When I'm not playing 3D games such as Skyrim, I run a cruising forum and website called Cruising Mates (
www.cruisingmates.co.uk). Just over a week ago I came across Ship Simulator Extremes on Steam and, although I haven't tried a simulator since the days of my Amiga, I thought it might have some potential for my forum.
I bought SSE as a download from Game.co.uk for £9.99 and it turned out to be a real bargain. I also bought the MS Oceana DLC from this site because I didn't realise I already had Orient Star (which I prefer).
I played around with the simulator long enough to get the general idea, then began to create a Virtual Mystery Cruise for members of my forum. In all, I recorded 13 videos of around 5 minutes each, starting with embarkation at Dover and including visits to Bora Bora, Sydney, San Francisco and New York, and the return to the UK. I also included excursions using the ship's tender and other boats. The virtual cruise was extremely popular and I know some members have since bought SSE for themselves as a result.
Here's a link to the topic on Cruising Mates if you'd like to see how it all went:
http://www.cruisingmates.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=3394
I ought to mention that I forgot to record the sound for the first few videos, and that I was absolutely rubbish at controlling the ships at first - although I'd improved a lot by the end.
So thanks ShipSim - we had great fun with SSE!
