Project Test Flight - Complete

[Pokemaniac]

It's me again! I'm back with a new project of mine, that it actually looks like I'll finish. I can promise you sort of a "different" NL track this time, it will be more about the story and the 3Ds than the actual track. This is partly because I want to use a little used coaster type, and an even less used environment, but of course also because I use the NL aspect of it as an excuse to post my 3Ds stuff here, and get some feedback on it.

Either way, on to the goodies:

Test pilot wanted!

The onboard research and development team has been working on an exciting new project for quite some time now, and we are finally ready to unveil what it's all about (actually, the plans have been public for a good while, but none of you actually read the announcements we make. That's why we restorted to spam this time)! We're done with all the working that may pose a risk, so we can guarantee the safety of the test pilots this time (trust us, we've learned from the Jetpack incident). If any of you are interested in testing our newest vehicle, please make contact. Reply to this message, or send an entirely new one to number 47-555-6, or drop by our quarters (deck 47, zone 555, behind the stairs). This time, our budget allows us to pay the test pilots, so there's really no reason not to volunteer! And we repeat: It's safer this time!

Damos and Aleks

Research and development (respectively)

Updates will follow as soon as I finish more of the 3D models. By the way, I'm going to change the texture of that dish as soon as I find out how I can edit materials.

Download link:
http://www.mediafire.com/?oymhhwmmjyd

 

[Xpress]

Oooo, me like

 

[Uncle Arly]

This could be interesting. What coaster type are you using?

 

[Pokemaniac]

^^Thanks!

^Don't worry. That will be revealed in the next update.


Which will be immediately.

Why was the previous update in past tense? Because that's what it looked like once you had assembled everything you can remember from the events leading up to this.
Some time has passed, and you have just been awakened from a loong sleep, by that annoying message sound from the screen on the wall. Right now, you're standing in your boxershorts, fighting a desire to bang your head against said wall in the tiny room. The reason for this desire? A bet, you recall. A stupid bet. Betting on a card game after three consecutive all-nighters isn't really a good idea. Especially when the loser has to volunteer to test R&D's latest project.
Gah, when you signed up for this, you thought you could avoid stupid decisions as a direct cause of using drugs, as they are prohibited on board. But no, the veterans knew that you didn't have to use drugs to become smashed. All you have to do is staying up a few nights in a row, and the same effect occurs. And now you're here, with a message from 555-47-6 blinking on your screen. You decide to read it. It reads:

Hello, pilot **** ***** ***!

As you were the only one to respond to our message within the three-week period, you automatically skip the preliminary rounds and are immediately selected to be the first living organism testing out our entirely new project!
(At this point in the message, the text flashes, and an irritating fanfare plays every few seconds)
We see from your file that you use to fly heavy bombers, so this will be quite a difference. Behold the new, Manned Mini Maintenance Something-starting-with-M! (MMMSSWM for now)

This cute little vessel will primarily be used for small flights around the exterior of the ship, to fix small problems without involving the larger and more clumsy ships we use for all degrees of exterior maintenance today. It can hold a team of up to four people or droids, as well as sufficent tools to fix most of the everyday problems or maintenance (changing filters, cleaning ice from the turrets or door hinges, etc), or it can be used for inspection runs. Riders will already be wearing space suits when they enter and maneuver the MMMSSWM, so the vessel won't have to hover over its destination for a long time while the riders change clothes. This will save a lot of flight time.

We haven't settled on the exact date for your first flight yet, but we think we'll wait until we stop at a planet somewhere. We're currently mailing the navigation departement daily to find out more about when this will be. Until then, you can come have a look at the MMMSSWM in the R&D departement's hangar (area code 822-08).

We're looking forward to meeting you, test pilot!

Damos and Aleks,
The entire Research and Development department


PS: I hope somebody soon will take the hint about:

I'm going to change the texture of that dish as soon as I find out how I can edit materials.

 

[Anonymous]

I'm going to change the texture of that dish as soon as I find out how I can edit materials.

If you mean that you want to texture the surface then look here:

Clicky 1
Clicky 2

 

[Pokemaniac]

^Wooops, my bad. What I meant is, I'm not too happy with the material used, but I applied it in several places before I realised how ugly it is. Is there a way to modify the materials you've already applied to surfaces, thus changing every surface I've used the material? Or do I have to make an entirely new material, then reapply it everywhere I want to use it?

 

[Anonymous]

You can edit the materials by opening the "Outliner" window (Windows > Outliner), then just select the material you want to edit, right click and choose preferences and edit away...

 

[Pokemaniac]

^Thanks a lot! I felt that I had to change the main model texture as well, and that's applied to a few thousand faces. The ship is now a wonderfully brown-ish grey colour instead of the green from the first pic.

I'm sorry to say that I won't bring any update today, but there's really not much I can show before the project gets closer to finished, and there's still a fair bit left (including most of the trackwork). The main 3D model is as finished as I think I'll make it, though. But as you might guess, the details take a lot of time to get right.

By the way, is there a way to copy materials from one file and use them in another? I'm making many wall/floor mounted objects in different files, and want them to look like they've been painted the same colour. Right now, I'm eyeballing different shades of black to look as close to the ship material as possible, but I guess there is a way...

Thanks a lot in advance!

 

[Anonymous]

If you merge 2 objects, then the materials will go to both, but it will include a bit of clearing up after the merger. And you have the possibility of a mix up in objects, so you have to be careful when you save the objects...

You can always use numeric values to get the exact shades.

 

[tks]

Accordion restraints... *shudder*

 

[Pokemaniac]

^^Thanks again!

^Blame Damos and Aleks, not me.

By the way, I hope you're all fine with minor updates as long as I work on the previously mentioned details.

Yet a few days later, and the entire ship seems to know that you've signed up for the latest R&D project. People constantly approach you in the corridors, or mention it any time you're gathered, in the cantina for instance. The guys seem to have an endless supply of bad jokes about the subject, or new ways to remind you that you've signed up to try the newest contraption D&A has put together.
That's one of the problems with heavy bomber service: You get too much spare time when the ship is travelling. Okay, you may have stupid work hours and lots of flight time every time you stop at an uncharted planet, but when the ship is in outer space, there is no use for bomber pilots. Now, you just want to get done with the project, so you can watch TV with the others without anyone making a joke when the word "research", "development", "test" or "prototype" is mentioned on the screen.
At the moment, you try to pass time in the wonderful solitude of your room, mostly reading books from the library. As you sit there, the monotony is broken by a beep from the wall monitor. You get up from the chair, and read the message. It's from number 555-47-6:

Hello again, test pilot!
We're sorry for not messaging you lately, but we've been busy. The head mechanic for the hangar next door fell down a stair a few days back, and we had to step in as Autofighter inspectors. This is what we've been staring at all day since then:

We've been too busy refilling ammo, looking at camera footage, sensor readings etc. to be able to work on the MMMSSWM. We hardly even get time to message the Navigations departement any more. However, as soon as we find some idle mantenance droids to do the hard work for us, we'll continue the research and development. For now, each time we ask Maintenance for a couple, they say Navigations have claimed them all for some reason. It's been like that since we started to message them twice daily.

However, we've read your messages. Concerning the safety issues you keep mentioning, we're completely sure this is safe. In 90% of the test flights we've done with droids, all the riders have still been inside the vessel when it returns to the hangar.
We also see that you've asked about what "No Limits" means. It's simply the R&D departement's slogan. And we strongly disagree that the colors "look horrible", as you've worded it. They are final as long as we're in charge of this.
We still haven't got an exact date for the next stop, but we hope it will be some time this month. We'll have the MMMSSWM ready by then, and if not, we'll test it regardless.

Best wishes,
Damos and Aleks
Research, Development and Autofighter-scrutinizing.

 

[Pokemaniac]

Hi again, test pilot!

We managed to snag a maintenance crew yesterday, and with the droids taking care of autofighter-inspection, we got some more time to work on the MMMSSWM!

As you may see on the picture, we haven't made a pilot's interface to the MMMSSWM yet. Indeed, the first test flight will follow a pre-programmed path, you won't have to think about steering the vessel. Don't worry, we'll make the ride as smooth as can be. However, there will be some snappy transitions between turns, so in order to help you prepare for them, we've developed a nifty little tool:

This picture was taken by a droid on a test flight from our hangar.
First of all, we'd like to point out the apparent tracks in front of the MMMSSWM on this picture. We've programmed the flight path into a helmet you'll be wearing on the flight as well, so you can see where you are going. The track is not really there, it's just a visual aid projected onto the visor, to help you brace for upcoming turns and transitions.

Second, have a look at the tool bar at the top of the picture. From left to right, these numbers represent a Frames Per Second counter, the speed you'll be travelling at (somewhat unstable for now, but it works well at low speeds), vertical G-force, lateral G-force and acceleration. However, we can't seem to calibrate it properly for the weightlessness in space, so it always calculates the forces from a standard value of 1G, in the same direction as the gravitational field on board. Thus, don't put too much trust into the readings.
We know the pilot helmets have similar HUDs, and you're probably used to the concept already, but we thought we'd brief you anyway. You're probably used to have a diagram of the vessel, navigation and ammo information as well as this.

Another note, we've gotten a reply from Navigations. If we omit the swearing in the original message, it seems like we'll pass by a star in about a week's time, and if there is any planets in the habitable zone around it, we'll stop there. We'll tell you more when we get more exact details. We've also contacted your squad leader, so don't worry if you're called out to bomb the planet the minute we stop there. You have their permission to stay on ship and conduct the test flight instead.

Best wishes,
Damos and Aleks,
R&D

 

[Pokemaniac]

Triple post! Ow well, release will be soon. Just a ton of smoothing left, and finding out how to use the track packager... On the bright side, the 3Ds are finished.

It's another day like any other. Gosh, how slowly time passes on board here. You were looking forward to all the spare time back when you signed up for service, but now, it's almost like you want to go inspecting autofighters just for the sake of having something constructive to do. But on a ship where automatic droids outnumber people 75:10, the latter group doesn't have to do much manual labour. So for now, all you can do is taking a trip to the library every now and then.

As you sit in your room, shuffling through "Moby Dick" and wonder what the whale has to do with the book title, your screen starts beeping again. "555-47-6?", you wonder and open the message:

Message from: 1-100-1:

Good morning. As you may have noticed, we're approaching a star, and observations indicate that there is a planet orbiting it well within the "habitable zone". In other words, we're stopping there to map it and check for useful resourches.

However, we've also snapped up radio signals from the planet, indicating that there is intelligent life down there, and that they already have developed radio technology. As you might be aware of, this can mean that they have a space program, and possibly even nuclear missiles. For the safety of everybody on board, I have decided to issue a code 7 for the duration of the visit. All pilots, report to your superiors immediately. We urge all personel who's not currently on guard to go take a nap, as tomorrow may be a long day. If the natives prove to be hostile, we may get engaged in a firefight, and all personel better be prepared.

The captain

"Code 7", you think. If you remember correctly, that means that all external ports, be it hangars, gun turrets, thrash management ports and so on are closed, due to a high risk of attack at any moment. Looks like there's going to be even more waiting before you get to test the MMMSSWM, but at least something is happening. You put the book aside, get your helmet on, and run to the hangar to meet the other guys.


As told above, all I have left to do is some smoothing, and I have to find out how to pack tracks.

Oh, by the way, here is a random picture for you:

This is the fabled Autofighters, if you wondered.

 

[Pokemaniac]

Okay... it's ready for release... possibly.

I'm a little stuck with the "is it smooth enough to release?"-issue, and would very much like somebody to have a look at the track before I post it.

If anybody would like to see the track, hit me up on MSN. If it passes, I'll post it as soon as possible.

Thanks a lot!

EDIT: Nevermind, I got it approved now.

 

[Ingested Banjo]

Looks pretty cool! Love the stories about it and I laughed at the bit about the nolimits logo XD

 

[Pokemaniac]

^Thanks!

It's complete!

Apalops has entered low orbit around the planet. You've listened to the captain's advice, and are lying snugly in your bed getting some sleep before an eventual mission tomorrow. Then suddenly, your screen starts beeping. Not the annoying sound of a new message, but the super-annoying sound of an urgent message. This better be important. You force yourself out of the bed, and jab the screen repeatedly until the message pops up:

Message from: 555-47-6:

Test pilot! Please respond!

Until five minutes ago, we all thought we had to wait another few weeks before we got to test the MMMSSWM, as the entire ship is closed down now. But then we got a message from Navigations saying that we could use the Big Ship hangar on deck 96 for the test flight. You see, they're opening it for a couple of hours, to send a landing craft down to the surface to see what the natives are like. This frees up enough space in there for the test flight. We have to stay within the ship's reflector shield, though, but there's still plenty of room there to test the things we want to: Acceleration, turning, banking and G-forces. However, we had to reprogram the flight path entirely, in five minutes, so it may not be as silky smooth as the original flight path we had programmed. Still, all simulations give you a high chance of surviving it.

Meet us in the Big Ship hangar (268-96-1) in ten minutes. Hurry, we have to be out of there again by the time the landing craft returns!

During the test flight, we'll be sitting in the maintenance craft nearest the start/stop position, monitoring the sensor readings. Just climb aboard, and we'll start the test flight when you are ready.

Damos and Aleks,
Research and Development

Ten minutes later, this is what meets you:
http://www.mediafire.com/?oymhhwmmjyd

Feedback will be deeply appreciated. I may release a second version of this, if I get enough input and ideas.

You will need the Track Packager to see this file. If you don't have it, you can find it here somewhere:
http://www.nolimitscoaster.de/

 

[Ollie]

Well it's urm... very fast.

It liked the layout and the speed although there were a few times when the g's shot into the reds and yellows.
Also next time with the 3Ds try and use textures instead of materials as it looks more realistic.
Other than that it was quite good.

 

[Brookes]

I didn't really get it to be honest. For the track, it was definitely fast enough and mostly smooth but the g's were a bit wild and the track was too close to another piece on one occasion. The 3Ds were good but I didn't really understand what you were trying to achieve.

 

[Pokemaniac]

^What I was trying to achieve, was more story-telling than actual coaster riding. I don't know if I made it clearly enough in the stories (the track is worthless without the story), but the track isn't meant to be there. I was trying to simulate a test flight of a small new space vessel, and the track just happened to be inavoidable. Thus, I put an excuse in the track description and the story, saying that what you see in the simulator is what the test pilot sees, and that includes a HUD that shows an image of track so he knows when and how to brace.

Being a test flight, I didn't take the forces too seriously. The pilot is (in theory) well secured, and wearing a suit. Also, you'll have to consider the weightlessness (which would make some turns even worse, in fact). Last, and this is my weakest excuse, the flight path is meant to be a last-minute effort by the inventors, so they didn't have time to perfect it.

And Ollie, thanks for your input. I considered using textures, but it would just look too pixelated on such large faces (the hangar walls, for instance, are larger than most soccer fields),or the repeat pattern would become glaringly obvious, so I used materials instead.