Outerra forum

Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
Advanced search  

News:

Download Outerra Tech Demo. Unofficial Outerra Discord server, MicroProse Discord server for OWS.

Author Topic: Space Simulator ?  (Read 20709 times)

Kospy

  • Newbie
  • Posts: 6
Space Simulator ?
« on: October 12, 2010, 03:43:14 pm »

Hi,

First, i want to congragulate you for your projet. After been disapointed by another planetary engine (Infinity engine goes mmorpg, what a mess :( ) I put now all my hopes in your work :) !
I'm a big fan of the space simulation "Orbiter" and with your project it seem that it will be possible to develop really good space simulator with very good graphic !


So, before that, I have some questions about the way you will handle space in this engine, I know the question have already been asked, but i need some clarification :


 - Will we be able to see the moon from the surface ? I think yes, if you want beliavable world, but how the moon will be    handled ? Will it be a "fake" Moon ? Or a real planet handled like the earth ? (with real diameter and distance from Earth)

- Same question as the previous with the sun, will it be a true Star ? (with real dimension !?? :))

 - If the Moon is a real planet, i think you will need to "orbit" it around the earth ? And the Earth will orbit the Sun ? So we have the base for doing a realistic solar system ?

- Will it be possible to add all the planets and moon of the solar system in the same "scene" ? Without performance problem ? And travel from Earth to Pluto for exemple with no loading ? And real distance ???

I know you are focused on the earth, but, if we want to expand this game further for a space simulator, you really need to build the foundation for handle the complete solar system. No need to add the elevation data for all planets at the begining, i think you can first doing spherical "flat" planet, but with that, we have the "foundation" for doing a incredible space simulator.
(and no need to handle a galaxy in the same "scene", a "stargate" or jumpdrive with loading can be done for that :p )
Logged

cameni

  • Brano Kemen
  • Outerra Administrator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 6721
  • No sense of urgency.
    • outerra.com
Space Simulator ?
« Reply #1 on: October 12, 2010, 04:28:25 pm »

The Moon will be a real body; for one thing we want to have the possibility to go from one planet to another, and secondly it would be actually simpler for us to handle it as a body rather than faking it. As a body in a proper orbit it would render the moon phases correctly, I really don't even want to imagine how we would go around faking it :)
Same with rendering the sun outside of atmosphere.

Otherwise there should not be any performance problems with all planets in the solar system, LOD on the planet is quite effective. And yes, the traveling would be seamless. Real distances, no reason to do anything else.
Logged

RaikoRaufoss

  • Blood may move the wheels of history, but only our cunning keeps the wheels oiled.
  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 374
    • http://www.sabaton.net/
Space Simulator ?
« Reply #2 on: October 12, 2010, 05:08:06 pm »

Music to my ears.  Can't wait to have spaceships visiting the Moon and other places. =D
Logged
Far from the fame
Far away from the fame
But we still remember your name
Karel JanouĊĦek
We mourn the day that you died
So be our guide
CZECHOSLOVAKIA'S PRIDE!!!!!!

angrypig

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 454
Space Simulator ?
« Reply #3 on: October 12, 2010, 05:12:10 pm »

Well, first we have to finish the Earth... :)
Logged

C. Shawn Smith

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 712
    • C. Shawn Smith's Art Gallery & Portfolio
Space Simulator ?
« Reply #4 on: October 12, 2010, 05:55:45 pm »

Quote from: angrypig
Well, first we have to finish the Earth...

Isn't that what God said to the angels? :)
Logged
What we think, we become -- Buddha
There is no spoon -- Neo, The Matrix
The Cosmos is all that is, or ever was, or ever will be. -- Carl Sagan
Outerra is all that is, or ever was, or ever will be. -- Me :)
- Yes, I'm still around ... just been busy with other projects ;)

cameni

  • Brano Kemen
  • Outerra Administrator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 6721
  • No sense of urgency.
    • outerra.com
Space Simulator ?
« Reply #5 on: October 13, 2010, 02:56:02 am »

Quote from: cshawnsmith
Isn't that what God said to the angels? :)
Hehe, yes, and then continued - "So hold it firmly while I balance the gravitational forces" :D
And let there be atmospheric scattering.

Indeed, it's like engine programming: we can have functioning earth but nothing else in space, grass but no water, light but no sun :D
So I guess that was actually a hint that we are running within the Matrix :)
Logged

C. Shawn Smith

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 712
    • C. Shawn Smith's Art Gallery & Portfolio
Space Simulator ?
« Reply #6 on: October 13, 2010, 01:20:03 pm »

"This is your last chance. After this, there is no turning back. You take the blue pill - the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill - you stay in Wonderland and I show you how deep the rabbit-hole goes."

I'm taking the red pill.  Show us how deep this thing goes, Cameni! ;)
Logged
What we think, we become -- Buddha
There is no spoon -- Neo, The Matrix
The Cosmos is all that is, or ever was, or ever will be. -- Carl Sagan
Outerra is all that is, or ever was, or ever will be. -- Me :)
- Yes, I'm still around ... just been busy with other projects ;)

cameni

  • Brano Kemen
  • Outerra Administrator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 6721
  • No sense of urgency.
    • outerra.com
Space Simulator ?
« Reply #7 on: October 13, 2010, 01:44:47 pm »

Why, here the situation is inverted. You peeked at this here, now do you want to be bluepilled into our dreamworld, or to take the red pill to go back to reality? :D
Logged

C. Shawn Smith

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 712
    • C. Shawn Smith's Art Gallery & Portfolio
Space Simulator ?
« Reply #8 on: October 13, 2010, 02:06:17 pm »

LOL ... I'm trusting your vision of your Matrix :).  The machines in The Matrix didn't understand the human concept of the beauty of the project, compared to the reality.  The Matrix is what you make it.  It can't tell you who you are!  A couple of designers I've shown your screenshots to were really impressed.  They were NOT impressed by some of the other procedural engines out there.

I see much more potential in this design than I have in some of the others.  I like the Infinity engine because of what it encompasses, but there's a lot there that leaves me disillusioned as to the quality (*edit* on a planetary scale).  I think they'll do great work, eventually, and I'll be eager to try it out when the time comes.  But I'm banking on Outerra to do more than what I dreamed possible for some of my projects.  I just hope you have a good licensing for it so it'll be within my budget as a poor, struggling, living on microwave dinner, writer :D

They don't call us "starving artists" for nothing :)
Logged
What we think, we become -- Buddha
There is no spoon -- Neo, The Matrix
The Cosmos is all that is, or ever was, or ever will be. -- Carl Sagan
Outerra is all that is, or ever was, or ever will be. -- Me :)
- Yes, I'm still around ... just been busy with other projects ;)