The new version is a huge improvement! I am loving the less-punishing windward performance in light airs, as well as the visual fix to t'gallants set over reefed topsails. The ship drifting without any canvas set and the ability to scud under bare poles is also a huge deal. Here are some suggestions for tweaks in case you ever get back to tinkering with the game:
* The 'foul wind' disabling Travel Acceleration is often more trouble than its worth, since it prevents players from waiting out a contrary wind easily. You can also get your nose 'stuck' in the wind too easily this way. What if Travel Acceleration only turned out due to foul wind when the auto-adjusting sails feature was turned on? That would give players the option of using acceleration regardless of wind direction.
* The ship should heel more in bad weather under bare poles, in my opinion. Perhaps a hacky solution to add virtual canvas to induce heel when no other sails are set?
* When the ship is wallowing under bare poles, it should eventually orient itself beam-on to the wind. In the game the bow falls off. Is there any way to adjust this?
* Another potential hacky improvement would be bumping up the ship's leeway when no topsails are set. Right now we can sail to windward at 2 kts like a schooner by furling the square sails and using fore-and-aft canvas alone, which isn't realistic.
* The auto sail adjustments are a little aggressive in higher winds for my taste. What if the adjustments were more conservative than strictly necessary, giving the manual control an edge on performance?
* Your fore course blows away in conditions where the game says you should have it set.
* IMHO the main t'gallant staysail and flying jib should be doused before 20 kts of wind. The headsails should also need to be reefed much earlier. The auto adjustments have you flying a full size jib in a near-gale, which is excessive. Adding some randomness to topgallant damage would be nice as well, since I feel a bit too bulletproof flying them at 28 kts.
* Just a question, does apparent wind matter for sail damage?