Project G42-200 StarLiner

[Loru]

looksies:

as you can probably tell, i've painted the rudder :thumbup:

i've also rigged up a better code for the main engine contrails... not half as kludgy now (tho the default unlit contrail textures are kinda too dark, IMHO)


well, then i guess i'll just do the scenario code now and call it on WIP-3!

later, folkz

Texture makes huge difference

I haven't liked it in grey and green but this white outfit makes this craft look really nice. :thumbup:

 

[Grover]

ok, my initial prognosis:

OMS engines didnt fire at all, i ran out of fuel just before i set my ApA high enough, then the OMS wouldnt fire to bring it up. i used the engineer panel to "Enable them" and set the th auth to OMS, but still nothing. perhaps they are trying to draw main fuel?

how do we shift the CoG? no doubt we're going to need that later

nosewheel steering an takeoff roll is massivley overpowered, perhaps we can find a way to dull it down at high speeds?

the engine effect (visual) with the ramcasters is showing through the hull still, could that be redone?

well dont moach, its looking good, bar a few nitpicks!

 

[Moach]

ok, my initial prognosis:

OMS engines didnt fire at all, i ran out of fuel just before i set my ApA high enough, then the OMS wouldnt fire to bring it up. i used the engineer panel to "Enable them" and set the th auth to OMS, but still nothing. perhaps they are trying to draw main fuel?

how do we shift the CoG? no doubt we're going to need that later

nosewheel steering an takeoff roll is massivley overpowered, perhaps we can find a way to dull it down at high speeds?

the engine effect (visual) with the ramcasters is showing through the hull still, could that be redone?

well dont moach, its looking good, bar a few nitpicks!

good calls! that's what i was hoping to get :thumbup:


ok, one at a time - the CoG shift works with the = and - keys... it's very crude right now, and for that reason, it doesn't really save into scenario so it resets every time...

but it just might save your butt on a hot reentry :hmm:


the nosewheel is indeed overpowered.... a lot of it might have gone unnoticed from flying with the high precision saitek pedals, so i rely on your input to know when it's right...
i'm gonna revise that and add a linear falloff over speed, so the turning power eases off with speed

the OMS just might be broken... i did comment out some code rather recklessly (thought it wasn't doing anything) my bad, i guess :facepalm: :uhh:


luckily for us, the blagnets are still not pumping over at the new office - so i get a lazy day again

so hang on for WIP-301

 

[Jobyh]

OK, posted about the manual, then saw the message on the first page!

Are there any other instructions on just generally how to fly it?
Got no chance atm. All those buttons!!

 

[Moach]

just put up a patch with a few corrections - now the OMS works again (gotta turn on the switches on the engineer side), and the nosewheel turning is less, erm... insane :hmm:


http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1374365/G422_WIP_3_P1.zip


it's just a module patch, simply copy the G422 dll into the modules folder, overwrite the old one - you know this already, right?

let me now if it works out... the OMS is probably not saving to scenario, so it's reasonable to expect a few problems there (it gets reset, you gotta flick the switch off and on again to fix that)

another known bug (quite a pesky one) is with the canards... if they load up in extended position, they won't act as control surfaces until you flick them back and forth (doesn't have to be all the way tho, just tap "N" twice)


let me know how it works out :thumbup:

---------- Post added at 06:37 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:06 PM ----------

ok - WIP-301 is going up!

new stuff:

* added the tail strike wheel i kept forgetting about (deploys along with gears)
* new visuals on the displays which previously contained only a large name tag
* nosewheel steering is tuned to more sane values - should be easier to handle
* OMS thusters are fixed!
* tweaked some sounds, APU sound is now a lot less "grindey"
* removed a bunch of useless files (old textures) from the zip
* a number of other petty things

i've removed the old WIP-3 and patch files from my ever-so-cluttered dropbox - you only need one file now - the WIP-301 (even if you got the patch, there's more stuff)


get it here: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1374365/G42-200-WIP-301.zip

if most big-deal problems subside, tomorrow i'll upload it to the hangar :thumbup:

 

[Interceptor]

Moach, your spaceplane is fraking awesome I Can't wait for the finished product,it just keeps getting better,and better with every release.:thumbup:

 

[Ark]

Okay, I give up: What's the switch combination to fire the orbit insertion rockets? Not OMS, the wing-mounted rockets that take over after the scrams are done.

Otherwise I'm pretty much good. I like the scram display, it provides a clear and intuitive ascent envelop that is easy to correct if you start to drift out of it.

 

[Interceptor]

How do you use the OMS engines for final orbit insertion?,and what is the switch combination for this? When I get the G4 up to Apoapsis,and fire up my OMS engines
to circulise my orbit the engines just die. is there a way to switch the fuel tanks? I am confused. BTW Moach the touch ups in the cockpit looks great.thanks

 

[Moach]

i take it you mean the "main engines", right? - i mean, those are the ones mounted on the wings :hmm:

do this: shut the turbojet engines off (as soon as you fire up the ramcasters) - then flick the switch right behind the starters to "int" - you'll see a red "TRST" light on the engines display, when it turns blue, you're in "internal oxidizer mode" (hence, "int") and when you fire up the engines again they will work as rockets

note that for running the engines in rocket mode, you'll need to turn on the oxidizer feed pumps as well as the fuel ones (while you only need the latter for turbine mode)

and that's that.... not much more to it

don't worry - i'm gonna write up that manual soon enough :thumbup:

---------- Post added at 08:18 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:14 PM ----------

How do you use the OMS engines for final orbit insertion?,and what is the switch combination for this? When I get the G4 up to Apoapsis,and fire up my OMS engines
to circulise my orbit the engines just die. is there a way to switch the fuel tanks? I am confused. BTW Moach the touch ups in the cockpit looks great.thanks

the OMS thrusters must be armed and fuel-pumped before they work

so there are three switches to throw - first, the OMS feed pump - then the STBY INGNITION for OMS, after that the thrusters are armed, but you have to switch in the throttle authority before you can operate them

so flick the THR AUTH selector on the pilot side knee-panel, and you should see "OMS" show up on the HUD

then just thottle up like you're used to - it's pretty straightforward from then on

 

[Interceptor]

Thanks Moach,I'll give her another try.:thumbup:

---------- Post added at 05:38 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:19 PM ----------

OK,your advice worked like a charm Moach this plane really blows me away.Thanks for this great piece of machinery.:tiphat::thumbup:

 

[Ark]

Thanks for the tips, figured out what I was doing wrong. Forgot to re-ignite the engines after cutting and switching to internal oxidizer.

 

[Moach]

alright space-people! got a new version up! - this is WIP-302

changed stuffz:

* remodelled switches in the cockpit (OMG, so many...) - now they're less obtrusive and you can read their labels a lot better

* added a VC roof texture with a nice circuit breaker board (one for each DC and AC bus, if you'll notice)

* repurposed the crew callout panels to add the missing EICAS and FCS controls (i'll put the callouts elsewhere whenever i get them recorded)

* RCS standby-ignition state is now simulated - att thrusters don't fire without that switched on

* better textures on certain parts of the VC


alright, knock yourselves out - i'll send it up to the hangar as soon as we determine it's not crashing too hard :hmm:

linkey: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1374365/G42-200-WIP-302.zip

(old file has been removed from dropbox, 2 gigs max... i don't wanna push my luck)



now, if i may ask you guys a favor - could you please take some nice screenshots of her? just a few pics showing feature details and all, so i can include them in the manual and make a nice composition for the hangar DL page? (perhaps a lil' gallery too) - see if you can focus more on feature-describing shots, rather than artistic renderings, since thats more useful right now (tho having a handful of the latter wouldn't hurt at all)

then post the shots here so we all can see them :thumbup:

well, i gotta go to work now, seems the new place is all rigged up and ready for us


btw, i won't be around this weekend, for i'll be off tomorrow on a girlfriends family trip down to Rio (yes, the same as in the movie, but IRL its less, uuh... "happy" :shifty - so don't be alarmed when i don't reply 'till monday :lol:


later, folks!

 

[Interceptor]

Here you go Moach,the G-422 with URMS.

 

[Interceptor]

Here you go Moach,the G-4200 with URMS.

Just a heads up,but when I placed the URMS in the bay of the G4-200 everything worked perfect, until you try,and save the scenario then for some reason it CTDs,Wierd. I tryed the URMS with other addons,and everything worked perfectly.I guess the G4-200 doesn't like URMS for some reason.Go figure.

 

[astrosammy]

Probably the bug that some vessels have with URMS. Remove the ATTACHED line from the URMS in your saved scenario file, and it should work.

 

[Interceptor]

Thanks alot astrosammy that did the trick,I assume this trick will also work with UCD?
Because that also CTDs when I try and save it on the G4-200..:thumbup:

 

[astrosammy]

I assume this trick will also work with UCD?

:yes:

 

[Proximus]

Fabulous piece of kit, Im gonna be watching this thread closely for updates :thumbup:

Hail to the Probe

 

[raxo2222]

How to make starliner working again? I didn't modified orbiter after installing WIP 2

http://img718.imageshack.us/img718/2157/failygy.png

Scenarios just makes CTD or MFDs show weird things.

When I create that ship, I can't see its texture - its nothing.

 

[Grover]

i think you need to re-install orbiter after that