User Manual

Adjusting the Level of Difficulty
Here you can choose the level of difficulty. There are five options: small shopkeeper, trader,
m e rchant, councillor and patrician. Altern a t i v e l y, you can design your very own level of diff i c u l t y
by editing the ‘Details’.
When you choose one of the five aforementioned levels of difficulty, this naturally has an impact
on your starting circumstances, which include the number of ships you initially own, your
capital, and the ease with which you gain authority from the citizens. The ‘intermediate’
difficulty level is ‘merchant’. If you’re entering the world of the Hanseatic League for the very
first time, it is probably best to pick ‘small shopkeeper’; you are less likely to be threatened by
pirates, and the royals will be more easy-tempered and will thus refrain from early sieges. But if
you’re a daring seadog who isn’t afraid of tough challenges, try your best as a ‘patrician’.
The individualists among you are free to create their own
level of difficulty by adjusting the parameters.
Concerning trade, you set the margin for price differences in
the various cities and your maximum profit margin (the
higher the level of diff i c u l t y, the lower they will be).
‘Recognition’ and ‘Needs’ determine how difficult it will be to
satisfy the citizens and how hard it will be to be respected
by them.
The parameter ‘sea battles’ determines the computer’s intelligence in sea battles, i.e. whether it
manoeuvres with skill or is prone to making mistakes.
Using the menu item ‘pirates activity’, you decide how many pirates threaten the sea. ‘Activity
of the royal house’ determines how envious the royals will be of flourishing cities, as well as the
size of their besieging armies.
Moreover, you can decide on your initial wealth and the number of ships you begin with.
Once you have made adjustments to your settings, return to the ‘Game Settings’ screen by
selecting ‘OK’. The game will now display the difficulty level that is closest to your settings.
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