Disney Wish: Ems River Conveyance
The Disney Wish departed the Meyer Werft shipyard on the morning of March 30, 2022, and began the Ems River conveyance in route to Eemshaven, Netherlands.
Earlier this morning, Ems-Dollart Media shared some of the first video of the Disney Wish departing the Meyer Werft shipyard.
Disney Wish Ems River Conveyance – Live Stream
ShipspotterTV provided live streams of the conveyance from different vantage points along the route. The videos can only be viewed on YouTube, but are embedded below to click over to YouTube.
For ongoing coverage, and updates, please see this Twitter thread.
Later today, this post will be updated with any additional coverage.
The #disneywish is on the move – the river conveyance is underway pic.twitter.com/UMO0ixpD5U
— Scott Sanders (@TheDCLBlog) March 30, 2022
Special thanks to Ems-Dollart Media for continuing to keep us up to date on the progress of the Disney Wish. Check out their Instagram account for some more updates as they are posted. Please note: Instagram changed the settings to by default, posts are not available for embedding. You can click on the placeholders below to see the images over on Instagram.
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at.sea)
Once in Eemshaven, Netherlands, there will be close to 500 of crew members embarking as the Disney Wish prepares for her next chapter – sea trials.
The Disney Wish arrived in Eemshaven around 6:15 AM local time on March 31, 2022.
Meyer Werft shared the following in a press release on March 30th.
Disney Wish left Papenburg on Wednesday morning and was conveyed on the river Ems to the Dutch port of Eemshaven (NL). The next cruise ship of MEYER WERFT for Disney Cruise Line begins the manoeuvre in the morning with the passage of the Papenburg sea lock. During the Ems passage and the subsequent technical and nautical sea trials on the North Sea, there are initially approx. 750 people onboard. “It is another important milestone for the ship and the shipyard. The entire team is working hard at full speed to complete this special project,” says Henning Stellermann, Project Manager at MEYER WERFT.
The Disney Wish is MEYER WERFT’s third cruise ship for Disney Cruise Line (DCL).
It is the first of a new class for DCL to be equipped with low-emission LNG propulsion. In addition to a reduction of CO2 emissions, nitrogen oxides and particulate matter are almost completely avoided – sulphur oxides are completely eliminated. Currently, all ships in MEYER WERFT’s order book are equipped with this propulsion system.
The river Ems conveyance will take place with the support of two tugs and the ship will be driven backwards. This type of passage has proven itself due to the better manoeuvrability. The following schedule applies for the Ems passage, which may change at short notice:
Wednesday, March 30, 2022
- approx. 08:00 Passage of the sea lock (Papenburg)
- approx. 12:15 Passage of the Friesenbrücke (Weener)
- approx. 15:30 Passage of the Jann Berghaus Bridge (Leer)
Thursday, March 31, 2022
- approx. 00:30 Passage of the River Ems Barrier (Gandersum)
- approx. 02:30 Turn around the ship at Emden
All information is subject to wind and weather conditions, water levels and therefore without guarantee.
Time shifts are possible at short notice!
The team of the pilot brotherhood Emden will carry out the transfer of the ship. The transfer team always trains the maneuver on the computerized simulator in Wageningen (NL) to be even better prepared. The passage of the vessel across the river Ems will be carried out with the support of the Ems barrier in Gandersum.
Check out the Disney Wish page for a chronological list of construction videos dating back to March 2020.
ships | Simulation Video Games
Naval Action
Simulation 13 June 2019
An online sailing simulator developed by the Ukrainian developer, Game-Labs, whose members worked previously on the STALKER and Total War series. The action of the game is set between the sixteenth and the eighteenth century — a period within the so-called Age of Sail. The gameplay focuses on the exploration of the enormous game world, where the players can trade, take assignments, and participate in realistic sea battles.
PC
Destroyer: The U-Boat Hunter
Simulation June 2023 (early access since 28 September 2022)
A second-war thriller representing simulation and adventure genres. In Destroyer: The U-Boat Hunter we play the role of a commander of a squadron of American destroyers, whose task is to hunt for German U-Boats in the Atlantic Ocean.
PC
Sea Legends
Simulation TBA (early access since 2023)
Sea Legends is a simulator in which the player becomes the captain of an 18th century ship to sail in the Mediterranean and Black Sea basins. The production allows him to become a buccaneer or smuggler and is characterized by a high level of realism.
PC
European Ship Simulator
Simulation 20 February 2015
A new simulation from Excalibur Publishing, the authors of the popular Euro Truck Simulator. European Ship Simulator is a maritime simulator in which the player assumes the role of a captain given numerous assignments taking place all over Europe.
The career mode offers the ability to control a number of diversified vessels, from small trawlers and tugboats, up to powerful liners. Each ship has been faithfully recreated, including all characteristic details such as size or specs.
PC
Sea of Craft
Simulation 2023 (early access since 29 April 2022)
Sea of Craft is an action adventure game in which we sail on the great ocean using a self-designed ship. The game was created and released by the independent Wizard Games team.
PC
Her Majesty’s Ship
Simulation 12 July 2019
Her Majesty’s Ship is a simulation game, in which we manage a sailing ship. As an aspiring captain of British Royal Navy, we must perform tasks given by the command, sink countless ships in naval battles, but also take care of every aspect of daily life of our ship. If a crew has no food or, even worse, lacks rum, sailors might rebel and thus instantly end our career.
PCSwitchiOS
Steel Ocean
Simulation 12 November 2015
A MMO war game created by ICE Entertainment.
The core of the gameplay are the naval battles for up to 32 players. The individual battles play out in real time, on more than 30 varied maps that are inspired by historical battles which took place during WWII. As a reward for victories, the players receive money that can be spent not only on upgrading the ships they own, but also to buy completely new vessels.
PC
Deadliest Catch: The Game
Simulation 14 April 2020
A simulation game in which we play the role of a fisherman engaged in crab fishing in the Bering Sea. In the course of the game, we not only have to operate the specialized tools installed on board our boat ourselves, but also demonstrate our knowledge of the laws that govern marine life or the regulations that the Bering Sea is subject to.
PC
Ships 2017
Simulation 19 October 2016
Another simulation published by PlayWay and developed by an independent studio FragOut. The production gives you a chance to take control over three ships – a container ship, a deepwater construction vessel, and a semi-submarine transport vessel.
The action takes place on waters of Baltic Sea where you will carry out rescue missions, retrieve objects sunken in the depths of the sea, mount installations, and take transport cruises.
PC
SimplePlanes
Simulation 09 December 2014
A simulator in which the player can create a variety of vehicles — from title planes, helicopters, tanks and racing cars to mosses. You can share your works developed in SimplePlanes with the whole community, but you should test them in one of the several game variants beforehand.
PCANDiOS
River Simulator 2012
Simulation 31 July 2012
The next installment of the simulator addressed to ship control enthusiasts. This time we have a number of orders to carry out on German rivers. We transport goods and people on the Rhine and the River Rhine and the River Rhine flowing into it. As the game progresses, we earn experience points to unlock more and more attractive ships.
PC
Ship Simulator: Maritime Search and Rescue
Simulation 02 July 2014
A realistic simulation game, imitating the work of specialized marine rescue services.
Playing the role of a rescue captain, we supervise the course of actions taking place in the waters of the North Sea or the Baltic Sea. In subsequent missions we pump out water from ships, extinguish fires in the open sea and save passengers in danger.
PC
Task Force 1942: Surface Naval Action in the South Pacific
Simulation 01 January 1992
Hybrid strategy game and warship simulator, developed by Microprose. The player takes part in the events that took place in the Pacific in the title year 1942 — the task awaiting execution is to take control of Guadalcanal.
PC
GunFleet
Simulation canceled
A free-to-play MMO game following the convention set by such titles as World of Tanks and World of Warships. Russian studio Areo Gaming decided to translate this arcade-simulation gameplay model into the world of battles fought by small marine units – fast patrol boats, torpedo boats, and small submarines. The players can unlock over 40 models of ships, armed with a diverse arsenal – starting from machine guns and cannons all the way to rocket launchers and depth charges.
PC
World Ship Simulator
Simulation TBA (early access since 17 November 2015)
A maritime transport simulator developed by Odin Game Studio. The title focuses on realistic recreation of the modern civilian maritime business. The player begins the game as a novice captain on a small boat. As he progresses in the game, his company expands and slowly becomes a powerful industry. In addition to trading, the player can also complete various special tasks like organizing tours and participating in rescue operations.
PC
Ports 2014
Simulation 20 March 2014
Simulator allowing for comprehensive management of the water port and giving the possibility of coordination of vessel traffic and equipment located in docks. The creators have prepared 20 different missions for single-player gameplay, and the production has different control variants, adapted for both experienced and novice players.
PC
Werft-Simulator 2013
Simulation 19 September 2012
The Shipyard Simulator 2013 is a simulation game produced by the Ed Venture Studios development team.
The player plays the role of a shipbuilder, whose tasks include servicing vehicles and equipment (e.g. forklifts, cranes, grinders) working in a modern shipyard, as well as supervising all processes related to the production of various types of vessels.
PC
Submarine Games for PC: Simulation, Strategy
A selection of great submarine games, ranging from arcade to serious sim, take your pick.
Cold Waters
The title of one of the best submarine simulators, in our opinion, deserves the game Cold Waters, released on PC in 2017 and dedicated to modern naval battles (after 1968). She was able to capture and fully convey the concept of the legendary Dangerous Waters (we wrote about it above), supplementing the similar gameplay in the form of a real-time action game with many new original finds. nine0003
For example, the game has a dynamically changing, completely unpredictable environment. This applies both to the state of water and weather (waves, temperature, precipitation, visibility, and so on), and the possibility of meeting with the enemy (number of ships, their classes, tasks, and so on).
Moreover, the element of chance is typical for both story campaigns and individual missions present in Cold Waters, the number of which is constantly increasing due to the activity of modders.
AI is also based on a unique algorithm, which is based on a deep analysis of naval battle tactics involving ships of various classes. Correspond to reality and models of ships, their armament, equipment and behavior on and under water. nine0003
Finally, the game has an epic and tense atmosphere dedicated to the naval confrontation between the major powers of the second half of the 20th century.
Buy Now
Subnautica
Subnautica is a unique game that can fully convey the atmosphere of life in the unexplored depths of the ocean, even if it is located on an alien planet. In terms of gameplay, Subnautica is a first-person open-world survival game whose original concept makes the presence and use of all kinds of futuristic submarines a must. nine0003
Spectacular, unusual, captivating and atmospheric — all these are well-deserved epithets for Subnautica.
Buy Now
Silent Hunter Series
A series for those who are not afraid of difficulties, but on the contrary, see them as additional opportunities. In addition to managing the submarine, the player, as the commander of the submarine, also takes care of all the worries about his crew.
Also Silent Hunter games, especially the last parts of it, are distinguished by realistic graphics, detailed models of ships and submarines, an abundance of sound and visual effects. All in all, it’s one of the best realistic submarine sim series out there, and it also has a decent amount of official and fan-made add-ons (some of which are free). nine0003
Buy now
Barotrauma
Barotrauma is a cooperative adventure game. According to the plot, people, in order to survive, went to the satellite of Jupiter — Europa in the future. True, because of its radioactive surface, life exists only in the ocean. You as a team have to explore the dark corners of the underwater world.
Together with other players (or bots), you will control the submarine. Moreover, this is not the easiest task — you need to activate various switches, monitor the condition of the case, and so on. There is one more BUT — these are sea monsters that will try to destroy the submarine. Believe me, you have never seen such mutants anywhere else! Barotrauma is a great submarine horror game to play with your friends. nine0003
Buy
KURSK
Submarine K-141 «Kursk» has become a defendant in one of the most mysterious and horrific events of the early 21st century. In 2000, it was flooded, but the reasons for the “death” are rather strange. You will be convinced of it personally, passing KURSK. This is a documentary adventure game in which you will take on the role of an American spy. Having infiltrated a submarine, he becomes a witness to tragic events.
Gameplay involves performing simple tasks, the essence of which is to communicate with the crew or to solve simple puzzles.
You have to maintain relationships with team members and try not to get caught red-handed. Until strange things start to happen on board. nine0003
Buy Now
UBOAT
Authentic game, simulation of the management of a submarine during the Second World War. The player will have to solve various tasks, from providing the submarine with resources to destroying enemies.
Gameplay can be conditionally divided into two components: crew and boat management. In the first case, the user will monitor the physical and mental state of the crew members and meet their needs. In the second, you need to effectively allocate resources and monitor the condition of the submarine. Often the player will have to make difficult decisions: turn off equipment to extend battery life, force people to stay in their cockpits, and the like. nine0003
UBOAT is popular among fans of games about submarines, but if the user «does not fumble» in this topic, he will still like it and help him understand the structure of these mechanical sharks.
Buy Now
Wolfpack
Multiplayer co-op simulator. Gamers have to control a submarine and intercept transport convoys, and then destroy them and go unnoticed. Players can assume the following roles: captain, officer of the watch, radio operator, helmsman, and navigator. nine0003
Each team member has their own tasks. For example, a radio operator can use communications equipment, as well as the notorious Enigma cipher machine. The helmsman will have to set the speed and set the course.
One of Wolfpack’s main features is the detailed modeling of equipment, tools and the submarine as a whole. According to the developers, everything in the game is recreated based on real photos and descriptions.
Buy
Victory At Sea Pacific
Real-time strategy game dedicated to World War II. The emphasis in the gameplay is on naval battles, although the gamer can also control aircraft. The essence of the game is simple — you, controlling various equipment, must destroy enemy combat units.
To do this, of course, you need to think over tactics — where without it in the war?
There are construction elements (you can improve shipyards and ports). You can control entire squads, as well as individual ships (including submarines) and aircraft. The crew and equipment can also be improved. Judging by the reviews, this is a good global naval strategy that will appeal to fans of the genre. nine0003
Buy Now
AquaNox Series
A series that appeared in the 90s and remains the best arcade submarine simulator to this day. The action takes place in the distant future, where governments and large corporations built huge underwater stations to extract valuable resources, and then completely made life on the Earth’s surface impossible due to total destruction and radiation contamination.
The player assumes the role of a mercenary who completes missions for multiple factions. nine0003
Buy Now
Battlestations Series
A series of realistic and spectacular games on the computer dedicated to naval battles with a large number of different vehicles and a historically accurate scenario.
In total, players are expected to have more than a hundred pieces of equipment, exciting story campaigns and several modes for online play.
Buy Now
Sub Command
Quite a complex submarine simulator that brought a fashion for realistic and hardcore games in this direction. Several exciting story campaigns and as many as three submarines to choose from, equipped with all the necessary instruments and weapons, will allow players to experience all the delights and hardships of the life of a submariner. nine0003
Buy Now
Dangerous Waters
Naval battle simulator with a huge focus on nuclear submarines.
As in the case of Sub Command, it will be extremely difficult for newcomers to the genre who are completely unfamiliar with acoustics, navigation and other intricacies of the submarine fleet to get used to Dangerous Waters. Since here you will have to not only control individual submarines and other units of naval and air military equipment, taking into account the real parameters and features of control, but also often engage in global strategic planning of the actions of your fleet.
nine0003
Buy Now
We Need To Go Deeper
Find out what mysteries lie hidden in the roguelike adventure We Need To Go Deeper, which also allows you to do it in co-op mode. Piloting a submarine with friends, you will explore the most secluded areas of the underwater world, try to fight off its creepy inhabitants and even go overboard in search of adventure to the fifth point.
We Need To Go Deeper boasts a random generation of each «entry», nice graphics, customization, a wide selection of weapons and, of course, an abundance of funny situations that cannot but arise if you play with friends. nine0003
Buy Now
Song of the Deep
Ratchet & Clank’s cute story-driven Metroidvania Song of the Deep takes gamers in a miniature submarine to explore an underwater environment full of danger, monsters and mysteries. The story tells of a girl who seeks to find her missing father.
In Song of the Deep, you will explore a non-linear open world, stumble upon a lot of treasures and fight sea creatures.
The Steel Fish, which acts as a transport, can be upgraded and even unlocked abilities for it, which in combination will allow not only to outwit the bosses, but also open up new areas on the map. nine0003
Buy Now
IronWolf VR
IronWolf VR will provide a complete immersion in the direction in the selection, since the game is designed for virtual reality glasses. You will find yourself on board a modern submarine and will be engaged in its operation: you will monitor various systems, shoot down bombers and fighters with anti-aircraft guns, and quickly close up holes, trying not to earn claustrophobia.
IronWolf VR, fortunately, did not become a «slag» among VR projects — users leave «extremely positive» reviews about the game on Steam and note various advantages, such as: complete immersion in the gameplay, realistic graphics and useful arcade mechanics. nine0003
Buy Now
Crush Depth: U-Boat Simulator
Uboat Commander is a multiplayer submarine simulator in which each player will feel like a cog in a huge war machine plowing the Atlantic.
The developers rely on realism and authenticity, so they consult with engineers and designers of real submarines, create all sections and components of the vessel with meticulous attention, and work out a reliable physical model that will take into account hydrostatic pressure, sound propagation in water, viscous resistance, temperature and many other factors. nine0003
At the same time, in order to control the boat, the players will have to learn literally, to read manuals, switch levers and press buttons with their own hands. It’s an enthusiast game for enthusiasts, and even though it’s in pre-alpha, it already has quite a few fans. Perhaps you will join them, but be prepared for difficulties!
Buy Now
Diluvion
In the world of Diluvion many centuries ago there was a Great Flood that drove the remnants of humanity into the depths of the oceans. After that, permafrost set in, forever sealing people under the thickness of the ice cover, not allowing them to get to the surface, to look at the blue sky.
The newly minted captain of the submarine will have to go in search of the truth, always hidden by the local religious and political branches of power. nine0003
We have an interesting combination of 3D and 2D graphics. All movements are made in fully three-dimensional deep-sea beauties, where there was a place for flooded cities, huge settlements of modern people with unique architecture. The social part, where you communicate with the crew and distribute the main resources of the ship, is made in a drawn style that makes the characters more recognizable and individual.
Organize the life of the ship, carry out important tasks for the guilds, fight underwater bandits and gigantic monsters that have crawled out of the dark depths into the light of your ship. nine0003
Buy Now
Iron Lung
In an instant, countless habitable planets and stars disappeared, leaving behind only desert moons and asteroid fields. This was noticed only by the miraculously surviving settlers of space stations and those traveling on interstellar ships, who barely established contact with each other and gathered in colonies looking for places to replenish rapidly depleting resources.
We find ourselves inside the Iron Lung submarine, assembled from pieces of the destroyed station. Before us is one task — the study of the moon, covered with a bloody ocean. We were instructed to swim only on instruments at the declared coordinates and take pictures of the bottom, which can help scientists clarify the causes of the anomaly. nine0003
An excellent psychological horror game that forces the player into the enclosed space of the Iron Lung. We do not know what is outside, being able only to view photos of what is happening, taken in a narrow camera angle. The boat’s oxygen is running out and the hull is leaking after colliding with something unknown from the depths of an ocean of blood.
Buy now
Silent Depth 3D Submarine Simulation
Silent Depth 3D Submarine Simulation will take you to the Pacific Ocean during World War II, where you will be the captain of a submarine patrolling the waters in search of Japanese ships. Everything here is dangerous.
There is no need to wait for reinforcements, so you need to act with extreme caution so as not to be surrounded by enemy destroyers and not to sink during the explosions of deep-sea shells. nine0003
The simulator will provide vast expanses of ocean, realistic day and night cycles, weather conditions, water and effects. The damage system is also close to reality, and if you miraculously manage to survive an enemy attack, then it will be vital to lie low and repair the submarine until you are noticed by sonar and finished off. More than 10 ships of different sizes and weapons will be combined in the generated missions in this open world.
Buy
Silent Service 9 Series0005
Silent Service is one of the very first series of submarine simulators that tried to emphasize the realism of the control of this military equipment. Digitized images of ships appear in front of us in the periscope, it is necessary to monitor all instruments, control pressure, check the navigation map and carry out a long calm aiming before giving the command to attack the enemy with torpedoes.
The second part added even more plausible elements, presented a whole campaign that allows the brave commander to advance in the service during the Second World War, receiving new ranks and the most dangerous and responsible tasks. nine0003
Now the projects are valuable as a visual exhibit of the history of the development of interactive entertainment. You can get acquainted to compare how much the industry, creation technologies and graphic capabilities have changed.
Buy Now
U96
U96 — a bagel that throws us into the depths of the sea, inspect randomly generated terrain maps from more than 20 different types of biomes, full of opponents who want to leave the bathyscaphe at the bottom. We will rush around the locations, collect emeralds, look for treasures, and fight bosses, dodging the attacks of underwater creatures, whose peace we have disturbed with our presence. nine0003
Nice pixel graphics, uncomplicated but very addictive gameplay and a few hours of fun are definitely guaranteed, because you won’t have to deal with mechanics for a long time.
Unlike your ship, they are on the surface.
Buy Now
Depths of Sanity
The submarine «Baroness» suddenly disappears from the radar screens and from the radio, and an unrecognizable signal begins to arrive from the bottom, to which the hero of the game Depths of Sanity hurries. Captain Abe Douglas must personally find out the fate of each crew member in order to understand the madness that is happening around. After all, not only flocks of fish are hiding in the water column, but also an indescribable something that calls on the protagonist to plunge deeper and deeper into darkness. nine0003
The gameplay is a metroidvania with a huge deep water world map. Not all places can be reached immediately at the start, with a standard set of skills and ship features. Later we will open new weapons, additional equipment, types of ships on which we will plow the ocean. We will even venture into the cold waters, separated from the unknown only by the thin walls of the suit.
Battles with leviathans are as addictive as just drifting among shipwrecks and the ruins of ancient civilizations. Danger can be expected from any direction, so keep a close eye on the readings of the sensors. nine0003
Buy Now
Submarine VR
Submarine VR is an entertainment for virtual reality glasses that will allow you to immerse yourself in sea adventures on a personal bathyscaphe. Explore the coral-covered bottom, go down to the sunken ships resting in the sand. Follow the movement of shoals of fish that were scared away by large predators, swim next to the aquatic inhabitants in complete peace and tranquility.
All this with realistic submersible physics and detailed graphics that will make you feel even more like an ocean explorer. If you get tired of wading through the thickets of algae, looking at the clown fish, then rise to the surface and watch the flocks of dolphins and penguins frolicking at the edge of the water surface. nine0003
Buy now
1914: Shells of Fury
World War I submarine simulator.
The attention to historical details and rather difficult missions from the point of view of tactics, designed for connoisseurs of the navy of those times, are impressive. In addition to the beautifully modeled German submarines in 1914: Shells of Fury, there are various types of military and merchant ships, as well as airplanes and airships.
Where to buy: the game could not be found in official digital services. nine0003
Enigma: Rising Tide
Simulator with a simple physics model and simple controls that will allow even inexperienced sailors to feel the taste of naval battles. At the same time, Enigma: Rising Tide has a fairly good representation of naval military equipment. In addition to nuclear and non-nuclear submarines, destroyers, cruisers, battleships, corvettes and other types of ships are represented here. Differs in variety and story campaign, bringing together more than 70 memorable missions.
Where to buy: I couldn’t find the game in official digital services.
nine0003
Deep Fighter
Ubisoft’s action-packed arcade sim that lets players get into a mini submarine and explore the vast depths of the ocean. Collecting resources, fighting underwater predators and pirates, completing various quests — the Deep Fighter gameplay includes a huge number of exciting activities.
Where to buy: I couldn’t find the game in official digital services.
Pending
Destroyer The U-Boat Hunter
In Destroyer: The U-Boat Hunter, you will personally lead a squadron of destroyers and perform exhilarating combat missions during World War II. The game is an interactive military thriller with a thoughtful storyline. Despite the fact that the player will have to control a surface ship, we put the game in the selection, since the main enemy are the Nazi submarines.
With a first-person view, gamers are offered to deal with various ship equipment, make tactical decisions, plan attacks and independently determine the development of the storyline.
nine0003
Steam page
UBOAT VR
UBOAT VR is a World War II submarine simulator dedicated to the survival of German submariners.
This is a strategy game in which you manage a crew of sailors: take care of your physical and mental health, complete tasks, allocate resources and deal with problems. You can invest the funds earned in battles into improving the boat, and you can exchange reputation points for additional skills. nine0003
The authors promise realistic gameplay, compatibility with many VR helmets and complete immersion in the life of the submarine crew.
Steam page
Uboat Commander
A strategy game in which you will take part in the Battle of the Atlantic using wolf pack tactics: using the fleet of submarines at your disposal, you will attack enemies and plunder resources.
In Uboat Commander you will be able to control crew members and give orders during the battle, and if you wish, you can take personal control of any of the submarines and start firing torpedoes at enemies.
The game will be released on PC in 2022. nine0003
Steam page
Shipbuilding in the space opera. 3 years later / Habr
Continuation of the story about the hobby game development about large-scale ship simulation in the space opera.
What has been done in these three years
What we have now can finally be called MVP.
The most important mechanisms are there and working.
- Combat simulator. Conducts fights.
- Galaxy simulator. Ships live in it.
- Battle visualizer. Shows how the fights went. nine0264
- Statistics. Shows the success of the ships.
- Ship constructor. Here the player makes ships.
- Constructor of modules for ships. New modules for ships are created here.
- Random ship generator. Creates random ships and mutates existing ships.
Combat simulator
The hardest part required the most effort.
The requirements were repeatability, logs, and top speed. Now she works like this. nine0003
Dynamic time step. Each tick has its own delta time, chosen so that something happens. There are no “nothing happened” cycles.
Static coordinates. Only the distance between the ships changes, each ship has its own coordinate system, which is poured into concrete.
The battle distance is set in such a way that the faster team is guaranteed to have damage.
All this made it possible to carry out 10-100 battles per second per stream. There is no multithreading inside the combat simulator, but this is not necessary. The simulator itself is called in several threads. nine0278
Each activity is logged, but only if the flag is set to keep full logs. By default, this flag is not set. Only the battle seed and the initial composition of the ships are recorded. If the player wants to see how the fight went, the fight is replayed with full logs and then shown in the visualizer based on the logs.
Repeatability of battles. At first I wanted to have complete determinism, where everything is on integers without a floating point, but then I refused. It is good enough if the random is from only one seed. On the same processor, everything always goes the same way. In theory. At least they never noticed. nine0003
Galaxy simulator
More matchmaker than galaxy. Ships move from point to point, collecting resources and if they collide with another ship, they fight to the death. No states, no galactic development, no fleets, every man for himself. In general, a stub.
But even that turned out to be very interesting. It suddenly turned out that the most important characteristic of the ship is the cost. It is the cost that determines the ecological niche of the ship. If you take a successful ship and throw guns at it, the result is very often discouraging, because the ship falls out of its niche and dies. nine0003
Cool, but in this picture, most of the stars are red dwarfs, but their light is interrupted by other stars.
Combat Visualizer
An unexpectedly difficult task, to show a battle with a variable time step, shooting at a distance of tens of kilometers, why this ship can dodge, but the same ship cannot dodge in another battle. The result is still unsatisfactory.
Statistics
The graphs showing the current number of ships in the galaxy are surprisingly sticky. The stickiness of observing chaos, in an attempt to understand how it works and predict what will happen next, was fully reproduced. nine0003
Ship designer
Works like many other building games.
Ship module kit
More of a devtool than part of the game. Without knowledge of the insides, it is unlikely to be able to use. Still created new modules do not appear in already running games, you need to create a new game.
Random ship generator
It works quite simply, randomly selected guns, engines.
Then we add the required number of generators and energy storage devices to them + — a small accident. Then the modules are placed, the “Packing problem” is a subset of NP complete problems … We decided by sequential enumeration of coordinates. We take the module, which we try to squeeze into each place starting from 0.0. nine0003
The genetic algorithm turned out to be unexpectedly simple. An array of random numbers, the «genome», is created. Further, when creating a random ship, instead of referring to the RNG, we turn to the genome. When mutating, we change the genome and recreate it on a new genome. The disadvantage of this scheme is that the player’s ships do not mutate.
Gameplay problems
Is it possible to play it now. Can. But… It’s hard for a beginner to figure out how to get started. UI is non-intuitive and there is no tutorial. And to make a tutorial that leads the player by the hand through everything important will take a lot of time and effort.
And then everything will change and you will need to make a new tutorial. nine0003
There is currently no progression in the game. The initial set of modules remains unchanged. It lasts for half an hour or two hours of play. It is necessary to gradually increase the complexity of the mechanics and the opening of new modules to add.
Game scale. Now the galaxy has a fixed size. It doesn’t give the feeling of a big world. To feel the scale, you need to compare with something. Now the solution is seen as increasing the size of the galaxy as the game progresses. Or online with a particularly large galaxy for a hundred players, which opens after a single-player campaign. nine0003
Too many ships, they have lost their identity. Shrink the galaxy, slow down the speed, give the player their own state in the style of 4X games (ziva, stellaris, moo). This will increase the role of individual ships and fleets, which will positively affect the involvement in what is happening. Perhaps it is worth making a two-level system, an everyday level with merchants and pirates.
And the level of large fleets and unique superships, which is activated during wars and other emergencies.
Rock-paper-scissors. During long simulations, a rather unpleasant situation emerged. A ship (stone) appears. It is destroyed by the ship (paper). It is destroyed by the ship (scissors). It is destroyed by the ship (stone). The success of the design does not matter. A good stone destroys scissors just as successfully as a great stone, there is no difference between them. We fixed the problem by saving all the ships that successfully spawned and constantly respawning them. Another possible solution is to reduce the connectivity of the map, with many loosely connected regions dominated by different types of ships. nine0003
Lack of entertainment. Simulations are conducted behind the scenes, up to a thousand fights per second. The scale of what is happening piu-piu is imperceptible.
Lack of clear goals for the game. The player now does not have a clearly set goal to make the best ship.
The solution is seen in the elements of tycoon and 4X. Something like orders for ships, income from successful ships, the need to earn money to expand the shipyard, etc. At the same time, the standard 4X activity between NPC empires is taking place in the galaxy. With certain actions of the player, you can get your own state, which will give control over the budget. A controlled state is guaranteed to buy ships from you, at your price and without red tape with a tender. nine0003
Plot. She is not. But this is a space opera, it needs a plot. There is an idea to show the life of a person, an engineer in a shipbuilding company (you make ships for a salary and bonuses) -> the owner of a shipbuilding company (you make ships and sell them) -> a warlord of the dark ages (you make ships from what you managed to get by robbery and salvage) -> a king a small state (you make ships for your fleet and for sale) -> the emperor of the galaxy (you make ships to go to another galaxy or to fight an invasion from another galaxy).
And also the optional role of a valuable slave, if he managed to become famous as a shipbuilder, but was captured (you make ships for the owner, perhaps with a small minor flaw). nine0003
Graphics. Decided that bad graphics are worse than no graphics. Everything is strictly functional. But people love with their eyes, multi-colored cubes will not arouse the desire to play it. Whether it’s huge guns making piu-piu.
Although over time, I began to notice something attractive in the aesthetics of colorful cubes…
Sound. She is not.
What can be changed
Change of setting to microbiology. Ships in the galaxy are too dumb and look like bacteria. So let there be microbiology! We create a microbe, set up homeostasis for it, behavior under different triggers, how many ribosomes to make, how many chloroplasts, to make a transport network or it will cost purely by diffusion, the condition for the transition to a cyst, a set of digestive enzymes, flagella or cilia for movement, and so on.
And send to live in the wild world. Maybe Mars. Or under the rim of the toilet. nine0003
Throw out all self-sufficiency, remake it under a mod in Stellaris.
Development history
A few years earlier. I’m coming up with a shipbuilding game that doesn’t have boring micromanagement but massive simulation of ships in a brutal holactec.
Winter 2018-19. I get stuck on cyberbiology videos and get visions of a massive life simulation game. It seems that it will not be difficult to do this about ships in space …
Spring 2019. I keep getting visions and tell my friends about it.
Summer 2019. Suddenly a friend agrees to work on such a game. We think that the MVP will take three to four months of the evening code.
Autumn 2019. I am releasing an article on Habré about the idea and visions of this game. People positively perceive all this, we get + morality.
Winter 2019-20. There is something to play with.
If you know the internal structure.
Summer 2020. I am releasing an article on Habré. There are scary screenshots and a link to the non-playable version. People negatively perceive all this, we get morality. nine0003
Fall 2020. We continue coding in the evenings. The combat simulation code, which has been a spaghetti monster from the start, is getting out of hand. Deciding to completely rewrite from 0.
Spring 2021. Break. Vacations and all that…
Summer 2021. Back to the evening gatherings. It seems that mvp is ready. Just need to finish a couple of things.
Fall 2021. Is it a success? Test subjects stick to charts + morality.
Winter 2021. Lazy coding and polishing.
It seems that they worked for a very long time. When I calculated how many hours specifically they worked, it turned out ~ 1000 man-hours of direct work + the same amount for reflection at different times. Surprised.
What’s next?
According to the gameplay, now the fork in which direction to make the game is clearly visible.
