New arrival on the market: The Longship

This is a pressrelease from Chase Speculaas, builder of the SPD Brigantine:

The Longship is the much-awaited and newest addition to the SPD new-line of combat ships. Using wearable parts technology, which attaches and detatches and rezzes parts of the ship automatically, the Longship is able to sport 171+21 prims and still be able to function smoothly using realistic wind-driven sailing physics. Alternatively, you can switch to rowing mode and ignore the wind.

The cannons can be controlled by your crew, with an easy, intuitive interface. Alternatively, the cannons can be hidden or removed for an unarmed ship, perfect for transport (carrying 8 avatars). The ship can be used as a plain vehicle, for relaxing cross-grid cruises, or as part of the SPD pirate ship game; its cannons damage other new-line SPD ships (currently only the Brigantine, Mujer Vieja, and Longships, but I'll be developing several other compatible ships in the future), and you can sink them/be sunk/etc.


Features:
--Rowable or sailable, with animated oar movement
--Copiable and Modifiable
--Seats 8 avatars
--24 HP
--Can be damaged by cannonballs fired from other compatible ships
--Capsizes if it heels too much in strong crosswinds
--Repair Depot included
--ALL textures on the ship are modifiable
--Ship is driven by the wind, using Kanker Greenacre's sailboat script as the base (however, heavily modified)
--Cannons can be armed, or hidden belowdecks
--171 + 21 prims, using state-of-the art automated wearing technology
--Hull shows progressive damage (cannon ball holes, smoke, etc.)
--2 independently aimable chaser cannons, with longer range than the Brigantine's cannons
--Muzzle flash, smoke effects, etc.
--Includes the newest version of the Speculaas Melee system, for swordfighting
--Can be Scuttled
--Progressive damage effects; sails more slowly the more damaged it is

***Special thanks to Zhuan Tarski for building the body for this incredible ship!

The landmark in the release points to Chase's shop in ElvenGlen

Update: I couldn't find it in ElvenGlen, but it is also available in Sanchon 137,16,40.
Price L$ 1 100

Updated update: Wrong landmark, sorry about that. Correct is ElvenGlen (217, 49, 26). The SLurl link above should be update as well.

Ironclads: Newsflash?

At 2:35am this morning I noticed that the Murakami Steamworks line of popular ironclads (such as the CSS and USS historical models, as well as the David) seems to have been withdrawn from the market.
I am not sure if this is because of scripting updates or anything, but a quick visit to the company's HQ in Erlberg only showed up an empty region for sale.

I have contacted both Mr. Murakami and his colleague to see if I can get some more information. If so, I will post it here soforth.


Update: I got a reply from Mr. Murakami and the company is in the process of moving to Caledon. Meanwhile they had to take down the server. It might be down a month or two, unless they find anyone willing to lend some land for it until they are re-established.

Information on the "Runner"

Since my Canal Runner has actually become a bit popular, not just in Caledon, and I probably will develop different models in the future, I have decided to create a specific page with notes and images of it.

That way, it is also easier for me to collect the documentation (and for you to find it), than to have it spred out over several blog posts.

The page is enabled for comments, so if you have any reflections, feel free to post them there!

Adress of the page is:

http://sintrenton.wordpress.com/projects/the-canal-runner/

The SPD Brig: Rigging

Rigging is the arrangement of sails on a ship. Basically there are two kinds, "square-rigged", where the sails and spars (on a mast you have the wooden beams to which the sails are fastened. These are called spars), go in the direction left - right, and "fore-and-aft", where they go front-back (like most sailing yachts today).

The SPD Brigantine is actually more similar to a brig than a brigantine in it's rigging. Of course there were a lot of variantions, more or less from ship to ship, but in general, a brig has two masts, both square rigged, whereas a brigantine also has two masts, but a square rigged foremast and a fore-and-aft rigged mainmast.

For comparison, you can compare the brigantine Irving Johnson to the brig Lady Washington. The rigging on the SPD Brig is nearly identical with the latter.

Here are the names of the individual sails on this magnificient ship:


Above the main topgallant sail was occasionally a very small sail, called the royal.
The Boommainsail could sometimes be called the gaff, but in my opinion, the former is more correct. Especially since that is the most important sail on the SPD Brig (basically the one doing most of the job).
The "wings" rigged fore-and-aft (sails E & F) are called studding sails, and named after the sails to which they are fastened.

Ship types ("historical")

I have presented the SPD class Brigantine earlier in this Log and have planned to go through different types of ships available on the market.

As with all intentions, they sometimes finally come around, though much later than anticipated. Well, I have collected pictures and data on various ships and will hopefully soon be able to compile the data in a more readable format for posting here.

Meanwhile, here are som historical ship types, typically used during "The Golden Age of Piracy". As with many other things, there was not always a consequent terminology, they changed over time, etc.

The rating system of the Royal Navy, a universal system for classifying ships, was first set up in 1677 by the famous Samuel Pepys, at that time Secretary to the Admiralty.

The ships descibed below are some of the more common ones, though naturally, a wild variety of ships were used, especially by pirates and buccaneers.

If you were a pirate:

SLOOP - It was usually rigged for a large fore-and-aft mainsail, but could easily be altered for various sail combinations, the huge bowsprit adding more canvas area for maneuverability.
Having a length of 30 to 60 feet and a top speed of over 10 knots, a crew of 20 to 70 men could easily maneuver this father of today's sailing yacht for quick in-and-out surprise attacks, avoiding broadsides and outrunning pursuit. With the sloop weighing as much as 100 tons and having maybe 15 cannons, its draft was still very shallow at eight feet and allowed it to find refuge in shallower waters far beyond the reach of any warship. This also was the reason that those commissioned to hunt out pirates often chose the sloop to gain access to their hiding spots.

SCHOONERS - Another favorite of the Caribbean and Atlantic pirates was the similarly sized two-masted schooner. With many of the prized features of the sloop such as terrific speed, maneuverability, and gun capacity, this sleek American variant was developed in the 1700's with a narrower hull and a shallower draft of only 5 feet. This meant it could effortlessly take a full load and 75-man crew further inland to hide or to divide the spoils, but diminished hold capacity meant fewer spoils to be had when you arrived.

BRIGANTINE - This shallow-draft, two-mast brigand's ship provided great maneuverability and speed from its various square and fore/aft-rigged sail possibilities. It was valued in the Mediterranean, where its earlier versions sometimes included oars that were better for diminished winds. Longer, heavier, roomier, and better manned than the smaller sloops and schooners, it was usually the first choice for prolonged battles instead of quick hits. A larger cargo area combined with moderate firepower meant the versatile brigantine also saw widespread use as a trade ship.70-80 foot length, 125-150 tons, 100+ men, 12 guns and so on.

If you were a Navy man:

The Navy SNOW became the patrol boat of choice for the British in their campaign against piracy. This 90 ton, 60 foot ship was very much like a brigantine, but offered extra maneuverability with trysails added to the standard square-rig arrangement of her two masts. It was well manned with up to 80 men and had 8 small guns.

The Navy SLOOP was a one-masted pirate hunter only slightly bigger than the snow but bulkier, with 12 guns and an abundance of sail. This 110 ton ship enabled a crew of 70 to give the pirates all they could handle even in calm winds: there were several pairs of oars fit between the gun ports for swift pursuit whenever sails hung limp.

Naval MAN O' WAR - Only the main naval powers of England, Spain, and France could afford a Man O' War to use these 3-masted, square-rig gun ships in any great number during the Golden Age of Piracy. Designed like a galleon but armored for war, the largest could weigh an amazing 3500 tons and have 140 guns. The principal differences in the types and uses for the gun ships stemmed from their weight, size, and number of guns, which determined basic maneuverability.

Three Man O'War ship types were:
The SHIP OF THE LINE actually refers to the top three in a six-level description based on size, crew, and firepower, with a 200-foot first class over 2000 tons, 100 or more heavy guns, worked by over 850 men on at least three decks. The massive arsenals of classes one through three were generally reserved for bombarding fortresses, fighting battles of national significance, and other large-scale naval conflicts.

The FRIGATE was a moderately sized, light armored ship with 18 to 40 mid-sized guns on one or two decks and 50 to 200 men. It was much lighter and faster at 300 or more tons over as little as110 feet, so in addition to leading convoys, it saw duty for reconnaissance, patrols, and pirate hunting. While no giant ship of the line, the frigate was still imposing enough to send some pirates scurrying just at the sight.

The CORVETTE was a smaller but powerful two-masted variety with up to 20 guns on one deck. Having the least amount of armor made it swift and agile, but the smaller number of guns meant the fights had to be chosen wisely.

I plan to post more about the six-level ship description used by the Royal Navy.

Main source: Various entries in Wikipedia

Canal Runner 1.2 released!

Finally released the new version of the Runner.

Apart from on sale in Sanchon or Surridge Wharf, Port Caledon, you can find it on OnRez or SLX.

The Canal Smuggler

This simple yet agile boat originated in the New Babbage canals for smuggling poseballs of dubious nature, landmarks to Broadly Offensive Sims, etc, while escaping the long nose of the law.
It has since become quite popular for the general audience and in response to their needs, been developed further.
The version 1.2, now known as The Canal Runner, will be released shortly.







Measures

• Length: 9.55 m
  
• Width: 3.33 m
  
• Depth: 0.437 m
• Height: That of yourself (the boat is lower, unless you are a tiny and it's hard to duck inworld. Even with the right animation, SL registers you as sitting upright).
  

New in 1.2:

• Engine sound changed to a more steamengineish
• Added animated propeller
• Added water ripples to sides and aft
• Smoke now turns off when standing up from the boat. The same goes for water riples and propeller
• Sitscript in bow. Just click Sit on the board front, which means you can now also have a passenger. The boat is still modifyable, so your own poseballs may be added/linked
• Very simple manual included. Stress simple. It's a simple boat, hence simple manual.

Starting the Ships Records of the Imperial Navy of Caledon

I have started, only started, mind you, collecting information for the Records. Shortly, I will send out an inquiry for a census, so we will have more data.
The actual Records will most likely be a public document, available in Caledon or on request from the Admirality.

This is how the entries will look:

HGS VENTURE
The Guvnah's Flagship, Mercantile
Captain: Admiral Guvnah Desmond Shang
Shipwright: Pituca FairChang
Ship Class: FairChang Galleon
Ship Type: Stationary
Combat System: None

HGS UNDAUNTED
Captain: Admiral Carricre Wind
Shipwright: Carricre Wind
Ship Class: Wind Dreadnaught
Ship Type: Stationary
Combat System: None (yet)

HGS GALLIFEYAN QUEEN
Captain: Commodore Oolon Sputnik
Shipwright: commissioned

HGS ZANETA
Captain: Sin Trenton
Shipwright: Chase Speculaas
Ship Class: SPD Brigantine
Ship Type: Sailing
Combat System: SPD Brigantine

The Brigantine: Pictures

As an afterthought, maybe it would be a good idea to add some pictures of it, as well.
So here you are.

About Ships inworld

Since we are harboured in Sanchon for some time, I thought I take the opportunity to reflect on some available ships.

I often meet newcomers and people maybe not so fresh off orientation island, but still new to the marine world of SL. Since I can't help studying about every ship I come across, I thought I write a wee bit about different ships. Mind you, these are my opinions and they may differ from yours, or even moreso, the shipwrights.

Ships - Sailing and non-moving
If you ever come across one of the gorgeous, majestic ships laying in the water, it is easy to get your imagination carried away, seeing yourself as the proud captain at the helm, the ship moving like a hind over the waves.

Unfortunately, there are limits to the physics of our world, and the atoms of our world (prims) put limitations on moving objects. So while a great, 45 metres long ship may look impressive, it is likely unable to move an inch.
Therefore, you have to divide our sailing ships into sailing and non-moving.

There are three basic principles when it comes to sailing ships. Two of them actually don't really sail per se, but are attached with the helmsman.

Ship's can be worn by the helmsman, as an attachment, usually on the pelvis, since this is a stable point. The ships travels pretty much by the same physics as when walking.

They can also have the helmsman sitting and driving, which is similar to other vehicles inworld, like motorboats. The ship may have sails, but are actually not using them, instead being powered in the same way as a motorboat.

The third version is based on the sailing mechanics originally devised by the legendary Kanker Greenacre (now that chap is a hero!). But because of the size of the ships, they also use something called 'wearable technology'. It makes the ship contain of two parts; the hull and some basic parts like masts. This one you sit on, just like other vehicles. The other part attaches to the helmsman, containing rigging, sails and all the rest.
Thanks to this, it is possible to sail though the ship has in total over 200 prims.

I have only seen three larger ships using this technique, two modern and one old. Well, to be fair, there are several models of one of the modern, but from the same shipwright, Jacqueline Trudeau.
Her largest yacht is a yawl, a magnificient sailing ship, which I have had the pleasure to try. More about this one later, though.
The other modern ship is the Kokakola Racing Sail by piera Tesio. I have not seen it sail, but I know it uses the same techniques.

Then there is the older one, The Brigantine, created by Chase Speculaas. Zaneta is one of these brigantines, though the newer version, based on La Mujer Viera. The difference lies only in colouring and textures, it is basically the same brigantine.
This is the largest of the older sailing ships available. That is if you mean sailing as in using the inworld winds for powering the ship and not being driven.

Of course I am probably quite subjective on this, but this is as piratey you can get inworld, when it comes to moving ships. The cannons are working and the SPD Brigantines can sink each other in battles, and if you sail to hard into the wind, she can actually capsize.

Some basic facts:

The Brigantine (& La Mujer Viera)
Shipwright: Chase Speculaas
Power: Sailing (Modified Kanker Greenacre's sailing mechanics)
HUD: No
Inworld display: Yes (Wind, angles, depth, etc)
Space (cabins, holds, etc): None, open deck only
Maximum crew: 4
Guns: 8
Prims: 27 basic + 247 for rigging and details (worn)
Permissions: Copy (Textures can be modified to taste, though)
Price: L$1399 (SLX)
The ship is displayed at the USSU Ship yard in Jinsil.
If you already have the Brigantine and would like to get the new version La Mujer Viera, this is available for 200 $L. Note that you must own the older one already.