Project Hius Interstellar craft for 2010P1 development

[Jarvitä]

Wasn't working when I tried it, I just saw a velocity marker there, but no pitch ladder or Z-axis marker.

Press F8, select a HUD mode.

 

[Urwumpe]

Press F8, select a HUD mode.

Yes, something around that was tried... including hammering H in frustration. Don't know what blocked it.

Still I think, a proper navigation display would be nicer... but we can't just be satisfied with a great add-on, can we?

 

[Izack]

Still I think, a proper navigation display would be nicer... but we can't just be satisfied with a great add-on, can we?

That's so true. :lol:

But he asked for it, literally.

 

[Mandella]

Yes, something around that was tried... including hammering H in frustration. Don't know what blocked it.

Same thing here. Figured I was just missing something obvious, and I haven't had time to load it back up and mess with it any more after that first time.

 

[Artlav]

You did go to the scoop camera and pressed Home to reset residual bug rotation before trying to turn the HUD on?

 

[Urwumpe]

You did go to the scoop camera and pressed Home to reset residual bug rotation before trying to turn the HUD on?

Good question... i think no, I thought the rotation is reset when I use the camera buttons.

 

[mc_]

I think, there must be some kind of a "lock" to prevent asynchronous thrust - 98G is not good for crew.

Also, can't see exhaust texture when looking backwards in external view.

 

[Mandella]

You did go to the scoop camera and pressed Home to reset residual bug rotation before trying to turn the HUD on?

:facepalm:

Yep. That fixed it.

I don't have Galaxy installed yet, but I think I'll try to do a turnaround and come back to Sol now. Should be interesting to see if I can set up a stable orbit around *anything* using just basic nav controls and IMFD.

 

[atomicdryad]

For some reason this cheerfully undocks ummu ships (atv2 & dgiv) after reloading the scenario. Transfers also depend on the airlock being vented and open, though the last part is due to ummu limitations I imagine. In the orion npp I'm working on I'm setting ummu's airlock flag to be opened always, and using an internal one for eva.

There is also a mysterious chunk of obfuscated data in the scenario file :-O

 

[Wishbone]

Second mc_'s motion: the craft such as Hius needs a lot of interlocks and safety catches... Just think about the moment when a very young crew member crawls into the bridge and starts toying with the shiny buttons and levers.

 

[Urwumpe]

Second mc_'s motion: the craft such as Hius needs a lot of interlocks and safety catches... Just think about the moment when a very young crew member crawls into the bridge and starts toying with the shiny buttons and levers.

I think it first of all would need something like a bridge. Currently things are just a floating hologram.

Something of this size would have a bridge that is better described as a small town hall with nuclear outboard engine. Most of the stations and "office areas" (small rooms with dedicated functions) there would be designed around operating and administrating the everyday life on this ship, also there would be a few conference rooms on the command deck. And there would be something like a basement level, that operates the mid-to-low-level functions of the ship, like life support, computers, electrical power, while the engineering panels and stations would be closer to the actual subsystems.

 

[Wishbone]

Sadly enough my emphatic lack of artistic or board-drawing skills prevents me from assisting ArtLav in this endeavour... Just launching Anim8or or Blender sends me to the kind of stupor I experienced when I looked downhill for the very first time... Going back on-topic, (since Hius is going to be the very ship we've all dreamt about) even B-2A can do finely with a crew of two, would it make sense to first develop the master control board and possibly after that go to various stations?

Another comment: I docked two DG-XR1's to the ship on for want of a better term the mid-body dock truss (??), if these nodes (blue ones) are intended for resupply/assembly runs they are a bit too far from the storage space/crew quarters, and if these nodes will stay there for the duration of the flight, I'm a bit concerned about the fate of those auxiliary craft (planetary landers, orbiters etc.) flying unprotected at 0.7c.

 

[mc_]

And, maybe, control panel should be a litle larger?
It's hard to operate on my 1440x900 screen. (or even adjustable panel size?)

Other thing - there is no thrust limitation when modules is not at "thurst position".

//i don't see any reason to make them moveable at all, but its author's idea

And, no warnings when batteries charge is low.

 

[Urwumpe]

Going back on-topic, (since Hius is going to be the very ship we've all dreamt about) even B-2A can do finely with a crew of two, would it make sense to first develop the master control board and possibly after that go to various stations?

Well, what should also be considered is information density - if you put too much information into the master control board, it becomes hard to really use it properly, since you are just switching around displays in vain to manage the ship. So you at a point need to cut and move micromanagement to special consoles (even if you just in-game don't show them, but just have "AI" crew members manage them, which then would mean that you need a way to command this crew).

 

[Artlav]

Not in hibernation yet, working on cleaning up and improving the mesh.
Better mapping, clearer textures, smoother elements and seams, better joints:

I think, there must be some kind of a "lock" to prevent asynchronous thrust - 98G is not good for crew.

Well, there is a warning message...
And the Hab will fly away if more than 8 Gs are applied (would, in version 1.0)

Also, can't see exhaust texture when looking backwards in external view.

Apparently Orbiter bug/feature, the drawing sequence is not correct. No idea why it happens yet.

For some reason this cheerfully undocks ummu ships (atv2 & dgiv) after reloading the scenario.

Details please? Just undocks, and nothing happens? What if you move the habs with a docked vessels?

Transfers also depend on the airlock being vented and open

Isn't that a correct behaviour?

There is also a mysterious chunk of obfuscated data in the scenario file

That's the vessel state and microcode. Contains all the internal state, and allows for minor bug fixes or feature changes.

Something of this size would have a bridge that is better described as a small town hall with nuclear outboard engine.

Why?
A power supply panel, a computer control panel and the actual control panel.
Add to that a "basement" with the valves and pipes, and that should be all, no?

I'm a bit concerned about the fate of those auxiliary craft (planetary landers, orbiters etc.) flying unprotected at 0.7c.

Why? They have as much protection as the hab, no?

And, maybe, control panel should be a litle larger?
It's hard to operate on my 1440x900 screen. (or even adjustable panel size?)

LargER? Wasn't it too big recently?
It does not fit every screen as it is.

Adjustable?
Can be done, but that would make scenarios non-portable.

Other thing - there is no thrust limitation when modules is not at "thurst position".

Well i was thinking about some feature creep-kind of things to do there, but i guess just a switch should suffice.

i don't see any reason to make them moveable at all, but its author's idea

Why not?

And, no warnings when batteries charge is low.

To be added.

... which then would mean that you need a way to command this crew).

Remember Battleship 3000AD/Battleship Millenium?
Too much planned, too little done.

What we need is a simple, complex vessel that is fun to fly, not boring to manage.

 

[Urwumpe]

Remember Battleship 3000AD/Battleship Millenium?
Too much planned, too little done.

Which is why I think of Dangerous Water... A frigate should not feel like a Kilo submarine. Also BC3K mostly suffered from the plans failing to end in a sound concept. The features had eventually been added and working in Ultimate Combat, but failed to work together in a way that adds gameplay.

I meant with the townhall analogy, that most of the control is more about managing the life on board, than about piloting the spacecraft. It doesn't look like it is maneuvering all the time, but rather point and let burn.

 

[Wishbone]

Re: protection for docked ships, there'll be lots of induced radiation and corresponding transmutation of materials, which would make the landers too hot to fly at arrival into the target system.

Re: Just how can one make an interstellar flight sim playable and enjoyable? What are the tasks that can present a player with some challenge? Since navigation is simple, survivable failures seem the way to go. Not sure if this can be done in Orbiter apart from Xyon's work on the XRRR...

 

[jedidia]

Since navigation is simple,

You already figured out a reliable procedure for the injection burn?

 

[Urwumpe]

You already figured out a reliable procedure for the injection burn?

Sure, you just need to turn around.

 

[jedidia]

I meant more in the ways of ending up at more or less the point you want, not just comming to a stop...