Quote Originally Posted by Ituralde View Post
Thanks for that very detailed explanation of the development process!
I think it's very good to hear that the engine supports very realistic sailing conditions, so for those who really want to have a 100% accurate sail simulation it could be modded in.
Not sure that's possible. Even if there is a parameter for "speed when sailing directly upwind" that could be modded to zero, will the AI be able to cope with that? Or will it just sit with ships dead in the water (or sliding slightly backwards), because it doesn't know that sailing directly upwind is forbidden, across a fairly wide angle of possible directions? As always with any mod, the big question is whether the AI can handle the changes, when the game hasn't been designed with that original intent.

I'm still a bit baffled by the whole thing however. So in Scenario A you click on a point straight north, where the wind is coming from, and your ship would start tacking NW, NE and so on. This was too confusing, because the ship didn't go north. Along comes Scenario B where you click on a point straight north, where the wind is coming from, and your ship sails slooowly north. But if you take the time to manually tack you get there faster.

Is it me or does that sound like a pain in the ass? In Scenario A you could just click and the game would do the tacking for you and in Scenario B you now have to do it manually. I hope somewhere is the advanced option of Auto-Tacking, meaning that your ships will try to get from point A to B on the fastest not the shortest route.
Yeah, unless by "doing it manually" CA means there's an auto-tacking feature. Remember though, that tacking isn't only about optimizing tack angles for the most efficient travel from point A to point B. Tacking is also about placing your ship beam-on to the enemy, so you can fire (and avoiding being caught with your bow or stern to the enemy's broadside). Both functions are considered together, once you're in firing range, which is really the only thing that makes sail combat different from WW1 dreadnaughts maneuvering in battle.

Tactics change completely when there is a direction where you literally can't go, no matter how hard you try. Allowing ships to move slowly in that forbidden direction, even if "very slowly," makes it a different kind of game. Unlike land combat, naval combat is a vast open field with only a single tactical challenge -- how to work with the wind, and force the enemy into an unfavorable position relative to the wind direction. I would think players would enjoy that challenge (assuming the AI is a worthy opponent).

Also what about the AI? Will it use tacking or just sail slooowly?
Good question. If the player doesn't try to understand what tacking is all about, won't he/she be confused if the AI's ships are always sailing for best speed advantage and tacking upwind? And if the AI never tacks, then isn't tacking a player exploit?

All in all a fascinating example of Realism vs. Usabilty!
There is always that balance to consider in a game. I've said before here that I don't think it would be fun at all, to have to deal with every tiny detail in the management of a sailing ship. Especially one as insanely complicated as a full-rigged ship of the line. You'd go nuts trying to determine how much sail to put on, and how to set the yards for every course change. But the bare basics of sailing aren't rocket science. Realistic, or even semi-realistic sailing has been done before in computer games, while still being fun. Even the somewhat cartoonish 2nd version of Sid Meir's "Pirates!" wouldn't let your ship sail directly upwind. That game respected the "forbidden zone" so you felt like the ships were actually sailing instead of being powerboats. I don't remember anyone complaining about that game being too hard.