socher-hayam

name	socher-hayam
description	Play סוחר הים (Sea Merchant) - classic Hebrew DOS trading game in browser via DOSBox emulator. Use when user says 'play socher hayam', 'שחק סוחר הים', or wants to play the sea merchant game.
user_invocable	true

סוחר הים (Socher Hayam) — Sea Merchant

Play the classic 1980s Hebrew DOS trading game through a web-based DOSBox emulator.

URL: https://www.old-games.org/onlineGame/socher1

Setup

1. Load browser tools: select:mcp__claude-in-chrome__tabs_context_mcp,mcp__claude-in-chrome__computer,mcp__claude-in-chrome__gif_creator
2. Get tab context with tabs_context_mcp
3. Create new tab with tabs_create_mcp
4. Navigate to https://www.old-games.org/onlineGame/socher1
5. Wait 3–5 seconds for DOSBox to load
6. Start GIF recording immediately with gif_creator (action: start_recording)
7. Click the game canvas to focus keyboard input — click center of the DOSBox window (~760, 490)

Critical UI Rules

Color = Selection State

• RED highlight = currently SELECTED item (will be acted on)
• GREEN = not selected
• Navigate until the item you want turns RED, then press Enter

Keyboard Controls

• Up/Down arrows — navigate menus and item lists
• Enter — confirm selection / advance
• Escape — go back / cancel
• Number keys then Enter — fill quantity/amount input fields
• NO mouse — everything is keyboard only

Input Fields

When a prompt appears asking "how many?" or "כמה?":

• Type the number using number keys (e.g., press 1 then 2 for 12)
• Press Enter to confirm
• Do NOT press Enter before typing the number

Hebrew Yes/No Prompts (כן/לא)

When the game asks a yes/no question like "האם אתה מוכן להסתכן? כן/לא":

• Press f for כן (Yes) — f maps to the Hebrew letter כ (Kaf)
• Press k for לא (No) — k maps to the Hebrew letter ל (Lamed)
• Then press Enter to confirm
• This is the Israeli Hebrew keyboard layout used by DOSBox

Full Israeli Hebrew keyboard mapping (key → Hebrew letter):

Key	Hebrew	Key	Hebrew
f	כ	k	ל
t	א	b	נ
v	ה	n	מ
a	ש	s	ד
e	ק	r	ר

Map Navigation

• Arrow keys move between destination cities
• Selected destination shows a blue box outline
• Press Enter to confirm travel destination
• If you accidentally go past a destination, press the opposite arrow to go back

Game Structure

Goal: Make the most money by Day 7 through arbitrage trading between cities.

Status Panel (top-right):

• Current city (תורכיה/ישראל/מצרים)
• Day (יום) + Time (שעה)
• Cargo: נחושת (Copper), זיתים (Olives), חיטה (Wheat)
• Cash: כסף מזומון

Price Board (bottom): Shows buy/sell prices in all 3 cities. Use this to find arbitrage opportunities.

Ship capacity: 14 units total across all goods.

Main Menu Options

1. לקנות    — Buy
2. למכור    — Sell
3. לנסוע    — Travel
4. לגשת לבנק — Bank
5. לנוח עד למחרת — Rest until tomorrow

Navigate with Up/Down until desired option turns RED, then press Enter.

Cities & Goods

City	Hebrew	Notes
Turkey	תורכיה	Usually cheap wheat & copper
Israel	ישראל	Usually expensive copper & wheat
Egypt	מצרים	Usually expensive copper

Good	Hebrew	Notes
Copper	נחושת	High value, high profit
Olives	זיתים	Medium value
Wheat	חיטה	Cheap to buy, good margins

Trading Workflow

Buying

1. Main menu → navigate to option 1 (לקנות) → Enter
2. Buy screen shows 3 goods: נחושת (top-right), זיתים (top-left), חיטה (bottom-center)
3. Navigate Up/Down until desired good turns RED → Enter
4. Input field appears: "כמה אתה רוצה?" — type quantity → Enter
5. Returns to main menu with updated inventory

Selling

1. Main menu → navigate to option 2 (למכור) → Enter
2. Same item selection as buying, select item turning RED → Enter
3. Input field: "כמה אתה רוצה למכור?" — type quantity → Enter
4. Returns to main menu with updated cash

Traveling

1. Main menu → navigate to option 3 (לנסוע) → Enter
2. Map appears with ship icon at current city
3. Press Down/Up to navigate between destinations
4. Target city gets a blue box outline when selected
5. Press Enter to confirm
6. Prompt: "כמה ספינות משמר?" (guard ships) — type 1 or 2, press Enter (200 shekels each)
7. Sailing animation plays — wait for arrival (can take 5–15 seconds)
8. If "הספינה נעצרה" appears — press Enter to continue
9. If pirate attack "שודדי ים !!" — press 1 (attack), 2 (flee), or 3 (compromise), then Enter

Events During Travel

Hebrew	Meaning	Action
שודדי ים !!	Pirates!	Choose 1=attack, 2=flee, 3=ransom
הספינה נעצרה	Ship stopped	Press Enter to continue
הפיראטים התגברו	Pirates won	Press Enter (may lose cash)
שביתת פועלים	Workers strike (port closed)	Port unavailable, try again next day

Random Events (unavoidable)

• Theft overnight — random cash stolen while in port
• Crew crisis — crew threatens to leave; offer bribe or accept new crew
• Pirates — attack mid-voyage; guard ships help defend

Strategies

Day 1 (Start in Israel — ישראל)

Best opening move:

• Check price board bottom: buy olives (זיתים) or wheat in Israel if cheap
• OR travel directly to Turkey if Israel prices are high
• Buy goods that Turkey/Egypt sell at higher prices
• Fill ship to capacity (14 units)

Core Arbitrage Loop

Best known routes:

1. Israel → Turkey: Buy olives cheap in Israel (~350), sell in Turkey (~650) = ~85% profit
2. Turkey → Israel: Buy wheat cheap in Turkey (~35), sell in Israel (~70) = 100% profit
3. Turkey → Egypt: Copper in Turkey (~2800), sell Egypt (~3300) = ~18% profit

Maximize Each Trade

• Always fill ship to 14 units
• Check all 3 city prices before deciding destination
• Calculate: (sell price - buy price) × quantity = profit
• Prioritize highest ROI per day of travel

Guard Ships

• 200 shekels each
• 1 guard ship = basic protection
• 2 guard ships = stronger defense
• 0 guard ships = pirates can steal freely
• Worth buying when carrying high-value cargo (copper)

Bank (לגשת לבנק)

• Deposit cash to protect from theft
• Withdraw when needed for trading
• Useful if carrying large amounts of cash

Day Management

• You have 7 days total
• Each voyage takes ~half a day
• Rest (option 5) advances to next morning
• Plan: aim for 2–3 complete trade round-trips

Starting the Game

When the game loads, press Enter through any intro screens. The game starts automatically in Israel (ישראל) on Day 1 (יום ראשון / Sunday) at 8:00.

GIF Recording

• Start recording BEFORE navigating to the URL
• Take screenshot immediately after starting to capture first frame
• Take screenshot before stopping to capture final frame
• Export when game ends: gif_creator (action: export, download: true, filename: "socher-hayam-gameplay.gif")

Gotchas

• Click game canvas before any keyboard input — otherwise keys go to browser, not game
• If keys don't register — click the game area again to refocus
• Red = selected — never press Enter on a green item
• Wait for animations — don't press keys during sailing/event animations
• Israel port strike — if port closed, rest until next day and retry
• Don't over-navigate on map — go Down once for Egypt, Up once from Egypt for Israel
• After buying, Escape returns to main menu — use Escape if stuck in buy/sell screen
• Extension disconnects — call tabs_context_mcp to reconnect, then continue
• כן/לא prompts — press f (= כ) for Yes, k (= ל) for No, then Enter
• Night sailing prompt — say כן (f + Enter) to sail immediately; saying לא waits until morning (safer)