Hi all,
This is to announce the general availability of Tacticat (
www.tacticat.com) , an internet simulator for tactical training intended for race small catamarans.
Tacticat has been created and tested by cat sailors that race often and supported by ADECAT (the Spanish sailing catamaran association,
www.adecat.com).
Tacticat is in fact a multi-user game where sailors meet, race, and learn. A big effort has been made to re-create the conditions of an around-the-buoys race, trying to face the users with the same tactical questions they would normally find in reality (which plan for the start, tack now or wait?, take the risk and what if wind changes?, boat-to-boat tactics, etc).
Tacticat has been tested for months among Spanish sailors and internationally the last weeks, being played by sailors all over the world and proved ripe enough to the general availability.
To sail Tacticat you don’t need to be registered. Just enter and try. Register is only required for those willing to have a boat named after his nick or wanting to keep the points for classifications.
Any of you interested to give it a try?, please go to
www.tacticat.com , and take a look to the Read-me-first and the FAQ. Just remember that Tacticat is been designed for simplicity and minimum key input. You will be a coach radio linked with the boat skipper, you are not at the helm, your orders will be: navigate by telltales! (space bar), tack! (enter), gybe! (enter) or, less often Up! or off! (arrow keys).
Tacticat is a java application with NO USAGE of user system resources and running in a Java sand-box. The only requirement to play is to have an updated version of Java (downloadable from
www.java.com or
www.sun.com). Internet connection is also a requirement, the game is playable even with 56k modem lines or satellite connections, but don’t expect very good response times in those cases.
Tacticat server is located in USA, managed by a New-Zealand company and administered by Spanish cat sailors.
Support and questions can be e-mailed directly to tacticat-at-adecat.com (change the at by @).
All sailors are welcome (even sailing mono-hulls). We wait you at the races…
Amando Estela, Tacticat programmer and the one to blame for the errors (but don’t blame me if you are beaten by the robots, they are dumb but they are many, and a little faster).
HC-16 #108034