Pirates 2 - Marcel Strbak (2000) DOS Freeware

[corsair91]

Pirates 2 - Marcel Strbak (2000) DOS Freeware
http://www.strbak.com/p2page.htm

screenshots
http://www.strbak.com/pirpic.htm

DOSBox Emulator Required
for a modern OS such as Windows 7/8/10
https://www.dosbox.com/


This game is a remake of an old Pirates! game which was released by Microprose in 1987. If you're one of those who love(d) old Pirates! and you would like to play a newer version, this is what you're looking for. Honestly, Pirates II. is very similar to the old Pirates!. It is just a re-programmed version of Pirates!, but it uses nicer 256 color graphics, it is more user-friendly, and with many improvements (see below). But, the game isn't completed , and to be honest, it will NEVER be completed. But this version, most probably the latest ever to be released, is pretty close to the final version.


List of 10 most important improvements:

1. 256-colored graphics
2. Improved "in a city" part, you can use mouse to select destination
3. Smooth scrolling
4. Manual sails and cannons control during fight
5. New cargo was added - Gun Powder - which is essential for shooting
6. New ground-battle system, now it's real-time strategy like
7. Trading and allying with other ships
8. More active dating
9. Health and doctor features were included
10. You can choose your face ... and much more !


More detailed information about the game:

Requirements: CPU - 486
System - DOS, Win95, Win98, Win2000 only with DOS emulator !

https://www.dosbox.com/

Pirates 2 - Marcel Strbak (2000) Dosbox compatibility entry
https://www.dosbox.com/comp_list.php?showID=1730&letter=P
DOSBox version: 0.60 (supported)

Note: (2004-01-31 01:57) Brons
It runs, but it has some small bugs.


Memory - 520 kB lower memory, 1 MB XMS
Graphics: Resolution - good old 320 x 200
Colors - 256
Sound: No sound, Music plays on PC Speaker (but it's really poor)
Controls: Keyboard, mouse (required)


http://www.strbak.com/download.htm
http://www.strbak.com/games/pirat2.zip


Game Registration

Registration is no longer possible. If you want to set the game act as it was registered (although there is no real difference),

use this Name: PIRATE
Code: 354079

[corsair91]

Pirates 2 - Marcel Strbak (2000) DOS Freeware FAQ

http://www.strbak.com/faq.htm

1. FAQ
1) Is there any difference between registred and unregistered version ?
No, there's none ! The game is just the same, no blocked functions or anything else.

2) Is the game completed ?
The game is not finished, and it will never be. I don't work on it anymore. It's 90% completed and I grew out of patience, because of eternal searching and fixing bugs.

3) What operating system do I need to play the game ?
MS DOS, Win95, Win98 should be all pretty fine. Running in it Win2000, NetWin and Win XP may be a problem. The operating system must be compatible with DOS. Most appropriate system for runing the game is Win95 and Win98.

4) Did you use old Pirates! source code ?
No, this game is completely re-programmed, I only "stole" old graphics and improved them.

5) Is this official stuff ?
No, this whole game was made through my personal effort.

6) Are there sources available ?
Sorry, but those source files are such a piece of shit that even I don't understand it myself (I programmed the game through 5 years). Hardly would someone else understand it.

7) How can I save a game ?
Go to a town and look at diskette icon in right bottom corner of the screen and click on it.

8 ) Is there any way to slow the game down or speed it up ?
Yes, it is. You have to press F3 key in Main Menu, in a town or during sailing. After pressing F3 a window pops-up, and then you can change speed of the game using up and down arrows.

9) Can I send you some money or anything else to express my appreciation of your effort ?
Of course, if you're a millionaire I wouldn't mind if you send me some $5 or a postcard or anything else !

2. Troubleshooting
1) The installation doesn't run properly. It hangs-up / or does not run at all.
In this case, download this alternative-installation file, copy it to your installaion directory and run it.
http://www.strbak.com/alt_inst.zip
Dead Link


2) The game says "EMS driver not loaded..." or someting like that.
This error should occur only in DOS, when EMM386 driver is not loaded. Windows don't need that driver to be loaded, but sometimes this error occurs in Windows too. In this case follow these steps to solve the problem:
1> Go to C:\
2> Find C:\config.sys file (if it exist)
3> Find file "emm386.exe" somewhere on your C:\ drive. If you use DOS it should be present in directory C:\DOS, if you use Windows, try to look for it in C:\WINDOWS or C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM directory (or C:\WIN2000 etc.)
4> Write down where is that emm386.exe file
5> Go back to config.sys file
6> Edit config.sys files (for example using Notepad)
7> Add line: C:\path_to_emm386.exe_file\EMM386 ON
(e.g. "C:\WINDOWS\EMM386 ON")
8> Save config.sys file
9> Reboot your computer and try running Pirates II. again.
In case that THIS doesn't help, I'm affraid I cannot help you at all. Try to find someone PC-skilled who will help you.

3) The game says: "Not enough memory"
Hmm, you will have to free up some LOWER memory. This memory problem has nothing to do with upper memory (those 64 MB, 128 MB ...), it is all about conventional memory (those 640 kB). To free up some bytes, try to edit your autoexec.bat and config.sys files, if you know how to do it. If you don't, you'd better find someone skilled who will help you. I'm sorry but there is no way I could help you.

4) The game hangs-up right after start and returns "Run-Time Error 202" or "Run-Time Error 203".
This means that you have insufficent free memory. Please, look at point 3) above.

5) The game hangs-up during playing.
Well, you probably face one of those many bugs which are in the game

6) How can I save a game ?
Look at point 7) in FAQ section.

7) The game is too slow / fast.
Look at point 8 ) in FAQ section.

[corsair91]

In the FAQ

2. Troubleshooting
1) The installation doesn't run properly. It hangs-up / or does not run at all.
In this case, download this alternative-installation file, copy it to your installaion directory and run it.

http://www.strbak.com/alt_inst.zip
Dead Link


Google search on
http://www.strbak.com/alt_inst.zip

Gave this Spanish website hit with install instructions

https://piratas.fandom.com/wiki/Instalaci%C3%B3n_de_Pirates_II


Google Language Tools English Translation


Sextant

Pirates II Installation

I have finally managed to install Pirates2. Yes it has cost the damn.

Pirates2 is a freeware game made by a certain Marcel Strbak that is a remake of the original Sid Meier's Pirates. Since the game was programmed from scratch, it is completely legal. The game is freeware. It is and will continue to be a beta that still has some bugs that the author says he does not want to fix. More information here

http://www.geocities.com/Nashville/Stage/7473/pirates2.htm
Dead Link


The game is basically Pirates! original with some improvements that are described on the web.

For those who like me have corrupted that great Pirates on their old computers! it is a good way to remember those old days and it is also a game that anyone who likes old games should try.

Although the game can be easily downloaded from the website that I said, installing and running it is not easy, as it happens with any old game or program.

To those who are interested, I will tell you what steps to follow:

Create the C: \ Pirates2 directory
Download pirat2.zip and alt_inst.zip (note that the web is in geocities. If it doesn't let you download because it says I don't know what the transfer maximum has exceeded, try another time). Unzip the contents of the two .zip files into the C: \ Pirates2 directory you created. In this directory should be all files without folders in between.

Working Download links (may take a while)

http://web.archive.org/20050217083758/www.geocities.com/Nashville/Stage/7473/games/pirat2.zip

duplicate of
http://www.strbak.com/games/pirat2.zip


http://web.archive.org/20050529111243/www.geocities.com/Nashville/Stage/7473/alt_inst.zip



Run ALT_INST.exe
This will remove all the game files in the C: \ Pirates2 directory. If you want you can delete the installation files that are no longer good for anything.
Right click on "Pirates.exe" and select properties. Go to the "Memory" tab and under "expanded memory (EMS)" select "Automatic". Give to accept.
Run "Pirates.exe" and play ...

Notes:

If you want to remove the sounds, that's what the setup is for.
The game will probably not work on directories with long paths or spaces. If you can't install it in C:
If at any time you have to change the Pirates2 folder on your hard drive or directory, you will have to run setup to change the "Data Files" and "Save Games" directories to the new directory or the game will not work.

I hope it been usefull.

[corsair91]

Pirates 2 gameplay (PC Game, 2000)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22oqyXCI55M

Introduction and gameplay for Pirates 2, Dos PC game produced by Marcel Strbak in 2000

Creating a character and exploring in this classic pirate-themed adventure.
Played through Dosbox emulation platform.
Recorded with original sound.

Squakenet
26 Sept 2014
runtime 6:51

https://www.squakenet.com/game/pirates-2/