|
Author
|
Topic: What is the status of moving ground units?
|
JT
Pilot
|
posted 03-23- 06:21 PM
   
What's the latest on this? Are moving ground vehicles still having trouble relating to the ground or has this problem been solved? Can the problems be solved through Openplane? I'd love to work on some simple armed, player controlled soldiers, but only if the technical problems have been resolved.IP: Logged |
Pete Hawk
Pilot
|
posted 03-23- 08:23 PM
JT,What I accomplished was really just a hack. I'd say if you want to create some new vehicles, go for it, but until true moving ground units are implemented in the games engine, it's pretty tricky to get them to do what you want. And there is that problem of sinking into the terrain when encountering hills and such. So you can build now, implement later if you are looking for a change of the modeling you are doing. If you DO decide to try and make something move, just make a copy of your main root object and then past the copy ontop of the root. Then add dofs and go from there for movement. Hope that makes sense. IP: Logged |
Jaguar
Pilot
|
posted 03-23- 11:22 PM
I got a rough soldier SM if anyone is intereted. It's basically the Funkytruck with the pilot lod stuck in plance of the truck lods. I have no time to mess with this, so it's up for grabbs.------------------
Cheers!
Jaguar
The FS Hangar
 IP: Logged |
JT
Pilot
|
posted 03-23- 11:50 PM
Pete,Why do vehicles sink into the terrain? Planes seem to perfectly follow the contours of the terrain when they roll around. Jaguar, Yes, I'd be interested in that. Where can I get your files?
I think this would be a really great thing to persue. There is a lot of interest right now in total battlefield simulation. More important, it seems like this kind of stuff would be a very natural extension or evolution of Openplane. From what I know about Openplane, it seems like the foundation is already in place.... in essence, we have a head start.
IP: Logged |
Sv
Pilot
|
posted 03-23- 11:58 PM
JT,Pete's hack was to use DOFS to move objects great distances. So the path must be simple rotation and/or tranlation. They can be combined... the WWI observation balloon he built even bobs in the air! But, alas, travel over the hilly ground is quite impossible. Travel over the flat water is doable, but not by waypoints or human drivable. Funky truck is still the best hack so far... All we need is engines to drive wheels! Then we can do it, right? Maybe even following waypoints! ------------------
-Sv =FC=
WWI in SDOE!
IP: Logged |
JT
Pilot
|
posted 03-24- 12:01 AM
>But, alas, travel over the hilly ground is quite impossible. I don't understand... why is it any different than a plane rolling around on it's landing gear? IP: Logged |
Sv
Pilot
|
posted 03-24- 08:41 AM
JT,The object do NOT really move LOL, it is a trick! A hidden object remains stationary, and a super-DOF swings a child part over the earth. So you see, the ground has no relatoin to the motion. It does work quite well for ships, but there are still big negatives, it is indeed a hack, but a fun hack! You also see ID tags in strange places, etc. -Sv IP: Logged |
Werner Molders
Pilot
|
posted 04-01- 11:00 PM
Archy appears to have left SDOE, or at least has given me the worst case of cold shoulder in history. In either case, vehicles for SDOE is dead until the summer at least. Of course in the meantime I'm working on nations, but...If there is an offer of partnership I'll consider contributing to a vehicles project, but I can't go it alone until summer. Werner ------------------
DOWNLOADS+PILOT ROSTER+FAN SITE INNOVATION=B.C.A.T.P. Visit Today! IP: Logged |
ReaperMan
Pilot
|
posted 04-01- 11:14 PM
The moving ships are much different from the moving ground units. The ships are ground objects with DOFs that move them along the surface. The FunkyTruck, FunkyFlak, FunkyTiger, and Tiger II are all "aircraft," that is you can control them in the mission, they have engines, fuel and well, (hidden) propellers. These are extremely fun to drive around in for a while and shoot at things. The Tiger II from Werner and Archy is a blast! A blast from that cannon, that is. You can knock over the other tanks when you shoot at their treads with the cannon.
Only problem is the AI won't take over as "pilot" when you go to the gunner position. In fact, I don't think the AI will drive them at all.
Would be great if we could get these working.
Sorry to hear about Archy, Werner.
-=TheReaper=-
IP: Logged |
Archy
Pilot
|
posted 04-02- 04:34 PM
Werner, I didn't mean to give you the cold shoulder, I have not been into SDOE for the last month, not into any computer games for that matter. I'm starting to play again though, and may tinker a bit more with openplane.
The problem is, I would like more of a working partner or partner(s). I made several models of the TigerII with different controls for each, which is the better way to go? The best tank would have 2 crew positions, why wont the ai drive? I can get a bomber to taxi around on the ground, why not a tank? Werner, I really like what you've done with your site, but we need at least one other person who can work with openplane and modelling(I am not a modeler myself, I did break apart the original tiger into separate parts, but thats about my limit for modeling). I do know quite a bit about openplane though, but not all of it. I again repeat my request for another "openplane working partner". Once we get one vehicle working as well as we can, it isn't that hard to get the others to work(fuel trucks, matilda, hanomag, sherman, and various others).IP: Logged |
bjorn
Pilot
|
posted 04-02- 04:37 PM
I'm in, if you want the help. For the moment P47 goes first, though, but it's not a full time job, nor will it last forever.
_
/Bjorn.IP: Logged |
Archy
Pilot
|
posted 04-02- 04:51 PM
Well, the last version of the tigerII is at www.mosquitonet.com/~blodgett/
(panzer2.7.zip)What I think is the most important thing is to start over in a way with the already existing parts.
1. Figure out how to get the AI to drive
a. Do we make two crew positions again, pilot and gunner.
b. possible make more hidden aircraft parts to fool the ai?
c. Perfect speed/hill climbing ability.
d. Add hatch that closes as commander goes down inside(with the g key now). If the AI will drive, OFFline play will work with ground units.
If we go to two crew positions, control functions will work more normally.
IP: Logged |
Werner Molders
Pilot
|
posted 04-05- 12:06 AM
Archy,Good to hear from you. It's not like you have to report in or anything, but when you just vanished without a trace I was worried, especially when I got a message from one of your squaddies who was also noticing your absence. Anyway, that's over and done with. About the vehicles, I recognize that I'm not much of an assistant to you. I was pretty idealistic when I first signed on, and while I'd still like to be involved with beta testing and web hosting, I won't be able to really attack openplane until the summer, when I plan on breathing life into Pete's T34. An idea about AI. Instead of starting right away with a tank, why not strip the wings off a fighter, severely weaken its engine and see if AI runs that. I think it would be a valuable experiment to run, because it might create a starting point for tackling the AI bug.
Werner 
P.S. Thanks for the stuff about the site - I don't get a lot of feedback, so its nice to know people like the layout. ------------------
DOWNLOADS+PILOT ROSTER+FAN SITE INNOVATION=B.C.A.T.P. Visit Today! [This message has been edited by Werner Molders (edited 04-05-2000).] IP: Logged |
Mighty
Pilot
|
posted 04-05- 11:56 AM
It just so happens that I was looking at the AI code recently. If it sees there are no wings he'll bail. Same thing with horizontal and vertical stabilizers. So be sure to put little ones on there.IP: Logged |
Archy
Pilot
|
posted 04-05- 12:16 PM
Thanks Mighty, I was thinking along the same lines: Our tank is not enough like an aircraft for the AI. So we just need to have all the obhidden Aircraft parts in our tank so he don't get scared and jump out hehe.A couple of days ago I tested a mission with a b17 to see if it would taxi around to waypoints at 15 mph on the ground, and that worked, so I figured we could get a tank to work the same. So I believe the best way now is to add the missing parts, have 2 crew positions(pilot and gunner). One of the hardest things to do is to get the speed/hill climbing to work "believably". Anyways heres what I see as somthing needed for ground unit production: 1. Modeller to create ground units, or at least take existing ones and break them into peices. ( I volunteer to break ground units up into individual parts where necessary like I did with the tigerII) 2. Openplane Guru to turn the ground unit into an aircraft. (I can do this part as well, hopefully the AI problem is solved by making the ground units more aircraft like) 3. FM guru to work on speed/performance issues.(Im just not that good at this, lots o trial and error adjusting hp/rpms prop props etc.) 4. Damage Modelling Guru to work on obhits and damage characteristics. (I know some of the openplane stuff, but need some direction:
what parts blow off, which catch fire, etc etc.) would help if we had someone that did texture mapping and knew how to do the trick with texture swapping for damaged parts.
Whoever wants to work on this should start by looking at the current TigerII I have posted a link to above. It would be great to get an Assembly line going, there are quite a few existing ground units to convert.
IP: Logged |
Zurawski
Pilot
|
posted 04-05- 12:32 PM
ROFLMAO!!!!!!!!!!!"It just so happens that I was looking at the AI code recently. If it sees there are no wings he'll bail. Same thing with horizontal and vertical stabilizers. So be sure to put little ones on there." Well now if that isn't the smartest aircraft AI you've ever heard of ... IP: Logged |
mposis
Pilot
|
posted 04-05- 12:46 PM
Mighty,Are you sure? I had a FW190A that was taking off and its vertical stabilizer, rudder, horizontal stabilizer, and elevators shot off. The AI did not bail but kept the plane moving forward on the ground. It could not take off because of the lack of elevators. Maybe if it would be easier to make moving ground objects out of the planes. All we have to do is take out the elevators and change the 3d models, DM, and FM. Maybe the AI will follow waypoints and also attack surface and aerial targets.
[This message has been edited by mposis (edited 04-05-2000).] IP: Logged |
charmstar
Pilot
|
posted 04-05- 02:13 PM
The WWI guys were having problems with the AI not starting the engine if there weren't at least TWO leftwings and TWO rightwings declared. For the planes we have now these are usually leftWing, and WngTipL for instance for the left wing. It would be easy to make four small airfoils, and just add 2 to the aircLeftWing and 2 to the aircRightWing though...charm IP: Logged |
Archy
Pilot
|
posted 04-06- 11:22 AM
Whoopee, the AI can drive!
I Added the missing wingtip parts to the tiger 2, and made up some hidden hstabs, and that AI, he starts that baby up and drives.I'm back on the project again, I have already separated the commander position and the gunner. The commanders Viewpoint changes when he ducks down in the turret with the g key(probably switch this to the Canopy key)
Im having a little trouble getting the gunners position viewpoint in the right spot, but I'll keep hacking.
I should have a new version ready for testing this weekend. Im excited about the possibilities again whoopee! IP: Logged |
Werner Molders
Pilot
|
posted 04-06- 07:04 PM
Archy, is the commander going through an open hatch or melting into the tank? This was one of my biggest pet peeves of the tiger so far (not that it's anyone's fault or anything). It should be that as the commander's coming up, the lid is lifting open, and vice versa.I'm glad you're back! Werner ------------------
DOWNLOADS+PILOT ROSTER+FAN SITE INNOVATION=B.C.A.T.P. Visit Today! IP: Logged | |
FSIC Messageboard
UBBFriend: Email This Page to Someone! 
