Latest DGII coding news part 2 (closed)

[DanSteph]

Yes that is a nice idea,  I'll see what I can do about damage.

I can render the DGII hard to fly if one don't follow exactly the check-list
an example: firing the main thruster would require a "cooling" session
of 5 minute before you fire it again else it can weaken the thruster so you
increase the chance to have major damage later.

Anyway I always try to keep a good balance beetween complexity
and  easyness of fly so adding to much things may be more boring
and would satisfy only a minority of "hard-core-flyer"

Dan

[George Myers]

I have enjoyed trying the latest DeltaGliderII. I am not that advanced a flyer but have "flown" sims
since they came out, on a Compaq portable "suitcase" looked like a Singer sewing machine, the
people who also build flight simulators, green color screen, after M$ bought it (like AutoMap, etc.
for the better) and enjoy the newest additions. As A SimCopter pilot I appreciate the physics, but
I'm not sure how you would motivate after "failure" (M$FS had equipment failures, they're still
around) but SimCopter had bucks to buy better equipment for success. Perhaps a "scenario"
section could start, ferry and like the ambulance, "paying" work? Voyage to the middle of the
gravity "well" between Earth and Moon for the "Vehicle Assembly Station"? Or like "Outpost" enlist
in Project Vulcan and shatter a NEO ("near earth object") into worse danger than if it had been left
alone? My cousin is married to Steve Augeri who with "Journey" had a song for "Armageddon" the
movie but it only was on the CD! Yeah better sims!

[Christopher Tarana]

 Hi George!  I still fly SimCopter (and Streets of SimCity too!), so I can relate to damage
in simulators and thier physics. As long as the pilot has a reasonable way to fix damage
while in flight they'll enjoy it.  I recall alpha testing an Flight Simulator 98 panel for Dai Griffiths.  It
was a Shorts 360 panel he was doing for the Shorts factory in Belfast Ireland, and every detail
down to the last button had to be accurate.  He made a damage module for it that even included
the effects of not disconnecting a ground start cart before taxiing away. (Huge Bang, Loss of
#2 Engine, Increase in Prop RPM, etc.)  While testing the panel, every time he flew the plane
everything worked flawlessly, everytime I flew the plane I had to pull the Emergency Landing
Gear release in the roof console to lower the gear.

  He also modeled the effects of not paying attention to an engine fire light. (Loss of power,
etc) that culminated in the wing burning through after 3 minutes and the aircraft losing all
lift on that side of the aircraft.  

 I agree that it would be possible to do some scenarios that revolve around the daily duties of the
Delta Glider III even without the goal based system that SimCopter had  (Leave base, rescue
SimPerson, bring SimPerson to hospital, return to base).   One of the biggest things that Orbiter
lacks right now is a consistant way to save scenarios in progress.  You can save a Quicksave
scenario using Ctrl-S, but that doesn't work with space ships using the Multistage.DLL, they tend
to have funny things happen to them.  You can't chain scenarios together into a "Career" either.

 Even with those limitations all your ideas for scenarios are really great.   Once Dan releases
the DG III (and I think he's done with it, but he's just waiting till he gets a start on programming
the DG IV before he's going to release it!  )  we could revisit the topic.

   Christopher

[DanSteph]

No feature added to the DGIII today but a few added to me:

-runny nose
-nasal congestion
-sneezing
-sore throat
-cough
-muscle aches
-headache
-low-grade fever

no screenshot yet,

Sorry to not reply mail or here , I go to bed

Cya

Dan

[canadave]

I must have given you my malady, Dan! must have been that last sneeze of mine.

Dave

[marcozp]

-runny nose
-nasal congestion
-sneezing
-sore throat
-cough
-muscle aches
-headache
-low-grade fever



mmmm, sounds cool!

Do you think is possible to add this features to the Shuttle Atlantis too???

[DanSteph]

Marcozp typed
mmmm, sounds cool!
Do you think is possible to add this features to the Shuttle Atlantis too???

LOL

Dan

[Novonic]

Hi Dan,

Can't wait to fly the DGIII, sounds amazing.

On the damage/failure thing, one of the best games i used to play was A10-Cuba, where you could
knock bits off the wings, tail u/c etc and bits would fail like hydraulics etc. And the thing i used to
like doing was dropping a mk-83 bomb on take off and ride the shockwave into the sky, put out
the engine fires and try to land the thing avoiding the crater you just made in the runway. Nice!!

[gawinnard]

Just a thought, and only a thought, would it be possible to 'issue' for download the Source image
of the Deltaglider allow users to create their own personalised skins of the DG.

George

[DanSteph]

Sure,

It would be cool also if someone do great skin to share them with others.
I always planned to make a special "DGIII skin" download page.

the default format is dxt1 mip mapped dds wich is readable by photoshop with a plugin
my two skin are layered psp phostoshop wich would be easier to tune (must be
converted once done in dxt1 mip mapped dds)

I'm ready to give them but it's far from a "perfect job" (no time) so I don't know
if it will be a good basis... ?
I can give it in bmp but you loose the layer so you have almost all the job
to do again.

What format do you want ?

Dan

[Chris]

Why not putting the Photoshop plugin in a Texture SDK for DGIII?
Or just putting the original Photoshop picture plus the plugin into a pack.
If the plug is Public Domain.
Plus a detailed description how to edit and change Textures.
Would be a nice thing since I am into graphics a bit

[DanSteph]

This is a cool idea,

the plugin is available at nvidia's site here:
http://developer.nvidia.com/object/nv_texture_tools.html
take the "DDS Photoshop Plug-in" and follow instruction in red
to install.

I'll do a pack when I'll have time (after beta release ? )
Of course if someone want to make the pack already I can send to him
all the material mhhh ?
Anyway one can already skin the original DeltaGlider those texture will fit perfectly
in the DGIII.
The process is really simple taken that you have the photoshop plugin to read/write
the DDS.

in short:
-1 edit my psp or original deltaglider's dds texture to fit what you want.
-2 save them in dds dxt1 mip mapped with a custome name (straight with photoshop's plugin)
-3 edit the deltaglider.msh with notepad and change the name of
    the 5 texture at the end of the file for the one you created (make a backup before of
    the deltaglider.msh so you can have the original back once done)

and voila, you can fly with the deltaglider and your custom texture
later those texture can be used for the DGIII, no problem.
   
I personnaly loaded the stock DG's texture than resized them in 1024 and worked
on this basis to make mine.

if anyone want my psp to work on them, no problem I can post them here.

Dan

[Chris]

Just look in your mailbox
I think you will find something there

[Seth]

WOW thanks for that link to those tools!!!

That will become invaluable to me!!!

~Seth

[gawinnard]

Dan I've sent you an email with details on how to send me the source texture file. I've also
download the Nvidia plugin and I'll have a go at using that later tonight.

[DanSteph]

There is also an invaluable 3dmax dds tool, I didn't tried but for modelling
in orbiter it should rock if it work.

Gawinnard: once Chris done with the skin pack I'll post the link here.

Dan


Thread closed, write feedback in the "alpha" thread , I'll open later another thread for future coding news