ChargeIt

Interesting simulator and seeing some of the background work that goes into something like this.

The sim and boat itself is not exciting to me. Agree I/O may have a stronger attraction or flatten the deck more and put fishing pedestals on it for the bass boat guys. Maybe think about packaging it as an additional module to a fishing program? Lets be honest, bass boaters seem more excited about blasting out and back than fishing sometimes.....

As far as stand alone marketability, I would think jet boat channel racing would be better. Fast paced, exciting with plenty of options to increase skill level challenges.

Thanks for sharing!

Todd Wasson

@SB: Hahaha, thanks

low_psi

I am very interest in this as I have recently jumped into the world of Auto Racing Simulators. The Oculs Rift is an interesting device, but I think it needs a lot of tweaking before it will be accepted on a large scale. Definitely keep us updated. Also you might want to throw up a post over at inside sim racing's forums. I would also suggest contacting a company by the name of SimXperence. They have a piece of software that works to recreat effects such as engine vibration, bumps, etc to be used with Tactile Transducers (Bass Shakers). I added this software along with a couple of shakers to my sim and it completely changed things. I think being able to add effect such as the feel of the bottom of the boat and engine rpm would be HUGE in your simulator. Also check out simfunding.com. I believe the purpose of this site is to allow developers such as yourself to raise money for your project. I think you have a great idea and it's a segment of video games and simulators that has been missing for a long time. If you are successful in creating your sim for consumers, the next step would be to create a set of throttle controls with trim buttons. I don't see why there would be a need to develop a wheel as there are plenty on the market already (why reinvent the wheel, pun intended). Good Luck.

Upgraded pedals have already been installed.....

Todd Wasson

low_psi:

NICE sim setup

I've been a sim racer since Hard Drivin' in the arcades. What are you driving? Live For Speed, iRacing, and Assetto Corsa have been favorites of mine. My G-25 broke so for the boat sim I'm just using a joystick for the time being. What's your monitor setup? I'm running triple 24 inchers at 5870x1200 res.

Thanks for reminding me of Inside Sim Racing. They did a story on another product I developed, VRC Pro, some time back. I didn't even think of them for this, but will check out their forums. Thanks for the suggestion!

I've heard of the bass shakers but have never tried one. Are they really that awesome? Thanks again, I'll look into that as well as simfunding.com. That site is new to me. I suppose it's a bit like Kickstarter then?

I've got a friend in the Netherlands that works at a company that builds their own high end custom racing controls including FFB wheels, pedals, and gear shifters. I didn't even think of asking him about this. You're absolutely right though, a hand throttle for a boat sim with the trim controls might be just the thing.

Peter Lott

To make it even more like the real thing make sure they break all the time, and if you can collect two of them then they are both broke at the same time.

And also put in some shady mechanics that rip you off until you find a good one.

Reindl Powerboats

[QUOTE=3pointstar;4270395
3. Gages including trim control a must
4. Wave and wind parameters-- something a little short of a hurricane would be acceptable
3pointstar[/QUOTE]

What is wrong with a hurricane.... That would be awesome... :-)

low_psi

I race (haven't much this winter) competitive RC so I am familiar with VRC pro. I have tried out the trial version, but never bought the usb adapter to use my Spektrum Radio. A few of the guys I race with use it quite often. My Sim set up is a made from scratch Cockpit made by me featuring a Dodge Viper Seat, Thrustmaster TX Wheel base w/Ferrari GTE458, Clubsport V2 Aluminum Pedals (not pictured). 2 Aura AST-2b-4 Bass shakers powered by a 2 channel 150 watt amp. For display I am using a BenQ W1070 1080p Projector (3d capable just haven't tried the sim with 3d yet) on a 92" High Contrast Screen. I primarily run iRacing, but occasionally play Assetto Corsa when I want to see over the top graphics (iracing is no slouch). My sim, as you can see in the pic, is right smack in the middle of my home theater, so going with triple monitors is out of the question as it would take up too much space. However, my plan next fall is to add some linear actuators and go full motion. If I do that, the simulator will be moved to the garage and then I will add triple monitors. Simvibe is actually a subset of the SimXperience software which is to power full motion. I think your sim with full motion would be over the top. Especially with chine walk and/or proposing.....

The Bass shakers alone, just using low frequencies provided thru the speaker outputs really didn't add too much (as there is so much more to a race car then just things that produce low frequency sounds). However with the addition of SimVibe, it completely changed things. SimVibe translates data from the game to usable frequencies that are output to a second sound card to be used exclusively with the bass shakers. This really woke the game up. SimVibe also allows the user to tweak all kinds of setting so you can make a profile for each vehicle inside of iRacing. As each car has its own, different dynamics. Believe it or not, I'd say my lap times improved with the addition of the SimVibe software and shakers as it helps feel the road, curbs, etc and you get a better feel for what the car is doing.

Maximus

At one point we looked at doing a simulator ride (8 person) for boat shows using onboard footage and data from Miss Geico. neat stuff.

Todd Wasson

low_psi:

I'm really impressed with your sim setup. Thanks for taking the time to share and tell me about it. That's really something special. The fact that you designed and built it yourself makes it that much more impressive.

I'll keep my eyes open for an opportunity to try the shakers and vibe equipment. I figured it was more of a gimmick, but after reading what you've written on it, I can see it's much more than that. The fact that you were able to improve your lap times from it speaks volumes about how integral it really is to the whole setup. Adding motion next? That'd be pretty amazing. I think you're right, doing that in the boat sim would be a good idea. It might even help with motion sickness if I do get around to doing offroad powerboats some day in the rough stuff. It'd sure be fun though, that's for sure.

Maximus: That'd be a heck of a thing to try. I tried one that was an F1 car thing that was similar in concept. It was neat, but not as convincing as I imagine a boat simulator ride being.

jackwilliam

just looking at the video the game looks extremely fun to try, have you heard of the game vechile simulator? its much like your game you have created and has the option to alter vehicles so that you can tweak hp, how it rides, weight, size and is a blast to play. you could (and should) replicate a lot of things in that game that make it enjoyable. the little things like pannels at the bottom to know speed, have throttle contol there, steering instruments, and most other gagues. its the closest thing to a powerboat simulator and it has plenty of mods to tweak after you get bored of the actual game. id love to see this game become big as ive never seen a game where your able to actually have a planing boat, keep up the AMAZING work