/diy/ - Do It Yourself

Here's a somewhat outdated concept for the control scheme. Super rough; mostly bullshit pulled from Google image searches.

Here are some build pictures.

This was just figuring out roughly where to position the joysticks relative to the pilot. I picked up the seat from a Honda Prelude at a junkyard.

The base/front/rear angled panel are 3/4" plywood framed with 2x2s.

Roughly completed frame. The sawsall and impact wrench were tired.

Some friends testing out the chair after we got it mounted. Still slides forward/backward on the rails and the back tilts up/down.

The gf cuttin some shit out for vents.

Some simple 3D modelling I did for a 'test mech' to mess around with in Unity 3D.

Sliding door mounted; it slides backwards on 24" drawer rails.

Completed sound system made out of parts I had laying around in the garage and a couple of surplus server power supplies I modified to run the 12v amps. Shit bumps well enough.

This is what I have so far of the control scheme. (Obviously the final product will be made out of metal n' shit. The cardboard is just for figuring out the layout; and anything on the big six-sided sheet is going to mount flat eventually.) I need more random shit for the user to control...

That's it for now, will post more tomorrow. Glad everyone is actually getting some sleep. Peace out!

I dont suppose it will rattle, shake and rumble? If the game is capable of using a Rumblepad, the rumble motor signals could be scaled up to big motors for real kinetic effects, the way some racing cockpit simulators bounce and tilt.

...So it comes with a neurohelmet, right?

Well...uh to each his own I guess.

http://www.parts-express.com/cat/tactile-transducers/18

I can't really see this landing you a job anywhere.

>as cool as possible
>not cool as in cooling, that thing is going to be hot as fuck with those monitors

Have you even considered how you're going to output game information like radar to another display? From 30 seconds of google I can only find some gimmick Razer controller for Mech Warrior Online. Will you even be able to interface the same way?
No one is going to remember you at your school either...

>>380983
>that thing is going to be hot as fuck with those monitors
As long as he packs DHS, I think he's good for all but the most energy-heavy loadouts.

>>380975
The difference is that the racing simulators that run those features tend to run rFactor/rF2/iRacing, all of which are capable of outputting dedicated forcefeedback signals for thsoe sorts of installations. Any iteration of mechwarrior does not - same problem as he'll encounter as someone below pointed out when he tries to output radar displays and so on to miniature displays.

do you have any experience on making your own controllers? like joystick and pedals?

This is fucking awesome. I'd pay 7 dollars to play a game in your finished project!

>>380975
I haven't planned on putting in actuators or rumble motors save for the 10" subwoofer, but the possibility exists for the future. I was considering putting the whole thing on a heavy duty swivel and having it spin around to give some motion feedback when you turn, etc. I dunno, that kind of stuff is beyond the six-month deadline (and the amount of money I want to put into it) at the moment.

>>380976
That's a liiiiittle bit beyond my budget at the moment...

>>380983
I'm not dumb. I have an induction blower that will cycle air through the box, haha.

I am going to set up one gigantic game window in Unity 3D that will output camera and radar displays in the correct positions; kind of the same theory that multi-monitor wallpaper programs figure out where your monitors are and stich together wallpapers in one big giant image that lines up correctly on each monitor.

Again I'm making the game myself; this will not be a Mechwarrior box. I will be programming my own battletech-inspired video game to run on it. (That will be the part that looks the best in the portfolio. I know anyone can build a wooden crate.)

>>381144
I can have Unity 3D send information to the Arduinos that will step up and run rumble motors, but I can't think of a cost-effective (and not fucking heavy) solution for suspending the box in some way that would allow for it to rumble around without hurting itself. The box is solid as hell but it's still plywood.

>>381174
Not joysticks and pedals specifically, but I could certainly put something together if I wanted to. For simplicity I am using commercial joysticks and pedals (for now). The switchboards and control panels will be completely custom though, being handled by Arduino connected to the PC through serial.

>>381182
Thanks! Means a lot. I definitely will not be charging for sessions... if we somehow run into each other you will be welcome to give it a go!

> I haven't planned on putting in actuators or rumble motors

probably just as well, you'd kill your nosy kitteh.

>>381199
Pffthaha, true enough. She's pretty dumb.

I love the idea and heartily hope you succeed!

Very impressive OP, I wish you luck. Make sure you keep us updated. I wanna see the completed version.

>>381253
>>381280
Thanks fellas!

Just got my 20x4 LCDs in the mail. Going to use these to show ammo counts/weapon diagnostics.

>>381253
>>381280
Thanks fellas!

Just got my 20x4 LCDs in the mail. Gonna use these to show weapon diagnostics and ammo.

Very interesting thread, will be monitoring.

I just saw this on /b/ and thought of you OP, sorry.

Definitely monitoring

First year comp engineering student here.

I can't wait to do all this in the coming years.

So excite.

This is baller as fuck. I had the idea to do this with Steel Battalion a few years ago but you're definitely the man with the plan. Interested to see how this'll turn out.

I don't think this would get you a job. I did things more complex than this in highschool. Currently in final year of uni foe electrical eng- I can probably answer any of the technical questions you have.

>>381638
It sounds like the hard part of his project is going to be the programming?

>>381641
He's just using Tarduino to translate pin states to a PC via a serial link (either serial port or using UART -> USB controller). This is very simple to do.

The only thing that could make this project complex would be high level programming for the "home-made Mechwarrior-style simulation" if he's making that from scratch.

OP: is this your thesis or just a random project? This would not fly at my uni unless your proposal suggested you were doing something radically different from what you've said here.

Reminds me of the old Virtual World multiplayer Battletech pods back in the 90's.

>>381638
What kinda stuff did you do? And gratz on graduatin soon. I'll let you know if I have any q's. I'm in Interdisciplinary Computing in the Arts; so I'm kind of jack-of-all master-of-none, but focusing on programming.

>>381641
Right; the game itself is going to be the most impressive (and difficult) part of this project.

The box/controls/etc. is just kind of a container for the game.

>>381651
Again the game will be the magnum opus here; the cockpit is just a cool way to present it and show that I have a fairly broad range of proficiency.

>>381677
Hell yeah! I remember playing Dropship Command with my brother at a battletech pod parlor in town back in the day. This is definitely inspired by those things.

Gettin the hang of Sketchup... here's a full mech. Currently untextured; gotta learn how to do that too.

Sup OP I live in San Diego, when you're done with that thing shoot me an email and I will pay you one burrito per session in the box.

>>381764
I know this is your baby, but you could do well with getting some community involvement in donating models like trees, buildings and landscape. Figure out what types of file formats you can import and recommend having each model uploaded in a zip file in .3ds, .dxf, and or .obj.

Post up a couple of mech models as examples of the style of game and level of polys you are going for (maybe a concept art pic or two) and I'm betting you could get lots of contributions. That would save time on the 3d end of things (which can be ungodly time-consuming) and make room for time on the physical and programming aspects (not to mention gameplay) of it all.

>>381764
...
You're an engineer
At least make the mechs semi realistic
Firing cannons that size would literally rip apart anything like that, or at least knock it over.

>>381764
>> I haven't planned on putting in actuators or rumble motors
>probably just as well, you'd kill your nosy kitteh.

>Engineering senior
>Uses Sketchup.

>>381789
You got it. Fish burritos from Cotixan are one of my staple foods...

>>381791
Good call. I already have a few friends making models but they're all awful... I will probably seek the help of Reddit or something similar for 'donations.'

Though I cranked out that full mech in under an hour. Sketchup is awesome.

>>381792
Who says that isn't a gigantic double-barreled beam weapon?

also
>implying bipedal battle robots are feasible in the first place

>>381793
>implying I'm an engineering major
>implying sketchup isn't great for low poly fast-production video game development
>judgmental nofriends without a mech simulator

Kinda hard to show in a still image but I been gettin' mah trig on... made a script that animates the legs automatically given the hip and feet positions, including a boolean to make the mech human- or chicken-walker style.

Now I just gotta put together some functions that move the feet realistically...

Same pose, chicken vs. human.

You do know that /tg/ would jizz their collective pants if they saw this, right? I mean that all of 4chan would drown in the flood of neckbeard semen.

>>381808
Drowning in neckbeard semen wasn't on my agenda... that's why it's here.

>>381805
human pose suits this mech-

There are many 3d design twurks that make me cringe, but I'm glad to hear you are making good progress on the programming front- because that's where the real gameplay, immersiveness and fun come from.

Look forward to hearing more and seeing some youtube update vids ;)

Add a stewart platform for motion, it isn't a simulator if you don't have motion! pic related

Took a break from the garage today to do some coding. Got a fully functional and robust movement script, plus some rudimentary weapons systems.

>>382479
show us a video!

>>382630
Know of a good screen recording program? I've never been able to get a hold of a good one.

>>382637
I'm installing Fraps... stand by!

>>380959
i'm not a gamer, and i admit i passed over this thread from OPs pic, but reading through it, woah, wtf, this is a top-notch DIY project. you kick ass.

very nice use of your knowledge and skills. nice balance! good compromises!

fuck yeah, i'd hire you. someone ITT said 'that would get you a job' -- bullshit -- the ability to see a project from concept, aesthetics, tech, schedule, budget, inevitable design compromises, then deliver the fucking thing, that's 1% territory. HIRE THIS ASSHOLE BEFORE SOMEONE ELSE DOES!!! congratulations.

--signed, maker of complex robotics and electronics

>>382637
I like the visual feel you have going on- the bullets, the flashes, the tone of the colors and textures together; it just feels right.

I look forward to the vid- and keep up your strength, this looks awesome

>>382694
>ability to see a project from concept, aesthetics, tech, schedule, budget, inevitable design compromises, then deliver the fucking thing, that's 1% territory

wut? But every engineering graduate has to do this in a thesis, and probably 4 more times during senior projects for final level subjects- and they dont all get jobs

>maker of complex robotics and electronics
what are some of the things you've made?

Alright, here's a vid! Very very rough, but enjoy! Bear in mind the textures are more or less placeholders.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6v-K3bQNZrE&feature=youtu.be


>>382694
Thanks man! Really means a lot. :]

>>382714
Thank you; most of the stuff in here is placeholder for now, but I am trying to figure out the style I'm going for early.

>>382728
Holy shit that looks good!
keep up the great work dude!

for all the haters.

Nothing that you do in school is going to land you a job, maybe sucking cocks and getting friends with good positions.

Most of the project you do in engineering maybe this complicated, more or less, but is still awesome.

he may not be remembered in his school but he is going to be remembered here at least.

OP i love you, you are doing stuff, you are not one of the whining bitches that just come here to complain, or one of the fags who cant do shit.

GRATZ!

>>382774
wat

>>382728
>liked
>subscribed
cool stuff- post some more when you get some progress on your rig!

One thing to look into in place of using an extra joystick to look around: face tracking

ex: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIwfnT1hXDE
(he moves his head a little robotically, but you can look around smoothly if you wanted).

Here is the main website that has the GNU General Public release of the program
http://facetracknoir.sourceforge.net/home/default.htm

>>382734
Thanks man!

>>382774
Thank you--what I have been putting off saying is that I am technically an art major. "Computing in the Arts," but art nonetheless.

I'm sure stuff as/more complicated than this is done all the time in engineering--what I'm presenting is my resourcefulness/media pantology.

Much love!

>>382853
Thanks a lot. The problem the face tracking of that kind is that the cockpit is going to be very dark; not sure if a cam will be able to pick up enough information to perform the tracking. I'll look into it though. Cheers!

>>382774
>Nothing that you do in school is going to land you a job

Doing something industry specific can likely get you a foot in the door, or a patent giving you heaps of cash.

http://mwomercs.com/forums/topic/6495-my-newly-constructed-battlemech-cockpit/

Also netbattletech.com

and they used to have fully functioning cockpits for mechwarrior. I recommend looking them up and checking them out.

Also play mechwarrior online

>>382889
Nice setup. Too bad it's overly complex for how simple MWO currently is.

>and they used to have fully functioning cockpits for mechwarrior. I recommend looking them up and checking them out.

Here OP watch this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&NR=1&v=jdJA5C_Po4U

You should make a thread on /m/ they love this stuff. They could also give you hundreds of mech cockpit interior images to use for your final design stages.

Also have you considered: sirens or red lights maybe a fog machine for a when the player's mech gets heavily damaged?

>>382864
Maybe in masters, but not in college or university. I worked for different companies making projects while studying for SAMSUNG, DANFOSS, CARRIER, FORD. none of this could land you a job, not me, not my coworkers, no one, we were a free sustainable source of free work for them.

>>380959
I don't have anything useful to give you, but even if some consider it shitposting, i think it's worth to tell you that you have a great project and i hope you make it. Godsped op

>>383096
And i must add that It's always intriguing to see the intimate relation that americans have with their tools is something really interesting.

>>381138
>DHS
Double Heat-Sinks?

I think I saw what you did there. They better be Clan-tech; both the energy weapons and the heatsinks. Otherwise, he'll fry after each alpha strike.

I'm having some serious trouble getting my generic USB joysticks reading correctly into Unity 4.0... damn Unity doesn't support DirectInput anymore. Oh well, I got the Tarduino all hooked up and working flawlessly. Displays weapon names and ammo received from the game, and can send input information.

I thought this was going to be the hardest part and it actually turned out to be fairly simple.


>>382889
Thanks for the links! I will nestle into netbattletech and see what they think.

>>383054
That's pretty awesome. That guy's got some cash.

>>383065
There will definitely be flashing ambient RGB lights and audible warnings when you're taking too much damage. I've thought about a fog machine but I'm not sure if that's entirely safe in an enclosed space. I will keep looking into that.

(also lol'd at that pic)

>>383096
Thanks a lot!

>>383652
looks really good, I hope you'll keep us posted!

>>383652
now all you need is a working hud ;p
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6HtTFTqXlg

>>381800
I recommend the VGDG in /vg/. Don't worry, they're not as caustic as /v/. With what you have, you'll surely melt their hearts.

>>383652
Fuck safety, we want immersion.

Been working on stuff mostly under the hood, but here's a small update:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DmLPnWCh85o&feature=youtu.be


>>383741
But of course!

>>383812
Workin on it, slowly!

>>383826
I will check 'em out, thanks.

>>383830
...Yeah, you're right. Thing is, I don't want to funk up the inside of the crate with fog spray. That stuff can make a place smell pretty dank. :\

>>384270
just an idea op but

if you wanted to go nuts build the entire thing on a platform for roation then add suspend the rig from a counter weight or spring. Then you just need motos powerful enough to overcome the enertia of the rig and not the entire weight. hell use neumatics more dat realistic sound.
good luck with it bro

>>383652
>fog not safe
You've got a ventilation system don't you?

Put intake at the top, exhaust at the bottom, and pump in a bit of fog on certain triggered events. Should be just as effective on the lungs as a fog machine in any situation.

>>384365
dont use fog, while it might sound like a fun idea in the end itll just be annoying.
and fog from maschines leaves a nasty residue on everyhing.

>>384370
Yeah, the residue is what I'm worried about. Everything's gonna get nasty in there if I keep running fog through it.

Forget the fog machine. When the mech starts taking heavy damage, just set the cockpit on fire. Install a handheld fire extinguisher behind the seat for added realism. This will definitely get you remembered at your school.

Made some speaker enclosures today. They'll fugly as all hell because I cut the MDF with a jigsaw, but they'll do the job.

Scrollsaw, you so craaazy.

1/2" MDF... never again. Always use 3/4" MDF for your enclosures, fellas.

This is the penultimate of DIY... didn't have a cylindrical sanding bit, so I duct taped sandpaper around a holesaw.

And it worked fuckin great!

All done, loctite's curing. I'll mount the speakers in a day or two with weather stripping rope and report the results.

I didn't do any research as to the correct volume of the boxes save for a few quick comparisons to pre-made boxes on the innurnet, so hopefully these are close enough.

>>384984
looks pretty decent!

why did you decide to build your own speaker enclosures?

>>385009
Because my speakers are rare sizes; 4" diameter and 5x7" oval. Most car speakers are 5" or 6x9".

(I could only find the 4" enclosures on ebay, and it would've cost me ~$30. I made these for about $3/pop.)

i tell u wot m8

If you make the simulated cockpit able to switch between different types of mech bodies, you might have a hit on your hands. Customisation and shit, bro.

I loved your other posts OP.

I have two ideas on this subject that go in two different ideas. Merged would be epic!

1st. More physical interface/interaction.
A couple of small fog machines (think vap. cigs with no nicotine) for "fire" damage indication.
With damage a set of tubes with conductors (basically on/off switches) that blow from a pneumatic valve opening, parts of the mech wont work till you physically plug the connection back in.
Or cables that you can physical unplug and plug back in "cross wiring" the system to get a bit more power out of your mech.
All aspects of most mech games but digital and automated.
Any way more physical stuff to do in the cockpit. The simulator is more than a chair and a screen. What goes on inside the cockpit is a big portion of the game.

>>385096
Next part is less physical controls, meaning back projected multi-faceted control surfaces (projector table), and (interactive whiteboard) multi touch control.
This mixed with cockpit back lighting, automatic chair adjustment presets, and environment control. All these presets sitting on a thumb drive which acts as your "character sheet" /"service record" and "key" to your mech. Plus a new great product for sale.

That's how you build a customizable mech pod. The main console can be changed and modified in moments to show a different control interface for different mechs.
Plus customization tailored to the pilot. (mood color, warning sounds, logos, preset control configs, custom hot keys, etc)
This lets you upgrade electronics inside the mech as well as weapons outside. And face it one projector and a couple of web cams is cheaper to build, maintain and replace that a bucket of switches and crap from the eighties.

Now this is some real /diy/ , and no fucking "hurr I found this LCD screen wat do" shit.

>>385103
And OP was autofilled

What ya got is good for a simple pod. If your ever going to add motion think about suspending a pod inside a box. It takes less energy to pull a balanced load down than to lift up. Pivot the whole thing from a center point that way light weight air pillows (screw expensive pistons sew up some cloth muscles) can make it rock and roll. Mixing this with vibrating motors in the chair can simulated motion and damage.

>>384984
Hey OP. Don't forget to make a hole in your speaker boxes. To prevent interference and such.

Don't know the technical terms. Sorry.

Very impressibe job, btw.

>>385040
I'm thinking of running it like those racing arcade games, at least for the school deadline version. When you start the game you choose a chassis and outfit it with basic weapons, then every level you clear earns you new weapons and shit that you can outfit to your mech.

>>385096
- I haven't been able to find an inexpensive but reliable fog machine; I am waiting until the project is further developed before I drop more cash on this thing. (I've dropped almost a grand on it so far).
- The pneumatic controls blowout sound frickin awesome! I will do some research into making that happen.
- Physically rewiring the mech would be easy; I'll just make an interface like a patch bay with 1/4" audio jacks or something else rugged like that. I'm writin this shit down; thanks!
- This post >>380973 shows the controls I've gathered so far, not including the twin joysticks and four foot pedals.
- I would like to have touch displays but I am limited by my budget at the moment, so we are currently limited to the three main display monitors and a secondary (non-touch-enabled) 8" display in the dashboard.
- Cockpit back lighting is going in for sure; I have some RGB light boards that will project onto the walls and simulate damage indications, flickering fire, laser blasts, sparks, etc.
- There will be a small board of speed controls for several cockpit fans.
- The thumb drive 'key' is an awesome idea--definitely won't be spending the time to implement it by the school deadline but if by some miracle I start getting commissioned to make these things or w/e that will be a key component.

Thanks for all the ideas!

>>385103
Cheers, hahahaha.

>>385106
I didn't think about using air pillows! In fact I could just get a set of 'airbags' like for adjustable car suspension setups. Those would definitely be able to take the load and be cheaper/easier to maintain than hydraulics. Plus they're popular enough with dumb hellaflush kids that they're fairly inexpensive and easy to use.

>>385122
Hmm... a port? Usually you want to use a closed box for the best driver response. I would have to do some calculations n shit to figure out what size/where to put a port, as it's a very scientific business. Thanks though; we'll see how they sound when I seal em up.

>>384270
I like the big blasty wep you added on the left arm, that's a sweet cannon-

Few ideas as far as the movement of the mech goes. It's too slow. You have a great walk cycle going, it looks legit, but it should have the ability to jog as well- Also when the mech turns, it seems to turn like a freightor, simply turning a mech should be a lot faster by looking at it.

The 'distance meter' or the reticule you use to emulate a distance effect- I like it- the squares are nice, perhaps change the center reticule (the one simply showing the center of the screen) could be simplified to a glowy box with a dot, perhaps without full opacity, a lowered alpha so to speak.

Another neat feature for the moving reticule (nice touch with the green polygons btw) is having a digital distance readout that moves with it giving aproximate distance (in mechwarrior 3 or 4 I believe it had this feature that would give a readout up to about 800 meters)

A new update including some foliage, a building, a car, another basic mech concept or something of the like would be well recieved-

Look forward to the future of this project and good work on your accomplishments, the effects are spot on--

>>384982
lol nice

>>385247
I'd say nay on the fog machine if you life in America. Someone will have a random athsma attack when they get shot up in your mech sim and the smoke will pour in, and they'll blame it on your simulator. Some medical bs later and somebody somewhere will find a reason to file a lawsuit against you.

However, oddly enough, I don't think anyone will hate on you for having hydraulics or air bags bumping the whole cockpit around. Everybody loves a rocking horse

>>385285
Should have a stamina of sorts for the sprinting. after so many meters have the mech overheat and stall or walk slower than usual.

stamina for the weapons too. maybe the popgun overheats if fired for too long. requires a cooldown period.
cannon should have a cooldown regardless.

>>385296
op could consider steam instead of fog.

>>385303
steam is legit

I am way too biased to talk about steam though-
>steampunkfag

On the plus side, steam can be good for the health

You can't just have this thing sit stationary it needs to rock side to side, and tilt to and fro.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WDk1ndGWLQ

It doesn't have to be a really elaborate setup. if you're on a budget, but it can't sit still.

1)strengthen the floor with two more layers of plywood 3/4" glued and screwed cross grain to one another.
2)grab a couple car suspension coil springs from a junk yard, and strap them onto the bottom center so it teeters on them. (or throw it up on a basketball with something to hold it centered)
3)get a pair of electric rotary actuators off ebay (tons of surplus listed $30ea) relay them straight off your foot pedals left right to tilt the chassis.

4)do something like this for your foot pedals, but a little stiffer spring for feet than hands.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2c3q9K4cHzY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54i7305dxl0

>>385638

from the inside

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6Z5ddmglXo

>>385626
see OP, we're not asking for much, just what's left on your mortgage ;)

>>385662
this is DIY not GoBuyOne

OP could do this for under $200 easy

Turns out we had a fog machine in the garage... hmmm.


>>385285
- I do not want to make a Mechwarrior clone; the mechs in my game are supposed to be extra big and slow. I want it to feel like piloting a hulking monstrosity more than a frontline combat vehicle. But I am working on a jog cycle... my code doesn't like when both feet are off the ground, but I will make somethin work.
- The two rangefinder reticles were just some BS I pulled off of Google. I will replace them with something better, perhaps an active rangefinder that updates with the angle of your mech. I'll whip something up tomorrow.
- I was planning on a distance reading for the main reticle, but I like the thought of having one for each arm's reticle (the green polygons). I will experiment with those and post some updates tomorrow.
- I'm trying to get the code for the user's mech/HUD/controls down before I put too much effort into enviro or assets, but if I manage to accomplish my goals for tomorrow I will put some time into modelling and texturing.

Thanks for all the awesome input!

>>385296
This machine is already going to have an epilepsy and heart warning on the side; an asthma warning wouldn't be out of place. You're right, though--I don't want people to have to sign a waiver to play it. Perhaps I will make it optional; you can turn it on if it's someone you trust not to sue your ass, haha.

>>385301
Probably going to have a fairly elaborate heat/energy/reload/cooldown system, akin to the Mechwarrior systems, that will prevent you from doing any strenuous maneuvers for too long at a time.

>>385303
Steam would funk up the inside of the box faster than a fog machine. :\

>>385626
...I'm starting to think I can't get away with having this thing NOT tilt. I am worried because it's so god-damn heavy already even without any of the components inside though, and even though it is heavily reinforced, it is still made out of plywood.

(Also I dunno what rotary actuators you were looking at, but they seem like they are all in the $200+ range. Plus I'd have to find a way to power them...)

>>385638
That thing's rad! That would be the ultimate setup for simulation...

>>385688
[citation needed]

But thanks for the vote of confidence, haha.


Finished up the speakers today; lined the insides with polyfill and sealed the speakers in with weather stripping caulk.

Lookit these purdy things! And they sound fuckin GREAT!

Interesting proposal from my friend: I could just have the player wear a "gas mask" that leads to the outside. Then no amount of fog/smoke in the cockpit would be an issue...

Interesting proposal from my friend: I could just have the player wear a "gas mask" that leads to the outside. Then no amount of fog/smoke in the cockpit would be an issue...

>>385719
>(Also I dunno what rotary actuators you were looking at, but they seem like they are all in the $200+ range. Plus I'd have to find a way to power them...)

here's and example
ebay item number 290853728676
1 SET DEWERT ELECTRIC LINEAR ACTUATORS WITH CONTROLLER

>>385715
I completely support the more lumbering style of mech. Too many mech games feel too much like "a fast guy with extra guns and armor".

>>385784
>I completely support the more lumbering style of mech.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNZPRsrwumQ

>>385741
But is it comfortably to wear in a confined cockpit like that? Maybe it gets too hot inside the mask. I'm also not sure if the fog from the fog machine (dry ice, isn't it?) won't condensate on the outside of the mask. And I'm not sure if you're able to view the monitors in all their glory though a visor. Lastly, a hose connected to the outside could get in the way.

>>380959
>ou might've seen a few of my threads over the last few days. I'm in my last year of college at UCSD and I am working on my senior project: a more or less fully-functional BattleMech cockpit that will run a home-made Mechwarrior-style simulation.
Google "virtual world", being a small chain of gaming venues that had more or less what you're trying to create from scratch. This was back in the 90's. Since the Internet blew up the way it did and online gaming with it, it all went the way of the dinosaurs.

>>385934
Fog machines can either be dry ice (sublimating carbone dioxide - make sure there is fresh air to breathe) or what amounts to vegetable oil smoke. The latter leaves a sticky-smoky-slimy residue if used in tight spaces for extended periods.

>>385969
this
both of those variants pretty much suck in any small space.
with dry ice its a deathtrap and regular smoke maschines will ruin you great contraption in no time.
and tbh, smoke may seem like a neat idea, but after a few tries it will just get annoying.

OP you might want to see if there's a scrapyard near you that has airplane parts available; I know of people that have chopped off the front portion (sans prop) of defunct airplanes in order to make flight sims similar to what you're making.

Such a set up might be useful to you, depending upon how close the configuration of the airplane's controls are to what you're envisioning. At the very least you might be able to cannibalize it for cool-looking knobs and switches rather than buying them new (I don't know the feasibility of linking these to your computer though since I cannot into electronics.)

>>386076

One more advantage such a piece would have is that it would be very light, probably lighter than what you could fabricate out of wood. It will be made out of aluminum, plastic and some fiberglass.

Saging for my double post.

>>385785
I love that thing. Have you seen this? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chPanW0QWhA

Thanks for all the support and suggestions, fellas! I've been hard at work on the HUD and under the hood making things abstract enough that each mech and weapon will be completely customizable.

I love putting in the time to build frameworks that are modular and abstract so that I can just load up the "weapon" or "mech" scripts and plug in values to make them do whatever I want.

Will post a video of the new HUD and weapons (we have lasers and rockets now!) sometime later today.

>>385766
Very interesting... I will look into these things.

>>385784
Yeah I hate that! Well, I don't hate it, but I like the big guys better.

Main reason I greatly prefer Mechwarrior over Gundam, however the small mechs like the Raven or Spider piss me off in the same way.

(I've had some damn good times in the Uller though.)

>>385785
big dog 4 lyf

>>385934
No, it's not, you're right. That probably wasn't the best idea after all. It would add the immersion I suppose, but it would transcend fun-immersion and become too-realistic-obnoxious-immersion.

>>385967
Yes!! I used to go to Virtual VR in San Diego with my brother when I was atalented /diy/er Good times; this project is inspired by that stuff.

>>385969
>>385992
Yeah, there is too much support /against/ putting in a fog machine. I don't think it's going to happen.

>>386076
That is an awesome idea. I hadn't thought about looking for airplane parts; only car parts. I will look around. Thanks!

>>386082
Scary as fuck... awesome.

>>386815
>dat screenshot
deah lawdy that is so much prettier that before!

>>386815
needs more floating crates

NOS fogger
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lt8XN6mCF1k
fake sparks for electrical system damage:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BV-3ai1MfvE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZZHd_dgslw

>>387875
wow, that setup would make for a killer safe room as well.. seal/reinforce the door and you can just chill in the seat with the monitors to view cameras of around the house, and the outside ventilation in case they try to gas you out, heh..

OP, I just sent you a message via YouTube. Would you be so kind to take a look at it.

Also, good work. Keep it up.

What are the crates for? Hopefully not for a test of physics (that floating one).

Anyways, very interesting and impressive. How long have you been working on the game? You have got to be several months in and just posting updated screenshots that you've had for a while. Either that or you have an insane list of libraries that I've never seen before.

What are you doing for enemy AI? Probably random number 1-100
1 - Walk towards player (1-75)
2 - Strafe right (76-85)
3 - Strafe Left(86-95)
4 - Back step(95-100)

Could even do diagonals, to make progress towards player and throw off aim a bit. I would even throw a complete stop in there where they just stand still and dish out damage.

Random amount of timeout before reselecting movement function.

I think this would work alright in a mech game, assuming you flag off the mountains from potential travel routes. You could always use waypoints, but that wouldn't really help if you are doing procedurally generated maps, unless of course you have acceptable zones such as, testing difference in elevation over a small distance and if over a certain number, then flag it as a no-go.

Definitely need a conditional to check distance from player before executing movement action.
Also, maybe rerun movement function after computer mech takes a certain amount of damage.

AI is definitely the big part. You could have the best game on the planet, but if the AI blows, has aimbot and walks straight towards the player; that might seem kind of lazy to some people.

Anyways, interested to hear what you are going to do about the AI. If you cannot tell, I am absolutely intrigued by it. It's only going to be a matter of time before AI has it's own personality, responds accordingly with intelligent dialogue.

Very neat project.

>>388438
If OP wants to simulate player tactics, all the AI has to do is circle strafe the target until someone dies first.

Advanced tactic: stop if you reach the opponent's back. Continue strafing once they turn.

OP you could try mounting the rig on some car suspension then you could use just about anything to make the rig jar about without destroying itself

>>388742
a little goes a long ways. it doesn't have to go 3 feet in the air. a few inches of tilt is more than enough to simulate movement.
a 4" PVC pipe underneath, for it to pivot on
and a chain-drive garage door opener could easily rock it back and forth

http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=bxbjZiKAZP4

OP I know you're not onto the enemy AI/build stage but consider this:

Too many mech games just have other full-sized mechs as adversaries. You should consider including tanks, trucks, light vehicles and even infantry formations in there to shoot. Its fun to feel a little overpowered and stomp around wasting guys like that.

The advantage of this is that the AI for vehicles and ground troops is way easier than full-on mechs. imagine how cool it would be to see enemy troops near you and then hear their useless small round weapons ping off your mech harmlessly. you could include a computer voice: "negligible damage from platoon-sized enemy formation detected"

Sexy computer voice:

You're going to need a sexy computer voice for various things that happen to the user. "Armor low, incoming enemy radar spike, extreme fire damage, you have zero rounds remaining" etc.

UCSD will have tons of foreign women students who will do this for free if you chat them up a bit. Vist the international club meetings or lurk wherever the ESL students hang out. This is may seem like a little thing, but a good sounding computer will bring in a lot of polish and production value for no money.

The best female accents for sexy computer voice are: English (upper class only, includes New Zealand but not Australia or South Africa (but those might be okay too)), German, any Scandinavian, any Slavic like Ukrainian or Russian would be neat too.

Whoo! Making progress. Check this shit out.

http://youtu.be/TquJ4qlYNGw


>>387873
lol'd, the sparks are almost cool.

>>387875
Yeah somebody else posted that. Pretty rad.

>>388243
Responded, thanks!

>>388438
Crates are for testing weapons. Remember that this game is in super rudimentary alpha right now, haha.

I've been working on this game for about a month now. I can crank stuff out quickly because I am using Sketchup for the models, Filter Forge 3 for the textures, and I had some basic explosion assets lying around that I bought from the Unity asset store that I have been crafting into the effects for this game.

I've made most of the code for this project from scratch, but truth be told the code isn't all that complicated seeing as everything is animated with mathematics (and everything is robotic, which is relatively easy to emulate the motion of).

The AI system you described is roughly the boilerplate for the combat AI I anticipate putting in, with some reservations for shields and such. I'm going to make the shields play a big role in combat, just to spice up the standard tired STRAFE RIGHT AND FIRE EVERYTHING battlemech combat trope.

Will definitely try to make the enemy mechs clever enough to be challenging in any display of force.

I have a few more basic systems to implement (such as damage and mech destruction) before I get to AI, but I will definitely be posting about that here, so stay tuned! Cheers!

>>388603
Well aware of this tired tactic; the bigass shields you can see in the vid above will have something to do with the player needing to be a little more clever than that.

>>388742
>>388913
I'm considering doing a hybrid of these two ideas, perhaps with a ball or spring in the middle that the chassis pivots on.

>>389019
That looks so fucking fun. do want.

kind of dissapointed when i got to the end of this thread...

want to see more updates since i'm a big fan of mech anime and games =(

btw, this project looks crazy awesome!

>>389098
Keep an eye out, there will probably be updates at a later time.

>>389076
If you have a shield, why not have it up all the time?
If a mech can sport a shield, why wouldn't it be an integrated part of the (frontal) armor?

>>389063
The game Blazing Star has a sexy computer voice that yells at you in engrish. I've wanted to use them in one of my projects for a while.

BONUS!!
POWER-UP!!
YOUR SKILL IS NOT ENOUGH!!
GET IT MORE!!
AVOID ALL!!
etc

>>386815
>Yeah, there is too much support /against/ putting in a fog machine.
One cheapish/safe/non-disgusting solution would be to use an ultrasonic humidifier (~$40 for a cheapo one).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=R3gjs5c3zmw#t=34s
I've got one in my room and it's pretty quiet, only outputs water vapor, so no health risk, and the vapor is cool, so you don't have to deal with hot steam. If you funnel it properly, too, it comes out in a nice looking jet.

As for the game part, you should have the battles take place in a city so there's more interesting terrain. Once you've got some basic block buildings, you can use a navmesh and A* for the AI, which are both fairly easy to do. I'm not an expert at Unity, but I have used it and I'm very experienced with game programming (going into the industry after graduation), so let me know if you have any questions.

>>389059
also, this.

And ignore the haters, I got my job because I had a portfolio of cool projects.

>>389059
Was definitely planning on enemy tanks and stuff. In fact I will lay out some framework for them today to replace the target practice cubes.

>>389063
Very very good call. I will ask around and see if I can find someone with a nice voice to do it.

>>389098
They're comin as I make 'em! Working hard on this shit.

>>389144
Because having it deployed negates the use of your left arm weapons!

(And for the sake of gameplay... I mean, giant bipedal mechs aren't feasible by default, so I don't feel obligated to make everything 'practical.')

>>389177
Watched a gameplay vid, laughed my ass off. GET IT MORE! GET IT MORE!

>>389314
We have one of those in our house, but I'm worried about the water making things get mildewy in there. Plus there are going to be a lot of electronics tightly packed in there near the player... we don't need his or her skin conductivity to be higher than it is already.

There will be battles in a variety of maps; cities will definitely be one of them. I checked out A* -- is it worth $100? Or should I just go ahead and build my own AI pathfinding system? (I could probably put something together in a day or two.)

>>389336
I realize now that Unity has built-in pathfinding... I will experiment with that. Cheers.

>>389336
As far as the sexy computer voice thing goes, you could put up flyers and have an addition!

>>389336
> not wanting to use humidifier
Fair enough.

> I checked out A* -- is it worth $100?
What? A* is a basic pathfinding algorithm.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A*

>>389343
That's probably a good choice, although I've heard some people have problems with unity's pathfinding.

>>389336
>I mean, giant bipedal mechs aren't feasible by default, so I don't feel obligated to make everything 'practical

srsly?

not only are biped mechs feasible, they are practical as well. Originally intended by their creator for all terrain, they have no competition in that arena. Adding VTOL capability to a mech, as in drop-ship, they can be deployed anywhere, and don't require runways to land on.

Most sci-fi versions avoid the use of wheels on mechs, but don't rule them out, there's a time and place for using tires, they just can't go where we need to sometimes, and that's where legs come in.

In it's environment: off road - rugged terrain surrounded by mountains or jungle canopy that make it inaccessible by air, or too hostile for helicopter. A mech with a railgun, is the equivalent of an A-10 dominating the skies.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKS8ddfbfEQ

>>389458
>not only are biped mechs feasible, they are practical as well.
source needed

>>389480
>source needed

I think it's safe for me to assume that you have two legs, but forgive me if I have trampled upon your rights as a disabled person in doing so.

To me, there is no greater "source" to be relied upon that what I have witnessed with my own two eyes. So with that in mind, and being that you yourself are a biped, why would you need the opinion of others to verify your own existence, let alone the feasibility, and practicality of human mobility, agility, and suitability to perform specific tasks, which you have witnessed with your own eyes?

>>389560
plz differentiate between powered armor (Just about man-sized, might be reasonable) and a 'bipedal mech', something out of mechwarrior or Macross, which are just so stupid for so many reasons.

Issue #1 with bipedal mechs, pilot turns into canned cranberry sauce because of the G forces endured in the cockpit of your average 2-4 story battle mech running around

>>389569
What G forces? Most large mechs usually only "run" around at 30-40 MPH.

>>389569
my point was proof of concept. whether or not you choose to accept that man is a machine, is not my problem.
A toy boat floats just as well as an aircraft carrier. Anything is scalable, and simple physics prove the benefits of size, despite your girlfriend's reassurances that it doesn't matter.
A larger lever, a larger motor... have greater capability. The same goes for mechs.

>canned cranberry sauce
sad but true. we had a suit failure incident not long ago, but fortunately this is a rare occurrence, and that was in an aircraft. G-forces are much less in ground platforms.

>>389597
If you've got a 60' tall mech, and it bounces up and down 10' every time it takes a step, and it's stepping at 45mph.... fuuck.

>anything is scalable
>Can't into cubic/square scaling properties.
K tall human
10K tall mecha
Mecha has a volume 10^3 times higher than a human, and proportionally higher mass.

This is a huge problem because sources of power don't scale nearly as well as just making a bigger piece of metal.

>>389606
Then think about the ability of the mecha to fire a large cannon. A tank can have it backed up by the rest of the mass of the tank. The mech only has what's on the arm or the body, which the rest of the limbs will have to cope with somehow.

Then think about armor, a tank can have all of its armor distributed over a ^2 smaller surface area than the mecha.

'but what if there's super armor that's light and awesome and everyhting better than normal tnak armor.'

Then put it on the tank.

>>389606
Science fixes everything. If you have a 50-ft tall mech, it's assumed that you have the tech to make it feasible.

>>389591
Every step the mech takes is equivalent to the pilot falling the same distance and hitting the ground.

Same reason why if I hit you in the head with a baseball bat, you get brain damage even if your skull took the blow; your brain is like a pilot bobbing around inside your skull.

>>389458
>implying a GUA-8 wouldn't rip the arm off a any mech

You realize the A-10 going near super sonic actually loses speed when it fires that thing.

>>389403
I remember getting damaged on purpose in Mechwarrior 2 just to hear computer's voice.

>>389606
>If you've got a 60' tall mech, and it bounces up and down 10' every time it takes a step, and it's stepping at 45mph.... fuuck.

go on youtube and search: steadicam
watch some of the video shot with a steadicam
notice that the camera operator is running and yet the video is smooth. This is called inertia dampening. Vehicle suspensions, and craft of all sorts have been doing it for decades.
I can see were Gforces might be scary for an obese person. Inertia has a whole different meaning for someone weighing 400Lbs.

Power sources. enlighten us with your vast experience using plutonium dioxide batteries in your Gameboy.

>>389608
>Then think about the ability of the mecha to fire a large cannon.

never fired a gun before have you? you pull the trigger, and it makes you fly off the planet right? your lack of physics is amazing. recoil force of a weapon is proportional to the mass of the projectile. people fly off the planet when a bullet hits them too, just like in the movies.

And i see you didn't play football either. you gotta lean into it son.

as for armor... shoot a steel pole, the bullet usually glances off due to the rounded surface.
If tanks could roll around like balls, they would be awesome, not that they aren't fairly amazing already. They just aren't good climbers.

>>389613
Rally Racer here. I've had my car 32' in the air without breaking a blood vessel.

>>389624
more like ten times worse than James may riding his speed boat.

inertia has a whole different meaning when you weigh 400 pounds. Arguing a 20 ton bipedal robot is feasible and at all similar to a 180lb infantryman

my mind is full of fuck

Stop derailing the thread, assholes. If you want to debate the plausibility of bipedal mechs, go over to >>>/m/

This thread is about OP's video game and its enclosure.

>>389663
implying that realism isn't important for an immersive gaming platform. (simulator)

Understanding the physics of the machine benefits the programmer trying to emulate them. How does a mech walk? - same way a human does. How does it not fall down, when it get hit? sometimes it does, this isn't disney.

>>389674
OP's mech is obese, that's why it can barely move. Perhaps, he should consider carbon nanotubes? They're supposed to be really strong

This is the consensus on /k/ about "mechs":

The idea of battlemech (and not just a small powered armor suit) is totally obsurd and inefficent and has no niche role not more efficiently filled by some other platform.

It's funny that someone brought up the A10, because that's exactly the kind of thing I'm talking about. What's easier to build, costs less than, and has better maneuverability than a battlemech sporting twin GAU-8's and some missles? An A-10 is, of course. There's literally no reason to build an armored portable weapons platform when you can just get rid of the armor (or maybe not in the future) and strap wings on it.

Seriously, a mech is like a tall (read:easier to hit) tank with all kinds of extra tolerances to design for and a motion system orders of magnitude less efficient.

It's never gonna happen. I like this project though.

>>389850
I meant to say that two A-10's are better. It's late.

Yeah, don't get me wrong... the idea of mechs is cool. The practically and usefulness of such a thing is an entirely different story.

>>389850
>I used to be a fighting vehicle like you, but then I took an RPG to the knee...

Welp, it's officially a "game" now. You can win and you can lose, and has mildly competent enemy AI (which consists of, at the moment, pathfinding, weapons relegation, and shield manipulation.)

Mechs are fully destructible, including blowing off the arms, individual weapons, the shield, maiming legs, and of course critical cockpit hits (which result in a satisfying bullet-time explosion.)

I'm going to start streamlining my scripts for allowing for different classes of mechs with customizable equipment and weaponry. Once that's more or less done I will start making some half decent assets for level design.

Once the combat is polished up I will take a full battle vid.


>>389435
Someone made an encasement for Unity's A* script... but I don't know why, seeing as Unity does it just fine! I have it up and running almost perfectly. (pic related)

>>389610
All the this. (And rule of cool.)

>>389674
I blame gyroscopes.

>>389791
I like the chunky aesthetic, haha.

>>389875
lol'd

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5Z4cT0csVU

Poor torque engine. It gets no love, even from the genre that it began in.

Managed to make a fancy-ass "holographic" projection of your mech appear in the top-left of the hud. It moves/updates with your mech, including changing color different parts take damage. Kinda like a Decent/Mechwarrior hybrid damage display.

Managed to make a fancy-ass "holographic" projection of your mech appear in the top-left of the hud. It moves/updates with your mech, including changing color different parts take damage. Kinda like a Decent/Mechwarrior hybrid damage display.

Managed to make a fancy-ass "holographic" projection of your mech appear in the top-left of the hud. It moves/updates with your mech, including changing color different parts take damage. Kinda like a Descent/Mechwarrior hybrid damage display.

And here's a fun result of color interpolation testing...

iFiesta!

>>390716
oh god
>dat color
might I suggest using an isometric view for the hologram?

>>390820
I agee with this anon also if possible havea strong border to show the parts then run from green orange red just seems more pro looking

bump from page seven.

>>389850
>has no niche role not more efficiently filled by some other platform.

that is the beauty of the mech platform, it isn't stuck in a niche role like all the others. one mech can handle several different roles.

Start with the A-10
armored flying cannon - check
maneuverability - pwned by mechs all day

Next Tanks
boomstick on a bulldozer
can't fly can't swim
call AAA i'm stuck again

Boats/Submersibles
can't even walk on land

anything they can do mechs can do
all in one platform

>>391967
stop derailing this good thread plz

insulting a mech is the epitome of butthurt. think about it..
a mech is based on human form. thusly, anyone saying "a mech can't do- this" or "a mech can't do that" is admitting to his own failures as a human being.

What he's really saying is "I can't do it" or "I don't into science"
A mech is only as good as it's pilot, because a mech is an extension of himself.

>>391967
OP's original post did stipulate 'simulator'

as in vid games

as not in R/L

>>391984
A mech has capabilities nothing like a human being simply by virtue of size. Square-cube law.

>>391984
>A mech is only as good as it's pilot, because a mech is an extension of himself.
1/2 step away from pokemon douche-dom

>>391984
>>391990

>YF'sW you stagger/stumble into the real world and don't find actual Mechs

>anywhere

>ever

>>391990
>Square-cube law.

your math is rusty anon
pic related: one cubic human divided by lazors

Sorry for the inactivity... been growing a beard from all the fucking coding I've been doing, and it's all perfectionisty bullshit like making the reticles move with the torso rotation exactly right, etc.

I've just about ironed out the core systems though... gonna start putting in more cool shit soon.


>>391945
Thanks for the save!

>>392002
lol'd.

Alright, I need some help...

I want to simulate enemy pilot targeting inaccuracy. I need a function or two that will pump out a sort of 'random orbital' x and y rotation that would act similar to the inaccuracy of a rifle being held in your hands.

I really don't want to resort to a table lookup with a random curve in it but if I have to I will resort to that...

Any ideas?

After spending four hours getting one fucking rotation to line up correctly, all I can say is this:

Quaternions. Not even once.

looks a lot like this game

>>392168
Sine and Cosine are your friends there my friend. Get the forward vector, add a random sine and cosine in there and BAM.
You would also have to multiple the sine and cosine values by a constant to represent the maximum radius that you want the gun to be inaccurate to as well
A little more complicated than that regarding all of your 3D vectors , but I think you would get the idea.

>>392168

You could add random (small) velocity vectors to your aim point and then numerically integrate its position for this velocity. You'll get random wander that way.
Or like the other anon suggested, use sines. On a machine which is capable of running your game/simulator, sines won't consume noticeable amounts of processing power.

>>392168
Ignore the other responses. What you want to do is choose an angle between 0 and 2*pi with uniform probability. Then choose an amount to fuck up the shot with a normal distribution.

So, it would look something like this:
float angle = 2 * pi * rand();
float shittiness = 1/(std * sqrt(2 * pi)) * exp(-rand()^2 / (2 * std * std));

(where std is the standard deviation of the weapon's fuckups, lower is more accurate)

Now, create a vector for this with
<x, y, z> = <speed * sin(shittiness) * cos(angle), speed * sin(shittiness) * sin(angle), speed * cos(shittiness)> (i.e. converting from spherical coordinates to cartesian)

(where speed is the speed of the bullet)

And rotate the vector by the angle the bot was attempting to shoot.

>392241
Dude that game looks awesome. I gotta check that out.

>>392245
>>392254
>>392270
Thanks for the responses. The challenge is that I want that random inaccuracy to sweep around smoothly. I need a function that changes with time. Something like x(t) and y(z), giving me a Gaussian random polar "deflection" that will smoothly wander around over time.

I'm actually using a sort of sneaky, CPU-light version of gamedev's math that I conjured up a few years ago. What I do is this (javascript):


>var randomAngle = Random.Range( 0.0, 360.0 );
>var randomMOA = Random.Range( 0.0, Random.Range( 0.0, moa ));
>projectileDirection = Quaternion.Euler( muzzle.eulerAngles.x + Mathf.Cos(randomAngle ) * randomMOA, muzzle.eulerAngles.y - Mathf.Sin( randomAngle ) * randomMOA, muzzle.eulerAngles.z );


The compounded Random.Range() functions fairly accurately represent a polar Gaussian distribution.

Nothin? I'm really havin a hard time with this one.

>>392427
Could you change the seed of the rand() function to time?
Sorry if this makes no sense, I only have a bit of experience with C++

>>392919
Sorry, I've been a bit busy with classwork. For wandering behavior, you want to have an angular velocity for the bot's crosshairs, then every frame, add a random vector to that angular velocity. (Then add the angular velocity * dt to the bot's current crosshair position) If you want the bot to randomly jiggle its aim, but trend towards you, you just have to bias the random vector you're adding towards the player (e.g. make the velocity accelerate towards the player by amount x every frame, then add the random vector on top of that).

>>393015
Another way of doing this would be to have the crosshairs accelerate towards the player's perceived position each frame, but have the player's perceived position be a random position centered around their actual position (e.g. normally distributed).

Game dev is fun as hell.

>>393017
Still not exactly what I want but this is probably how I'm going to go about it... I will post results. Thanks for the help!

ypu know, I cant help but think, would'nt it be a far more sensible, intelligent approach to this, to use an existing game like Mechwarrior Online, and to instead focus your time on a high-quality cockpit and user interface for that, rather than trying to reinvent the wheel, creating a videogame that'll perform poorly?

>>393258
MWO is pretty bugged and gameplay overall is not fun. Sometimes yes, but the matchmaker makes pretty uneven teams.

WMLL has far more work on it and seems to work better (and the netcode isnt leftovers from 1986 as with MWO)

>>393275
MWLL, Living legends.

>>393258
The only user interface you need with MWO is a mouse and a few buttons.

>>393258
>Implying my game will perform poorly.

>>390578
>retarded fuckhuge gasguzzling destructotron blows shit up
>family-targeted event
>merrika

>>390715
You could put it on a small lcd monitor too
maybe on the arm rest

>>393584
This
Put the hologram, ammo, mini map, whatever on little side displays. It'd feel less like a video game and more like controlling a mech.

>>393584
sameguy, kinda like this pic

>>393258
The game is his project, he's just spicing it up with the cockpit.

>>393255
>fun as hell
Yep. I love it.

>Still not exactly what I want
If you want more help, explain better and I'll do my best. I've seen your threads before and you're a cool guy, so I'll stick around till the 404.

>>393644
It's a good depiction of taking the status readouts and porting them to different screens... but don't you think something that important should be placed closer to where the player will be looking - close to eye level?

Having the health of your mech on a screen next to your wrist... you'll get in the red without even realising it, and then explode- left with a feeling of "wtf!?"

I have that happen too often in HAWKEN simply because the health readout is only a number at the bottom of the cockpit screen. - It does turn red which is helpful, but it's still such a small detail- and the only hint to your health.

>>393700
Well, you could put it up in front of the joystik in a 45 degree angle with flashing LED when you take damage

>>394031
that's legit- like a warning/caution on an airplane or a car

>>394142
You could link those LED's to the fog machine mentioned earlier so that when you take damage the LED's flash and fog comes out of the back

God speed

This would be a cool application for those AMBX lights.

Also in the new mechwarrior game I BELIEVE they support smaller auxillary monitors for the map, radar, or target/own mech status. So a 7" monitor or two could be a really cool addition.

>>394902

http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2012/07/24/vital-home-improvements-of-mechwarrior-fandom/

Forgot to add this for reference if you need some inspiration. It's a lot less high-end than you're doing but it could help as a frame of reference.

>>394905
Dude, that's already been posted twice.

>>393584
>>393610
>>393644

You guys are talking like I didn't already buy a mini monitor! Here's my little 8". Gonna display radar and/or your mech hitpoints and such.

>>394902
I actually have some dead ambx lights in the garage I am planning on splicing into the arduino. Gonna use em to blink the inside of the cockpit red, flash it when you take damage or fire weapons, etc. etc.

>>395312
Well that's great !
Will you implement the fog machine ?

Just thought I'd say a touch myself while reading this thread.
Your screen shots looks like the original armored Core, and this is a good thing.

>>395312
I love this project more and more everytime I look at it. Keep up the good work!

>>395380
how old are you

The fog is likely not going to happen.

>>395669
>The fog is likely not going to happen.

come on, a nitrous oxide fogger in there... you would be legend

>>395883
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TMQTwHbdPY
lel

or it could go more like this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ln2wzexjJs
static electricity could be fun

then it'd be like >>384646 said

I actually support the nos idea- I believe it would triple the realism in the simulation.

>>395929
>I actually support the nos idea- I believe it would triple the realism in the simulation.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ha-ZrUPJ_E

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zNfX7IMvvA

Uploading a new vid... just wanna make sure this thread doesn't die before it finishes uploading!

>>397015
Awesome, have a bump!

>>384982
this is what every project needs: a DIY unsafe tool/solution that looks like crap but performs great

New vid! It looks like a fucking GAME now, woo! Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbK9WXhUVug&feature=youtu.be

It's far from finished, but just wanted to say thanks for all the support/feedback/input from you guys. You fellas are my best resource.

>>395380
Fog machine is probably not happening...
>Party fogger -- leaves nasty residue everywhere, gets funky.
>Dry ice -- dangerous, as it's just carbon dioxide, which will suffocate you.
>NOS -- expensive, will probably get me arrested if I basically pump it into people's lungs.

>>395929
I have one of those spark-gap igniters from sparkfun... I'll see if I can make it spark in multiple places, because that would be awesome. It's super loud though... hm.

>>395385
>>395622
>>397100
Thanks fellas!

>>397109
"[It doesn't matter] as long as it works." -Dad

>>397224
Use steam, water vapor is harmless.

>>397227
Water vapor + plywood + high-current electronics and computer parts = gonnahaveabadtime.jpg

>>397236
Protect the wood properly and make the vapor not hit you directly

another option that i think is that the vapor could be projected

>>397216
Put an easter egg related to Metal Gear!

>>397258
>>397224
>>397224
>>397224
cant you use dry ice and add forced ventilation to the system?

>>397258
That can kill people in an enclosed space...

>>397296
I know an easter egg to Metal Gear is rather corny but kill someone? I think not.

>>397299
I think he meant to quote one of the posts related to fog, hahaha.

>>397300
Hey dood,

if theres' no way to apply fog, maybe sparks and some falling panels?

>>397310
I'm considering having wires plugged into sockets that control the "power routing" for the mech. There will be four or five cables coming out of a "power supply" and then pairs of plugs for engine, weapons, sensors, etc. You can unplug power from one of the systems and feed it into another system to get more power in the second system.

I'm thinking about having solenoids or some other kind of actuator inside the plugs that will pop the plugs out when you take a heavy hit, requiring you to plug the wires back in to get your systems up and running again.

>>397310
OH NO I'VE GOT IT I'VE GOT IT

as the damage increases you could make cracks appear in the window, maybe at some point it could break and a fan could send wind inside the cockpit

>>397330
Thats golden you are genius i expect hearing reading about you when im older and you're rich and famous

>>397332
That is AWESOME! I didn't think about having a fan in there; that's rad! Fatal pilot kills by blowing apart the cockpit are a big deal in this game; so once the windshield cracks and the wind starts blowing in, you know you're in trouble. Awesome! That's happening.

>>397336
Hahahaha, thanks!

>>397360
oh god yout ook my suggestion i feel like im part of history now
Yeahand maybe you could feel some extra wind if theres an explosion ahead of you

Personally, I think ideas like having to manually unjam a gun or rerouting power seems silly in a future fighting machine.

Take unjamming your gun: Fire too fast, gun jams, indicator light comes on, you need to press a button (on your keyboard/in your cockpit) to unjam it. Logically, this should be automated. If your system is smart enough to know that the gun is jammed, it should smart enough to also PUSH BUTTAN to receive unjam.

Likewise, I can't imagine a mech built so poorly that plugs start popping out in combat. I suppose it may make the game interesting, but IMHO, it's like a bad movie that's hard to enjoy because things just don't make sense.

top notch stuff, I'll be monitoring

>>397414
Kinda this. Modern military machines only throw up a light after trying to fix it. They also automatically reconfigure when there is a part/power failure.

Environmental is a bit thing to realism not gimmicks. At one quakecon I played on this system that vibrated when you shot, took the average color of the video game area and lit your physical surroundings to that and had a wind maker for walking, running and jumping in order of intensity. That setup was surprisingly immersive.

>>397414
Nothing a little plot armor and rule of cool can't handle.
The first priority is that it's fun
The second should be that ITS FUN
a distant third should be pleasing ocd maniacs with technical details

>>397414
>it should smart enough to also PUSH BUTTAN to receive unjam.

with as long as guns have been around, and all the technology we have today, even the best guns made don't always unjam themselves.

secondly, after a jam you should inspect the weapon. the jam could be a warning of something far worse, and potentially lethal.

I vote for not making this task automatic, and not just having it as push a button either.

instead make a gun-unjamming mini-game.
visual safety inspection for damage, remote robotic manipulator to grab and extract a jammed shell, or replace damaged part, calibrate sighting, etc

>>397448
Gimmicks stop being fun if done wrong. There are tons of movies and games with cool features and effects, but if the story stinks or the features are put together poorly, the whole experience takes a dive.

Take the plugs popping out. Very unrealistic in a military machine. However, if you wanted to work it so that the story is that your mech is some sort of hacked together, mad max war machine in a post-apocalyptic world, then it could work. But then your game environment and cockpit setup would have to reflect that world.

>>397489
ok seems reasonable, op ,thoughts on this?

>>397489
>Take the plugs popping out.

maybe not plugs popping out, but let's say your main battery takes a hit, and you're a sitting duck. grab the cable off the weapons power supply and reroute power to shields, so you don't get killed, then pull the plug from radar and reroute it to hydraulics at half power so you can at least move, and retreat
or you could activate self destruct.

>>397489
>Gimmicks stop being fun if done wrong.
Only for people with ocd, which are surprisingly overrepresented in the internet.

If the game mechanics itself is entertaining then the people will work with it.
Coherence and history are very nice addition but really secondary.
Take a moment and think about your favorite games, chances are they are notoriously unrealistic.
What's more important is the "feeling" than the realism.
The manual recharging of stuff if its entertaining and inmersive will be ok
it wouldnt hurt to combine it with a steam punk feeling or something like that but the worst that cant happen if you dont is that your game will be deemed bizarre but surely entertainng

>>397536
immersive - that's what simulators do
entertaining - needs action, drama, comedy, etc,
random thrown at you, so it's not repetitive and boring.
realism- is a state of mind. your brain can compensate for some things missing, as long as the basic elements are believable. Take anime for example. It isn't real, they're cartoons, but still you can sympathize with a character and feel their pain, even when you already know she's a robot. too much realism taxes the processor, and kills the illusion. high rez, but low fps looks more like a robot with poor coordination, than a smooth cartoon does.

damage = quick thinking, edge of your seat drama. have to act fast to make repairs WHILE you're still taking hits. If the enemy takes a coffee break after he winged you. there's no point in finishing the game. the enemy gave up, you win. can't have that- you have to have will to survive, a reason for being, adrenaline pumping action packed get back on your feet soldier. "but sir, i only have one foot" then quit your whining and get on it.

steampunky post apocalyptic works

>>397536
>>397554
Considering the inspiration he's taking from Battletech, it really doesn't seem like steampunk is the aesthetic OP is going for. Loads of mechanical bits that are barely held together, sure, but not neo-Victorian "let's tape gears to everything".

Very interesting discussion going on. For this game, I want the mechs to have a less-advanced aesthetic. Hell, I've even been considering making the game take place in a medieval setting, just for something different.

I honestly am not a fan of Gundam for the reason that the tech is so advanced. I've always wanted to see a universe where there are giant "mech" vehicles, but they are clunky and unreliable. Sort of like what you would expect in a post-apocalyptic environment, except not necessarily "scrapped together."

I guess the closest example I can think of is steampunk, but I don't want to make this a steampunk game.

So maybe something along the lines of... medieval-industrial-revolution-with-lasers-punk. Difficult to pin down, haha. Here are some sketches my game development partner did for the possible aesthetic we're aiming for.

There would be discrepancies between military-grade mechs and "mercenary" or "pirate" mechs, but no tech would be perfect. They would all overheat and make ratchety noises when they move, etc.

If you notice in the last vid I posted I made a lot of the movement and the spoolup sound for the minigun sounds very mechanical and 'chunky.' I love that kind of stuff.

'Royal' Military Mechs or whatever would definitely be well-kept and be painted glorious colors with gold trimmings and shit, but they won't be sleek and streamlined.

We're talkin manly-ass bacon-burning godzilla-wrasslin' gear-grindin gigantic bipedal siege engines.

>>397564
Have you looked into the style of Warhammer 40k titans and knights?
They have the esthetic your looking for and they've been refining it for almost 30 years now.

>>397558
>"let's tape gears to everything".

steampunk isn't just about gears
it's about quality craftsmanship
hardwoods and brass
instead of drywall and plaster
oak instead of MDF
Steel instead of plastic

Lead Acid instead of FuFi batteries
repairable instead of disposable
girders and beams and reinforcement
instead of cut corners
dependable reliable sustainable
water vapor propelled
boiler plate tough

when you flip a switch
you can see the steam go to work
when you pull a lever
gears are going to turn

raw power at your command
that's what steampunk is about

>>397559

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhRUe-gz690

>>397592
The last thing we need is a 40k clone; that franchise's style, fanbase, and parent company are already insufferable enough.

>>397216
Lookin' real good, man. I have three additions I think would be cool:

1. Homing projectiles that can be used to shoot around corners/shields. Basically, you want to give the projectile an initial velocity, but home in on the target, so you can aim to one side and it will arc around obstacles.

2. Melee attacks to either knock the opponent backwards, do massive damage, or both. I think this will help make the game more balanced and interesting.

3. Land mines.

Some inspiration:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7wOX2WqbXE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=D6GvIu02cew#t=32s

HEY OP if you havent heard about this, you need to at least look at it right now:

Look up this game: SteelBattalion

>>397509
You get power from one source (with maybe a backup generator). That's how practically most machines work. It makes little sense for every system to have its own power supply for the exact scenario you describe. You would then have a computer (with manual overrides) dictating what power goes where.

>>397536
>>Gimmicks stop being fun if done wrong.
>Only for people with ocd, which are surprisingly overrepresented in the internet.
Gimmicks do stop being fun once the novelty wears off. Just look at the wii. Sure it's fun to wave your arms in the air for an hour or so, but as a lot of players realized, there's not point to it when it's far easier to just move the minimal amount to perform an action.

>>397216

I don't see any point behind using chain guns against another mech. It would be like 100 guys trying to shoot Ak's at an Abrams. Real mechs would act like tanks with primary canon to engage other mechs at long range. Possibly a multi-purpose heat seeking missile for ground and air launched from silos on the back.

The most practical use of a mech would be riot control though. Being agile through streets with a lot of small weapons capable of firing rubber pellets and a slightly larger greande launcher while having enough armour for protecting the user inside but still remaining light

>>397727
not when they're all carrying guns like these
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJu2njFgSN8

>>397724
I think it would be more reasonable, and even enjoyable that the power redirection be made with switches and interruptors rather than a plug

>>397727
Do you know what a PHALANX gun is?

is a gatling gun they mount on ships to shoot down incoming missiles, it shoots DEPLETED URANIUM ROUNDS at the speed of sound with the firing rate of a GATLING GUN. You think you know a lot about weapons??
you DO NOT want to have your abrams tank shot with that gatling gun.

aircrafts also have "gatling guns" when we talk about this caliber they are called cannons, but they work the same way as gatlings

>>397727

>>397774
Having read this post it's amazing how wrong this guy >>397727
was

>>397594
I thought steampunk was a lighthearted parody of cyberpunk.

>>397719
>>397360
1st) REally you should chekc out STEEL BATALLION it was a mech game that came with a special set of complex controls, might get some ideas there.

2nd)regarding the window that breaks i would also suggest a noticeable tinting of the glass so when it brakes is notorious, not so much it obstructs your vision, but like a noticeable dark grey (besides a clear broken glass sound)

>>397671
1. Was just talking to a buddy last night about "delayed lock" rockets, which you would fire in a straight line but would careen towards the target after a couple seconds. Your post also has me thinking about ballistic projectiles that have just a little bit of arc to them, which might be a neat effect, though difficult to justify.

2. Gigantic spiked maces and huge chainsaws have been in the back of my mind for a while now... I think those need to happen. I will experiment with melee weapons soon.

3. Land mines are cool but... nobody likes stepping on mines.

It's cool being shot at; it's not cool having your feet suddenly suddenly blow off out of nowhere.

Bahahaha, much love to the ZF-1.

Jericho video reminded me to work on the cluster bomb framework. Thanks!

>>397719
>>398002
There have been about six posts about Steel Battalion; I'm all over that shit, hahaha. Game is awesome, though all the completely arbitrary controls are kinda silly.

The tinting is an excellent idea. I will also have the HUD display be cut off where the glass is missing.


For all the gatling gun enthusiasts, note that the weapon mounted to the mech's right arm in the last video I posted is the GAU-8 Avenger. :]

>>397559
>>397564
>>397562
WEIRD WAR II Secret of the third reich table top game
http://wk .frothersunite . com /sc/pulp/wwwaw.htm

>>398022
Armored Core has an interesting way of doing homing missiles. You have your straight homers, which do what you'd expect, ones that fly out in a long horizontal arc, and ones that fly in a big vertical arc. allowing you to potentially shoot around or over cover, at the cost of having to deal with them always taking those arcing paths which sometimes slams them into crap on the way.

>>390500
OP, If you haven't thought of or implemented this already, I'd like to suggest something like small led lights under your weapons switches that tell you of their availability. So if the light is on(or off) you are out of ammo or your arm is off.

>>398022
first off I just want to say this is awesome fuck the haters on this board who spend more time bitching about other peoples creations rather than making something of their own which is what diy is about


The justification would be targets that are over mountains or behind the wall that you posted in the video arching missile could have hit that dude

melee is a must but with the mechanics of how clunky they are stuff like swords wont work well but things like a morning star/ pike or spear would be cool.

other ideas
chaffs like in jets to throw off missiles
emp javalin you throw and disable limbs for a time

rail gun sniper rifle have it need charging


just a few random ideas good luck

Seriously man, keep this up.

If only to give you some thing to lessen the stress of how to make things look or what you could do, visuals-wise, have a look at this and play around with what it has to offer:

http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/444899

Pic related, this is for you OP. I really don't give a shit what you end up calling the game, but I think we all would appreciate a standalone version that will run on anyone`s computer, not just your custom built cockpit.

Keep it up, bro.

>>397821
>I thought steampunk was a lighthearted parody of cyberpunk.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8Ll_jfKzyQ

>>397564
Blue and gold

As thanks for all the helpful insight, here's a video just for you, /diy/.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=AFkhUSSLSiw


>>398025
Looked over the whole site; those things are rad! I really like the style. It's a little more disproportionate than I think this game is going to be, but I've definitely bookmarked that site for inspiration. Thanks man!

>>398036
I like the big vertical arc idea! I'll stick that one in. Currently I have unguided, axis-correcting, laser-guided, and radar-guided. I'll be adding delayed-radar-guided (from a few posts down) and the armored core type, which I'll call "steep parabolic" or somethin. Thanks!

>>398072
The weapon selection buttons I picked up have lights inside; I will be hooking them up so they can fade/dim/blink/etc. depending on the weapon's status. Good call though.

>>398100
Thanks man, means a lot.

Definitely putting in delayed-lock and arching parabolic rockets for those situations.

Melee is definitely happening... I'm cooking up some idea for melee weaps right now.

Thar be chainsaws...

Flares have been in the back of my mind for a long time; I'll be putting in heat-seeking rockets soon, and as soon as I do that I will put in flares and chaff and stuff.

Been planning on EMP for a while but I didn't think of putting it in a javelin--that would fuckin rock! I'll put it on a chain so you chuck it, zap the shit outta someone and disable them, blow them the fuck up, and then whip the javelin out of them and lock it back into your launcher or whatever to use again after it recharges.

I already have a railgun sniper-cannon made; I just gotta put together a good sound effect for it! I need some kinda electrical burst combined with a supersonic crack.

Thanks for all the ideas!

>>398130
Oh man, tons of good stuff in that flash. Very fun. I have this bookmarked with everything else; thanks for the idea-fodder!

And don't worry, I decided early in the programming process that I would cater the game to run on a regular PC with keyboard and mouse, and have my cockpit system piggyback on top of that if it's hooked up. I'ma try to find some server space to hose demos and such for you guys to play.

>>398174
Dude that thing's awesome!

>>398213
Yep, my thoughts exactly. Big streaming banners and shit too. Should be a fun experiment.

>>398228
You're welcome for the arcing missile idea.

I have to say that your sound design is great so far. One of the biggest failings of Mechwarrior 4, for me, was the sad gauss rifle sound. Really the ballistic weapon sounds in general weren't good.

Glad this project is coming together for you, I'm looking forward to some videos of the finished thing.

>>385102
>tfw this kind of thing will never be in mainstream gaming

>>398228
how are you doing the sound design?

>>398416
Most of my sounds I've collected from freesound.org and edited with Audacity.

Shit just got real.

>>399228
lol, I hope you are not actually going to implement that in the final game?

any way; have a bump!

>>399348
>not liking jump jets
>2013

>>399228
Shit, this reminds me of the book version of Starship Troopers.

>>399351
>flags fags

>>399537
flag fag?

Been hard at work fixing bugs and making the code as robust as possible... Added some cool stuff like rotary autocannons and railguns. I'm gonna start working on the physical dashboard this week; will post pics of that.

>>400356
dafuq are those bang bang?

>>400368
They're just an icon depicting the muzzles of weapons. They don't actually show up in the game; that's an editor screenshot.

Fighting against tanks and humans would be cool

>>400356
This is outrageously impressive.

Fuck you OP. <3
> CAPTCHA: nflknev colleague.

OP, you should have the final game use the BANG BANG BANG markers.

Just saiyan.

>>400584
a mech game with comic book balloons and sound effects... I like it

OP here is a /m/ thread that has over a hundred pictures of mech cockpits

>>>/m/8776549

>>400859
Nice find. I particularly like this one: >>>/m/8778522

Gave the HUD some love today. Got some nice holographic post processing effects in there.

>>391984
any machine with an operator is an extension of the operator

>>402136
These knights are sorely lacking their mechanical steeds.

>>402312
My dick is an extension of the operator

>>402702
Hardly.

>>400859
The thread from this post inspired me to work on the dashboard. Here is my 'rough sketch' of what it's gonna look like. Still working in more controls and filling in space.

>>400859
This thread inspired me to work on the dashboard. Here's a 'rough sketch' of the layout... still moving things around and filling in controls.

Two and a half hours of geometry yielded this! Going to cut all this bullshit out with the scrollsaw tomorrow and hopefully be able to assemble it into a passable prototype by the evening.

Ordered twenty of these for the weapons indicator switches. Bright green T5 LEDs.

Also got some bigass white T10 plates for the larger pushbuttons.