by Oobie » 03 May 2005 04:48
Not sure I agree with you there James. Yes, the Open60 in VSK2 was a bust purely due to the lightning fast capsizes. Race over. That's not fun. And it's not accurate. It takes a LOT to tip a 60ft cat even in 35kn.
The VSK3 version may not capsize and may not display entirely accurate dynamics/graphics but you can have good, fun regattas with them. I agree that they could be improved but I'm not sure that coding in a capsize (a more gradual one like in real life), would actually add to the enjoyment factor, only the realism factor. I think it would be better to wind the boat speed back fairly vigourously when the heel got over a certain value thereby penalising the skipper for poor boat handling but not so much that they might as well retire from the race.
As previously mentioned, the Offshore and Melges are way too touchy in my opinion. Fuck reality I say, when these things broach (usually at leeward marks), it can really screw up a race. Do these boats really stop like that in real life? If they do, then congratulations to Nadeo for being accurate reality-wise, but I kind of doubt it. It's not that I'm not used to them, I do sail them (grumbling all the way mind you) so it's not a matter of familiarity. Sailing Offshore and Melges in VSK2 was heaps of fun and the races were always exciting. Were they realistic? Not in some respects but guys, if we want a true blue simulator, I believe there are better apps out there than VSK. I think the emphasis for VSK should be on enjoyment, not realism at all costs. This is a high priority for me.
Other than that -
Having a true random wind pattern and variable winds across the whole course would be great. High priority.
Team scores calculated on the fly during the race would be great. Medium priority.