Project Project Mercury

[n72.75]

Thanks - I think Thymo is correct about this being related to the config file being overwritten.

Does anyone a bit more knowledgeable about Orbiter know what might cause this file to change without explicitly being asked to?

I didn't even think an addon could ask Orbiter to do this. It definitely happens on the first launching of Orbiter after install, not when a scenario is launched. Maybe it's an Orbiter bug?

 

[BigMac]

I've updated the link in the OP with a new version that will hopefully solve a few of the bugs that have been raised so far - should be safe just to overwrite the existing files:

• Increased the stability of some of the fluids/thermo components at higher time accelerations to try and mitigate some of the issues this has caused (still wouldn't recommend more than 10x time acceleration though)
• Fixed a possible dvision by zero in the heat exchanger model when the suit fan was switched off causing some of the oxygen components to break
• Fixed a CTD when interacting with GUI/external MFD's caused by a null vishandle
• (Possibly) fixed an issue preventing the vessel state being saved correctly on simulation end - found this difficult to replicate locally so wouldn't consider it completely fixed
• Increased stability of parachute under time acceleration
• Increased antenna section drag to prevent if falling though the capsule on main chute deploy
• Removed .iobj/.pdb files that were accidentaly included along with the .dlls

Fingers crossed this should help a bit with some of the problems that have been encountered.

 

[4throck]

I was playing around with the new metalness shader for the Redstone which does seem to be a bit too reflective from some angles, however I think it probably looks a bit better than with the default shader.

Sure, it looks great most of the time I can try to tweak it using the D3D9 debugger, no worries.

There should be sound, however it is fairly subtle - the astronaut reports generally noted the sound of the booster engines to be fairly muted which is what I've tried to replicate.

I guess you succeeded because I instinctively switched to the external view expecting the rocket sound there. So it might be a simple issue of changing sound volumes depending on the view!

 

[BigMac]

Sure, it looks great most of the time I can try to tweak it using the D3D9 debugger, no worries.


I guess you succeeded because I instinctively switched to the external view expecting the rocket sound there. So it might be a simple issue of changing sound volumes depending on the view!

Ah, sorry - thought you were talking about the internal views!
You're quite right - currently there are no external sounds for the boosters, definitely something I can look at adding at some point.

 

[gamer19]

thank you for this mod, looks like you've done a great job here
however
I'm a bit confused here... I already have Project Mercury mod and it doesn't have anything with your right ?
it's the one here
https://www.orbithangar.com/showAddon.php?id=aa76f625-781d-4194-b153-16b81c9ae3e0

let me also be a bit nitpicking here when I said wish you've done some Alternate Project Gemini
since the one we have doesn't properly working in Orbiter 2016

but seriously, don't want to sound ungrateful, thank you for your hard work
for now I'm hesitating to install it since I see your files will go at a very same folders as that other Project Mercury.

 

[Mr. Residuals]

Okay so it look it looks like the newest update fixed the issue, but I am wondering if the hatch works.


Edit: This is still happening in the MA-6 Historical (I forgot the name) scn

 

[Max-Q]

Amazing, amazing work!!! I have never seen 3D models this nice in any addon for any simulator! (Yes, even payware stuff!)
Do you plan to add scenarios for the rest of the missions?

 

[Mr. Residuals]

Okay, so it looks like the earth inclination thing (I don't know what this is properly called) that appears on the main panel. This is not the telescope by the way, does not seemed to move. I mean this could be a system issue, or a bug idk tbh.

Again, please refer to the photo and txt file bellow.

 

[BigMac]

thank you for this mod, looks like you've done a great job here
however
I'm a bit confused here... I already have Project Mercury mod and it doesn't have anything with your right ?
it's the one here
https://www.orbithangar.com/showAddon.php?id=aa76f625-781d-4194-b153-16b81c9ae3e0

let me also be a bit nitpicking here when I said wish you've done some Alternate Project Gemini
since the one we have doesn't properly working in Orbiter 2016

but seriously, don't want to sound ungrateful, thank you for your hard work
for now I'm hesitating to install it since I see your files will go at a very same folders as that other Project Mercury.

Sorry about that - I should have checked what the naming convention for the other addon was, it's an entirely separate mod to this one so you probably don't want to overwrite those files. Unfortunately it's probably a bit of a pain to change the filenames for this addon given that there are some references to them in the code - best idea is probably to back up the files from the other mod that will get replaced and then restore them whn you want to run that one.

I'd love to do a project Gemini at some point however I've found the Mercury systems about at my limit as a one person team, plus I really don't enjoy 3D modelling - maybe in the future if I can work up the energy!

 

[BigMac]

Okay so it look it looks like the newest update fixed the issue, but I am wondering if the hatch works.

No hatch unfortunately, wouldn't be totally impossible to add but I would need to add a mesh for the cockpit visible from the external views - given that peoples frame rates are already probably pretty marginal I'd be worried about the impact this would have.
Maybe in the future though!

 

[4throck]

Sorry about that - I should have checked what the naming convention for the other addon was, it's an entirely separate mod to this one so you probably don't want to overwrite those files.

Didn't notice any overwrites (I think) but indeed it does use the same folders and that's confusing. The same for scenarios: yours are "ProjectMercury", the other ones "Project Mercury"

You should really rename all folders. I'd suggest a simple naming convention, adding your initials: - ProjectMercuryBM
A find/replace on your source code might be enough ;-)

 

[Urwumpe]

There is no such thing like a perfect or complete add-on.

 

[BigMac]

Amazing, amazing work!!! I have never seen 3D models this nice in any addon for any simulator! (Yes, even payware stuff!)
Do you plan to add scenarios for the rest of the missions?

Thank you!

I can definitely add missions for the rest of the flights, although they would be dubiously historcally accurate as the configuration of the capsule changed significantly (such as the removal of the periscope and RSCS system in later flights). There might also be issues with the MA-6 capsule not having enough battery power to sustain some of the longer missions towards the end of the program, although it should be possible to add some configuration options to work around this.

In the meantime you can always copy the existing scenarios as a base for the other missions - I'll add some information today in the OP on how to configure failures in the scenario files to aid with this.

 

[BigMac]

Okay, so it looks like the earth inclination thing (I don't know what this is properly called) that appears on the main panel. This is not the telescope by the way, does not seemed to move. I mean this could be a system issue, or a bug idk tbh.

Again, please refer to the photo and txt file bellow.

View attachment 28657

Confirmed the earth path indicator isn't curently functioning - the fix for the CTD when interacting with the GUI broke it, I'll post an update as soon as I get some time to fix it.

Edit:
Should be fixed now - I've updated the link with the new version.

 

[4throck]

I'd love to do a project Gemini at some point however I've found the Mercury systems about at my limit as a one person team, plus I really don't enjoy 3D modelling - maybe in the future if I can work up the energy!

A full Gemini would be complex, but a scaled-down version implementing just propulsion systems, EVA, docking radar + Agena might be manageable. You can use existing MFDs to do much of the flight computer's work....

 

[4throck]

the configuration of the capsule changed significantly...

It's worth implementing those differences, otherwise the missions feel the same ....

 

[Mr. Residuals]

Okay this saving issue still happens on the MA-6 Historical scn.

 

[BigMac]

Okay this saving issue still happens on the MA-6 Historical scn.

Do you remember roughly what point in the flight you tried to save?
Sounds like there is some particular systems configuration causing the issues.

Edit: I think this should be fixed now with the new version at the link.
I've also updated the retro time and historical failures for the MA-6 scenarios which weren't properly set initially.

 

[Mr. Residuals]

Do you remember roughly what point in the flight you tried to save?
Sounds like there is some particular systems configuration causing the issues.

Edit: I think this should be fixed now with the new version at the link.
I've also updated the retro time and historical failures for the MA-6 scenarios which weren't properly set initially.

so I tried to leave the sim at like T +30 minutes, but me see if this still happens with the newest version


EDIT: okay so everything worked nominally, except that the parachute didn't cut at splash.

 

[BigMac]

so I tried to leave the sim at like T +30 minutes, but me see if this still happens with the newest version


EDIT: okay so everything worked nominally, except that the parachute didn't cut at splash.

Thanks for giving that a check.

Currently the inertia switch that triggers the chute jettison will be activated on a deceleration of 7.5G as per the real capsule, however it's possible depending on the framerate and the behaviour of the touchdown points that the landing impact may not always be great enough to reach this. As a workaround I can try reducing the threshold to something less than it is currently to try and improve it.