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©Th.Martinez/Sea&Co. All rights reserved.
SailX: The Inshore Sailboat Racing Simulator
WINNER 2011 One-Design Creativity Award
SaliX Document V1 13.06.12.indd 1 19/06/2012 11:29
2SailX: The Inshore Sailboat Racing Simulator
OverviewSAILX IS AN ONLINE GAME THAT ENABLES USERS
all over the world to race sailboats against each
other in real-time around short courses and in
strict accordance with the Racing Rules of Sailing.
Sailboat racing can be split into two primary modes
– offshore racing and inshore racing. Offshore
racing involves racing over long distance courses
(e.g. across oceans) designed to test navigation,
meteorology and seamanship. Because boats can be
out of sight of each other for long periods of time,
boat interaction is not a signifi cant factor.
“SailX is designed to ‘game’ the mental aspects of inshore racing.”
In contrast, inshore racing takes place in small, tightly
defi ned courses designed to force sailors to use the
racing rules of sailing and local environmental changes
to gain an advantage over each other. In contrast
to offshore races that can take days or weeks to
complete, inshore races can be over in minutes.
SailX is designed to ‘game’ the mental aspect of
inshore racing. This is achieved by stripping out the
sport’s physical complications (boat handling, sail
handling, etc) to focus on the deceptively simple
decisions a racing sailor has to take on a continuous
basis as they race around a small course in close
proximity to other boats: where should I start?;
should I keep going or should I turn now? Should I
sail high or low? etc.
SaliX Document V1 13.06.12.indd 2 19/06/2012 11:29
3SailX: The Inshore Sailboat Racing Simulator
SAILX PUTS THE GAMER IN THE POSITION OF BEING
able to issue simple instructions to a virtual sailor
onboard their race boat. Because the virtual sailor
carries out all instructions perfectly, the gamer
wins or loses purely because of the quality of
instructions given.
These instructions are very simple (tack, gybe, etc)
yet the rationale behind them is based on the same
complex strategic and tactical considerations that
exist in real-world racing. Because of this (like chess
or checkers) the game is simple and addictive for the
‘newbie’ and, at the same time, extremely challenging
for the advanced user and real-world sailor. SailX races
last 5-10 minutes each and take place continuously,
24/7. Users can race as few or as many as they like.
SailX is currently used by schools, universities,
clubs, National Federations and Boat Shows plus
is used as an interactive training tool for top-level
sailors (Olympians & World Champions) and ISAF
International Umpires.
CURRENT STATS
countries
(boats per year)
A True Skill Game
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4SailX: The Inshore Sailboat Racing Simulator
Watch videos of racing at www.youtube.com/user/SailXRacing/featured
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5SailX: The Inshore Sailboat Racing Simulator
Accurate Sporting RepresentationIN SAILX, BOAT PERFORMANCE, BOAT INTERACTION
and environmental variations are modelled very
realistically but time is accelerated to force
players to make decisions approximately every
Racing is controlled by an advanced automatic rules
engine in strict accordance with ISAF Racing Rules
of Sailing. The SailX rules engine has taken fi ve years
to develop and now interprets sailing incidents in
the game with approximately 95% accuracy. As
an indication of this accuracy, the new ISAF rules
were tested in SailX before they were applied in
real racing and in response to feedback from the
SailX community, some of those new rules were
subsequently modifi ed.
In order to deal with inevitable disagreements, SailX
also features a fully moderated protest room with
incident replay. A typical protest procedure involves
closed discussion between those involved for a
defi ned period of time; then open discussion in the
community; and fi nally if the protest is a particularly
complex one, a ruling by a SailX Administrator or a
(retained) ISAF International Jury member.
FACTS
match racing
incidents / year
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6SailX: The Inshore Sailboat Racing Simulator
A Vibrant Social CommunitySAILX IS DESIGNED TO BE A FULLY SOCIAL AND DEMOGRAPHIC TOOL I.E. TO PROVIDE FREE ACCESS
to the widest possible number of users regardless of age, sex, language, ability, boat ownership,
club membership, hardware platform, network access, etc.
Users are provided with the following suite of tools to encourage interaction and the building of a vibrant
community both in and outside of the game:
link to friends, etc)
IM or voice
skill and performance
competition formats
The SailX environment is fully moderated with a
‘zero tolerance’ policy. Both personal and racing
behaviour is monitored to ensure the strictest
adherence to a policy of tolerance and fair play.
FACTS
over 7hrs / month on Facebook.
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7SailX: The Inshore Sailboat Racing Simulator
Multi-platform, Scaleable & UniversalSAILX CAN BE PLAYED ON A PC OR MAC VIA ALL
popular web browsers or via a downloadable
‘standalone version’ of the game that provides
an improved experience. SailX can also be played
on iPhone, iPad, Android, etc - all valuable entry
points for convenience, but most users prefer a
laptop or desktop interface.
The game can handle any number of simultaneous
players – the only limit being server size. Once a fl eet
size hits a predetermined maximum (e.g. 25-30 boats)
it is automatically split into the appropriate number of
smaller fi elds keeping gamers of similar ranking or skill-
implies longer races that are, in general, less interesting
for gamers.
In order to make SailX as widely playable as possible
it has been designed with minimum user hardware,
software and communication requirements in mind.
At the same time the game sets out to deliver a high-
quality real-time and truly global game - meaning the
software architecture, the hardware architecture and
the communication protocols are relatively advanced
and effi cient.
FACTS
backup servers in Vancouver, Rotterdam,
New York, Panama, Dallas and London.
SaliX Document V1 13.06.12.indd 7 19/06/2012 11:29
11SailX: The Inshore Sailboat Racing Simulator
EndorsementsSAILX WAS BORN AS A TECHNICAL TOOL TO HELP
sailors better understand the strategies, tactics
and rules of racing. For this reason we have
and professionals involved in the sport.
In November SailX won US SAILING’s One-Design
Creativity Award, for “outstanding creativity
and contribution in the year’s most innovative
one-design event of national or international
Sailing’s Chair of the One Design Council, Chair
of the Multihull council, past President of US
Sailing and current nominating Chair of the
House of Delegates.
SailX has collaborated with sailing’s world
governing body, ISAF and also with the RYA and
the Spanish, Australian, Finnish and Estonian
Sailing Federations. In addition SailX has
also worked with the 29er, Hobie Cat, Flying
Associations.
“I have been working with a number of Olympic sailors who have responded well to the training programmes I have developed, especially where this incorporates SailX into their tactics and strategy training. I think that there are big opportunities for sailors to improve their thinking game using the tool.”
Hugh Styles, UK Olympic Coach
“Our favourite sailing simulator by far is the excellent SailX. Unlike any of the others, SailX is all one-design windward-leeward races that take about 10 minutes, with up to 25 boats racing at one time in either skiffs, A-cats, Lasers, big boats, or team boats. There are also match races or team races but the bulk of the action is in fl eet racing. You have instant control over your boat, and you win races by staying in clear air, planting good lee bows, and working the shifts and current better than the other guy. An effi cient rules engine decides most of the boat on boat fouls using the RRS, and a busy forum-driven protest room allows resolution of fouls the programme miscalls or misses completely.”
Review in Sailing Anarchy (a leading sailing website)
WINNER 2011 One-Design Creativity Award
Real Federación Española de Vela
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12SailX: The Inshore Sailboat Racing Simulator
User comments:
“This is more than a game. It’s more like the personal racing coach only Olympic sailors can afford.”
“This game provides 80% of the reason I love to race sailboats. And, it sure is a lot less expensive than the hundreds of dollars per day it costs to operate a life size sailboat.”
“A few months on SailX have re-taught me as much as four years of top intercollegiate racing.”
“I have competed in several World Championships and Olympic Trials and thought I knew the racing rules pretty well. SailX has taught me far more than most accomplished competitors know about the rules.”
“I’m playing SailX for 3yrs. I began knowing very little of racing tactics, and nothing about the racing rules. SailX has taught me so much that I’m now a qualifi ed National Umpire.”
“2 years ago, I had absolutely no knowledge of any rule. SailX taught me everything i know, and I am now confi dent with using rules to my advantage around the course.”
“This game truly helped me improve my sailing knowledge, and also to make my self more capable to race on international regattas.”
“It taught both my son and I the Racing Rules of Sailing. An excellent teaching and training tool, as well as a lot of fun.”
“Most in-depth and real-world skill-based game I have ever played, in any category. Teaches the RRS and how they apply to the race course.”
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Contact us
John [email protected]+44 7990 588 338
Amando [email protected]+34 659 915 642
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