4 replies to this topic

[Loc Nar]

I started a thread on my mechpit in the hardware section, but it's kinda relevant in this forum too so I decided to crosspost a link to it here.
Original post: http://mwomercs.com/...440-my-mechpit/


If there is interest here, I can post updates when there are any, and of course will answer any questions best I can.

-Loc ***

[Knt Maverick]

LOVE IT... i'll be take'n notes from you and others who post their "SimPit".. for when I'm finally able to put some money towards build'n my own one day...---hopefully MWO will still be around by then.. lol---.. Seriously.. i love what you're doing with yours so far. Curious, you are gonna make it fully enclosed.. aren't you?

[Loc Nar]

Thanks Maverick, other than the controls I hung on it, the cost to build this was astonishingly low. I paid $50 for this Schwinn, and have two others I paid $25 for...

you are gonna make it fully enclosed.. aren't you?

Well, not in the foreseeable future. My experience with flying aircraft and tinkering with other sims steers me away from this idea -short of a full out assault on the construction side of things, but more importantly full support from the simulator title. The construction part is not the problem... but the way reality is shaping up, we will be lucky to have natively working joysticks so complete UI mapping outside the cockpit and the ability to undock the virtual pit from the screen seems a stretch. A long stretch. It also is unlikely that they will ever make the UI data available though, to prevent people from developing aimbots and other cheat tools since MWO is a primarily competitive F2P game. Then there's the Artemis, cool as hell but potentially further complicates the future of cockpit support due to marketing concerns if it's actually developed and released.

Without full control of all cockpit data (ability to feed HUD screens etc), one needs to keep the virtual screenpit up to maintain situational awareness. With that still on the screen, I find it quite distracting and that it takes a lot away from an internal environment I have gone to great length to create, putting it well into the zone of diminishing returns. Likely a triple monitor, semi enclosed corner station to roll in/out of is as far as I will be able to take it, however If MWO ever does support cockpit builders -anywhere even near the degree of DCS A-10 Warthog- I will step up my efforts accordingly.

The good news is that if they do support such activities, it is not a huge deal to make the rest of the head/pod, separate from the mechpit itself and just roll it in when needed, This was my plan, before I came to the conclusion that full cockpit support is not likely in the cards. What I envision though would be a 4 or 5 sided (no floor, maybe no rear wall) lightweight blind/facade structure, with very precise window cutouts/frames *from which to view the projector screen though. With the mechpit/cockpit tub being a self contained structure, it basically just needs a box to park in, kinda like in the Hunchback cockpit tub in the artwork.. http://i.imgur.com/AHmhr.jpg

-Loc

*my other idea is to stretch rear projection fabric over the outsides of the windows and rear project onto them, using pixlewarp or some other image correcting software that allows you to project undistorted images onto irregular shapes/surfaces. Add 6dof headtracking and the effect would be very convincing.

[Knt Maverick]

well.. as the old saying goes... when/if you're going to dream..... dream big. That being said, i would very much look forward to any continuation postings you would make, progressivly showing the build. (no real need for in-depth details of the "How-To's"), but definatly the different stages. If it's not too much of a hassel. All in all, Best of Luck int he construction. My hat's off to you.

<S>

[JustMe SR]

Why there isnt panel in the middle showing your kills?


Also I cant see AC 20 blocking your view.

Edited by JustMe SR, 12 September 2012 - 08:54 PM.