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Our game runs at 60 frames per second with a 126x100 pixel resolution. There is no discernable flicker, but there is a delay of several frames in order for maps to draw without artifacts. For the most complex map, this delay is 16 frames, which is about a quarter second. For most maps, the delay is about 6 frames, a tenth of a second.
NTSC horizontal sync pulses have duration 4.7 microseconds while ours had duration of roughly 5.1 microseconds as measured with an oscilloscope. Thus, our pulses are fairly close in accuracy to the NTSC standards. The NTSC line time is 63.5 microseconds, while ours is slightly higher with 63.625 microseconds.
The use of lasers in our design raises questions about eye safety. The lasers we use are class II with a maximum output of less than 1 mW. Such lasers are to be treated with caution, but are not considered dangerous because the eye-blink reflex is fast enough to prevent the eye from damage. Eye exposure would need to exceed 1000 seconds for damage to occur. Nonetheless, to spare our sailors worry, we have installed a roof over the apparatus to prevent diffuse laser light from reaching their eyes. Naturally, if the apparatus is taken apart in some way, direct laser beams may leave the device.
Our design should generate negligible RF interference, thus not interfering with other projects using RF.
Although several ships will sink beneath the waves before the average user will understand the importance of centering the rudder after a turn and navigating passages at less than full sails, the learning curve for the game is manageable, just as with a real sailboat. The difficulty level is set so that winning the game is quite challenging but doable. This provides maximum playability.
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