New Release XR2 Ravenstar 1.0 / XR1 1.5 / XR5 Vanguard 1.2 Released

[AstroCam]

Hmm, 'crush depth' and external air temp sound like good ideas to put in.

Maybe adding an EMER COOL button to the XR2 panel somewhere - lowers the hull exterior temp a bit, and significantly lowers the interior temp. Of course, since this would be LN2 or Main fuel (if cryogenic) going through cooling channels, the EMER button should only be allowed to run 2 or 3 times per flight.

As for more APU fuel/lox, you could just use sputniks velcro rockets add-on. Add a non removable drop tank to the XR2, and use your common sense as to its dimensions, weight etc. It would just be a matter of finding what propellant resource is what.

If you wanna look far into the future, a XR-# ship could reroute the cram intakes to siphon LOX and fuel out of a planets atmosphere. This is of course when orbiter can support atmospheric compositon. 2009 Edition anyone? (BTW, when is orbiter 2008 coming out?)

 

[Cairan]

If you wanna look far into the future, a XR-# ship could reroute the cram intakes to siphon LOX and fuel out of a planets atmosphere. This is of course when orbiter can support atmospheric compositon. 2009 Edition anyone? (BTW, when is orbiter 2008 coming out?)

Yeah that would be a must sooner or later...

 

[James.Denholm]

Actually, what you are seeing is normal: that occurs simply because the simulation is paused before the first frame is rendered by the XR2 code, and therefore the code did not have a chance to vary the heating mesh yet. Each frame the XR2 code varies the transparency of the heating mesh (or hides it entirely). When the model is first loaded, however, all meshes are initialized normally and so the heating mesh is fully opaque. As soon as the first frame is rendered, however, the heating mesh is hidden.

Oh, ok. :speakcool:

BTW, thanks for the speedy reply!

- By default, an XR-1, XR-2 and XR-5 should have only the pilot and copilot in the cabin instead of a full complement. It's really sad to have to leave a pile of people on the runway... But that's just me.

Easy solution: Fly up, bail them out, inhibit their parachutes. Then, you don't have a choice but to leave them on the runway. :lol:

 

[dbeachy1]

- By default, an XR-1, XR-2 and XR-5 should have only the pilot and copilot in the cabin instead of a full complement. It's really sad to have to leave a pile of people on the runway... But that's just me.

An easier way is to simply edit your scenario file and remove any passengers you don't want. For example, you can change this:

  UMMUCREW XI0-Lee_Nash-39-65-78
  UMMUCREW XI1-Kara_Miller-32-65-58
  UMMUCREW XI2-Sharon_Valerii-26-67-54
  UMMUCREW XI3-Cameron_Mitchell-36-65-77
  UMMUCREW XI4-Samantha_Carter-33-66-53
  UMMUCREW XI5-Daniel_Jackson-35-68-75
  UMMUCREW XI6-Teal_c-31-64-104
  UMMUCREW XI7-Vala_Mal_Doran-30-67-53
  UMMUCREW XI8-Elizabeth_Weir-36-68-56
  UMMUCREW XI9-John_Sheppard-34-64-77
  UMMUCREW XI10-Rodney_McKay-35-72-90
  UMMUCREW XI11-Teyla_Emmagan-27-68-57
  UMMUCREW XI12-Ronon_Dex-32-63-97
  UMMUCREW XI13-Carson_Beckett-38-74-95

...to this:

  UMMUCREW XI0-Lee_Nash-39-65-78
  UMMUCREW XI1-Kara_Miller-32-65-58

-----Posted Added-----


The new XR1 1.5 and XR5 1.2 versions have been released. Most of the changes in these releases are already present in the XR2 since all three ships share a common codebase. Changes since the previous XR1 and XR5 include:

* Use new heating algorithm currently in the XR2.

* Fixed CTD if particle streams disabled in the Orbiter launchpad.

* Improved glide performance on the XR1.

* Updated VC HUD in the XR1 so it does not clip status messages.

* Fixed bug where APU fuel does not burn if the crew is incapacitated or dead.

* Added new config setting to optionally disable ship control if the pilot and copilot are not on board, incapacitated, or dead.

* Added 'Bay Doors' indicator to the XR5 HUD.

* Added keyboard shortcuts for engine gimbaling.

* Added config parameters to enable/disable each different type of voice callout.

* Added config parameter to set overall voice callout volume.

* Added code to prevent docking if the nosecone/docking doors are closed.

* Added turbopack support (deploy/stow) on the lower panel.

* Cosmetic: external resupply line pressures decrease rapidly when the lines are disconnected rather than dropping instantly to zero.

* Added code to not allow the APU to auto-disengege on a vessel switch if it is engaged by Attitude Hold.

* Added the new Altea Aerospace logo from Steve to 2D panels and the exterior hull.

* Added code to automatically vary the Vr and V1 takeoff callouts based on ship and payload mass.

* Moved XR5's Payload manager hotkey from ALT-P to ALT-B to make room for SCRAM gimbal hotkeys.

* Tweaked main, hover, and RCS jet exhaust sizes on the XR5.

* Fixed SCRAM gimbal arrow on lower panel vanishing at the bottom of the gauge.

* An updated flight manual that covers all three ships.

When installing, it is OK to overwrite your existing XR Flight Manual and XRPayload.cfg files from the XR2 release since the files are identical. Also, it is OK to install the new versions over top of your existing XR1 and XR5 installation, if any. You can get the updated XR1 and XR5 on my Web page.

Happy flying!

 

[Cairan]

An easier way is to simply edit your scenario file and remove any passengers you don't want. For example, you can change this:
(snip)
Happy flying!

Actually I was referring to the state of the vessels when we create them from the Scenario Editor. Since we don't have the option of editing how many passengers we have on board from this interface, you are right it can be done in Notepad. It's just that it involves quits and restarts which I am no fan of, but as I said, that's just my opinion.

Thanks for the work you've done.

 

[dbeachy1]

In that case you can edit the passenger settings in the XR vessel's config file and comment out (i.e., prepend '#' to each line) each passenger setting except the first two:

#--------------------------------------------------------------------------
# Define the default name, age, pulse, mass, rank, and mesh of all crew members.  
# If a scenario does not contain UMmu data for passengers, the values below are used.
#
<...snip...>
 
[PASSENGER0]
Name=Lee Nash
Age=39
Pulse=65
Mass=78
Rank=Commander
Mesh=XR2RavenstarLee
 
[PASSENGER1]
Name=Kara Miller
Age=32
Pulse=65
Mass=58
Rank=Pilot
Mesh=XR2RavenstarKara

If no passenger data is present in the scenario file or if you dynamically create a vessel via the scenario editor the baseline passenger settings in the preference file are used instead.

 

[MeDiCS]

Hi,
I've noticed that a new version of the XR5 is out . It's my favourite ship, and I'm currently building a custom space station using this incredible masterpiece! I'd also like to update my XR5, but I'd have to download everything all over, witch is very hard using my crappy internet connection ...
Is there (or there will have) a simple patch? This would certainly resolve my problem.

 

[dbeachy1]

Unfortunately a patch wouldn't do much good since most of the size is due to the new DLL (42 MB), flight manual (8.5 MB), and hull textures (4 MB). What you can do, however, is download the 2-MB RAR pieces one-at-a-time and then install it that way. Or you could download it from an Internet Cafe and then dump it onto a USB flash drive.

 

[MeDiCS]

I think I'll stick with the Cafe idea...

By the way, is there any plans to make all XR vessels destructible?

 

[Woo482]

they all are do a realy fast reentry with the xr1 or xr5 and they will fail

 

[MeDiCS]

I don't mean 'fail', but destroyed, like the DGIV.

 

[James.Denholm]

I don't think that's been implemented... from my incredibly limited knowledge of how orbiter works with ships and so on, I think that when the DGIV is destroyed, it actually makes tonnes of new vessels and deletes the old one... That can't have been easy for Dan to code in. Besides, there's a certain... awesomeness, I suppose, to being able to see exactly what happened that caused your XR vessel to blow-up, crash, etc. There's no big red text telling you "Hull breach at 1000 m/s! You and the crew are DEAD!" in the DGIV!

 

[Cairan]

In that case you can edit the passenger settings in the XR vessel's config file and comment out (i.e., prepend '#' to each line) each passenger setting except the first two:

If no passenger data is present in the scenario file or if you dynamically create a vessel via the scenario editor the baseline passenger settings in the preference file are used instead.

Great! I didn't dig much in the config files but that's sweet to answer my issue on this with this info!

 

[Frogisis]

Jumping in a little late here (I have dialup and had to go to the library for the download) but oh. My. God. The XR-2 is truly a beautiful ship. This baby has planetary orbits -locked down-. Thanks a million to all the talented people who worked on this.

Now it only needs some kind of interplanetary carrier ship to do it justice, and give me free run of the solar system in style. I did a repaint of the Cosmos, but no, this needs something special.

 

[Cairan]

Got a followup on the passenger count by default matter... I did comment out all but the first 2 passengers (0 and 1), but now they (DG-2 and 5) get created with a bunch of nameless civilians, up to full capacity.

There's really something hardcoded in there that just won't give up on having a full complement or I am missing something here?

 

[dbeachy1]

Hmm...I'll have to look into that -- I suspect it is creating a full complement all the time. This will be fixed in the next maintenance release.

 

[SilvaHeed]

Now it only needs some kind of interplanetary carrier ship to do it justice, and give me free run of the solar system in style. I did a repaint of the Cosmos, but no, this needs something special.

I also love this ship, and I had a need to show it to the Solar System.

I used Vespucci, as this is a snazzy cruise liner of a ship. The only problem I had was that the docking ports on Vespucci are too close to the bodywork, so when the XR2 was docked, it's belly went below the hull of Vespucci.
The solution I found was thanks to Well's PMA module from Mustard's website http://orbiter.mustard-fr.com/addons/pma.php

With a little adjustment in the z-axis of the 1st docking port in the cfg file (PMA had a very small gap showing between itself and Vespucci's dock), it ws the perfect adaptor for taking a few XR2s on a jaunt around the Solar System :speakcool:


One question I have about XR2. My passenger seats are empty. My passenger list is full but they're not rendered in-ship. Is this to save on poly-count? (it already taxes my poor card). I like to change view occasionally and sit in the passenger deck and gaze out of the portholes, but it would be nice to have a little company back there.

 

[TSPenguin]

One question I have about XR2. My passenger seats are empty. My passenger list is full but they're not rendered in-ship. Is this to save on poly-count?

That is exactly why there is no one there...

 

[DjZielony]

I like the new Xr2. Thanks very much dbeachy1 and Coolhand! Now if only Vanguards bay would a bit wider, Xr2 would fit there! But now Xr2's wings are too big . But it don't stop me from getting XR2 in XR5 and I love it

 

[ar81]

I haven-t played Orbiter too much lately, so I just downloaded and played XR2 yesterday.
That's gorgeous!! I love it!!