High Seas Trader

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High Seas Trader
High Seas Trader.jpg
Developer(s) Impressions Games
Publisher(s) Impressions Games
Designer(s) Christopher J. Foster
David Lester
Programmer(s) Chris Gurski
Artist(s) Chris Beatrice
Composer(s) Jeremy A. Bell
Jason P. Rinaldi
Platform(s) DOS, Amiga
Release 1995
Genre(s) Business simulation
Mode(s) Single-player

High Seas Trader is a 1995 naval business simulation video game. The player runs trade routes, fends off pirates, collects artifacts and offers transport to fellow countrymen in need, all for the sake of climbing up the game's ranking ladder, which in turn allows the player to buy bigger ships, more firepower and larger cargo holds to progress more quickly in the ranks.

Contents

Gameplay

The game is set in the year 1650. The player starts out with the most basic ship (Fluyt) and 5,000 (5k) gold.

Nations

The player chooses a nation at the beginning of the game. Consequences lie in the 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:

Ships

Titles

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 are granted a title, the points in the categories reset, allowing them to do it all over.

Ammo

Cannons

Banks

Players can place money in banks for safekeeping. This is useful if they ever lose a battle at sea, as they can start over with their savings. However, the savings are reduced by the interest rate over time, as the player must pay for the security.

Reception

High Seas Trader received mixed or average reviews. 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. [1]

Next Generation reviewed the PC version of the game, rating it three stars out of five, and stated that "Although the subject material may be a little too dry for some gamers, High Seas Trader is definitely a must for strategy fans." [2]

Reviews

See also

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References

  1. Jay & Dee (September 1995). "Eye of the Monitor". Dragon (221): 115–118.
  2. "Finals". Next Generation . No. 7. Imagine Media. July 1995. pp. 74–75.
  3. "Amiga Reviews: High Seas Trader".
  4. http://www.kultboy.com/index.php?site=t&id=9434 [ bare URL ]
  5. "Amiga Reviews: High Seas Trader".
  6. "Amiga Joker (June - July 1995) Page scans - Amiga Magazine Rack".
  7. "Amiga Reviews: High Seas Trader".
  8. http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=11668&tab=review
  9. "Amiga Reviews: High Seas Trader".