Ship Simulator: Real Harbors

About the game

Ship Simulator: Real Harbors is a browser ship handling game built on real-world data. Every shore, bay and quay comes from space: the sea moves over Sentinel-2 satellite imagery and the coastline is derived from real elevation data. Run a ferry from Besiktas to Uskudar on the Istanbul Bosphorus and you see the three bridges in their real places; Izmir Bay, the Dardanelles, the Port of Rotterdam, the Singapore Strait, Sydney Harbour, the Gatun locks of the Panama Canal, New York Harbor and the Geirangerfjord are all in the game at their real coordinates. Choose sunset, night, fog, rain or storm; at night lighthouses sweep, buoys blink and city lights glow along the coast. The ships behave like real displacement hulls: the engine telegraph responds slowly, heavy ships take ages to speed up and to stop, the rudder only works when water flows past it, and the turning circle changes from ship to ship. The tug is nimble, the ferry is steady, the container ship is a giant, the patrol boat is very fast and the sailing yacht moves only with the wind. Wind and current push you off course, and bow and stern thrusters let you slide sideways onto a pier. The career runs 16 missions back to back: an on-time ferry run, towing a disabled ship with a tug, docking a container ship within speed and angle limits, crossing a strait through traffic and buoy gates, lifting a ship through the Panama locks and rescuing survivors in a storm. Run aground or reach 100% damage and the mission ends. In free sail you pick the harbor, ship, weather and time and cruise with no fail. Free to play with no download or sign-up on phone, tablet and computer.

How to play

1. Press Play in the menu: in the first mission you take a ferry from the Besiktas pier to Uskudar.
2. Push the telegraph lever (the left lever or W/S) ahead to give the engine power; the ship speeds up slowly.
3. Turn the rudder (the wheel on the right or A/D) toward the yellow target; the minimap shows the route and buoys.
4. Near the target, ease the engine back, come in parallel to the pier and slide in with the bow and stern thrusters; the mission is complete when the docking guide shows distance, alignment and speed in green.
5. Missions continue back to back; in free sail you pick any harbor and ship.

Controls

Touch: drag the telegraph lever on the left up or down (8 steps from full astern to full ahead), slide the rudder wheel on the right left or right (double tap centers the rudder), and hold the BOW and STERN thruster buttons. Drag the screen to rotate the camera. Top buttons: menu, camera (chase, bridge, top-down map), time speed ×1/×2/×4 and horn. Computer: W/S or ↑/↓ telegraph step, A/D or ←/→ rudder, Space centers the rudder, Q/E bow thruster, Z/X stern thruster, C camera, M top-down map, T time speed, H horn, F tow line, mouse wheel zooms, P pauses.

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FAQ

Are the maps real?

Yes. The sea and coasts are built on Sentinel-2 cloudless satellite imagery (EOX, CC BY 4.0) and AWS Terrain Tiles elevation data, and land and water are separated in-game from that data. Bridges, piers, locks and buoys are generic models placed at their real positions. The ⓘ button in the game lists every source.

How do you lose a mission, and can I continue where I left off?

The mission ends if the ship hits the shore fast and runs aground, if damage reaches 100% or if time runs out. At the end you can watch an optional ad to retry the same mission, or restart the career. Unlocked missions and stars are saved, and you can return to any unlocked mission from the Missions list in the menu.

Which ships and harbors are there?

There are five ships: a harbor tug, a ferry, a container ship, a sailing yacht and a patrol boat, each with its own speed, turning and thrusters. There are nine harbors: the Istanbul Bosphorus, Izmir Bay, the Dardanelles, Rotterdam, the Singapore Strait, Sydney Harbour, the Panama Canal, New York Harbor and the Geirangerfjord. In free sail you can try all of them in any weather and time of day.