Virtual Regatta Offshore 4+

The Game

I have been playing on and off from the first time the VR Volvo ran. It has been two or three years since last I played. Seems similar but a lot more expensive. As far as the game goes it is great. A few things I wish, when setting waypoints, i would like it to give me the true wind angle form point to point as it does with the timed course changes. it is vary hard to set course with out it. I keep ending up high or low. I like the time change cards better but those don’t get awarded very often in the 12 hour card barrels. Also how is there not a true wind angle auto pilot like the auto sail? Tactically some times you want to take a lift or header but can’t with out burning up a lot of waypoints.

I bought a subscription thinking that would get me waypoints and timed course changes. (Why can’t you us both at the the same time?) only to find out that I still had to pay for the cards. Or pay a fair large sum up front. I am two events in and have spent well over $60 bucks, which seems expensive for a VR game. You can accumulate points and cards in the game allowing you to play for cheaper. I in tend on doing the VG this summer. But that may deepened on how may credits I earn finishing the JV and great escape.

I’ve had the game for about two months now and love it. I’ve found that the credit system is very fair in that you can pay for good sails or race a few times to accumulate credits for better sails. Additionally, the dynamics and look of the game is among the best in the App Store. I’m in sailing for the nature and beauty so the only adjustments I want are in regard to the 3D interface, a relatively small yet important part of the game: 1) land masses do not ever appear even if you’ve literally run aground, so that takes a level of authenticity away from the game, 2) the graphics of the interaction between the water and the boat could use a little work, 3) the sails are completely static (they don’t blow in the wind) so again, takes away from authenticity, and 4) I would love to see more customization options with regard to the boat, such as pennants, ensigns and names. That being said, the developers regularly update the game and I’m sure they’ll eventually get around to the 3D interface, so I highly recommend this game and will certainly change this to a five star review when they fix the issues mentioned above!

There is an overall lack of resources for this game from the moment you first play it. The tutorial is bare bones and doesn’t really teach you anything about how to play, navigate, use certain features, etc. You can’t even get player support without paying, and why would you? The developers don't give the slightest appearance of being player friendly or try to help out in even the simplest of ways. You end up having to search and comb the internet for resources just to learn how to play the game and operate the interface, but most of the information is located on websites or message boards that are extremely out of date or no longer maintained. Even though it’s not much better, there are more resources available for the inshore version of the game, and it is less complex. For a game that seems to want to make its mark on a more global scale, there needs to be a much higher priority placed on player support and generating a useful info base/community for players to interact and learn. More effort needs to be put into the game, especially if the ultimate goal is to get players to pay for the subscription service. Until then, there’s no way this game is worth spending any money on, and it’ll be relegated to a time killer.