Hard Light Productions Forums

Community Projects => The FreeSpace Upgrade Project => Topic started by: The E on August 12, 2009, 05:13:38 pm

Title: Strange little targeting reticule
Post by: The E on August 12, 2009, 05:13:38 pm
Ever since I started using the new mediavps, this has been showing up on my HUD:
(http://i659.photobucket.com/albums/uu320/FabianW/screen0054.jpg)
(http://i659.photobucket.com/albums/uu320/FabianW/screen0055.jpg)

What is this? Something new? Something old I have not seen before?
Title: Re: Strange little targeting reticule
Post by: Droid803 on August 12, 2009, 05:20:09 pm
You mean the faint x shape thing?
Title: Re: Strange little targeting reticule
Post by: Kolgena on August 12, 2009, 05:20:13 pm
Some are saying that it's a flight path indicator. I haven't tried it out yet, so I'm not quite sure how it works.

Can it be disabled? I dislike the concept of something like that.
Title: Re: Strange little targeting reticule
Post by: The E on August 12, 2009, 05:23:44 pm
You mean the faint x shape thing?

Yep, exactly that.
Title: Re: Strange little targeting reticule
Post by: Commander Zane on August 12, 2009, 07:11:56 pm
It doesn't disappear with Shift + O.
Bye bye screenies.
Title: Re: Strange little targeting reticule
Post by: Droid803 on August 12, 2009, 07:24:27 pm
It doesn't disappear with Shift + O.
Bye bye screenies.

Thanks for the warning. Not installing these new MVPs then.
Title: Re: Strange little targeting reticule
Post by: Commander Zane on August 12, 2009, 07:30:48 pm
I forgot to say it appears when your ship is moving foward, if you're not applying any throttle to your ship it doesn't display.
Title: Re: Strange little targeting reticule
Post by: The E on August 12, 2009, 07:35:31 pm
Yeah, but still: When and where did this show up? Where and how can I control its behaviour? What, if anything, is its purpose? The flight path indicator theory is probably correct, but what do the devs say about this?
Title: Re: Strange little targeting reticule
Post by: Qent on August 12, 2009, 08:04:49 pm
I forgot to say it appears when your ship is moving foward, if you're not applying any throttle to your ship it doesn't display.
But you actually need to slow to (practically) a stop.

Yeah, but still: When and where did this show up? Where and how can I control its behaviour? What, if anything, is its purpose? The flight path indicator theory is probably correct, but what do the devs say about this?
It looks like it's a script in MV_Effects. I got rid of it by deleting velindc-sct.tbm. I'd like it fixed for SHIFT+O though, since I think it looks kind of neat. :P
Title: Re: Strange little targeting reticule
Post by: The E on August 12, 2009, 08:10:28 pm
Ah. That explains it. Then the next question becomes: What is this doing in the MediaVPs?

Quote from: The release thread
Code: [Select]
Scripts Added: (please don't kill me, I had to!)
Flak enhancement effect (works with or without MV_Advanced)
HUD Velocity Indicator (useful if you are using a glide mod or whatnot)

It may be useful for those, but normal FS2 does not USE glide, at all. If it is distributed, it should be distributed with the glide-enabled mods, not with the mediavps, IMHO.
Title: Re: Strange little targeting reticule
Post by: Commander Zane on August 12, 2009, 08:18:33 pm
As a precursor for mods to come?
I don't think it's all that bad myself, I like seeing little reticles move about on the HUD, but not having the ability to actually selectively disable it does pose a problem for making beauty / action shots.
Title: Re: Strange little targeting reticule
Post by: The E on August 12, 2009, 08:29:01 pm
Okay, let me put it this way: This changes a tiny, yet consequential part of the gameplay, without good reason for it. It is also breaking a tiny part of another function (HUD disabling). Why was it included in a form that makes it impossible to disable it if the user wishes it?
It is, in short, a function that is not needed, and may be unwanted.
Title: Re: Strange little targeting reticule
Post by: General Battuta on August 12, 2009, 08:53:50 pm
Isn't this going to really bork up cutscenes?
Title: Re: Strange little targeting reticule
Post by: Qent on August 12, 2009, 09:01:15 pm
The Blue Planet intro seems fine, though I don't know what effect it will have on mid-mission cutscenes (when you're moving).
Title: Re: Strange little targeting reticule
Post by: Commander Zane on August 12, 2009, 09:02:35 pm
Maybe.
Found out it's actually pretty useful on chase view since the shots follow the reticle.
Or not.
Title: Re: Strange little targeting reticule
Post by: The E on August 12, 2009, 09:07:37 pm
Looking at the script, it will only trigger if the player ship is moving. This may (and I stress the "may" part) mean that, as long as you use static camera positions, you should be safe. External camera positions (ones that are not locked to the player ship) should be OK as well, but it may be that, as soon as the player ship moves, the reticle will appear.
Title: Re: Strange little targeting reticule
Post by: Rodo on August 12, 2009, 09:18:27 pm
When I saw it the first thing that came to my mind was the Track IR thing, but I guess is not that.
So velocity indicator? mmm gotta check the new vps.
Title: Re: Strange little targeting reticule
Post by: Commander Zane on August 12, 2009, 09:21:44 pm
More like trajectory indicator, since all it does is say "Your ship is actually going in this direction despite your current heading."
Title: Re: Strange little targeting reticule
Post by: Galemp on August 12, 2009, 11:05:56 pm
Okay, let me put it this way: This changes a tiny, yet consequential part of the gameplay, without good reason for it. It is also breaking a tiny part of another function (HUD disabling). Why was it included in a form that makes it impossible to disable it if the user wishes it?
It is, in short, a function that is not needed, and may be unwanted.

Seconded.

Why do these things keep happening...
Title: Re: Strange little targeting reticule
Post by: Fury on August 12, 2009, 11:07:05 pm
This needs to take whether HUD is disabled or not into account. It is at the moment appearing in some cutscenes which is really annoying. I don't have other problems with it.
Title: Re: Strange little targeting reticule
Post by: The E on August 12, 2009, 11:14:52 pm
I tried to do achieve that (by changing the hook to $On HUD Draw) but that didn't work.
Title: Re: Strange little targeting reticule
Post by: Mongoose on August 12, 2009, 11:54:02 pm
I think it's kind of a useless feature to begin with, at least for retail FS2 gameplay.  The game's flight model is non-Newtonian enough that, at least generally speaking, where one's ship is pointed is the direction in which one is traveling.  I could see it being useful for something like TBP or Diaspora, but it doesn't do much more than unnecessarily clutter up the HUD for the FS flight model.  I'm not really sure why someone thought having something like this in an always-on state was a good idea.
Title: Re: Strange little targeting reticule
Post by: Snail on August 13, 2009, 03:56:52 am
An ability to turn it off in Options or through "HUD" in the features tab of the Launcher or something would be appreciated.
Title: Re: Strange little targeting reticule
Post by: Vasudan Admiral on August 13, 2009, 07:18:19 am
Disabler file now in the release post under Known Issues.
Title: Re: Strange little targeting reticule
Post by: Nighteyes on August 13, 2009, 03:18:23 pm
I don't get what this thing does? does it fix the red target lead indicator for the chase camera? if so I'm all for it, but maybe just enabling it for that view...
Title: Re: Strange little targeting reticule
Post by: Wanderer on August 13, 2009, 03:40:03 pm
The thing shows your true flight direction on the hud as due forces (explosion blasts, collisions), dampening effects (inertia) and gliding the flight direction often deviates from the nose direction
Title: Re: Strange little targeting reticule
Post by: Nighteyes on August 14, 2009, 02:31:57 am
So basically I need to get this new indicator to line up with the red lead indicator, can be very useful for chase cam  :yes:
Title: Re: Strange little targeting reticule
Post by: FreeSpaceFreak on August 14, 2009, 02:45:35 am
It's kinda neat, but still, it should disappear when there's no HUD - either in cutscenes or Shift-O.
Title: Re: Strange little targeting reticule
Post by: Sushi on August 14, 2009, 09:26:09 am
It also shows (to my great annoyance) that the main gun reticule is off-center. This has always been true, I guess, but having a separate indicator that matches the path of my shots BETTER (assuming I'm flying straight) proves it. :)
Title: Re: Strange little targeting reticule
Post by: Qent on August 14, 2009, 10:30:02 am
The flight path indicator has nothing to do with chase cam and nothing to do with which way your guns are pointing.

I'm still trying to get the main crosshair centered.