SailBlaster app for iPhone and iPad
4.8 (
6678 ratings )
Sports
Games
Sports
Developer:
Introvestor LLC
Free
Current version:
1.5.2, last update: 7 years ago
First release : 17 Jul 2009
App size: 4.03 Mb
Your iPhone/iPod Touch is the best computer ever invented for simulating sailboat racing. SailBlaster takes advantage of its 3-D graphics processor, accelerometer, touchscreen, and wi-fi with 3 ways to sail : Solo, Split-Screen, and Wi-Fi match racing.
Solo
Race a single-handed dinghy, catamaran, or trimaran against up to 9 artificial intelligence (AI) boats controlled by your device rendered in true, smooth 3D with a realistic prestart (15 seconds up to 5 minutes), choice of courses (windward/leeward or Olympic, round marks to port or starboard), lengths and skill levels. Competitors who know the rules keep you on your toes at all levels. If you get too close, they will slam dunk you upwind and blanket you downwind. Do a lazy mark rounding, and theyll grab the inside. On the higher levels, they will cover you mercilessly if you let them get ahead.
Sailing could not be simpler. Just tilt your device to adjust your tiller and level it to hold course. Your sail luffs realistically when you are pointed too high to the wind. An optional color-changing wind arrow provides more visual feedback, turning green when you are in the groove. Pressing buttons on a touch screen view panel lets you see the competition from every angle including overhead helicopter views. Flag icons to exit or restart a race appear after pressing Pause.
Split-Screen
Race against another player and up to 8 AI boats on the same device. The visual interface is exactly the same as in Solo mode except the views are smaller and you use touch screen arrows to steer the boat relative to the wind. Press the down arrow to fall off, press the up arrow to point up.
Wi-Fi
SailBlaster takes advantage of your devices wi-fi capabilites, enabling you to match race against another sailor. The interface and controls with Wi-Fi are identical to the Solo mode. Wi-Fi requires a separate license on each device and a strong, unblocked signal.
Update History
July, 2009:
Version 1.0 released with support for a single player racing against up to 9 boats controlled by the device. Video on YouTube.
September, 2009
1.1: support for two-players over wi-fi. Video on YouTube.
November, 2009
1.2: professionally-designed graphics models, improved AI, race committee boat and optional wind arrow. Video on YouTube: search SailBlaster v12. This video gives a representative idea of the gameplay racing against the computer.
January, 2010
1.3.1: single-handed catamarans and trimarans and optional starboard mark rounding.
February, 2010
1.4: buoy guidelines to improve visibility and orientation.
July, 2010
1.5: instrument panel, digital compass, and support for 2-player split-screen.
August, 2010
1.5.1 : visible puffs and lulls.
November, 2010
1.5.2: improved graphics including an animated sailor, water reflections, and wake trail.
January, 2011
The next release/free update will feature a 60 foot/18 meter single-handed sloop-rigged keelboat with a spinnaker.
Pros and cons of SailBlaster app for iPhone and iPad
SailBlaster app good for
Ive been waiting for this!!! Amazing intricacy and realism. Very satisfying for accomplished sailors and racers. Worth the money bcs nothing else like it exists! Great job!!
This game is the best, just 1 problem, you should be able to do more than fleet racing. You should be able to have 6 people in 1 game on wifi for teamracing or fleet racing. Also add more coarses like a trapazoid or even add more boats. Otherwise, it still gets a 5 star from me, but please keep those in mind.
Actually downloaded it by accident while I was looking at it. Actually not bad but needs a few things to make it worth 4.99 let alone 10.99.
Needs a wind direction along with the wind speed readout, or possibly show a changing color to the wind arrow as you get in the groove upwind. Maybe a compass with the wind arrow on it. Hard to tell when you are beating closehauled. Reference virtual skipper.
Need to be able to pan the view around the boat to be able to see competitors.
Slow the game down or at least provide a game speed option. the boats are to fast, its sailing after all. Game feels to fast.
Series scoring would be nice. Maybe a best of 5 or 7.
Show puffs and lulls on the water- maybe too much for this platform but possibly on the helicopter view.
These things could make this a pretty cool sailboat racing game.
-just updated. Much better! Compass is fixed. Many improvements. Graphics better. Feels much better. Still would like to have the touch arrow steering an option for solo racing. Maybe add a keelboat, or IACC boat. AI sometimes goes off and doesnt round a mark. Overall a fun racing game with still more potential. Keep up the improvements! Good job!
This game is the best and one of the only sailing games on any apple product. However if you are an expert sailor you may find that you can beat everyone on level 10 with 10 boats (which is the hardest). Pretty easy to learn all of the controls and a highly recommended for sailing fanatics. You can choose different boats and scroll through conditions and race settings that suit you. Overall a great game but needs better shift and puff graphics.
Some bad moments
Well, this had the potential to be a very exciting software for those of us who would like to hone our sailing skills on dryland. However, it was impossible to figure out, had no instructions whatsoever and the controls were not intuitive so...I spent twenty bucks and cant really figure out how to use it!
Where do I start? With the price, 11.99 really? Come on, Im pretty sure Im mental about sailing, but Ive flipped my gourd over this "game"... This is not a good or even helpful simulator. Where is the starting gun, RC boat, compass maybe? Wheres the wind indicator?
Please do a little better than this "not even Beta" POS that I got suckered into DL-ing....
I hope you use my 11.99 to go buy a clue
wow, look at these incredible screenshots. I think i played this game on my first nintendo console. if you have the imagination of a 5 year old then maybe this will do it for you. there are really no good reference points no wind indicators... i can go on and on. If you dont want to believe me. try this out. after a good wet wed buy one of your crew members a drink. tell him how this new sailing game you just got is so awesome and it has wifi capabilities so you can race together. do not disclose that you havent downloaded it. have your uninformed crew buy the app and take a gander. Unfortunately, when i did this i was then asked to buy the rest of my table a round for having wasted my buds 11.99. truth be told this game could be awesome. look at virtual skipper and or even the free online volvo ocean race. If you are a serious sailor this will not impress you.
This is nit good. I never write reviews but thus needed one. Its not made with any directions or tutorial. There is no menu once you start a race so you cannot exit once you start. There is no overhead view so you know where you are on the course. Good idea but it seems about 1/2 done.
Tried it, but no one in our family cld figure out how to use it. Cld not see destination & no sense of direction.
Good in theory, but I cant figure out how to move the sail at all. The boat just sits there luffing, there doesnt seem to be any way to control it. Complete junk!
