The development of Sailaway III started in march 2020. Although Sailaway II was and still is a great success, when viewed with the knowledge of today, it could certainly use a successor.
Instead of improving the existing code, the bold decision was made to start from scratch, using all the experience and better insights that Sailaway II has provided.
The ambitions were high and it soon became an enormous project. I have worked on it full time and more when possible. But the end result is absolutely worth all the effort. The new game looks and feels wonderful and it has truly become a simulator for sailing.
Upgrading to Sailaway III will not be mandatory. Sailaway II will continue to exist for sailors who are nostalgic or whose computer isn't up for the requirements of Sailaway III.
Currently the project is in beta phase. Publication of the beta versions and testing them is limited to a small group of sailors.
The public release of Sailaway III version 1 is scheduled for August 2024. But in the meantime, don't forget that you can still enjoy Sailaway II. In fact, if you buy Sailaway II now, the upgrade to Sailaway III will be free.
You can follow the development progress on this Trello board
Documentation (ongoing work and not yet complete):
- Sailaway guide
- Boat designer
- World editor
The release of the Steam version of Sailaway III will follow after the initial release on the Sailaway website. One of the reasons is that the Steam requirements for an in-game economy are not easily met. It is also better to monitor, optimize and possibly increase the Sailaway server infrastructure with a phased release. I trust you will understand.
In the meantime you can help make the Steam release a success by going to the Steam Store and putting Sailaway III on your wishlist. It needs at least 7k wishlist entries to be taken seriously by the Steam algorithms. (Contrary to what the Steam page may say, Sailaway III will also be available on the latest MacOS versions)
You can design your own boat, enhance a port, set up tidal currents, share useful links or videos, create a sailing club or a team. Or design an instrument, a livery or an alternative deck layout for a boat.
To edit the world, the waterlevel, tidal current or seamarks you will need a specific authorization. Simply send an email to support@sailaway.world and I will set you up.
You can also help by making Sailaway III available in your native language by editing the translations of all words and sentences used in the game. If you are willing to help with this, send an email to support@sailaway.world so I can add the necessary authorizations to your account.
Subscribe to the Sailaway video channel
Behind the scenes - Forces
Introduction video of Sailaway III alpha 8
Introduction video of Sailaway III alpha 7
Introduction video of Sailaway III alpha 6
Introduction video of Sailaway III alpha 5
Introduction video of Sailaway III alpha 4
Introduction video of Sailaway III alpha 3
22. Clouds, website
21. Cape Wrath
20. First meters
19. Forces
18. Sailing UI
17. A typical day
16. Controls
15. Tracing the hull shape
14. Boat specs and struggles
13. Materials and textures
12. Adding hardware in the boat designer
11. Trim lines work!
10. Trim lines starting to work
9. 2D Trim line behaviour
8. Deck hardware logic 2
7. Deck hardware logic
6. Deck hardware
5. Sail aerodynamics
4. Visualizing airflow
3. Intelligent sails
2. About Sailaway III
1. About me