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.

A bit of historical context

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.

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.

Season of the Crown

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.

Season of Cane

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