itch.io

Archipelago Sailor Simulator:  Archipelago Sailor Sim

Some keen-eyed Sailors have noticed that the program creates a Settings.xml file in the install directory and  that it can be easily edited. Be careful editing this file as it could crash the program!  Given said that it does provide a way  to troubleshoot some problems. If things go wrong you could just delete this file and the program would just return to it's default settings. Also, as I said in  previous posts, some problems are caught in a ErrLog.log file.  Send me that file if problems arise.

Thanks for your feedback. Sorry I hadn't seen your post. The latest version 2.7 fixes a bug that had to do with having shadows turned off (among other improvements).  There is a chance you were hit with this bug that resulted in a black screen. Sorry about that!  Please try this new version and let me know if it helps.

If the program fails to start or crashes, it would normally leave a log file in the install directory. You can send me that file so I can track the specific problem. Thanks!

Black Screen bug reported for version 2.6 is fixed in version 2.7

Gosh you are right! Turning OFF shadows will crash it for the next run! I thought I had tested all that! 

Thanks so much for the feedback and your debugging. You are a gentleman and a scholar! I shall fix that for next release and sorry for the trouble!

For those of you who are  running into this problem, you can fix it like AlsoKnown did above (using a text editor to change the value of shadows tag to true) OR...just delete the Settings.xml file and let the program recreate it - shadows are on by default. Of course, low end machines might still have trouble with shadows and FPS may drop.

Where is the Settings.xml file located? Same directory where the program is:  .../Documents/Archipelago or from the main menu, select Options/Application Folder 

I am afraid Windows 7 might be a little too old and the program may be demanding too much. My oldest machine is a Windows 10. What GPU do you have? 

Is anybody else running into this same "black screen" problem?

Thanks for the feedback! That is odd... I have not seen that and cannot duplicate that problem. Does it do that right of the bat? Can you give me any additional information?  Perhaps describe your rig? Thanks again!

Hi folks! 

I am getting close to 1000 downloads which is not too bad considering I am pretty bad promoting my own stuff, but I get very little feedback. So... I don't know if you are not having any trouble installing it or running it or even whether you like it or not! This project has been years in the making and I am giving it away for FREE, so if you install it, please say something, somewhere; it could be here, or you could use links provided in the program's Help and Web site.

Some feedback would definitively be incentive to continue developing.

Archipelago Sim is "like" a Flight Simulator but for boats, especially sailboats. Writing this program has a been a blast but I'd like to know what do you think about it as a user. There is no such a thing as bad feedback. Positive feedback is also accepted  ;-)

This is the link to the program here in itch.io:  Archipelago Sailing Simulator

Thanks to you all! I am looking forward to your feedback!

PapaySailor - "the sailor without a boat"

Version 2.6 has been published for a while, but even though there are many downloads, I get very little feedback! I have to assume that if there is no feedback, everything is fine, right? Not necessarily! Please let me know when things DO WORK, as well as when they don't... please! Just because the program is free, don't be shy on giving feedback.  Occasionally I do get an email from somebody who cannot run the program because of an older PC or GPU.  I appreciate that!

In full disclosure, I have 2 desktop and 1 laptop PCs of different ages. However,  all three are powered with NVIDIA's GPU's. They handle OpenGL fine. Obviously I fully test the program in all three machines before I ever publish the program.

I am a single developer and I am counting on you, the user to give me some feedback, not only when something doesn't work but also when things DO work.  I'd like Archipelago Sim to work everywhere, but there are literally hundreds of possible configurations and no way for me to test them all. So.... I am counting on YOU to let me know.

BTW: while Googling  AMD vs NVIDIA I found this AI statement: "NVIDIA drivers tend to be more tolerant of GLSL (OpenGL Shading Language) shaders, leading to fewer compatibility problems, while AMD drivers can be more picky, potentially causing issues with rendering". Just something to keep in mind. Contact me at  archipelagosim@gmail.com

C'mon sailors! I am not asking for money....but I NEED SOME FEEDBACK from you! I hardly hear from anyone even as many have downloaded the program.

At a minimum, I need to know if you were able to install and run the program w/o problems. And if you happen to like the program, it would be a nice bonus to let me know that you do as a motivation to continue development!

In the mean time, happy sailing!

Sorry folks, the video for DEMO above is the wrong one.

The improved DEMO is this one:  Archipelago Sim DEMO Version 2.6

Done! Thanks for the feedback!

Archipelago Sim is a sailing simulator where you can create your own scenery: add terrain; add any number of boats and structures; step into your boat (or sailboat) and then control it to navigate your awesome 3D world.  You can also change the weather and time of day. The emphasis is in physics realism waves and boat dynamics.

It is a fun solo game to chill on.

I have added new Demo video and by user's request I am also adding Tutorial videos for Archipelago Sailing Simulator.

See the Demo in YouTube  here:     Archipelago Sim DEMO

Download Archipelago Sim from https://papaysailor.itch.io/archipelago-sailor-simulator

Also a reminder that there is a zip file with Examples of several Situations

I have added new Demo video and by user's request I am also adding Tutorial videos for Archipelago Sailing Simulator.

Check them out at https://papaysailor.itch.io/archipelago-sailor-simulator

Also a reminder that there is a zip file with Examples of several Situations

Hi folks! You must try Archipelago Sim    https://papaysailor.itch.io/archipelago-sailor-simulator

Took a lot of work and I am very proud of it .  BTW: It is FREE!  The only catch: if you want me to continue developing it, please give me some feedback and like it!

Any feedback is appreciated but please be courteous.

Thank you for your feedback Rezneps! Yes, you read my mind as for the next release I have planned to add random weather option that will change with time. But I am also working on more realistic water refraction and adding wind shadow  so wind is reduced behind terrain or other obstructions including  other sailboats! I'll have to think about the "speeding time" option , but it would [obviously] not be too realistic (that'd be a bumpy ride ...  ha ha!), I am open to any ideas!

For all of you sailors reading this post, remember: I LOVE YOUR FEEDBACK. Please let me know your wishes and please press some LIKE buttons :-)  that would help to spread the joy!

Please try Archipelago Sailor Simulator and let me know how you like it!

https://papaysailor.itch.io/archipelago-sailor-simulator

Hello Folks, I am PapaySailor and I am much older than most of you! Retired Electrical Engineer but love realistic simulation Software, and this is my project:

https://papaysailor.itch.io/archipelago-sailor-simulator

Please contact me if you'd like to contribute to this project.

This latest version 2.5 contains this beautiful SailBoatIII :

https://papaysailor.itch.io/archipelago-sailor-simulator

You are welcome to give me any feedback about this project. Please be courteous.

Nice simulation. Thanks for sharing! I've been working on similar CFD but I gave up on plain Navier-Stokes because it is hard to implement in the GPU shaders, and then it becomes too slow to compute. So I've been working with LBM (Lattice Boltzmann Method). Have you tried that approach?

https://papaysailor.itch.io/archipelago-sailor-simulator

Have you tried Java using OpenGL with JogAmp ? Java and C# are quite similar.  Check out my game here:  

https://papaysailor.itch.io/archipelago-sailor-simulator

Thanks! Try it and please let me know what you think. It is a free game.

Yeah it is not the fastest. The CPU code would run somewhat faster if in C or C++. But the heavy lifting in my code is done by the shaders in the GPU so the game is not affected at all. Congrats on doing the hard work of writing your own engine. At the end it pays back with less bloated software, smaller foot-print distribution and you also have full control.

Hi leafo! First of all, THANKS!  I DO LIKE this DevLogs board very much. Brilliant!... but.......hey, you knew a "but" was coming....:

Among this Board's (DevLogs) rules, one is is for allowing only  "unfinished" projects which is somewhat confusing to me; because,....is there such a thing as a "finished" project? (meaning done 100%). Seasoned Software developers say: "there is no such a thing as a completed project....only ABANDONED projects. To what you might reply: "if you released the project, then you consider it 100% done so it doesn't belong in this Board".  But then I would say: "No, it is not done.  It is USABLE and/or PLAYABLE and/or STABLE; so I released it but there is a lot to come after the release (specially once you get user's feedback) and it is impossible for me to know at what percentage it is right now".

Some of us want more visibility for our projects, and this would help:

 I think you could allow any "completed" games in this DevLogs Board if the author think there will be ANY improvements in the future. I'd like to see what others would comment about this.

I do understand that for Released Games authors have the DevLogs in the games's pages. But there you, as an author, do not get as much "traffic" or "views" as you might get in this Board. On the other hand,  you were asking "how to make this board better", so... IMHO,  again,   I think allowing authors to post their progress HERE would make this board better.

Thanks again!

https://papaysailor.itch.io/archipelago-sailor-simulator

You are so right in your reply. But some people think that "scope creeping" is a bad thing... it isn't!!! That's EXACTLY how big projects are made: they start small and depending on partial results and feedback they "creep" into larger things. Even for games. Nobody is capable of pre-defining every single aspect of a project in advance. It is impossible.  You start with something simple.... then you make it better. Ask the makers of Microsoft / Apple / Google / Facebook etc...

You know what's more challenging than playing video games? To write one!    ;-)   Given said that, when it comes to playing... I prefer simulation games that closely resemble reality.

I have programmed in many languages and EVERY SINGLE ONE was my favorite at the time; starting with assembly code, then Fortran, Basic, QuickBasic, Pascal, C,  Visual Basic (VB6) , VB.NET , C++, C# and the most recent (and my current favorite... believe it or not :-) is JAVA. Check my retirement project: ArchipelagoSim game written in Java and wrote my own game engine in OpenGL (JOGL) and published here in this site: https://papaysailor.itch.io/archipelago-sailor-simulator  Actually I am LOOKING FOR HELP to continue development of this fun project! So.. contact me if you (or anyone reading this post) are interested. I'd like to take it to the next level, whatever that might be.

Thank you warpotato!  Hope you enjoy sailing in Archipelago.

Very nicely done! Are you using Lattice Boltzmann Method for this simulation or straight Navier Stokes? BTW: It works fine with my FireFox browser (WebGL?)

I would love to hear your comments about this version

Some people may have trouble downloading or installing the APSetup because it is an executable and the APsetup exe extracts files and creates the necessary sub-folders in your Windows Documents folder;  Windows may complain that the EXE is 'unsafe' because it is not 'signed'. Well,  sorry about that but signing programs is an expensive step and I am not charging for this program....so it is OK to override Windows warnings.  I am also including a ZIP file as an alternative way to download / install Archipelago.  If you still have problems let me know or if you prefer to send me an email (for anything) that is fine too: send your email to arhipelagosim@gmail.com

I appreciate your feedback Lenny; let me know what is at the top of your wish list.

Could you please try the latest version (1.8) and let me know what you think of it? Thanks in advance!

This version if obsolete. Please download the latest version 1.8

Hi folks! I just released the latest version of Archipelago with many improvements including the addition of Canada's famous schooner: the BLUENOSE II. 

Check it out  at https://papaysailor.itch.io/archipelago-sailor-simulator

Its FREE!

...and a short video:

Glad you are enjoying Archipelago! Any special requests? This is what I have so far for Bluenose II  (Rigging is next).