Comments and requests from new user

[Frobisher]

Hi,

Very impressed with SS5. Good graphics and much more convincing sense of floating and sailing than other similar sims. I like the cameras and the clear mouse point/click navigation and simulator controls.

There are a few things I am not sure of though, and hope someone will advise. There are also a few apparent flaws which I feel could improve this sim with very little effort, so please take these comments as respectful:

1). I don't understand the mapping for a joystick or other device (like a wheel). I have thoroughly read the manual but the control menu system appears confusing. I would like to assign my controller so the POV can operate the camera, the joystick/wheel to control rudder and other sliders to control the sheets. How do I do this? The control dialogue is very confusing and hard to fathom!

2). The map/chart is either too small or too big. Why not have a custom-sizeable chart?
2a). The red line charting the boats movement needs to be able to be cleared. When lining up for a match that red line becomes a complete mess and the symbols/text should be redesigned so everything is crystal clear and elegant. The whole chart becomes a mess due to poor choice of fonts, sizes and user info graphics.

3). I was very disappointed to discover that there is no AI so that one can practice a match or live course offline. Sailing on one's own can become quite lonely! Would the developers consider at least a basic system with say, 5 to 10 AI boats? Surely this is a very basic requirement for a simulator.

4). Though the cameras are good, it would be better to be able to save or memorise custom views, but each time the view reverts to default rather than recalling the last view angle/zoom for a given camera. I realise there is a "pin" for one custom view.

5). I created a custom match course successfully, but there are many confusions about this and possible flaws:

It seems there is no way to use this to practice offline.

Once the course is created I can only choose one or two boat placement points when the situation is loaded. Why not be able to simply click a place on the chart and designate it the boats location point when the match loads?

I don't know how to use a custom made course to practice with offline because after creating the course there are no options to do a practice match. There is no ability to practice as though it was a real race, no start/finish graphics, no course animated arrows, no finish line and no sounds, and no ability to set a countdown or timing.

This is a great sim. It needs better maps and the restriction to race only in multiplayer is a pity. I realise that creating an AI engine is not easy, but given the price of the sim plus the addon boats I think some kind of offline racing would be very useful.

[JohnnyJupiter]

I'll take a shot at a few answers, no guarantees...

In reference to your numbers,
1. I was able to get a Logitech Rumblepad 2 working using the Settings -> Control dialog. For analog things, like main sheet, you select that control, then wiggle the analog stick back and forth on the axis you want. For digital things, like POV to use your example, pretty much the same: select the control to modify, then push your POV position. When you succeed in changing a control, the text in the control dialog will change to reflect it. It took me a while to get this somewhat figured out. And I assume you've verified ahead of time that your game controller is working properly on all counts.(?) I also still see that it sometimes takes a couple of attempts to get a change to be recognized, but that just might be me still getting used to the software.

2. Map: scale using your mouse wheel.
2a. Dunno.

3. Yeah, might be nice but why not just join in the fun? You can join a session without joining the match, so you could watch other boats race to get some hints. But it's better to just start racing, many of us are not experts. And many are, BTW, just not me!

4. Doesn't bother me, so nothing to add here.

5. Haven't done a custom course, so I'm no help here.

HTH,
JJ

[Admiral]

2a). The red line charting the boats movement needs to be able to be cleared. When lining up for a match that red line becomes a complete mess and the symbols/text should be redesigned so everything is crystal clear and elegant. The whole chart becomes a mess due to poor choice of fonts, sizes and user info graphics.

Once you zoom in, you can use the red line as plotted course, of course thats only of help if you have to sail a specific leg more then once.

3). I was very disappointed to discover that there is no AI so that one can practice a match or live course offline. Sailing on one's own can become quite lonely! Would the developers consider at least a basic system with say, 5 to 10 AI boats? Surely this is a very basic requirement for a simulator.

AI boats if available could only sail the fastest course disregarding tactics etc. as there is no rule engine (yet).
I for my part would think an AI is only useful if that AI can realisticly sail a race.

5). I created a custom match course successfully, but there are many confusions about this and possible flaws:

It seems there is no way to use this to practice offline.

Once the course is created I can only choose one or two boat placement points when the situation is loaded. Why not be able to simply click a place on the chart and designate it the boats location point when the match loads?

I don't know how to use a custom made course to practice with offline because after creating the course there are no options to do a practice match. There is no ability to practice as though it was a real race, no start/finish graphics, no course animated arrows, no finish line and no sounds, and no ability to set a countdown or timing.

AFAIK there is no difference between practicing on-line where no-one enters your race, and offline practice.

Either set up a organized session with a password or set up a race in your local network (LAN). For a local race you do not need an internet connection. (BTW. by publishing your public IP when connected to the internet to other players and setting up a router to forward traffic to the port used by sail simulator, other players can join your private race over the internet.)

LAN races as well as organized on-line races or perfect for testing as you can control when to start, stop and do it again. I advice you to train against the clock.

Courses you build can even be shared. See here: http://vivarace.de/forum/viewtopic.php?f=92&t=2143

Check also here: http://www.norsail.org/en/downloads/cat ... ace-center

[Frobisher]

Thanks for the useful replies. I've sussed the control thingy now, and also realise you can clear the red course line by repositioning (clicking the boat icon) on the chart.

Cheers.

[Timbo]

Hi am new to sail sim 5,
Been a user of ship simulator since it came out now extremes and thought would give this a try,
still reading the manual only got the game last week.They did put this game on there site a few years ago but thought
would give it a go with the new boat set as well must say like the look of it a lot.

The only thing that i would like to see is a A1 boat in single player mode where you can sail alone or have the option
to sail with one boat to race you,know you cannot do that now but i hope there will be a update someday.

I also know you can race online mutiplayer but sorry not into this side of games the same with shipsim i like playing
missions,not so much free roam.

Any way added my bit hope the Devs read this and thats for reading. Cheers Timbo

[Admiral]

I also know you can race online mutiplayer but sorry not into this side of games the same with shipsim i like playing
missions,not so much free roam.

Don't know what you see as a mission.. but in sailing there's only so much you can do..
either you successfully navigate from A to B, including safely navigating heavy seas. From that
you can progress to doing it faster then others. In on-line sailing you opt for sailing an on-line course
as fast as possible.. (fastest time) or you opt for crossing the finish line ahead of others.

The game itself only looks at the time. Rules (ISAF Racing Rules of Sailing) have to be enforced by the players them selves,
or they can agree to accept an umpires (driving a RIB) decision. That includes keeping score as players or an umpire (or a jury after a race is done) cannot change finishing times or positions when a skipper infringed a rule and neglected to take appropriate penalties.

Apart from sailing the course faster then others, you might like the tactical side of sailing more and should try
Match Racing which basically evolves around finishing before a single opponent every which way possible including
using the rules to gain tactical advantages by eg. forcing opponents to infringe rules so they have to take penalty turns.
On top of that there's Team Racing where teams of boats use every which way possible within the rules to gain advantages over boats of the opposing team where you have to keep an eye on your teammates as well as on your opponents.

Check out the community sites for either participating in organized racing, upholding rules and possibly get some ideas to organize your own races.