Early Access Update 2

A major new Early Access update is now available! This build introduces significant improvements to ship handling, mooring physics, navigation, Career Mode, tutorials and overall stability.

⚓ Ship Handling & Physics

• 🧭 Introduced a new rudder response algorithm for more realistic steering behavior on shaft-driven vessels.
• 🎛️ Added the new “Realistic Rudder Effects” setting to enable or disable advanced rudder behavior.
• 🚢 Adjusted maximum rudder angles and steering responsiveness on several vessels based on extensive sea trials.
• 🌊 Introduced a new side-drift reduction algorithm to improve vessel handling.
• 🛑 Improved engine acceleration, deceleration and crash-stop behavior.
• ⚓ Reworked anchor drag physics for more realistic slowing down and to prevent unintended acceleration.
• ⛽ Reduced Yacht fuel consumption.

🔗 Mooring & Docking

• ⚓ Major rework of mooring line physics, allowing more realistic line-assisted docking maneuvers and vessel rotation around mooring points.
• 🔗 Fixed mooring constraint attachment and movement restrictions.
• 🚢 Improved vessel stability while docked to prevent unintended movement.
• ⛽ Refueling now requires the vessel to be docked, preventing ships from sailing away with the fuel hose connected.
• 📜 Improved the Docking Panel, including corrected sizing and scrolling support for vessels with many mooring points.
• 📊 Improved the display of mooring line forces.

🗺️ Navigation & UI

• 👁️ Added an adjustable Field of View (FOV) setting, with a default of 90°.
• 🗺️ Improved the HUD Map with vessel-follow mode, right-click panning and mouse-wheel zoom.
• 📍 Clicking the HUD Map returns it to vessel-follow mode.
• 🧭 Fixed routes being recreated when reopening the Map Widget.
• ⌨️ Improved AZERTY keyboard support, including throttle controls and Emergency Ahead.
• 🌍 Fixed localization issues in the Radio/AI Ship menus, Settings and cockpit controls.
• 🖥️ Improved Career HUD layout and various interface elements.
• 🌉 Entering vessel control now starts in Bridge View.

🎓 Career, Tutorials & Missions

• 🚨 Added a new Collision Avoidance Tutorial, covering lookout, binocular identification, radio communication and avoiding nearby vessels.
• 🧳 Fixed premature objective progression in Tourist Charter missions.
• ⚓ Improved Pilot support Mission conditions and fixed cargo disappearing when the Pilot left the bridge.
• 💾 Career Mode now saves time and weather conditions, as well as vessel data when changing ships.
• 🛠️ Fixed issues involving the Captain during Dry Dock repairs.

🌊 World, Visuals & Ships

• 🌧️ Added rain-on-glass effects for first test vessel (coast guard), available on High and Epic graphics settings.
• 🚢 Improved bridge consoles, cockpit elements and vessel collision meshes.
• 🛥️ Updated Yacht textures and appearance.
• 🌊 Improved harbor depths at Dunkirk, Calais and Boulogne-sur-Mer.
• 🗺️ Various scenery improvements around Ralswiek, Stralsund, Thiessow, Vitte and Sassnitz.
• 🌉 Adjusted Folding Bridge interaction distance.
• 🧹 Removed several misplaced or duplicate scenery objects.

⚙️ Stability & Performance

• 🚢 Improved AI ship and buoy spawning during heavy level streaming. Physics now activates only after vessels and buoys have been correctly positioned.
• 🤖 Improved AI vessel registration timing for missions and binocular identification.
• 🖥️ Improved external browser handling to reduce potential crashes.
• 🐛 Various additional bug fixes and stability improvements.

❤️ Thank you to all our Beta testers for your continued feedback and detailed bug reports!

We continue working intensively on bug fixes and improvements. Every properly filled-out bug report helps us track down rare issues that are difficult to reproduce.

You can submit a report by pressing Ctrl + Tab while in Ship Control Mode.

Your feedback helps us to improve our Early Access Simulation