Idea Time Compression HUD indicator

[IL2windhawk]

How about some small text at the center of the HUD to indicate your current time compression (when it's anything besides 1x). That might help to prevent accidental RCS maneuvering at 10x, 100x, etc.

 

[Pablo49]

You can already see your time warp in the top right corner. Having it in the center HUD only seems redundant, IMO.

 

[martins]

How about some small text at the center of the HUD to indicate your current time compression (when it's anything besides 1x). That might help to prevent accidental RCS maneuvering at 10x, 100x, etc.

This is not a good idea for the same reason that an MFD mode for changing the vessel textures is not: time compression is not part of the simulation, but a method of running the simulation - it's an external environment factor. The simulation itself should be entirely independent of how fast it is run. Of course we know that practice it isn't, both because of numerical instability resulting from finite frame rates, and because of limited reaction speed of the human operator. But even so, for the sake of a "clean" simulation environment I would advise against introducing the time acceleration into the "immersive" part of the simulation (HUD, MFDs, instruments, etc.)

 

[IL2windhawk]

I think it would be a nice feature to prevent accidents, but I can respect the viewpoint that some folks have that it would distraction from the simulation. Speaking personally, I have seen this feature in other flight simulators and I never thought it detracted from the realism. That is: no more than the time-compression itself. But it's hard to argue with the founder of Orbiter, so I will forget it and try to pay more attention to the top-right corner.

 

[agentgonzo]

It's already shown in the corner if the screen. Putting it in the centre would get in the way of EVERYTHING. This is a bad idea for very many reasons

 

[Wishbone]

Suppose concerted effort on the part of addon developers to improve autopilots and to accommodate higher time compression levels would be much better. And also getting rid of freezing timelapses in the simulator itself (wonder if I have to switch to "fixed time steps" to avoid that?)

 

[Keatah]

The founder of Orbiter is God. We are merely the Priests and Popes..

 

[agentgonzo]

Suppose concerted effort on the part of addon developers to improve autopilots and to accommodate higher time compression levels would be much better.

In a lot of cases that simply isn't possible. Imagining trying to get an autopilot to land your vessel on a runway when running at something like 1000x time acceleration. Even if you're update rate is 100Hz, the autopilot would effectively get to make one change to your vessel's controls every 10 seconds of sim time. It's impossible to write a functioning autopilot under those conditions.

 

[Wishbone]

The easiest way is to block requests for anything higher than 10x like DG IV does.

 

[N_Molson]

I guess it is possible to write something in the vessels or MFD modules like :

If (framerate < 100 fps && TimeAcceleration > 1) then DisableAutopilot

... so that people that have invested in a top rig can get advantages from it ?

 

[IL2windhawk]

Orbitersound has a function that will disengage autopilot for any time compression above 10X, and it works with any ship. The idea of boosting that to 100x under certain performance criteria is interesting, although I am not sure if frame-rate is the best trigger. It might be. Any thoughts?

Frankly, though.. this is all beside the point of my original request. It's not the autopilot that causes me headaches with time compression. It's my own silly self when I try to perform a very slight RCS manuever at 10x time compression (by accident) and I end up throwing the ship into a spin. It's just a nuisance.. nothing more. I will just download the Orbiter-Undo addon which should fix me up. I was just thinking more preventatively that I would be less likely to make the mistake if a visual indicator was right where I would be looking when it's time to make a maneuver.

In the end, I don't really get why the idea was so quickly shot-down. It's not like it would be forced on everyone: just available to those who chose to download it. If I ever delve into making utility addons, I'll just make it for myself .

 

[Tommy]

As long as it's optional, it's alright.

It's a good idea to develop a "scan pattern". This is a sequence of areas that you take a quick look at every so often, or before performing certain tasks. This is something that real pilots learn to do, even good drivers. Before you know it, it has become a habit and you don't even notice you are doing it. The TACC level is one of the things in my "pattern", and I never have a problem with TACC induced spins.