The “wind†adjustment in free roam is not the same as the wind slider in WeatherSim in the editor. It is just a name given to a simplified control of the sea state in free roam.
There is no real wind in SS that exerts any force on ships.
Some effects of wind are manifested in SS, but in a simplified way, not by the application of physical laws:
“Wind†determines how fast, and in what direction, weather moves across the environment. It determines how the initial clouds move out, and how the new weather generated on the edge of the environment moves in.
“Wind†also determines how waves are formed and move. The resulting asymmetric wave-shape can produce buoyant forces that deflect a ship from its heading, thus affecting course-holding. But wind does not act directly on the hull of a ship.
In order for ships to actually sail realistically requires a large effort in development in the way of sail animation and the many extra controls necessary to handle yards and rigging. This, in addition to the special dynamics.
All of this would add to the computational burden and memory requirements that would further reduce performances for all players, whether they were interested in sailing or not.
