Gray Beard’s Sea Dog’s Walk Through

 

 

This walk through has been prepared in plain black and white to facilitate easier printing and down loading.

 

The first thing you should do is check to make certain that you have the version 1.06 of Sea Dog’s. If not get the patch I have a copy of it. You can find the link on my main page. I would not recommend installing the Sea Dog’s add-ons also listed there until you win the normal game at least once. To find out what version you have, look at the opening screen of the game. You will see the version you have in the lower left hand corner if it says 1.0 or 1.03 you need the patch otherwise the game is really frustrating. The second thing you need to know is that I am not going to give you every quest but only enough to get you to the point where you can win. Unlike a lot of games like this, in Sea Dog’s it is possible to put yourself in a position where you cannot win. (The biggest sin you can commit in this game is to try to change your allegiance after you become an admiral.)

 

Note on strategy: The object of this game is obviously to win. However, to win you need money. To get money you must be able to capture ships. In that regard it is more important that you be able to board and capture ships than to sink them. Therefore, I am going to have you build Nicholas Sharp up to optimize his boarding ability. This makes him an absolutely awful captain in other areas but it is better to be good in one or two things than to be mediocre in everything. Also, I have a numb hand as a result of being run over by a drunken lawyer (The only legal pirates in the US, Arrrrgh) in 1979. That means my reflexes for the sword fighting are not very good as a result I’m going to tell you how to take ships using only offense. I do not defend when dueling. I simply kill him before he kills me.

 

Part 1. First things.

Go to the options menu and reconfigure the boarding and spyglass like this.

 

1.       Change the Spyglass to a right mouse click. This is just a better place for this in my opinion.

2.       This next step makes the sword fighting easier because the keys are easier to find the “Boarding” category and change the dueling settings to

Left Block = nothing

Right Block = nothing

Left Slash = up arrow

Right Slash = down Arrow

Left side = left arrow

Right side = right arrow

If you really feel the need to block do it this way

                        Left Block = 7

                        Right Block = 9

                        Left Slash = 8

                        Right Slash = 2

                        Left Side = 4

                        Right Side = 6

 

Warning, changing these settings means that the cheat codes will not work but that’s ok because you’ll be able to win without cheating

 

Part 2. What to do in High Rock

1.       Start a new game

2.       Press the F1 key and go to the staff screen.  On the right hand side you will see a list of abilities. Every time you go up a level you will receive three ability points these make you better by about 5% a point in that ability. At this point your biggest concern is getting a bigger ship so scroll down until you see the ability called “Boarding” and place all three of your points in that category. A three in boarding for a captain in a Pink is pretty good.

3.       Talk to the guards at the gate. One of them will, if you do it right, ask you to buy him a bottle of wine. Agree to do this.

4.       Look for a man in blue who is obviously in different clothes from everybody else. His name is Albrecht Zaphner. He is a shipwright and is paranoid. If you talk to him carefully he will join you as a ship’s carpenter for free. Hire him he will cost you nothing but will make you 1500 gold later on.

5.       Next find the Tavern find the innkeeper and by a bottle of wine Next find Julius Ironcast, He is in a blue jacket. He is a master gunner and he is blind Talk to him and gain 50 experience points but do not hire him.    

6.       Next talk to Robert Gordanno and get the spyglass quest from him.

7.       Return to the guards at the gate and give him the bottle of wine. You’ll get a reputation point for it and you need the reputation

8.       Go to the governor’s mansion and ask Governor Morton for a letter of Marque.  Immediately after receiving the letter of Marque talk to Morton again and choose option 2. Take the letter quest

9.       Go back to the tavern. There will be two new men to talk to. The first is a fired appentice in a blue vest. He simply wants to get off the Island of High Rock pay his fare and receive the reputation bonus. Next talk to Christopher Claystone who is in a red coat. Let him tell you his state secret and then go back to Morton’s and tell him. Morton’s will yell at you and say you shouldn’t listen to drunks and you’ll receive experience and reputation bonuses.

10.   Save the game and go to your ship and sail to the Tendales. Ignore any encounters. You are yet good enough to win a sea battle

 

Part 3: What to do at the Tendales

1.       As soon as you land Albrecht Zaphner will leave you. Find him and talk to him. He will give you a set of sketches or blueprints. Take these to the shipyard and sell them for 1500 gold

2.       Go to governor Brin and deliver the letter he will pay you and give you another quest to deliver wheat to Dead Island.

3.       Immediately ask Brin about the local events and get the pirate quest.

4.       Go to the tavern. There you will find a Boatswain named Andrew Shoo talk to him but don’t hire him he is very good but you don’t have the cash. However, be careful to be polite to him so that he will stay in the tavern.  Also talk to the innkeeper and ask him about the pirate. He’ll tell about a merchant who escaped from the pirate and is recovering in the back room.

5.       Go to the store and sell all your ammunition and anything else in your ship. You need to have an empty ship for the next part of the game.

6.        Save the game and sail to Dead Island.

 

Part 4: What to do at Dead Island

1.       When you land on Dead Island you will see a man in a golden coat. His name is Gene Hunnisucker. Talk to him and he will tell about Malcolm Sharp and you will get 1000 experience points. Thank him and go to the tavern. It is possible that this will move you up to the next level.

2.       Talk to the innkeeper and give him the wheat to relieve the famine on the island. Take the linen he will give you and loose the reputation point. At this point you need the money. There is also a merchant in the tavern named Jacob Aston He will want you to escort his Fleut to High Rock and then Iktal. Let him hire you to do this. Lastly there is a master gunner in the tavern. Talk to him to get experience but do not hire him he is cheap but he is awful and that makes him over priced.

3.       Go to the store. Take the job of transporting the linen to the Tendales. This will, if you have taken the linen from the tavern, overload your ship. Simply sell linen to the store until your ship cwt reads 399.

4.       If you have moved up a level then press F1 and place all of the skill points in “Boarding” you should now have a “6” in boarding and zero in everything else.

5.       Save the game and sail to High Rock. You are now good enough to take a small ship. But you’ll get better so still ignore any encounters

 

Part 5: What to do in High Rock

1.       As soon as you get to High Rock Jacob Aston will leave you. You can find him in the tavern. Be careful when you talk to him and agree to continue on to Itkal.

2.       Go to the store. Choose option 1 and see if the shopkeeper tells that famous doctor is in town. If so go look for him. He looks like Albrecht Zaphner. Get the quest to obtain the herb he wants to heal the merchant who escaped from the pirate.

3.       Save the game and sail to Itkal

 

Part 6: What to do in Iktal.

1.       Find Jacob Aston and talk to him he will give you gold and experience.

2.       What you do next depends on whether or not you have the quest to find the medicinal herb. If you have that quest the sail due West to the pirate haven if you do not have that quest sail back to High Rock

3.       Save the game and sail West until you see gray sails and Shark Island or back to High Rock

 

Part 7a: The pirate Havens

1.       The pirate havens are extremely dangerous for someone in a small ship, even an up-gunned and large crewed version of a small ship.

2.       There are two pirate Islands, Gray Sails and Shark Island. You have business on both but you need to go to Shark Island first.

3.       When you drop out of the time compression map you will probably find that there is a ship near by to attack you.  Your hold is still full of linen and you have no ammunition and you do not have a first mate so it is a good idea to ignore this ship and sail to the island

4.       Go to the Tavern The innkeeper is standing against a table and does not have much to say. Ollaff Ullison is seated behind a barrel and you need to talk to him twice. Find out what he knows about Nicholas’ father and join the coastal brotherhood You will be told that there are only two men still alive who sailed with Malcolm Sharp and that one lives in Gray Sails and that one is the tavern-keeper on the Spanish island of Costa Sinistra.

5.       Leave the tavern and walk around then go back to the tavern. There should be a new pirate in the room who will tell you about his bad luck because of an Indian Idol he is cursed with. Agree to help him and take the Idol

6.       Save the game and go to your ship. If a pirate ship attacks you immediately go back to land and then go to your ship again. Do this until you are clear to leave. The Idol gives you really bad luck and makes it difficult to win a fight. Sail to Gray sails.

7.       When you land in Gray sails save the game!!!!  Find Pegleg Berquist and talk to him about Malcolm Sharp

8.       Find the town hall, which is a beached ship, and go in Talk to Desmond Beltrop. This is a fun exchange but make sure you’ve saved the game before you do it. If you are able to command class 4 ships he will give you a Fast Galleon and 2000 experience points. Otherwise you get 2000 experience, which should raise you up a level, to level 10.

9.       Place all three skill points in boarding you should now have a 9 in boarding and a zero in everything else

10.   Look for Pablo Loco He is either here, at Shark Island or on El Caimano. If you find him talk to him and get the wood for his boat quest.

11.   Save the game and sail back to Shark Island.

12.   If Pablo Loco was not at Gray Sails look for him here and follow the same plan as above.

13.   Talk to the pirate who gave you the idol. He will give you 2500 gold.

14.   At this point, you may either sail to High Rock in which case simply go to 7b or you may hire a first mate named Raymond who is wandering around outside and raid a few ships coming into Shark Island.  If you want to great, do it; however, I would wait until I had a bit bigger ship

15.   Whatever your decision after you are finished in Shark Island you need to sail back to High Rock.  

 

Part 7b: What to do in High Rock

1.       Go to Governor Moron’s and choose option 2. He might have a quest to escort a merchant ship to the Tendales. You are going there with a load of linen anyway so take the quest.

2.       Walk around and look for an obvious pirate in brown. Talk to him and he will tell you that Olaff Ullison on Shark Island wants to talk to you. This will open Shark Island on your map.

3.       Save the game and sail to the Tendales

 

Part 8: What to do at the Tendales

1.       You will be attacked as soon as you arrive. You are tough enough to defeat the “Cuttlefish” but you do not have enough crew or a big enough ship unless you’ve captured a bigger one at Shark Island so simply sail to the port. Cuttlefish will wait.

2.       Go to the store exchange the linen for Chocolate, coffee or whatever the storekeeper ‘s agreement is.

3.       Go to the tavern and talk captain Humm of the ship you just escorted. Collect your cash and experience and listen to what he has to say.

4.       Go to governor Brin and tell him the famine on Dead Island is relieved. Talk to him again and tell him about the brigands you’ve just escorted.

5.       Talk to Brin again and receive your reward for the famine quest

6.       Save the game and sail back to Dead Island or if you did not find Pablo Loco in Gray Sails or Shark Island to El Caimanio and find him first. I am going to assume that you are going to Dead Island.

 

Part 9: What to do at Dead Island

1.       Go to the store give the shopkeeper the cargo you have brought him and then ask to by the fancy wood that Pablo Loco wants to build his boat with. Pay the money and go back to sea.

2.       Buy 100 of Bombs. Until you get a large ship you probably will not need any other type of ammunition.

3.       Save the game and sail back to wherever you found Pablo Loco. I am going to assume that is Shark Island

 

Part 10: Shark Island

1.       Find Pablo and give him the wood he gives you the herb.

2.       Save the game and sail to High Rock

 

Part 11. High Rock

1.       Talk to Dr. Faust and get the medicine then

2.       Sail to the Tendales and talk to the tavern-keeper. Give him the medicine.

3.       Sail away for a week and come back talk to the merchant and find out where Ropeflake is.

 

At this point you should be at level 9 or 10 with a 9 in boarding. If you are a level 9 then put the next three skill points into grappling. Keep doing that until grappling is a 9 then work on gun laying until that is a 9. So, by level 3 you will have at least a 9 in gun laying, boarding and grappling and with officer probably higher.

 

You best 1st mate is on the Isle d’Orange go and hire him. You can either get a bigger ship by capturing it or buying it. I prefer to capture even if it means I have to wait for a better model.

 

In any case, good luck and fair winds

Gray Beard