Real-Time Persistence

[Somewhere Simulated]

I was wondering if Squad ever considered doing real-time persistence while the user is offline using real-time? You could launch satellites, probes, etc. and have them move in real time when you are offline and set up an actual calendar for launches, landings, etc. I know this could be done with time warp, just thought it would be cool to have your persistent world move forward at 1x when you are away from the computer. Once a rocket has reached orbit of another body, the user would schedule a maneuver so if they are away from the computer the spacecraft would be in an orbit they set up during their last log on.

This could also incorporate into the VAB by adding time segments to parts so you have to wait for rockets to be assembled before they are launched. You could then have multiple launch pads and/or VAB buildings to construct rockets and launch at various assembly windows.

[Amram]

Actually, i think that would be remarkably easy to do.

As I understand the advantages of the rails system, which EVERYTHING goes into when your not controlling it, is that you can give it a time, and it can figure out the place where that object will be quite easily. So if they save the time you logged off, then load the time you logged in again, compare, and add the difference to the in game clock, they could do this. Then move everything accordingly, and done.

[Sirrobert]

So what, if I send a rocket somewhere, and have other things to do while it's suposed to arive it'll crash because I had real life things to do?

No thanks.

Besides, that wouldn't add anything since we have timewarp. All it would do is force the game to run on the background and eat up resources.

If you want this, just never turn of your game

[vexx32]

There is no need to have the game run in the background, as Amram said.... There are both good and bad parts to this, I think. The primary worry being that you would always have to make sure that any craft are either landed or in a stable orbit before you quit. This being a game, however, people may not always have time for that. In addition, I expect most people would want everything to be where they left it.

If you really wanted to, you could almost certainly code a plugin to do this, I think.

[Somewhere Simulated]

So what, if I send a rocket somewhere, and have other things to do while it's suposed to arive it'll crash because I had real life things to do?

No thanks.

Besides, that wouldn't add anything since we have timewarp. All it would do is force the game to run on the background and eat up resources.

If you want this, just never turn of your game

Sirrobert - This is why I mentioned you would plan maneuvers in advance for orbital burn in advance so you have no crashing rockets. Also, you wouldn't be running the game in the background. It would just take the time you startup the game and update the positions each time you log on in real-time. Amram has the idea of what I was getting at and it wasn't to keep the game running the whole time, just update the objects each time you start up the game against a real clock.

[boomerdog2000]

Planning maneuvers ahead of time does no good if you have to turn off the game, for real life issues. Punishing the player for items they have no control of seems a little harsh.

[Sirrobert]

Sirrobert - This is why I mentioned you would plan maneuvers in advance for orbital burn in advance so you have no crashing rockets. Also, you wouldn't be running the game in the background. It would just take the time you startup the game and update the positions each time you log on in real-time. Amram has the idea of what I was getting at and it wasn't to keep the game running the whole time, just update the objects each time you start up the game against a real clock.

So what off my probes that have one goo container and are unballanced slightly? If I want to burn them, I have to burn at half thrust, or the limited torque the probe core gives isn't enough to counteract the unballance.

So either I fly it myself, or the autopilot screws it over.

If I plan the manouver, than leave, what happends? Does the game fly the probe like mechjeb autopilot does? Cause in that case, it'll never arive where I want it to go. Does it just excecute the manouver instandly, deducting the required deltaV from the total the rocket has? Awesome, I can plan a 5 minute burn, shut down the game, open it back again in 5 minutes and the burn is completed with absolute perfection, even if the rocket itself is unballanced and you'd normally never be able to complete the burn correctly.

Both scenarios are bad ideas. I hope I don't need to explain why

[Imca]

Personaly, I dont want something like this....

BUT

I think it would be neat as an option in the menu, turned off by default, if you can cater to more players via options, why not do so?

[boomerdog2000]

So what off my probes that have one goo container and are unballanced slightly? If I want to burn them, I have to burn at half thrust, or the limited torque the probe core gives isn't enough to counteract the unballance.

So either I fly it myself, or the autopilot screws it over.

If I plan the manouver, than leave, what happends? Does the game fly the probe like mechjeb autopilot does? Cause in that case, it'll never arive where I want it to go. Does it just excecute the manouver instandly, deducting the required deltaV from the total the rocket has? Awesome, I can plan a 5 minute burn, shut down the game, open it back again in 5 minutes and the burn is completed with absolute perfection, even if the rocket itself is unballanced and you'd normally never be able to complete the burn correctly.

Both scenarios are bad ideas. I hope I don't need to explain why

I don't think he was talking about autopilots. He's saying you'd have to plan your maneuvers according to your real life schedule which sounds quite annoying to me.

Imca, any time the devs spend on one feature is time they can't spend elsewhere. It is a very fine balance they have to strike.

[Epthelyn]

I think it would be neat as an option in the menu, turned off by default, if you can cater to more players via options, why not do so?

This.

Most people would not want this for the aforementioned reasons, but some would. I'm not sure I'd ever use it, but it's a nice idea.