Tactical Assistant Overlay / Vsk5 Radar Screen

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🧭 Tactical Assistant Overlay / Vsk5 Radar Screen

Version: 2.0

Developer: Vsk Revolution / nyusa69vrn1

Platform: Windows (AutoHotkey GUI tool)

Distributed by: Virtual Sailing Solutions

Overview

The Tactical Assistant / Favored Tack Finder is a real-time tactical overlay for Virtual Skipper 5 (Vsk5) and Vsk5Online. It shows which tack — Port or Starboard — points you closer to the next mark and how far off the layline you are. Great for training, race prep, and in-race decisions, especially when the next mark may be off-screen.

The latest version includes a dynamic compass overlay that displays:

True Wind Direction (TWD)
True Wind Angle (TWA) laylines
Course-to-Next-Mark (CNM)
Favored tack (Port / Starboard)
Layline proximity and guidance

The compass overlay is semi-transparent, always on top, and intended to be positioned directly over the Vsk5 radar screen. For best results run Vsk5 or Vsk5Online in Windowed Mode.

Positioning the Overlay

To get the most accurate visual alignment:

Run Vsk5 or Vsk5Online in Windowed Mode.
Drag/center the Tactical Assistant’s compass so the center of the compass circle aligns precisely with your boat icon on the Vsk5 radar.
Set TWD, TWA, and CNM inputs in the overlay to match the race data.
Select the track orientation (see “Race Track Orientation” below).
Optionally press F1 to enable Click-Through Mode so you can pan/zoom the radar underneath the overlay.

Note: Depending on radar zoom, the CNM arrow may not visually match Nadeo’s in-game CNM line at very close zooms. At moderate zooms the match is typically exact.

Visual Elements

Color-coded arrows and labels for instant recognition:

TWD (True Wind Direction) – Blue. Points to the wind origin (user input).
PORT – Red. Port tack layline (TWD − TWA, rotated for track orientation).
STBD (Starboard) – Green. Starboard tack layline (TWD + TWA, rotated for track orientation).
CNM (Course to Next Mark) – Orange. Bearing to the next mark (user input).

Compass details:

Tick marks every 5°, larger ticks every 15°.
Numeric degree labels every 15°.
Compass itself is fixed North-up (0°/360° at top).
TWA laylines are the only elements that rotate based on the Track Orientation selector (see below).

Transparency & Click-Through Mode

The overlay opens semi-transparent (default).
Press F1 to toggle Click-Through Mode:
Enabled: click events pass through to the game; overlay is non-interactive.
Disabled: overlay becomes interactive for editing inputs.
Use Click-Through when your overlay is positioned and you want to interact with the radar controls without moving the overlay.

Recommended Usage

This overlay is especially useful for:

Offshore / long-distance races where marks may be off-screen.
Simulation or training to improve VMG and layline judgment.
Fleet or match racing to visualize tactical geometry relative to wind shifts.

Tips:

Adjust radar zoom until the CNM arrow appears aligned with the in-game CNM line.
Keep F1 Click-Through ON once positioned.
Recenter overlay after changing game window size or resolution.

The App Window / User Input Fields

Inputs

TWD (True Wind Direction): 1–360 (0 = 360) — wind direction on the course.
TWA (True Wind Angle): 25–170 — wind angle from the boat (defaults: 30° upwind, 165° downwind).
CNM (Course to Next Mark): 1–360 (0 = 360) — bearing to next mark.
Course Dir (Track Orientation): N / NE / E / SE / S / SW / W / NW — user-selected (see note below).

Buttons

Calculate: Runs favored tack and layline calculations.
Reset: Clears results, resets defaults.
Mode: Toggles Upwind (TWA default 30°) / Downwind (TWA default 165°).
Invert: Inverts the compass 180° (applies to Course Dir rotation for TWA lines).
User Manual: Opens this guide.
Project link: Opens project homepage.

⚙️ How It Calculates

Normalize angles: All angles wrap to 0°–359°.
Compute headings:

Starboard heading = TWD + TWA
Port heading = TWD − TWA

Compare headings to CNM: whichever heading is closer to CNM is the favored tack.
Layline guidance:

0–5° → “Layline 0–5°!”
5–15° → “Layline 5–15°!”
15° → “Sail on [Port/Starboard] tack!”

Rendering: Compass is fixed North-up; TWA laylines are rotated by Track Orientation + (180° if Invert enabled). TWD and CNM are always drawn as absolute user inputs and are not rotated by the Track Orientation selector.

🔁 Race Track Orientation — IMPORTANT (user action required)

Tracks created in Vsk5 can be authored with any of the eight cardinal/intercardinal orientations: N, NE, E, SE, S, SW, W, NW (centered at 0°, 45°, 90°, 135°, 180°, 225°, 270°, 315°).

The app does not automatically detect which orientation your race track uses. You must select the correct orientation using the Course Dir dropdown.

Why you must choose it

The overlay compass is fixed (North-up).
If the race track was created with a rotated orientation (for example NE = 45° clockwise), the race geometry is rotated relative to north.
Selecting the correct orientation tells the app how much to rotate the TWA laylines so they visually align with the in-game radar and the track geometry.

How the selector works

Choose the orientation shown in your race information (N, NE, E, SE, S, SW, W, or NW).
The app offsets TWA laylines by the chosen orientation angle (0° / 45° / 90° / 135° / 180° / 225° / 270° / 315°) while keeping the compass and TWD/CNM absolute.
If Invert is enabled, the app adds 180° to that rotation (useful for reversed or downwind-start tracks).

If you pick the wrong orientation, the TWA lines will appear misaligned. That does not affect numerical calculations (those still use raw TWD/TWA/CNM inputs), but the visual overlay will not match the track.

Quick-Start Checklist (how to choose the correct track orientation)

Open the race lobby or event briefing.
Find the track metadata, description, or map thumbnail.
Identify the main axis of the course (the start line or principal upwind/downwind leg).
Translate that axis to one of the eight options: N, NE, E, SE, S, SW, W, NW.

Example: axis ≈ 45° → choose NE.

In the Tactical Assistant overlay, select that orientation from Course Dir.
If the event indicates a reversed or downwind start, also toggle Invert.
Center the overlay over your boat and visually verify: the TWA laylines should now match the radar geometry. If not, re-check the track preview and try the nearest orientation (±45°).

Example

Input:

TWD: 90°
TWA: 30°
CNM: 92°
Orientation: N

Output:

Favored Tack: Port
Offset to CNM: 28° (Sail on port tack!)
Port Heading: 120°
Starboard Heading: 60°

If Orientation = E, the TWA lines are rotated +90° visually on the overlay to match track geometry; numerical headings remain the same.

Input Rules

TWD: 1–360 (0 = 360).
TWA: 25–170.
CNM: 1–360 (0 = 360).
Invalid entries (letters, out-of-range, blanks) trigger a red error message:
Enter: TWD: 1-360 | TWA: 25-170 | CNM: 1-360

Troubleshooting & Tips

TWA visually misaligned? Re-check the track orientation in the race briefing/map preview and set the Course Dir accordingly.
TWD arrow pointing “up” incorrectly? That is expected only if you entered TWD = 0/360; otherwise TWD is drawn exactly as entered. The compass itself always stays North-up.
CNM not matching in-game CNM line? Zoom level or radar offset can cause visual mismatch—adjust radar zoom or reposition overlay center.
Overlay not letting you click radar controls? Press F1 to toggle Click-Through Mode.
Want live redraws while typing? The app currently redraws on Calculate/controls; keep this behavior for performance and to avoid accidental input changes during a race.

Training & Racing Use

Training: Explore wind shifts and layline responses by adjusting TWD/TWA/CNM and Course Dir.
Racing: Use Favored Tack and offset angle for quick in-race decisions. If Favored Tack = Neutral, consider wind shifts and fleet position.