Tradewinds (game)

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Tradewinds

Developer(s)	Sandlot Games
Publisher(s)	Various
Platform(s)	PC
Genre(s)	Turn-based strategy
Mode(s)	Single player
Media	CD-ROM, purchasable download
System requirements	Minimum Windows 98, XP or Vista Pentium 4 400MHz 128MB RAM
Input methods	Keyboard, Mouse

Tradewinds is a game published by Sandlot Games, in which the player is a merchant, buying and trading goods and sailing to various cities to trade goods as well as combating encountered pirates. It is very similar to the game Taipan! that was available for the Apple and TRS-80 in the 1980's. The Taipan! game drew inspiration from the novel Tai-Pan authored by James Clavell.

1 Gameplay
- 1.1 General Gameplay
- 1.2 Saving
2 Sequels
3 External links

[edit] Gameplay

[edit] General Gameplay

At the start of the game, the player is given a choice between four playable characters. Each character has his or her own unique advantages and disadvantages. For instance, one particular character starts off with a warehouse and a small fleet of junks, while another character starts off with the largest ship available in the game, fully equipped with cannons, but without any cash.

The player cannot switch characters midway through the game. From this point, the player has only one objective: to attain the rank of Tai Pan. To do this, the player will need to attain a million points through trading goods and completing quests assigned to him by town governors.

Along the way, the player will encounter pirates who will attempt to capsize his fleet. The player can choose to fight them off, flee, or dispose of all cargo (which makes fleeing easier). If the player wins the battle, a certain amount of cash, recovered from the enemy, is awarded to the player. If the player loses the battle, then the game ends but can be resumed at the port at which the player last called.

The player also has the option of repairing or buying ships at shipyards scattered throughout the Tradewinds world, as well as to purchase or sell cannons or ammunition. As the game progresses, the player will be given the opportunity to purchase larger, stronger ships that can hold more cannons and cargo.

There are banks and depositors in the game at various ports for the player to deposit excess cash. Banks offer high interest rates, so a good method of obtaining more cash is to deposit as much money as possible.

The player may begin the game as a merchant-based character, but may be subject to paying certain sums of money to the Pirate King Gossamer.

[edit] Saving

The player may only save a game when he arrives at a port. He or she is not allowed to save during a battle.

[edit] Sequels

As of 2008, Tradewinds has spawned three sequels, Tradewinds 2, Tradewinds Legends, and Tradewinds Caravans. While Tradewinds 2 is a direct sequel to Tradewinds, Tradewinds Legends takes place in a completely different area of the world. Tradewinds Caravans differs from any other Tradewinds game in that battles are not done using ships, but with animals such as elephants. In addition, Tradewinds Legends also has a sequel, titled Tradewinds Legends: Unlikely Heroes.

The setting of Tradewinds is the seas around China, while Tradewinds 2 is in the Caribbean. Tradewinds Legends and Tradewinds Caravans take place in the Middle East.