Maybe I'm a little jaded, but I thought we'd have flying cars by now. Unlimited free energy. And the best part - easy access to SPAAAAACE! All of our sci-fi dreams come true...
Not the first time I've been disappointed in life.
At 14, I was playing board games like Space Master and building incredible spacecraft on paper. Computer games were green-on-black. Imagination ruled. In my mind, I could see every panel, hear every subsystem complaining, feel every rock and blaster hitting the hull of my ships. Maybe I didn't get enough sun, or put too much effort into escaping the real world. But it was a real enough world to me. And I made a promise that NO MATTER WHAT, I would some day build the cockpit to a spaceship so cool that you would feel like you were REALLY THERE...
I actually found the Space Master books in my parent's basement about a month ago, long thought destroyed or lost. I found my ship schematics, crew rosters - the whole damn universe! All the memories came back, and then I remembered the promise. The 14-year old wakes from a 30-year nap, and then starts scheming.
Why couldn't I base this project on Evochron? I saw how AMAZINGLY APPROACHABLE everything was! Modding, sim-pitting, programming and wiring - holy cow! This could really be done! Look at what the community has accomplished, or how approachable and dedicated Vice is to his creation. This is a LIVING game, free to create as we wish. Well, I wish for a damn space ship!
Then I went a bit nutty (nutty-er...?) and began re-writing the story of the Madderly's Lady, an eyesore of a freighter held together with kitbashing, bailing twine, and creative interfacing. Virtually none of the equipment on board is standard, and a good deal of it is either overpowered and running a little hot, or overkill for a humble merchant vessel. I am up to 30 or so pages on notes, sketches and function maps just trying to plan out the stages to integrate these things into the sim. The "imagination interface", if you will.
So, I am currently on version 1.2 of my "GeekPit" project. I have collected (so far):
-39" main tv/monitor
-2-22" monitors (perfect size as vertical on either side of 39")
-2 Cougar MFDs,
-Saitek X45 throttle/flight stick.
-17" monitor for systems or Nav,
-Mimo 7" touchscreen with custom control profiles
-Adruino UNO & Mega boards to run simpit-specific functions like LEDS, lights, fans, environmental.
-About 3 dozen assorted project boxes, cool looking doo-dads, and scavenged specialty switches, parts and panels.
The game itself is running on a fairly fast Win7 PC with a new ATI Eyefinity-capable video card. Additional low-end PCs will run monitors, displays and readouts throughout the cockpit.
So far, all the plug-and-play stuff works, and testing the triple monitor config this week. I have never seen 2 vertical monitors with a horizontal main, so this should be fun. Structurally, the simpit project is more of a grown-up "playset". Evochron fleshes out the simpit, makes it come to life. Every live switch, light and indicator will be fed via information from savedata.txt or user input that feeds back to the game via keyboard emulation via PS2,USB and network PCs. Prototype it all via "glass cockpit" touchscreen or mouse-driven "panels" and finish off with physical boxes bolted into the space available. A kitbash miner/hauler a la Millennium Falcon, Firefly, or Cowboy's ship from "Battle Beyond The Stars". (Admit it. You watched it. More than once.)
The interior will be made up of 1-2" sched40 PVC pipe for strength, ease of use, and potential cool factor (if painted properly). MDF, blueboard foam and some really awesome panel dressing stuff from Home Depot will work well for the inside enclosures. Detailing with PVC electrical conduit and boxes are cheap and can be airbrushed to look more "tech", and can be used to support small displays and less "heavy" gadgets, and be re-positionable for different pilots. I have hundreds of switches and LEDS just waiting for a functional home. The command chair is being made from a square-cushioned office chair, MDF & wood detailing, with supports for controllers and head-level small monitors.
This is NOT a sleek, pristine design concept. My systems panels will likely all be different manufacturers, GUIs and layouts. A kit-bashed spaceship for the working space-faring man.
I will post pics as the process evolves into the enclosure stage , but even now what I have is playable. And it will continue to be so - it's a GAME! My 9-year-old son had a 10-minute training session and was jumping from mining rocks to trade stations, offering design ideas and criticisms. I told him I will build a fighter pit from the spare parts so he can fly with me.
I just have the vision, the notes, a simple playable frame mount for the monitor/MFDS, and a pile of parts right now. Luckily I have a few friends who share the passion and enthusiasm, and letting them fly in it as it evolves around us has been a fantastic experience, and they offer their skills and expertise. It's a modular adventure that doesn't take away my love for just hopping into the game for a few hours.
Thanks for reading. I will post more if anyone is interested. The whole design process it being documented, evolving as the on-paper ship become the physical "set" cockpit over the next year.
Pictures would be nice. (Even though they will most likely result in some degree of cockpit-envy.)
