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SlipperyJim
Cutthroat
Posts: 418
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 Posted: Wed Jul 13, 2005 2:01 pm Post subject: Listen for hoofbeats |
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Like in the old Lone Ranger show, where Tonto puts his ear to the ground and listens for hoofbeats.....
If you're in a land battle, and you can hear hoofbeats, then there is enemy cavalry out there somewhere. I was attacking Guadeloupe, and I kept hearing these hoofbeats. I didn't see any cavalry among the Frenchies, so I wondered what might be happening.
Imagine my surprise when a squad of Frog cavalry appeared behind my carefully-placed "firing line" of buccaneers! 
Fortunately, the cavalry had to come through the woods to get around my flank, and I had a squad of pirates in reserve. The pirates met the cavalry among the trees, and all of those pretty horsies got sent to the glue factory.... Even so, it was a very unpleasant surprise. I really didn't think that the tactical AI was smart enough to try a flanking maneuver.
So, today's tip is: listen for hoofbeats.
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Steal the crew, set fire to the gold, and make the ships walk the plank!
What? Oh, NOW I get it.... |
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Kristian95
Boatswain
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| Posted: Wed Jul 13, 2005 3:15 pm Post subject: |
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cool, I never noticed that!! I love that they've put details like this in the game 
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HaP! Real Pirates hang out there! |
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SlipperyJim
Cutthroat
Posts: 418
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| Posted: Wed Jul 13, 2005 4:13 pm Post subject: |
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| Kristian95 wrote: | | cool, I never noticed that!! I love that they've put details like this in the game |
Yeah, I just noticed that the game music changes when there's a pirate hunter after me. There's an ominous drumbeat, just like you might hear in an action movie. Everyone else probably knew that a long time ago....
Off-topic, but that ominous drumbeat does start to seem a little silly when I'm sailing a massive ship (Large Frigate / SotL), and the idiot pirate hunter is in some cheesy sloop.
"Cap'n, French pirate hunter off the port bow!"
"Where? I don't see anything but a li'l ol' sloop."
"Um, the sloop is the pirate hunter, Cap'n."
"Oh, for the love of ... Use her for gunnery practice, Mate. I'm going back to bed."
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Steal the crew, set fire to the gold, and make the ships walk the plank!
What? Oh, NOW I get it.... |
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TheDon
Rigger
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| Posted: Wed Jul 13, 2005 5:22 pm Post subject: |
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| SlipperyJim wrote: | | Kristian95 wrote: | | cool, I never noticed that!! I love that they've put details like this in the game |
Yeah, I just noticed that the game music changes when there's a pirate hunter after me. There's an ominous drumbeat, just like you might hear in an action movie. Everyone else probably knew that a long time ago.... |
At first I thought it was the JAWS theme... I kept looking for a large shark to start attacking my boat... err, ship.
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TheDon
Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake. - Napoleon Bonaparte
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Capt Peter Blackthorne
Cutthroat
Posts: 312
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| Posted: Wed Jul 13, 2005 5:50 pm Post subject: |
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The ominous music starts when the pirate hunter sails from port, wherever that may be in relation to your ship. Sometimes, he's miles and miles away, trying to beat his way upwind, so he may not appear in your screen for a long time after he leaves port. Rest assured, he's still trying to get to you. Persistent little beggars are pirate hunters, wot?
When you hear the music fade out, he's given up the chase. |
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SlipperyJim
Cutthroat
Posts: 418
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| Posted: Wed Jul 13, 2005 8:18 pm Post subject: |
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| Capt Peter Blackthorne wrote: | The ominous music starts when the pirate hunter sails from port, wherever that may be in relation to your ship. Sometimes, he's miles and miles away, trying to beat his way upwind, so he may not appear in your screen for a long time after he leaves port. Rest assured, he's still trying to get to you. Persistent little beggars are pirate hunters, wot?
When you hear the music fade out, he's given up the chase. |
Really? That's probably why it took me so long to make the connection. I'm in St. Kitts, and some schmuck in a "fast" galleon is trying to sail upwind from San Juan.
Thanks for the tip. The scary music makes more sense now. 
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Steal the crew, set fire to the gold, and make the ships walk the plank!
What? Oh, NOW I get it.... |
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Piratedragoon
Powder Monkey
Posts: 23
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| Posted: Sat Nov 19, 2005 4:39 am Post subject: |
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The pirate hunters don't even have to sail out of port. I have attacked Spanish ships and had another nearby Spanish ship I haven't gotten to yet become a pirate hunter and come after me. Then when I outrun him he turns back into a normal warship and continues on his way. |
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CGM3
Gunner
Posts: 608
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| Posted: Sat Nov 19, 2005 4:46 am Post subject: |
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You can sometimes hear the neighing of horses if there's cavalry lurking out of sight.
Pirate hunters appear when you attack a merchantman, but not when you attack a warship (unless you're near a city of a nation so mad at you they send a pirate hunter on general principles when you pass by). And, yes, if there's a warship of the same nation nearby when you attack that merchantman, he'll likely have a "change in mission statement" and turn into a pirate hunter after your hide.
It's all part of The Life. 
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I only do what the voices in my head tell me to do. |
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van boelken
Seaman
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| Posted: Fri Nov 25, 2005 3:56 am Post subject: |
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Absolutely right!
Good man! |
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Inwe
Powder Monkey
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| Posted: Mon Aug 21, 2006 3:21 am Post subject: |
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Ahhh, so that's it! Suddnely the whole pirate hunter coming out of the blue thing now seems much clearer to me. And the silly scary music, too, hehe. |
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arDEIfan
Powder Monkey
Posts: 28
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| Posted: Fri Aug 25, 2006 2:13 am Post subject: |
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Hmm....Never paid attention to the hoofbeats or the neighing of the horses. I will listen for that now.
I kinda figured something like that about the pirate hunters. I usually just blow them out of the water when they come to get me. |
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rdm
Powder Monkey
Posts: 2
36 Gold -
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| Posted: Tue Sep 05, 2006 2:23 pm Post subject: Horses |
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The AI is quite good with the horsemen - I've been chasing 2 groups around the screen and, they were staying just out of range. Then I made the error of not ensuring I had 4 grid spaces between me and them. Damn their beards if they didn't turn around and grind my boys to dust. Quite clever I thought. Unfortunately for them I had my officers at the door of the fort in the next move but I did manage to lose 4 out of 5 remaining units.
Fortunately killing off crew makes the rest of them happier 
ARG
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So I did the only honourable thing a pirate could do ... I stole his gold and ship to pay for me rum and sent him down to Davey Jones, ARG! |
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