Hades Class Quick Strike Carrier Bridge Idea

[mkruer]

Here was my idea for the Bridge of the Hades Class Quick Strike Carrier. In the principles of K.I.S.S. and Massive Bridge, itty bitty Bridge, this is what I came up with. This is a very rudimentary 3D construct. The bridge is broken into five areas. Looking at the bridge from the front, the front Left seat is the Pilots chair. This is where all the piloting of the ship takes place. The seat across from the pilot is the co-pilots seat. This seat works as a backup to the Pilot, but more importantly this is also the weapons console for the ship where other ships can be targeted. Both seats are slightly lower then the Captains chair as to provide a better view. The back Left chair is the Tactical console. This is where all the in flight tactics are carried out, and fighters can be. On the right back side is the Comm. Station where all communications take place. You can issues commands to all support ships such as “shoot the damn bombers firstâ€

[mkruer]

Here is an example of the original WCP Hades QSC Flight Op room. I would like to keep eveything in the same style.

[MamiyaOtaru]

The way I would like to go about the commanding of the ships is different then the Paradigm command bridge http://vegastrike.sourceforge.net/forum ... php?t=4334 Where instead of having all functions controlled from one screen.

It is that way 'cause that's how vegastrike works ATM (unless I missed some big update ). I like your layout though, I think it'd work well if the code could be adapted to fit that method of command.

[mkruer]

Then I think there needs to be some refinements to the engine, first allow for multiple levels of a cockpit, as mentioned above. Second add support for mapping active displays to the mesh.

[spiritplumber]

What I would like there to be is a way to go from the cockpit to the base/dock screen for capships you are piloting (right now what I do is eject and then dock with my own ship). It would be a very quick modification to the engine and we could use the existing base interface to define extra rooms and options (for example have a modification of the "wingmen mission" computer to launch fighters).

I keep whining about engine mods, but it's stuff I would have done already if I could recompile the thing.... the main issue is that I don't have a Mac and I have an ATI card so linux+3D=bleh. And I don't feel confident doing anything that I'm not 100% sure is portable.

[klauss]

It's not that easy... like docking with yourself... but I'll have that in mind if I feel like doing crazy stuff. However, it does seem a good way to enhance ship control. We could even have the "computer room" that chuck_starchasing talks about all the time, which is a nice idea, but we have no way to do that right now. Creating a base interface for oneself you can access while inflight would be powerful. But complex.

[chuck_starchaser]

For regular ships, I've been dreaming of having rooms you can go to, like the computer and electronics room where you can re-attach fallen cables between your sensor interfaces, computers and other rack-mount add-on's.
Or a reactor room where you have tanks for fuel, coolant, lube and other stuff, hoses, pumps, and the reactor itself. There could be an ammo depot, and some other rooms.
You could go to these rooms and to the turrets in flight, as well as while in the upgrades screen while on a base.
For a dockable ship, it would be a matter of connecting this system of rooms with the docking level rooms, through an elevator.

[spiritplumber]

It's not complicated....

(1) Fly a Drayman. (drayman.stock if cheating to get it)
(2) Load some cargo into it.
(3) Fly out of base, then eject.
(4) Maneuver your eject pod in the dray's docking port.
(5) Dock.
(6) Look around. Note that you can get cargo off/on your own ship for free.

[mkruer]

That seems like a poor mans way of doing it. There has to be a better, more elegant way to make it work.

[spiritplumber]

I'm limited by not being able to touch the engine... A key that allows access, from cockpit, to a base/dock screen (or something built similarly) would do the trick.

[chuck_starchaser]

How about the very "[" key that scrolls through turrets, could also make a stop at the docking level.

[klauss]

Thing is, I don't think it's that easy, if you want to do the "rooms" thing. Since a) time should not be paused when you go to a certain room on your ship. b) the engine could dislike the idea of a ship docking with itself - never tried that, but it's possible. And c) we would need a way to customize the interface when you're docking to yourself: docking to a normal drayman should not expose the "engine room" or the "computer systems room".

[mkruer]

It would have to be some combination that is user defined.

The QDS is to make the ship UI based upon a Star (networking term) topology. Basically what this means is that there is at a minimum, two levels to a ship. The first or highest level is an overall map of the ship that will specify rooms such as the bridge or the TAC room, gunnery room, etc… Inside each room there are key areas. For example on the bridge there would be the Capitan’s Chair, or the Pilots Seat, or Damage Control. Etc… each area could be cycled through without having to return to the main map of the ship.

[chuck_starchaser]

Thing is, I don't think it's that easy, if you want to do the "rooms" thing. Since a) time should not be paused when you go to a certain room on your ship. b) the engine could dislike the idea of a ship docking with itself - never tried that, but it's possible. And c) we would need a way to customize the interface when you're docking to yourself: docking to a normal drayman should not expose the "engine room" or the "computer systems room".

I don't understand the use of the term "docking with yourself". You're simply taking the elevator down. Where's the "docking"?
Time already passes when you're docked at a station, by default, I believe.
Usually you see a corridor with doors to the sides, when you dock with a ship. At the end of the corridor, I'd add an elevator. If you're not part of the crew, the elevator won't open for you.

[klauss]

I don't understand the use of the term "docking with yourself". You're simply taking the elevator down. Where's the "docking"?

In engine terms, the act of getting to the base interface is called docking. So, in a sense, to get to your own base interface, you would be "docking with yourself".

Time already passes when you're docked at a station, by default, I believe.

Yep, depending on configuration. I was saying that, depending on what type of docking it is (self-docking or not), there should be a different configuration option (since, even if you want a paused game while you are docking with another ship, you wouldn't want that to happen when you're going to your engine room for, say, shutting down the reactor which is about to blow up or, better yet, to kill time reading the news until your autopilot takes you to your destination)

Usually you see a corridor with doors to the sides, when you dock with a ship. At the end of the corridor, I'd add an elevator. If you're not part of the crew, the elevator won't open for you.

That's an option. But still, the idea "if you're not part of the crew" has to be coded. I'm not sure how easy or hard that could be.

[spiritplumber]

"Docking with yourself" sounds a lil dirty....


anyway, hellcatv is doing htat. Yay!

[chuck_starchaser]

That's an option. But still, the idea "if you're not part of the crew" has to be coded. I'm not sure how easy or hard that could be.

One easy way would be, if you came out through that door, you can go back in through itl

Actually, it could get more complicated... One good way is to drop bread crumbs on the way out. Have a sort of stack with express unwinding features, so, say you go down to the docking bay, and fly off on a ship, then match speed with the mothership, then transfer control back to the mothership; it should in the end have the same result as launching a small ship from the cockpit.