Request Long March rockets

[Submariner]

Is this addon dead? I recently became interested in the Chinese Space Program and came here looking for any addons or models that were available. The work so far on the CZ-5 and launch site is awesome! What happened?

 

[N_Molson]

Well, I'm currently on a game project (see my sig below). It is quite intense. The release is in sight though, so there is hope for resuming Orbiter projects in a foreseeable future. Especially if the game does well, it will provide me more free time I still have the files, no worries about that.

 

[Submariner]

Well, I'm currently on a game project (see my sig below). It is quite intense. The release is in sight though, so there is hope for resuming Orbiter projects in a foreseeable future. Especially if the game does well, it will provide me more free time I still have the files, no worries about that.

Thank you! I am very interested in the mesh and textures for the CZ-5B, could make a multistage 2015 version for the Chinese Space Program I am building. I still use Orbiter 2010, due to having so much time invested in UMMU and UCGO. In any case, it's been great to follow your wonderful creation, I wish you the best and look forward to any future releases!

 

[N_Molson]

This is one of the things that didn't really pushed me to finish these addons though. We really need to get that UMMU/UGCO situation sorted, and ASAP, having people using the 2010 version just because of that is quite insane (and if I make an addon, I don't want to see it redistributed as a jury-rigged 2010 version). We need a replacement for these addons. But for that we need someone who is really quite at ease with C++ (and is willing to learn the Orbiter API).

 

[Urwumpe]

This is one of the things that didn't really pushed me to finish these addons though. We really need to get that UMMU/UGCO situation sorted, and ASAP, having people using the 2010 version just because of that is quite insane (and if I make an addon, I don't want to see it redistributed as a jury-rigged 2010 version). We need a replacement for these addons. But for that we need someone who is really quite at ease with C++ (and is willing to learn the Orbiter API).

Actually, we already have a comparable replacement with UACS for Orbiter 2024.

Project Thread 'Universal Astronaut and Cargo System (UACS)'

Jul 17, 2022

Universal Astronaut and Cargo System (UACS) is a free, open-source astronaut and cargo management system for the Orbiter space simulator. It provides a rich API for add-on developers to support UACS in their creations.

Download from GitHub repository: https://github.com/abdullah-radwan/UACS

It's currently in alpha state. It lacks documents, but I am working on these now. I am looking for testing and feedback on the API. The API is documented.

To get started, download from the releases section and open the Moon base scenario. Navigate the astronaut using the Numpad keys. ShuttlePB...

• Abdullah Radwan

• 
• 

GitHub - abdullah-radwan/UACS: Astronaut and cargo management system for Orbiter space simulator.

Astronaut and cargo management system for Orbiter space simulator. - abdullah-radwan/UACS

github.com

 

[N_Molson]

Is the dev still around ? That's another condition, so to be perfectly clear we need :

• Someone at ease with C++
• Someone willing to learn the Orbiter API
• Someone that accepts to work for free
• Someone that can follow the project over the years

 

[Urwumpe]

I am already pressed (gently) into service of another project.

 

[N_Molson]

Yes, but this one is the kind of that can keep the sim alive, just saying. Now if I can provide any kind of assistance, I'm your man (I'm quite a 'man-orchestra', I can provide testing, Q/A, sound effects, design, 3D models... but lack the in-depht understanding of the C++ language). Because I think that this one is quite a 'meta-addon', much more important than any kind of launcher or spacecraft.

For Space Station Designer we (as Polar Motion, a small team of 3) use a Trello board. We make tickets, solve them and it works really well.

 

[Urwumpe]

There are many things to "keep the sim" alive and I suspect, none of them is actually of technical nature. Add-on developers retire. Thats it. New ones follow. That also happens. We just have too few Orbiter 2024 players that could evolve into Orbiter 2024 add-on developers, because too many people stick to 2016 for sometimes the most trivial reasons. Despite the MANY advantages of the new version. What we really lack, is people who fly. Now, interpret this as a hen and egg problem. I understand this. But I think we need to promote Orbiter 2024 in first place so that people trust it, use it and develop for it.

I currently look for a good way to develop for both 2016 and 2024 because of a project, which creates a situation for me, that, IMHO, absolutely sucks. Supporting the older version makes everything more complicated, because I can't use a feature build into 2024 and can't use an add-on that only exists for 2016 (or worse). Its a source of frustration. And I sense that this situation also exists for the players.

Subjectively, I would develop for 2024 only. Who cares anyway?

 

[misha.physics]

Subjectively, I would develop for 2024 only.

Me too.

 

[N_Molson]

I think that at least several people of goodwill in that case, yes. I'm amongst them. And I think we care (else we admit that the project is dead).

 

[gattispilot]

I have worked some Shuttle things in 2024. For me it is the space on my PC for the different versions......

 

[N_Molson]

I have worked some Shuttle things in 2024. For me it is the space on my PC for the different versions......

Yeah. But the thing to consider, too, is that the number of Orbiter users is somewhat limited nowadays. And that the number of users usually drives the need (or at least strongly impacts) for the development of a new version. And improvements and new features to the sim won't come from 2016 or 2010 versions.

 

[Urwumpe]

Yeah. But the thing to consider, too, is that the number of Orbiter users is somewhat limited nowadays. And that the number of users usually drives the need (or at least strongly impacts) for the development of a new version. And improvements and new features to the sim won't come from 2016 or 2010 versions.

One reason more to give the new version a chance.

Also, if we promote Orbiter better, we can have a lot of new players, the niche is there for us to claim:

• KSP is likely also not seeing any new updates or DLCs. The last update was 4 years ago. I am not sure if KSP was Unity based, but it did not appear in the long list of games patched last month because of a security issue in Unity.
• I am not sure what to make of Kitten Space Agency (KSA) yet, but it might become a major competitor for us. RocketWerkz at least knows to make good spacethemed games, like Stationeers. Also its "far future planned features" overlap a lot with Orbiter.
• Reentry is limited to Earth and Moon for now, is stuck in the 1960s of the US and doesn't like freedom.
• Flightgear only has the Space Shuttle currently (but JSBSim could support more spacecraft) and only has Earth.

I think, we should start playing out Orbiters strengths compared to the competition. One strength is that its still in active development. Another that we have a full solar system and can even support more.

Also I think we should create more interoperable, simplified add-ons that could be used to build a common, large, open world for Orbiter that can easily be configured to the likes of the players. Even with multiplayer. Maybe even gamify it a bit.

Orbiter could also be used better by far for teaching than KSP, since it is free, open-source and quite adaptable. We just need more teaching materials made by teachers, that can be used with Orbiter. We could even make a "Orbiter4Schools" distribution, that bundles everything. I think this option of creating different distributions for different target groups can be a quite powerful advantage for Orbiter, but could lead to fragmentation of the community. We shouldn't overdo it.

 

[N_Molson]

Actually the thing that prevents me from 'flying' in Orbiter 2024 is that I can't use my Thrustmaster HOTAS + Rudder set. Because once you've got there, controlling spacecraft with keyboard...

 

[Urwumpe]

Actually the thing that prevents me from 'flying' in Orbiter 2024 is that I can't use my Thrustmaster HOTAS + Rudder set. Because once you've got there, controlling spacecraft with keyboard...

Well, the problem is known, its just sad that it isn't yet at least fixed by a hotfix, while waiting for the perfect solution. I would also like to use my gamepad, which currently isn't identified.

 

[Buck Rogers]

We really need to get that UMMU/UGCO situation sorted

UACS is a fully functional, very detailed, open source, current equivelant for UMMU/UCGO. There's sadly rather the lack of developers to implement it. A lot of work went into it, I'm sure it would be appreciated if more addons used it. AFAIK only Gattis and I have released anything with UACS?

 

[N_Molson]

UACS is a fully functional, very detailed, open source, current equivelant for UMMU/UCGO. There's sadly rather the lack of developers to implement it. A lot of work went into it, I'm sure it would be appreciated if more addons used it. AFAIK only Gattis and I have released anything with UACS?

Ah OK, if that's open source it is a different deal. Has someone recorded a playthrough featuring it ?

 

[gattispilot]

Unfortunately the guy who made UACS has left us, hopefully he will come back. I had question on coding. I wanted it to be like UMMU

 

[Buck Rogers]

Ah OK, if that's open source it is a different deal. Has someone recorded a playthrough featuring it ?

@Abdullah Radwan put a lot of effort into the documentation. Official release here. Breathing spaces and Astronauts can be done without coding, but the same as UMMU/UGCO vessels do.

Unfortunately the guy who made UACS has left us, hopefully he will come back. I had question on coding. I wanted it to be like UMMU

Orbinauts have good longevity! As it's open source changes, fixes can be made.

@N_Molson Would be nice to see more representation of the Chinese Space Program in Orbiter, With luck (fingers crossed for @Matias Saibene!) Multistage will be O24 compatible, which at least gets the LV covered.
Wishing you motivation for your projects.