Update Updated XR Vessels for Orbiter 2016 Released

[dbeachy1]

Is DanSteph's UMMU 3 absolutely necessary for this fleet ?
I mean, is there a plan to remedy the situation of not being able to EVA while landed on Earth in Orbiter 2016 with the XR fleet ?

EVA is handled entirely by UMMu. The only way around that would be to write an entirely new MMu implementation that does not rely on UMMu. I have actually considered doing that (starting an open-source one) since it appears that UMMu is dead. However, writing a new MMu implementation would be a lot of work, so I'm hoping that UMMu is not actually dead...

 

[Face]

EVA is handled entirely by UMMu. The only way around that would be to write an entirely new MMu implementation that does not rely on UMMu. I have actually considered doing that (starting an open-source one) since it appears that UMMu is dead. However, writing a new MMu implementation would be a lot of work, so I'm hoping that UMMu is not actually dead...

I guess the best way to trigger a new UMMu release is to announce a new open-source project that aims to replace Dan's work. Then sit through the first big WOW, subsequent arguments about how dare you to do that, and perhaps some hard feelings from OS users. I bet that some weeks later at least an intermediate 2016 OS release will come out.

Evil "social" engineering? :leaving:

 

[4throck]

LOL, good thinking :rofl:

More seriously, the problem with UMMU is that you embed it on your vessel's code.
And that's what breaks compatibility and will keep doing so in the future.

It's a great achievement but it's like swimming upstream. Gets more and more difficult to update as Orbiter progresses.

A better approach would be to have a separate EVA "vessel" that handles what rides where and leave the vessels alone. If it's not present, then all vessels would work as before.

Just my 2cents...
Regarding actual work, the programming here is a bit above my C++ knowledge, but I don't mind doing donating some free cargo box models

 

[Fury]

Thanks for the replies guys.
Good to know there is some thought going into this issue.

 

[sardiver]

Love the XR2. I've just made my first lunar trip and landed on "Brighton Beach", and really enjoyed the ease of use this ship offers, with a dose of "don't screw this up" systems management.

Edit: Crap. I think I get it now. Withdraw the question. Leaving the compliments.


Thanks again for an outstanding product.

 

[dbeachy1]

XR1 1.13, XR2 1.8, and XR5 1.11 Released

Hi all! Although long overdue, I have just created new official XR releases with the above beta DLLs. I want to especially thank drgullen for his PMs and discovering that the XR patch versions in this thread were still newer than the official download versions on my Web site. My sincerest apologies to all of you: I had meant to create new official XR releases using these beta DLLs (and I thought I did!) a number of months ago, but it fell through the cracks.

Changes are:

• XR vessels now save window coordinates separately for each separate window resolution. This is detailed in Appendix A in the XR Flight Operations Manual.
• Lowered steering assist threshold from 90 m/s to 15 m/s to improve taxiing turning performance in Orbiter 2016 (bug reported by PeterRoss).
• The parking brakes now remain engaged even if the APU is taken offline. Note that you still need the APU online in order to engage the brakes (including the parking brakes).
• Added a check to external cooling and parking brake logic on startup to allow four seconds for the ship to settle down when the scenario loads before ship movement disconnects the external cooling line or disengages the parking brakes.
• Fixed bug with "Welcome aboard, Commander!" audio callout not playing on startup when a scenario loads with the ship landed.
• Implemented hack to work around Orbiter 2016 core bug with vessels constantly moving slightly after landing or after a scenario loads: engaging the parking brakes (i.e., holding both left and right brake keys until the vessel almost stops moving) will engage the hack and keep the ship stationary. [This hack will be removed in a future XR release if and when the Orbiter 2016 core bug is fixed.]

Note: if you are already running the latest patch versions from this thread, you do not need to download the just-released full versions: they contain the same XR vessel DLLs, dated 16-Sep-2016.

Happy Flying!

 

[OldnSlow]

I am still having a braking problem with the XR vessels using the latest downloads. The wheel brake effectiveness seems to be a lot less than the standard DG so the XR1/2 takes forever to bring to a stop. Is this normal? Any suggestions gratefully received.

 

[dbeachy1]

It has something to do with how Orbiter handles gear compression (i.e., small "bounces" of the gear) for heavier vessels, and that issue is not specific to the XRs. It's the same issue that causes vessels to never reach wheel-stop -- the wheels constantly "bounce", and so don't maintain enough contact with the ground to even hold the vessel still. See the 'Restless Spacecraft in Orbiter 2016' thread. Until that Orbiter core issue is fixed, you will have to use retro thrusters to assist stopping the ship.

 

[Shifty]

Just an FYI, the default Windows file manager apparently can't handle archive files with a root directory called "." (as all of the XR archives are on your website.) I was able to use 7-zip to extract the files, but it might be a problem for other users.

 

[N_Molson]

AFAIK DanSteph, the author of uMMu (and main Administrator of the Orbiter French-Speaking Forum), is waiting for the 2016 version of Orbiter to be more "finished".

Here's a statement he wrote 1 year ago or so :

I'll rework for a new "2016" OrbiterSound once the final version of Orbiter will be released.

http://orbiter.dansteph.com/forum/index.php?topic=13797.0