40 replies to this topic

[Darklord]

DL

[Endo]

I want to decorate my cockpit with kill marks and photos of pretty ladies.

[Ooya]

Back in the early 90s, there was virtual reality game center (like an arcade, but brightly lit and the floor was not sticky) in a local mall that had a few similar closed pods that were linked together and ran Mechwarrior.

Actually, scratch that, I think it was these. The name rings a bell. Here is a link to http://giantbattling...eing-there.html

Edited by Ooya, 01 November 2011 - 08:54 PM.

[Agent Cooper]

hmmm, I thought he meant being able to hang a picture of your girl in there.

[PropWash]

Ooya, on 01 November 2011 - 08:49 PM, said:

Back in the early 90s, there was virtual reality game center (like an arcade, but brightly lit and the floor was not sticky) in a local mall that had a few similar closed pods that were linked together and ran Mechwarrior.

Actually, scratch that, I think it was these. The name rings a bell. Here is a link to http://giantbattling...eing-there.html

That is us, Virtual World Entertainment.

We're not dead yet.

[Adridos]

Endo, on 01 November 2011 - 08:42 PM, said:

I want to decorate my cockpit with kill marks and photos of pretty ladies.

I think it should be implemented, because nobody else will see it, but the pictures itself should be from you.

[CyBerkut]

topgun505, on 01 November 2011 - 02:27 PM, said:

As far as controls. Hmm. It would be nice ... if there are any Multi-function displays within the cockpit, that they will support the Thrustmaster MFD units. As for Track IR ... I don't see the point of it given that your field of view is rather limited from within the cockpit ... unless Track IR would actually be able to take the function of the torso twist. Now THAT would be cool.

Well, the point would be that the view doesn't have to be limited. You could look around inside your cockpit to see (and hopefully touch/operate) various controls / indicators. If you look at late version flight sims like DCS: Black Shark, DCS: A-10C, and the new BMS mod to Falcon 4, you have much more available to you than just the view out the window and the HUD. Look down to see the main control panel. Down to the right to see another, and the same with down to the left. Switches, MFDs, etc. out the wazoo... and clickable. And clickable means not only with the mouse, but also by touching your touchscreen if you have one.

As for the torso twist... if they make the control options as flexible as the modern flight sims do, you would be able to configure what you described. It's hard to say at this point, with so little to go on, but I doubt that I'd like to have the torso moving around based upon the TrackIR. However, if they did have a targeting reticle that was unlocked from the center of the screen (see a different thread about that), it might be interesting to have that target reticle follow the TrackIR... basically like the chin gun on an Apache.

Quote

The other thing I would like to see (and I don't know if this is the same thing some people have mentioned above there), is making every mechs cockpit view appropriate to the model. So if you have a Shadow Hawk with a big gun slung over your left shoulder ... then you can't see diddly off to the left (unless of course the gun gets blown off, heh). Having the exact same view from every mech regardless of how it's configured detracts from the immersion.

MW4 took such obstructions into account. I would certainly think MW:O would as well.

[Ooya]

propwash, on 02 November 2011 - 05:56 AM, said:

That is us, Virtual World Entertainment.

We're not dead yet.

You had a store in Colonie Center next to the Friendly's in Colonie, NY back then, correct? I have been wondering about it for a few years now as a few others in my area remember it and it keeps cropping up in our conversations.

[CaveMan]

MEGADEATH, on 01 November 2011 - 08:42 AM, said:

The original games got the cockpit gameplay just right. You dont want to create a cockpit sim with clickable buttons and deals because that costs processing power, it robs from the game.

Ohhhhhh yes I do. I want DCS A-10C with 'Mechs.

[Wayside]

CyBerkut, on 01 November 2011 - 08:02 AM, said:

I don't remember now if it was in the FAQ or the Dev Blog 0 post, but there was mention that the cockpit would be customizable. That is certainly good news!

On the off chance that the developers manage to read this... a few requests / suggestions for consideration:

1. Multiple screen support [ie. Adjustable Field of View settings for multi-screen users. Possibly the ability to put cockpit controls/indicators on a separate screen from the HUD/Out-the-Window view screen.]
2. TrackIR (headtracking) support
3. Clickable cockpit controls (which would enable touchscreen use)

The 3rd one might not be feasible with customizable cockpits... I guess it depends upon what they have in mind.

As for the TrackIR... I'm thinking of it more for looking around in the cockpit (or even looking out the left or right side windows if they are present), rather than moving the torso around. Torso twist should probably be handled via whatever joystick/throttle/pedals setup the pilot has/wants.

Of course, if click-able cockpit controls are not built-in, people can still build something for an extra touchscreen with TouchBuddy, Helios, or something similar (as long as keybinds are available).

------------

If this stuff isn't in the plan for the initial release, I would NOT suggest making a significant delay to the initial release to add it in [Feature creep is deadly to software development]. But if they get in, even if it is in a later patch/update... it would rock. With the prominent inclusion of Information Warfare in this game, the items listed are a natural partner.

To get a good example of how that stuff can be done well, take a look at Eagle Dynamics' DCS: Black Shark and DCS: A-10C. I believe the new BMS mod for Falcon 4 also does it well.

Would love TrackIR support.

Most of all, the ability to re-position, re-size, and reorient displays to other monitors would be incredible. I've been doodling home made "pod" designs since yesterday. x_x

[Adridos]

MEGADEATH, on 01 November 2011 - 08:42 AM, said:

The original games got the cockpit gameplay just right. You dont want to create a cockpit sim with clickable buttons and deals because that costs processing power, it robs from the game.

I disagree, yes the buttons dont have to be clickable, but I want it detailed as shown it the initial trailer. That way you get the atmosphere of a real mech driving, yet it wont ruin the gameplay.

[Odin]

Clickable cockpits are cool.
I do not know - as anybody else - what sort of interaction we'll get,
but being there does require a bit more then just up and down bobbing wire frames!

Edited by Odin, 02 November 2011 - 10:30 AM.

[Icepick]

Customizable cockpits are nice and all, but the HUD is where the business gets done. Fewer flashy/spinny bits and more relevant information.

[revan]

topgun505, on 01 November 2011 - 05:36 PM, said:

My setup for DCS A-10C ... I could see this easily being adapted to MW.

That's freakin awesome. What are those secondary screens your using? If those could be used for this it'd be amazing.

[topgun505]

Lol ... don't get too excited Revan. Those are Multi-Function Displays made by Thrustmaster. But they don't display anything per se. They are meant to mimic the buttons around the MFDs you find on the F-16 and A-10 (and found on most other modern fighters). The buttons and rocker switches are functional ... but the center area is not a display (just a print out of a picture). So they are utility pure and simple.

[MaddMaxx]

Multiple transparent pop-up HUD's as in MW 2-3. 1 for weapon configs, 1 for damage tracking (Green/Yellow/Red/Dead) A full 270 degree monitor above the cockpit window. Button selectable Left and Right side view Camera's (stay on it not clicked off - not hold or re-center auto)
Selectable Rear view (separate console screen or Pop-up)

If possible, seeing as we have seen possible aerial drones, the Satellite up-link view (that was the coolest) but use a Fully rendered view this time and not Wire Frame graphics.

OR

Just make it very functional and super cool visually. Either works really. LOL!

[CyBerkut]

Not being a BT afficionado, I don't know if such a thing ever appeared in any of the fiction... but it seems to me that a logical feature in a fighting machine of the future would be that a portion of the display would show a 360 degree panoramic view. In my mind, the upper portion of the screen would have a section that starts from directly behind you on the left edge, to the view on your left at 1/4 of the way, to directly in front of you at 1/2 way across, etc, ... over to directly behind you on the right edge.

That would be a big enhancement to the pilot's situational awareness. The technology for a 360 degree image from a single camera already exists today... why wouldn't it be in a mech cockpit of the future?

Of course, how a developer thinks it would affect game play... who knows?

[Rodney28021]

Would have to be multiple cameras with overlaping fields of view to get that real time 360 degree image but cameras are cheap sensors. I want some fuzzy dice or small disco ball to hang in my cockpit. I guess any cockpit that MWO makes will be better than the older games. Oh at one time in my life i really wanted one of those Virtual Worlds pods to play my computer games in.

Edited by Rodney28021, 08 June 2012 - 05:16 PM.

[Badfinger]

PropWash, on 02 November 2011 - 05:56 AM, said:

That is us, Virtual World Entertainment.

We're not dead yet.

Hmmm, Interesting big boy toy! Customized for MWO home use, would be killer. I could see one setting in my game room.

http://simplayground...nces/4542612126

[CyBerkut]

Rodney28021, on 08 June 2012 - 05:14 PM, said:

Would have to be multiple cameras with overlaping fields of view to get that real time 360 degree image but cameras are cheap sensors.

One camera with the correct sort of lens can capture a 360 degree view. The image needs to be de-warped by software.
Examples:
http://www.buy.com/p...llerid=10001650
http://www.buy.com/p.../230278207.html