Trade Winds: Farm to Fortune (Alpha)

Trade Winds is a resource management game set in the 1850s where players build and optimize a transportation network using horses and workers to move goods between farms and towns. The game uniquely focuses on long-term average profit rather than immediate earnings, requiring players to strategize over multiple in-game weeks or even 120 days to assess their network's efficiency. Players can experiment with strategies and compare results using saved game data and various speed settings to maximize their profits. The gameplay emphasizes careful resource allocation and route planning to achieve the highest average profit per team. Ultimately, success relies on building a sustainable and profitable transportation system.

This game is in development. Graphics are in alpha, but they can be replaced using Styles. Please report all bugs or make suggestions for improvements.

Detailed AI Usage Notice: Bit of code for generating town, farm, people and horse names. Graphics on the title screen. The podcast below was produced with AI.

Keyboard Controls

ESCape - Pause / Unpause game

F1 - F12 - Set the game’s speed to 1x to 12x.

SHIFT F1 - F12 - Set the game’s speed to 5x to 60x.

On some UI buttons, SHIFT, CONTROL and ALT are used. For example, ALT on the Farm Button provides a full commodity summary. It identifies the farms that produce the commodity and which towns accept them.

Mouse Controls

Button Tooltips - On all the buttons, move your mouse and hold it over the button for a few seconds, then tap it slightly to reveal the tooltips for the button.

Right-click and Drag - Move the map around.

Wheel-Mouse - Zoom the map.

Left-Click - Select a town or farm when preparing a pathway. Left-click is also used in the Team Setup Area to assign positions on a wagon: Drag-and-drop staff or horses to the wagon slots.

Middle-Click - Mark anything on the map. When you highlight a farm or town, it appears and is marked on the UI. Similarly, the highlight is on the map if you middle-click farms or towns in the UI. Use the “Clear Marker” button in the lower left to clear all markers.