Sid Meier's Pirates

Sid Meier's Pirates! is a computer game created by Sid Meier for Microprose in 1987. The game is a simulation of the life of a pirate in the Caribbean in approximately the 17th century.

Description

Pirates! is a single-player game. The player does not in fact take on the role of a pirate, but rather that of a privateer, in the service of Spain, Holland, England, or France (though his loyalties may change over the course of the game). Gameplay is open-ended; the player may choose to go after enemy shipping or towns, or hunt pirates, or seek buried treasure or long-lost family members, or even avoid violence altogether and seek to increase his wealth through trade. The game also has no pre-determined end, although as time goes on, it becomes more difficult to recruit men for your crew. The game ends when the player retires, at which point he is given a position in his future life, from beggar to King's Adviser, based on his wealth, land, rank, marital status, and other accomplishments.

The game tests a wide range of skills: hand-eye coordination during the fencing sections, tactical ability during the land and sea combat phases, and strategic thinking, for everything from choosing a wife to deciding when to divvy up the plunder. Moreover, each game will have a different course, as various events early in the game can greatly affect future strategic options. Also, the game is, by computer game standards, fairly educational. Reading about naval tactics in the age of sail is one thing, but when in the course of the game a player may try to beat up wind in a frigate in order to run down a pinnace that's less than half his size, but was fortunate enough to have the weather gage, this will give the player an appreciation unobtainable from books.

Pirates! was a groundbreaking game in its era, widely considered the first open-ended game (i.e., one in which there is no specific goal, such as rescuing a princess, or defeating a gorilla). This concept of open-ended, player-directed gameplay has been used by countless other games since, both by Sid Meier himself (Civilization, Railroad Tycoon) and many others, notably Will Wright (SimCity, The Sims). Not surprisingly, Pirates! won many awards at the time of its release, being named game of the year in its genre by at least three gaming magazines, and has continued to earn accolades ever since, having been voted one of the top 20 games of all time by Computer Gaming World Magazine.

2004 remake

The IP is currently owned by Firaxis Games, which will be releasing a new version of it late in 2004. According to Gamespot, "The game will feature a blend of exploration, puzzle-solving, role-playing, and action," and, "this remake will also take advantage of the huge advances in computer technology that have occurred since the original." Firaxis has a site dedicated to following development of the title, with downloads and "insider information" on the unreleased title.