i will ask again <img src="' http://spacesimcentral.com/forum/public/style_emoticons//sad.gi f"' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':(' /> , can someone give me the special keys?

nvm

is there anyway to make infinit fuel?

cheat engine?

Yes! See http://spacesimcentral.com/forum/topic/1237-p66-models-one-by-one/page__st__120#entry29418

Hiya. If I learn how to use Blender can I design ships that I can use in game? <img src="' http://spacesimcentral.com/forum/public/style_emoticons//mail1.gi f"' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' />

Mike.

Yes <img src="' http://spacesimcentral.com/forum/public/style_emoticons//icon_e_smile.gi f"' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':)' /> some people have recently also been using Wings3D.

There are two main parts to the process.

1. the 3D modelling & texturing of the ship, wheels, etc
2. the LUA scripting which loads the models, textures into the game.

Can't advise on the modelling or texturing as I haven't done any in about 10 years <img src="' http://spacesimcentral.com/forum/public/style_emoticons//icon_e_smile.gi f"' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':)' /> however, there are plenty of people who can help out on the LUA side and I'll do my best too.

Andy

Super dumb idiot question of the day #1: how do I use the autopilot? <img src="' http://spacesimcentral.com/forum/public/style_emoticons//icon_e_smile.gi f"' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':)' />

I want to hyperjump to a system, then select a port, then turn on autopilot and have it fly me there and land me. I have no idea how to do this and can't work it out. F5 just seems to switch between Manual Flight and Set Speed?

Thanks in advance.

Ignore me. I just worked it out, you have to use F4 to tell the autopilot to start <img src="' http://spacesimcentral.com/forum/public/style_emoticons//icon_e_smile.gi f"' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':-)' />

The rings definition can be:

:rings(false) -- force no rings

:rings(true) -- force rings on (they will be generated randomly based on the planet seed)

:rings(inner_radius, outer_radius, base_colour) -- force custom rings

inner_radius and outer_radius must be fixed-point values (use the f(numerator, denominator) constructor), and are specified as a fraction of the planetary radius. For example, Saturn's inner ring radius is set to f(17528,10000), which is 1.7528 times larger than Saturn's surface radius.

The base colour is an array of four values: red, green, blue and alpha. This base colour goes through a noise function to produce variation over the ring.

If no :rings() specifier is provided, then there is (currently) a 50% chance that rings will be generated automatically.

John B

edit: will report later, it's confusing, the "lighting glitch" appears sometimes and sometimes not.

it looks like the height has influence on this, this has confused me before somewhat.

but simply watch, as soon as i leave the close range (no height reading) to earth the glitch appears

[media]

(and don't take my avatar personally, it was just a funny pic i discovered today, nothing more)

edit:

ok, walterar told me it's already solved, so forget this or simply enjoy the clip.

Hi there, I've been playing around with Pioneer for a couple releases and I'm extremely impressed!! I'd like to jump in and help out but I'm not sure where to start, even after reading the pages about where to start! <img src="' http://spacesimcentral.com/forum/public/style_emoticons//icon_e_smile.gi f"' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':)' />

I'm already reading about how to use Git, looking at some Lua tutorials, I know my way around Blender OK (I can make a decent mesh but not texture it well) and I've got notes stretching a couple years back about my own hard science fiction settings for science fiction RPGs I used to run back in the day <img src="' http://spacesimcentral.com/forum/public/style_emoticons//icon_e_smile.gi f"' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':)' />

I'd like to start with making a few models, I can just send in raw blend files for someone else to include but eventually I'd like to be able to do everything myself <img src="' http://spacesimcentral.com/forum/public/style_emoticons//icon_e_smile.gi f"' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':)' />

I've got some questions abnout a larger ship project, too. Basically it's a small, general purpose interplanetary "cruiser" designed along completely plausible scientific principals. I'm a hard science fiction buff and I think that the nature of "realistic" newtonian space combat would be incredibly fun!! My main questions are... can I do turrets or hack them in? Can I fly a "carrier" that launches and recovers smaller ships? Can I issue orders to the launched "drones"? If not, are these features planned in the future? If yes, how should I get started?

Unfortunately whenever I've pitched the idea elsewhere everyone politely tells me it's impossible and that the only playable games involve "biplanes in space", I think you folk might be more receptive! <img src="' http://spacesimcentral.com/forum/public/style_emoticons//icon_e_smile.gi f"' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':)' />

Independant of my dream ship design I do have some interface ideas to make navigation and combat easier to manage manually if anyone is interested.

I'll start with the "features":

• Turrets - not yet but I'd like them too and have been thinking about them,
• Carriers - not yet, but others have discussed the idea,
• Drones + orders - not yet, don't think anyone has discussed it but wait for others to chime in.

Nothing (well, ok some things are, but not many) is impossible though getting features like the above does mean doing it yourself or convincing others that the ideas are worthwhile.

Also worth thinking that there might be a lot of other "low-hanging-fruit" that you could do before you need those features, and that once you've gotten all of the easier parts it might make doing those features more attractive to others <img src="' http://spacesimcentral.com/forum/public/style_emoticons//wink3.gi f"' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=';)' />

Obviously as a coder I am in no way advocating using these methods to manipulate coders minds <img src="' http://spacesimcentral.com/forum/public/style_emoticons//icon_e_biggrin.gi f"' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':D' />

Getting models into the game can be as simple as modifying to boilerplate Lua code to define the ship, by "boilerplate" I mean standard/generic, it's quite easy usually just needs some fiddling around with numbers and names of ships etc until you've got it how you like it. Doing more complicated things like landing gears and spinny things is harder but that's ok. If you can save your mesh out of Blender as a lightwave object (".obj" format) then you can probably get it into the game.

My advice is to start simple, model a cube, make one end pointy, save it as a ".obj" file, try getting that into the game as a ship.

Others can give better advice on the modelling side <img src="' http://spacesimcentral.com/forum/public/style_emoticons//wink3.gi f"' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=';)' />

We welcome hearing peoples ideas on almost anything as long as your not too precious about them because this is a group of people and some will love them, others will hate them and neither point of view really affects if they'll get into the game or not.

Oh, I've got models ready to go if anyone wants to look through them! I can't texture yet but I've got geometry and simple animation down within the blender game engine already. I can post a few simple "newtonian" games within Blender if anybody would like to play with it, I've got a few versions I've been working on... from simple ovoids drifting across the camera to elaborate "tug ships" for a 3d game of "billiards" <img src="' http://spacesimcentral.com/forum/public/style_emoticons//icon_e_smile.gi f"' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':)' />

If there's any way I can help out with getting some "subsystems" working let me know!

Also, is there a simple way to add a padlock view and telescope? A simpler programmable autopilot (burn schedules for the different thrusters) and some basic "ship's log" abilities would also be very useful, just a few options available on top of the stock autopilot I think.

I like to fly manually... the autopilot is nice to have but I really don't need it and with the right instruments I think I could do everything the autopilot currently does, but with a LOT less deltaV <img src="' http://spacesimcentral.com/forum/public/style_emoticons//icon_e_smile.gi f"' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':)' />

I'm most interested in adapting my own homegrown setting eventually. It isn't a "naval ships in space" game, but it's mildly Steampunk in the sense that the some of the technology is quite primitive by even our standards. I've been playing stuff like orbiter and Spaceways lately and think I've got the basics of real world interplanetary navigation figured out using some pretty primitive instruments and I think Pioneer would be even cooler if you could do things "oldschool" like the Apollo boys! <img src="' http://spacesimcentral.com/forum/public/style_emoticons//icon_e_smile.gi f"' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':)' />

You can post screenshots/images on here, or link to them if they're hosted elsewhere if you want to start a thread about your models, then people can give you advice directly without us polluting this sticky thread <img src="' http://spacesimcentral.com/forum/public/style_emoticons//icon_e_smile.gi f"' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':)' />

Hey, I checked out this game over a year ago and enjoyed it greatly, loved Frontier when it came out, I contributed the models Wave and Turtle back then, and some others which were not accepted (sniff). Glad to see it is still going strong, though I found Hazeron recently (laggy but good fun) it seems procedural generation of a large universe is still rare in games.

I have a hankering again for trying to make a few models of ships, is Pioneer still considering submissions? Also I would like to try adding a virtual cockpit to a model if I decide to make one, are virtual cockpits the future of pioneer? I was thinking of some kind of shuttle cross between an X33 and some of the boeing blended wing concepts though I don't know really. Would a model with a virtual cockpit have 2 seperate models, one exterior, one interior, almost like 2 seperate ships or one giant amalgamated model? What are current poly limits for highest lod ships? And its been a while so how many lower lod models are required per model again and their poly limits per level, oh and is there a texture size cap?

Is it possible to go to a "free rotation mode" with the ship? So far if I switch to manual control, the ship flies with engines off, e.g. staying at the orbit around the planet. The orientation of the ship, however, stays fixed with respect to the reference frame. This is, of course, more convenient for the ship control, but is it possible also to switch to mode where ship does not maintain its rotation fixed with respect to the reference frame and really acts as object with no engine?

Thanks.

Another question: Is it possible to refuel the ship by hydrogen as it was in Elite 2:Frontier? Or is the fuel for interplanetary travelling independent of any resource and you get your tank refilled at the space station?

Thank you!

I already figured that out, I was trying to refuel hydrogen to water-using engine. <img src="' http://spacesimcentral.com/forum/public/style_emoticons//icon_e_smile.gi f"' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':-)' /> When I bought water, I noticed the refuel button immediately.

@irigi,

Some people have asked if the engine could use hydrogen for fuel before, since you've just discovered Pioneer and the different fuel decision yourself would you mind saying what you think about carrying water for fuel and hydrogen/military?

Technically, the water is propellant, rather than fuel. It has a couple of features which make it desirable:

• It's plentiful
• It's a dense fluid
• It isn't particularly hazardous
• It doubles as a handy solvent for organic life forms like us (by which I mean we can drink it)
• It has high specific heat

That last is desirable because you can use it to dispose of unwanted heat from inside the ship.

@fluffyfreak

It's hard to tell, because it is not clear, what is the physical principle of the ship engines. At first, I was thinking that the driving force is fusion 4H -> He, which is quite effective and the fuel can be propelled quickly, which enables reasonable engine thrust. Then the water looks like not that bad decision, since fusion of pure hydrogen in p-p cycle has enormously small cross-section and it it much more desirable using fusion based on CNO-cycle, see Wikipedia:

So the oxygen from water could be used as a catalyst. (On the other hand you would probably need much less of it that there is in the water.)

But if you take seriously the low speed by which the ship burns the fuel, you arrive at quite unrealistic energy gains and most importantly too high specific impulses. (The propellant escape velocity (calculated from conservation of momentum) is simply too big to be generated by fusion, or even antimatter-drive.) So there must be some highly energetic energy source on the ship. In such case, Brianetta's argument sound right - if the water is not used as fuel, its density, abundance and very high heat capacity makes it very good propellant.

Yeah, there's a bit of handwaveium involved in Pioneer. Chalk it up to technology and physics work-arounds that haven't been discovered yet, like the fact that your exhaust doesn't blast the spaceport into a gigantic smoking crater when you take off, and you aren't squished into a puddle by your acceleration. I like the idea of a zero-point energy reactor myself. Like most science fiction, you just make stuff up when you have to. Also, C isn't the speed limit in the Pioneer universe, it's purely Newtonian. That could explain everything. <img src="' http://spacesimcentral.com/forum/public/style_emoticons//derisive.gi f"' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' /> Things just need to be plausible and consistent. I was an art major, you do the math. <img src="' http://spacesimcentral.com/forum/public/style_emoticons//scratch_one-s_head.gi f"' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' />

I'm getting thirsty, I think I'll go get a glass of propellant...

Sure there is, as in every science-fiction <img src="' http://spacesimcentral.com/forum/public/style_emoticons//derisive.gi f"' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' />, too much realism would spoil the fun. But pioneer is nicely realistic in lot of things (it respects the Newtonian physics very well, has atmospheric heating, etc.), which is exactly what I like.

If you took the idea of (almost) infinite C seriously, it would mean that the the invariant mass m₀ = m c² is also almost infinite and you could squeeze almost infinite amount of energy into antimatter. (Which would then be ideal fuel if you could create it in reasonable amounts.) But once you start discussing such ideas, it necessarily means you would have to rewrite all the particle physics. Fusion and fission would have much higher efficiencies. And not only that. For example you would have no magnetism, since c = 1/sqrt(vacuum permitivity * vacuum permeability), so you would have to have almost zero vacuum permeability and electric currents would induce almost no magnetic field.

I personally more like the idea of fusion engines. For the sake of realism, I tried to increase the ship fuel consumption by factor 10, which makes it much more believable. (Eagle Long Range Fighter weights 21 tons and by burning 5 tons of fuel, it ends up with speed 980 km/s, which means the fuel jet velocity is somewhere around thousands of km/s). Unfortunately, this tweak confused autopilots of all non-player ships, which ended up with no fuel soon. Also, in such case, you really need to think about the fuel and all journeys would take longer time since you cannot accelerate all the time. This makes everything a bit harder, but probably not that much. What do you think about this tweak? (I'm quite sure it's probably not proper for the official release, because it makes things rather difficult, I'm only asking for the sake of discussion.)

I think that a tweak like that would save the spaceports lots of money on rebuilding costs. <img src="' http://spacesimcentral.com/forum/public/style_emoticons//haha.gi f"' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' />

Seriously speaking, I think it would move Pioneer more from the game category to the simulator category and would have appeal for some people but not others. If a mod like this were to be made, I 'd certainly try it out and might prefer it. I'm curious, you said it confused the autopilots of all non-player ships. You mean even the non-eagles? I'm wondering how that could happen unless you adjusted all of the ships in the game. Obviously the autopilot would have to be rewritten. Pirates can't intercept the player as it is. If you want to work on that it could benefit the game as a whole.

Thanks. I think I will play a bit with the ships fuel consumption anyway, just because I like simulation, so if I will have to write some additions to the autopilot on the way, so that it would be able to consider it is low on fuel, I could offer these and it might help the game.

Btw. just for my information: are there currently any pirates in pioneer that would attack peaceful merchants? <img src="' http://spacesimcentral.com/forum/public/style_emoticons//icon_e_smile.gi f"' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':-)' /> I haven't met any yet, but maybe I'm only in wrong systems..

The pirates are there, but as I said the AI can't intercept the player yet. It's one of those things that's being worked on. It's way above my skill set, but you're welcome to improve it.