Upon reaching the rank of Tribune you'll be able to build your
first fleet (the maximum number of fleets you can have is three). The boats are
expensive, but they're worth the cost as they allow you to transport your troops
to conquer islands like Sardinia and Britania, and even north Africa; and this
besides using them to defend your provinces from a naval assault. But, to make a
large enough fleet, you'll need many boats, which you may not be able to afford.
There are three different types of boats: Triremes (5 talents: quick, but weak),
Quinquerems (10 talents) and Galleons (20 talents: Strong, but slow). Also, the
Triremes can hold a lot less soldiers than a galleon.
At the beginning of a naval
battle, you'll see two boats on the screen; the boat on the left is the enemy
boat, and the one on the right is yours. You can move your boat with the arrow
keys, fire the catapult with the spacebar and lower your landing ramp (to board
the enemy ship) with Enter.
Each ship's HP is represented by a red bar. The "ships" number
is the amount of ships you have, not counting your flagship. When you have 0
ships, then all you have left is your flagship.
Boarding the enemy ship is a good idea if your have more Men than your enemy (the
number will be a lot higher if you have a legion with your fleet). But if you
have less, stick to the catapult. But, even if your completely destroy the enemy
flagship you'll still lose the battle if you end up with less ships than the
enemy.
You can retreat from any battle by pressing R.