Pirates, a naval warfare game inspired by Sid Meier's Pirates • Hacker News Board

Re: Pirates, a naval warfare game inspired by Sid Meier's Pirates

#41

Post by san_dimitri » Fri, Jun 12, 2026, 8:18 PM UTC

toxicunderGroov wrote: post #32

fabiensanglard wrote: post #28

Nothing is moving on the screen for me :/ ! I can't pick the ship. Console shows no error.

Same here, using Firefox 151.0.4

did you try arrow keys and space bar?

Re: Pirates, a naval warfare game inspired by Sid Meier's Pirates

#42

Post by Daviey » Fri, Jun 12, 2026, 8:18 PM UTC

Really enjoyed this and it brought back many memories of the Amiga, great job.

Two suggestions,

  - The sailing is a bit too nimble, it's possible to turn naturally.
  - It's currently possible to sail over/under the other ship.

When will it be possible to intercept and have a sword fight? :)

Re: Pirates, a naval warfare game inspired by Sid Meier's Pirates

#43

Post by cbarrick » Fri, Jun 12, 2026, 8:22 PM UTC

Please adjust the color contrast. I can hardly see the cannon balls.

Re: Pirates, a naval warfare game inspired by Sid Meier's Pirates

#44

Post by CrimsonCape » Fri, Jun 12, 2026, 8:24 PM UTC

It would seem relatively easy to tie speed to the direction the boat is facing. The more perpendicular you are to the 'wind direction' the faster you move. Or make the fastest velocity 45 degrees from wind direction, for a bit more realism. Basic sailing physics can add to the fun.

Re: Pirates, a naval warfare game inspired by Sid Meier's Pirates

#45

Post by carpo » Fri, Jun 12, 2026, 8:48 PM UTC

dbingham wrote: post #9

That was fun, but the AI and the balance need some work. It's too easy to win as the small boat. You just stay ahead of your opponent and then turn back and strafe periodically. It would be much more challenging if you added wind and realistic sailing dynamics. If wind direction vs sail orientation mattered to your speed and boat characteristics weren't as simple as smaller = faster then I think it would be much bett…

If I remember correctly, the original was like this too. I always used the sloop and would often beat much larger ships.

Re: Pirates, a naval warfare game inspired by Sid Meier's Pirates

#46

Post by franze » Fri, Jun 12, 2026, 8:51 PM UTC

I started a thread if others want to show their AI coded games. -> https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48509243

maybe it becomes a monthly thing, maybe not.

Re: Pirates, a naval warfare game inspired by Sid Meier's Pirates

#47

Post by tgsovlerkhgsel » Fri, Jun 12, 2026, 8:58 PM UTC

alexpotato wrote: post #36

alexpotato wrote: post #31

This 100% has the "vibe" of the original game but should include that if you sail "into the wind" it slows you down. Also, I've been trying to make a remix of SMP but with a princess theme for my daughters. Been experimenting with making other games to practice building out game mechanics and stumbled into making a game where you manage a Soviet Tractor Factory [0]. I'm interested to see if developing parts of Game A…

If people have feedback on the game, would love to hear it on the below link: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48503530

That link doesn't work, so I'll respond here: My impression is that my ship always has a better turn rate than the other ship, so if I ever manage to get into the enemy ship's e.g. 4'oclock position, I can keep turning towards it, it will (slowly) turn towards me while consistently shooting behind me, and I can consistently hit it.