When and If Orbiter gets Multiplayer, What would you like to do or be able to do?

[Pyromaniac605]

I'd like to

• Be able to share a ship eg. 3 people in Apollo CSM at the same time
• Be able to walk around inside ships/stations eg. floating around in ISS
• Ditch my friend in a decaying orbit around Jupiter :thumbup:
• Create a Space Station with a group of people each representing a different country (ISS 2.0 anyone?)

Darren

 

[shangding]

MMO-SPACE-FLIGHT-SIM
CAN CREATE A COMPANY,LIKE FSPASSENGER.
LIKE RACING.
SEE WHO CAN DOCK TO ISS OR OTHER STATION FIRST!
CAN BUILDING A ROCKET MANUAL AND SELECT DIFFERENT PAYLOAD!

 

[johan]

Commerce. Buying, selling, transporting goods and people to & from different bases.

 

[jedidia]

teh sh00terz!!!!

Nah, just kidding. I'd probably barely play an Orbiter Multiplayer, because I barely ever play ANY multiplayer games. I like to play alone, since I was a kid.

 

[orb]

I'd like to be able to switch it to single player mode.

 

[shangding]

I'd like to be able to switch it to single player mode.

:thumbup:

 

[Pyromaniac605]

Commerce. Buying, selling, transporting goods and people to & from different bases.

Thats a good idea you could be like a resupply ship/taxi.:lol:

Darren

 

[garyw]

I'll agree with Orb. Everything that people have suggested that Multiplayer would bring has either already been implemented in Orbiter or via a programme like OFSS or is better off in something like eve and not orbiter.

Having a persistent Orbiter world would cause problems with time acceleration so you'd need something like warp drive MFD. This means you'd be better of with Eve Online.

Sharing a flight means getting several people together at the same time, possibly in different time zones, to fly a mission. It's hard enough to get people together to fly missions for programmes like OFSS and OFMM yet you think you can get an entire crew together for a flight?

Multiplayer does exist for those willing to speed sometime setting up the environment. The last time this was done it collapsed due to a lack of interest. If the majority of respondents to this thread are in favour of multiplayer maybe one of you could host a new multiplayer server and see if the interest is there now?

 

[Pyromaniac605]

I'll agree with Orb. Everything that people have suggested that Multiplayer would bring has either already been implemented in Orbiter or via a programme like OFSS or is better off in something like eve and not orbiter.

Having a persistent Orbiter world would cause problems with time acceleration so you'd need something like warp drive MFD. This means you'd be better of with Eve Online.

Sharing a flight means getting several people together at the same time, possibly in different time zones, to fly a mission. It's hard enough to get people together to fly missions for programmes like OFSS and OFMM yet you think you can get an entire crew together for a flight?

Multiplayer does exist for those willing to speed sometime setting up the environment. The last time this was done it collapsed due to a lack of interest. If the majority of respondents to this thread are in favour of multiplayer maybe one of you could host a new multiplayer server and see if the interest is there now?

So there is a way? How? I just want to know so me and my bro can fly around over LAN or something.

Darren

 

[garyw]

So there is a way?

A few seconds with the search gave me this:

http://www.orbiter-forum.com/forumdisplay.php?f=45

 

[Pyromaniac605]

I thought that wasn't being developed anymore. Is it compatible with 2010?

Darren

Edit: That doesn't work I try to enable the module then Orbiter just closes.

 

[simcosmos]

( . . . )

Sharing a flight means getting several people together at the same time, possibly in different time zones, to fly a mission. It's hard enough to get people together to fly missions for programmes like OFSS and OFMM yet you think you can get an entire crew together for a flight?

Multiplayer does exist for those willing to speed sometime setting up the environment. The last time this was done it collapsed due to a lack of interest.

( . . . )

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Gary, written like that it almost seems something impossible to do (I mean, the part about gathering a few orbinauts to share some kind of multiplayer session) . [/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]From my own past experience I would say that it is something feasible, even considering multiple time zones: of course that - and in this I agree with you - it greatly helps to have some kind of previously discussed structure and/or flight plan (+ configured tool(s)) for that session, in order to give a bit more purpose / mission objectives to all participants (and such planning / preparation phase is part of the overall fun too).[/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]My past 'Orbiter Multiplayer' experience is based on custom 'multiplayer' missions (with feature(s) which were also later used by SimNASA, such as 'LivePics' setup... have also participated in a number of SimNASA interesting missions preparations / launches / 'flying' / virtual mission control role and, other times, simply following / checking 'current mission status', in a more passive way = mostly during cruise phases, missions which were done in real time!) some of them done when there wasn't much else beyond IRC MFD (at that time, Face's multiplayer - which I have also tried a little on its early days - was not on active development yet!): I simply used sometimes IRC MFD (if very few participants and for very specific mission profiles) but, most times (99%), used a combination of something more 'primitive': Virtual Mission Control + Communication Software (Voice / Chat) + Transmission of Live Video or Live Pictures. Even with such archaic approach to multiplayer, had participants that were able to actively assume a role (using Virtual Mission Control Remote Command interface) on procedures such as orbital changes and also some part of final approach and docking procedures (even with just using visual feedback of LivePics with 10s interval between automatic page refresh!... Live Video was also used sometimes but it was more restricted / dependent of number of participants - due to bandwidth - back on those days... I didn't have broadband and there weren't some of the Internet live video features / sites that currently exist!).[/FONT]




[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]On my humble opinion, the existence (or lack) of participants greatly depends, of course, of personal motivation but also of having some kind of basic mission objectives: what I will write next isn't really comparable but, from the times when I was using Flight Simulator (2002), I was an active member of a small virtual aeroclub where we liked to 'fly low and slow' (mostly on Fridays or Saturdays, depending of time zones, it could sometimes be afternoon or night for the participants, the schedules were rotated so that flights didn't take place always at night or always at afternoon or always at morning for the same participants): there weren't rigid flight plans neither ATC (part of the fun of flying low and slow was to see the landscape, try some formation flight and also some specific challenges) although, during the week, there was a little of discussion (on a forum) about where to fly next weekend and, more to the end of the week, about a basic flight plan (other times we were a bit more creative and even landed the aircraft and then continued using... cars... boats... motorcycles...)[/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]All this to say that something 'similar' (in terms of generic preparation methods and inventive mission profiles) could, in theory, be done with Orbiter... even EVA): from that perspective, an easier to use / 'built-in' default multiplayer feature on Orbiter could greatly help... In the lack of such default feature, there are a number of approaches, from the most archaic ones to something slightly more elaborated, all with a given set of advantages / disadvantages. On top of that, a little of standardization of the way mission objectives and 'flight plans' are discussed and prepared could also help (as well, for some cases, having a common Orbiter / Addon setup).
[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]
[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]As a side note, another thing that I haven't yet tried and which could be fun – although not sure if it is functional and at least working on Orbiter 2006P1 (probably not working on Orbiter2010) – was a multiplayer session with Radu's good old LCX-59 Rocket (if remembering well, the rocket / spacecraft had a built-in co-pilot feature, would have to re-check old documentation).[/FONT]


Happy flying
(alone or with other people ),

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]António

EDIT: from waybackmachine, Radu's page, displaying LCX-59 and other goodies of that time
(cached, not sure if there is an updated link):
http://web.archive.org/web/20060215040008/http://217.10.196.198/Orbiter/main.html

[/FONT]

 

[T.Neo]

Everything that people have suggested that Multiplayer would bring has either already been implemented in Orbiter or via a programme like OFSS or is better off in something like eve and not orbiter.

You see... that's the problem. Orbiter has real physics, but the ships fly through eachother, and the planets are flat, and the people have to be simulated as spaceships... etc. Games like EVE have all that, but their spaceships fly like fighter jets.

Now, I'm not saying that Orbiter should become EVE, or EVE should become Orbiter, or that I would even find an Orbiter Multiplayer fun to use, but the idea of a software/game/simulator that bridges the gap between Orbiter and less realistic but more dynamic games is an interesting one to ponder.

 

[squeaky024]

Well here's the thing, just look at FSX which you all know is a flight simulator, and there are plenty of people flying around on multiplayer. In orbiter you can have the same thing, just a couple of friends with a common interest flying around in space. Since the time warp is such an issue why not have an admin control time and players can request a time warp, if someone doesn't want to warp they have the ability to stop the time warp. This way we wont have to worry about creating some complex time warp code with each player in their own time and having to "sync" with other players time and so on, and it would remove the problem of planets being in different positions.

 

[Talon1]

Well, there one key difference with EVE and Orbiter: Orbiter is free, EVE you have to play a monthly.

 

[Moach]

Orbiter is a sim, EVE is, well... a full-time job that you must pay to do? :rofl:


as for MP... it has been discussed before, and i have trouble imagining how one single project could account for so many different requirements.... i mean, you can't possibly have an all-in-one multiplayer solution....

if you'd wanna share a vessel (pilot/co-pilot), then that would be ONE type of MP.... if you'd fancy more having a mission control setup - that's a whole different project altogether.... if you'd go for MMO-style, is something else entirely

and in each case, there are infintely varying manners to solve problems regarding time acceleration and sync.... just as well as for designing the connection scheme... you'd need a master server for MMO, as for "shared cockpit", you could go P2P....


sorry if i dissapoint, but you probably won't ever see everyone flying together in a single "game room" that pleases all... everyone seems to have a differernt idea of how MP would play out in Orbiter, which is just fine IMO - ain't the whole point of simulators being able to do whatever the hell you want?

 

[Urwumpe]

I think it would be possible to produce a cooperative multiplayer mode with multiple players controlling one vessel, by the vessel alone... there are some tricky problems for this, but not as tough problems as multiple vessels.

 

[Moach]

well, i reckon everything is possible, really.... now, everything TOGETHER - not so much :hmm:

 

[garyw]

Well here's the thing, just look at FSX which you all know is a flight simulator, and there are plenty of people flying around on multiplayer. In orbiter you can have the same thing, just a couple of friends with a common interest flying around in space. Since the time warp is such an issue why not have an admin control time and players can request a time warp, if someone doesn't want to warp they have the ability to stop the time warp. This way we wont have to worry about creating some complex time warp code with each player in their own time and having to "sync" with other players time and so on, and it would remove the problem of planets being in different positions.

How would that work when I keep refusing timewarp for over two hours during a final orbit and entry? I think people would soon get fed up. These ideas have been discussed many, many times and to date there isn't a workable solution.

If people have ideas, want to get OMP working fully then the source code can be made available. To date Face has had a lot of issues with people saying want they want but unable to assist with the coding. Maybe someone on this thread can fix that?

 

[MikeB]

Disclaimer: I have no idea what I'm talking about.

I can imagine a sort of chat facility being somewhat interesting, with audio and video for those who want to use it. Imagine that whenever you have the "ChatMFD" active, you are given a list of orbinauts/ships and their distance (or light-time) from you. They don't have to be at the same MJD as you, just "in the neighborhood". You can hail one (or more) and exchange pleasantries, technical details, opinions on nearby watering holes, etc. Maybe you can show your face (especially if you have a costume or simpit), or speak in real-time (if not too time-lagged).

This isn't quite multi-player, since there isn't any play, but it might add a social dimension currently lacking, for those who want it. Eliminating the time-sync requirement makes the implementation nearly as simple as an IRC chat. Of course, people might be talking about two planets near to themselves, when each is only near to one orbinaut, depending on their MJDs. That shouldn't adversely affect social interaction.

Building on this capability, the ability to sync the MJD and other aspects of a scenario among two (or more) ships could enable orbinauts to fly cooperative (or competitive) missions in a common world, such as maneuvering near the ISS together.

These two steps toward multi-player are a far cry from what some have proposed, but the "real world" (even in simulation) will always constrain what we can do. I don't think either of these capabilities would require much in the way of a central server, other than maintaining a list of who's online and where in the universe they are. The rest would probably be peer-to-peer.

Does this make any sense? Appeal to anyone?