XR2 Public Release Candidate Testing

[Coolhand]

the shuttle has exterior hinges on its payload bay... anyway comments noted, though i would prefer it if people reported these things without adding the element of hilarity.

 

[C3PO]

... though i would prefer it if people reported these things without adding the element of hilarity.

Comment noted.

 

[dbeachy1]

A volume controller for the main engine sound would be more useful, if the D/A-verters really is the problem.

I still get some distortion with the 98% file.

I will add a volume setting for the main engine sound to the config file.

 

[RangerPL]

Two things:
1. Can I get a job at Altea aerospace? I'm sure I could do something like sharpening pencils or unwrapping bubble wrap from hover doors. My special skills include delivering donuts to meetings and opening boxes. Oooooooo.... I'm a gifted guy.

2. I have a small suggestion regarding the bailout thingy: I think that in the XRs it should be possible to open or blow off the crew hatch at the top. Then you could EVA your crew. That seems a lot easier to do than opening the entire docking mechanism, especially if said mechanism is in the nose (XR1). Let's face it: We'll all die before the docking port and the inside door and the outside door opens.

 

[Countdown84]

Two things:
2. I have a small suggestion regarding the bailout thingy: I think that in the XRs it should be possible to open or blow off the crew hatch at the top. Then you could EVA your crew. That seems a lot easier to do than opening the entire docking mechanism, especially if said mechanism is in the nose (XR1). Let's face it: We'll all die before the docking port and the inside door and the outside door opens.

Agreed. I think EVA out of the crew hatch would be cool, although this would require some means of depressurizing the entire cabin if you wanted to do it in space (e.g. while docked).

If nothing else, I really like the idea of having the crew hatch as an emergency bailout. Perhaps it could be configured as an EVA port with the understanding that it can only be used in an atmosphere? Then you could leave the depressurization code intact.

I'm sure Doug and Steve have their hands full touching up the "icing" on the XR-2 as is though. This would be like "sprinkles on the icing on the cake"

 

[tl8]

There is nothing you can say or do that will change the current bail out method.

Now stop beating the dead horse....

....Again....

 

[Woo482]

we need some kind of explosive bolts to blow the docking hatch open in a emergency

 

[dbeachy1]

TL8 said it best:

There is nothing you can say or do that will change the current bail out method.

Now stop beating the dead horse....

....Again....

I have to admit I don't understand the fascination with deliberately crashing the ship by "bailing out" or "ejecting." In the many years I have been flying I have never, ever needed to "eject" or "bail out" from a ship. Essentially it's just eye candy because "it's fun to see the crew jump out and pop their chutes and watch the ship crash into the ground." And you can do that with the current bailout method. Making the crew hatch another EVA port and adding controls to select it would be a significant amount of work -- and I would much rather spend my time working on the XR2 Mk II's fully active virtual cockpit, which will be a huge task. So, I'm sorry guys, bailout will have to be done via the existing EVA ports.

 

[Woo482]

I agree with bail out from existing ports but we need a fast way to open them e.g explosive bolt's

 

[dbeachy1]

To reiterate, TL8 said it best:

There is nothing you can say or do that will change the current bail out method.

Now stop beating the dead horse....

....Again....

And it would take the crew more than 20 seconds to unbuckle their seat belts and clamber to the airlock in their pressure suits, so waiting 20 seconds for the EVA port to open is more realistic than "bailing out" within 2 seconds anyway.

In any case, the XR2 Mk II's active VC comes first.

 

[RangerPL]

To reiterate, TL8 said it best:



And it would take the crew more than 20 seconds to unbuckle their seat belts and clamber to the airlock in their pressure suits, so waiting 20 seconds for the EVA port to open is more realistic than "bailing out" within 2 seconds anyway.

In any case, the XR2 Mk II's active VC comes first.

Alright, that was just a thought. How about that job though?

What features are going to be added to the remaining XR vessels in the next update?

 

[dbeachy1]

What features are going to be added to the remaining XR vessels in the next update?

Some of the things that will be in the next XR1 an XR5 releases include:

* A new heating algorithm that is currently in the XR2.

* Fixed CTD if particle streams disabled in the Orbiter launchpad.

* The XR1 will glide better.

* Updated VC HUD in the XR1 so it does not clip status messages.

* Fixed bug where APU fuel does not burn if the crew is incapacitated or dead.

* New config setting to optionally disable the ship's control if the pilot and copilot are not on board, incapacitated, or dead.

* Added 'Bay Doors' indicator to the XR5 HUD.

* Added keyboard shortcuts for engine gimbaling.

* Added config parameters to enable/disable each different type of voice callout.

* Added config parameter to set overall voice callout volume.

* Added code to prevent docking if the nosecone/docking doors are closed.

* Added turbopack support (deploy/stow) on the lower panel.

* Cosmetic: external resupply line pressures decrease rapidly when the lines are disconnected rather than dropping instantly to zero.

* Added code to not allow the APU to auto-disengege on a vessel switch if it is engaged by Attitude Hold.

* The new Altea Aerospace logo from Steve will be on the 2D panels and the exterior hull.

* Added code to automatically vary the Vr and V1 takeoff callouts based on ship and payload mass.

 

[adamb193]

All that sounds good. People seriously there is no need to eject. There are no random damages or failures that would require an ejection. The DG-IV and the XR1 and XR5 can all do belly landings if you forget hydraulic pressure or you lose the gear. In reality would you rather eject and destroy several hundred million dollars of machinery or just trash the bottom and reuse the rest. If you fly these things right watch your self and don't do stupid things, like in the DG blow off your landing gear or nose cone and still go to space. Plus how would you realistically eject 32 passengers? I have never really NEEDED to eject or bail out, because I could just belly land it. But one quick question will the XR2 have damage shown? It doesn’t really matter as this is an extremely beautiful ship and obviously a ton of work.

 

[dbeachy1]

But one quick question will the XR2 have damage shown? It doesn’t really matter as this is an extremely beautiful ship and obviously a ton of work.

Steve and I have talked about that, and we plan to implement that in the XR2 Mk II -- implementing that will be a lot of work, and we don't want to hold the Mk I release for that. The only visible damage the Mk I release will show is that one or both elevons may be ripped off under excessive wing loading.

 

[Cale]

Ok, have got the re-entry heating issue solved: I just dumped fuel until my ship mass was under 22000 kg. No problems, hull temps didn't even go "yellow". This was using the standard AFCS angle of attack of 40 degrees. Dunno if anyone else has AFCS 2p1 installed, but I'm curious to see if anyone else has tried using this method for re-entry. I must admit, it's very cool watching this beautiful machine fly a shuttle-type re-entry. One thing that is required is that you have to switch the A/F controls to "off" once you power up the APU (which is necessary to power the gear) as you approach and land. For some reason, leaving A/F control switch to "pitch" or "on" screws up the AFCS autopilot. Just something to be aware of

Doug (or Steve, not sure which one of you is responsible for this), the one thing I notice is that I don't see the re-entry flames as early as in previous versions. In this version, the flames don't start until the nose temp is well over 1200 degrees celcius. Is this normal? Just wondering

Great job, gents. Will try to do a lunar flight this coming long-weekend.

Cheers,

Cale

 

[dbeachy1]

Doug (or Steve, not sure which one of you is responsible for this), the one thing I notice is that I don't see the re-entry flames as early as in previous versions. In this version, the flames don't start until the nose temp is well over 1200 degrees celcius. Is this normal? Just wondering

Actually, the Orbiter core renders the reentry flames. The reason for the temperature difference when the flames appear is due to the new heating algorithm, which has nothing to do with when Orbiter renders the flames. In other words, what you are seeing is normal.

To put it another way, the reentry flames are appearing at exactly the same time as in previous reentries -- it's just that the XR2's hull temperature readout is different than it used to be when that occurs.

 

[Travis Reed]

Dunno if anyone else has AFCS 2p1 installed, but I'm curious to see if anyone else has tried using this method for re-entry. I must admit, it's very cool watching this beautiful machine fly a shuttle-type re-entry. One thing that is required is that you have to switch the A/F controls to "off" once you power up the APU (which is necessary to power the gear) as you approach and land. For some reason, leaving A/F control switch to "pitch" or "on" screws up the AFCS autopilot. Just something to be aware of
Cale

Off Topic: Didn't know there was a P1 for AFCS2. Do ya still have to put the bases configs in the base Config folder? As far as the AF control, I'll keep it in mind...wonder if it's that way for the XR1/5 as well...

 

[markl316]

I dont know how much time this would take, but is it possible to have 3 different heating algorithms (easy, medium, hard) for variously challenging levels?
Like,
easy = doesn't heat up easily
meduim = gets kind of hot
hard = you need a very good pilot!

 

[dbeachy1]

Hmm...I could do that, but I'd rather not implement that because then all the reentry techniquies a pilot would learn on the 'easy' and 'medium' levels would not work on the 'realistic' ("hard") level. Remember, however, that you can disable hull heating damage in the config file. The hull temperature gauges still work (and show warning colors) even if heating damage is disabled, so less experienced pilots can just disable hull heating damage until they get their technique down.

 

[markl316]

I know you can disable the heat damage.
It's just that with the XR1 and XR5 I rarely pass 1100 degrees, so I don't get that nice plasma. :sorry: Does the XR2 get hotter than the current XR1 and XR5? Also, is the plasma rendered by the orbiter core as well as computerex's reentry flame addon visible from the interior of the cockpit? My concern is that it won't get hot enough to see the plasma effects (which would be REALLY COOL from the XR2 virtual cockpit).

Hmm...I could do that, but I'd rather not implement that because then all the reentry techniquies a pilot would learn on the 'easy' and 'medium' levels would not work on the 'realistic' ("hard") level.

Hmm...not sure you understood me correctly. I didn't mean that easy or medium would disable damage -- I just meant that easy would make it less difficult to over-temp, while on hard you would have to come in very gently to avoid over-temping the vehicle.