Attachment Question

[GregBurch]

I have what surely counts as a STOOPID question. I'm VERY close to releasing my next addon, but just encountered an issue I've never faced before. I'm using non-spacecraft3.dll, .cfg-file-based vessels for some of the simpler, cargo components in this addon. These utilize the attachment system. I just realized I don't know how to activate the attchment controls for .cfg-file vessels within Orbiter. In SC3, the "A" key calls up the attachment system, and L-Shift-0 attaches and detaches.

How do I do the same thing with a standard Orbiter .cfg-file vessel???

 

[Urwumpe]

How do I do the same thing with a standard Orbiter .cfg-file vessel???

You can only attach stuff in the scenario file that way, you can't detach/attach spacecraft on runtime with a pure cfg-file vessel.

Except by using a MFD which allows manipulating the attachments.

 

[GregBurch]

THANKS! Fortunately, Face has graced us with such a tool!

 

[Face]

THANKS! Fortunately, Face has graced us with such a tool!

I was glad to be of help, Greg.
ReleaseMeMFD is getting old, though, and with the "it's mouse or shortcut, but not both"-hassle, I'm thinking about redoing it in VS8. Do you have any wishes for a new release?

regards,
Face

 

[GregBurch]

I was glad to be of help, Greg.
ReleaseMeMFD is getting old, though, and with the "it's mouse or shortcut, but not both"-hassle, I'm thinking about redoing it in VS8. Do you have any wishes for a new release?

I never look a gift horse in the mouth, but your text above suggests the only thing that might be a nice improvement, i.e. making it so that both keyboard and mouse commands would work with the same MFD.

 

[Face]

I never look a gift horse in the mouth, but your text above suggests the only thing that might be a nice improvement, i.e. making it so that both keyboard and mouse commands would work with the same MFD.

What about global shortcuts? I.e releasing by means of a shortcut without the need to open an MFD at all.
HUD display of attachment status maybe?
Additional status information (e.g. name and class of parent vessel(s)), etc...?

Or is that overkill, decreasing the ease of use?

regards,
Face

 

[Urwumpe]

HUD display would be overkill IMHO, but maybe you can allow releasing multiple payloads at once?

 

[GregBurch]

What about global shortcuts? I.e releasing by means of a shortcut without the need to open an MFD at all.
HUD display of attachment status maybe?
Additional status information (e.g. name and class of parent vessel(s)), etc...?

Or is that overkill, decreasing the ease of use?

regards,
Face

Those all might be nice options, but the beauty of your original work was that it very simply addressed a narrow, but important need. I like that, but I'm simple-minded.

 

[Face]

HUD display would be overkill IMHO, but maybe you can allow releasing multiple payloads at once?

Hm. The idea of ReleaseMeMFD initially was to release a child from a parent, while focus is at child. It wasn't intended to be a attachment management MFD.
But it's a good idea to make it a ReleaseMFD instead of a ReleaseMeMFD...

I can imagine a kind of superstructure-browser, providing connection-marking and -releasing.

Those all might be nice options, but the beauty of your original work was that it very simply addressed a narrow, but important need. I like that, but I'm simple-minded.

I see. I'm with the "less is often more"-attitude, too. I was just thinking about the use of the MFD for payload release.

Well, let's see what I can come up with...

regards,
Face

 

[Andy44]

If the cfg vessels are children, you can still attach them to sc3, so long as the sc3 is the parent. My own addons work this way.

 

[GregBurch]

If the cfg vessels are children, you can still attach them to sc3, so long as the sc3 is the parent. My own addons work this way.

Yep, that's not a problem. But I've got an sc3 parent, with a cfg child (a cargo rack) and then THAT has cfg children (cargo boxes).

 

[Eagle]

Only way I know to do it with .cfg vessels is the scenario editor. Release MFD is still good for detachment.

Maybe an attachment manager MFD would be a nice fix. But I don't know of any that exist.