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Friendly Native Guide: Some Tips and Advice on Treasure Maps
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CGM3
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PostPosted: Wed Jul 06, 2005 3:36 pm    Post subject: Friendly Native Guide: Some Tips and Advice on Treasure Maps Reply with quote

Since this new forum is intended for those with problems locating a position given by a map (be it buried treasure, Lost City, missing relative, or Montalban's secluded hideaway), I thought I might present some of the basic features and pitfalls of Pirates! cartography.

First off, understand that while the positions of the major ports -- Havana, Barbados, Curacao, and so forth -- are fixed, always appearing at the same place in an era when they exist, the settlements -- which includes pirate havens, Jesuit missions, and Indian villages -- are placed more or less at random each time you start a new game. I say "more or less" because I've noticed that certain locations seem to have one type or another of settlement from game to game, while others are never "inhabited". The western cape of the entrance to the Gulf of Venezuela, for example, frequently has some sort of settlement in the same spot, while I have never seen a settlement anywhere from the north of Vera Cruz to the Florida panhandle (although I've seen a few on the western coast of the Florida peninsula).

I mention the placement of settlements for several reasons. One is that they sometimes appear on maps, and knowing that the settlement of, say, San Francisco is probably not located where it was in the last game can keep you from wasting time sailing to the wrong place. Another is a tendency people have, when seeking help about a map, to refer to them as if they were permanent landmarks; "west of Mad Dick's Bones" means nothing, because that pirate haven is almost certainly in a different place on anybody else's map.

Bear in mind that you cannot attack any sort of settlement. Ever. The "proper" settlements may change nationality, frequently when a country sends an invasion force, but you can't do that.

One final note: the names for settlements (20 for each nation), pirate havens, Jesuit missions, and Indian villages (20 for each type) are all located in a file named location_names_enu.txt (in the US version; I believe it has something other than 'enu' in other versions), which is stored in the LANG0.FPK file in the Assets folder. You can extract that file, change the names to values you want (retaining the original format), and put it in the Custom folder to use; just be aware that your changes will not take effect until the next new game. You can add new lines if you want, but that seems to be a wasted effort; the game only picks from the first 20 entries. And even then, it sometimes uses the same name more than once in the same game!

Which leads us to the next subject: the "coastal" landmarks, as I call them. These are the small clusters of rocks found here and there across the map, one of which always has a set of pocks that vaguely resemble a skull, that have names like Shark Reef and Captain's Rock. While they are similar to the settlements in that they usually (but not always) appear in certain locations each game, our primary concern here is that their names are what change from game to game.

The names of these coastal landmarks are generated at the beginning of each game, using two lists found in a file named text.ini, which is stored in the PAK1.FPK file in the Assets folder. For each coastal landmark, Pirates! selects one word from the 20 in the [TREASURE] section of the file, and one from the 7 in the [ROCK] section, and puts them together for a name. This gives only 140 possible different names, and I think there are more than that many coastal landmarks on the map at any one time, so duplicate names are pretty much inevitable. In fact, I rather suspect this is deliberate, since the coastal landmarks seem to be the "start point" for the maps you acquire in the game (more on this a little later).

And, yes, you can extract the text.ini file, edit it (with NotePad), and use it to "override" a lot of default values. (For further details, see my thread on Modding the TEXT.INI and Other Files in the SMP Modding & Customization forum at The Pirate Haven http://piratehaven.net/phpbb2/index.php -- unabashed plug Mr. Green ). The only difference is that the modified file must be placed in the Assets folder, rather than the Custom directory.

With the preliminary issues out of the way, we can now start discussing the actual "treasure" maps (and high time, too!) Each map you get will have at least two clues to the location involved:

The "legend" at the bottom of the map will say "Search X of Y", where X will say "in the Vicinity" if your map is incomplete, and give one of eight map directions (North, SouthEast, etc) when you have all the pieces. Y will be the name of the nearest major city (Havana, San Juan, etc) to the location marked by the X (see below). Of course, you can only see the legend when you have the bottom pieces of the map (preferably the lower right piece, which has the city name).

One thing to bear in mind is that the "closest" city is not necessarily close to the position indicated. In one game I played in the 1640 era, a map indicated a buried treasure as "SouthWest of Santiago"... which turned out to be on the southern coast of Jamaica (and would probably have been "West of Port Royale" had the era been 166o or 1680). I have seen an instance of a map that said "Search South of Florida Keys" that proved to be on the southern coast of Cuba (and apparently closer to Havana). And don't even get me started on "NorthWest of Gran Granada"... that's later.

The red X marking the location of the treasure is the other clue you will always have on the map. (Actually, there have been instances of games without the 1.0.1 patch that sometimes generate maps without the red X... which apparently means there's no treasure there, and you are screwed.) Essentially, you want to figure out where the X is located on the "game map" and go there to retrieve the treasure.

Actually, since the X is accompanied by a description, you may be able to find the spot even without the X, if part of that description is visible. I once tracked down a pirate treasure with only the two right hand pieces, which were enough to locate the general area, and had "sure here!" at one edge, telling me that the X was just past that edge.

Some coastline may appear on the map, possibly with a major port or a settlement marked. This is obviously helpful in locating the area of the map, but the main advantage to having coastline on the map is--

A skull may appear on the map, on or near a coastline, with a name beneath it. The name will be something like Shark Reef or Captain's Rock, and will indicate -- you guessed it -- one of those coastal landmarks. These seem to be the common "start point" for the maps, although it's rarely necessary to land at that place to begin your overland trek.

One large caveat about coastal landmarks; as explained earlier, the same name frequently appears more than once in a game, so you need to verify that you're at the right Cutlass Shallows. And the coastal landmarks with the same name can appear rather close to each other; in one game, I found an Anchor Point about midway down the eastern Yucatan coast, then another (the one indicating the treasure) along the same just north of Honduras!

So, what do you do if your map has no coastal landmark on it, or even a coastline? Well, it seems that every map has a coastal landmark associated as its "start point", even if the coastal landmark doesn't appear on your map. If you've a general idea of where the region lies -- say, "North of Vera Cruz" -- sail along that stretch of coast and land at each coastal landmark you come upon, then strike inland. If there is no coastline on the map, the treasure is probably some distance from the sea.

Inland landmarks -- the deserted cabin, the arch rock, the geyser, and the others -- usually appear on a treasure map as well (but not always; there have been maps with nothing but the "legend" and the red X!) They are your navigation reference points, used to find your way to the treasure. Just remember that it is entirely possible to come upon inland landmarks that aren't on the map, even though you are in the right area!

The spyglass, invoked by pressing the NumPad 9 key on land, is your friend when it comes to looking for inland landmarks, especially when you're standing atop a high ridge. Bear in mind that the spout of an erupting geyser is visible from quite a ways off, which can make it a very useful landmark... and is audible when you are near it, even if you can't see it.

There are four classes of treasure map, and you may have only one map of each class at one time; in other words, no more than four maps. Once you find the treasure on one map, you can start getting pieces of another map of that class (if any).

Each map class, and its "landmark" (on the overland screen), is as follows:

Pirate treasure appears as a large rock or mound with a skull-and-crossbones painted on one side (subtle!), and a pole with several skulls depending from it set in the ground next to it. Walk your party into the mound to dig up the treasure.

Missing relatives are found in a shack that differs significantly from the deserted cabin landmark. There is no chimney, and the roof slants like a shed (rather than forming a "peak"). Again, walk your party into the cabin to rescue your relative.

Montalban's hideout is quite impressive, a walled town with a central keep and an Indian village outside the walls; a darn shame you can't take it over. To initiate the final encounter with the marquis, send your party to the tower. (And there's only one map of this class.)

Lost cities are marked by a pair of colored pillars that are square in cross-section but grow smaller from the base to near the apex, then widen again (you'll know 'em when you see 'em). As usual, direct your party to the pillars to loot the Lost City.

One last subject, the region I call Lost Lake. This is the name I've given a small inland lake located at the southwestern corner of the Bay of Honduras, where the northern coast of Honduras meets the eastern coast of the Yucatan peninsula, and which I mention because a number of maps wind up leading you here. The lake may or may not appear -- and if it does, may have a coastal landmark in it -- while the Caribbean coast may or may not be visible. But you can generally assume that this is your desination if the legend says "Search NorthWest of Gran Granada"; I have yet to have a map with that direction that doesn't mean somewhere just east or southeast of Lost Lake.

Just to make it interesting, Lost Lake seems to be about equidistant from Campeche, Villa Hermosa, and Gran Granada, so "Search SouthEast of Campeche" and "Search East of Villa Hermosa" often (but not always) send you there as well. If the map references Campeche, you'll probably be looking north and northwest of the lake; if Villa Hermosa, west or southwest.

(BTW, turns out the "real" lake has a name: El Lago de Izabal, which means The Lake of Izabal. Who'da thunkit? Confused )

(Finally remembered to get a screen shot of El Lago de Izabal on the map; it's in the area encircled in red, at the southwest corner of the Bay of Honduras. Despite appearances, it is not connected to the sea.)

Oh, and if the legend says "Search North of Gran Granada", that means somewhere along the northern coast of Honduras (although if there's no coastline on the map, it's a ways inland). I've never seen a map that led me close to Gran Granada.

My final word of advice: persevere. If you seem to be up against a stone wall, step back, take a deep breath, and try to look at the problem from a new angle. Ask yourself if you may have misinterpreted something, or chose the wrong area to look. Keep trying.

And have fun. Remember, it's only a game. Finding Treasure
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Last edited by CGM3 on Tue Aug 23, 2005 1:02 pm; edited 2 times in total
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rupertlittlebear
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PostPosted: Wed Jul 06, 2005 3:48 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Other general clues.

Maps started from the same city/area (you got the first piece of the map there) tend to be located in the same area as each other. They may be quite far from where you got the map, but for some reason they tend to be located, often within spitting distance from each-other.

Coastline may be an inland lake. Florida, SW corner of the Bay of Honduras, SE of Puerto Cabello (distinguished from Puerto Bello) all have inland lakes and are favorite locations for treasures. (Including lost relatives.)

The game loves to use certain locations for treasures. Learn them! Texas, SW corner of the Bay of Honduras, East of Villahermosa, Florida.

There are often 2 different Gibraltars in the game. The City and the settlement. Both may appear on a map, but only the City will be given as a hint.
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fossaman
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PostPosted: Wed Jul 06, 2005 4:50 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

One piece of advice on the Inca treasures: at least two or three of them will be in pretty much the same place. In my current game I have found three of them in a bay north of Vera Cruz and the third in what CGM3 calls the 'Lost lake.'

This means that if you get the map piece, and you say "oh, this looks almost exactly like the map piece from my last inca treasure" then you should probably go and check it out. It saves time if you can get the treasure without having to get all four of the map pieces.
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SlipperyJim
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 11, 2005 3:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

"North of Gran Granada"

Stinkin', bleedin', annoyin' Olmecs! Your lost City dang-near stayed lost, I'll have you know! No coastline in sight on the map, and the most prominent landmarks were geysers. Ever noticed how many frickin' geysers there are, especially in that area? I had no idea that Central America was so blessed with abundant sources of geothermal power! Razz

Anyway, I did find the triple-cursed Olmecs. Yay, persistance!

That brings me to a treasure-hunt tip:
When you're truly at a loss, feel free to save your game right near the start location for your hunt. Then, set off in a promising direction and start searching. If you run out of food/patience/morale, simply reload the save and pick a slightly different direction.

Some folks consider save/reload to be a cheat function. I don't agree, but feel free to ignore my tip if you're not a fan of save/reload....
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What? Oh, NOW I get it....
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Guru
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 11, 2005 3:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
The red X marking the location of the treasure is the other clue you will always have on the map. (Actually, there have been instances of games without the 1.0.1 patch that sometimes generate maps without the red X... which apparently means there's no treasure there, and you are screwed.) Essentially, you want to figure out where the X is located on the "game map" and go there to retrieve the treasure.


At last it happened to me too, i was doing good in my 4th game (swashbuckler ), having vanquished Marquis Montalban, found my four missing relatives, on good way to become married to a beatiful dutch daughter in Tortuga, found 2 lost cities and having reached both french and english duke. All this after only seven years in the 1680 scenario Smile . So i was hunting down the famous pirates, had vanquished 4 of them and searched for their treasures, but on the 4th treasure of Henry Morgan, i suddenly found that it had no red x on it. So im big time screwed, with no known solutions to the problem Confused Evil or Very Mad

Really frustrating since i don't have the patch; i can't install it cause i didn't buy the game... Sad
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Gene Yuss
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 11, 2005 3:23 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Argh! A software pirate!


You ought to walk the plank!
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Guru
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 11, 2005 4:05 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

[quote]Argh! A software pirate!


You ought to walk the plank![/quote]

Yeah, i know; i'm really shameful Sad . My 13 year old brother got the game from one of his friends, at first i thought it looked childish and boring (at least with all the dancing Wink ), but after i tried it some, i've got addicted too! Smile . But i agree, you should always buy the game, not download or rip it ( although i don't plan on buying it now, since i already got it Question )
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Westley_Roberts
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 11, 2005 4:07 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Now, just because he said that, does not always mean that he did not buy the software.

It could be, that it's not his computer he's playing on.

It could be, that it's not his game, on his computer.

It could be a few reasons.

But, It would do well for you, Guru, to clarify the status of your software. This site does not particularly cater to those that play the game with a dubious version in their possession.

If you by chance do have a dubious version of the game, I'd HIGHLY recommend you purchashing an actual liscensed version, whether it's used or new. That way you'll have a clear conscience, and sleep better at night.
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Guru
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 11, 2005 4:13 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

ok, i take the criticism, maybe i'll buy my own copy of it just because of the principle. I have never downloaded any game before, nor any music or films, and i never will. But as we do have the game on the computer i can't keep myself from playing it Wink . hopefully i won't get banned from this site because of it, it was never my meaning to offen anyone, nor break the forum rules Sad
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SlipperyJim
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 11, 2005 4:17 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I got my copy from Costco for $30. C'mon, that's pretty reasonable, especially as game prices go....

Here's the thing: If nobody buys it, then publishers won't support it. Lack of patches, expansion packs, and all of the other goodies that add value to a game. Even worse, if this incarnation of Pirates doesn't sell well, it might lead to a lack of future pirate-type games.
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Guru
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 11, 2005 4:21 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

yeah, it's true, 30 $ is cheap too (in Norway it costs about 100 $), so i probably will buy my own copy too, just to support the publishers Wink
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Cromelex
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 11, 2005 4:31 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

the game here costs about 50€ but it's very hard to find it in any shop Sad
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rupertlittlebear
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 11, 2005 5:50 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

SlipperyJim wrote:
I got my copy from Costco for $30. C'mon, that's pretty reasonable, especially as game prices go....

Here's the thing: If nobody buys it, then publishers won't support it. Lack of patches, expansion packs, and all of the other goodies that add value to a game. Even worse, if this incarnation of Pirates doesn't sell well, it might lead to a lack of future pirate-type games.
They don't support this game as it is.
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CGM3
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PostPosted: Wed Jul 13, 2005 12:42 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Getting back to the subject, I've started saving some of my more "difficult" maps as examples. This is the treasure map I got in my latest game (the first buried treasure for this character):

Looks like it shouldn't be too hard, doesn't it? No coastal landmark, but two sections of shoreline, and NorthWest of Puerto Principe (inland Cuba) can't encompass that much territory, can it?

You'd be amazed. I made seven excursions into Cuba looking for that treasure, three from the south (what I thought the southern coast was, the bay west of Puerto Principe), one from Puerto Principe itself, and three from the north (and the northern coast of Cuba is so littered with shallows and sandbars that landing there is an adventure itself). The seventh time, I landed further west than before, near the settlement of Cataluna del Este:

I headed northwest along the coast and was maybe a third of the way to Louisville (it seemed) when I spotted an Inca temple. Hoping it was the Inca temple, I headed northwest from there and found the cache.

I've had less trouble with the notorious "North of Vera Cruz" maps. The moral of the story is, as usual, "Keep a-goin'" (to quote Henry Gibson). Wink
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CGM3
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PostPosted: Tue Aug 09, 2005 1:00 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

It occured to me that a screen shot of the Lost City "pillars" might be useful to some.

So, when you're leading your merry crew (or your disgruntled crew, depending on their morale) over hill and dale in search of the Lost City of the Whoever-They-Are, this is the landmark to look for. March up to here (looks like there should be a driveway to the big ol' mansion on the hill attached) and garner 50,000 in gold.

And here's a view of the "shack" where you'll find your relatives (one at a time, of course):

Unlike the deserted cabin (which is blue), it has no chimney, and a different roof.
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Last edited by CGM3 on Mon Aug 29, 2005 1:51 pm; edited 1 time in total
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