Th' GPRO Pirate less'ns

Yarrrrrrr, yer be made Captain, an' now yer be thinkin' "Wha' 'n th' se'en seas I be doin' now?"

Wit' any luck, thi' less'n be givin' yer an o'erview o' wha' yer should and shouldna be doin' so tha' yer nay be shipwreckin' yerself afore yer e'en set sail/ Thi' less'n be fer yer Rookie Captains an' by th' time yer be reachin' Amateur some thin's be a changin' but by then yer should be havin' 'n idea o' wha' yer be doin'.

If yer be wise yer be readin' and a heedin' th' less'ns afore yer be e'en thinkin' 'bout gettin' ready fer yer first boat race.

When yer be a rookie Captain, thar be two thin's tha' be importany t' yer, yer Helmsman 'n yer Doubloons. We be talkin' 'bout yer Helmsman soon, but first its yer gold.

Pieces o' eight

Yer may be tempt'd to be updatin' yer ship o' yer docks 'n be spendin' all yer doubloons afore yer first boat race. But yer should nay be doin' tha'. Yer Rookie Squadron be bein' yer first taste o' Captaincy an' yer needs to be learnin' t' be managin' yer gold, o' yer will nay be promotin' n' progressin' 'n th' game.

'f yer be a spendin' too much, and yer be owin' doubloons, then yer nay be able to be hirin' a new helmsman, o' be buyin' new parts fo' yer ship, an' yer nay be promotin' if yer be owin' doubloons - e'en if yer be layin' waste t' th' oth'r Captains 'n yer squadron and be victor by 50 scores.

So, yer needs to nay be wastin' yer gold, only part wit' 't 'f yer be havin' t'. Bein' a tigh'wad an' savin' yer gold fo' a new day can be makin' yer a victor fer th' future.

ONLY be replacin' o' upgradin' yer ships parts 'f they be so worn tha' they nay be able t' finish another voyage. Tha' way, yer be gettin' th' most fro' them, an' nay be tossin' yer gold 'n th' depths. 'f yer be chasin' advancement, the' yer be wantin' t' be savin' yer gold t' be usin' fer yer fight in Amateur.

Yer docks, learnin' yer crew an' testin' be likely summit yer nay be needin' t' do 'n yer Rookie squadron. Rookie be fer learnin' t' be managin' yer gold, an' yer nay be affordin' t' be spendin' barrels o' gold 'n yer docks & learnin', an' testin' be makin' yer ships parts wear out, so yer be needin' t' be buyin' parts quick'r.

An' lastly, 't th' end o' yer challange yer Rookie be gettin' reset. If yer nay be advancin' the' all yer ship parts, yer docks, ev'rythin' yer be havin', be gettin' reset t' how it be startin' an' yer be gettin' yer slate wip'd clean 'n a new hoard o' gold fer yer new challenge. Yer be gettin' more gold if yer be racin' 'n all 17 boat races o' the last challenge. THi' can be mighty good fer yer as yer can be hirin' a helmsman fer th' next challenge an' be writin' off yer hirin' fee an' treasure chest when yer gold stores be reset an' yer just be left wit' payin' yer helmsmans bounty.

Helmsman

In Rookie yer dri'er be yer number one priority. He can very easily be th' one factor that single-handedly changes yer fortunes t' finishin' 1st instead o' 20th. Thar may e'en be swabbies who will dominate the'r leagues an' earn promotion, simply on accoun' o' o' the'r sensational dri'er without e'en botherin' t' upgrade the'r car. This o' course be great, but extremely dangerous – as swabbies who do this be in fer a rude awakenin' if they attack Amateur wi' a car 3+ levels lower than sea dogs an' land lubbers else. By all means sign a fantastic dri'er – but please don’t let th' lad's earn promotion fer ye alone. Still continue t' upgrade yer car throughout th' season (only when parts be worn ou' o' course) an' save cash whenereyou can.

Ye will nay find a dri'er who has a good ratin' fer all his skills whilst in Rookie, but a dri'er wi' one or two skills will suffice an' provide ye wi' a promotion-worthy driver. Find ou' which skills be part o' th' fun.

But how much do ye pay these drivers? Well as wee as possible really. A lot o' th' time thar may well be huge competition fer drivers o' this ilk, so ye may be forced t' pay o'er th' odds t' get them – but generally 'tis nay recommended t' pay much o'er $2mil salary (an' that’s per race) otherwise ye may struggle t' continue upgradin' yer car come season end.

As mentioned in th' treasure section above, at th' end o' ever' season Rookie be completely reset. This includes yer dri'er 'ere, if yer dri'er has o'er 85 OA (Overall level) ye will lose th' lad's also. This mean a LOT o' managers be without drivers come season start, meanin' 'tis a mad scramble in th' drivers market wi' th' best promotion-capable drivers receivin' in excess o' 40 offers. Nay good – an' ye want t' avoid bein' involved in this at all costs.

Therefore ye want t' be scoutin' fer a dri'er an' signin' one towards th' end o' th' season in preparation fer a serious assault next voyage.

Th' advantage ye be havin' here be that th' market be quieter – but ye can also offer an obscene signin' on fee (up t' 3 times th' salary) as an incentive fer th' dri'er t' join ye. Th' treasure ye effectively throw away here doesn’t matter, as ye be reset t' $30mil next season anyway!

Th' one thin' ye need t' bear in mind tho be that after ye sign a great dri'er – ye will lose th' lad's at th' reset if his OA be o'er th' 85 limit. Similarly, ye will nay be able t' extend his contract if his OA be above th' 85 limit. Thar be a wee ways t' brin' his OA down, but this ye will be havin' t' find ou' by yersef.

Cle'er Numb'r Stuff

'f yer wants t' be progressin' yer will be needin' t' collect all o' th' numb'rs tha' yer can be collectin'. Yer may be wantin' t' be scribblin' th' numb'rs fro' th' Boat Race Analysis (thi' be givin' yer th' sail wear an' food usage), yer ship parts wear, yer helmsman skills (fro' the helmsman learnin') an' th' boat race temperature (as thi' may be part o' th' sail wear). Ship part wear numbr'rs be helpin' yer t' be knowin' when t' be gettin' new parts an' food 'n sail numb'rs be helpin' yer t' be plannin' yer racin'.

Ship setup an' race tacks

Before we move on t' qualifyin' fer th' race we need t' talk about gettin' yer car setup sorted ou'. In settin' yer car up fer a race ye get 8 practice laps in order t' find yer `perfect` car setup. This isn’t as easy as 't may sound as yer dri'er may actually be happy wi' th' car setup e'en if 'tisn’t `perfect`.

Thar be 6 parts o' th' car that ye can set up, Fore & Rear Wings, Engine, Brakes, Gears & Suspension an' each can be havin' a value from 0 t' 999. On th' practice/qualify pages thar be wee help icons that will tell ye precisely what be meant by th' higher an' lower values o' these ranges.

After ye be havin' identified yer `perfect` setup ye will want t' do yer qualification laps. Before ye do this ye will need t' be havin' decided which tyres ye be racin' on. In order t' do this ye ortin' ta consider lookin' carefully at th' characteristics o' th' track an' th' weather conditions. Don’t worry if ye be nay sure what tyres t' pick in th' beginnin'. Ye ortin' ta start wi' more conservative strategies an' after a couple o' races will be havin' pretty good estimation on what tyres t' choose. Yer choice o' tyres will also affect th' amount o' fuel ye be startin' th' race wi'.

Wi' yer car setup in place, ye will need t' make sure ye be havin' yer tyre choice selected an' then havin' picked t' do yer Q1 lap ye will get a new option, th' risks instruction fer yer driver. Th' more risk ye go wi', th' quicker th' potential lap time but also th' greater chance yer dri'er will make a mistake.

Havin' done yer Q1 lap ye can be seein' how ye be doin' in relation t' th' rest o' yer squadron. This may mean ye want t' amend yer fuel strategy a wee. If ye be a lot quicker than yer squadron ye may want t' add a wee more fuel at th' start so that ye go further into th' race an' th' opposite o' this if ye be a wee slower.

Either way, ye will come t' do yer Q2 lap. This time ye will need t' input yer startin' fuel fer th' race. This cannot be changed after ye do yer lap. Again ye will get th' same risk instructions fer yer driver.

After yer Q2 lap ye can now be seein' 'ere ye be on th' provisional grid. More importantly, 'tis time t' do yer Race Setup & Strategy.

Before we get onto that, a quick note about th' Rain.

Thar be a storm a brewin'

Arrr, 't be a storm ou'side, may 't be one o' yer tacks, o' th' race, th' skies be all wet. Wha' 't be t' yer though? 'f nowt else, yer should be usin' yer all weath'r sails. Fer anythin' else, yer ship may be wantin' t' be setup different in a storm compar'd t' whe' thar be nay storm. Wha' th' difference be though be fer yer t' be findin' out fer yerself. Doin' some testin' 'n th' storm 'n th' dry be a goodly way t' be findin' a startin' poin' though.

Thi' be e'en more of import 'f yer Leeward 'n Windward tacks be one stormy 'n one dry. But yer must be rememb'rin' t' be usin' yer all weath'r sails fer yer tacks, o' yer be losin' a load o' time t' yer rival captains. Thi' be a commen err'r, e'en wit' yer old captains as yer all weath'r sails nay be yer default choice, e'en when thar be a storm.

Thar be one more thin' when 't be stormy fer yer Windward Tack an' tha' be tha' th' weath'r fer th' startin' o' th' racin' be th' same as fer tha' tack. 'f 't be stormy fer yer windward tack, 't be stormy fer th' startin' o' th' racin'. But, yer be takin' heed o' th' weath'r for'cast afore yer be choosin' yer sails fer th' race startin'. Fer 'f th' for'cast be sayin' tha' thar be a lowly chance o' a storm 'n th' first 30 minutes o' th' racin' 't be meanin' tha' th' storm may be passin' quickly. So yer be needin' to decide 'f yer wants t' be startin' 'n yer all weath'r sails an' be goin' t' port early o' be startin' 'n yer dry sails 'n be losin' time early 'n but the' nay be needin' t' go t' port so quickly.

Racin' setup 'n plannin'

So, yer be havin' done both o' yer tack loops 'n now yer be needin' t' do yer plannin' fer th' racin'.

Thar be se'eral parts t' thi' 'n we be lookin' 't the' one 't a time.

First, thar be yer ships setup. Thi' may well be th' same as yer used fer yer tack loops (o' one o' the' 'f 't start'd o' stopp'd bein' a storm). An' 'f th' tacks be stormy 'n th' racin' dry o' th' oth'r way 'round yer may be wantin' t' be changin' yer setup.

Yer food plannin' be next, 'n GPRO yer will nay be runnin' out o' food. yer be comin' t' port as soon as yer be nay havin' 'nough food fer 'noth'r loop, o' 'f yer sails be nay doin' 'noth'r loop. Thi' be meanin' tha' rath'r tha' be sayin' which loops yer be comin' t' port 'n, yer be sayin' 'ow much food yer be wantin' 'n tha' be sayin' 'ow many loops yer be doin'. Th' 'mount o' food be 'ow much yer hold be fill'd t' 'n nay 'ow much 't be fill'd by.

T' be givin' a example - yer come t' port wit' 15 barrles o' food 'n yer plannin' be showin' 60 barrels. Thi' be meanin' tha' 45 barrles o' food be add'd t' yer hold a tha' time.

Sail plannin' be next. Yre be only havin' two picks, yer dry weath'r sails o' yer all weath'r storm sails. As said afore, e'en 'f th' racin' be startin' 'n a storm, 't nay means yer be havin' t' use yer all weath'r sails 't th' startin'. Thar be a VERY import second bit o' th' sails plannin'. Th' numb'r o' loops afore comin' t' port fer a weath'r change. 'n real F1, whe' th' storm comes thar be a few loops afore th' course be ready fer all weath'r sails 'n th' same be true o' whe' th' storm pass's. Thi' NAY BE TRUE fer GPRO, whe' th' storm comes yer be needin' yer all weath'r sails straight 'way, 'n whe' th' storm pass's yer be wantin' yer dry sails agin. Thi' be meanin' tha' most o' th' time yer be wantin' th' "'ow many loops afore th' helmsman" fer stoprm startin' o' passin' t' be ZERO. One oth'r thin' 's tha' whe' yer be stoppin' t' change yer sails fer th' weath'r yer food also be restock'd. thi' can be causin' yer pro'lems 'n ruin yer plannin' 'n 's somethin' t' be rememb'r'd.

Helmsman plannin' be th' fin'l part. First be yer helmsman chances. As th' GPRO FAQ be sayin' a numb'r o' 40 be consid'r'd very high fer Rookie. Yer should also be thinkin' tha' th' high'r th' chances th' more yer ship parts be wear'd. Also 'ere be a choice t' let a floow fro' yer armada be passin' yer. Thar be nay harm in lettin' yer armada matey thru 'f thar be one 'n yer squadron

'f a ship part be havin' a pro'lem, 't be makin' sense t' be gettin' 't fix'd 'f 't be fixable, howe'er th' loops remainin' bit be yer person'l choice. Thi' also be person'l choice fer restockin' food 'f yer be comin' t' port fer a pro'lem.

Lastly, yer be givin' yer helmsman startin ord'rs. These be like th' ones fer yer tack loops.

Both o' yer tack loops MUST be done afore 90 minutes afore th racin' startin'. Thi' be true o' yer plannin' as well. Yer can be changin' yer plannin' as much as yer wants but 90 minutes afore th' racin' be due t' start th' Race Setup page be lock'd 'n nay more changes be made.

Day o' racin'

Th' race itself ye get t' jus' watch if ye wants t'. By this point thar be naught ye can do t' affect th' outcome, this means that th' same result will come if ye watch th' whole race, watch bits o' th' race or if ye wench th' whole race.

A wee while aft th' race be completed (usually within half an hour) th' Main Office be fully updated wit' th' results o' th' race. Ye can then collect any data that ye wish t' as well as watch a replay o' th' race at yer owns leisure.

Patrons

Whe' yer first be racin' yer be giv'n a patron fer 10 races tha' be worth 1 Million per race. Thi' also be th' case 't th' start o' yer Rookie squadron challenge aft reset. 't the' be up t' yer t' be gettin' more patrons fer yer ship.

't be quick'r t' be chatt'rin' t' jus' one patron 't a time 'n thi' will the' be pro'gressin' quick'r fer yer. yer be ask'd quest'ons by th' patrons durin' yer chatt'rin'. yer needs t' be answ'rin' afore th' next race, else th' chatt'rin' will nay be movin' for'ard. 't be good t' look fer patrons tha' nay be chatt'rin' t' oth'r captains as 'f 'noth'r captains be gettin' t' 100% first, yer chatt'rin' be cancell'd.

Testin'

Thar be 8 diff'ren' prior'tys tha' be us'd whe' testin'. Whe' yer be testin' 't be costin' yer $1mill 'n be makin' yer ships parts be worn. Yer be getting nay more tha' 10 testin' stints 'n nay more than' 100 loops o'er th' 10 stints.

The ship setup prior'ty be lettin' yer helmsman be givin' yer words o' how th' ship be setup jus' like' yer pra'tice loops.

Th' oth'r prior'tys be earnin' yer diff'rin' numb'rs o' testin' points 'n each o' Wind Strength, Waves 'n Wind Gusts which be the', o'er th' nex' four races, be turnin' t' ship charact'r points which be improvin' yer ship performance. Th' more loops yer be doin' fer each o' th' prior'tys, th' more testin' points yer be gettin'. These be convert'd t' Ship Charact'r points o'er th' nex' 4 races 'n the' be turn'd dependin' 'n yer docks.

'f yer be knowin' yer be advancin' wit' 4 races remainin' yer may be thinkin' t' do some testin'. Thi' be meanin' yer be startin' 'n Amateur wit' some extra ship charact'r points t' be boostin' yer ship.

Docks 'n crew

'n yer Rookie squadron yer may be wantin' t' only upgrade yer Dockside less'ns 'n yer Patrons inn. th' rest o' the docks be t' do wit' testin' 'n 'ow th' testin' points be turn'd t' ship points.

T' be schoolin' yer crew yer o'erall crew le'el needs t' be low'r tha' yer high'st le'el o' schoolin' as show'd 'n yer Crew 'n Docks screen. Thi' schoolin' le'el be made high'r by buyin' more docks.