What kind of add-on do you think would change Orbiter forever?

[jedidia]

weather engine
Interestellar travel
Built in Collition detection and realistic terrain

The last we have in the OGLA-client, if people would start developping vessels that make use of the functions. The second is in developement and the first Alpha should be out somewhere at the beginning of next month. The first would be nice, but would mean hell for system developers, because a wheather engine would have to be customised for every planet.

What I'd really like to see, as mentioned before, are more general environment variables: Radiation and Heat to begin with. But of course everyone programming a vessel is free to implement these things. So far noone has. It seems a bit sad that we have really great spaceplanes (no, it is not sad that we have them), but not a single interplanetary craft that tries to simulate onboard systems (well, I'm lying. We have the Exploreur, and we have Vespucci. Both of which don't work in 2010 anymore, I'm afraid).

 

[garyw]

FSX-style "scenarios" where you could add an event, like a malfunction.

You can do that if you write a DLL for it.

 

[Wishbone]

Lua does that for you already. (if malfunctions are lua-accessible, but for now my plan to invoke malfunctions is to buffet the spacecraft around like a billiards ball)

EDIT: As I said, BrianJ and 4thRock have a great series of realistic spacecraft - the Halley Armada. They even model impacts of comet meteoroids...

 

[Donamy]

I would like to see vessels cast shadows, on other vessels and themselves.

 

[IgnoreThisBarrel]

As Donatelo put forth, bumpmaps (or normalmaps) would be nice.

 

[donatelo200]

O almost forgot grayscales supposidly work in Orulex. I havent ben able to get it to work just because the instructions a extemely vaug. If someone would happen to have step by step instructions on how to use them with orulex i would be gratfule. (if get it to work GI 581 d and g will have 3D terrain)

 

[computerex]

Something that would change Orbiter forever in my opinion would be an add-on that implements a campaign system. Orbiter is very fun to use to do experiments, such as shooting stuff near the speed of light from LEO and trying to hit the moon, however a whole new dimension of gameplay would open up if you didn't have to pretend to drop fuel off, if Orbiter came to life.

 

[Izack]

Well, buoyancy and water would go hand-in-hand, no? A very abrupt dramatic increase in atmospheric density at sea-level would have the effect of the oceans' surface?

 

[Ark]

I think it really boils down to working collision detection. That would be the key to realistic EVAs, weaponry simulation, terrain, and a whole host of other things.

 

[jinglesassy]

Realistic dynamically generated clouds
Level 20 texture support
Realistic weather system
Realistic collision system
Realistic terrain system(make a crater when you ram your ship into the moon going at high speed wouldn't that be awesome?)
Interstellar travel(Yes i do know this is coming!)
Dynamical generated sounds


So much could be added to our already awesome space flight simulator i am happy to say i am part of the orbiter community of the awesome space flight simulator of orbiter.

 

[Moach]

what about a Spore-like spaceship editor, but more focused on engineering realism and systems simulation?

you could build you own ship, and fly it out :thumbup:

i take it that this would be quite a technical feat to pull off in a realistic manner, but it would add something truly new to the Orbiter experience....


and YES, i DO have plans for something of this nature - just you wait :lol:

 

[jedidia]

Realistic terrain system(make a crater when you ram your ship into the moon going at high speed wouldn't that be awesome?)

That would actually be dynamic terrain. Might be possible with a system that's dynamic anyways, like Orulex, but might get tough to implement in pre-defined height maps.

what about a Spore-like spaceship editor, but more focused on engineering realism and systems simulation?

That's actually on my far future plans. Right after Orbiter Galaxy 1.0 has been released. I had the concept on the scratchboard for the last 3 to 4 years, and I think after Orbiter Galaxy I'll have enough coding skillz to pull it off. But Orbiter Galaxy will probably need another year to get finished (and that's optimistical), and a project like that would probably need another 2 years minimum to get alpha-worthy. So yes, pretty far future. If someone does it before that, I won't get angry.

 

[Keatah]

The addition of extra programmers to Orbiter. Martin surely doesn't have the time to do all of this stuff!?!?!?!!

 

[garyw]

The addition of extra programmers to Orbiter. Martin surely doesn't have the time to do all of this stuff!?!?!?!!

All what stuff? It's reached Orbiter 2010P1 without any additional staff. All extra programmers would do is slow things down as Martin explained it all then you have the risk of them taking the source code....

 

[jedidia]

The addition of extra programmers to Orbiter. Martin surely doesn't have the time to do all of this stuff!?!?!?!!

almost all of the stuff discussed here is perfectly doable with add-ons (except SEAMLESS interstellar flight, the seamless part would require support by the core), so Martin doesn't need to do anything for it.

 

[bwog]

what about a Spore-like spaceship editor, but more focused on engineering realism and systems simulation?

you could build you own ship, and fly it out :thumbup:

i take it that this would be quite a technical feat to pull off in a realistic manner, but it would add something truly new to the Orbiter experience....


and YES, i DO have plans for something of this nature - just you wait :lol:

Just set the engine power really high, add a huge fuel tank and BAM! Instant mission to Jupiter.

 

[Istochnikov]

Wish List:

For the Orbiter Core
-Collision Detection +
-Realistic terrain maps with heightmaps+
-CITIES!!! (I always have dreamt with landing a Shuttle at Liberia or Alajuela and do a parade from the airport to San José... oh patriotism ) +
-Sea Simulation (Useful for simulating Sea Launches and tha RSM-50 Missile)
-A climatic engine (With Lightnings ... ah!!! and not just for earth) +
-Magnetic fields (many s have magnetometers) +
-Bumping maps (All my comsats are Bump-map ready ) +
-Scalation for multicore CPU/GPU (i know people that uses a 4 core processor and 2 video cards )

For vessels
-Accurate Aerodynamic models +
-Built-in-vessel "Flight Management Computer" emulation (DG-IV * XR Series * Dragonfly + Lua Scripting) for manned and unmmaned vessels +
-A mission control (this is easy to do ) +
-Life support modules (a-la Dragonfly + DG-IV + XR Series) for manned vessels from Soyuz to Shuttle-ISS
-Potential failure systems (like Thorton's Soyuz FG and Proton and Igel's R7) but for each vessel (a Satelite engine that refuses to ignite or explodes, transponder failures, solar panels that refuse to deploy)
-Chemical ground sample analysis (BrianJ was developing this for the Fobos-Grunt add-on)+
-INTERNAL Collision engine for manned vessels: So you can use a UMMU astronaut inside de spacecraft.

UMMU:
-Capacity for walking, jumping and flexing the arms... Look a little complicated, but it will be so fun
-Capacity for +40 UMMU per vessel... An Airbus A340 can carry 300+

For Scenarios
-A campaign mode

And... BTW: HAPPY PROBEMAS :hail:

 

[Moach]

come to think of it - Artlav's new orbit visualization thingy could be another revolution in the making

if this does go where i think it's going - we might end up having in our hands a tool that effectivelly allows one for the first time to fly without the need for an MFD :blink: - albeit not as precise a trip, you could still use your orbit lines to visually coordinate your trajectory :idea:

it's only a few features short of that, you know... a couple of features "borrowed" from IMFD, such as viewing "ghost" targets in future encounter positions and woohoo! - we have something that could revolutionize the way new pilots go about long-range flights


it feels like a simple visual helper tool at first... but if it could be well explored, it just might turn out into something akin to "revolutionary" :hmm:

 

[Wishbone]

Ahem, with TransX one already flies "manually" - using RCS to null closest approach value.

EDIT: forgot to say, Artlav's addon IS brilliant

 

[jedidia]

For the Orbiter Core

The fewest things you posted actually belong in the core.

-Collision Detection +
-Realistic terrain maps with heightmaps+
-Bumping maps (All my comsats are Bump-map ready ) +
-Scalation for multicore CPU/GPU (i know people that uses a 4 core processor and 2 video cards )

All pretty much available in OGLA. Not quite finished yet, but playable.

-CITIES!!!

certainly belongs not in the core. Can be realised without problems by simply making a base add-on. Go have at it!