2 replies to this topic

[Chesko]

Hi, all. I'm a hobby programmer / modder / hardware guy. One of my dreams would be to build a cockpit for use in games like MWO, flight sims, and the like.

One of the keys to supporting this is being able to access certain user interface information from outside the application. For instance: warning lights, lock on indicators, ammo counts for the player, etc. This information could be used by:

• Simulation / Cockpit builders (for instance, to drive a small hardware LCD display to show available ammo)
  
• G15 / G19 programmers, for building custom keyboard LCD applications (something else I have experience with)
  
• Other software programmers that want to build custom "helper" applications for display on a separate monitor

This accessible information should of course not be information that would give an inordinate advantage to the player, or be information that they could not ordinarily access via conventional means. It simply enables hobbyists such as myself to do things far beyond the developers are capable of supporting, WITHOUT hacking the executable or looking into your runtime memory to look for variables.



If this information were accessible via COM ports or some other suitable channel, that would be a wonderful gift to all hobby developers and system builders. And as anyone who plays PC games can attest, the mod-ability of a game is a very good indicator to its longivity. Enabling the simple access of this information for external display would be awesome.

Thanks for reading.

Edited by Chesko, 19 June 2012 - 08:03 AM.

[CyBerkut]

+1

This probably belongs in the "Suggestions" forum.

Much, if not all of this has been asked for in one way or another. Done properly, it would be worthwhile.

I don't know enough about CryEngine 3, and what can be done with a game using that engine. If there is some dynamically updated table of relevant data / status of your own mech, and whatever else is appropriate (without enabling cheating), it could be a real boon.

If the information was made available to a local IP address, I wouldn't be surprised if somebody made a sim pit that included motion.

[Chesko]

Thanks, I will cross post this to the Suggestion board or petition a moderator to move this thread.