The ocean, and the ship on it

As of the 7 October dev log. These cards describe the rebuild — what each system does today in the new engine, and what is still to come. The measured figures live on the Status page; the week-by-week work is in the dev log.

• The ocean

  A new sea simulation, built fresh for the new engine — not a port of the old one. Ships carve a true Kelvin wake: bow wave, turbulent core, divergent arms, transverse crests. Still to come: whitecap coverage, crest translucency, and foam at the waterline.

• Sky, stars & almanac

  A star catalogue overhead and the tools to use it: sightings by quadrant, cross-staff and sextant, a world clock, and planetary wind. Across, and checked against the original.

• Weather and wind

  Six presets from flat calm to severe storm, with thunder that follows the flash by distance — seeded, so captains in company hear the same storm. Still to come: the day/night cycle proper.

• Rigging and working sails

  Yards brace round to actually catch the wind, rigging stays made fast at both ends through the turn, and the throttle picks a sail plan rather than scaling one — every sail set at any setting is a properly set sail with a proper belly. Canvas sets and furls tier by tier, and a furled sail is a real roll of the cloth that left it. Still to come: furling the lateen and headsails.

• The ship as played

  Helm, hydrodynamics, gear and canvas are in and under your hands. Still to come: anchor, damage, fire, and wear.

• Hull design & drafting table

  Every hull is drawn from real curves on the drafting table, and the figures agree with the first version's to one part in ten thousand — every hull, index, tonnage and sailing quality, checked automatically.

• Land and coast

  Coastline, terrain and streaming are new work and in. A circumnavigable 2:1 world over real geography: sail east far enough and you come back around, walled north and south by polar ice. Still to come: all shore vegetation.

• Flags, banners & colours

  Eight crowns fly, flag and banner both — two cloths on purpose, the captain's own flag at the truck and the allegiance banner beneath it, so false colours are something another ship can see through rather than a switch. Still to come: hull livery, the flag loft, the disguise locker.

• Navigation instruments

  Celestial sighting is in. Still to come: the telescope, sea charts, surveying, and the chart room.

• The sea has a voice

  Nine sea beds crossfaded by sky, wind, shore, night and depth; thunder that follows the flash; canvas audible as a tier is let fall and as it takes the wind; her colours sounding against the wind they are bent with.

• Sail in Company — co-op

  Up to four captains on one shared ocean, one economy, a synced clock and weather, barter at sea, and shared battles. Built and proven in the first version; it was right, and comes across as-is.