GD Notes #6. Seasons
Ahoy!
Hoist the topsails — set a course for the Bay of Creativity!
Kirill here. Consider yourselves officially and emphatically greeted.
This is the first proper devlog for 1.8 Maritime Update, and today we’re talking about Seasons.
The idea hit me when, during one of my playthroughs, I got a notification that my three-year trade license (earned in the Dutch quest “Prison Break") had expired.
And I thought:
“Wait… three years already? And I didn’t even notice.”
That’s when it clicked: the game didn’t really have a sense of time.
The Caribbean just… exists.
And you, as a player, simply explore it.
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[h2]A bit of historical context[/h2]
In the Caribbean Sea, “seasons” don’t work the way people from temperate climates expect.
No familiar summer and winter with temperature swings, no red-and-gold rainy autumn days in Cuba, no spring thaw and first snowdrops in Antigua.
But that doesn’t mean the archipelago lacks rhythm or cycles.
Humidity shifts. Currents change. Winds rage — then calm.
Every colonist and free captain lives by that cycle.
And players won’t be able to ignore it either.
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Seasons
When we introduced the Stories system, it was obvious we wouldn’t get away with stealth alone.
In this update, every time a Season changes, you’ll face a matching Story.
We split the Caribbean year into four equal parts — aligned with the familiar “seasons” so nobody gets lost.
Each one hits the whole archipelago with powerful global effects, focused on the big yearly changes that matter.
And each year, those Seasons won’t play out the same.
Sometimes you’ll get a harsher Season than usual.
Sometimes it’s the opposite — and, against all expectations, the Season of Storm might pass without storms or sickness.
Of course, one captain can’t change whatever has already happened on a global scale.
But you can be more — or less — prepared.
A seasoned trader will squeeze far more out of the market frenzy during the Season of Sugarcane.
And staying on friendly terms with the Smugglers can seriously soften the shortages of the Season of Shade.
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[h2]Season of the Crown[/h2]
Archival image of galleons — the symbols of imperial power in the Caribbean.
Winter is a time of renewal and return. The north-easterly winds grow steady and predictable, making long Atlantic crossings far safer.
That’s when people and goods arrive from Europe. Governors receive fresh orders and reports, while patrols and royal convoys crisscross the sea.
During the Season of the Crown, pirate activity noticeably fades.
Shops are replenished with crown goods — timber, gunpowder, provisions.
Repairs are cheaper.
Recruiting a crew is easier.
If you’re hunting strategic supplies, this is your moment.
To strengthen their influence, the powers send far more royal convoys in this Season — and you’ll have a much easier time running into them.
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[h2]Season of Cane[/h2]
The last weeks of dry weather are the perfect time to bring in the colonial harvest — first and foremost, sugarcane. Currents and trade winds push toward their peak, and Caribbean commerce blossoms. Thousands of enslaved people are brought from Africa on overcrowded ships, while caravans loaded with spices, timber, and tobacco sail day and night toward the imperial colonies.
This Season is a trader’s paradise.
Stores overflow with colonial goods.
The gap between import and export prices grows.
And even the rising pirate activity can’t drown out the greed and hunger for profit swallowing the whole archipelago.
Buy a trade license at a discount.
Pack your holds to the beams.
Make your fortune while it’s still possible.
Because very soon…
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[h2]Season of Storm[/h2]
Archival image of El Casador in a storm. In the Season of Storm, even a giant like that can end up one breath away from death.
The midpoint of the calendar year is behind us, and the wet season begins. Winds turn unpredictable, and the sea grows more eager with each passing day to drag an unlucky captain down. The Atlantic starts to become an impassable barrier — and only madmen try to sail for Europe, gambling on the last calm days.
The Season of Storm is a trial for every captain.
The raging elements will test every ship and every port.
Disease spreads.
Goods vanish from shelves.
Sailors refuse to put to sea.
The Caribbean seems to fall silent.
And finding wreckage is far easier than finding an intact ship.
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[h2]Season of Shade[/h2]
The hurricanes that torment the Atlantic finally subside — but their последствия are felt everywhere. Garrisons are hollowed out by sickness and hunger, trade chains are broken, and the Caribbean freezes in time waiting for winter. In this season the sea turns crimson: starving, furious pirates run wild along the coasts, national fleets try to bite off the fattest piece from weakened rivals, and smugglers become the richest and most valuable people in the archipelago.
This is the season of payback and war.
Cut off from Europe by an Atlantic you can’t cross, weakened and vicious, the powers start devouring each other like spiders in a jar.
At sea, there’s nothing left but pirates and battles.
War fleets raid exhausted colonies again and again.
Shortages become downright brutal.
Your job is to survive until the Season of the Crown — or use the chaos to bite off a piece for yourself.
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Effects
Cycle after cycle, year after year, the Caribbean will change — and so will you.
The global map will react to the Seasons change: fleet activity and events will shift along with them.
Fleet / Event
Season of the Crown
Season of Cane
Season of Storm
Season of Shade
Royal convoys
🔴 Dominant
🟠 Active
🟡 Weakened
🔵 Fading
Patrols
🔴 Dominant
🟠 Active
🔵 Fading
🟡 Weakened
Merchants
🟠 Active
🔴 Dominant
🟡 Weakened
🔵 Fading
Pirates
🔵 Fading
🟠 Active
🟡 Weakened
🔴 Dominant
War fleets
🟠 Active
🔵 Fading
🟡 Weakened
🔴 Dominant
Battles
🟡 Weakened
🟠 Active
🔵 Fading
🔴 Dominant
Slave traders
🟡 Weakened
🔴 Dominant
🔵 Fading
🟠 Active
Storms
🔵 Fading
🟡 Weakened
🔴 Dominant
🟠 Active
Shipwrecks
🟡 Weakened
🟠 Active
🔴 Dominant
🔵 Fading
You’ll feel these shifts directly — on yourself and on your fleet.
[h3]Season of the Crown[/h3]
Good news arrived from the alma mater: in Europe, a major dynastic marriage has been sealed, strengthening ties between long-time rivals. Tensions drop both at home and in the Caribbean, and many veteran soldiers are demobilized. Those old hands flood the taverns — and the quality of hired crews rises sharply.
Hired crew experience +30%
Crew experience gain speed +25%
Now every nation tries to cash in on fresh strength and expand its influence. Any governor will welcome help — and becoming an enemy of the state is suddenly easier than you’d think. Letters of marque are handed out more freely; the Caribbean is awash with weapons and people eager to use them. It’s a season of opportunity.
Nation reputation change x2
[h3]Season of Sugarcane[/h3]
This year the islands yield an especially rich haul. Sugar mills smoke without pause, tobacco barns are bursting, and the shore is stacked in rows with mahogany and blackwood logs. Trade is so wild the harbors look like one endless warehouse. Convoys sail out loaded to the brim — yet cargo still arrives faster than anyone can ship it away. In conditions like these, sellers are forced to fight for every buyer.
Colonial goods stock +120%
The Caribbean is stirred by news from Europe: the court has fallen into a fresh obsession with sweets. Receptions now serve coffee and chocolate; feasts end with candied fruits and syrups — and no self-respecting noble wants to look cheap. Sugar sells faster than it can be delivered. Merchant houses secure lucrative orders and buy up shipments in the imperial colonies in advance, without waiting for open sale.
Import price +7%
[h3]Season of Storm[/h3]
On the eve of the summer season, the heat doesn’t let up for a single day. Normally, around the turn of May and June, you get a couple of last cool days — but this year the straits warmed far more than usual, and storms will be born one after another. Before one hurricane passes, another is already gathering on the horizon. Winds will switch direction without warning, and even familiar routes will turn into traps. Stay sharp.
Storm damage +25%
Bad weather, heat, and relentless disease scare many sailors away from signing on during the Season of Storm — and this year the manpower shortage will be especially severe. The season begins with an outbreak of tropical malaria, and the empty taverns make one thing clear: assembling a crew won’t be easy.
Recruits -75%
[h3]Season of Shade[/h3]
This year the Season of Storm was especially vicious. Outbreaks swept the Caribbean like a death-whirlwind, emptying towns and barracks. Only the toughest survived — and now no illness frightens them. That lets you save a serious amount on medicine.
Medicine consumption -25%
After the summer hurricanes, reefs and shoals are choked with debris. By order of the governors, everything valuable is hauled to forts and shipyards — planks, yards, anchors, even whole masts. Cannons are pulled from the holds, scraped clean of rust, and stored away. There’s more material than anyone expected, so repairs don’t spike quite as hard.
Shipyard repair price +40%
Shipyard cannon stock +25%
Large-caliber cannons available
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Conclusion
The next notes will be out exactly one week from now.
There we’ll talk about the new shooting system, boarding, and much more.
These notes focus only on the key points — the big mechanics that need explanation.
But you know perfectly well the patch doesn’t end there.
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Thanks
You reacted very active to the poll we ran in the previous post.
Polls are always a sensitive topic.
They ask the audience to click a link and spend time thinking through an answer.
That’s incredibly valuable to us.
And we’re grateful for your participation.
The results will take time to process, and we’ll share them as soon as we’re done.
By the time this text was written, 1343 respondents had taken part (18.5% of those who read the notes to the end) — a seriously impressive number.
We value every response and will review them carefully.
Not many studios can brag about an audience this engaged.
And ours is the best in the world!
The best ideas will go straight into the work queue for Update 2.0.
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Interesting mods
What personally caught the author’s eye.
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https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3670613839
A big, juicy, powerful, well-crafted mod that adds a new character to Free Play, with a small storyline of their own and an adaptation of the main game’s story content.
Author — WickedGranny.
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https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3433429137
A fresh update for the Direct Sail mod.
We’re unlikely to work on that mode ourselves, so fans of it are putting all their hopes on Gregg.
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https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3672520320
An excellent mod that expands sail recoloring and fixes an ancient bug we never seem to have enough time for.
Author — NathanAlejver, winner of the previous season.
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https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3672115386
A small tweak that makes one of the most useful merchant ship traits even more useful.
Author — K1ndr3d.
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https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3662215182
A solid little mod by Winarik that reworks junk dealers’ stock and adds progression based on player rank.
It helps make crafting a deeper mechanic.
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Image enhancedWorking for you :jollyr: