New Space Flight Simulator Project

[*Aqua*]

Ok, so I need to write a project brief before I go anywhere. Help?? I don't even know what I want to call this thing... I do have more concrete ideas, however...kinda...

(Game) design document

Just google it, there are several you can download. I also linked two articles describing it before.

[KerikBalm]

If you want a free space simulator, try orbiter.

*maybe* you could pull off a detailed mod to add modular construction of rockets to it.

For now it sounds like:

I have no relevant skills and an unoriginal idea.

Ok people, now don't all rush at once to work for me for free!

[MAFman]

If you want a free space simulator, try orbiter.

*maybe* you could pull off a detailed mod to add modular construction of rockets to it.

For now it sounds like:

I have no relevant skills and an unoriginal idea.

Ok people, now don't all rush at once to work for me for free!

You got me. I'm just looking for ideas and for advice from people who would actually know what the heck they're doing. I mean, people who make mods for KSP should know how to code. I'm not expecting anything, except playable results from myself. I'll buy KSP when I have the time and money anyway.

It is true that I have little to no relevant skills, and no real original ideas - basically a mashup of my favorite features of random games.

Again, I do not *expect* any help, and I would never *expect* unpaid help (that would be the biggest jerk move ever). I'm just seeking advice because I do have no clue what I'm doing, but I have a vague-but-getting-clearer idea of what I want to do with this.

On the bright side, I am currently drafting the game deign document!

[MAFman]

Okay, I have my ideas better organized. Here's what I have so far:

Apogee Space Flight Simulator

"It is the mid-21st century (the game's clock starts 1/1/2050). Earth's governments, having run out of interesting things to do, band together and look to the stars. All of humanity's current (as of today) spaceports are accessible and in full production. The Deep Space Network is renovated, fired up, and ready to go. Earth's newest space program is under your command. Money is not a problem; your only limit is how much food, fuel, power, and equipment you pack on your duct-taped-together death tra- *ahem* space-faring masterpiece . Have fun out there, pilot!"

Features (may or may not be a complete list):

• 100% scale Solar System
  
• Initially modular, but replaced with procedural, rocket parts
  
• A robust physics engine with Ferram Aerospace-inspired aerodynamics and KSP-inspired 2-body Keplerian celestial mechanics
  
• In-situ resource utilization mechanics
  
• Docking (docked vessels merge)
  
• Life support inspired by TAC Life Support
  
• Shock heating and G-force damage inspired by Deadly Reentry
  
• Speed-dependent Mach effects and shock-heating flares
  
• IVA/EVA with interactivity such as spacecraft controls, repairs, flags, etc.
  
• Orbit map view using patched conics
  
• Altitude-dependent time compression (on-rails in vacuum, accelerated physics in-atmosphere)
  
• Electrical power use and generation using batteries, solar panels, RTG's with realistic decay, etc.
  
• Cargo bays and automatically-reshaping fairings/interstages
  
• Rotation-dampening stability system toggled on/off with the T key
  
• Real rocket fuel mixtures inspired by Real Fuels
  
• Volumetric, semi-randomly generated clouds at realistic altitudes (5 km to ~20 km for Earth, maybe)
  
• Purely aesthetic aurorae at planetary poles if the planet has a magnetic field IRL (Earth and the gas giants)
  
• Variety of aircraft AND spacecraft parts
  
• Maneuver-planning system (copy of KSP's system with PreciseNode)
  
• Realistic engine exhaust visual effects inspired by HotRockets
  
• Easter eggs - historical spacecraft in...odd...situations, memorials of spaceflight "firsts" such as Luna 1, Apollo 11, Viking 1, Venera, Voyager 2, etc.
  
• Classical construction-scene music (because I focus better with piano music in the background)
  
• Inspiring/epic menu soundtrack (Also Sprach Zarathustra, and others)
  
• Ship sounds such as engines become muffled (not silent) with decreasing air density and when the camera moves outside of the shock cone during super- and hypersonic flight
  

This project will be HUGE, so I plan to split up the features into multiple releases, implementing the easier ones first, then working my way up to the full game.

[*Aqua*]

What is the player supposed to do? What are his goals? Those are the most important questions.

In what way will your game be different to KSP? Your list just sounds like KSP + mods.

[Camacha]

What is the player supposed to do? What are his goals? Those are the most important questions.

What are these goals you speak of? About what alien concept do you talk?

Goals and plans are overrated. Just go and play and let ideas emerge from the fun. The best games I know do not tell you specific goals, and the worst ones I know actually shepherd you from waypoint to waypoint to make sure you do not get lost, eliminating any and all creativity in the process. It is like an electronic cubicle job - do what you are told and nothing else.

[MAFman]

What is the player supposed to do? What are his goals? Those are the most important questions.

In what way will your game be different to KSP? Your list just sounds like KSP + mods.

To the first question: This is entirely a sandbox, so the player just builds spacecraft, launches them, and does pretty much what they want. To the second question: This will be essentially very similar to KSP with mods, only with (if I can) memory optimizations and VERY realistic features. To me, KSP seems to be a little "rushed" in its development lately, so I want to take my time to develop my own spin-off of it and get in as many features and optimizations as I can.

[MAFman]

What are these goals you speak of? About what alien concept do you talk?

Goals and plans are overrated. Just go and play and let ideas emerge from the fun. The best games I know do not tell you specific goals, and the worst ones I know actually shepherd you from waypoint to waypoint to make sure you do not get lost, eliminating any and all creativity in the process. It is like an electronic cubicle job - do what you are told and nothing else.

EXACTLY. This game is going to be a sandbox with no stated goals.

[MAFman]

Again, I do NOT plan to market this at all, and I really do not expect anyone to even want to join me in a "dev team". I'm just looking for ideas to springboard from.

[Bill Phil]

Hmm... Yeah. A better goal is kind of needed. But maybe make a final goal that you choose how to get there, like colonizing every solid body in the solar system. Then the player figures out what they want to do themselves, with that final goal of colonizing as a long term project.

[MAFman]

I'm curious: What did KSP's original game design document look like? Just so I can get a feel for how to properly do this. Is it available or would I have to ask HarvesteR?

[MAFman]

Hmm... Yeah. A better goal is kind of needed. But maybe make a final goal that you choose how to get there, like colonizing every solid body in the solar system. Then the player figures out what they want to do themselves, with that final goal of colonizing as a long term project.

Just like in KSP sandbox, there is no stated goal in this game. The aim is to do whatever you want and have as much fun as you can.

[cantab]

So, literally a KSP clone then. Which you're welcome to try and make, but I can't see it being all that successful.

[MAFman]

So, literally a KSP clone then. Which you're welcome to try and make, but I can't see it being all that successful.

Exactly. Since I don't plan to market this, I'm fine with it "not being successful", at least as far as marketing, because success for this particular situation means that I have the result I want sitting on my hard drive ready to be played.

[Bill Phil]

Hmm... What'd be interesting is a 1:10000 scale universe... 637.1 meters for Earth's radius. I want to see that. If you do do this, I recommend doing the equations, like the solar flux at a certain distance, etc.

[MAFman]

Hmm... What'd be interesting is a 1:10000 scale universe... 637.1 meters for Earth's radius. I want to see that. If you do do this, I recommend doing the equations, like the solar flux at a certain distance, etc.

That is a GREAT idea! I think I could have a 1:10,000 scale universe as my map mode, just like Squad did with their map. Maybe implement my own version of ScaledSpace?

I would like a realistically-sized 1:1 solar system to play in, though. Having everything scaled down like it is in KSP stock feels...off...to me. Kerbin's atmosphere is way too large IMO, etc.

[MAFman]

On second thought (and way too much research) I have decided to just abandon my own space flight simulator and just buy KSP when I get the money and time. I'm going to just download it twice, with one install kept stock and the other install beefed up with Realism Overhaul. Game development would take entirely too much time and money...Wake me up when the final version of KSP is released.

[longbyte1]

From experience, not even a thousand pages worth of ideas will move a project forward.

The experienced are too occupied to teach the newbies anything other than hello world, so you will have to learn everything yourself. I get stuck every hour or so because I don't know what X means and why it's messing up my code.

Demos are great. start there. Take the noob/script kiddie approach and copy/paste code or if you have lots of free time on your hands, just retype the code.

This piece of advice is important though: keep making useful things. Do not stop adding new features. If you do, you will get bored too quickly and start doing useless things like decoupling code. Which is good, but only at the later stages.

And if anyone questions what I have just said, please look at my GitHub. About 75% of my projects have been abandoned, if you can even call them projects. I am a failure. But at least I tried.

Don't follow the same mistakes that I did. Please don't. I don't know where my future will take me.

[MAFman]

I've realized that this was a dumb idea way too out of scope for my capabilities. Can this thread be deleted or archived?

[Tristonwilson12]

Hey nothing is out of scope. If you want to do something then do it. Never give up I think it's a great idea and would love to help in anyway that you need. I was also planing a new space simulation. Why not work together

[MAFman]

Hey nothing is out of scope. If you want to do something then do it. Never give up I think it's a great idea and would love to help in anyway that you need. I was also planing a new space simulation. Why not work together

Hmmm...maybe! My original idea was basically a real-scale ripoff of KSP because I didn't have it at the time and couldn't afford it. But yeah, that would be a cool idea! I can rewrite the project draft and share it with you on Google Drive.

Wanna use Unity, or a different platform? I took a course on XNA but I don't remember much. I'm more familiar with Unity - but x64 is SO BUGGY...

[Tristonwilson12]

Hmmm...maybe! My original idea was basically a real-scale ripoff of KSP because I didn't have it at the time and couldn't afford it. But yeah, that would be a cool idea! I can rewrite the project draft and share it with you on Google Drive.

Wanna use Unity, or a different platform? I took a course on XNA but I don't remember much. I'm more familiar with Unity - but x64 is SO BUGGY...

Pm me so we can exchange info

[Camacha]

Hmmm...maybe! My original idea was basically a real-scale ripoff of KSP because I didn't have it at the time and couldn't afford it.

Your time must be really cheap, if that is the main motivation. Can I hire you?

[Tristonwilson12]

Hmmm...maybe! My original idea was basically a real-scale ripoff of KSP because I didn't have it at the time and couldn't afford it. But yeah, that would be a cool idea! I can rewrite the project draft and share it with you on Google Drive.

Wanna use Unity, or a different platform? I took a course on XNA but I don't remember much. I'm more familiar with Unity - but x64 is SO BUGGY...

def unity. I'm good in unity

[Exclipse]

I've realized that this was a dumb idea way too out of scope for my capabilities. Can this thread be deleted or archived?

I actually thought you were just trolling a whole bunch of people until you posted this. I did not realize you were serious...