History VideoGame / UnchartedWaters

* LonelyAtTheTop: Ali, eventually. This is specifically something that Howell says to him at the beginning of his story.

''Uncharted Waters'' ([[MarketBasedTitle originally known]] as ''Age of the Great Voyages'') is a series of Japanese [[{{Pirate}} privateer]]/[[AnEntrepreneurIsYou trader]] video games set in TheCavalierYears. [[TheOriginalSeries The first game]] was developed by Koei in 1991 (for PC88, {{MSX}} and {{NES}}, and later for SegaGenesis, SuperNES, and the PC). The second installment, ''Uncharted Waters II: New Horizons'', followed in 1994 on PC98, SNES, and Genesis, later ported to PC, SegaSaturn, and {{PlayStation}}. Unfortunately, the second game was the last to be officially translated into English. Two more sequels, a GaidenGame, and a {{MMORPG}} based in the setting never made it out of Asia. However, as of October of 2010, the {{MMORPG}} is in an open beta for the English speaking world.

* InfinityPlusOneSword: ''New Horizons'' has Blue Crescent (from Far East) and Eroll's Armor (from Copenhagen). They make even the wimps (Ali, Ernst) capable of going toe-to-toe with fleet commanders!

* LonelyAtTheTop: Ali, eventually. This is specifically something that Howell say to him at the beginning of his story.

''Uncharted Waters'' ([[MarketBasedTitle originally known]] as ''Age of the Great Voyages'') is a series of Japanese [[{{Pirate}} privateer]]/[[AnEntrepreneurIsYou trader]] video games set in TheCavalierYears. [[TheOriginalSeries The first game]] was developed by Koei in 1991 (for PC88, {{MSX}} and {{NES}}, and later for SegaGenesis, SuperNES, and the PC). The second installment, ''Uncharted Waters II: New Horizons'', followed in 1994 on PC98, SNES, and Genesis, later ported to PC, SegaSaturn, and {{PlayStation}}. Unfortunately, the second game was the last to be officially translated into English. Two more sequels, a GaidenGame, and a {{MMORPG}} based in the setting never made it out of asia. However, as of October of 2010, the {{MMORPG}} is in an open beta for the English speaking world.

Gameplay-wise, the series is a WideOpenSandbox with RPGElements in it. You play as an owner of a small fleet (up to 5 ships in the first game, up to 10 in the second) and are free to engage in any kind of activity on the high seas: trade, gambling, [[DesignItYourselfEquipment ship pimping]], [[PirateBooty piracy]], [[TreasureMap treasure hunting]], exploration, even global politics, once you have the money (and firepower) to. What set the first game apart from its Western competitor ''SidMeiersPirates'' was the sheer size of the game world: instead of being confined to the Carribbean, you have the ''entire world'' to explore. The exploration gameplay was further enhanced in the second game, where you could sell the maps of your voyages, find natural and cultural wonders around the world, and look for even more treasures. The underlying gameplay mechanic involves ship management (crew, supplies, captains, repairs), character evolution (both the PC and the captains you hire), port development (trade balance, investments), and [[AllianceMeter maneuvering between the major factions]] (Portugal, Spain, Turkey, [[MyFriendsAndZoidberg and pirates]] in the first game; England, Holland, and Italy join the club in the second). It's pretty complex but not excessively so.

''VideoGame/UnchartedWaters'' ([[MarketBasedTitle originally known]] as ''Age of the Great Voyages'') is a series of Japanese [[{{Pirate}} privateer]]/[[AnEntrepreneurIsYou trader]] video games set in TheCavalierYears. [[TheOriginalSeries The first game]] was developed by Koei in 1991 (for PC88, {{MSX}} and {{NES}}, and later for SegaGenesis, SuperNES, and the PC). The second installment, ''Uncharted Waters II: New Horizons'', followed in 1994 on PC98, SNES, and Genesis, later ported to PC, SegaSaturn, and {{PlayStation}}. Unfortunately, the second game was the last to be officially translated into English. Two more sequels, a GaidenGame, and a {{MMORPG}} based in the setting never made it out of asia. However, as of October of 2010, the {{MMORPG}} is in an open beta for the English speaking world.

* Otto Baynes, an English {{privateer}} on a secret mission by Henry VII to defeat the Spanish Armada and prevent the Spanish domination of the Atlantic.

** Henry VII died in 1509.

The first two games can be downloaded from various internet sites like Abandonia.com, and run perfectly smoothly in DOSBox on modern systems. Go get them.

* AnachronismStew: ''New Horizons'', set in 1522, references the "Spanish Armada", which didn't exist for another 65 years, and features Henry VII, who died in 1509, and Gerardus Mercator, who was 10 years old at the time.
** You can also buy a marine chronometer 150 years before its invention.

''VideoGame/UnchartedWaters'' ([[MarketBasedTitle originally known]] as ''Age of the Great Voyages'') is a series of Japanese [[{{Pirate}} privateer]]/[[AnEntrepreneurIsYou trader]] video games set in TheCavalierYears. [[TheOriginalSeries The first game]] was developed by Koei in 1991 (for PC88, {{MSX}} and {{NES}}, and later for SegaGenesis, SuperNES, and the PC). The second installment, ''Uncharted Waters II: New Horizons'', followed in 1994 on PC98, SNES, and Genesis, later ported to PC, SegaSaturn, and {{PlayStation}}. Unfortunately, the second game was the last to be officially translated into English. Two more sequels, a GaidenGame, and a {{MMORPG}} based in the setting never made it out of Japan. However, as of October of 2010, the {{MMORPG}} is in an open beta for the English speaking world.

The second game takes place some [[TimeSkip 20 years after]] the first one and follows six main characters, each with their unique (and sometimes overlapping) storyline. Additionally, there are now three kinds of fame: explorer (gained by discovering world wonders and remote ports and selling maps), piracy (gained by defeating enemy fleets, even if it is not, technically, piracy), and trade (gained by investing large sums into ports and fulfilling {{fetch quest}}s), with each character having to build up one of them to advance their respective story. The six protagonists are:

* BadassSpaniard: Catalina, full stop. Also, pretty much every Spanish battle fleet has a tough asskicker for a captain, and even Spanish merchants can sometimes hand your ass back to you.

* TheSmurfettePrinciple: Catalina is the only female captain in the entire second game (and there were no female captains in the first one at all), but this is {{justified}} by [[WoodenShipsAndIronMen the setting]]. The female presence in the games is mostly limited to various waitresses (each with her unique appearance), but there are a handful of plot-relevant women, as well, e.g. the Princess in the first game, Ali's sister, and Ernst's [[spoiler:Chinese girlfriend]] in the second.

''VideoGame/UnchartedWaters'' ([[MarketBasedTitle originally known]] as ''Age of the Great Voyages'') is a series of Japanese [[{{Pirate}} privateer]]/[[AnEntrepreneurIsYou trader]] video games set in TheCavalierYears. [[TheOriginalSeries The first game]] was developed by Koei in 1991 (for {{MSX}} and {{NES}}, and later for SegaGenesis, SuperNES, and the PC). The second installment, ''Uncharted Waters II: New Horizons'', followed in 1994 on NEC {{PC98}}, SNES, and Genesis, later ported to PC, SegaSaturn, and {{PlayStation}}. Unfortunately, the second game was the last to be officially translated into English. Two more sequels, a GaidenGame, and a {{MMORPG}} based in the setting never made it out of Japan. However, as of October of 2010, the {{MMORPG}} is in an open beta for the English speaking world.

* ManualLeaderAIParty: In the second game, New Horizons, your ships other than the flagship are controlled by AI. In the first game it was possible to control all your ships yourself. The AI was particularly bad and thus battles in the second game are extremely more costly for the player (unless you chose to use CombatByChampion).

* HotChickWithASword: Catalina. Damn hot and a swordplay stat of 92 (our of 100 maximum) ''at the beginning of the game''.

The second game takes place some [[TimeSkip 20 years after]] the first one and follows six main characters, each with their unique (and sometimes overlapping) storyline. Additionally, there are now three kinds of fame: explorer (gained by discovering world wonders and remote ports and selling maps), piracy (gained by defeating enemy fleets, even if it is not, technically, piracy), and trade (gained by investing large sums into ports and fulfilling {{fetch quest}}s), with each character having to build up one of them to advance their respective story.

Gameplay-wise, the series is a WideOpenSandbox with RPGElements in it. You play as an owner of a small fleet (up to 5 ships in the first game, up to 10 in the second) and are free to engage in any kind of activity on the high seas: trade, gambling, [[DesignItYourselfEquipment ship pimping]], [[PirateBooty piracy]], [[TreasureMap treasure hunting]], exploration, even global politics, once you have the money (and firepower) to. What set the first game apart from its Western competitor ''SidMeiersPirates'' was the sheer size of the game world: instead of being confined to the Carribbean, you have the ''entire world'' to explore. The exploration gameplay was further enhanced in the second game, where you could sell the maps of your voyages, find natural and cultural wonders around the world, and look for even more treasures. The underlying gameplay mechanic involves ship management (crew, supplies, captains, repairs), character evolution (both the PC and the captains you hire), port development (trade balance, investments), and maneuvering between the major factions (Portugal, Spain, Turkey, [[MyFriendsAndZoidberg and pirates]] in the first game; England, Holland, and Italy join the club in the second). It's pretty complex but not excessively so.

* ThreeQuartersView: The navigation inside port towns in the second game. In the first one, you just clicked wherever you wanted to go to.