e.v.a AND i.v.a.

[Wanderhoof]

Kerbals can already enjoy performing e.v.a. - extravehicular activities.  But, i.v.a. - intravehicular (is that a word?) activities are limited to menu commands and being permanently strapped into seats.  Yes, you can transfer brave Kerbalnauts from one crew compartment to another, but, again, this is through menu commands.  Or, if you have greater finesse and control than myself, through e.v.a. transit from one crew hatch to another... this specifically a riskier proposition on a station in orbit versus, say, a ground base or colony.  And, this often runs the risk of the dread cloning glitch (which can then create a Kerbal kraken if said clone becomes detached... a Kerbken or a krakbal?).

I would love to be able to move around inside crew compartments more freely, controlling a Kerbalnaut in a similar fashion to e.v.a.  It would be fun to float about, look out through the porthole windows, see other Kerbals floating about, or even interact with various objects within a crew compartment (what IS in those storage compartments? heh).  This would also add more of a base/colony feel (walking about, inside and out) to... well, bases and colonies.

I realize there are a LOT of challenges and obstacles to this.

- It seems the interiors of crew compartments are actually represented with 2D images and giving the illusion of being a 3D volume through the use of... um... parallax?

- More graphic modeling = more lag

- This would require another mode of commands (in addition to construction, orbit, docking, e.v.a., etc.)

So, yes, this is more wishful thinking than expectation.  Still, it would be a cool feature to have and experience.

[Matuchkin]

I think that the "2d parallax" problem is not an issue. There are some relatively sufficient mods that overcame that issue, and even managed to make it so that craft walls are solid and kerbals don't float through them. I believe that SQUAD should do this, as they are obviously more sophisticated than most modders here and, with 2 or 3 updates, would make a sufficient enough job of it.

Plus, freedom in I.V.A is going to be a very big reason to enjoy space stations, apollo-style missions, etc. Add first person from hullcam, and this will be perfect. I think that this thread should be pinned, as it is a very reasonable and important request, and something big to focus on next.

I'll call up some figures of authority, as I don't know who is the lead developer here. @Vanamonde, @Claw?

Edited October 16, 2016 by Matuchkin

[pip12345]

This was actually planned earlier in development around 0.16 and 0.17 but the devs suddenly went silent about it and have since then always ignored it when it got brought up.

Oh and this has always been a dream feature for me, it would make the game so much better and immersive but I gave up hope the moment all "major features" were considered done.

Now I'm thinking about it, the devs did announce they were going to do expansions and this seems like a perfect thing to put in an expansion pack considering how much of a game changer it would be.

Edited October 16, 2016 by pip12345

[TheEpicSquared]

I wholly agree with this proposition. There is a mod which enables you to move around in IVA, but development of it seems to be going slowly. Apparently it works in 1.1, but it's really buggy. Ah well, I guess we'll have to keep hoping that it will be updated.  

Edited October 16, 2016 by TheEpicSquared

[Matuchkin]

1 hour ago, TheEpicSquared said:

I wholly agree with this proposition. There is a mod which enables you to move around in IVA, but development of it seems to be going slowly. Apparently it works in 1.1, but it's really buggy. Ah well, I guess we'll have to keep hoping that it will be updated.  

That's what I mean. With SQUAD, not only will the development be faster, it will be very high quality after a few updates.

Oh, and they went silent about it in the early game versions? I'll try to make sure this thread is noticed.

Edited October 16, 2016 by Matuchkin

[SpannerMonkey(smce)]

Yes please, and a first person camera too, I've already started adding corridors etc to all the large ships upper works,  but it would be brilliant to be able to move around them as a Kerbal, and i really don't mind making detailed 3 floor IVA's if the little guys can use them.

[Wanderhoof]

As a note or addendum to my original post, I would be totally willing and happy to acquire these features (fully fledged i.v.a. control and interiors) as paid dlc.

From what I have read here and there on the forums, dlc seems a rather contentious and frequently maligned idea.  And, I am not trying open a debate on that can of worms here.  I am only putting forth that this is something I would be willing to pay for and/or see as a separate dlc add-on.

Think of it is an investment to keep things up and running... the funds any healthy, sustainable space program needs.

[Vanamonde]

Speaking as a figure of authority, I also do not know who the lead developer is right now, nor whether IVA will be in the game.  There was some discussion of it, but that was a long, long time ago. 

[RocketSquid]

I'm all for it, I've had loads of fun with RPM pod interactions and FreeIVA.

[swjr-swis]

6 hours ago, Wanderhoof said:

It seems the interiors of crew compartments are actually represented with 2D images and giving the illusion of being a 3D volume through the use of... um... parallax?

No, the IVAs are full 3D (well, as 3D as anything else in a game) with fixed camera views placed inside them.

 

6 hours ago, Wanderhoof said:

It would be fun to float about, look out through the porthole windows, see other Kerbals floating about, or even interact with various objects within a crew compartment (what IS in those storage compartments? heh).

Looking out through windows has been in the game for a while now: while in IVA, double click on a window or a hatch. Most of them have a camera view that will activate from there.

[Wanderhoof]

Quote

No, the IVAs are full 3D (well, as 3D as anything else in a game) with fixed camera views placed inside them.

Huh.  That is strange.  I mean, I believe you!  But, most of the vehicle interiors have that weird bending distortion effect that made me think of 2D in parallax... aside from the actual crew and their seats... kind of like a movie backdrop, for lack of a better analogy.

That said, if they are fully 3D modeled, this is even better!  That means if (big IF) free-roaming IVA features were ever added, some of the work is already done!  Hooray!  Great news!  Thank you for sharing!

Quote

Looking out through windows has been in the game for a while now: while in IVA, double click on a window or a hatch. Most of them have a camera view that will activate from there.

Heh heh, oops, my poor choice of words. Yes, we can look out the windows.  I was meaning it in a bit more prosaic sense, like floating up to the windows and looking out, or walking by the windows on a station and looking out... face pressed to the glass like an excited child.  I fail at prosaic descriptions; tougher than rocket science?

[Matuchkin]

10 hours ago, Vanamonde said:

Speaking as a figure of authority, I also do not know who the lead developer is right now, nor whether IVA will be in the game.  There was some discussion of it, but that was a long, long time ago. 

Is there a way to find out about the lead developer?

7 hours ago, swjr-swis said:

Looking out through windows has been in the game for a while now: while in IVA, double click on a window or a hatch. Most of them have a camera view that will activate from there.

Well that's nothing compared to actually floating through a space station. Have you watched Gravity?

[swjr-swis]

1 hour ago, Wanderhoof said:

But, most of the vehicle interiors have that weird bending distortion effect that made me think of 2D in parallax... aside from the actual crew and their seats... kind of like a movie backdrop, for lack of a better analogy.

This is due to the 'field of view' used for the cameras in the game, which defaults to more of a fish-eye type of view than human eye. You can notice this in the map view as well when you rotate the view moving a planet or moon close to the edges, you can see it distort from a pure circle to an ellipsoid. This may be something the Unity engine does, not sure.

 

1 hour ago, Wanderhoof said:

That said, if they are fully 3D modeled, this is even better!  That means if (big IF) free-roaming IVA features were ever added, some of the work is already done!

You can already see this -partly- at work when you enable the transparent cockpits: the kerbals are displayed effectively in the 3D IVA environment, they're just not moving out of their seats yet. It also shows one other potential problem: most current IVAs are pretty cramped spaces... to really enjoy moving about we'd need a bit more room to float in.

 

1 hour ago, Matuchkin said:

Well that's nothing compared to actually floating through a space station.

I do agree, I would not mind at all being able to use the interiors of ships, stations and bases.

[Matuchkin]

6 hours ago, swjr-swis said:

I do agree, I would not mind at all being able to use the interiors of ships, stations and bases.

I agree even more. You see, I recently started a space station in RSS (first time docking, woo!). This was followed by possibly the most beautiful spacewalk I have ever experienced. Combined with hullcam, it was amazing. But if I can add freedom in I.V.A, this will be a literal killer. I'd absolutely love it.

[KerbalKore]

THIS IS PERFECT!!!! (Derp I accidentally rated 1 star. I meant 5 stars!!!)

[Vanamonde]

Quote

Is there a way to find out about the lead developer? 

It's not a secret. I merely don't know who has been designated. @UomoCapra? 

[Clockwork13]

I don't think this will ever get added to the game, given how the devs are trying to avoid talking about it. There's probably some limitation that would make it either too hard or impossible without rewriting a bunch of stuff.