The ships (Construction, equipment and properties)

General information concerning ships

Ships are needed to explore the world and chiefly to transport armies and spies to other islands or to attack hostile fleets. You can move ships accordingly to armies and spies through the PopUp on the map (right click on the Java map) or you can type in the directions in the field info. Of course you can select a target field as well, but only visible seafields or allied harbours are possible target fields. Fields visible in the fog of war or not discovered at all can not be selected so that there is no automatic exploring of the map. All ships have a visual range of 3 fields. The maximum speed a ship can have is 3 fields per Turn.

Shipbuilding

Ships are built in harbours. Each harbour can built only one ship at a time. How much time is needed (17) to finish building a ship depends on the ships' type (3) and the features of the ship. Upgraded harbours (2) built ships significantly faster. The higher the level of the harbour the better the training of the crew will be (= XP), which is an important factor for the success in sea battles. In the beginning of an Age only landing crafts can be built. To build bigger ships you have to do some research in the 'Path of Seafaring'.

Examples for the construction time in differently upgraded harbours:

• Landing craft with 1 mast and 10 crew:
  13 Turns in a lvl 1 harbour - 1 Turn in a lvl 10 harbour
• Carrack with 4 masts and 200 crew plus 8 light and 8 heavy catapults including Greek Fire:
  308 Turns in a lvl 1 harbour - 31 Turns in a lvl 10 harbour

The stowage differs depending on the ships hull (4) which can be filled depending on your needs and wishes. Free stowage is needed to transport armies and spies. How much space a unit needs is listed in the manual under "Units" and "Loading and unloading of ships". Through research you can increase the stowage of new ships by 20 %. Ships built before the research was completed can be modified in your harbours. Keep in mind that only landing crafts can disembark armies and spies directly at the coast.

How many fields a ship can sail per Turn (6) depends on the ships' type (3), the amount of masts (5) and the crew (7). Each mast must have a crew of 10 to operate. If there is not enough crew the mast cannot set sails and the ships' speed is reduced.

Armament of ships

If there is enough stowage (4) and the technology is researched, ships can be armed with light (8) and heavy (10) catatpults which need a crew of 10 to operate. Here (11) you can see if all your catapults are staffed. Furthermore you can see if you have any auxiliary-crew (9) to fight fires. Additionally you can chose if your ship should use Greek Fire (12). This diabolic weapon enables your ships to fire a flame projectile which can torch enemy ships. However this weapon is very dangerously to handle so there always is the chance of setting your own ship on fire! Detailed information regarding battles at sea and how to battle against fires you'll find here.

As soon as you are pleased with your ships' features and you have enough ressources (1) to built it, all you need to do is type in a name for the ship (16) and click on "Build ship" (13).

Modifying ships

It is possible to modify the features of a ship, increase its stowage after researching "enhanced shipping space" or to rename it. To do so your ship needs to be in a harbour of your own, which must not be building a ship at the moment. Go to "Build Ships" and to the harbour where your ship shall be modified. Click on the arrow (14) and you'll see the input mask for the modification of ships. There you can chose a new name for your ship (18). If your ship has been built before you researched the 'enhanced shipping space' you have to click in the checkbox (15) to get more stowage for your ship. If your ship already has increased stowage the checkbox is automatically tagged. As soon as you have selected new features for your ship the PopUp (20) shows the time and ressources needed for the modification on the right hand side. Click on "Modify Ship" (19) to start the process, during which the ship is not available for manouvers. Any army or spy embarked on the ship will be automatically disembark

Damage and reparation

1. Ships can get damaged in a sea battle or if the total number of your ships (any types) exceeds your ship limit. In the second case all ships (except for landing crafts and small galleys) are damaged automatically every tick. The level of damage in each tick depends on the number of excess ships.
   If the hitpoints (HP) of a damaged ship falls under 50% of its maximum, speed falls to 2 fields per Turn; under 25% HP to 1 field. Thus damaged ships can be caught and destroyed quite easily. If no HP is left, the ship will sink.
2. Damaged ships will be automatically repaired if they are in a harbour of your own or an allied one. How many hitpoints are restored each turn depends on the level of the harbour.
   The costs of repairing a ship are 8 gold, 10 planks and 1 iron bar for every HP. If there aren't enough resources available the repair will be interrupted and you'll get a message in your events.

Types of ships

Type	Hull		Hitpoints Space (without research)	Space with 20% expansion by research	Space requirement of the equipment
					Mast	Crew	Light Catapult	Heavy Catapult	Greek Fire
Landing Craft			100	120	20	10	50	100	10
Small Galley			180	216	30	10	50	100	18
Medium Galley			300	360	40	10	50	100	30
Large Gallery			480	576	50	10	50	100	48
Longship			720	864	60	10	50	100	72
Caravelle			1200	1440	80	10	50	100	120
Carrack			1800	2160	100	10	50	100	180

*The basic types have different speeds!
The cancellation of construction orders is possible at any time. 90 % of the paid ressources are returned.