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Mission Briefings & Map Previews

Interactive in-sim tutorials and missions

Mission Briefings & Map Previews

Postby Hooray » Thu May 01, 2014 9:52 am

I have started adding a MapStructure layer that processes /sim/tutorials/tutorial so that things can be visualized on a map, this is intended for supporting "mission briefings".

For now, I am just processing "targets" - which would be the equivalent of mission waypoints. Optionally, we can provide additional meta information, such as a label/description, but also a custom SVG symbol that is to be used on the map (e.g. different symbols for traffic, airports, obstacles or vessels). I am hoping to register a listener, so that this can be dynamically changed (labels but also symbols) while the tutorial is running.

In addition, I am thinking of also supporting "models", because that would be straightforward - targets & models both have latitude/longitude pairs, so can be easily put on a map, with some added information.

I don't yet know if I find any sane way to also visualize individual steps, but that would be pretty cool, even though it would require turning the static map into some kind of animated mission briefing, where individual stages are chained together and replayed. To pull this off, I think the only thing required is coming up with a custom aircraftposition.controller that we can directly control - analogous to the AI traffic driver, just with a focus on iterating through all stages and using the corresponding position properties to animate the map accordingly.

Ideas / thoughts, questions ?
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Re: Mission Briefings & Map Previews

Postby ludomotico » Thu May 01, 2014 10:56 am

oh, I was planning to work today on a dialog to show mission briefings.

My approach was not a dynamic map with targets, but a dialog showing pairs (image, labels). The main reason for this is that a simple dialog with an image and a text is something I can achieve with my current knowledge of canvas :)

Anyway, showing steps and targets could be suitable for missions type "follow a route", but spoil the fun in "search & rescue missions". Maybe we'll need some way to label a target as "do not show on map".

Besides, I was thinking about extending a definition of a target to include an optional block defining a hoop. Tomething like this:

Code: Select all
<targets>
<mytarget1>
<latitude-deg>...</latitude-deg>
<longitude-deg>...</longitude-deg>

<!-- these are new properties, some of them optional -->
<!-- these properties needed to calculate an event "target reached" -->
<horizontal-radius-m>...</horizontal-radius-m>
<vertical-radius-ft>...</vertical-radius-m>
<approach-angle-deg>.../approach-angle-deg>
<!-- hoop magement -->
<hoop>
   <blank>/path/to/active/model</blank>
   <active>/path/to/inactive/model</active>
</hoop>

</mytarget1>
</targets>


In this case, the dynamic map could show the targets with a hoop because the simulator will show them anyway on the world, but not the others that will be "hidden".


Not all targets will have hoops.
Last edited by ludomotico on Thu May 01, 2014 11:06 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Mission Briefings & Map Previews

Postby Hooray » Thu May 01, 2014 11:05 am

good points, I don't think our work will conflict - I am really just adding a MapStructure layer that shows all tutorial related models/locations/targets on a map.
It should be trivial to exclude certain targets though, it's just a single flag after all :D

My approach was not a dynamic map with targets, but a dialog showing pairs (image, labels). The main reason for this is that a simple dialog with an image and a text is something I can achieve with my current knowledge of canvas

Indeed, that should be trivial, I did something like this for the wizard thing, which is using two canvas areas to render raster images as logos:
Image

I would prefer to extend tutorial.xml accordingly. We could add several canvas regions - i.e. for logos/mission previews, but also for the map.
But it would make sense to hide them by default (see rendering.xml or airports.xml for examples on hiding a group, which also uses "tabs")

That way, we could optionally hide/show certain regions, depending on the type of mission.
I'll keep working on a map to show important locations (models/targets), and excluding things should be trivial
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Re: Mission Briefings & Map Previews

Postby ludomotico » Thu May 01, 2014 11:08 am

oh, I edited my last message without checking yours :)
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Re: Mission Briefings & Map Previews

Postby Hooray » Thu May 01, 2014 11:12 am

regarding targets vs. hoops, I agree - but I would prefer to see this generalized, so that we can directly support models, too. For instance, a model may very well be a target (especially AI models), and targets may have associated models. I am not sure if it's a good idea to implement this right away, because we should probably first of all support Nasal for each model, so that we can work out a simple way to support multiple instances of a model, including AI models.

I am thinking in terms of adapting tanker.nas so that we can have one Nasal section that is shared among all instances of the same AI object, i.e. basically a class - once that works, it should be straightforward to also allow models to be targets and vice versa, which would also satisfy your other requirement/feature request: supporting dynamic/moving targets :D
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Re: Mission Briefings & Map Previews

Postby Michat » Mon May 12, 2014 11:24 pm

Good evening.

I've created this banner, hope you like it.

Image

Now I'm designing some badges that I'll show you as soon as possible.

Banner it's been uploaded at wiki.

Edit++ If needed I can adjust design to your specific dimensions.

About badges I have an example here, Image
also I have some more others ideas-designs...

Anyways I'll show you a mock up for your Map Previews, so maybe you can find some ideas.

Hope You like it.


Amicalement
Last edited by Michat on Mon May 19, 2014 5:16 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Mission Briefings & Map Previews

Postby galvedro » Tue May 13, 2014 9:10 am

Hooray wrote in Thu May 01, 2014 9:52 am:I don't yet know if I find any sane way to also visualize individual steps, but that would be pretty cool
Ideas / thoughts, questions ?


One way I can think of achieving something like this, without cluttering the map or adding too much complexity, is to explicitly define the goals as being of a certain type in the mission file and then associate an icon and a location for them. For example, in a rescue mission, the takeoff point, the pickup point and the landing point could be tagged explicitly and the map could use that tagging for representing each with a different icon. Additionally, a number could be added besides each waypoint to represent the order of execution.

Some useful "iconifiable" goals that I can think of:
  • Takeoff/landing point
  • Precision landing spot or area.
  • Pickup point. Indicating that you have to actually go down and pick up something that is on the ground (or e.g. in a ship).
  • Bombing/dropping point
  • Search area. Indicating an area where something has to be found.
  • Gate. An area that needs to be crossed precisely.
  • Corridor. A volume that needs to be traversed precisely within its boundaries and perhaps within certain performance limits (e.g. speed).
    ...
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Re: Mission Briefings & Map Previews

Postby Hooray » Tue May 13, 2014 11:43 am

to explicitly define the goals as being of a certain type in the mission file and then associate an icon and a location for them.


right, that's the way this currently works - there are a few optional tags supported that are used to look up things like 1) label, 2) svg symbol, 3) symbol scale, 4) rotation
Ordering might indeed make sense (currently missing). Animations would also be possible by supporting embedded Nasal which gets the canvas.group passed, that's the way the ND works.
And we may need one optional tag to "hide" certain objectives.
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Re: Mission Briefings & Map Previews

Postby Michat » Wed May 14, 2014 5:35 pm

Writing down your "iconifiable" request. And doing now some prototypes.
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Re: Mission Briefings & Map Previews

Postby galvedro » Wed May 14, 2014 6:53 pm

Michat wrote in Wed May 14, 2014 5:35 pm:Writing down your "iconifiable" request. And doing now some prototypes.

Wow, that is really nice! :D
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Re: Mission Briefings & Map Previews

Postby Michat » Sun May 18, 2014 4:18 am

Good night I've finished the specific symbol set for Tutorials, Missions and Adventures.

I think I have to improve or create an specific bombable set that perhaps is the most specific theme of all.

Well, Just I hope you like it. Here you can see a portion of the complete work that I've sent to Hyde user this night.


https://f92fac806bf10a96c0b8-8a0a46e5f1a5cc9854958bc3503f0f88.ssl.cf1.rackcdn.com/media_entries/7806/MISSIONICONSPNG2.png

Amicalement
Last edited by Michat on Tue May 20, 2014 5:56 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Mission Briefings & Map Previews

Postby Hooray » Sun May 18, 2014 5:14 am

gracias, that should keep us busy for a while :D
BTW: if those were originally SVGs, it is easier for us to use them that way, because we can then use the element ID to get the right symbol - as raster image, we have to use texture maps and use some row/column format to get out the right one.
So if you should have a SVG file, just post it here - which is also easier to maintain in the future.

thanks again
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Re: Mission Briefings & Map Previews

Postby Michat » Sun May 18, 2014 6:09 pm

Good evening. Yes it is a SVG file with original symbols created by me (made from spot). I have no storage cloud space, as I did before, I've sent that file to Hyde. So be free if you want to share here or there. If you need it, give me your email by private so I can send it to you too.

Now I'm gonna switch to my 800 mghz old PC in order to finish Tutorials, Missions and adventures banners and a mock-up for the interface, also I'll dive into the badges world looking for some good solutions.

Amicalement
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Re: Mission Briefings & Map Previews

Postby Michat » Sun May 18, 2014 11:43 pm

Here there are some grouped ideas by mock'n up.

Image


Cheers
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Re: Mission Briefings & Map Previews

Postby Philosopher » Mon May 19, 2014 12:00 am

Wow, when we get that animated in FG, Canvas will be the envy of all! That looks great, but we won't necessarily need the lists there - that can be added by code, particularly if you add the bullet icons as a separate file. Maybe you can start your own theme beside Tom's default one ;).
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