In this section we will be showing some of the gameplay basics from Buccaneer: The Pursuit of Infamy. This is designed as a rough guide to gameplay and not as an in-depth tutorial, although should prove useful to new players as well as those already familiar with the Demo. During this "training" you will learn how to control your ship, your camera (and telescope) and get a clearer idea of which objects you can interact with while playing the game. We will also be looking at the single player campaign set-up and how to unlock the various maps that are not initially available to a player. BASIC CONTROLS As with many computer games, Buccaneer: The Pursuit of Infamy employs the classic W, A, S, D keyboard combination to control the "character". The ship is "driven" by holding the W key to provide forward propulsion, with the A and D keys providing directional control. The S key will slow the boat to a stop and eventually move it into reverse. An additional level of breaking is provided by the spacebar, which will slow the boat very quickly. This is useful when you wish to change direction suddenly and perhaps "corner" around an island or between a small gap in the rocks. The other important controls are for the ship's cannons. Clicking the left or right mouse button will fire the port (left) or starboard (right) cannons, which will pepper an area to one side of the ship or the other. The cannonballs will spread out over a distance creating a "shotgun" effect, doing much more damage to targets closer to your ship, but scattering as they get further away. Many targets in Buccaneer (such as a town) are built over a wide area, so the spread of shot can be more useful for engaging them. THE CAMERA The other area of control that is worth talking about is the camera. By default the ship is seen from a "seagull's eye view", the actual angle of which can be chosen and changed by simply moving the mouse. This gives the player a dynamic view of their ship and allows them them to monitor the world around them without having to change their direction of travel. The four images on the right give various examples of typical camera positions - click on any of the images to see them in more detail. As well as moving the mouse in any direction to rotate the camera, the mouse wheel provides a limited zoom function - by rolling the wheel forwards and backwards, the camera can be positioned near the ship or at a more remote distance. Click on images to enlarge Click on images to enlarge Click on images to enlarge Click on images to enlarge THE TELESCOPE As well as the free camera, the player also has access to a Telescope View, selected by pressing the Tab key. The telescope looks directly ahead of a player's ship and allows a player to survey an area for threats or targets before getting too close. Once in Telescope View, press and hold the Z key to zoom in for better detail. OPTIONS AND QUITTING If any of the default key settings are not to your tastes... or in other words, if you are a bit of a landlubber... then you can access the Options screen by pressing Ctrl + O. Under the Options menu you can change Video and Audio settings as well as reconfiguring any or all of your control keys. Finally... if you are a total landlubber and are having a bout of seasickness, then you may exit the game at any time by pressing the Esc key. TM & Copyright 2006 Stickman Studios. All Rights Reserved.