Facebook

Login

Support Sailonline

If you haven't already - join the SAILONLINE YACHT CLUB!

Please also consider making a donation - all amounts are greatly appreciated!

Board » General Discussion » SOL - 3D Version

Page: 1 2 3 4 Next

Just a question,just curious...

Will SOL ever try to have a 3D version like SailX.com?

Is it possible?

I would definitely become a paying member if SOL went 3D.
St. Lucie - Jupiter Ocean Racing Association (SJORA)

Poll: Would you like to see SOL in 3D?

You need to be logged in to vote.
To CKH: I have been hinting, cajoling, promulgating, asking----you name it----for just such a development in SOL. I have been using as an example of what can be done, the free downloadable program "Virtual Sailor" by Ilan Papini. While his program is not suitable for a large number of racers, and it pretty much confined to part of the Aegean Sea, it does have good visuals, with waves and weather, land scenery and ports,manual as well as autopilot steering, as well as manual and auto sail adjustment. The weather and wind, however are exactly the same across the entire map (adjustable by user), and are not linked to NOAA.
I have been using it in 20 boat races, with the other 19 controlled by the computer.(Unfortunately I can always win because [as we all know] computers are not very imaginative.)
However it does show what can be done, if we want.
I think it is clear that if a more visual and realistic racing program was to be developed, the present SOLers would change over to it 'en masse'
I attach a view.
p.s. You also get the chart, with boat positions and tracks.

--- Last Edited by Rod at 2011-04-15 14:38:54 ---

--- Last Edited by Rod at 2011-04-15 17:11:54 ---
If it breaks, it's not strong enough--if it doesn't, it's too heavy.
Attachments
I for one would Not prefer that this idea is adopted wholesale.

Why ?

I think it would jeopardize the free aspect of this site and would require significant overhead both on the server & client side.

Those of us who have slower internet access and/or less capable computers, would be squeezed out of future participation.

I therefore affirm the schematic approach to this elegant presentation
None so blind
The price for the down-loadable Virtual Sailor 4 is about $35 Canadian, which sis just about the same for the "Sailonline Yacht Club" membership, (which I am not a member of) so the two things are comparable. The VS4 program contains a great number of things which would not be needed for SOL, like freighters, submarines, guided missiles, fish, dolphins, seagulls, etc etc. The cost would be less than VS4, and would be payable only once.
I am not trying to sell VS4 in any way--it has its frustrations and is not at all suitable for what SOLers would need--it just demonstrates what can be done if we want.
If it breaks, it's not strong enough--if it doesn't, it's too heavy.
You wouldn't even have to go as far as virtual sailor. look at SAILX.com.
This is also a free sailing site.
You can pay for membership just like here in SOL.

take a look... www.sailx.com

O wonder if this is possible
St. Lucie - Jupiter Ocean Racing Association (SJORA)
Took a look at SailX and was not particularly impressed by its degree of realism. Little boat outlines running around at impossibly high speeds, while the controls are "suggestions to the actual skipper"---Are we back to rich men and paid crews?---anyway, to cut a long litany of derogatory comments to one....NO.
The degree of realism is just one step above SOL---you can actually see the boat's wake!!!!
p.s. Has anyone actually looked into the """FREE""" Virtual Skipper program to determine just what you actually can get??

--- Last Edited by Rod at 2011-04-16 18:16:07 ---
If it breaks, it's not strong enough--if it doesn't, it's too heavy.
you actually clicked on the 3d button? becasue there is 2d and 3d option. It is a simple 3d, compared to Virtual sailor. I think virtual sailor is great, but too much. I think the sailx 3d is just right, simple and easy, and still free.

The controls in sailx have a slight learning curve, but then again, if you sail in real life there is always that learning curve when controling a boat, that is what makes it so much fun and so challenging.
Not that SOL needs that sort of control, but the #D would make it a bit more exciting and REAL.
3D FOR SOL!
:)
St. Lucie - Jupiter Ocean Racing Association (SJORA)
Will try 3D and see. When I did before I got only an overhead view of one boat "model" with a mast and a mainsail. I couldn't find the control to shift to a panoramic view, and I couldn't find a plan of the racecourse.
I will persevere, but the list of different controls is so long (2 pages) that I don't know how you memorize. Also, can you slow it down to "real" speeds
p.s. I do like your "SLIGHT learning curve"

--- Last Edited by Rod at 2011-04-17 14:18:23 ---

--- Last Edited by Rod at 2011-04-17 14:20:07 ---
If it breaks, it's not strong enough--if it doesn't, it's too heavy.
guys,
this is simply not feasible (from a technical point of view), nor desirable.
It is not possible to synchronize the operation of such a large number of users (SOL averages 300 to 400 but can go up to 700) in different part of the world, with different connection/bandwidth, computational power etc. I think it would be difficult even on a MultiGBit LAN where everyone is sitting near to his opponents.

Virtual Skipper, SailX etc. are arcade games which are good for short races and a very small number of participants. Nice to have fun for a couple of hours hoping that you don't loose sync 100m from the finish line.

While we wait for ultra-reliable TeraBit connections I guess we have the choice:

1) good graphics, waves, even wife throwing buckets of iced salt water on our face ->> VSK & co
2) essential graphics, but a large number of simultaneous users (we can still have wife with the iced water bucket during updates) ->> SOL

The two worlds cannot mix at the moment.
But again, we have the choice

a.
One small correction---Virtual Skipper is in no sense an "Arcade Game". There is NO GAME. It is just an environment in which you have access to several types of boats, ships and planes, an ocean upon which to sail, land, airports, harbours and towns,----and from there you do what you wish. I use it for racing sailboats, others for torpedoing freighters, some explore the sea bottom and some just sail or motor around from port to port, some even fly aircraft. It is all contained within your own computer, so contact with other users is essentially the same as in SOL and would probably have about the same server load.
p.s. I am in no way suggesting that VS be used as a replacement for SOL, but instead that SOL can add similar features to the SOL programming to provide a more up-to-date and imaginative racing/sailing experience for the SOL user community

--- Last Edited by Rod at 2011-04-18 16:40:50 ---
If it breaks, it's not strong enough--if it doesn't, it's too heavy.

Page: 1 2 3 4 Next

Please login to post a reply.

Races

Next Race: 00d 00h 00m


Current Races:

Round Hong Kong TIMED Race 2025

This month’s TIMED race takes us to the hectic, bustling sea lanes of the South China Sea for a 118 nm race beginning and ending in Hong Kong rounding several of the 260 nearby islands along the way. The boat for this race is the South African built Cape 31. This is a TIMEDrace so you may RE-REGISTER HEREto try again after finishing a run. You will have 13 days and 11 hours to test your skill and decision making after the race opens.
Race #1964
INFOby brainaid.de
Cape 31 Particulars
WX Updates:
0430 / 1030 / 1630 / 2230
Ranking:
TRQ4 - TRCH - SUPSOL - SYC
RACE CLOSE: Saturday,
22 November at 23:00 UTC
Race starts: Nov 09th 12:00 Registration will open soon
▶ Flash
GO TO RACE

Red Eye - Frisian Isles Trophy 2025

For our final “Red Eye” race, we invite you to cross the Noord Zee to the Wadden Zee, where a 160nm course around a few sandy islands raced on SOL only once before in 2010 awaits you. We don’t have a replica of Erskine Childers’ Dulcibella in our boathouse, and in any case if we took her out, we might well contract more than one “Red Eye”, so instead we’ll race our very own riddle of the sands in Farr 400s!
Race #1848
INFOby brainaid.de
Farr 400 PARTICULARS
WX Updates:
0430 / 1030 / 1630 / 2230
Ranking: SYC - RED

RACE CLOSE: Tuesday,
November 11 at 2300 UTC.
Race starts: Nov 05th 12:00 Registration Open!
▶ Flash
GO TO RACE

Fernando de Noronha to Faroe 2025

The RWW Series concludes with a spectacular journey from Fernando de Noronha to the Faroe Islands, a legendary destination in the wild North Atlantic. Panning 4,100 nautical miles, this leg will be a true test of endurance, strategy, and sheer determination. Also the penultimate leg of the 2025 Ocean Championship, it’s your chance to prove your mettle against the sea, the wind, and yourself. We’ll be racing aboard the Ragamuffin 100, a vessel built for speed and challenge — demanding planning, precision and grit from every sailor on deck. Do you have what it takes to master the Northern Atlantic?.
PRIZE: SMPF
Race #1960
INFO by brainaid.de
Ragamuffin 100 PARTICULARS
WX Updates:
0430 / 1030 / 1630 / 2230
Ranking: RWW - OCQ4 - OCCH - SUPSOL - SYC
Race starts: Nov 03rd 11:00 Registration Open!
▶ Flash
GO TO RACE

ORCV Melbourne to Devonport Race 2025

Welcome to the legendary Rudder Cup, Australia’s oldest and most storied yacht race—sailed for over 110 years across the challenging Bass Strait from Melbourne to Tasmania. Organized by the Ocean Racing Club of Victoria, this 195nm classic tests sailors’ skill, strategy, and endurance against the unpredictable Southern Ocean. This year, our SOLers will be racing the timeless Swan 36, Nautor’s very first production yacht—a Sparkman & Stephens masterpiece renowned for her elegance, balance, and seaworthy performance. Get ready for a true ocean racing adventure!
Race #1951
INFO by brainaid.de
Swan 36 PARTICULARS
WX Updates:
0430 / 1030 / 1630 / 2230
Ranking: SYC
RACE CLOSE: Saturday,
November 8 at 2300 UTC.
Race starts: Oct 31st 03:30 Registration Closed
▶ Flash
GO TO RACE

Sinbad by Balloon 2025 - Carnarvon to Dondra


From here, our home in Bharatavarṣa is now north west of us – said Sinbad to his fellow balloonists. Perhaps we can ride the wind first further north, and then catch the winds that every year bring the rain, perhaps not. It’s 2600nm and we could be aloft awhile, so, Master el-Quarters, victuals only, no sandbags, provisioning the giant hamper. It will be not a picnic!
Race #1886
INFOby brainaid.de
SOL Balloon PARTICULARS
WX Updates:
0430 / 1030 / 1630 / 2230
Ranking: SYC - SBB
Race starts: Oct 15th 11:00 Registration Closed
▶ Flash
GO TO RACE

Go to race archive

SYC Ranking

  1. Sailonline Yacht Club Member KaSToR
  2. Sailonline Yacht Club Member CriticalHippo
  3. Sailonline Yacht Club Member WRmirekd
  4. Sailonline Yacht Club Member vida
  5. Sailonline Yacht Club Member CollegeFund
  6. Sailonline Yacht Club Member Panpyc
  7. Sailonline Yacht Club Member BRENTGRAY
  8. Sailonline Yacht Club Member Sax747
  9. Sailonline Yacht Club Member Kipper1258
  10. Sailonline Yacht Club Member brellis

View full list

Series

Mobile Client

SYC members have the benefit of access to our mobile/lightweight web client!

The mobile client