Yippe..the 18 month project is now 24 months old. Horray. Short post but I felt I couldn't let it slip by unnoticed. Especially with all the Tipex (White-Out) all over my Project Planner.
What about a little quick&dirty birthday vid? Just push the record button of fraps while flying and shooting stuff in the testbuild. Youtube upload and make it private. Just share the link in this blog. Would be a nice birthday party for us, right? :-D
That's not a bad idea. I did break the sky and only just realised so it took a while to go through and find out what the change was. Only just fixed it. Check back late Saturday.
I'm stuck on a problem (NTS and cp/g look-at AI) so video might be delayed. Will tweet when I get it sorted. I just thought it would be cool to sit at the back and have the gunner looking around at real objects of interest rather than random or scripted movements.
can you slave the CP/G's head to look at what he is actually looking at on his sensor of interest? maybe with a lock-out so he only does it with objects that are closer than .5 Miles?
The visual scan is set to a range of a few km. Crew heads will (eventually) turn to what they are looking at. The crew models are not currently boned so I can't animate them.
The FCR and TADS is still working as two discrete sensors and I'm only just (today in fact) adding logic to tie them together.
To see what he's looking at just bring up the video underlay is you don't have the TADS selected. If you set your ACQ source to GHS (gunners helmet sight) then you should see the dot in the FOV box running around as he looks from object to object. Your co-pilots sensor bearing is also updated on the heading tape.
I'd be recording a video right now except I need to get this done ASAP.
This is like one of those sliding block puzzles, you change how you do one thing and something else needs to be changed. Inputs and outputs :/
In a simpler simulation you can use a matrix to get the gun to track an object, here you have to do ballistics and constantly compute angle and elevation from a moving platform.
Can I please request that if only 600 buy combat helo, can you buy ten copies each to make it worthwhile? No I didn't think so :)
I better make it worthwhile or my wife is going to kill me.
No, it is not worth it, and it makes no sense. And please stop joking about 600 copies CH LOL, really you have such a pessimistic calculation? c'mon... Eat chocolate drink a coffee and stop talking heresy .
It's really great to see how things have evolved from 2 years ago until now, congratulations Flexman!
I also agree with Banita, don't be so pessimistic with yourself Flexman. I would say that all and every Longbow2, EECH and DCS:BS player is an almost certain Combat-Helo customer and that I'm almost sure put the potential custumer figure WAY ABOVE the 600 number (I would say at least 6000 but I hope way more).
Well, belated congratulations! I've been following this project ever since a friend of mine pointed me here, and I've been talking with other people I do virtual flights with about CH, so, considering what everyone has been saying and a few communities I've been visiting, it will probably be more popular than what you give yourself credit for.
No it was more simple than that. I'd forgotten a simple trick to calculate angle of deflection. And it was all tied into how the crew looks about and steers sensors. Since I changed how the sensors track things a lot of changes were needed in multiple places.
In vector math you use a combination of a dot product and cross product to work out base magnitude and direction between two 3D points. But a simple trick of using a right hand vector (-1,0,0) for the dot product gives both. Anyway I'd forgotten that and was doing something wrong. Very frustrating.
For trajectory I'm using a Quartic formula I found but I needed to get the inputs working again.
The big deal with gunnery in the Apache as it was explained to me (and you can see it in some engagements on YouTube which result in bursts falling short) is getting a good range.
The range in the combat-helo Apache comes from 3 sources: manual input, FCR burst, laser. This is indicated as a single letter prefix on the numerical range display (M for manual, R for FCR, L for laser). If I got those wrong then tough, it's easier to remember like that.
Don't worry it will be in the manual :)
Currently there's no laser implemented in the game as the TADS system is still being finished (not long now).
There's a 4th method of getting a range (I could be wrong but I remember it from years back when the A model was factory fresh) using TADS triangulation. Getting the angle from the TADS, re-positioning and getting another sample to compute range.
AI ground vehicles have it easy, they use a built-in engine command to align the turret to another entity. Should we get around to making SA-6 simulator (not being serious) this could be improved. We can't do that for hero ships as we rely on player skill. Motion of things like the TADS bucket and gun lag mechanically (via tweening) so a steady hand is needed for accuracy.
That was my weekend, joy.
Oh the wife came up with a cool idea for AI characteristics, since speed of tracking and readying weapons is an AI crew metric she thought that if you named one called "Han" he would always shoot first. Which in the side A campaign would NOT a good characteristic but funny.
well thats cool you got it sorted so fast. I would think theres a function embedded in the game engine's code that would calc things like that.
As far as the CP/G name... I was thinking the pilot could also pick from a stable of hotties (Paris Hilton as a CP/G????, or maybe Demi Moore)... Make them say things like "Oooooh Maverick, You're the greatest!" or "Wow, Honey, you really drilled 'em".
Hey Flex... you do want 6,000 copies to sell quickly.... Riiiiight?????
* cough * yes there is a function to take care of it but I WANT TO DO IT MYSELF :)
Some of this code might end up in another engine at some future point in time.
I recorded some footage this morning (rendering a short movie now). I didn't dwell on things blowing up since I appear to have wrecked the particle shader and FX are not looking as intended.
Funny how when you come to make a video lots of bugs show up. Will be uploaded in an hour from now.
Congratulations, in spite of all smiled ;) Already you can see the end.
ReplyDeleteHey, 2 Years are nothing for such a huge/awesome project. HB project CH! :-)
ReplyDeleteDamned, two years full of coffee and JD !
ReplyDeleteAnd now, how do you feel with your little voice ? :P
Congrats to the Tricubic team. Best wishes of success.
So, Flex, what have ya been working on for 2 years?
ReplyDeleteA lump of purest green.
ReplyDeleteWhat about a little quick&dirty birthday vid? Just push the record button of fraps while flying and shooting stuff in the testbuild.
ReplyDeleteYoutube upload and make it private. Just share the link in this blog. Would be a nice birthday party for us, right? :-D
That's not a bad idea. I did break the sky and only just realised so it took a while to go through and find out what the change was. Only just fixed it. Check back late Saturday.
ReplyDeleteShoot a few cows in the movie!
ReplyDeleteLOL, good one banita
ReplyDeleteI?whether I am insane, and put a cow in the HELICOPTER Simulator!? Flexman,listen to you.
ReplyDeleteI'm stuck on a problem (NTS and cp/g look-at AI) so video might be delayed. Will tweet when I get it sorted. I just thought it would be cool to sit at the back and have the gunner looking around at real objects of interest rather than random or scripted movements.
ReplyDeletecan you slave the CP/G's head to look at what he is actually looking at on his sensor of interest? maybe with a lock-out so he only does it with objects that are closer than .5 Miles?
ReplyDeletethe effect would be really immersive.
The visual scan is set to a range of a few km. Crew heads will (eventually) turn to what they are looking at. The crew models are not currently boned so I can't animate them.
ReplyDeleteThe FCR and TADS is still working as two discrete sensors and I'm only just (today in fact) adding logic to tie them together.
To see what he's looking at just bring up the video underlay is you don't have the TADS selected. If you set your ACQ source to GHS (gunners helmet sight) then you should see the dot in the FOV box running around as he looks from object to object. Your co-pilots sensor bearing is also updated on the heading tape.
I'd be recording a video right now except I need to get this done ASAP.
Some Star Wars fans here? ;)
ReplyDelete~1 300 000 views / 5 days O_o
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHJOz_y9rZE&feature=player_embedded#!
Waiting for movie!!
Id say thats all you need. Ya dont need to spend the time putting a skeleton with animations for a while.
ReplyDeleteThis is like one of those sliding block puzzles, you change how you do one thing and something else needs to be changed. Inputs and outputs :/
ReplyDeleteIn a simpler simulation you can use a matrix to get the gun to track an object, here you have to do ballistics and constantly compute angle and elevation from a moving platform.
Can I please request that if only 600 buy combat helo, can you buy ten copies each to make it worthwhile? No I didn't think so :)
I better make it worthwhile or my wife is going to kill me.
Good morning everyone.
No, it is not worth it, and it makes no sense.
ReplyDeleteAnd please stop joking about 600 copies CH LOL, really you have such a pessimistic calculation?
c'mon...
Eat chocolate drink a coffee and stop talking heresy .
It's really great to see how things have evolved from 2 years ago until now, congratulations Flexman!
ReplyDeleteI also agree with Banita, don't be so pessimistic with yourself Flexman. I would say that all and every Longbow2, EECH and DCS:BS player is an almost certain Combat-Helo customer and that I'm almost sure put the potential custumer figure WAY ABOVE the 600 number (I would say at least 6000 but I hope way more).
Well, belated congratulations! I've been following this project ever since a friend of mine pointed me here, and I've been talking with other people I do virtual flights with about CH, so, considering what everyone has been saying and a few communities I've been visiting, it will probably be more popular than what you give yourself credit for.
ReplyDeletemaybe the targets should have some sort of emitter added to the object DB to assist with the tracking/trajectory?
ReplyDeleteJeff,
ReplyDeleteNo it was more simple than that. I'd forgotten a simple trick to calculate angle of deflection. And it was all tied into how the crew looks about and steers sensors. Since I changed how the sensors track things a lot of changes were needed in multiple places.
In vector math you use a combination of a dot product and cross product to work out base magnitude and direction between two 3D points. But a simple trick of using a right hand vector (-1,0,0) for the dot product gives both. Anyway I'd forgotten that and was doing something wrong. Very frustrating.
For trajectory I'm using a Quartic formula I found but I needed to get the inputs working again.
The big deal with gunnery in the Apache as it was explained to me (and you can see it in some engagements on YouTube which result in bursts falling short) is getting a good range.
The range in the combat-helo Apache comes from 3 sources: manual input, FCR burst, laser. This is indicated as a single letter prefix on the numerical range display (M for manual, R for FCR, L for laser). If I got those wrong then tough, it's easier to remember like that.
Don't worry it will be in the manual :)
Currently there's no laser implemented in the game as the TADS system is still being finished (not long now).
There's a 4th method of getting a range (I could be wrong but I remember it from years back when the A model was factory fresh) using TADS triangulation. Getting the angle from the TADS, re-positioning and getting another sample to compute range.
AI ground vehicles have it easy, they use a built-in engine command to align the turret to another entity. Should we get around to making SA-6 simulator (not being serious) this could be improved. We can't do that for hero ships as we rely on player skill. Motion of things like the TADS bucket and gun lag mechanically (via tweening) so a steady hand is needed for accuracy.
That was my weekend, joy.
Oh the wife came up with a cool idea for AI characteristics, since speed of tracking and readying weapons is an AI crew metric she thought that if you named one called "Han" he would always shoot first. Which in the side A campaign would NOT a good characteristic but funny.
Holy cows. That's no comment, it's a blog entry. Look at the size of that thing. Sometimes I bore even myself.
ReplyDeleteBoring conversation anyway. Are we done with the Star Wars references?
well thats cool you got it sorted so fast. I would think theres a function embedded in the game engine's code that would calc things like that.
ReplyDeleteAs far as the CP/G name... I was thinking the pilot could also pick from a stable of hotties (Paris Hilton as a CP/G????, or maybe Demi Moore)... Make them say things like "Oooooh Maverick, You're the greatest!" or "Wow, Honey, you really drilled 'em".
Hey Flex... you do want 6,000 copies to sell quickly.... Riiiiight?????
6000?I bet that 6,000 copies will be sold in less than a month.
ReplyDeleteParis Hilton?? -_________________-
* cough * yes there is a function to take care of it but I WANT TO DO IT MYSELF :)
ReplyDeleteSome of this code might end up in another engine at some future point in time.
I recorded some footage this morning (rendering a short movie now). I didn't dwell on things blowing up since I appear to have wrecked the particle shader and FX are not looking as intended.
Funny how when you come to make a video lots of bugs show up. Will be uploaded in an hour from now.