Spaceflight in FSX: new developments .....
- Thread starter rcbarend
- Start date
Please have a look at the previous thread on this; contains some pictures as well.
http://www.sim-outhouse.com/sohforums/showthread.php?73116-FSX-as-space-flight-simulator
Rob
First off;
ALL RIGHT ROB!!!!!! I am a happ-happ- happy camper. VTOL works like a charm, ground to orbit, and after 6 or 7 years of trying to get that UD-4L to fly like it does on film, it does! Made the mod you suggested.
BAP! just like that! VTOL The Dropship will even do the pitchup and rotate off the pad, just like the film. It flys rather nicely, albeit in a heavily processed, flybywire way- no suprise, thats the only way anything like that could fly.
A quick recap. FSX has space. You could reach it, but only semi-ballistically, as the flight driver engine only supports atomospheric flight. Bruce Fitzgerald; a long time space junk enthusiast, author of a whole whack of Sci-Fi models and the Atlantis STS addon, some how noted Robs VTOL gauge worked above the 400000 ft line, and planted the bug in Robs ear. Rob ;as we all know, is the undisputed king of gauge controled flight, author of various VTOL gauges, culminating in the latest VTOL gauge which really totaly transforms flying V/STOL aircraft in FSX. Short form- the V-22 flys like a V-22, hover, transition, and wingborn, the damn difficult transitions and 'tiltrotor' mode are especially astonishing. The gauge functions by over riding the flight driver engine for a totaly new flight driver engine, coded into a gauge that can be fitted to just about any aircraft with some config file changes and a folder put in the panel folder.
Rob worked his magic on a version of his VSTOL gauge for Bruces Space shuttle(astounding), and created a gauge set that, again, a few config file changes, copy and paste, and , as long as you could fly up to 300000 ft where the gauge comes on, allows space flight in FSX, up to the FSX maximum speed and altitude. In one go, he opened up the entire sim envelope, from sealevel, to a couple of hundred million feet, though the camera veiws get a little sqidgy at max altitude. I also noted, subject to the usual constraints for AI ships, that AICarriers2 would quite happily spawn ships at any altitude, and Robs space gauge had no difficulties with landing aboard. Thanks to Piglet and Bruce, we already have a number of 'space carriers' (Battle Star Galactica, ACV-15 class carrier), and we are in the space business. I hacked out a few addons for use with the gauge-they are in the library here-and the VTOL for airborn flight is the last bit of the puzzle for science fiction type space craft, and there are many in the FS 2004/FSX lbraries. The point of the exercise...
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ALL RIGHT ROB!!!!!! I am a happ-happ- happy camper. VTOL works like a charm, ground to orbit, and after 6 or 7 years of trying to get that UD-4L to fly like it does on film, it does! Made the mod you suggested.
BAP! just like that! VTOL The Dropship will even do the pitchup and rotate off the pad, just like the film. It flys rather nicely, albeit in a heavily processed, flybywire way- no suprise, thats the only way anything like that could fly.
A quick recap. FSX has space. You could reach it, but only semi-ballistically, as the flight driver engine only supports atomospheric flight. Bruce Fitzgerald; a long time space junk enthusiast, author of a whole whack of Sci-Fi models and the Atlantis STS addon, some how noted Robs VTOL gauge worked above the 400000 ft line, and planted the bug in Robs ear. Rob ;as we all know, is the undisputed king of gauge controled flight, author of various VTOL gauges, culminating in the latest VTOL gauge which really totaly transforms flying V/STOL aircraft in FSX. Short form- the V-22 flys like a V-22, hover, transition, and wingborn, the damn difficult transitions and 'tiltrotor' mode are especially astonishing. The gauge functions by over riding the flight driver engine for a totaly new flight driver engine, coded into a gauge that can be fitted to just about any aircraft with some config file changes and a folder put in the panel folder.
Rob worked his magic on a version of his VSTOL gauge for Bruces Space shuttle(astounding), and created a gauge set that, again, a few config file changes, copy and paste, and , as long as you could fly up to 300000 ft where the gauge comes on, allows space flight in FSX, up to the FSX maximum speed and altitude. In one go, he opened up the entire sim envelope, from sealevel, to a couple of hundred million feet, though the camera veiws get a little sqidgy at max altitude. I also noted, subject to the usual constraints for AI ships, that AICarriers2 would quite happily spawn ships at any altitude, and Robs space gauge had no difficulties with landing aboard. Thanks to Piglet and Bruce, we already have a number of 'space carriers' (Battle Star Galactica, ACV-15 class carrier), and we are in the space business. I hacked out a few addons for use with the gauge-they are in the library here-and the VTOL for airborn flight is the last bit of the puzzle for science fiction type space craft, and there are many in the FS 2004/FSX lbraries. The point of the exercise...
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Now we can use the whole FSX world, sealevel to near Earth space, and fly some amazing addons in their design environment.
Now we can use the whole FSX world, sealevel to near Earth space, and fly some amazing addons in their design environment.
How kewl is that? 3 lusty cheers for Rob.
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Hi "Lazarus",
I certainly don't want to slow down your enthousiasme
, but here's my plan for further developments.
I don't have the time to chase all kinds of downloads for aircraft and spacecarriers myself.
With V2.0 I'm trying to make a version that:
- Supports the ACV-15 spacecarrier as moving AI.
- Supports the Atlantis SpaceShuttle with all it's features, like proper vertical launch.
- Generic support for other aircraft then the Atlantis; including V(s)TOL operation on regular earth runways and sea-bound aircraft carriers.
I'm trying to get this right first.
I'm pretty sure that if it works for a moving ACV15 in space, it will work for any (moving or not) space carrier.
What I'm looking for to test with, is other aircraft then Bruce's Atlantis SpaceShuttle.
I'm currently using a model named X-02 Wyvern (forgot who created that) as 2nd test aircraft.
If you have another aircraft for testing it, please Email me as I requested above.
But given the current state of development:
Please donot upload other versions of the gauge, include it in other uploads, or promote changes to the gauge (like the setting of SpaceAltitude).
Because it easily becomes a mess then.
That said: of course, you can change whatever you like in the gauge to experiment, as long as you keep it to yourself.
Again, if you contact me via Email, I'm most certainly willing to send you a Beta of V2.0 to try out yourself with all the stuff you have.
I'm just trying to keep this development a bit "structured" for now.
Hope you understand why.
Best Regards, Rob
I certainly don't want to slow down your enthousiasme
, but here's my plan for further developments.I don't have the time to chase all kinds of downloads for aircraft and spacecarriers myself.
With V2.0 I'm trying to make a version that:
- Supports the ACV-15 spacecarrier as moving AI.
- Supports the Atlantis SpaceShuttle with all it's features, like proper vertical launch.
- Generic support for other aircraft then the Atlantis; including V(s)TOL operation on regular earth runways and sea-bound aircraft carriers.
I'm trying to get this right first.
I'm pretty sure that if it works for a moving ACV15 in space, it will work for any (moving or not) space carrier.
What I'm looking for to test with, is other aircraft then Bruce's Atlantis SpaceShuttle.
I'm currently using a model named X-02 Wyvern (forgot who created that) as 2nd test aircraft.
If you have another aircraft for testing it, please Email me as I requested above.
But given the current state of development:
Please donot upload other versions of the gauge, include it in other uploads, or promote changes to the gauge (like the setting of SpaceAltitude).
Because it easily becomes a mess then.
That said: of course, you can change whatever you like in the gauge to experiment, as long as you keep it to yourself.
Again, if you contact me via Email, I'm most certainly willing to send you a Beta of V2.0 to try out yourself with all the stuff you have.
I'm just trying to keep this development a bit "structured" for now.
Hope you understand why.
Best Regards, Rob
Yup. Which is why there have been no addons other than the v1/v2 supported addon pack in SOH's library, published. Folks'll just have to roll their own for now. Looking forward to the final version-just had to try that little tweak out-and it works like magic. Locked, loaded, and holding fire. Edited post, no worries!
I've been embarasingly hyped to the gills about this one since Rob sprang it on us a few months back! As a slightly radioactive atomic age child of a nuclear family, growing up on Starship Troopers and the Rolling Stones; the Holy Grail of flight has always been winged flight into space. Any dummy can put a jumbo cherry bomb under a tin can, sit on it and explode himself over the horizon, but flying there and back is a kettle of rose colored fish by a whole other name!. I remember as a kid,when the USAF cancelled DYNASOAR, XB-70, XF-108, X-28 and YF-12A-all the bits needed for regular manned access to space; I was heart broken. Even at 10 years old,I knew that was signing the execution warrant on the species. I was beside myself when they turned the orbiter from a fully re-usable flyback system into a lashed up timebomb-an amazing one, to be sure, but a lash up none the less. We'll see if private industry can get it back,or if it will be a tourisim game for bloated plutocrats.
Its a wild addon, though maneouvering around some of the big constructs in orbit causes me some vertigo. Put on the CHUCK-O-LATOR!
Its a wild addon, though maneouvering around some of the big constructs in orbit causes me some vertigo. Put on the CHUCK-O-LATOR!
Ok, I'm done
In V2, I've made a few parameters settable (in a seperate init gauge) so the Spaceflight gauge set can be used for non-spaceshuttle aircraft as well.
Including atmospheric VTOL enabling/disabling.
But before I release V2 publically , I'm looking for one or two testers to do a proper Beta test since this stuff has become quite complex.
Meaning that I'm looking for testers that have some spare time to test everything I advertised, and have experiance with:
- Installing FSX addons in general.
- Uses my V1 package (rcbsa-10.zip).
- Uses AICarriers2, and how to edit it's configuration files.
- Uses FSX-Acelleration, either on WindowsXP-SP3 or Windows7 (either 32-bit or 64-bit)
If you are willing and qualify, please contact me via Email. See README of V1.0 for my Email address. (please do not use PM of this forum).
Lazarus, Bruce, etc ... here's your chance
Best, Rob
In V2, I've made a few parameters settable (in a seperate init gauge) so the Spaceflight gauge set can be used for non-spaceshuttle aircraft as well.
Including atmospheric VTOL enabling/disabling.
But before I release V2 publically , I'm looking for one or two testers to do a proper Beta test since this stuff has become quite complex.
Meaning that I'm looking for testers that have some spare time to test everything I advertised, and have experiance with:
- Installing FSX addons in general.
- Uses my V1 package (rcbsa-10.zip).
- Uses AICarriers2, and how to edit it's configuration files.
- Uses FSX-Acelleration, either on WindowsXP-SP3 or Windows7 (either 32-bit or 64-bit)
If you are willing and qualify, please contact me via Email. See README of V1.0 for my Email address. (please do not use PM of this forum).
Lazarus, Bruce, etc ... here's your chance
Best, Rob
Sorry, I don't have a clue since I don't/won't use P3D myself.
The principle itself will work fine, because it's based on the same solution as all my VTOL stuff (and I know that works OK in P3D).
But the whole tweaking is based on the shortcomings of FSX-Accelleration (in space); like thrust, lift and wind have no effect at such altitudes.
I don't know if LM made any improvements in that area; but if they did, it might conflict with what I coded.
So it's wait-and-see
Best, Rob
CrisGer
Charter Member
wow i can see i have catch up to do, i have hoped for space flight in depth for years for FSX and went looking over a year ago and i guess i missed your first thread and work. thanks so much for doing it. I have always thought that space was truly the next fronteir for the flight sims and want to support your efforts and include them in info i send to our development association which is world wide now. I will read up and try out what you have so far..and thanks again!!!
Cris
Cris
wow i can see i have catch up to do, i have hoped for space flight in depth for years for FSX and went looking over a year ago and i guess i missed your first thread and work. thanks so much for doing it. I have always thought that space was truly the next fronteir for the flight sims and want to support your efforts and include them in info i send to our development association which is world wide now. I will read up and try out what you have so far..and thanks again!!!
Cris
You're welcome...
While V2 is being betatested, I've downloaded some more free stuff (like Piglet's bsg pack). Seems to work great in space with my new stuff ...
Cheers,. Rob
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General first impressions after some false starts and a couple of hours on orbit.
It took a couple of stabs to get the new gauges to read- were not coming up in the FSX config- do not know why, but after a start as admin, all is good. Amazing. The edits to activate atomospheric VTOL is simple as pie, Z+- in throttle axis is a big positive. Atlantis' flight profile is flawless, everything happens when it supposed to, and what a view. The navigator is brilliant, just the thing for tracking down orbital AI. I'm going to sit down tonight and write enteries for the rest of the fleet. The VTOL mode for air and space is just the thing for the sci-fi hardware. The gauge has no problem landing on even pretty irregular , off level surfaces, like FSX's first extra-terrestrial planetoid- a captured comet in orbit. Watch the crater. Thats where the engineers nudged it with a couple of nukes, so its a bit hot...
All the modes function flawlessly. A note on spawning AI. occasionaly it will 'blink' FSUPIC enough to shut down the gauge, blammo, freefall from a million feet( hmmm. Orbital space diving adventure?) Locking the spacecraft in 'mode' 5b-flap5+park brake prevents this. so far, that is the only but bug I've noted in the first or second version.
From a Ship at sea to a ship in space. Talk about taking carrier ops to a new 'height'.
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General first impressions after some false starts and a couple of hours on orbit.
It took a couple of stabs to get the new gauges to read- were not coming up in the FSX config- do not know why, but after a start as admin, all is good. Amazing. The edits to activate atomospheric VTOL is simple as pie, Z+- in throttle axis is a big positive. Atlantis' flight profile is flawless, everything happens when it supposed to, and what a view. The navigator is brilliant, just the thing for tracking down orbital AI. I'm going to sit down tonight and write enteries for the rest of the fleet. The VTOL mode for air and space is just the thing for the sci-fi hardware. The gauge has no problem landing on even pretty irregular , off level surfaces, like FSX's first extra-terrestrial planetoid- a captured comet in orbit. Watch the crater. Thats where the engineers nudged it with a couple of nukes, so its a bit hot...
All the modes function flawlessly. A note on spawning AI. occasionaly it will 'blink' FSUPIC enough to shut down the gauge, blammo, freefall from a million feet( hmmm. Orbital space diving adventure?) Locking the spacecraft in 'mode' 5b-flap5+park brake prevents this. so far, that is the only but bug I've noted in the first or second version.
From a Ship at sea to a ship in space. Talk about taking carrier ops to a new 'height'.
Oh boy ........
I just downloaded Bruce Fitzgerald's new SpacePlacesAI.zip from Simviation (containing a.o. the Battleship Galactica and ISS spacestation to be used as AI), and added those to my Navigator gauge to be recognised.
So, with a little modification of sim.cfg files, I now have the following running on my PC: 5 instances of AICarriers, each with a different AI carrier, flying with altitudes between 850.000 and 950.000 ft, with different speeds from 200 - 300 knots, and with different headings. And I'm hopping with the Spaceshuttle aircraft from one carrier to another, using the new AP function in my Navigator gauge.
Sorry if you can't grasp what I'm doing here; I can hardly believe it myself
But eventually it will become clear, after I release this V2 of the Spaceflight addon.
That is: if you're willing to read what it can do and how to configure it all .......
Cheers, Rob
I just downloaded Bruce Fitzgerald's new SpacePlacesAI.zip from Simviation (containing a.o. the Battleship Galactica and ISS spacestation to be used as AI), and added those to my Navigator gauge to be recognised.
So, with a little modification of sim.cfg files, I now have the following running on my PC: 5 instances of AICarriers, each with a different AI carrier, flying with altitudes between 850.000 and 950.000 ft, with different speeds from 200 - 300 knots, and with different headings. And I'm hopping with the Spaceshuttle aircraft from one carrier to another, using the new AP function in my Navigator gauge.
Sorry if you can't grasp what I'm doing here; I can hardly believe it myself
But eventually it will become clear, after I release this V2 of the Spaceflight addon.
That is: if you're willing to read what it can do and how to configure it all .......
Cheers, Rob
V.2 of the space objects is in the Simviation library now. Some changes -hard decks, though the size of some of that stuff causes some odd things, the landing bays are landable; some new AI ships added, AIcarriers configs. I'll upload it here in a bit, as I'd like to get together with Rami and replace the V.1 in the library here. The next addon is just waiting for permissions from Mr. Fitzgerald, and I have to go check K-7 for a Tribble infestation...
Rob; the new gauge is the bomb. The only snags encountered are pre-exsisting derps that AICarriers and JAVA has very occasionally. Mostly, I think, from running 5-10 instances of AICarriers at once; but let me stress -occasionally- one time in a hundred, the gauge will switch off. A good emergency drill, though. WOOTWOOT! ANTI-GRAVITY FAILURE! KISS YOUR @$$ GOODBYE! And fall a million feet into the briney! Over all, works brilliantly, and any instability is my own doing. Having a blast!
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Rob; the new gauge is the bomb. The only snags encountered are pre-exsisting derps that AICarriers and JAVA has very occasionally. Mostly, I think, from running 5-10 instances of AICarriers at once; but let me stress -occasionally- one time in a hundred, the gauge will switch off. A good emergency drill, though. WOOTWOOT! ANTI-GRAVITY FAILURE! KISS YOUR @$$ GOODBYE! And fall a million feet into the briney! Over all, works brilliantly, and any instability is my own doing. Having a blast!
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