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Ships At Sea: A Maritime Simulator in Unreal Engine
Ships At Sea is a large-scale maritime simulator focused on commercial fishing, cargo operations, and service vessels, all set in a multiplayer environment. Built with Unreal Engine 5 and integrated with Nvidia WaveWorks, it includes realistic water physics, licensed equipment, and detailed weather effects. Our Unreal developers and tech artist contributed to a reusable fishing net system and improved VFX elements for water interaction and weather transitions.
Core Gameplay Mechanics
Ships At Sea puts you in charge of real ship operations, from navigation to hands-on tasks at sea. Each vessel type brings its own mechanics, whether you're hauling catch, delivering cargo, or handling offshore support. Fishing systems progress gradually, moving from basic gear to jigging, longlining, and net operations.
Cargo handling depends on careful placement and load balance. Service jobs require coordination and timing. Shifting weather and ocean conditions directly affect ship behavior, so every decision on board has to account for what’s happening around you.
Distinctive Features of Ships At Sea
The simulation in Ships At Sea introduces a set of technical and gameplay-focused features designed to support both realism and player engagement:
- Authentic vessel physics. Every ship reacts to sea conditions using a physically based buoyancy system that reflects real-world weight, balance, and structure.
- Dynamic weather engine. Rain, fog, and storms appear and shift in real time, changing visibility, surface movement, and how ships handle under pressure.
- Reusable net system. The fishing net mesh adapts to different methods, from small-scale setups to larger systems.
- Interactive water effects. Splash visuals, surface reaction, and window hits respond to boat movement and wave intensity, adding visual feedback to every encounter.
- Detailed ship interiors. Wheelhouses include working radar, sonar, and autopilot systems that operate just like real equipment and support full manual navigation.
Game Screenshots
Technology Stack
Ships At Sea runs on Unreal Engine 5, combining modern tools with practical workflows to support large-scale simulation. Ocean behavior is handled through Nvidia's WaveWorks, which recreates realistic wave movement and surface interaction. Sky Creator adds depth by driving weather changes that shift gradually during gameplay.
Much of the visual logic is built using Blueprints, with C++ used to fine-tune performance-heavy systems like net deformation and ship buoyancy. The team focused on keeping everything efficient, so gameplay stayed smooth even when conditions got rough.
Game Trailer
RESULTS
Work on Ships At Sea focused on systems that impact how the game looks, moves, and feels during play. Our team helped push key visual elements forward while making sure they could scale with future content. Feedback from the client shaped each step, with regular check-ins keeping progress on track.
- The fishing net system now supports multiple fishing styles and can be expanded without requiring a complete overhaul.
- Weather effects feel more natural in motion and hold up across different lighting and sea states.
- Splash visuals and surface reactions now respond more closely to boat speed and wave force.
- Performance remains stable even in heavy weather without sacrificing visual quality or detail.