It makes perfect sense to me! <img src="' http://spacesimcentral.com/forum/public/style_emoticons//icon_e_biggrin.gi f"' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':D' />

loving the work there whisper. sounds like a good platform to run the TouchDown program i mentioned in another thread around here. essentially it allows you to connect any touch enabled device that supports an internet browser (iphone, android phones, tablets etc) to send key presses to any program running on a target computer. the beauty is that the interface is all standard html/java ( i say standard, i am only just learning how to do it for myself for pioneer) so you can design how it looks however you want.

it's better suited to games with deep nested commands but it does add a little something extra to have a touch enabled graphical interface instead of the boring old keyboard. i've manage to hack a prototype up and got it running basic commands to switch views, raise lower landing gear etc and have even manged to be able to use timed main engines burns. it just looks a mess as i have not learned how to create/manipulate image maps yet...apparently i need to get (a?) gimp for that. i'm sure you could find somewhere to bung in an ipad into that dash somewhere <img src="' http://spacesimcentral.com/forum/public/style_emoticons//icon_e_smile.gi f"' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':)' />

@whisper979,

It looks like you could do with some custom modifications to your Pioneer. These shouldn't be prohibitively difficult. Basically, some way for a Pioneer Lua script to interface with the rest of your system (writing files, sending signals, whatever). You could hook up scriptable events in Pioneer (such as the warning light for attack) to your ship computer, so that it could start playing the red alert video, the proximity alert video... whatever content you've knocked up!

We have all sorts of events, of course. We can tell it when you're in hyperspace, whether you're low on fuel, whether you're landed, docked or in flight or even when you've bumped into something.

Right now, as the alpha stands, I believe it's still possible to write to files on the computer from Lua, because the Lua environment hasn't been pared right down yet. This means that right now no game modifications would be necessary, although they would become necessary in time.

Something you'd consider?

I'd be interested in seeing this implemented. I think it's possible to provide feedback via lua into my TouchDown profile implementation for pioneer....

This is very interesting. I will start looking into both of these ideas. Basically, whatever I end up doing will come down to how much time I have. Thank you for all of the ideas. It would be really cool to have a fully functional simulator!

So, this weekend, my wife watched the kid for a while so I could do some work on his simulator. I bought plastic project boxes from amazon and painted them in several different layers so that they would look like well-used rusty equipment. I then assembled them with the toggle switches and other parts I had bought. Lastly, I used an old-style label maker to complete the look. Here are the results:

Some close ups:

Nice paint work! I'd never have guessed from the pictures that those were plastic boxes.

You are doing an incredible job.

The lack pray that your child does not prefer football. <img src="' http://spacesimcentral.com/forum/public/style_emoticons//punish.gi f"' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':punish:' />

I started with Pioneer for my grandson, he already has a girlfriend and I'm still here. <img src="' http://spacesimcentral.com/forum/public/style_emoticons//gamer1.gi f"' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':gamer:' />

Thanks Marcel. Walterar, LOL!

This is really happening! I have a long way to go until the simulator is finished but things are really starting to take shape.

You need to stop. When I see this it makes me feel like a bad parent <img src="' http://spacesimcentral.com/forum/public/style_emoticons//wink3.gi f"' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=';)' />

Heh... we have similar from an Oolite fanatic:

holy cow!

whisper979, that's impressive!

i like the rusty look, it's so... i'm speechless.

you know, it's already 2years ago i thought of a special input pad with a touchscreen to control the spaceships in pioneer, it would open the possibility to give each ship his very own control panel, "alien systems" too, you would have to learn first how to manage the new ship.

something new no one has, some new idea for gameplay.

to sad my father is dead, he was the one with the right experience in logical circuits to get this to life (we owned a electronical calculator when it was for most something only NASA owns, each part was selfmade incl. the knobs. he had due to his work the possibility to get easy to the needed IC's. - i played "pong" long before any console or such was to see on the market).

i'm not bad in handling a soldering iron, but i guess i never will reach his class.

to have both? being classy in logic and the needed craftsmenship is rare today.

to have riveted with a hammer (no wonder he was partially deaf) on one side and on the other side to know how to understand logical circuits?

and he was so... ...he never thought that he was something special.

whisper979, do you know that you are classy?

such is really rare, we would need more people like you, with women and men like you we would make it easy to space.

not this "dünnbrettbohrer" (thin board drills) we have in many leading positions today.

[hsimg] [/hsimg]

i can't get enough of such, looks almost like "reality", ok, controls in the NPP didn't look that rusty, but well, close to...

besides, i was only one "redshirt" of many there.

and cody, that looks like "Cobra MKI" to me...

that picture was shot after a successful mission? looks like with the opened bottle of champagne...

---

something slight different, maybe as a inspiration?

[media]

Thanks potsmoke. Robn, it's not that you are a bad parent, I am just a really awesome one <img src="' http://spacesimcentral.com/forum/public/style_emoticons//wink3.gi f"' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=';)' />

I hope to finished with this by Christmas. We'll see.

As you are a curious guy, PS - that pic is from a long-running project/thread.

0

@whisper979,

It looks like you could do with some custom modifications to your Pioneer. These shouldn't be prohibitively difficult. Basically, some way for a Pioneer Lua script to interface with the rest of your system (writing files, sending signals, whatever). You could hook up scriptable events in Pioneer (such as the warning light for attack) to your ship computer, so that it could start playing the red alert video, the proximity alert video... whatever content you've knocked up!

We have all sorts of events, of course. We can tell it when you're in hyperspace, whether you're low on fuel, whether you're landed, docked or in flight or even when you've bumped into something.

Right now, as the alpha stands, I believe it's still possible to write to files on the computer from Lua, because the Lua environment hasn't been pared right down yet. This means that right now no game modifications would be necessary, although they would become necessary in time.

Something you'd consider?

So, yes, I am still working on this simulator. In fact, all of the major work is done. Just details left. I do have a question for the devs. Do you think that if I took the time to familiarize myself with Lua I would really be able to do things like make external buttons and switches that control the ship? What about information displayed on screen. Is there any way to move information such as relative speed and other status reports to a separate monitor? I realize that Pioneer is not being developed with a simpit in mind. I'm just wondering if what I am asking is within abilities of the average person to learn, or would this require a major rewrite of code? The simpit (and Pioneer) is great as-is. But, one day, when my son is older I would like for it to be as realistic as possible. Thanks!