Orbiter: The Video Game

[Sky Captain]

I don`t think Orbiter is that hard. When I first get Orbiter few months ago I flew Delta glider into eccentric but stable orbit in my second or third try (in my first flight I escaped earth gravity altogether because I wanted to know how fast Deltaglider goes) and all my knowledge about orbital mechanics was from some Discovery documentaries about spaceflight and some wikipedia articles. And you don`t need much math either to fly around the solar system because IMFD do the hard math for you. I think anyone who has successfully passed math exams in elementary school should be more than enough math knowledge to fly the Orbiter.

 

[tblaxland]

And you're dating this moron....why?

???

 

[Urwumpe]

And you're dating this moron....why?

Possibly because of two reasons.

 

[dougkeenan]

Maybe "Orbiter: The Video Game" could allow users to play Buzz punching moon hoaxers in the face?

 

[T.Neo]

Maybe "Orbiter: The Video Game" could allow users to play Buzz punching moon hoaxers in the face?

I would definately want to play that game.

 

[Robsoie]

If an Orbiter version was released on console :
-that would feature everything the PC sim has
-was released for console with a complete and -fully working- Simpit cockpit to avoid the use of keyboard/mouse/joystick
-would be entirely compatible with every addons made for the PC version

...i would buy such console and this version of Orbiter without a second of hesitation

 

[Keatah]

tblaxland, there you go!!

 

[Hielor]

-was released for console with a complete and -fully working- Simpit cockpit to avoid the use of keyboard/mouse/joystick
-would be entirely compatible with every addons made for the PC version

These two are mutually exclusive. Many addon ships do not use the same controls for the same thing (airbrakes comes to mind--some use CTRL-B, some use B) so you cannot have a simpit cockpit that can simultaneously work with all addons.

And a "complete and fully working simpit cockpit" would run you on the order of thousands of dollars if you bought it commercially.

 

[Urwumpe]

And a "complete and fully working simpit cockpit" would run you on the order of thousands of dollars if you bought it commercially.

And a few hundred dollar and a month long dedication to the project, if you build it yourself.

 

[Hielor]

And a few hundred dollar and a several-month (if not years) long dedication to the project, if you build it yourself.

FTFY

 

[joiz]

Yeh, the general public gets all confused when thinking is required. My idiot girlfriend doesn't like orbiter since she thinks I'm going to somehow mess up the *real* space program. So we came to a compromise - she absolutely insists that I disconnect the internet from the computer when orbiter is running.

heh heh now if I could get a suit to visit the house!! That would be hilarious..

that is seriously hard core badass stupid. but i wouldn't be so unhappy if the space program went orbiter style, would you?

---------- Post added at 09:48 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:46 PM ----------

Possibly because of two reasons.

the one on the left and the one on the right. :rofl:

 

[flytandem]

They say anything is possible. Something about the underlying uncertainty of things. And though it would be sweet to see the average human understand and enjoy Orbiter, I'm not holding my breath. As Einstein said..."Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe."
rob

 

[vettes]

I don`t think Orbiter is that hard. When I first get Orbiter few months ago I flew Delta glider into eccentric but stable orbit in my second or third try (in my first flight I escaped earth gravity altogether because I wanted to know how fast Deltaglider goes) and all my knowledge about orbital mechanics was from some Discovery documentaries about spaceflight and some wikipedia articles. And you don`t need much math either to fly around the solar system because IMFD do the hard math for you. I think anyone who has successfully passed math exams in elementary school should be more than enough math knowledge to fly the Orbiter.

There's no *exams* in elementary school tests are another story.

---------- Post added at 04:27 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:26 PM ----------

???

She looks old.

---------- Post added at 04:30 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:27 PM ----------

that is seriously hard core badass stupid. but i wouldn't be so unhappy if the space program went orbiter style, would you?

---------- Post added at 09:48 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:46 PM ----------


the one on the left and the one on the right. :rofl:

NICE!!!!:rofl:

 

[Messierhunter]

I agree. Too much thinking involved for the mass market "gamer" crowd. Orbiter would make a terrible retail sim for the very reason most of us here love it. I think this sim is better kept like it is for those who want something realistic.

I agree, but I think there is a certain time and place where orbiter could be mass distributed successfully in the real world. I'm all for keeping orbiter 100% free, but I think it'd be great if we could do more to bring in some "fresh blood" of interested users. I think you could get the word out about Orbiter if you donated CDs loaded with a shuttle fleet mod, Mercury, Gemini, AMSO, and a version of NASSP (as an "expert mode") to be distributed for free to the public at places like the Saturn V centers at Kennedy, Houston, and Huntsville, as well as museums like the Astronaut hall of fame, etc. I'm sure you'd find a much higher percentage of kids and adults who would be willing to learn Orbiter than you would in the general population. I'm probably like a lot of people who accidentally discovered orbiter while looking for something else, even though orbiter was exactly what I had wanted for a long time.

 

[kino_astroboy]

I agree, but I think there is a certain time and place where orbiter could be mass distributed successfully in the real world. I'm all for keeping orbiter 100% free, but I think it'd be great if we could do more to bring in some "fresh blood" of interested users. I think you could get the word out about Orbiter if you donated CDs loaded with a shuttle fleet mod, Mercury, Gemini, AMSO, and a version of NASSP (as an "expert mode") to be distributed for free to the public at places like the Saturn V centers at Kennedy, Houston, and Huntsville, as well as museums like the Astronaut hall of fame, etc. I'm sure you'd find a much higher percentage of kids and adults who would be willing to learn Orbiter than you would in the general population. I'm probably like a lot of people who accidentally discovered orbiter while looking for something else, even though orbiter was exactly what I had wanted for a long time.

There should be a convention for space enthusiasts, maybe like a Comic-Con kind? If Orbiter was distributed there, it will be total madness!

 

[ar81]

If it would be EA, we could at least be sure to get Orbiter 2009, Orbiter 2010 and Orbiter 2011...

All the same game, with different splash screens and different names for the spacecraft.

...or if it was like FSX, we might have a publisher shutting down the project because of a future crisis?

 

[MattNW]

I agree, but I think there is a certain time and place where orbiter could be mass distributed successfully in the real world. I'm all for keeping orbiter 100% free, but I think it'd be great if we could do more to bring in some "fresh blood" of interested users. I think you could get the word out about Orbiter if you donated CDs loaded with a shuttle fleet mod, Mercury, Gemini, AMSO, and a version of NASSP (as an "expert mode") to be distributed for free to the public at places like the Saturn V centers at Kennedy, Houston, and Huntsville, as well as museums like the Astronaut hall of fame, etc. I'm sure you'd find a much higher percentage of kids and adults who would be willing to learn Orbiter than you would in the general population. I'm probably like a lot of people who accidentally discovered orbiter while looking for something else, even though orbiter was exactly what I had wanted for a long time.

That would definitely work. I'd love to see a CD with Orbiter on it handed out to every kid who attends Space Camp. That would be getting it out to the specific people who can appreciate it but as a retail PC or console game at Wall Mart Orbiter would go bust. The general gamer crowd just doesn't like anything with a steep learning curve like Orbiter. They want something you can load up and be playing in a few minutes.

As far as the math goes, I agree that you could probably do OK with Orbiter with an elementary school level knowledge of math but has anyone seen the show, "Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader". I rest my case. :lol:

 

[Keatah]

that is seriously hard core badass stupid. but i wouldn't be so unhappy if the space program went orbiter style, would you?

Exactly how do you mean? (this oughta be good!)

 

[ar81]

As far as the math goes, I agree that you could probably do OK with Orbiter with an elementary school level knowledge of math but has anyone seen the show, "Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader". I rest my case. :lol:

Well, in 2005 I proved an 8 year old kid can bring a DG to circular orbit.
[ame="http://www.orbithangar.com/searchid.php?ID=2745"]Orbiter on TV[/ame]

The general gamer crowd just doesn't like anything with a steep learning curve like Orbiter. They want something you can load up and be playing in a few minutes.

My experience says that Orbiter is plain too cool for kids.
Many of them are not allowed to drive dad's car at home, but with Orbiter they can pilot a multimillion dollar spacecraft, and no one will complain if they crash it.

The boring part for kids is when they learn about MFDs, and instruments, but after that they see it is worth to learn.

Once in orbit I recall that the nicest mission was when you had 2 DGIII in front of each other, separated by 100 meters, and they had to EVA the 4 astronauts who had the names of school mates, as one DGIII had engines disabled. It was a rescue mission. DGIII MMU had HUD display similar to DG when docking and that was nice practice for them about maneuvering and docking.

They had about 45 minutes before night came.

It was not a contest about who did it first and there was no limit of trials. The reward was a pack of cookies if they saved all the kids. All of them enjoyed cookies at school.

 

[T.Neo]

Interesting idea, but there are several reasons why it won't happen.

1. Orbiter is not a game. So marketing it as one would be pointless.
It lacks the interface of a game. Many people would find it difficult to use.

2. Orbiter lacks some of the ultra-super cool graphics features found in modern games, although advancements have been made with this (OGLAClient).

3. There are no missles. There are no aliens, and the ships don't fly like X-wings. People would ask for a refund thinking that Orbiter was broken. I'd love to see proper physics engrained in the minds of the general population, but a simulator-turned video game does not seem like the way to do it.

4. There is no plot. A game usually has a goal set by the maker, whereas the goal of a sim is set by the user. So unless the goal of Orbiter: the Video Game is to foil evil aliens working for the government, it won't catch on.

5. Last, and definately not least, is how things would work out for Dr Martin. I'm pretty sure, that they wouldn't be good...