Project Universal Car for Orbiter (UCO)

[willy88]

And the cars! What is with you and putting all these things out at once?

For some reason Dan tends to start on one thing, and then ends up with a bunch of semi-related awesome things, in addition to the aforementioned thing.

 

[dansteph]

There is a consistency: bring more life

The line is the following: cargo & cars give you goal and things to do once landed, it open a whole world of possibility: resuply bases, mine ressource and bring them to x, gain gold or money, use of several packed item, exploration to find ressources etc.

Fact is that I cannot populate this "new" world alone and fact is that if I complicate to much things no one would be able to add things to this world appart me.
So doing cars, cargo or allow vessel support remain simple giving better chance to have more compatibles addons.

Does it make sense ?

Dan

 

[Arrowstar]

Dan builds the functionality in the hopes that others will make it do cool things. Not to say that Dan's work isn't cool (the Arrow is bloody awesome), mind you! I look forward to the first UCGO enabled add-ons almost more than the release of UCGO...

 

[Dambuster]

Dan, are you going to include some of the autopilots from the DGIV? I was just flying a scenario with multiple DGIVs going into orbit and docking at the ISS, and I realised how AMAZING the autopilots are - the automatic docking is SO fluid and impressive!!!

If you could please add one or two like this in (assuming they'd actually be useful for the Arrow, and not delay things much) that would be great!!

 

[dansteph]

If you could please add one or two like this in (assuming they'd actually be useful for the Arrow, and not delay things much) that would be great!!

Quote from the (typo not corrected) inline doc:

Note: 
The arrow does not feature complex animations (eg no gear door) and systems
yet it's only a demonstrator. But I always wanted to make a "DGIV" 
like mother ship with virtual cockpit, so maybe later ? ;)

I think the DGIV evolution is now at the end, there is no more place for new system on panel and on the model, I'll update it to be compatible with new features (DGIV-2 coming with UCGO abilities in same time than UCGO release) but will not make major update.

So, the Arrow will be my new "toy" in the future. There is plenty room for new virtual cockpit part (rest room with side window, bar room, engine room, symphony-like radar room ?), plenty place on the panel and display with the big center and side screen, and plenty place for neat new feature like rescue vessel ejection, prob, exploration sattelite or animation and of course plenty place for new system as autopilots, life support system, crew managment etc.

For now there is only an autohover and autoland pilot and it will be released with only those.

BTW:
-Cargo can be inert mesh as fuel tank and such. (no programming)
-Unpackable cargo (no programming only two mesh and a config file)
-Or a cargo that spawn a vessel of any sort at release.

Latest one allow probe that are stowed and deploy&activate themself at release, cargo that transform in big robot, flower, mud, or bomb that explode at impact (for sismic reasearch of course )
Whatewer.

I would personnaly love a prob that can deorbit, land and deploy a landing balise for the Arrow once launched. This would save me a DGIV trip to the surface

..

DGIV almost completed. Scenery editor allow now the two types of cargo: old style or UCGO style.

Dan

 

[Hmuda]

This reminds me: will the final DGIV feature heat buildup if the radiator isn't deployed?

This is pretty much the only thing that's constantly bothering me about the otherwise perfect ship.

 

[dansteph]

mhhh... Sorry time is short. In anyway automatic system are supposed to maintain the temp, You maybe didn't notice but when it's stowed your consumption of electricity is a bit higher simulating an auxiliary cooling device that work. Extending it is an economic measure.

Image of the day:

Transfering some cargos to the DGIV-2 before it's deorbiting to land on Iapetus with an autoland balise for the Arrow. The Arrow will stay two month landed to study Saturn's system and Iapetus. Next trip: a visit to Enceladus closer from Saturn.

Dan

 

[Shadow Addict]

This is really amazing. I've been looking for a mothership to start an interplanetary tour, and this is shaping up to be perfect. Is the ship hold big enough for, say, an XR2, or will it only hold a DG-sized ship?

 

[dansteph]

I took care that the XR2 fit in Arrow bay, I've also spoken with doug lately he would be intterested to include support for UCGO cargo. I must send him the beta of the SDK today.

So you'll probably have Arrow, DGIV-2,XR2, UMMU and cars that support cargo.
(And a shuttlePB wich will be the example for the SDK but I don't think that count... )

Addin cargo to ship is so easy that one can do it in 10mn, maybe 1 hour if you should include it in one panel. (buttons to make etc) (see example of code page 11)

Dan

 

[Ghostrider]

You know, the landing balise was something I would have liked to see too. I don't usually require features because I know the kind of work that goes behind it and I'm usually more than happy with the stuff you guys make, but it's great that you scooped it out of my mind.
Would it be possible to deploy it by hand? Like, sending someone down on a DGIV to recon the terrain to find a suitable landing place, then activate it so that the Arrow can then home in and autoland?

 

[dansteph]

Done already see somewhere in previous page... Story in post above is true, I'll really deploy a balise and the Arrow WILL automatically land on it.

Image show balise unpacked. Once unpacked it send XPDR signal for the Arrow's autoland but any XPDR emmiter can also do the job. (case of UMMU, cars and most vessel)

This above is done and working already, not a "todo" idea.

The "automatic probe balise" that deorbit and land itself once launched is an idea but I'll not do it
for this version, anyway the realist procedure is to send a reco with the balise.

 

[Ghostrider]

anyway the realist procedure is to send a reco with the balise.

Well, of course. It gives the DGIV something to do and adds some adventure to the thing. Besides it gives the DGIV crew the opportunity to be jumped upon by the mandatory MONSTA.

 

[Hmuda]

mhhh... Sorry time is short. In anyway automatic system are supposed to maintain the temp, You maybe didn't notice but when it's stowed your consumption of electricity is a bit higher simulating an auxiliary cooling device that work. Extending it is an economic measure.

Thanks for pointing that out.

 

[Dig Gil]

Do you know "The Orange Box" from Valve? I wonder what this pack will be called... ("The SpaceTech Box"? )

 

[Ghostrider]

Do you know "The Orange Box" from Valve?

The Liar's Cake?

 

[PhantomCruiser]

... symphony-like radar room ...

I'm too new to be familiar with the Symphony base, but I've seen pictures, more beautiful work, is it in hiatus for now?

Back to the Arrow, Dan in the video you released the rotating section seemed to be spinning awfully fast. Was that real-time? And if so is there a method of varying the centrifuge speed (say, to match the g-level of the celestial body to which you are en-route)?

I can only repeat what the others have said so far, fantastic work.

 

[sunshine135]

I'm too new to be familiar with the Symphony base, but I've seen pictures, more beautiful work, is it in hiatus for now?

Back to the Arrow, Dan in the video you released the rotating section seemed to be spinning awfully fast. Was that real-time? And if so is there a method of varying the centrifuge speed (say, to match the g-level of the celestial body to which you are en-route)?

I can only repeat what the others have said so far, fantastic work.

Symphony was originally supposed to be a base that tracked incoming ships. The neat thing was the radar room that you could view and watch. Most of what was supposed to be in Symphony was incorporated into the Prelude stations (The name Prelude, in and of itself is a hint that the base was something that was supposed to "come before" something else). The radar room was really the only thing that was left out, and Dan seems to indicate a desire to add that to the Arrow, but maybe a Symphony base later on. Simply put, Dan is a freelance programmer and his children like to eat sometimes too. Time and money limit Dan. His creativity certainly seems unlimited

Cheers,

 

[dansteph]

Back to the Arrow, Dan in the video you released the rotating section seemed to be spinning awfully fast.

It's the real rotation time and no it's not too fast, based on the dimension the calculus give us 5.8 rotation per minutes for 0.6G on the lower floor and slighty less on the upper floor (there is two floors as windows indicate)

In reality such small wheel would be uncomfortable due to coriolis force and gradient gravity, let say they only sleep here maybe ?

Here a gravity spin calculator:
http://www.artificial-gravity.com/sw/SpinCalc/SpinCalc.htm

The Arrow is not so big, it's not a star destroyer, here on an old image a comparison with DGIV:
http://orbiter.dansteph.com/screenshot/dansteph/UcoNews060909.jpg


Here an image of the former project Symphony, the interior was absolutely not completed but the 3d radar worked perfectly showing Vessels flying around base:

Dan

 

[Dig Gil]

Yeah, I remember about seeing that picture while surfing very old threads. It would be useful that radar displayed altitude and a compass. Sorry, couldn't help from giving suggestions :embarrassed:.

 

[willy88]

What about having cargo-enabled bases in the next version?