Common Ship Questions

How much do Cargo Ships cost?

 * Answer: Every Cargo Ship costs more than the previous one.

Does the number of troops I send in the attack affect the amount of resources I will receive when pillaging?

 * Answer: Yes and No

When attacking from land, any ships you send with your army will carry 500 resources per ship, as the troops are able to "walk" over to the city, they require no spaces.

When attacking towns on other islands, (sea and land battles), your troops must be transported there, this means you must send them with a specified number of cargo ships for your troops. The troops occupy Cargo Space. If you send 100 ships but 20 of them are filled with soldiers, you will be able to pillage 80 boatloads worth of resources providing that the pillaged town has that amount of unprotected recources.

How do I know if my town is being blockaded?
You are also given the option to send a message to the occupant.
 * Answers :
 * Under the resources bar, a line will come up stating "your port has been blocked by "Occupant"
 * You are also able to check if any enemy ships are blocking your port by clicking on the "Troops in town" tab, where you are also able to see what ships the enemy has stationed there.

How long can the blockade last?

 * Answer: It lasts until the blockade is broken.
 * When you decide to blockade someone, you are asked to set how many ships you wish to send, if there is an enemy fleet present, a sea battle will occur. In this case, if your ships are defeated, the blockade will fail, however if your ships are victorious, a blockade will be put in effect (surviving enemy ships will however remain in the town's port leading to potential counter attacks). Keep in mind though that upkeep for warships costs twice the amount of their regular upkeep.
 * When faced with a blockade some suggest simply waiting as the best solution, many times a blockade is put in effect before a pillaging attack (to block emergency shipping of resources to other towns). After the attack, the ships are usually withdrawn. If you think you have a far superior fleet however, you may want to counter-attack them, also note that building ships is possible during a blockade, allowing you to build up a fleet.
 * Be aware, that if a player is blocking your port, but has removed all of their warships, you are able to rebel and free your port even if you have NO warships.

Is it true that if I don't have a Trading port (or Shipyard) I can't be blockaded?

 * Answer: No

You can be blockaded with or without a port. However, it is essential to have a trading port to be succesful in Ikariam. Furthermore, you can't buy Cargo Ships without a port, and you can't trade without Cargo Ships. And if you can't trade, how will you acquire the resources missing in your island? Although you might be able do this in your colony, this is not a viable option for your capital.

How many Cargo Ships do I need to set up a new colony?

 * Answer: A minimum of three must be available. Each Cargo Ship can hold 500 resources. They must carry the amount required for setting up the colony + ( ) and can send up to 210 more units without increasing the number of ships used. By using more Cargo Ships, you can send even more resources to help start your colony.

Tip: You can not ship too many resources starting the colony, because initial storage capacity of the colony (before building a warehouse) is only 2,500 units of and 2,500 units of each luxury good.

Also, if you have too many goods in a new colony (which is usually undefended) people will pillage all your hard earned resources.