Da der Vstep Newsletter von heute sehr interessante Informationen beinhaltet, denke ich, man kann ihn hier mal posten:
Many things have happened since the last newsletter, and even more things are about to happen here at VSTEP. A few of these are described in this newsletter, to keep you up-to-date, and to whet your appetite for our future products.
New Horizons add-on released
The add-on product we have been working on so hard over the last few months has finally been released. Currently only the English and German versions are out, but the French, Dutch, Spanish and Italian language versions are due soon as well. If you buy the current English download version now, you will be able to change it into another language later, when we issue the free language patch. So far, the response on New Horizons has been very positive. If you upgraded your 2006 add-on pack to 2008 and now would like to have the additional vessels and scenery of New Horizons, you will be able to buy these as a separate upgrade product by the end of April.
Buy your add-on now, and meet us on-line, at one of the multiplayer servers!
News on Ship Simulator 2009
Although we are still working hard improving Ship Simulator 2008, at the same time a new development team has started on Ship Simulator 2009. Some of the new features:
A completely new ocean, based on real-world wave spectra
Tornados / water spouts
The harbour of Sydney
Part of Antarctica
New navigational instruments like a radar and a conning screen
Many brand new vessels.
We plan to bring out Ship Simulator 2009 in the first quarter 2009.
Survey on tools for player-created content
We are investigating various options for stimulating players to create content for the new game. You can help us and determine what we do, by completing our on-line survey.
Participating means you automatically enter into our survey competition, giving you the chance to win one of 10 copies of the upcoming New Horizons add-on. The survey will only take a few minutes of your time and can be found here. The survey will stay online until the 8th April.
Professional training versions of Ship Simulator
We are getting a lot of requests lately for enhancements that would make our game more suitable for professional maritime training. We are already working on a product for training of Dynamic Positioning operators, but judging the feedback, there are many more specialized training products possible. To name just a few options:
Radar training
AIS training
Anchor handling
Offshore crane operations
Offshore operations preparation
ROV operations
You can help us with the prioritisation and course content specification. Please send me an email with your ideas and preferences.
Upcoming patches and upgrades
You can expect a few free upgrades from us over the next few weeks:
Upgrade 1.4, which has improvements in the bow waves, ocean waves, towing, ship dynamics, multiplayer, and bug fixes. We will move over the multiplayer servers to support SS08 1.4 soon after the release of the upgrade. The New Horizons add-on already has the 1.4 upgrade included.
An upgrade for the Philips amBX peripherals. AmBX provides you with a more intense gaming experience, adding lights, sound, vibration and even wind. The faster you sail, the more wind you feel in your face!
The multiplayer server application. Create your own multiplayer sessions, specifying the environment, the vessels and the weather. Invite your friends to join you on your server. If you have a high-spec PC, you can run the server and the game simultaneously.
An upgrade with new horn sounds and radio clutter, developed by some of our active players: Terry Russell and Fred Toebes
VSTEP received prestigious award
We received the prestigious ‘Serious Gaming and Simulation for Better Safety' award from the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs. As well as the Ship Simulator series, we create virtual training simulators for emergency services applied with the Dutch Royal Navy, Port of Rotterdam, Shell, DSM and various fire departments. We are grateful for the recognition this award gives the development team and it strengthens our belief proves that we are on the right track with our RescueSim professional training products!
Please keep sending us your thoughts, ideas, improvement through the Ship Sim forum.
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