty after sacking a rival city, I've found the bounty reduced by 2000.

On another note, has anybody else been having an easier than normal time with the treasure map pieces? I've found 7 of nine treasures with one map piece and the other two needed two pieces. Also found my sister with one piece and have one piece for my uncle now and know approximately where he is. I spent a couple of months (game time) looking for him but there are a lot of hills in the area so I may go look for Raymondo for a second piece. I also have 1 piece for Montalban''s hideout "in the vicinity of " Gran Grenada. So have a pretty good Idea where that is also.

[SlipperyJim]

I'm out of this challenge for now. It seems that I'm really not a very good fencer after all....

I was doing quite well: French Marquis, Dutch Colonel, and English Major. I had rescued my sister and found one map piece for a Lost City. I'd also defeated almost all of the named pirates, found a few of their treasures, and I was carrying about 140k gold in my ship's hold.

And then I tried to fight the Mad Marquis. Wow, that guy is fast. As previously stated, I'm used to giving myself the edge of Skill at Fencing. Without that edge, Monty is just too fast for me. My defeat was humiliating and complete.

On a lark, I reloaded from my battle save (having already admitted defeat) and tried again. No better luck. My third attempt was also unsuccessful. Finally, on the fourth attempt, I simply decided to kill all of Monty's crew. I spent about ten minutes circling around his battered Flag Galleon in my Sloop O' War. My guns blazed again and again, and Spaniards fell like wheat before the scythe. Eventually, the only crew left were Monty himself and a bare handful of his officers. I stormed the ship.

Even so, the Malevolent Marquis still almost nailed my hide to the deck! Fortunately, my bloodthirsty crew killed the handful of Spanish officers who were still able to fight, and Monty was surrounded. I managed to score one lucky hit, and he surrendered. Victory was mine, but it tasted like ashes in my mouth.

Now, according to the rules of the challenge, I should restart my quest at the beginning. However, I'm simply not willing to do that. Digging out of the hole was lots of fun the first time. It remained fun the second time. The prospect of doing it a third time seems less like fun. And frankly, I know I'm probably going to lose to Monty at least one more time, so I'll need to dig out of the hole a fourth (maybe fifth!) time. Suddenly, Pirates! is starting to seem a lot like work....

Almost as important, I have no idea how I'm ever going to beat Monty at his hideout. I won't be able to overwhelm him with my crew like I did at sea! It'll be just Monty & me, and I'm simply not fast enough to beat him.

Therefore, I have reluctantly concluded that this challenge is simply too difficult for me. I can hear you muttering, "It's only Adventurer difficulty!" Yeah, I know. What can I say? I have a good grasp of the tactics and strategies of this game, but my reflexes just aren't up to the challenge of beating Monty mano-a-mano by the rules of the challenge.

That said, the scenario is still a lot of fun, and I'll probably keep playing it through to the end, simply for my own enjoyment. But I'm bowing out of the official challenge. I look forward to reading the rest of your reports!
_________________
Steal the crew, set fire to the gold, and make the ships walk the plank!

What? Oh, NOW I get it....

[Roland]

I made major progress last night, but I also had a setback.

First the bad news: I took on Montalban and lost. At one point I had him backed up to the rail, but then he started using his patented lightning-fast low slash, which was too fast for me to jump over. Just as my capture appeared inevitable, I dove overboard and swam to another of my ships. In my premature attack on Montalban, I lost not only my dignity and one-third of my crew, but also my beloved royal sloop, Terrible. (Fortunately I know where to find another one - I got an early tip on Roc Brasiliano!)

That's what I get for my overconfidence. I didn't have any of the fencing items yet, and his crew outnumbered mine three to one. In the future, I'll show more respect for the marquis's fencing ability, even if it is "only Adventurer level"! I'll wait until I have at least two fencing items and a bigger crew before I challenge him again.

On the positive side, I captured Antigua and returned it to English rule, for which the grateful new governor canceled the English reward on my head and gave me a letter of marque. I later worked off the French reward as well. I now hold officer ranks with all nations except Holland. I will probably have to forego the eight points for Dutch promotion - my favorite target nation is offering an ever-increasing reward for my capture!

I made some easy money by capturing Faulkes twice and digging up Morgan's treasure. Still, my crew is constantly unhappy. I also soothed my lost pride over Montalban by easily defeating Raymondo and getting the first piece of the map to my sister's location.

I don't expect to win this contest. My progress is steady, and I'm sure I will complete the conditions of the challenge eventually. But I have never retired young, and it doesn't look like this game will be an exception.