A team of fans of historic ships and zeppelins is tinkering with Unreal Engine 5 to create an immersive experience with a difference.
Great voyages aboard sublime marvels of engineering in a picturesque setting wrapped in gorgeous weather and lighting effects? Oh, and it’s all fueled by Unreal Engine 5, so if you’re up for coming aboard, mark your calendars for 2024 for the Grand Voyage digital interactive experience museum.
What is Grand Voyage?
Grand Voyage is a kind of walk-through, historically accurate, interactive museum for ships and zeppelins, which will be continuously expanded with new content after release. You can explore each historical vessel in three environments, each with its own soundscapes, weather conditions and other special features.
- In shipyard/dry dock/hall: the birthplace or even maintenance facility. Numerous animations are designed to bring these busy places to life.
- At the quay or air port: The appropriate individual locations in each case are to be recreated historically accurate to their predecessors. In addition, there are options such as viewing the ships from the seaside. This is made possible by a freely steerable motorboat.
- On/Over the Sea: The original home of every air(ship).
The following picture gallery gives a small insight into the variety of conceivable combinations of weather and time of day. The former is selectable via predefined scenarios and you can turn the clock completely free or let it run synchronously with the real time.
You can find more pictures and information on the (official website). A detailed video about the title, accompanied by the creative director, is available on (the Youtube channel of the project).
And who wonders: Airships and ocean liners? Well, that’s a strange combo, you’re wrong. Historically and practically, both types of ships
resemble each other. They also passed their respective golden ages, partly in parallel with each other.
Who is behind Grand Voyage?
Leading the charge is Australian Mike Brady, who serves as creative director. The industrial designer has been a huge ship fan since childhood and turned his passion into a career with Oceanliner Designs. For example, he draws illustrations for media of all kinds.
2021 he started his (Youtube channel all about ships). He has now gathered more than 300,000 subscribers and a small team around him, with whom he is developing Grand Voyage.
When and where should Grand Voyage be released?
Grand Voyage (currently in alpha) is scheduled for release in 2024 exclusively for the PC and will be available online from a digital provider. Who exactly is meant by this can only be speculated, but Steam is certainly conceivable. Exact time frame or price are also not yet known.
What is included at release? What will be added soon after?
At release you can freely explore the cruise ship TSMS Lakonia as well as the ocean liner RMS Empress of Ireland . Somewhat later, but quite close to the release, the zeppelin R101 is to be added. Information about all three (air)ships can be found behind the name linked on Wikipedia.
Have you packed your proverbial seabag yet? The ship at the harbor is waiting! Does the concept of the ever-growing library of ships and zeppelins in shipyards, on quaysides and at sea appeal to you, or is it simply an elaborate model viewer with fancy weather for you? Feel free to write us your opinions and thoughts on the project in the comments!
