I'm New

[Dingit]

Hey guys,
I just downloaded Orbiter. I've heard of it, but never attempted to use it till now. I'd really like to fly the Gemini Titan vehicle. I downloaded the add-on, but it doesn't appear when I run Orbiter. Can anyone help me out?
Also, is this program only one player, or is there also an online server?

 

[n0mad23]

Dingit -

Welcome to obsession-land. Hope you like a challenge.

First, I'd advise trying the Delta-Glider before pushing on to the addons. Really, this is a challenging simulator, and I'd recommend not making it any harder on yourself this early in the experience. Really. Even consider putting off a shuttle attempt for a bit.

As for your question regarding the Gemini Titan, I'm under the impression that that particular addon is actually part of a larger series that you'll have to download as well. Earth 1962, Apollo, Common-addons, etc. Without all, none will work.

This could be the cause of your initial problem.

If you really are adamant about doing something more historical, I'd recommend jumping forward to the Apollo Missions and picking up the AMSO V 1.16. AMSO has a series of autopilots that are pretty forgiving and offers the ability to 'wing it' as well.

But really, start the experience off right and try to familiarize yourself with the platform on a Delta-G. It really is the mainstay of most of your new compatriots.

And once again, welcome!

 

[Dingit]

Hey Nomad,
Thanks for the welcome. It's my first day, & I have flown the Delta Glider, & I've successfully launched the Space Shuttle. I'm still learning, took me a while to get use to the key controls. The glider is neat, I particularly like the "slap" rendezvous scenario, which came with the addition to the base package. I'll have to check out the other ad-ons, guess I have a bit more downloading to do. I originaly discovered this site years ago, I don't know why I waited so long to try it out.
I have A-OK The Wings of Mercury, which is a Mercury Simulation program that you order online. I have been familiar with basic space flight procedures for over a decade. Before I even attempt an Apollo flight, I'd really like to try Gemini, it's my favorite.
There was one question of mine you didn't answer, maybe you forgot. Is this program just one player, or is there an online multiplayer server?

 

[n0mad23]

Strange that -

I actually just logged on because I remembered I hadn't answered that part of your question.

I don't know. Orbiter isn't set up as a multiplayer platform, but I'm pretty sure there are several people (teams?) working on that, but honestly, it's not something I've really paid attention to. Hopefully someone looking at this thread will have a better answer for you.

So, I'm going to throw a little unsolicited advice your way since you're going to leap into this one way or the other.

There are many excellent addons available, and while not as pretty as some of the ships and stations, the MFDs are going to make a huge difference in the success of what you'll attempt.

Here's a couple of 'must-haves', at least for me:

IMFD by Jarmo Nikkanen. The Interplanetary MFD (v 5.1d?e?). If you want to get from one planet to another, this is a good one.
TransX by Duncan Sharpe. A sophisticated navigation tool. I'm still learning this one, but seems to be more appropriate for planning trips to the outer worlds. It's similar to IMFD, but more advanced.

Though not an MFD-
AbsoluteKillrot by Enjo. Time compression is important, as it makes Orbiter doable. The stock kill rotation function of Orbiter you'll find lacking when running in 1000x. Enjo's addon makes it a lot better.

I just remembered there's already a thread here about what I'm offering, so link to this one:
http://orbiter-forum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=16

 

[Dingit]

Thanks for the help Nomad. I still seem to be having trouble.
I have saved & extracted the following files.
Common_addon_10, CVEL-Atlas-0_1, earth_1962_060506, Hi-res KSC, Lunar_Gemini_1.0, Mars Moon Hires, NASSP5, NASSp5_FIX2, Project_Gemini_45, Project_Mercury_050116, ProjectApollo_6.4.0, ProjectApollo_Source_6.4.0, ShuttleFleetmesh3.51
I can't get any of the new addons to work.
What do I do?

 

[n0mad23]

Hmm,

Are you extracting the .zips with directories intact? I'm guessing not, which by looking at what you've installed, it's probably a mess.

If this is the case, I suggest reinstalling a clean copy of Orbiter before proceeding.

I really find it best to remove anything immediately that's not working. There are a lot of addons for previous versions that work well in the current platform. There are other old ones that don't work at all. No need having them around cluttering up things.

Looking at earth_1962_060506.zip as an example, this needs to be installed into 3 different directories contained within the Orbiter root dir. Similarly, there's a mesh directory and a textures one. Files in these need to be in the same in Orbiter.

Have a look at one of your zip files and compare the contents to the directories in Orbiter. If they're there and you're still not having luck, we'll look elsewhere.

 

[Dingit]

Hey Nomad,
I'm not sure if I understand what you're saying.
I extracted the files, & they appear in the Orbiter menu when I open it up. But when I try to run the scenarios, of Gemini for example, the program closes.
The only addon I got to work, was the highres KSC.

 

[n0mad23]

This is known as 'crash to desktop.' You've got a conflict somewhere.

Back to square one. I'd say the easiest thing to do now is delete everything and do a clean install of Orbiter.

Then add one addon at a time and test each one. When you find one that causes a crash, the best thing to do for now is delete it. Some of the addons have a lot of files, and it can take some time trying to isolate and fix the problem.

It could also be a conflict with installed modules. When you fired up Orbiter Launchpad, did you open the modules and activate any? I've found that several modules are incompatible with certain addons.

For example, IMFD will cause a C2D when I'm using Kulch's Lunar Mass Driver addon. At least this is the case on my system. Knowing this, I make sure not to have IMFD activated in any Mass Driver scenario.

The best advice for this problem is to only activate modules you're actually going to be immediately using, and to note when/if problems occur after activating one.

 

[Dingit]

I didn't do anything with the modules setting. I'll have to delete the files & start over. Thanks for the tip. I'm sure you haven't heard the last of me...lol

 

[Dingit]

Hey Nomad, I successfully deleted the files & started over.
All I've uploaded so far are the two base packs.
I realized that the Gemini file I uploaded before is an addon to the first Gemini, which I can't find. Then I found Advanced Gemini Mk 1 LEO Transport , but it only works with the Vinka's multistage and spacecraft dlls. I haven't been able to find either of those. I learned of the first Gemini file here...
http://www.eharm.net/shop/freeware/orbiter/addons/gemini/gemini.html
I notice that since Orbiter 2006 was relased, the older addons don't work.
This sucks.
I noticed there is a Mercury/Gemini forum, I'll try that.
When I first discovered Orbiter, they had allot more spacecrafts to chose from. They even had the Armageddon X-71 Shuttle.

 

[n0mad23]

For many of the addons, Vinka's Spacecraft and Multistage .dll's are necessary. Although Spacecraft3.dll is the latest, you'll want them all as they are specific to each addon.

You can find them here:

http://users.swing.be/vinka/


Actually, many of the older addons do still work (the good news), some don't, and others just need some tweaking to get them to work in this version. I wouldn't recommend trying it until you're a lot more familiar with the system, but you can find the information you need on how to do this here:
http://orbit.m6.net/Forum/default.aspx?g=posts&t=6638