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Much more than a game

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 47 / 49
Date: September 20, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Did you ever wonder what it would have been like to sail Titanic into New York harbor? That would be serious business and so is this software. The program features various vessels, along with Titanic all then way down to a 35 footer, participating in missions in four different locations with you in command. The ships respond realistically to engine and rudder commands. I found it to be the closest thing to actually being on the bridge out at sea. Young gamers may not have the patience required to handle these missions in real time, reading charts, minding weather conditions and being ever watchful for other ships in the shipping lanes. The supplied documentation leaves a lot to be desired and is particularly silent on editing missions or creating your own which would be fun if they only bothered to explain how. And the scenarios for the power racing boat are unrealistic to the point of being rediculous, with jumps, requiring speed to accomplish, placed too close to spectator boats. But there are plenty of other pre-programmed missions for the other ships to keep you busy for quite a while. Despite a few shortcomings I do recommend this especially for boating enthusiasts who are house-bound during the winter months on land. Try it, full speed ahead.

All I need is a tall ship and a star to sail her by.........

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 21 / 21
Date: January 04, 2007
Author: Amazon User

As a fan of simulators (Microsoft Flight Sim 2004, Trainz Railroad Sim, Transport Giant), I came across Ship Simulator almost by accident but I'm glad I did. For a relatively simple concept, this game offers a whole lot of fun with plenty to do.

Basically, you are given 8 different types of boats and ships and each have unique controls. The vessels are as follows: The Titanic, Water Taxi, Container Vessel, Royal Yacht, Inland Cargo Ship, Harbor Patrol Boat, Tug Boat, and Power Boat (Speed Boat). These water craft are represented in excellent detail. Some larger craft have bow thrusters and rudder control and some just have rudder control. Large craft also have independent port and starboard throttles to maximize turning and such. It is all easy to learn and eventually master too.

The graphics are very nice to look at also. Besides great looking ships, the water effects such as the wake coming off the stern and the open ocean areas appear realistic. Islands, harbors, piers, and additional supporting scenery are quite well done. The game offers dynamic weather such as wind and rain which can have an effect on your vessels. As far as sound, each ship has distinct motor noise and water effect noise that adds to realism.

The game is mostly controlled by the mouse which is easy throughout. You can also use keyboard commands if you wish. Camera angles are very good and are controlled by the mouse. You can even zoom onto the bridge of whatever vessel you're using and see the ship instruments and the captain inside. I was surprised at the finesse it takes to maneuver the big ships like the Titanic, the Container Vessel, and the Inland Cargo Ship. From what I can tell, the ships respond very realistically. For example, the larger the vessels, the longer it will take to start, stop, and turn. With a little practice (and it is fun to experiment), you can soon be moving the big ones around without much problem. And you can get a little crazy with the smaller boats. Think: jumping them over ramps, zooming around shipping lanes, harbors, etc.) The game has a map system that offers a compass panel and GPS panel, shows other vessel traffic in your vicinity, and labels the objective waypoints you need to attain while in missions.

I'm currently on the 10th out of the 40 missions they offer in the game and there is a nice variety of tasks to accomplish. You have to maneuver in harbors, navigate through shipping lanes, moor your vessels to piers, transport people in water taxi's, perform speed trials and jumps in your power boat, and much more. There is also a scenario editor and creator (with an in-game tutorial) so that your replay possibilities go way up.

If you're a fan of transportation simulators that are about as real as it gets, Ship Simulator gets the job done quite nicely and I highly recommend it.

Have fun at nineteen knots in Hamburg Harbor

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 16 / 16
Date: April 14, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Easy to use even on a laptop with keyboard controls. Pleasant experience with many ship selections and manoevering options available. Realistic shoreside simulations. Many advanced options. An enjoyable game for those who love the sea and always dreamt of being captain of their own ship. Watch for the icebergs!

Ship Simulator

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 8 / 8
Date: January 21, 2007
Author: Amazon User

It seems obvious that this is a first edition. Generally the ships handle very realistically but not being able to save your progress in a particular mission is a big draw back. Since you are dealing slow moving vessels it can take a lot of time to complete one mission. I can't always spend that much time for one mission. You must complete each in turn to continue to the next so I doubt I will ever get beyond mission 26 because of the time it takes.
The Titanic missions are the real treat to play. Being able to walk the decks gives a small feeling of what it was like for size at least.
I would recommend the game to any one that knows a little about that ship.

Ship Sim

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 6 / 6
Date: March 16, 2007
Author: Amazon User

This game is fun for people who love to drive boats and everything about boating. If you ever wanted to be a captain and not go through the trouble of taking a test and buying a boat then this is your chance.

Ship Simulator is a winner!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: June 08, 2007
Author: Amazon User

An excellent simulation. A great selection of ships to Captain, and
many pre-defined tasks to complete that help the user become familiar
with the different handling characteristics of ships from smaller speed
boats on up to huge ocean liners. A super selection of add-ons is also
available.

ship simulator

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: January 10, 2007
Author: Amazon User

If you like Trainz Simulator 2006, Microsoft Flight Simulator X, All 3 of these games should have 5 stars awards. Then Shipsimulator is for you. The best water sim that there is. It comes with 40 missions,Some easy,some hard, Docking you boat or ship is not a piece of cake,Comes with real wind currents. It has 8 ships or more, Yes it comes with tug boats, Even has the great Titanic , Real water sounds. You can sale or race around New York Harbor, Hamburg, Germany and several more great harbors, Race speed boats, Real damage to boats, Real water waves, Earn money, Best time can be listed on the net.I really got hook on this game. Check it out [...] If you can find a better water sim, Please let me know.

Fun, and well made! 5/5

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: August 20, 2007
Author: Amazon User

The question is why would you NOT want to buy this game? It takes a while to get the hang of with a mouse, I recommend a keyboard as controls are more responsive. The phyisics are like real boats and ships. You must deal with lag of steering on the larger craft and course correction can be a challenge if diverting a colision with another boat. If you take damage(and on a large ship can total the campaign) you get less or no reward. No reward means you get no credit for completing the mission and cannot unlock the new ones. Their is a vista of scenery on the exterior view and you can go as high or near as you want. Thier is also a functioning bridge with detail and a scan and pan cam as outside. Some have crew some you can walk about on as in Titanic. Unlike most arcade style "Race car" games you can be on the bridge. The physics can also be appreciated out side such as reverse thrust on port and fore on starboard causing turbulance in the waters and the precise steering can be achieved by utilizing engines as well as rudder controls. Thier are fast motor boats giving you the feel of driving down NY's harbor with tourists to the vistas of Yatchs in the sunny pacific to the grandios Titanic ocean navigation making you feel like your captaining a huge vessel, not just "thinking" it. Don't pass this up or you will regret it when you play the DEMO and find the game is out of circulation!!!-THis review IS the FULL product!!!
Also try Yatch Captain- a similar sim by the same people focusing on Yatchs. Rumor has it thier are devices to control the ships better-the game claims to support ship sim input devices and a voice commander but I advise just the mouse and keyboard.

fun to play

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 4 / 5
Date: March 12, 2007
Author: Amazon User

this is a very interesting game to play, it make you feel like you are a captain at sea !!

Lots of Fun

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: January 04, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I actually bought this game for my live-in boyfriend. He loves boating and computers so this game seemed like a perfect Christmas gift. He installed it right away and has played it many times since the holiday. There are many boats/ships to navigate including the Titanic. While I haven't actually played the game myself, I have watched it and seen how much fun it can be.

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