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Tutorials/Missions/Adventures: requests for features

Interactive in-sim tutorials and missions

Re: Tutorials/Missions/Adventures: requests for features

Postby Talkless » Thu Sep 11, 2014 5:53 pm

Hooray wrote in Thu Sep 11, 2014 4:29 pm: or your mission may be flying a MED EVAC mission at night time in an ASK13 :D

:D

Yeah.. that would need some sort of database of (supported) aircraft classifications and requirement-tags for missions.

As a side note, is it possible to change aircraft without fgfs restart..?

Hooray wrote in Thu Sep 11, 2014 4:29 pm:Stuart also once explored writing a mission generator using the tutorial system

That's interesting. And what was the outcome? Was there a some sort of prototype?

Hooray wrote in Thu Sep 11, 2014 4:29 pm:it's mainly a matter of finding people interested in this, and willing to acquire the skills to make this happen

That's the main problem obviously :? . I was beggining to read Wiki about NASAL some time ago, but that "task" ended unfinished due to over priorities. I only find time to be "user" of Flightgear, and even that's rarely actually...
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Re: Tutorials/Missions/Adventures: requests for features

Postby Hooray » Thu Sep 11, 2014 6:14 pm

Well, all this may seem daunting at first - but once you actually start playing with it, you'll see that it's not all that difficult - the main showstopper/challenge that people typically face in situations like these is that they have HUGE expectations and they don't manage to adapt their expectations to their own skills, expertise and the degree of spare time that they're willing to invest.

For instance, here's a mission generator script (pseudo code) that only spits out "text missions":

Code: Select all

var supported_aircraft = ["bo105", "c130", "r22"];
var supported_airports = ["KLSV", "KLAS", "KRNO"];
var supported_objectives = ["fly to ", "fly over", "land at"];

foreach(var aircraft; supported_aircraft) {
 foreach(var airport; supported_airport) {
  foreach(var  objective; supported_objectives) {
   var mission = sprintf("Mission generated for %s %s %s", aircraft, objective, airport);
  print(mission);
 }
 }
}


(if I didn't make any typos, you can directly paste this into the Debug/Nasal console and execute the snippet)

Depending on your background this may seem too simple at first, or maybe a bit intimidating given those three nested foreach loops - but what it is really doing there is using all sorts of "variables" (aircraft, airport, objective) and creating combinations of all variables to create different missions. Equally, those variables could be randomized - e.g. to pick different groundspeeds, altitudes, time of day etc

Such a stub could be easily populated to create real missions using geo.nas helpers.

So all the building blocks are there - and we can even walk people through the whole who are completely new to Nasal, or programming altogether - it's mainly a matter of motivation and spare time, not so much skills/expertise - you'll learn along the way. That's how Thorsten created the Advanced Weather system, too.

You may want to dabble a bit with the Nasal snippet above - it can easily be extended.

PS: Meanwhile, you can indeed restart/re-init the sim without necessarily having to exit the sim: http://wiki.flightgear.org/Reset_%26_re-init
http://wiki.flightgear.org/Aircraft_Center
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Re: Tutorials/Missions/Adventures: requests for features

Postby Talkless » Thu Oct 02, 2014 11:18 am

Thank you Hooray for in-depth answer. I wish I could say that "yes, I am going to try implementing that!", though if we are talking about contribution, I guess I would start with simpler ones, like fixing aircraft bugs or... similar... :roll: (regardless that I do in fact have programming background).

Now going back to this thread, do we have something to test already? Are there new APIs introduced (i.e. how does mission progress/goals are being checked)?
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Re: Tutorials/Missions/Adventures: requests for features

Postby Hooray » Thu Oct 02, 2014 11:30 am

see the wiki, I think Marius_A committed his work to some gitorious branch - and I am sure he'll appreciate any feedback/involvement that you can offer, even if that should just mean reviewing the wiki article and adding to it over time. Personally, I haven't looked at missions again recently - admittedly, some of us have been more involved in other Nasal/Canvas efforts. However, Stuart's tutorial system is, and remains, the best platform to pursue this without having to code a system from scratch - Thorsten originally wanted to do just that, while a few other contributors where primarily interested in creating and "playing" missions - so that is why I suggested to use Stuart's system and build on it, which can still be done today - the degree of required Nasal knowledge is negligible, while coding a system from scratch and using the proper data structures for state and player management is certainly more involved, and would require a fair degree of R&D.
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Re: Tutorials/Missions/Adventures: requests for features

Postby FighterAce » Fri May 26, 2017 1:38 am

I think that a kind of Mission system ought to be implemented in FlightGear, and there should be a few default missions, and well as the ability for people to create custom missions and use them within the simulator. This would open up the door to a vast array of possibilities, as well as add a whole new level of immersion and customization. For example, there could be tutorial missions for new pilots who are still learning the basics, as well as long-haul airline or cargo missions, helicopter rescue missions, aerobatic challenges, airshow missions, combat missions for military aircraft, and so so much more. Please let me know what you think. If I do not get many replies here, I will post a new topic and try to get the developers to consider adding this feature. I know that I for one would greatly appreciate this being added, and would really enjoy it.
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Re: Tutorials/Missions/Adventures: requests for features

Postby Marius_A » Fri May 26, 2017 11:47 am

I have a working prototype of a mission system on my local copy of FG, but I'm limited by my imagination while creating actual missions. If you are willing to write some scenarios and test the missions, I would like to collaborate.
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Re: Tutorials/Missions/Adventures: requests for features

Postby FighterAce » Fri May 26, 2017 2:54 pm

Well, I would really like to, but my knowledge of coding is pretty limited. Do you know of any good websites that teach the kind of coding that I would need to know for this? Also, if I end up not programming the missions, I could always come up with ideas for them or test them. Let me know what you think.
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Re: Tutorials/Missions/Adventures: requests for features

Postby Marius_A » Fri May 26, 2017 4:43 pm

FighterAce wrote in Fri May 26, 2017 2:54 pm:I could always come up with ideas for them or test them

That's exactly what I currently need. I want to create a few simple missions that could be completed in less than 15 minutes.
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Re: Tutorials/Missions/Adventures: requests for features

Postby FighterAce » Fri May 26, 2017 5:14 pm

Okay, sounds good! For starters, how about a basic, short flight tutorial in the default Cessna 172P, kind of like one of X-Plane 11's "Flight School" tutorials? It would be geared towards beginners, and would teach the basics of flying, how to read the instruments, and how to navigate and successfully take off and land. It might take longer that 15 minutes to complete, but it would be a good starter mission/tutorial. Another idea would be an aerobatic challenge mission in the Cap10B or a similar aircraft. There would be challenges for the player, such as preforming loops, inverted flight, and other aerobatic maneuvers. I have many other ideas, but there are too many to fit in this one post! Let me know what you think about there ideas, and if you want me to list more.
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Re: Tutorials/Missions/Adventures: requests for features

Postby Parnikkapore » Sat May 27, 2017 12:24 am

Are you speaking of the c172p tutorials?
There are free alternatives to (almost) every program you encounter. You just have to find them.
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Re: Tutorials/Missions/Adventures: requests for features

Postby FighterAce » Sat May 27, 2017 1:26 am

No, I am talking about a new kind of combined tutorial/mission.
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Re: Tutorials/Missions/Adventures: requests for features

Postby Marius_A » Mon May 29, 2017 3:18 pm

I would like you to write a scenario of suggested mission.

For example, if you could write something like this:
Code: Select all
Mission summary:

Start at lat: 21.98269998, lon: -159.345474 . Aircraft: ec135. Doors opened;
Load a passenger, start the aircraft, take-off and fly to the destination [lat: 21.97857529, lon: -159.3473686].
Do a full-stop landing and unload a passenger.


Mission segments:

[Mission started]
Message: "A tourist is ready to fly to the airport"
Model: [3d model of a tourist] lat: 21.98266138, lon: -159.3454324

[Passenger loaded]
Message: "Start the engines"
Model: [remove 3d model of a tourist]

[Engines started]
Message: "You are cleared to take-off"

[Airborne]
Message: "Follow the mission compass"
Show mission compass [point of interest: lat: 21.97857529, lon: -159.3473686, name: "Airport"]

[Landed at the destination]
Hide mission compass

[Passenger unloaded]
Model: [3d model of a tourist] lat: 21.97870135, lon: -159.3474733


I would make something like this:
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Re: Tutorials/Missions/Adventures: requests for features

Postby archy » Mon May 29, 2017 5:20 pm

Indeed a really cool feature for learning aviation basics but also for advanced mission and tuturials beyond checklists. This could be a beginning of big breaktrough in FlightGear's learning curve. Or just learning avionics in general. I would love to complete a lot of this missions if they get inplemented.

This could also be linked to some kind of FlightGears Online Certification Program (FGOCP) when in multiplayer will upload pilot info to a online service after missions are complete. Can also have some kind of a high-score table for certain mission where point can be given. Like for precission, speed, fuel consumption, military missions etc

I really look forward to see more of this!
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Re: Tutorials/Missions/Adventures: requests for features

Postby FighterAce » Mon May 29, 2017 5:21 pm

Well, I could try. How exactly would I find FlightGear coordinates? Are they the same coordinates in real life at that location, and what format would they need to be in?
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Re: Tutorials/Missions/Adventures: requests for features

Postby Marius_A » Mon May 29, 2017 5:40 pm

You can click on the scenery and export the coordinates using UFO
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