[DGIV BLOG] News about developpment of DGIV (part 3)

[AndyMan]

Dan, I know you've said no more feature requests, but would it be possible to get standard red/green/white
navigation lights instead of or in addition to the strobes?

[DanSteph]

AndyMan a écrit:
Dan, I know you've said no more feature requests, but would it be possible to get standard red/green/white
navigation lights instead of or in addition to the strobes?

Sorry no, I already thought about nav light and I found some con, I don't like Orbiter's light system.
It's complicated, light like crazy when you time warp and I don't want to use another thurster
like the current DGIV strobe (herited from DGII at the time Orbiter light where not available)
Also I'm not sure still light would be really "class"

And another good reason: I have no fun doing the lights, I have already done dozen of them for Prelude
I know it and it' just a plain boring job. Most if not all features I add give me fun to code.

It's all about fun, otherwise I would not do a ship like DGIV.

Dan

[willy88]

And I have to say that your lights look much better than the default Delta-Glider ones.

And maybe you could add landing lights on the landing gear (like on the DGEX).



Post Edited ( 05-04-07 03:31 )

[DanSteph]

[BLOG]


Last feature before release BETA 10

New ascent autopilot.

Now you can have the choice beetween flight departure or hover departure.
Hover will be usefull for PRO904 PRO905 PRO906 ascent for earth, moon,
mars with automatic hover take off. 903 remain the same appart that it now hit
0.0000 ECC and engage turbopump automatically


Enage Hover style ascent autopilot, raise gear after take off and relax.
First it head to the heading set, once done, if above 50 meter he engage
automatically turbopump and start to pitch to 65°, Hover stop gradullay
hover door close and you're enroute.


It look stunning if you place a ground camera, you see it raising 60° pitch
while slowly taking speed just pushed by its main engine.

 look like falcon millenium taking off   (my pic aren't good )





Beta 10 tomorow I think.

Dan



Message modifié ( 04-05-2007 03:47 )

[willy88]

DanSteph wrote:
(my pic aren't good )
Dan

They aren't that bad, either.

[StrangeVortex]

Message modifié ( 17-12-2009 13:17 )

[willy88]

StrangeVortex wrote:
Any solution to put some lights to illuminate objects with the DGIV ?
it would be very usefull during a night orbital approach...

No, Orbiter does not currently support multiple-source lighting.

[StrangeVortex]

Message modifié ( 17-12-2009 13:17 )

[sunshine135]

Only Dan and God himself could make the sun disappear! wor:


I'm with everyone else, you might only see the sun on very early morning reentries or early evening reentries.  That is about
a 5 minute block of time on either side with the speed of the DGIV at reentry interface. I say keep the cool effects and let
Martin address the issue on the Orbiter side at a later date.

Cheers,

[Quick_Nick]

willy88 wrote:

StrangeVortex wrote:
Any solution to put some lights to illuminate objects with the DGIV ?
it would be very usefull during a night orbital approach...

No, Orbiter does not currently support multiple-source lighting.

Actually, I think there is. If there wasn't something added in the current Orbiter, then making thrusters that seem like lights should still work maybe. I thought thrusters made light and were used in multiple addons.



Post Edited ( 05-04-07 13:31 )

[Pagir]

Quick_Nick a écrit:

willy88 wrote:

StrangeVortex wrote:
Any solution to put some lights to illuminate objects with the DGIV ?
it would be very usefull during a night orbital approach...

No, Orbiter does not currently support multiple-source lighting.

Actually, I think there is. If there wasn't something added in the current Orbiter, then making thrusters that seem like
lights should still work maybe. I thought thrusters made light and were used in multiple addons.

In fact, Willy88 is right: those thrusters making light don't illuminate objects: You can only see the beam of light,
not the reflective effect of light on objects.

Pagir

[FetDaniel]

The sun disappearing makes me think of the "solar glare" feature in orbiter, didn't it use to make the screen flicker
when the sun was in view? Maybe completely irrelevant though...

[MartySpaceLines]

How about a sonic bang when above mach 1?

je sais pas si ca se dit comme ca mais...

[DanSteph]

MartySpaceLines a écrit:
How about a sonic bang when above mach 1?

Exist already in OrbiterSound in ground camera.
Also crew never hear the bang.

Dan

[MattNW]

MartySpaceLines wrote:
How about a sonic bang when above mach 1?

je sais pas si ca se dit comme ca mais...

A sonic boom is caused by the shockwave trailing the ship/aircraft. The pilot can't hear it because the aircraft is already
outrunning it. Now a MQJwave effect would look really cool. Any chance of that Dan.


j/k

That hover ascent will be great at those VTOL pad only bases.

[Quick_Nick]

Like this Orbiter bug?:
Totally a bug though, not feature. It CAN be caused by a long, unexpected pause in Orbiter then going back to
normal. It is the exhaust actually. I did it by pressing the screenshot button a ton of times.



Post Edited ( 05-04-07 23:44 )

[DanSteph]

MattNW a écrit:
 Now a MQJwave effect would look really cool. Any chance of that Dan.

Lot of work for an effect that last 1/10 of seconds. (usuall time for such shock wave)
Sorry no.

Dan

[DanSteph]

Boring job, writing the ascent script for Mars moon venus and earth...
Each test take 10minute

I reworked completely the script system, much more robust
and allow more possibilities. Now you can control engine
during ascent, raise gear etc etc... PRO903 can take off
from ground, no need to fly anymore. (but you can still
use old method)

Code: [Select]

// -----------------------------------------------
// ASCENT PROGRAM PRO904 FROM EARTH
// HOVER TAKE-OFF
// -----------------------------------------------
PROGNAME: EARTH 250km Hover start
TYPE:     ASCENT
START:    HOVERGROUND
ALT: 0      ENG:   1.10 ; Will use turbo pump
ALT: 10     PITCH: 65
ALT: 15     SNMSG: #RaiseLandingGear
ALT: 60     PITCH: 65
ALT: 320    PITCH: 65
ALT: 1500   PITCH: 65
ALT: 40000  PITCH: 65
ALT: 45000  PITCH: 52
ALT: 50000  PITCH: 45
ALT: 66000  PITCH: 40
ALT: 80000  PITCH: 40
ALT: 100000 PITCH: 40
ALT: 130000 PITCH: 35
ALT: 150000 PITCH: 30
ALT: 160000 PITCH: 25
ALT: 175000 PITCH: 20
ALT: 190000 PITCH: 15
ALT: 200000 PITCH: 12
ALT: 205000 PITCH: 10
ALT: 210000 PITCH: 09
ALT: 212000 PITCH: 08
ALT: 212500 PITCH: 07
ALT: 213000 PITCH: 06
ALT: 400000 PITCH: 0
ENDPROG:

Dan

[sunshine135]

Too cool Dan. You have made the DGIV virtually hands off. Sit back and enjoy the view!!!!

Ascent from VENUS?????    

Cheers,

[DanSteph]

sunshine135 a écrit:
Ascent from VENUS?????    

I'm on mars yet... I'll try venus once mars completed.
Maybe with 80° ascent until out of atmosphere ?
don't know.

Dan

[picto]

D'accord, je vois que tu t'emmerdes autant la vie que les copains pour écrire ce genre de script.
Je croyais que tu avais un outil pour ça ... ça fait toujours plaisir de savoir que les autres peuvent
galérer sur des trucs comme ça ...

On se sent moins seul ....

J'aime bien rajouter des petits mesages du genre :
"Une hôtesse va maintenant vous offrir une petite gât...tttuuutt ...  "

[DanSteph]

picto a écrit:
D'accord, je vois que tu t'emmerdes autant la vie que les copains pour écrire ce genre de script.
Je croyais que tu avais un outil pour ça ... ça fait toujours plaisir de savoir que les autres peuvent
galérer sur des trucs comme ça ...

On se sent moins seul ....

Ouais ben ca date de 4 ans tout ca, je le referais maintenant je ferais un truc
beaucoup plus sophistiqué, plus besoin de script, un pilot "générique"
tu dis juste l'altitude et il ce demmerde partout.

Mais a ce stade pas envie de tout reecrire...

Dan

[MattNW]

sunshine135 wrote:
Too cool Dan. You have made the DGIV virtually hands off. Sit back and enjoy the view!!!!

Ascent from VENUS?????    

Cheers,

That DGIV computer just keeps getting smarter and smarter. I sure hope he hasn't used any components from the HAL 9000.


Just pushing your buttons on the MJQwave effect. This thing is so filled with features at present that it'll take people a
month just to get used to all of them. Of course then they will start asking when DGV is going to be released.

Quick_Nick wrote:
Like this Orbiter bug?:
Totally a bug though, not feature. It CAN be caused by a long, unexpected pause in Orbiter then going back to
normal. It is the exhaust actually. I did it by pressing the screenshot button a ton of times.

That does look pretty close except the effect is way too far back on the aircraft. That's what killed test pilots in some of
the first supersonic tests. Shock wave locked up the elevator and rudder and the aircraft became impossible to control.

[Orbiter Fan]

DanSteph wrote:

sunshine135 a écrit:
Ascent from VENUS?????    

I'm on mars yet... I'll try venus once mars completed.
Maybe with 80° ascent until out of atmosphere ?
don't know.

Dan

Dan, if you want to be really accurate, an ascent from the surface of Venus is not possible. The external atmospheric
pressure is so high that the nozzles will be plugged toghter. So the engines becomes totally useless and will most
likely explode if fired for any significant time period due to excessive high pressure in their Main Combustion
Chambers.

This why it is so important that the rocket engines is 100% free from any form of contamination.

[willy88]

And besides, if you even tried to reenter, you would be burnt to a crisp.