When beginning the game, only ten of the missions are unlocked. More missions become unlocked as players complete the missions that are already open. The missions start out easy and progressively become more complex, but players can re-play missions to get a better score or win more money. Money, of course, is the reward players obtain after completing missions, providing they do not damage their ships or the environment.
In a few cases, if you bash your ship into a person or a reef, the mission is immediately over. The more difficult the mission is, the more money you get! Unfortunately there really isn’t anything you can do with the money you earn, it is simply there to attest to your achievements. It would really be more interesting if players could purchase boats or environments based on the money they accrued… but I suppose dreamcatcher is trying to make us all extremely frugal millionaires.
There are several types of ships and boats that are playable in the game. They include a container vessel, cargo ship, harbot patrol boat, tugboat, speedboat, water taxi, royal yacht, and the RMS Titanic. SS claims that these boats are very realistic in their handling, but as I have never guided the Titanic across the Atlantic, I wouldn’t really be able to judge the handling. The detail on these boats is very good, and on the Titanic it is even possible to take a walkthrough of the ship.
The importance of the scroll wheel on the mouse is so that players can guide their ships using different views; from third person to first person in a few scrolls. Ships are easier to navigate in third person, especially when making sure not to run over drowning people or smash into a rocky outcrop. Another aspect of the ship realism is the speed at which they travel. Driving a speedboat over ramps and around buoys can be really exciting. On the other hand, waiting two minutes to get a container ship to move forward left me twiddling my thumbs or reading the newspaper during missions. The immense amount of time it takes to complete larger ship missions can be really boring during the early missions. Later when a few ships are added the monotony is broken by micro-management, but the first few missions were like watching sloths race. Ugh.
