Author Topic: Behind closed doors  (Read 20559 times)

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Offline Thaeris

  • Can take his lumps
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i prefer cockpits in every situation.

Also, how hard can it be to make a cockpit? All you have to do is to create displays, buttons, keys, switches, wires, circuit boards, modulators, stabilizers, safeguards, ... uhm... nevermind.


I know you're being sarcastic, but indeed, cockpits are quite a labor to do - If you've ever been to a flight sim forum, making a good and useful (aka reasonable polycount or an otherwise fancy trick to make the cockppit look higher-poly than it actually is) cockpit is a pretty extensive task.

However, I do have a suggestion... At some point, Stellar Assault will have actual cockpits. To make the process of making them easier and more realistic, I've started building an object library of standardized parts, including panels and switches, all of which are properly sized. When we're ready, we can then rapidly put controls where we need them and go from there. I understand there's a huge diversity gap in FotG, but if you can do something like this, it may help you greatly.


It was meant as joke actually, as i know how much work it takes to create a lp cockpit, not to mention a hp one.

The idea with an cockpit object library sounds cool though.

Sure. In aviation, a sub-contractor usually makes a guage or control that goes into the cockpit of the primary contractor's vehicle. If you can accurately model the device (which is often in itself quite simple), you can use it in any aircraft that has it as an instrument. Furthermore, a great many of those devices have the same style or size, which means you can just slap in a different texture onto the guage - work smarter, not harder. :)

Next, panels themselves are often quite simple. They become complex due to the instrumentation therein. Thus, if you have all of the instrumentation produced separately, applying it to the main panel is trivial. My suggestion for our project is that the high-resolution models be used as normal maps within the cockpit, while a lower-poly 3D model is used as the primary. This allows us to get in all the detail with a low poly game model. Furthermore, as a cockpit .pof has no need for hit detection, the resultant model should ideally display as smooth as silk in-game. :)
"trolls are clearly social rejects and therefore should be isolated from society, or perhaps impaled."

-Nuke



"Look on the bright side, how many release dates have been given for Doomsday, and it still isn't out yet.

It's the Duke Nukem Forever of prophecies..."


"Jesus saves.

Everyone else takes normal damage.
"

-Flipside

"pirating software is a lesser evil than stealing but its still evil. but since i pride myself for being evil, almost anything is fair game."


"i never understood why women get the creeps so ****ing easily. i mean most serial killers act perfectly normal, until they kill you."


-Nuke

 

Offline Dragon

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Depends on version, Z-95 Headhunter may have X-W style canopy or a newer bubble canopy.

 
That feature isn't necessary. If you prefer graphics over gameplay, and it affects your multiplayer performance, it's your fault.
Ouch! I was going to ask the same thing CountBuggula did. :sigh:

I'm glad I'm not the only one!  There's plenty of games that have features such as this - Battlefield 1942 comes to mind.  It's useful for realism servers and such - it allows people to play competitively using realistic settings without being at a disadvantage.
« Last Edit: November 01, 2010, 03:49:27 pm by CountBuggula »

 
Depends on version, Z-95 Headhunter may have X-W style canopy or a newer bubble canopy.
As long as the cockpit matches whatever version of the craft is in the game. :)

That feature isn't necessary. If you prefer graphics over gameplay, and it affects your multiplayer performance, it's your fault.
Ouch! I was going to ask the same thing CountBuggula did. :sigh:

I'm glad I'm not the only one!  There's plenty of games that have features such as this - Battlefield 1942 comes to mind.  It's useful for realism servers and such - it allows people to play competitively using realistic settings without being at a disadvantage.
Same here. ;) I say the more authentic the better. lol The only disadvantages that would exist with cockpits forced on would be inherent to the design of the ship (which, the sensors and targeting systems somewhat compensate for). So I can see where TopAce is coming from, but it would still be great if we were given the option to force cockpits on when hosting.

That reminds me, will we have the ability to free-look while in cockpit view? I don't recall if that was ever discussed.
« Last Edit: November 01, 2010, 05:03:50 pm by Vector Leader »
Chance favors the prepared mind.

 
Depends on version, Z-95 Headhunter may have X-W style canopy or a newer bubble canopy.
As long as the cockpit matches whatever version of the craft is in the game. :)

That feature isn't necessary. If you prefer graphics over gameplay, and it affects your multiplayer performance, it's your fault.
Ouch! I was going to ask the same thing CountBuggula did. :sigh:

I'm glad I'm not the only one!  There's plenty of games that have features such as this - Battlefield 1942 comes to mind.  It's useful for realism servers and such - it allows people to play competitively using realistic settings without being at a disadvantage.
Same here. ;) I say the more authentic the better. lol The only disadvantages that would exist with cockpits forced on would be inherent to the design of the ship (which, the sensors and such somewhat compensate for). So I can see where TopAce is coming from, but it would still be nice if we were given the option.

That reminds me, will we have the ability to free-look while in cockpit view? I don't recall if that was ever mentioned.

From what I remember, FS2 supports head-tracking through the likes of FreeTrack, so you should be able to.

And yes, much of the disadvantage depends greatly on which craft you're flying.  The Y-Wing, for example, is FAR more restrictive than an A-Wing visually.  Those kinds of differences could have drastic and interesting effects on gameplay (and tactics) but only if there's a server-side option to force users to use them.  Why use tactics to attack a craft in its blind spot when the enemy can just turn it off?

This may be getting beyond what FS2 can handle, but it also could open the door to things like sensor jamming, which was alluded to several times in the movies (and EU sources saying is included as a package in the A-Wing).  "Pick up your visual scanning!"
« Last Edit: November 01, 2010, 05:14:18 pm by CountBuggula »

 
From what I remember, FS2 supports head-tracking through the likes of FreeTrack, so you should be able to.
Suh-weet! :pimp:

And yes, much of the disadvantage depends greatly on which craft you're flying.  The Y-Wing, for example, is FAR more restrictive than an A-Wing visually.  Those kinds of differences could have drastic and interesting effects on gameplay (and tactics) but only if there's a server-side option to force users to use them.  Why use tactics to attack a craft in its blind spot when the enemy can just turn it off?

This may be getting beyond what FS2 can handle, but it also could open the door to things like sensor jamming, which was alluded to several times in the movies (and EU sources saying is included as a package in the A-Wing).  "Pick up your visual scanning!"
Indeed. However, with the sensor and targeting systems each craft is equipped with, I don't believe it'll have as big of a detrimental impact in allowing someone to get the drop on a player as one might first think. In any case, it would be more realistic and optional. So I'm totally with you on it. :cool:

I don't believe jamming is something that's possible in FS2. I vaguely remember a discussion about it, but yeah, that would be awesome to include as it's definitely part of Star Wars lore.
« Last Edit: November 01, 2010, 05:29:10 pm by Vector Leader »
Chance favors the prepared mind.

 

Offline MR_T3D

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maybe you could do jamming, just have to be a little creative:
disable things like 'next player' keybinds, and make a countermease that creates targetable ships with the same name as the type of ship you are, which looks like the ship to the scanner, but is actually a tiny and very low poly model of the ship, and is tagged as hostile.
then the player has to actually see their target to tell if its a real positive, but once locked on, your locked on.
*this would also need to have targeting not by flight but by the ship name.

 

Offline Mongoose

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I just want to know if the X-Wing cockpit will have that weird-shaped glowing display thing that seemed to serve no purpose. :p

 

Offline Angelus

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I just want to know if the X-Wing cockpit will have that weird-shaped glowing display thing that seemed to serve no purpose. :p

of course it should. It's canon, thus it has to be in.
And how do you know, that it didn't serve any purpose?  :P

 

Offline swashmebuckle

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It's probably just the radar's screen saver, seeing as there's too much jamming for them to get much use out of their scopes at Yavin.  I'm sure they would have the rebel crest bouncing around the screen if it weren't distracting for the pilots.  Or pong.

 

Offline General Battuta

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It's probably just the radar's screen saver, seeing as there's too much jamming for them to get much use out of their scopes at Yavin.  I'm sure they would have the rebel crest bouncing around the screen if it weren't distracting for the pilots.  Or pong.

this is what happened to porkins

 

Offline Mongoose

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Poor Porkins :(

 

Offline swashmebuckle

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might have also exceeded the vehicle's useful load though; historians are split on this point

 

Offline General Battuta

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I still want to play Deep Fat Fryer: An X-Wing and a Prayer

contend with the nachos under your ejection seat; keep the grease off the stick

 

Offline swashmebuckle

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Sorry Brand I did some research and turns out our X-wing is too skinny:

 
Stay on target.
Did you hear that fellas? She says I have a Meritorious Unit.

 

Offline Herra Tohtori

  • The Academic
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Sorry Brand I did some research and turns out our X-wing is too skinny:


You mean that... the proportions are wrong?



No.... no! That's not true! That's impossible!
There are three things that last forever: Abort, Retry, Fail - and the greatest of these is Fail.

 

Offline MR_T3D

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actually, porkins can arrange his fat to fit, so no worries, really.

 

Offline Thaeris

  • Can take his lumps
  • 211
  • Away in Limbo
actually, porkins can arrange his fat to fit, so no worries, really.

And if he shifts it right, he can even use it to operate the side consoles!

 :P
"trolls are clearly social rejects and therefore should be isolated from society, or perhaps impaled."

-Nuke



"Look on the bright side, how many release dates have been given for Doomsday, and it still isn't out yet.

It's the Duke Nukem Forever of prophecies..."


"Jesus saves.

Everyone else takes normal damage.
"

-Flipside

"pirating software is a lesser evil than stealing but its still evil. but since i pride myself for being evil, almost anything is fair game."


"i never understood why women get the creeps so ****ing easily. i mean most serial killers act perfectly normal, until they kill you."


-Nuke

 

Offline Mongoose

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