My project claims to be a "simulator" for narrowboats. It involves physics and 3D. :)

The topic itself might be boring for many people. Narrowboats are vehicles which usually don't go faster than 4 mph.

Meanwhile the project is released and I added some basic canal features like locks, a little aqueduct and a small tunnel to it.

Website: (containing also download links for the PC / Mac OS X and Linux X11 versions):

Android Play Store

Youtube link: https://youtu.be/EbAGHZcVNNE

Some Pictures:

I like it ,it's a nice idea very calming to watch loads of scope there scenery wise etc.

4 days later

Thanks for the feedback. Seems my project still needs much work. The camera switching might seem a bit hectic for watchers. (Though it is helpful for navigating the boat). I might add a short transition when switching the camera anyway. (planning to use an animation for that, any hints are welcome).

11 days later

Another video. I now implemented "ropes" (or chains, how you like) via RigidBodies and PinJoints. Initially these got out of control when a 15t ship began to pull at them. Then I increased the mass of the rope parts (RigidBody) significantly (one rope now consists of 10 parts with 75kg each) which let the inertia damp its movements. To compensate, I reduced the gravity on rope parts accordingly.

Naturally, I also increased the RigidBodies damping parameters. But that alone didn't help.

Interesting topic. Perhaps I will post an example project about 3D-ropes/chains.

Video link: https://youtube.com/watch?v=zlSAmqv03gw

a month later

Great game,and interesting idea..I like this sim. games. .....example project about 3D-ropes/chains...this would be useful.

2 years later
8 days later

Great effort, I played through the tutorial last night it works great even as HTML. I tried going into a lock too but haven't worked out how to do that yet. The cat is good too, look forward to seeing if it moves. :+1: :)

@wombatstampede said: I had a moving cat at one place but it is now suspended due to the gles2 rigged bodies error. (which maybe only happens on some/many android devices) It has to sit in a cardboard box now until somebody has fixed that error.

You and me both, it is a stop ship bug for android. I have too many commitments this month to try fixing it. If I get a sufficient time block I'll try and have a look.

a month later

The project is doing the step to the Apple iOS platform now. If you own an iPhone or iPad I'd be happy if you could give my beta test release a go: https://testflight.apple.com/join/9nI2biMZ

Any feedback is welcome. Especially nice screenshots of iPad Pros are sought after because I'd struggle to get some original one when store publishing gets closer. Also (apple compatible) gamepad testing would be helpful as my gamepads aren't iOS compatible.

6 days later

Hi lawnjelly, looks good. Also, the issue has obviously drawn some attention. ;-)

How about providing your test apk for download? I'd like to check it on the Nexus 7 2013 (which has another chipset/gpu than the 2012).

6 days later

Congrats to release your project....nice boat simulator....you will also release it on itch.io?

Hi, didn't think of it. But might be a good idea in the future. One platform for Linux/Windows/Mac/Browser might be a good idea. I was planning to head for Steam one day but itch.io might be more appropriate.

3 months later

itch.io is far more friendly to indies in my opinion. It's free, no manual review process, integrated with patreon, people can tip, and most importantly you won't be judged in comparison to triple A titles.

I use SubscribeStar for my project, and no integration for that yet but hopefully in the future.

btw looking good.

a year later

Hello, wonderfull simulator. I want myself to build something like you but in the region Benelux and south of france with canalboats, kayak, canoe, sailboat.

@Nobelrobin Nice! My project will most certainly stay on UK waters for a longer time. There are so many features left to do: Wide locks, staircase locks, tidal waters, wind, (small) tug boats. Most certainly I'll also stay with powered crafts.