WE WANT SOME NEWS ! ! ! ! ! !

[Barry]

Stefan I just found your pm from a month or 2 ago and replied.
Questions were basically same as asked over the months and years.

1. Tides up to 11 metres at Liverpool?

2. background boat traffic even if just on fixed tracks set in scenery designer as was mentioned a while ago ?

3.Scenery designer in plus version available from usual UK supplier as previous as don't order online and on dial up?

4.Function for gaff rig suitable for boats of 200 years ago which is my era of interest as not into racing or sailing techniques, etc.

5. Will the functions of Scenery Designer be integrfated for satellite data as there may be difficulties for others trying to download 3DEM etc which is required to make the bt. file.

Probably oter questions but I think they were the basics.

Still typing on half a clear screen so may be typing errors but should have new computer in a week or 2 and will see how the current simulator runs on Vista (have the file needed saved).

Barry

[Barry]

Just received the latest news letter from Stentec re ss5.

Quote "Sail Simulator 5 development. The end of September a first test version v5.0.0.0 was released as a starting point for further development. See the first screenshot below. In version 5 a lot of new technology can be found. Read more in: Sail Simulator 5 compared with v4.1. "

Also there is a pdf file you can download re 4.2 compared to SS5, so I learn't a bit more.

Apparently much faster than 4.2 version as based on C++

Also apparently possible to sail around the world if the sceneries are made by somebody

So next maybe some news of the all important scenery designer and perhaps new interest will start building up as forum is well and truly in the doldrums.

Barry

[Casey Jones]

Any way to show us a copy of that screenshot m8?

I'd love to learn more about SS5 ..

SS4 is really awesome.. I just got it.. Once the (real) sailing season is over and my buddies boat gets hauled I think I will make some race maps and see if anyone's interested in an occasional race night

Sounds like a fun sailing night winter activity

[artpier]

Just so you guys don't think you are completely alone, I'm sitting here waiting patiently for SS5. Will the v4 scenery be compatible? Or should I wait to go back to work on my scenery for Puget Sound. in the US. There doesn't seem to be any US scenery around.

[Barry]

Just so you guys don't think you are completely alone, I'm sitting here waiting patiently for SS5. Will the v4 scenery be compatible? Or should I wait to go back to work on my scenery for Puget Sound. in the US. There doesn't seem to be any US scenery around.

With no real news from Stentec regarding the Scenery Designer, collision properties, or anything relative, I would say best to wait as anybody's guess what might work with SS5 and what will not.

I know the Scenery Designer definitely no longer works with Vista and won't load, and XP is no longer supported summer 2008 I think.


B

[artpier]

Thanks Barry.
I'll probably keep playing with what I have. Maybe by the time they the new one out, I'll have figure out hoe to do forests.The Pacific Northwest just doesn't look right without trees.

[Barry]

Thanks Barry.
I'll probably keep playing with what I have. Maybe by the time they the new one out, I'll have figure out hoe to do forests.The Pacific Northwest just doesn't look right without trees.

Hi

For trees and forests you need to use an alpha texture. Problem is they only work in the motorboat sim as the function is not in sailsim.
This is just say a photo of tree line on a black background and the black is invisible, or photo of tree with 2 interlaced together, then joined in groups.

Even then the inviisble part can make the solid part invisible.
I asked Stentec years ago and seems is a common problem but other simulators seem to get it to work OK?

If you have downloaded any of my routes these usually have an alpha in the name plus the bmp or tga image.

Barry

[artpier]

I'm not sure if that would work since I use sailsim. I'm not really too concerned about single trees. Thats a rarity here. I'm more interested in forest covered terrain. Would a texture work? Can I even use a texture on the terrain?


I wonder if these guys (Stentec) realize what they have here. Microsoft Flight sim wasn't as good as this when I started using it.. Now they have virtual airlines. This could every bit as good. I've tried quite a few sailing sims and this one is by far the best.

[artpier]

Well ok The best I've run into yet.

[Barry]

I'm not sure if that would work since I use sailsim. I'm not really too concerned about single trees. Thats a rarity here. I'm more interested in forest covered terrain. Would a texture work? Can I even use a texture on the terrain?


I wonder if these guys (Stentec) realize what they have here. Microsoft Flight sim wasn't as good as this when I started using it.. Now they have virtual airlines. This could every bit as good. I've tried quite a few sailing sims and this one is by far the best.

Replies to your posts are a bit spread but I made a bitmap texture for the Conway River Scenery. so you could put a forest texture on it. I used grass and rocks combined with the basic colour bands.

Altug also used them in his sceneries I think.
See my site. then links. Inn Tutorial.
It works with m/b sim and I think it will work with sailsim.
Not much of it visible but mixed rock and grass etc.
Program Files/Common Files/Stentec Shares/Sceneries/then in textures folder
512 pixel sq bmp.
Not sure if it is supposed to be used in sailsim but think it will work?

Try one for forest texture?
Needs seamless texture. Also need to expand it out in scenery designer.
See the Gimp in Inn Tutorial.

Like yourself tried a few sail simulators and Stentec sim is quite user friendly but very much do it yourself at present.

You could make a treeline without the alpha texture by cutting out the approximate shape in Blender to any size you want in length an height. Following the approximate line of the trees.
Same as I made but without alpha texture.

Would only take a few minutes, to make and they might look OK for distant shots with a few single trees or small groups in the forground.
You would need some decent photos.
Crop them to just show the tree lines.


I can't try anything with a non working scenery designer with Vista, Have XP on the other but basic graphics as the graphics card has gone.

SS5 has been delayed a few years so hopefully Stentec are now starting to expand it to it's full
potential, and not just for racing

Barry

[gaffers]

I would like to know if there is a date for SS5? I have downloaded the simulator for 4.2 and its great but I dont want to buy version 4.2 for ver 5 to come out 2 weeks later......

[Jeroen Schlaman]

The exact release-date is not set right now, but it won't be within a couple of weeks for sure