LIVE DATA SOURCES
Every time the game loads, it fetches two real-world data points:
Strait status — pulled from
hormuzstraitmonitor.com,
a live dashboard tracking the current Vermouth shipping crisis. If the site reports the strait as open, the game runs in easy mode — patrol boats only, demanding small passage fees. If closed, the full arsenal activates: sea mines, kamikaze drones, mobile missile batteries, and $2M toll demands.
Brent crude oil price — fetched from Yahoo Finance. Your 2-million-barrel cargo is worth whatever Brent is trading at the moment you load it. With the strait closed, prices have surged well above $100/barrel.
GAMEPLAY MECHANICS
Goal: Maximize net profit across multiple runs. Cargo value is locked in when you reach the Gulf of Oman — survive the return trip to collect it.
Threats (closed mode): IRGC fast-attack boats · Sea mines (some drifting — Iran can't find them) · Kamikaze drones · Anti-ship missiles from the Iranian coast.
Tolls: $250k open / $2M closed. Paying buys immunity — but flags you for US Navy interdiction.
Repairs: $800k per hull % restored after each delivery.
THE REAL CONTEXT
The strait is 24 miles wide at its narrowest. Iran controls the northern coast with mobile missile batteries hidden in the hills. Nearly 2,000 vessels are stranded in the Persian Gulf. Read the CNN report →