To say the least, there’s a lot happening in the game from the very beginning. Ove owned it for a while but never played as I didn’t have a good computer.
But the day is here. And I am lost. I figured a lil out, like gather port reports and sell them in London. But that’s all I got. I brought a tomb colonist to Vanderbright and… That’s all. I have no idea where to go. There’s little money to start, and fuel is at a premium.
edited by babelfishwars on 4/3/2019
[quote=Vindieselwalker]To say the least, there’s a lot happening in the game from the very beginning. Ove owned it for a while but never played as I didn’t have a good computer.
But the day is here. And I am lost. I figured a lil out, like gather port reports and sell them in London. But that’s all I got. I brought a tomb colonist to Vanderbright and… That’s all. I have no idea where to go. There’s little money to start, and fuel is at a premium.[/quote]
First piece of advice: Follow the stories. Sunless Sea is a narrative survival game while you don’t want to get killed, you really want to be going out and exploring the narratives that you find. The Admiralty’s port report requests are a good early impetus to explore, but eventually you’ll get a request for somewhere on the far side of the map that you’re probably not prepared to find yet, and you’ll have to wait a while before you can fulfill it. The Blind Bruiser’s smuggling, if you can stomach the trade, will also get you out and about, but be aware: returning to London without the asked cargo is likely to end the game for you. Beyond that, follow the stories as you find them. Be aware that your officers have stories, and that these sometimes come to very valuable ends.
Second piece of advice: port reports will float you in the early game. You’ve already discovered this, but let me emphasize the importance of not passing up a port. The value of port reports swings wildly (and you’ll learn soon enough where the best ones are), but almost all of them involve the Admiralty giving you a crate of fuel. After a while, you’ll be making cruises long enough that cashing in the reports will keep the ship going all by itself, so that you can save money for supplies and upgrades to your vessel. When you plan out your routes, find a loop that will maximize the port reports you can bring home.
Third, don’t be afraid of losing. The company is called Failbetter; that should give you a hint as to how to progress in the game. You’re going to lose captains. I doubt anyone has sat down with a fresh copy of Sunless Sea and won the game with the first one. It helps you learn. Also, if you make the right choices, each captain will help set the next one up for success. What are the right choices? Well, getting a will and a townhouse as early as you can afford to is one big improvement. (The will has to be purchased new with each captain–and once you get said townhouse should be a first priority–but if you have one, the house moves from captain to captain.) Making the right choices on the legacy screen can also help your next captain tremendously. Finally, there are a few stories out there that grant qualities to your entire legacy, permanent bonuses that will help all future captains. Where are they? That would be telling, but if you’re interested in spoilers, I can send you a PM with a little more information.
A few captains in, when you’re sitting on a mansion and a pile of cash, when you’ve figured out some standard routes and the best ways to handle a lifeberg, then you’ll have enough resources and Zee-knowledge to worry less about survival and more about the big stories: finding your father’s bones, or founding your own kingdom, or discovering various other ways to win the game. And when you’re done with that? Well, the Zubmariner expansion gives a new ambition, new stories, fascinating new ports, and new ways to die. Or you can drop into the beautiful, new-minted sequel, Sunless Skies. (I’d finish at least one ambition in Sunless Sea first, for learning’s sake, but if you find the Zee too uncongenial, Sunless Skies is a significant iteration in gameplay as well as graphics.)
Happy zailing! and don’t get eaten by a jillyfish.