So what's new...

[Slaintemaith]

I've been away from Orbiter for some years now and I feel hopelessly out of touch with what's happened in the community of add-ons...

It seems the ones I enjoyed the most have gone away... (David's Shuttle Fleet)

Has anyone taken up these in the absence of the authors?

I remember NASSP showed promise...

I also saw a thread about an "Ultimate Shuttle" but I never saw any sort of link for download. At least not one easily found.

Has anyone developed anything that's eliminated the endless hacking up of scenario files?

Perhaps an "Air Hauler" sort of program for cargo runs or space-station building?

Someone will, of course, tell me to use the "Search Function" to find all/any of these things... But that seems like too much effort considering it would be over five years of posts I'd be sifting through.

...so what's fun to do in Orbiter nowadays?

Thanks in advance for any helpful responses!

 

[BruceJohnJennerLawso]

I've been away from Orbiter for some years now and I feel hopelessly out of touch with what's happened in the community of add-ons...

It seems the ones I enjoyed the most have gone away... (David's Shuttle Fleet)

Has anyone taken up these in the absence of the authors?

I remember NASSP showed promise...

I also saw a thread about an "Ultimate Shuttle" but I never saw any sort of link for download. At least not one easily found.

Has anyone developed anything that's eliminated the endless hacking up of scenario files?

Perhaps an "Air Hauler" sort of program for cargo runs or space-station building?

Someone will, of course, tell me to use the "Search Function" to find all/any of these things... But that seems like too much effort considering it would be over five years of posts I'd be sifting through.

...so what's fun to do in Orbiter nowadays?

Thanks in advance for any helpful responses!

Hmm, well a lot, it seems. When did you last use Orbiter?

 

[Izack]

Could 'Ultimate Shuttle' perhaps refer to [ame="http://www.orbithangar.com/searchid.php?ID=6389"]Space Shuttle Ultra[/ame]?

Well, rather lately (these last two years) UCGO has been overhauled. The latest iteration is really quite impressive.

Also recent, the base Orcus Patera is the current jaw-dropper in the community.

The last few years have also seen the introduction and development of external graphics clients for Orbiter, carrying the visual presentation much farther than its inline client is currently capable of.

 

[Ripley]

...It seems the ones I enjoyed the most have gone away... (David's Shuttle Fleet)...

Shuttle Fleet? There you go!
http://simviation.com/1/browse-Space+Orbiter-111-0

Welcome back!

 

[N_Molson]

I hope that your travel to Jupiter was interesting, what is happening over there ?

Welcome back on the Blue Planet !

What has NOT changed : we still !

 

[Slaintemaith]

Could 'Ultimate Shuttle' perhaps refer to Space Shuttle Ultra ?

Well, rather lately (these last two years) UCGO has been overhauled. The latest iteration is really quite impressive.

Also recent, the base Orcus Patera is the current jaw-dropper in the community.

Space Shuttle Ultra, yes.

What -is- UCGO? Is it easy to operate, or must one play endless with scenario files?

The Orcus Patera base is -gorgeous-.

Shuttle Fleet? There you go!
http://simviation.com/1/browse-Space+Orbiter-111-0

That's it! Good to see it's still around!

I hope that your travel to Jupiter was interesting, what is happening over there ?

...made THIS song go through my head...

Now that she's back in the atmosphere
With drops of Jupiter in her hair, hey, hey, hey
She acts like summer and walks like rain
Reminds me that there's a time to change, hey, hey, hey
Since the return from her stay on the moon
She listens like spring and she talks like June, hey, hey, hey
Hey, hey, hey

But tell me, did you sail across the sun?
Did you make it to the Milky Way to see the lights all faded
And that heaven is overrated?

Anyway looks like I have some stuff to play around with...

Thanks for all the responses!

 

[meson800]

UCGO stands for Universal Cars and carGos for Orbiter, and you can get it from http://orbiter.dansteph.com/forum/index.php?page=download

It does not require any scenario file hacking, maybe just some use of the scenario editor.

It allows you to use unpackable cargos, so you can create inflatable bases, transport oxygen/fuel and other cool stuff!

---------- Post added at 09:38 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:05 PM ----------

Also, UCGO has the Arrow Freighter - a very cool interplantary vessel. UCGO is definitely worth checking out! :thumbup:

 

[Slaintemaith]

Oooooooh! Downloading now!

Here's the next question:

What sort of MFD-set (Apart from IMFD!) does one need to make a precision trip from earth to places like, say, Mars?

...now I have to remember how to use it!

I remember vaguely things like aerobrake and base-sync... Have there been more sophisticated (read automated) versions of these released in the past 5-6 years?


P.S. Dansteph has been making sexy add-ons for Orbiter for -years- now. I'm so glad he's still around. =)

 

[Ripley]

If you like Dansteph's DeltaGlider, don't forget Dbeachy's XR Fleet too, some must-have ships (for me).

http://www.alteaaerospace.com/

 

[Slaintemaith]

The Arrow Freighter isn't capable of earth/mars landings? Can one store a DeltaGlider on the Arrow for such things?

 

[jangofett287]

Yes, the Arrow has a docking bay in its belly for just these purposes.

 

[Slaintemaith]

...the sad fact is that I've utterly forgotten how to use IMFD.

Kerbal Space Program's "Mechjeb" has reduced what was once a fully-functioning brain to a quivering mass of aimless clicking.

...I'm also guessing that in order to get a DG-IV into 'x' Arrow Freighter scenario, one must hack a scenario file. This alone isn't unsurmountable--it's just "What would I do with it, since IMFD makes my brain hurt?"

 

[BruceJohnJennerLawso]

...I'm also guessing that in order to get a DG-IV into 'x' Arrow Freighter scenario, one must hack a scenario file. This alone isn't unsurmountable--it's just "What would I do with it, since IMFD makes my brain hurt?"

...

You really have been gone for a long time

No, you just load the Arrow Freighter scenario, then use the scenario editor to add a DGIV to the simulation, then dock the two together. :tiphat:

If it were my choice, I would suggest using TransX for navigation, which I find much more generic and flexible, but will still require some work to learn.

 

[Slaintemaith]

Where does one find a scenario editor? (And yes, yes I have been gone a long, long time....)

 

[meson800]

Make sure the scenario editor is enabled (click the checkbox in the Modules tab for ScnEditor)

Then, after the scenario is loaded, press F4->Custom->Scenario Editor

 

[Slaintemaith]

Fair enough! Thanks again, all for all the help.

 

[meson800]

Before docking the two with the editor, make sure you open the nose cone on the DGIV.

I remember my first attempts with the DGIV, with many a nose cone destroyed because of scenario-editor docking

 

[Slaintemaith]

Ha! Duly noted! Looking for a decent rendezvous autopilot now...

I know. I'm a wimp.

 

[meson800]

This thread had some good suggestions, mainly RV Orientation and Rendezvous MFD

 

[Slaintemaith]

Checking that presently!