Virtual Sailor.

[ATSF107]

Woah! What is that and where can you get it?

[KeltikSylk]

Buried somewhere in the library is a Lehigh Valley tugboat I built. Working on that big Virginian electric, I've come across some pictures of VGN tugs at Tidewater. The thought has crossed my mind to do a reskin.

I also want to do some side wheelers from back in the day. So far the trouble is choosing one.

I was hoping to do a herd of them for Pittsburg on the Allegheny Eastern. I just read that before the "War of Northern Agression" Pittsburgh had more steamer traffic than all the East Coast ports combined...

Another model I'm tinkering with is based on this...
http://forums.flightsim.com/dcforum/User_files/40fc066a733d7aea.jpg
I didn't build this one, though. I found it at this site...
http://home.att.net/%7Ekaren.crisafulli/CigarBoats.html
It goes hand in hand with the models at this site...
http://home.att.net/~karen.crisafulli/nautilus.html
I'm not sure any of the modelers caught Vernes idea though. There is an obscure but distinct mention of a triangular cross section in "20,000 Leagues".

Also found this spot full of info...
http://members.bellatlantic.net/~vze3v57h/largesteamers.html

I'm also crazy about Civil War Ironclads...What a weird assortment of ships that was...
http://www.wideopenwest.com/~jenkins/ironclads/ironclad.htm

Frank Musick

Moving America into the 19th Century!
http://forums.flightsim.com/dcforum/User_files/3e159ecd600b805c.jpg
www.kelticsylk.com

[Jonatan]

>Woah! What is that and where can you get it?

Virtual Sailor or the tug?

Virtual Sailor is a sailing simulator and the tugboat is a work in progress by me. Virtual Sailor can be purchased at http://www.hangsim.com/vs/index.php.

I've already built several other ships for VS and this could be my best one... I hope. Below is a rendering form 3DS Max.
http://upl.silentwhisper.net/uplfolders/upload8/tugrender.jpg
The thing that bugs me is the smoothing in the game.
I guess it is because of that I build it in Gmax and export the model as .md3 format and then export to .x format in Deep Exploration. Then I use 3DS Max to make see-through windows.

/Jonatan

[KeltikSylk]

I didn't realize you were talking about a different simulator...
I went to that site, looks pretty cool...

I was looking at the boat design section. How do you get your models from 3DS to the sim?

Frank Musick

Moving America into the 19th Century!
http://forums.flightsim.com/dcforum/User_files/3e159ecd600b805c.jpg
www.kelticsylk.com

[tryagin]

Frank, you constantly surprise me with what you're up to. That is a cool looking boat!

I, too, like the old ships, and especially the old "pre-dreadnaughts", of the Spanish American War period (1898 era). Of course what got me interested was the old namesake battleship ( Coastal Defense Vessel it was designated as) of my state, the USS Oregon, BB-3:
http://forums.flightsim.com/dcforum/User_files/40fc4a6907cf18f8.jpg

My grandmother was a staunch admirer of the old gal, and took many pix of it whenever it visited Portland ( which some I have). And then was a supporter of the drive to save it from the scrappers during WWII, which ultimately failed. But there's something very cool about these ships' designs, where they still combined artistry and beauty -even in a weapon of war.

[ATSF104]

Nice Job on the tug, although I do not like Ships one bit, it looks really good.

-Matt

[KeltikSylk]

You know, I think you hit that one on the head...It seems that whenever a technology is starting out, the engineering is more art than science.

Question...
Being from the Northwest, are you familiar with the "Kalakala"?
http://forums.flightsim.com/dcforum/User_files/40fc951016141b8d.jpg

Another model I want to make someday. As soon as I saw her beached in Lake Washington...It was love at first sight. Wish I had the money to save her.

I'll try to remember to post my version of Jules Vernes "Nautilus" tomorrow. It's one of my "lunch hour" projects.

Frank Musick

Moving America into the 19th Century!
http://forums.flightsim.com/dcforum/User_files/3e159ecd600b805c.jpg
www.kelticsylk.com

[tryagin]

I saw the "Kalakala", in 1975, berthed next to the ferry that I was on, during a trip across the sound to Vancouver Island with my brother. We were amazed by it, and my brother took some slides. I don't know if he still has them. But I recall hearing that she was in danger of being scrapped, but don't know anymore about her recent history.

She was originaly the "Peralta", operated by the Key System in San Fransisco Bay from 1926 to 1933. After a fire destroyed her upper decks, she was sold to the Puget Sound Navigation Co., towed to Washington state and was rebuilt with the streamlined cabin. She was advertised as the "World's first streamlined ferry", christened "M.V. Kalakala" in 1935.

[msavianney]

Hi Tim,

Well, another surprise! I, too, am a big fan of the pre-Dreadnoughts, and have been since I was a kid. Those warships of the 80s and 90s really had the look. One day I'd love to go to Japan and see the Mikasa, the flagship of the fleet that defeated the Russians at Tsushima in 1905.

Cheers,
matt

[KeltikSylk]

My wife and I were in Seattle about a year ago (I think). The KalaKala was sitting in some boat yard waiting to be scrapped, again.

Now they're trying to save it once more...
http://www.kalakala.org

Here's that "Nautilus" I promised...
http://forums.flightsim.com/dcforum/User_files/40fd0c1b35e60cb5.jpg
It's just a shot from TSM, but with the gray background it looks like it's underwater.

I'm feeling bad, as we're kind of hijacking Jonathan's thread, but he bought up a subject a lot of us may be interested in...Maybe we should have a forum for the MSTS "navy"...Marine Operations.

I have all these wonderful images of railroads and canals, railroads and steam packets, railroads and ships, not to mention car float operations (the BEDT is the one that comes to mind). They were interdependent on one another since the begining and still are. It's an area rarely touched on in model railroading, in any scale.

Frank Musick

Moving America into the 19th Century!
http://forums.flightsim.com/dcforum/User_files/3e159ecd600b805c.jpg
www.kelticsylk.com

[KeltikSylk]

I grew up in Philly, were Dewey's flagship Olympia is preserved. It really is a beautiful example of the type of vessel you're talking about.

Frank Musick

Moving America into the 19th Century!
http://forums.flightsim.com/dcforum/User_files/3e159ecd600b805c.jpg
www.kelticsylk.com

[tryagin]

Ah, yes, Matt, the coincidences are amazing! And Frank, you lucky dude! I'd love to go see the Olympia!!! She was built by the same shipyard (Union in San Fransisco), and at the same time, as the Oregon. Right next to her, if I remember right. There are many similarities in the two designs!

Your Nautilus looks great, by the way. I like the idea of a naval forum for MSTS, and have thought about building the Oregon too, but didn't take it beyond that. I do have some plans from the National Archives around here somewhere....

And, yes, sorry Jonatan. But your thread did awaken an old interest....

Thanks for the Kalakala link, Frank. Good info there.

[Boilerbuster]

From Age of Sail 2. I was the Captian of the Constillation against the Insurgent which is a French Frigate. In the First Two Salvos I knocked off her Aft Mast. It was a good battle with the Constillation the Victor.

Knocking off the Aft Mast
http://forums.flightsim.com/dcforum/User_files/40fdcd0f5fb822c6.jpg

A Hull Shot.
http://forums.flightsim.com/dcforum/User_files/40fdcd3f604adeda.jpg

Then Raked the enemy ship from the rear quarter

http://forums.flightsim.com/dcforum/User_files/40fdcd6660ace7fa.jpg

Moving in for the Kill shot

http://forums.flightsim.com/dcforum/User_files/40fdcda86163690a.jpg

Victory

http://forums.flightsim.com/dcforum/User_files/40fdcdd161b17c88.jpg


http://forums.flightsim.com/dcforum/User_files/40a3ad6d17a90f92.jpg

Don Pottorff

[Vulcan Foundry]

You big bully, you ;)

[Jonatan]

http://forums.simflight.com/files/tug12.jpg
When I get up to steam, modeling goes like Whoosh! Cabin doors and portholes soon to be done.

I suggest to those who wants a good sailing sim to get Virtual Sailor, just for 25-30 bucks. You can download endless amounts boats, ships or sceneries. Everything from small sailboats to big oceanliners.

Go visit this forum http://forums.simflight.com/viewforum.php?f=32 to find out more about VS.

This tug is for VS and I'll release it for free for anyone to download.

/Jonatan

[tryagin]

Oh, yah, sure. Just what I need- another distraction!!! ;-)

All kidding aside, Jonatan, that's a neat little tug.

[KeltikSylk]

http://forums.flightsim.com/dcforum/User_files/40fea887509c0b83.jpg
I couldn't help myself...

Frank Musick

Moving America into the 19th Century!
http://forums.flightsim.com/dcforum/User_files/3e159ecd600b805c.jpg
www.kelticsylk.com

[tryagin]

Another lunch hour project, Frank? Do you ever eat on your lunch hours? That is reallly cool. If you develope that to completeion, I'd DL it in a NY heartbeat!

[tryagin]

hiccup..... deleted...must watch that.

[KeltikSylk]

I eat lunch over the keyboard...every once in a while I dump out the crumbs :-)

Believe it or not this thing is only 1380 polys so far. I thought it would be far more with all those curves.

Of course, since it's a scenery item it may not require a ton of detail...You know somebody will want to make it a locomotive and run it...

You know, there's a thing...Especially in the earlier days...Steamers could actually be part of the AI traffic. You could have trains meet steamers at certain points...I have a bunch of old images where the depot is right at the docks.

I think Rich Garber has something like this at his coal docks, the train meets the coal barge or something...

I wonder if MSTS would allow a ferry or car float operation? You could build a route based on the BEDT. Invisible tracks that the train and the ferry or float run on across the water?

Frank Musick

Moving America into the 19th Century!
http://forums.flightsim.com/dcforum/User_files/3e159ecd600b805c.jpg
www.kelticsylk.com

[Poltergeist]

Can you do activies on the sim like tug an oceanliner out of the dock or something like that?

[Jonatan]

Well... no. We don't have a towline,boats sink if they collide and we can't set up activities but we can play online.

/Jonatan

[Stetrain12]

I also have Virtual Sailor, and am in the process of modeling this boat:

http://www.steamtrainz.com/screenshots/BlueHeron_01.JPG

:)

[Boweavel]

I know its a hated word but i couldnt resist as these models are all so darn nice !!

Any possible chance of getting them into Trainz ??? I know i'd love to use them :)

Catchya

[Jonatan]

Uh, no, it's about 31,000 polys now...
http://forums.simflight.com/files/tug21.jpg
Me is very very proud. ^_^

/Jonatan

[Brad 110]

Speaking of "pre-D's" I found a funny thing up here in Seattle. There is a neighborhood park on the north side, Hamlin Park. Couple of ball fields, some picnic tables, all the regular neighborhood park things. Over kind of hidden away behind some shrubs are a paif of Naval guns on concrete mounts. When I saw them I went over to see what, if any, info there was about them and why they would be at that particular place. It turns out they are 8 inch 30's from the Boston and one had fired the first shot at Manila Bay and the other was credited with destroying a number of forts along the shore. No explination of how or why they ended up there. I thought to check the parks dept -- nothing. I still (15 years later) don't know why or how. The only thing that even looks like a link is that the Boston was decommed at Bremerton which is at least in the same state. The real kicker is that the area for miles around hamlin park was only developed since WW II (in fact I'd say >80% of the construction dates from post 1960). Hamlin park itself was not developed (the playing fields and swingsets put in) until the '60's, but the guns were supposedly already there when the parks dept started work there. ISTM they must have been set up more or less in the middle of nowhere for many years before "civilization" got that far north. I wonder if someone named Hamlin had an sestate/farm out there and had the guns set up privately. I knew a fellow in Montana who had a pair of dummy mines as gateposts.

Brad Meyer

[BeaverMon]

Hey yeah!!! I was waiting for something like a "Microsoft Boat Simulator".
Great news someone has already created it!

Does it have river barges and can you travel on U.S rivers(like the Ohio that I'm 1/2 mile away from)?

-BeaverMon, AKA Ben-

[Macster]

Can you do Tug Service with this game? As in pull in a container ship and assist it in docking?

[Jonatan]

Sorry to say, Neeh. We are constantly hoping that Ilan will add a working towline to the next version VS 7.0, and ships tend to bounce or sink if you run into them...

We hope that we in the future can add a line in the boat.cfg that allows you to determine if it is a tug or not thus making it possible to use towlines and/or push and bump boats. But Ilan works on this sim alone and it'll be hard to program that into it.

/Jonatan

[KeltikSylk]

Cool!

That's absolutely great

Frank Musick

Moving America into the 19th Century!
http://forums.flightsim.com/dcforum/User_files/3e159ecd600b805c.jpg
www.kelticsylk.com

[tryagin]

Jonatan, your liner looks great! This is your own design? You missed your calling!... You should be a nautical engineer! :-)

[Jonatan]

My own design. Fictious ofcourse, with a little dash of great paintwork. You should see it in VS.

/Jonatan

[Jonatan]

How many virtual sailors do we got here? Come out and show yerselfes! :D

I'm an active modeler for VS and specialize on steam ships and tugboats. Here is my newest work.

/Jonatan

[Jonatan]

The tugboat Minnie is on hold for a mo as I got issues with the interior. So I started on a passenger steamer instead while thinking out a way to do Minnies interior. It's a fictious ship (as usual).

/Jonatan