V/S Autopilot request - Page 2 - Orbiter-Forum

**reverend** · 09-07-2008, 11:27 PM

I've always wanted a V/S autopilot for launching the DG-EX. Something that can hold 20 m/s up to 64km then 0 m/s until orbital velocity. I've done it a hundred times by manually adjusting the trim, it's just exhausting to watch it constantly for an hour. I don't believe there has ever been a spacecraft ever built without some sort of autopilot. a proper simulation is not complete without autopilots.

**Cairan** · 09-07-2008, 11:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by reverend

I've always wanted a V/S autopilot for launching the DG-EX. Something that can hold 20 m/s up to 64km then 0 m/s until orbital velocity.

Yeah that was my motivation back then because I got tired of sheparding the big flying cow all the way to orbit...

Seeing there's actually interest nowadays for it, I might try to dust-off my memory of how I had coded it back then.

Zatnikitelman · 09-08-2008, 12:09 AM

Not only is it realistic, but it is also a good learning experience. I learned how to get to the ISS by watching RedShift do it for me. Granted, the first thing I docked to was my own space station I was building, but still...
It's like what my Java teacher said about why Object-Oriented coding was so great: writing code the first time is fun, but after that it gets boring.
I was flying the stock DG on my laptop the other day and in trying to get into Orbit, I got an ApA of 146Km, then tried to hold 0 V/S to gain the horizontal velocity. It WAS fairly annoying especially when compounded by a Laptop's slightly different control interface.

Linguofreak · 09-08-2008, 12:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pete.dakota

It's extremely possible (and more fun) to launch and re-enter manually in winged vehicles. Why all this demand for auto-pilots? I'll never get it...

Because sometimes the fun is in doing something more complex and you want to be able to take your hands off of one thing so you can concentrate on something else. Sometimes (as a variation on the above), you want to macromanage rather than micromanage. Sometimes the fun is in setting up a scenario a bit more precisely than you can do with your own reflexes, and then flying it by hand once you get to a certain point. Sometimes the fun is more in putting together a little "story" than accomplishing some feat of piloting skill. Sometimes the fun is in sitting back and enjoying the view as a passenger while the spacecraft flies itself.

**Cairan** · 09-08-2008, 12:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Linguofreak

Sometimes the fun is in setting up a scenario a bit more precisely than you can do with your own reflexes, and then flying it by hand once you get to a certain point.

Two words: Formation flying.

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09-07-2008, 11:27 PM	#16
reverend Beta Tester	I've always wanted a V/S autopilot for launching the DG-EX. Something that can hold 20 m/s up to 64km then 0 m/s until orbital velocity. I've done it a hundred times by manually adjusting the trim, it's just exhausting to watch it constantly for an hour. I don't believe there has ever been a spacecraft ever built without some sort of autopilot. a proper simulation is not complete without autopilots.

09-07-2008, 11:53 PM	#17
Cairan Donator	Quote: Originally Posted by reverend I've always wanted a V/S autopilot for launching the DG-EX. Something that can hold 20 m/s up to 64km then 0 m/s until orbital velocity. Yeah that was my motivation back then because I got tired of sheparding the big flying cow all the way to orbit... Seeing there's actually interest nowadays for it, I might try to dust-off my memory of how I had coded it back then.

09-08-2008, 12:09 AM	#18
Zatnikitelman Wandering lonely as a cloud	Not only is it realistic, but it is also a good learning experience. I learned how to get to the ISS by watching RedShift do it for me. Granted, the first thing I docked to was my own space station I was building, but still... It's like what my Java teacher said about why Object-Oriented coding was so great: writing code the first time is fun, but after that it gets boring. I was flying the stock DG on my laptop the other day and in trying to get into Orbit, I got an ApA of 146Km, then tried to hold 0 V/S to gain the horizontal velocity. It WAS fairly annoying especially when compounded by a Laptop's slightly different control interface.

09-08-2008, 12:40 AM	#19
Linguofreak Orbinaut	Quote: Originally Posted by pete.dakota It's extremely possible (and more fun) to launch and re-enter manually in winged vehicles. Why all this demand for auto-pilots? I'll never get it... Because sometimes the fun is in doing something more complex and you want to be able to take your hands off of one thing so you can concentrate on something else. Sometimes (as a variation on the above), you want to macromanage rather than micromanage. Sometimes the fun is in setting up a scenario a bit more precisely than you can do with your own reflexes, and then flying it by hand once you get to a certain point. Sometimes the fun is more in putting together a little "story" than accomplishing some feat of piloting skill. Sometimes the fun is in sitting back and enjoying the view as a passenger while the spacecraft flies itself.

09-08-2008, 12:52 AM	#20
Cairan Donator	Quote: Originally Posted by Linguofreak Sometimes the fun is in setting up a scenario a bit more precisely than you can do with your own reflexes, and then flying it by hand once you get to a certain point. Two words: Formation flying.