ideas for addons and things i'd like to see in Orbiter

[Moach]

well look at that, i just found out we have a blog :lol:



so these are a few ideas that are currently taking up too much room in my head, so i figure i'd write them down before it gets too cramped up here



addon idea 1... a very very cool SSTO

well, this one is already in progress... i wish i had superhuman programming habilities, so i could code as fast as i make stuff up :lol:
anyways... patience, young padawan... we'll get there....


right...
addon idea 2 - the wonderful interplanetary stack and other cool stuff....

i'm thinking i'll call this "SPOCK"... standing for "Stack Pilot Operations 'n Construction Kit"..... in honor of a beloved Vulcan and in memory of my Girlfriend's german shepperd of the same name :tiphat:

or something similar... i'm still not happy with the backronym so far... i'm having trouble with the P specially...

oh well.... the idea is to create a series of all-compatible modules (which could be ferried aloft by a G42 shuttle) which would basically provide a comfortable cockpit for operating a stack vessel...
the idea is inspired by the VesselStackMFD, but instead of a single MFD, we'd have a dockable module which acts as a cockpit/flight deck.... so you can fly your thing wherever you wanna go....

this could be made in many forms... from an Apollo-like service module to a "ground control room" for use with probes, unmanned or "too large to have a cockpit" types

so if you can put together a stack for a long flight, you'll also be able to fly it from a really cool and immersive cockpit

another goal embedded in this idea is to devise some form of "Generic VC" for vessels that do not have one.... mostly interplanetary ones, i guess... as spaceplanes and alike would require more spacific details....

but i envision something like a "would-be flight deck" that could be conceivably realistic no matter what vessel it's "attached" to....

the VC itself would be a vessel in istelf, but with no external mesh and attached to another vessel in a somewhat parasitic manner that would allow it to tap into it's controls to create a seamless integration between the two


another idea:
the "Expanded Sol System"...
a "fun-oriented" version of this here solar system, with added planets and other fictional locations (all in a realistic fashion) mainly designed to increase the number of possibilities for space travel, while still having a "home" to go back to....

a kind-of "too much LSD" interpretation of our unearthly surroundings :lol:


of course... if Jededia manages to pull off his Galaxy thing, it would be the best for all



and last but DEFINATELY not least:

project STARPORT! - a Spore-like vessel creator addon (probably made using a separate engine) which integrates seamlessly to Orbiter and allows you to design your own ship - not just visually, but you'd get to wire up the onboard systems and create very complex and intricate setups....
then, for every system you add, controls are added to a cockpit "bin"... so you can build up your ship's flight deck by dragging them over to the panels on whatever type of cockpit you decided to place on your ship

in some form of "career mode", you'd get awarded "renoun" for your successes and "shame" for your failures - which affect your budget for building new ships and the general interest of industries which could help you in doing so...
making Orbiter into a "sim-nasa" of sorts

this is completely far-fetched... and i don't have any near-term delusions of actually being able to pull this off....

although i do own a license for the DXStudio platform, which would be perfect for doing this





and unrelated: in response to the guy who called dibs on "King of the Geek" - that's a somewhat disputed title -

i, myself have been featured on local TV as a "Spokesperson for the Geek" in an interview preceeding the Brazillian premiere of the reality show "Beauty and the Geek" (which is kinda funny, actually)... that was like two years ago - but i think it still counts


maybe we should hold an election :lol:



cheerz ppl!

happy reentries and :hail:

 

[astrosammy]

Nice ideas! For the generic virtual cockpit, you could take a look at [ame="http://www.orbithangar.com/searchid.php?ID=342"]To the Moon in 24 Hours (with panel)[/ame], wich has a vessel controling another.

 

[Moach]

will do!
thanks for the heads up!

 

[Dambuster]

Project Starport sounds especially epic!

 

[mc_]

About the idea 1: i've made a request some time ago...

Would be nice to have something like this in Orbiter (i mean with VC, UMMU, UCGO, etc, not a spacecraft3 or "quick and dirty dll" stuff). It don't mean it ought to be "hardcore realistic", something like a VTOVL DGIV is the right point of view.

Other ideas are also good enough to become something more, then "too much LSD".

bless you!

 

[River Crab]

The SkyCrane proposed for OFMM is a pretty realistic Mars VTOVL that could be modified for Earth use, provided that it doesn't go the way of the Black Dart.

Anyway, good luck with your very very cool SSTO! :hail:
Now that I look back at that XKCD, I can't help but think of ZUN:

Who is not just an awesome lone entire-game developer, he also always has a beer.

The Starport idea vaguely reminds me of Artlav's Orbiter shipyard combined with Orbiter Colinizer, but not exactly. The integration sounds extremely tough, but with new goal-oriented Orbiter "games" like Orbiter Colonizer, I wouldn't give up hope for such a thing being made.

Also- another thing to throw in the mix-
It's been mentioned that the G42 would be used for crew and light-ish cargo launches, and a large conventional rocket (I said "like Falcon XX") would be used for heavy, 100t+ lifting. What of that launcher? Ariane 6 might be good, but something more futuristic and maybe reusable might be in order. Perhaps a flyback thing like Energia 2?

I would totally vote you king of the geeks, except you were in a band, which is just too cool, in a cool, not-geeky sort of way. And I will never let go of that fact.

You're still TOO COOL FOR SCHOOL. :rofl:

 

[Izack]

If you're King of the Geeks, can I at least be the tyrant ruler of a small province of Nerds?

TOO COOL FOR SCHOOL is right! :headbang:

 

[Moach]

so "cool" i was that i got myself expelled from pre-school :embarrassed:

tho back then, no-one really knew that A.D.D. was... so they casually labeled me "bad kid" and threw me out the door... it ended up doing me a favour, in the end... those bloody nazis :lol:


then i went on to flunk the 5th grade, then the 7th, then highschool.... it was a messy time :facepalm:

then i got into college and found i was consistently amongst the top of my class, go figure - i reckon i'm living proof that interest IS, in fact, the best teacher, i guess....



what was i talking about anyways?


ah yes, the ship...

yep, i still recommend a good launcher for heavy loads... a G42 already in orbit could then use its manipulator rig to pick up that load, once it's already aloft, and orbit it back to encounter with the whatever you're assemling up there :hmm:
that would cut back on a lot of complications with making sure the load reaches its orbital destination....