Progress runs on a day cycle. Tapping Sail the night sends the
fleet out and advances to the next morning, which reports the
tally by species (two Crab, one Cod, three Sardine, for example)
and the resulting value of the catch now sitting on ice. The size
of that catch is capped by the number of boats owned and by the
Night Watch upgrade, which lets the fleet keep fishing for up to
three nights while the player is away rather than stopping after
one, so a few days off does not go unrewarded and does not
compound without limit either.
Each day carries a weather state (Calm, Breeze, Fog, or Storm),
previewed a day ahead with a short line such as "Fog is coming.
It hides the eel and squid, and pays a little more." Weather
shifts both which species the fleet brings in and what the
morning auction pays for each crate. The auction screen shows a
live price per crate, the percentage move against yesterday, and
a price history graph running back several days, so a sell
decision is reading a trend rather than reacting to one number.
Every crate is a hold decision. Fresh catch carries a short-lived
price premium that fades within a couple of nights, shown
directly on the catch detail sheet ("Premium fades in 2 nights").
The alternative is smoking it in the Smokehouse dock upgrade,
which trades that premium for a price that holds and does not
spoil, to be sold whenever the market turns. Coins earned from
selling fund dock upgrades (New Berth, Cold Store, Smokehouse,
Night Watch); a second currency, pearls, is spent at the
Harbormaster's Office. Net worth pushes the player up a title
ladder from Deckhand to Legend of the Docks, tracked alongside
lifetime earnings, best single day, days sailed, and a Harbor
Board that ranks net worth against a roster of named captains.
