Idea Reconnaissance MFD and scenario games

[Major Tom]

I have two unrelated ideas for Orbiter. I do not know if either of these ideas are feasible. What would be involved?

1:
From LEO you the DGIV captain opens a reconnaissance MFD and view a detailed satellite view of the earth directly under your craft. The MFD is tied into Google Earth showing a realistic satellite view as your craft passes overhead.

2:
How feasible is this idea. Is there a way it could be programmed in?

A scenario that is not readable by the player and the ability to insert objects into the solar system that is also hidden from the player.

This would allow scenarios to be developed that support a story line. For example, the scenario instructions would be to launch from KSC to Brighton beach, moon and arrive by a certain time. You would not know why or what you may find there. If those conditions are meet an eva to the base would reveal further instructions.

Does this idea appeal to anyone? Can it be improved?

 

[TSPenguin]

Hi,

Please rename your thread to something more descriptive. Thank you.

That MFD is more or less possible.
Orbiterwise it is not a real problem. There might be problems with google earth though. Depending on how big/small the patches that you get when using the API it might be that google won't deliver the data fast enough to enjoy the view from LEO. But at least from GTO it would be awesome! Even if you just had a spy sattelite mode where you specify the target area, which is then recieved and shown to you without any dynamic would be cool.

Regarding your second idea, I could send you a scenario now and if you don't cheat you won't know what is in there. One could even make a plugin or external program that would place object more or less randomly. Things can be hidden from the ship selection menu so that won't be a problem either. You will however be able to view any data for any object via the scenario editor.
Making the scenario itself not readable might work with a plugin that reads encrypted files and feeds them to orbiter, or you could pull a rights stunt in your OS with different users and "run as" permissions.

Happy Orbiting

 

[Major Tom]

Title changed. Sorry about that.

 

[Urwumpe]

Improvement: Don't produce the images directly in game (google Earth is SLOW!), but just store the coordinates of the region you mapped. Create the images off-line, when Orbiter is closed.

 

[escapetomsfate]

Idea 1 would probably be possible, using some of the VESSELSTATUSEX parameters and then with a complicated function linking it to Google Earth.

Idea 2 could be done by encoding it in Binary, so when you open up the file it looks like random symbols. A module could "decode" it, and send it to the core. I'm not sure if it's possible though.

 

[Artlav]

Idea 2 could be done by encoding it in Binary, so when you open up the file it looks like random symbols. A module could "decode" it, and send it to the core. I'm not sure if it's possible though.

Possible. Just make a module that will load the hidden part of the scenario out of some sort of a separate binary file.

Why do it?

.

 

[Major Tom]

The thought is to have a scenario where the goal is revealed as you progress. Arriving then entering a base could reveal text instructions for the next step or a cargo container for shipment, for example. Not knowing all the objectives of the scenario would make it more fun to play.

 

[Tommy]

The "storyline" concept, with goals that can be measured, will likely be possible with the Lua scripting that will be in the next version. Even now some of it is possible with the SVDIG add-on.

Better yet may be a separate module that can parse a "script" of some sort that defines the goals and the results of meeting those goals. This file could be "encrypted" somehow to prevent users from trying to "cheat", or could simply be in plain text and the user "trusted" not to look at it (unless they want to cheat). A MFD could be created to connect to the module and show "incoming transmissions" that update the goals list shown to the player, and the status of existing goals.

This module could even read/write to a file that could be accessed by another application. For instance, a game made using another game engine that would allow walking around planets and stations, interacting with NPC's (or even other players online). You could then have a Game that handles role-playing type things, and uses Orbiter for the spaceflight portion of the game.

 

[Istochnikov]

1:
From LEO you the DGIV captain opens a reconnaissance MFD and view a detailed satellite view of the earth directly under your craft. The MFD is tied into Google Earth showing a realistic satellite view as your craft passes overhead.

I probably will start something similar for my Orbiter Payloads series (For MET-sats, ERS-sats, some MIL-sats, Probes, and other sats; but instead of basing me in a MFD, i want to do it using a built-in-code spacecraft (Like Thielmann's (Igel's) Luna 3 vessel), but modifying the code for avoiding the use of a panel, and instead, show the photo in a corner of the HUD. (Laterly i'll put an image of i want)

 

[Major Tom]

I probably will start something similar for my Orbiter Payloads series (For MET-sats, ERS-sats, some MIL-sats, Probes, and other sats; but instead of basing me in a MFD, i want to do it using a built-in-code spacecraft (Like Thielmann's (Igel's) Luna 3 vessel), but modifying the code for avoiding the use of a panel, and instead, show the photo in a corner of the HUD. (Laterly i'll put an image of i want)

That sounds goooood. Would it be usable on all craft, DGIV and XR2?

---------- Post added at 10:09 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:03 AM ----------

The "storyline" concept, with goals that can be measured, will likely be possible with the Lua scripting that will be in the next version. Even now some of it is possible with the SVDIG add-on.

Better yet may be a separate module that can parse a "script" of some sort that defines the goals and the results of meeting those goals. This file could be "encrypted" somehow to prevent users from trying to "cheat", or could simply be in plain text and the user "trusted" not to look at it (unless they want to cheat). A MFD could be created to connect to the module and show "incoming transmissions" that update the goals list shown to the player, and the status of existing goals.

This module could even read/write to a file that could be accessed by another application. For instance, a game made using another game engine that would allow walking around planets and stations, interacting with NPC's (or even other players online). You could then have a Game that handles role-playing type things, and uses Orbiter for the spaceflight portion of the game.

Now I have to check out SVDIG. You mentioned incoming transmissions...tying that into the antenna would be great !!

 

[Scrooge McDuck]

From LEO you the DGIV captain opens a reconnaissance MFD and view a detailed satellite view of the earth directly under your craft. The MFD is tied into Google Earth showing a realistic satellite view as your craft passes overhead.

Hi,
I'm not sure if I completely understand what you had in mind here, but there is something I've been working on.
A while ago I made a test plugin for Orbiter that displayed a view of Google Earth into a window in Orbiter. Now recently, I've been trying to convert this into a "Google Earth MFD".

I already succeeded to convert the Google Earth render window handle to display inside an MFD, even with Orbiter running in full-screen. The globe automatically rotates/zooms depending on where and how you fly.
However, I am having some other technical (drawing) problems with the MFD. Also the transition from Google Earth 4 to the new version 5 caused some problems with the camera coordinates. This might be solved when more is known about using the COM API with version 5.
Anyway, when I have some more news I'll inform ASAP. If I can't find the solution, I may as well leave some questions on the forum. Maybe there are some programmers here with more experience in Windows GDI programming.. (?)

regards,
mcduck