Yesterday, I had the opportunity to sail the SHA: Type Zero. While Tradewinds is in complete shadow from airships and balloons, I quickly launched the Type Zero, set sails and headed south to get some time alone with the sun, the sea and the boat.
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| Heading south |
The
first Type Zero I saw was black. Since it doesn't come in pink, I thought I'd try it in white. Regardless of the colour the good news are: It sails pretty well. The boat works great for cruising. It is easy to handle, reacts as expected, and everything seems to work. Speed seems ok, the healing is good, and the wake is very good. There is even a trimmable spinnaker with a pole.
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| Checking out the spin |
The sailing sound is nice, though it is not very dynamic. This would be greatly improved by using an upgraded
BWind sail engine. The older version works quite well, but it misses out on a few features.m Oh, and there is a fun thing about the hatch. It has a sound kinda like a door in a scifi movie, or one of those 1st person shooters...
There are a few glitches in the constructon too. I've already mentioned those, so no need to repeat. However, it seems the jib has already been resized to look like a more normal jib. There are other issues, if this is to become a top contender on the sail simulator market: Sails are flat and they don't luff. This is also fixed by using an updated BWind sail engine.
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| Close up |
I also noted the boat has autogybe. This can be handy for a beginner, but in a race it can be a problem to have unwanted gybes. The spinnaker pole didn't switch side, when I gybed, but that's not too hard to fix. On this close up you can also see another detail: I need a tiller extension, or another steering pose. It looks like I am steering with my foot here...
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| Looking for an island |
Looking up, I kinda miss a graphical feedback on wind direction and trim; Get rid of that ugly floating text with trim, heading and wind. Perhaps the most obvious miss in the sails is the non existing battens, but that's really really easy to fix. Really. Of course I'd also love to be able to balance the boat. It is wide enough, so it makes sense, and it is
perfectly possible.
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| Safe sailing |
In the department of nitty gritty there are other things such as sheets, downhauls, kickers and stuff, but lets forget those for the time being; Overall, the boat is a nice build, she sails nice and the feel is good. I had a great time sailing it. This boat will certainly take you and a friend safely to the virtual islands anywhere in the virtual seas, and that's really not too bad for a first build.
You really think the Zero looks nice, Noodle? Ya, maybe nice but totally unrealistic. Long overhang at the bow like an old clipper but a wide sufing transom like a modern racer. But then totally counterproductive it is shaped upwards. The builder tried to keep the lwl as short and the boat as slow as possible or what?
ReplyDeleteThe sailplan is pretty modern again with its 7/8 rigg, I like it.
Details: nonsensical winches on the foredeck, weird railings, much too low deckhouse for a boat of this humble size. It's easy to see that the builder doesn't know anything about sailboats and didn't even invest an hour to research yacht hulls and design on the internet.
It's a very well done build but doesn't serve the purpose. It's like Manul wrote a pita for any boat lover.
Orcs, U know me... and I can assure you that if you built a boat like this I'd tear it apart; However, this is a new boat built by a new builder, and I do actually think that Shaaun worked hard to make this boat come alive. True, it needs more work to appeal to RL sail-geeks; True it is a weird merge of an R-boat and a VO70. I think that shines through. However, I like new boats and new boatbuilders, so I choose the positive angle.
ReplyDeleteits a nice boat, looks pretty well made to me, and i love the original concept, also i'm sure it would benefit from an updated BWind, only problem with that is that its not available, anywhere, you cant buy it, its not in a building kit, and the creator does not respond to IM's ;-)
ReplyDeleteYes, I might be harsh. But then I can't understand ppl wasting away their talent and countless hours of modeling for a goofy result. I mean Shaaun modeled the winches, why didn't he spend 5 minutes to find out where they go on a boat? He made the hull, why did he make it as stupid as that?
ReplyDeleteSame questions I asked Motor Loon, in whose case it's even worse since he sold his crap and made millions with it ;)
Products like that just anger me, sorry I can't help it.
At all I agree with Orcs.
ReplyDeleteBut I still regard the Sha boat as the most beautiful one of the lesser realistic boats, there is much bigger fuglier commercial crap around which is way more famous and way more promoted, also by ppl who should know better.
I hope that the builder of the Sha boat takes his time and work on it more, there is a beauty in this,
Manul
I too wonder what happened to the BWind 2.0. It was launched with pomp and circumstance, and it is nowhere to be seen?
ReplyDeleteOrcs, I totally agree: The Loon boats are strange in so many ways; However, they seem to promote sailing. Good or bad? Not sure what to think.
I share your hopes, Manul, and I have this strange feeling that Shaaun is taking notes ;-)
the biggest problem of the Loon boats is not that they look like a floating trailer, its the fact they lag you back to december due to countless scripts and hi res textures, put five in a marina and you will be crashing the place. So while the looks of the Sha boat may be a tad off to some people, it doesn't look half as bad as the best selling boat in SL and it can actually be sailed, as far as i'm concerned that is what counts.
ReplyDeleteWell BWind 2.0 is out and actually working great. In the Mesh Shop boats there is already a BWind 2.5 built in. It's not available in the BBK tho. Yes, Becca is taking her time with the availabilty for reasons one can only guess. Maybe she was hijacked by the commercial builders and is chained to her desk right now, scripting away for little to no pay.
ReplyDeleteRegarding Shaaun I think he's onto something here: a nice little daysailer, uncomplicated and well built. Maybe he doesn't spend enough time in SL to go forward with it, which is a shame since I think he has talent. Now make the boat a bit more realistic, put in a good script and put that boat into a vendor. Sailors don't buy from the marketplace but I guess every yacht club would be happy to host your low lag vendor.
Let Noodle or me do the packshots for the vendor coz pretty girls sell the product :)
While BWind may be lower lag, it has nothing on the Fizz script for realism, it would be great if we saw a version of that script with keelboat characteristics coming available.
ReplyDeleteThe Bwind script is very small; It's ten or twenty times simpler than the Fizz; Still, I never really had lag problems with the Fizz. Regarding a keeler version: The Fizz engine is available in a fully configurable version at Tradewinds. It can act like a keeler, a multihull, a dinghy... anything boatly. IM me for details. I'd better blog about it some time.
DeletePlease use a name when commenting :-)
Thank you for everyone the comments... I now read...
ReplyDeleteThis is a Great post - thank you, with gerat comments, and big challenge for me, I enjoying! :) thank you!
I bulild my boats based on free Bwind engine. 1.37 version, but I contuined this "abandoned" script, and I makind some important changing (sim cross fix etc), but the sailing physics now Becca"s stuff, and I dont changed (before this day - 212.11.28) "dont tuch this" parts in scrpt (but compressed without algorythm changing)...
Why not FlyingFizz or Tako engine this boat? Because my plan the low lag, and goal for me, if peoples without sailing skill, without big crashes, can sailing with my boats example across 80-100 sim, discovering sl with my boats, and enjoying, and fun the Linden sea, and cruising. If friends, or gf bf talking some hour in Linden sea on my boat, and search with my boat new places, Im happy! This is the biggest goal for me, not cool realistic racing boat (I personally here or rl dont like the racings).
Im not sailor in Rl, but I have license for small boats in hungarian lakes, and yes, some thing irrealistic...
I try fixing, If I like the fix...
Example the cabin stay small, not changing, never highter. Reason is simple, I dont like highter cabin, because not in harmony with hull. (not looking good for me) Not realistic? Important? The neko or tiny or other avatar too, and flying motorcycle, etc... What is the problem? :DDD
The hull is not my hull, I buy on market, for 125L, but I like! The deck and cabin my work.. not realistic? yes (my first sculpt work 14 month ago), but my plan not modelling the RL boats, My plan one good looking boat (for me good looking and not problem for me, if not for others), I try build my dream boat, because I dont buy my dream boat in sl, why? Because others dont creating boats in for my flavour... I think this is Motor Loon reason too... And looking this, he is a best seller, because he making thousands dream boat! This is not Motor Loon mistake! :DDD And congrat, and very big thanks for Motor Loon because more people enjoy the sailing, and now biggest the sailor community! This is really Great things!
Example I dont like classic yachts (but I see beautiful) and I dont like the modern racing style boats, but looking cool... This is fun for me, and hobby, and possible fill in one hole.
I now working yours suggestion, and I adding in script the race wind, without wwc, and much more, if i can stay with all script above 512kb...
I removing some irreal prims, because if my conception idiot, I agree with Orca and others suggestion must be fixing, and I fixing the steer stuff, etc...
Thank you, I waiting more suggestion, or criticism here, or in notecard for me...
Hey there Shaaun, drop by Tradewinds some day, if u wanna talk boats; Hulls, scripts, windsystems, anything :-)
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