Zezo forum:

Post by toxcct | 2018-03-23 | 19:55:47

Hi everyone,

I just published a new version of the polars.
Here are some few improvements:
- Now reading the raw CSV exports from VR (thanks Mak08 for your code in the dashboard),

- Showing the expected speed for every sails regarding the current TWA/TWS,

- New application option to display separately the VMG projection and the boat speed projection on the vertical axis.
(The boat speed projection takes the best sail color, while the VMG projection is always showing red)

Also, because I had to rewrite most of the code previously published:
- You may need to hit the "Reset Stored Data" button at the bottom right of the page,

- You may need to force a page refresh (Ctrl+F5) if anything looks weird/unaligned,

- You may possibly notice new bugs, which I encourage you to report here.

70 Comments

Post by toxcct | 2018-03-23 | 19:56:44

And for those missing the link, here it is :
--URL REMOVED; BETA CLOSED--

Post by toxcct | 2018-03-23 | 20:01:06

I forgot to mention that big improvement I'm particularly proud of :

The chart is now automatically scalling, according to the boat max speed.
We will no longer see the ploted values getting of of the chart when reaching big winds, or having a very tiny graph on low winds.

This is why I added the vertical axis graduations on the left of the chart...

Post by Inicio | 2018-03-24 | 00:29:29

Great!
Thanks!!!

Post by Ursus Maritimus | 2018-03-24 | 01:38:12

looking great!

Post by JohnT | 2018-03-24 | 05:25:59

I'm sure I'm doing something stupid, but I can't persuade the new beta version to show me any data, despite, clearing the browser cache, reloading the page and also clicking 'Reset Stored Data'.
I have a blank 'Races Archived' Icon at the top that doesn't respond to clicks, but no other visible race icons; and then partly populated boxes either side of a completely blank polar graph...
This is using both Chrome & Opera, both of which worked OK with the previous version. However with Firefox which I hadn't used for this before, all is good. So I guess I'll use that for now.

Suggestions?

Post by toxcct | 2018-03-24 | 13:12:42

Hi John,

I don't really know what's going on with by your side.
Maybe you are not clearing the browser cache the same way than I do...
The ultimate way I know for clearing a site cache in Chrome is to open the Developer Tools (F12) and the right click the refresh button, and select the 3rd option (Empty the cache and force refresh)

Also, make sure to hit the 'Reset Stored Data' only after the new version is loaded. Otherwise, it may rebuild stored data in the old format.

Tell me if it does anything better.

Regards,
tox

Post by JohnT | 2018-03-25 | 06:04:32

Thanks - that fixed it - I had only tried the basic cache clear in Chrome settings...

Post by Flying Lili Monster | 2018-04-13 | 06:59:53

The error is in line 308.

data.appSettings is undefined. I've been using your old system (love it!).
Hard refresh (without DevTools) does not fix it.

var raceSettings = data.races.find(function(item){
return (item.raceId === data.appSettings.selectedRaceId); });

"data" looks like this to me:

data: Object
races:Array(4)
0:{id: "vor2017_4", twa: 72, tws: 12, opt_lightsails: false, opt_heavysails: false, �}
1:{id: "jvt2017", twa: 72, tws: 12, opt_lightsails: false, opt_heavysails: false, �}
2:{id: "clipper2017_6", twa: 83, tws: 16, opt_lightsails: false, opt_heavysails: false, �}
3:{id: "niceultimed", twa: 72, tws: 12, opt_lightsails: false, opt_heavysails: false, �}
length:4
__proto__:Array(0)
selectedRaceId:"niceultimed"
version:"5.0.1-β03"
__proto__:Object

Post by toxcct | 2018-04-13 | 08:47:12

This is happening because the dataset stored is not of the right version (that probably happened when I upgraded from beta 5.0.0 to beta 5.0.1).

Hit the "Reset Stored Data" button, and then force refresh with Shift+F5...

Post by Flying Phil | 2018-03-24 | 08:28:10

Great job!
thanks a lot.

Post by Lasse | 2018-03-24 | 12:25:38

Really great work! Thanks!!

Post by Rob | 2018-03-24 | 12:27:28

Well Done! Thank you.

Post by occupywallstreet | 2018-03-24 | 22:35:00

Just a question now we are hitting big winds.
Is it really so that for Volvo 65 maximum achievable VMG downwind is on 35 kts True wind speed and after that boat speed diminishes gradually?
It is against true world. In reality boat speed increase when wind speed increases just stops growing. It means that drag of hull and appendages grows more than wind can push. So you end up going same speed when wind speed increases.
Another thing is wrong with these polars, the speed of the boat should grow when going dead downwind or near it, when wind speed increases. boat speed stops growing at 40 kts.

Post by zezo | 2018-03-24 | 22:51:28

hat kind of racing boat will never reach its optimum VMG dead downwind. Think about the sail plan. There is no symmetrical spinnaker onboard, nor the means to hoist it.

Also, in the real world you will be dealing with huge waves, generally about the same direction as the wind. In reality you want to surf them at certain angle, not skip above them like a thrown flat stone.

Post by occupywallstreet | 2018-03-24 | 23:06:30

Still a doubt with these polars, are they theoretical or taken from the real world?
Hopefully we can see some big winds for the real fleet as well.
However the difference in numbers compared to this virtual is striking.
Yes they have different sails and many more combinations than us virtuals, but still would be much more interesting to have more similar polars than they have...
Just thinking what other things this game could have. Trimming weight distribution, maybe some basic sail trim choices, etc.

Post by zezo | 2018-03-25 | 09:06:05

Probably theoretical, but the last edition tracker data was available, so you could process it and build the real-wold polars.

In fact the performance of no-money boat in the game is very close to the real fleet (given that they see different wind IRL)

What makes most difference is the lack of gates and ice limits in this game edition.

Post by wedoarc3 | 2018-03-24 | 23:15:47

Is it true that an open 65 can reach 40 knots of speed?
<img src="https://i.pinimg.com/564x/95/a0/c3/95a0c3c7deb26baf8f94b59b7824cc95.jpg" alt="Vor infographic">

Link to an older post from Bouwe Bekking
https://www.volvooceanrace.com/en/news/7446_How-much-faster-can-they-go.html

Post by zezo | 2018-03-25 | 08:53:50

"30 knots as the maximum downwind speed, when sailing on flat water in 30 knots of wind."

The key word being "flat water". If you have ever sailed at 30 knots you know what it means. I've probably seen around 25 (on a windsurf board)

30 could be possible on a pure plane, 40 is more in the realm of foiling crafts nowadays.

Post by toxcct | 2018-03-25 | 08:47:38

For what I am concerned, I'm only reading and drawing the polars chart from the numbers extracted from the VR game interface.

They may or may not be consistent with real life boats, but they are indicating exactly what we are having in the game, and that's all we need to know so far :)

Post by zezo | 2018-03-25 | 09:02:01

http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/2017/12/27/24-hour-speed-record-team-brunel
538.1 nautical miles, and an average speed of 22.4 knots.

http://sport360.com/article/volvo-ocean-65/34865/abu-dhabi-ocean-racing-sets-new-volvo-ocean-race-iwc-speed-record
550.82 nautical miles in 24 hours (22.95 average)

https://www.sail-world.com/Australia/Volvo-Ocean-Race--Setting-a-speed-record-of-39kts-is-not-one-you-want/-98591

Post by DeepBrine | 2018-03-25 | 09:18:05

I would also note that while infinitely increasing wind speed might theoretically infinitely increase boat speed, at some point gear starts breaking and boats don't scale up in size to match the increasing sea state. Having submarined / pitch poled a few RC boats as the wind increased beyond a reasonable scale with the model, an overpowered sailboat is just a disaster about to happen. I am lucky enough to not have done that with a real sailboat...

We could believe the VR folks were bright enough to put this "friction" of higher wind in the polars to encourage us to behave in a fashion similar to the real skippers.

Or they were just too lazy / uninformed to give us real polars and an opportunity for gear to break...

A different way to handle those increasing winds might be..

Imagine a "RepairNeeded" function that gives a very small but increasing chance of gear breaking as winds exceed a threshold. Put a polar multiplier on in such that there is some correlation between damage and the decision to go up or down wind. When the function returns the "BrokenGear" flag, boat speed is halved, the game sends a notification similar to the "Run Aground" notice and the player reaches for the "card" (or pre purchased supplies) to start the repair timer. That time, would, of course also be an output of the "RepairNeeded" function. You could be looking as something as simple as stitching your Hvy Genny back together or as complex as glueing a sail track back to the main mast. This is simply modeled as increasing time which would correlate to how much risk you took (increasing wind, crazy points of sail) with your initial decision to sail into harm's way.

Yeah, that will all happen about the point in time that VR actually makes an effort to produce a sailboat racing game that is bug free. As in never...

Post by zezo | 2018-03-25 | 09:58:21

Those ideas were implemented in the United Games version of the race two editions ago.

- There was a sail wear that decreased performance with sail usage, and also a risk of a sail breaking. You could purchase insurance to avoid the sail breaking.

- Maneuvering penalty came in the form of "crew energy". Every tack/gybe/sail change decreased the energy level with certain amount. Boat performance was affected if energy fell below certain level. You could purchase "energy bars" to restore the level.

Overall idea was about money, of course, but it was order of magnitude better than the current lottery system.

Post by DeepBrine | 2018-03-25 | 18:35:57

I remember that version. I felt it was a reasonable effort of implementation. Missing it...

Post by tyghfg | 2018-03-25 | 11:22:11

Remember that this record distances are A-B straight line, not real distance sailed. Ian Walker talked about this few days ago on Vor's "Daily Show"
Anyway greate work with polars :)

Post by zezo | 2018-03-25 | 11:33:46

In the worst case of point B being dead downwind from point A, 26 knots boat speed translates to about 22 knots VMG at TWA 150.

Post by PML | 2018-04-14 | 18:12:56

Hi Toxcct! Many thanks for your useful tool! Earlier today, I tried to download the polars in CSV format for the AG2R race, but unfortunately ended up on a "Erreur HTTP 404 Page Non Trouv�e" page. Am I doing something wrong?

Post by toxcct | 2018-04-14 | 19:40:13

Oh, yes, sorry, I did not generate them yet... Maybe tomorrow, if I'm not too tired of my day 😉

Post by PML | 2018-04-14 | 22:11:39

No need to apologize and no hurry, the race is in a week. Thanks again for the tool!

Post by toxcct | 2018-04-16 | 07:05:22

CSV and POL files uploaded ;)

Post by PML | 2018-04-16 | 11:57:06

Thank you very much!

Post by toxcct | 2018-04-24 | 15:16:43

@Cvetan :
I noticed a discrepency in the raw polars that I retrieved from VR, and I suspect that my text editor used to reindent the JSONs did it badly...

Did you, by any chance, keep some old polars JSON somewhere ?
Especially the Class 40, the Maxi Trimaran (Jules Verne, Marseille-Carthage), The Happy Trimaran, and the Trimaran used for the Jacques Vabres Transat ?

Thanks,
tox

Post by zezo | 2018-04-24 | 15:31:55

Sure. I keep all downloaded files ;-)

Edit: Tried to send you email but gmail rejects js attachments. Have to go out now, will archive them later.

Post by toxcct | 2018-04-24 | 16:32:39

no pb.
If you have them available at a public location, just email me the url and that will do ;)
Thanks.

Post by toxcct | 2018-04-30 | 22:28:28

A new update has just been published within version 5.0.1-β05.
I switched the fat foils range overlay into something thinner, plotting the colored gradient only outside the chart, allowing to read the chart without too much data overlaying...

Please tell me what you think about it, if you prefered the old presentation, if you would like some minor tweeks...

Here is where it happens for your reminder :
--URL REMOVED; BETA CLOSED--

Post by Ursus Maritimus | 2018-05-01 | 04:35:48

You are running version '5.0.1-β04'.
A newer version has been published on the server.
Please force the refresh of this page (Shift+F5) to retrieve version '5.0.1-β05'.

Message is persistant after Refresh and Reset Stored Data.

Post by toxcct | 2018-05-01 | 05:29:11

You must not just use F5 to refresh, but Shift+F5 (in Chrome ; Firefox may be using a different hotkey for a hard refresh...)

Post by Ursus Maritimus | 2018-05-01 | 08:15:59

aha, no shift-f5 on Chrome/MacOS ;) found-it, thanks!

Post by toxcct | 2018-05-01 | 09:02:48

please enlight me... How you did it (I don't use MacOS), so I can help if anybody else meet the same refresh issue :)

Post by toxcct | 2018-05-01 | 08:20:09

Anyway, I changed my code a bit so we don't have to explicitely force refresh the page when detecting a version change.

A simple F5 should do now.

Post by GeGaX | 2018-05-01 | 09:45:30

😉

Post by Ursus Maritimus | 2018-05-01 | 12:33:21

in English for MacOS refresh cache:

Command-Shift-R

Post by toxcct | 2018-05-01 | 13:17:26

Thanks GeGaX.

However, this should not be needed anymore, and a simple page load/refresh should always display the latest version.
No need to force a hard refresh with a cache cleanup anymore.

Post by toxcct | 2018-05-02 | 08:45:18

New feature in version 5.0.1-β08 :

It is now possible to "archive" a still ongoing race.
A new tiny icon appears over the top-right corner of the ongoing races thumbnails in that regard.

I made this possible to be able to remove from the races list on top the ones which one could have already finished. That allows to enlight the visual weight when a race is no more needed on screen.
Of course, if a race is archived by mistake, it can be restored with the counterpart button in the archive list.

I also hesitated between 2 icon sets, but I don't have time right now to show you.
I'll post a screenshot so you can tell me which one you prefer.

Regards,
tox

Post by Ursus Maritimus | 2018-05-02 | 12:29:31

nice!

Post by toxcct | 2018-05-02 | 16:37:48

Latest updated :

- "Refresh Now" button on the 'new version' message:

- Version beta 10 fixes a small bug introduced with beta 9 when all ongoing races where archived, letting no race displayed on the list.

Also, I wanted to know which iconset you guys prefer between those two :

Post by GeGaX | 2018-05-02 | 17:14:41

Hi toxcct,
Personally I have a preference for the last ( + ) and ( - )
;)

Post by toxcct | 2018-05-07 | 13:57:48

Just published a first draft of the new CSV Generator.
You can find it using the link of the left of the Polars Chart.

It is still a beta version, so it still contains known bugs.
Here is one :
When you generate the CSV for several sails including the JIB, and then tries to generate the JIB only, without forcing to read again the input field, then the JIB speed values are inconsistent.
So : between each generations, hit the 'Read Input' button until this bug is declared fixed.

Also, I did not implement the use of foils and hull polish yet.

Keep in touch, and best sailing ;)

Post by toxcct | 2018-05-07 | 14:05:47

And for those wondering how to use it, as I did not write proper documentation yet:

You have to gather the full WebSocket response frame corresponding to the Meta_GetPolar request between the VR game interface and its server.

This can be gathered with your browser's Development Tools, or with Mak08's VR Dashboard (link available on the Partners links of the left of the Polars Chart).

For that, select the "RAW LOG" tab, and enable logging by selecting the "Log messages" checkbox. Then open the race you need and voila.

Post by Ursus Maritimus | 2018-05-07 | 20:28:21

Foils are very usefull to see the overall speed. The better your tool matches real boat speed, the more usefull it becomes. Hull speed is minor and not relevant for the TWA to sail.

Maybe the option to rearrange the order of the active games so you can match them to the every changing order in VR ...

Thanks nan!

Post by toxcct | 2018-05-07 | 22:26:45

Hi Ursus,

Actually, all options are already implemented in the Polars Chart.
My last post above was only regarding the CSV Generator.

Even though hull polish is increasing speed for only a tiny bit of kts, it is still relevant for offshore races, especially when they come across a whole ocean...

Regarding the option to rearrange the races, that is not a trivial thing.
Firstly because I don't actually connect my Polars App to VR (just like VR Dashboard does). But also because I plainly don't understand what the hecck is their ordering rule !!
I can easily explain mine BTW : races are order in a chronological order, on the Closing Date regarding the racing games, and on the Opening Date for the races yet to start.
If someone know which rule VR uses to order their races, I'm really curious about it (and a bit annoyed to see them moving everytimes too !).

As I mentioned, both options (foils and hull polish) will be implemented on the CSV Gen. anyway; I just didn't have time yet.
Also, I'm leaving home for a few days off, so I will put my hands back on it only next week.

Thanks for your feedback.

Post by Ursus Maritimus | 2018-05-07 | 22:58:41

manual rearrangering would already be great. I keep my routing tabs open in the same order as VR and follow their changes

Post by pmangino | 2018-05-08 | 18:46:11

Hi toxcct...
Sorry if I'm being so stupid. I have tried all the new procedures you suggested and I still cannot update the the new version. I'm using Google Chrome.
Clicked the reset stored data: no answer
Ctrl+F5: no answer
Ctrl+ F12, right click, reload: no answer.

I have been using your great tool since the very beginning w/o any touble until yesterday
Am I doing something wrong..?

Princess Marina

Post by GeGaX | 2018-05-08 | 19:08:34

@pmangino:
Try to clean Chrome
Clear browsing data by selecting only Images and Files in Cache and Cookies 😉

Post by pmangino | 2018-05-08 | 21:06:15

THX GeGaX..!!!
Now is working..!
Great help.
Princess Marina
Pat.
Skipper

Post by GeGaX | 2018-05-09 | 07:59:36

With pleasure 😉

Post by toxcct | 2018-05-22 | 14:00:56

Hey folks, I finally fixed the font size issue that was ocurring on mobile devices :-D

Post by Ursus Maritimus | 2018-05-22 | 15:23:16

Strange, when I select polish the TWA with best VMG changes ...
(Mini, 8 knots wind, LS + C0)

Post by toxcct | 2018-05-22 | 16:27:23

This is because these best VMG are slightly different, but are rounded to a quite close value actually.

Anyway, check the 'Display VMG Projection to Axis" checkbox and you will see how it varies when enabling the hull polish...

Post by Ursus Maritimus | 2018-05-23 | 05:38:43

okay, I don't think I can see 2 decimals in the VMG and speed arroows. It is quite often that optimal VMG is reached with 2 or 3 degrees difference in TWA.

And with other TWA angles you can move sidesways to more favorable winds or get around the byouy or cape without extra manoevering.

Post by toxcct | 2018-06-01 | 22:27:27

New Chart version is out guys ! v5.0.1-β18

Minor changes on the UI, but big improvements under the hood.

First, this:

The page title (browser tab text) now reflects the race currently displayed on the chart.
You can then have many tabs opened and spot them more easily.

But I can hear you say, what is the use if all these tabs share the same URL, so we can't bookmark them...?
Well, you would be right. Check this :

That clickable icon reveals the permalink in the address bar:

Do you see what's coming next ? :)

Post by toxcct | 2018-06-01 | 22:33:10

oh, and if you want to bookmark a particular race, you only need to keep the race_id parameter.
otherwise, other arguments will be applied everytime you call the chart with them on, loosing benefit of the data stored locally.

Also, when revealed, the URL parameters keep updating for every action you do on the chart with an impact on the URL (switch race, changing TWA or TWS, checking/unchecking sails or boat options)...

So far, all this is working, but we're working together with Mak08 for an integration into the VR Dashboard, so the Races Ids used right now on the chart will most probably be obsolete soon as I'll update them to use a same format that zezo.

Stay tuned ;)

Post by toxcct | 2018-06-02 | 23:05:17

WARNING : New Update (v5.0.1-β19) is causing an error interrupting page load.

This is because I changed the races ids to be using VR numbering, just like zezo and VR Dashboard do.

To bypass this issue, you MUST press the "Reset Application" button (bottom right of the Chart).

It will erase any race settings stored. Sorry for that.

Post by Inicio | 2018-06-02 | 23:51:11

Done.
Thanks!

Post by toxcct | 2018-06-04 | 13:20:00

New Chart version v5.0.1-β20 :

I moved the Archive/Restore buttons from the races thumbnails to the Race sidebox.
This choice has been made because on touch screens, they were hit too easily when switching races :

In the meantime, the permalink icon has been move upward with the Archive/Restore button.

Post by mak08 | 2018-06-10 | 15:10:31

As announced by Toxcct a couple of days ago, we've integrated the VR Dashboard with Toxcct's polar charts.

With VR Dashboard v2.3.0, just published, you can now call the polar chart with your current TWA and TWS in each race. Boat options are also set automatically.

Big thanks to Toxcct for adding the HTTP API to his charts!

Post by toxcct | 2018-06-10 | 17:52:52

Nice to see it working live :)

Thanks !

Post by toxcct | 2018-06-10 | 18:19:36

I just noticed that I was not accepting parameter "utm_source", hence not seeing it in the tracker.
Fixed now with beta 24.

Also, I see that you send TWS and TWA values rounded to 1 digit. You can send more ! ;)

Post by Ursus Maritimus | 2018-06-10 | 23:06:39

indeed a vary nice solution. all that's missing is a game interface and a server. the latter doesn't seem to be too difficult ;)

Post by wedoarc3 | 2018-06-10 | 17:55:23

Fuck the VR game, let's start a crow funding and start a new platform.
How much is needed?

Post by Ursus Maritimus | 2018-06-11 | 06:31:05

Again in final race phase (clipper this time) a DTFc in VR Dashboard would give reliable information compared to the empty DTF column that updates only when you click every boat you follow in the game interface.
I agree that earlier in races DTFc won't mean a lot and before the last cape or buoy even useless.