Harbor Master

Overview

Harbor Master is a real-time traffic-routing game about guiding vessels to color-matched berths without allowing the harbor to collapse into collisions. Skiffs, freighters, and tankers enter from all four edges, and each class combines a different hull size, cruising speed, and turning rate. Selecting a ship lets you place a chain of waypoints through open water before committing the route to the berth matching its pennant. Ships begin by drifting along their entry heading, then follow assigned paths continuously while new traffic arrives. Close approaches trigger visible warning rings, giving you a chance to redirect one route before impact. A collision removes both vessels and closes one of three available safety margins; the shift ends after the third crash. Traffic level rises with elapsed time and successful docks, shortening the schedule between arrivals. A fixed 60Hz update loop makes motion and collision checks consistent, while the best number of docked vessels is stored locally.

How to Play

Click or tap a ship to select it, tap open water to add one or more waypoints, and finish by selecting the berth with the same color. The dashed route remains visible while the vessel follows it. Keyboard players can press Tab to cycle ships, move the route cursor with the Arrow keys or WASD, and press Enter or Space to select and place points. Escape cancels the current selection and P pauses the shift. The HUD displays docked vessels, personal best, remaining lives, and current traffic level.

Tips & Strategy

Plan routes around the centre rather than sending every ship through it. The central buoy makes a useful divider: route northbound traffic on one side and southbound traffic on the other to reduce crossing paths. Respect vessel class. A skiff turns quickly and can accept a late correction, while a tanker needs long, gentle segments; placing a sharp waypoint near a tanker usually causes it to cut across another lane. Assign routes to newly arriving ships before they drift too far into busy water. Near-miss warnings identify immediate danger, but prevention starts earlier by comparing dashed lines for intersections. If two routes must cross, delay the slower vessel with an extra waypoint so they reach the crossing at different times. Berths sit near the shoreline, so approach them from open water instead of drawing a final segment along the coast. As traffic rises, prioritize ships already near other hulls rather than the easiest docking score.

What Makes It Distinct

Harbor Master does not stop the simulation while routes are drawn. Every waypoint is a decision made while all vessels continue moving, which turns simple color matching into schedule management. Different turning radii, warning feedback, multi-point routes, and predictable escalation provide enough information to recover from congestion without making collisions feel arbitrary.