One of the best regattas in our area: La Semana Náutica
The Estela Family: 6 cat sailors
Thursday, January 10, 2008
The real thing
Thats December in Alicante.
One of the best regattas in our area: La Semana Náutica
The Estela Family: 6 cat sailors
One of the best regattas in our area: La Semana Náutica
The Estela Family: 6 cat sailors
Why do you SAILX?
Of course it is a rethorical question.
SAILX was created by a group of sailors because we NEEDED it.
We needed to validate some tactical ideas and we needed to understand the rules.
The first version didn't have a rules engine. Two boats hit and the system stopped both. The fact that today there is a rules engine that tries to solve the questions automatically is not that important.
SAILX sailors are forced to review the facts, to think about the case, to go to the book, to discuss in the forum.... all leading to a better knowledge of the book.
For sailors willing to improve their rules knowledge SAILX seems a good tool EVEN IF THE RULES ENGINE FAILS. It would be nice to have a perfect engine but that would not save the sailors to think, to evaluate and to reach conclusions.
SAILX was also created to provide an 'environment' where sailors could meet, socialize, .... In the begining we were all spanish cat sailors.
Our community has grown and that has advantages and disadvantages. A community with users from different countries, cultures, ages and, in this case, sailing skill levels requires the users to be rather open-minded and tolerant.
Moderation by admins should be the last resource, and we are still learning how to manage the quicky evolving community.
And SAILX is also a game. That gives us the possibility to appeal many potential users and achive the rest of goals. But that means too that we are burdened with all game related issues: the cheating, the too aggresive behaviour, the addiction....
If we are lucky some users will start SAILX because of the game aspects and will eventually have the benefits of the training tool and the community.
If we're unlucky, sailors using SAILX because of the training and community features wil be lulled into the game, forget what's the primary goal of the simulator and lose time and temper.
What do you want from SAILX?
What kind of user you are?
SAILX was created by a group of sailors because we NEEDED it.
We needed to validate some tactical ideas and we needed to understand the rules.
The first version didn't have a rules engine. Two boats hit and the system stopped both. The fact that today there is a rules engine that tries to solve the questions automatically is not that important.
SAILX sailors are forced to review the facts, to think about the case, to go to the book, to discuss in the forum.... all leading to a better knowledge of the book.
For sailors willing to improve their rules knowledge SAILX seems a good tool EVEN IF THE RULES ENGINE FAILS. It would be nice to have a perfect engine but that would not save the sailors to think, to evaluate and to reach conclusions.
SAILX was also created to provide an 'environment' where sailors could meet, socialize, .... In the begining we were all spanish cat sailors.
Our community has grown and that has advantages and disadvantages. A community with users from different countries, cultures, ages and, in this case, sailing skill levels requires the users to be rather open-minded and tolerant.
Moderation by admins should be the last resource, and we are still learning how to manage the quicky evolving community.
And SAILX is also a game. That gives us the possibility to appeal many potential users and achive the rest of goals. But that means too that we are burdened with all game related issues: the cheating, the too aggresive behaviour, the addiction....
If we are lucky some users will start SAILX because of the game aspects and will eventually have the benefits of the training tool and the community.
If we're unlucky, sailors using SAILX because of the training and community features wil be lulled into the game, forget what's the primary goal of the simulator and lose time and temper.
What do you want from SAILX?
What kind of user you are?
SAILX.COM prehistory: TACTICAT
That was published one year ago in Tacticat Forums:
Tacticat was a pet project, it was born (Feb,06) to validate some tactical points a bunch of catsailors from Valencia region in Spain wanted clarified.
First versions had only robots and can be played only over a LAN network. The effort required to start (say a couple months work) was made by those sailors, coordinated by me, who made most of the code.
Early we noticed it might be something more. And at the same time I was on a sabbatical period: I decided to give it a try, to spend effort and money to see how it evolved, with the support of the fellow sailors that were there from the beginning (May,06).
A couple of months ago it was clear that Tacticat had a future, also that we were implictly being commited by those sailing Tacticat all around the world. During Oct and Nov a lot of thinking was devoted to how we were to manage Tacticat.
1st December 06 we had taken a decision, we had made our minds:
- Tacticat is, and will be as long as we are in control, a non-profit entity. To provide the services to the sailing community on a free-of-charge basis. We would like to see it as a 'sailing class', people has the feeling that they belong to.
- A company has been created, Sistemas Tacticos, its goal: to be break-even during 2008. Think of it as the boat manufacturer. The company owners are cat sailors (70%) and a not-to-eager entity that provides the initial funding. And I directly or indirectly retain the control owning or representing 51%.
A company is required for many reasons, the most important:
- To be able to sign aggreements with others that are legally covered
- To profit of taxes and manage other monetary or financial issues
- To ensure the future and afford the neccesary evolution of Tacticat
So we have this dual thing, the class and the manufacturer, that is not at all unusual for sailing. And like in real classes there has to be a tight relation between them, more in this case where the manufacturer provides ALL and for free.
The money.
We do have a business plan.
- We have already decided that sailors DONT PAY (may be some events can be with charge, imagine a clinic directed by world-top-sailors).
- Take also into account that Tacticat will never have a hugh popularity (like youtube) as we are targeted to sailors interested in racing.
What we think (hope) is that Tacticat can be a good thing for sailing, to help to make sailing closer to society, to help sailors. And that means that we can interest entities in it: big companies world-wide or geographically restricted to some region can spend some money with Tacticat, and not based in the general impact on users (because we will never be millions) but because Tacticat is regarded as a nice tool.
(Notice we're living in Valencia and see the investments big companies are doing for the AC, why not spend some 'small' money for something that has a worldwide visibility and can have more direct impact on the normal sailor?)
Right now we are starting to talk with official bodies in order to sign aggreements, to have official support. We're defining 3 levels for Tacticat:
- Tacticat World Service (TWS). This site.
- Tacticat Regional Services. Other sites, for countries, regions, sailing classes, whatever, with its own content, membersip and sailing fields and with some relation to TWS.
- Local Tacticat Services. Tacticat for events, boat shows, ewet regattas,...
That's the idea. We have a couple of years to refine and maybe re-define. We are not afraid of an eventual stop of operations, we're proud of what we have done. And, sure some have thought, we're not considering to sell Tacticat (unless, of course, someone shows a big big big figure, and that's very improbable).
Now, one year later, SAILX.COM is born. Think of it as the professional version of Tacticat.
Tacticat was a pet project, it was born (Feb,06) to validate some tactical points a bunch of catsailors from Valencia region in Spain wanted clarified.
First versions had only robots and can be played only over a LAN network. The effort required to start (say a couple months work) was made by those sailors, coordinated by me, who made most of the code.
Early we noticed it might be something more. And at the same time I was on a sabbatical period: I decided to give it a try, to spend effort and money to see how it evolved, with the support of the fellow sailors that were there from the beginning (May,06).
A couple of months ago it was clear that Tacticat had a future, also that we were implictly being commited by those sailing Tacticat all around the world. During Oct and Nov a lot of thinking was devoted to how we were to manage Tacticat.
1st December 06 we had taken a decision, we had made our minds:
- Tacticat is, and will be as long as we are in control, a non-profit entity. To provide the services to the sailing community on a free-of-charge basis. We would like to see it as a 'sailing class', people has the feeling that they belong to.
- A company has been created, Sistemas Tacticos, its goal: to be break-even during 2008. Think of it as the boat manufacturer. The company owners are cat sailors (70%) and a not-to-eager entity that provides the initial funding. And I directly or indirectly retain the control owning or representing 51%.
A company is required for many reasons, the most important:
- To be able to sign aggreements with others that are legally covered
- To profit of taxes and manage other monetary or financial issues
- To ensure the future and afford the neccesary evolution of Tacticat
So we have this dual thing, the class and the manufacturer, that is not at all unusual for sailing. And like in real classes there has to be a tight relation between them, more in this case where the manufacturer provides ALL and for free.
The money.
We do have a business plan.
- We have already decided that sailors DONT PAY (may be some events can be with charge, imagine a clinic directed by world-top-sailors).
- Take also into account that Tacticat will never have a hugh popularity (like youtube) as we are targeted to sailors interested in racing.
What we think (hope) is that Tacticat can be a good thing for sailing, to help to make sailing closer to society, to help sailors. And that means that we can interest entities in it: big companies world-wide or geographically restricted to some region can spend some money with Tacticat, and not based in the general impact on users (because we will never be millions) but because Tacticat is regarded as a nice tool.
(Notice we're living in Valencia and see the investments big companies are doing for the AC, why not spend some 'small' money for something that has a worldwide visibility and can have more direct impact on the normal sailor?)
Right now we are starting to talk with official bodies in order to sign aggreements, to have official support. We're defining 3 levels for Tacticat:
- Tacticat World Service (TWS). This site.
- Tacticat Regional Services. Other sites, for countries, regions, sailing classes, whatever, with its own content, membersip and sailing fields and with some relation to TWS.
- Local Tacticat Services. Tacticat for events, boat shows, ewet regattas,...
That's the idea. We have a couple of years to refine and maybe re-define. We are not afraid of an eventual stop of operations, we're proud of what we have done. And, sure some have thought, we're not considering to sell Tacticat (unless, of course, someone shows a big big big figure, and that's very improbable).
Now, one year later, SAILX.COM is born. Think of it as the professional version of Tacticat.
Starting Point
This blog I start mainly to report the intersting bits regarding the old Tacticat and now SAILX.
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