Reentry - A Space Flight Simulator News

[p][/p][p]This is mostly a hot fix patch for the Retroburn Planners to properly set the Time to Retrofire timers when clicking the Orange SET button, and a blocking bug in the last mission of the Apollo 13 Historical Mission - a bug that came when I improved the CMC NO ATT logic. [/p][p]In addition it contains an overhaul of the Command Module ECS lessons, and some minor updates to the Mercury and Gemini Save States.[/p][p]The patch also implements a color differentiation between the Interaction Highlighter and the Attention Highlighter.[/p][p][/p][p]Interaction Highlighter vs. Attention Highlighter:
The Attention Highlighter is used to show where something is, without the need of interacting with it. Previously they had the same color, making it hard to distinguish between the two. This could result in accidental interactions with switches that was simply just highlighted to show you where something is, without having to move it. The Attention Highlighter is now of a lavender color compared to the ice blue color of the Interaction Highlighter.[/p][p]All of the four CM ECS lessons has been updated to use this Attention Highlighter to better show you where switches, instruments and gauges are.[/p][p][/p][p]Patch notes:[/p]

• [p]Hot fix: Mercury and Gemini Retroburn Planner: Fix for the orange SET button to automatically update Time To Retro timers.[/p]
• [p]Hot fix: Apollo 13 (Historical): Fixes to the last Reentry mission to use V40 N20 to remove the NO ATT flag[/p]
• [p]Added Pe and EI nodes on the TEI tools entry trajectory predictor[/p]
• [p]Switch/component attention system: Highlight switch color if lesson only wants to show where something is now has a different color than the one that wants you to move a switch to a different position (interact vs. attention)[/p]
• [p]Added the Attention Highlighter system to Apollo (previously it was only in Mercury and Gemini)[/p]
• [p]Refined the Apollo Command Module ECS: O2 academy lesson[/p]
• [p]Refined the Apollo Command Module ECS: PSC academy lesson[/p]
• [p]Refined the Apollo Command Module ECS: H2O academy lesson[/p]
• [p]Refined the Apollo Command Module ECS: COOLANT academy lesson[/p]
• [p]Refined the Apollo Lunar Module Powered Descent academy lesson[/p]
• [p]Improved Mercury Save State with some additional internal system values[/p]
• [p]Improved Gemini Save State with some additional internal system values[/p]

[p][/p][p]This is a massive update with fixes and improvements learned from my own playthroughs, and corrects bugs reported by players. The list is long, so be sure to check the full patch notes in the bottom. [/p][p]The main intent of the update is to improve trajectory control in Mercury, Gemini and Apollo. This includes new tools for retrograde burn planning in Mercury and Gemini, and small improvements to the Apollo Maneuver Planner, Trans-Lunar Injection and Trans-Earth Injection tools.[/p][p]The update also aims to improve the general flow of the game like improved fuel balancing, removal of various dev-flags, game mechanic fixes, and visual/rendering improvements.[/p][p][/p][p]Note: If you experience new issues related to this update, please report them. You can revert back the a previous build using the Steam betas tab for the game. Most recent rollback option: Reentry Version 0.99.81[/p][p][/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p][/p][p]Lunar Landing Report and Crash logic[/p][p]This update rolls out a feature that will measure the impact force on the legs during landing, and is mainly the removal of the "indestructible LM" dev-flag. Previously you would get the landing achievement and mission completion even if face-planted the landing, or landing upside down. [/p][p]From now, when landing, the game will spend a few seconds evaluating your landing attempt. You will receive a short status report containing some key parameters of the landing/impact and a minor landing evaluation. [/p][p][/p][p]If you land too hard the craft will crash and become inaccessible. You can continue the mission in the CSM. When landing, try to stay withing the limits of 8 ft/s vertical and 4 ft/s horizontal, and land on a flat area.[/p][p][/p][p]Retrofire Planners for Mercury and Gemini[/p][p]One of the larger missing pieces for 1.0 and feedback areas was to let players plan their entry trajectory more visually across all programs. I have finally created a new tool for both Mercury and Gemini entry planning (and improved the Apollo TEI tool, see below). You can input the desired GET/MET of when you wish to perform the retrograde burn, and the Tool will visualize the predicated landing area (taking earths rotation into account). [/p][p][/p][p]The tool can be set to the current craft configuration (takes the current Time of Retrofire programmed in the Mercury Programmer/Sequencer, or the Gemini OBC into the Tool) so you can visualize where the landing location of the current programmed ignition time will be, or you can use the tool to test out where various retro fire ignition times would splash down on Earth, and once satisfied, you can insert the parameters directly into the Programmer/Computer automatically (simple), or manually(realistic).[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]You can now easily plan your entry-to-splashdown in a desired area.[/p][p][/p][p]Trans-Earth Injection Burn Planner improvements[/p][p]I have improved the Trans-Earth Injection burn planner (aka. the TEI tool) to better predict the time of EI, visualize the estimated/planned trans-earth trajectory (just like the TLI tool), and also visualize the predicted landing zone (like the Retrofire planners). You can now, while using the Tool, switch to Orbit View, focus on the Earth to see where the tool thinks you will land. You can use this to plan a burn that will make the Command Module re-enter and splash down in a desired area.[/p][p][/p][p]In addition, the tool supports burn window offsets that can be used to nudge the burn to the next burn window for better entry control.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Earth Night Light visibility updates[/p][p]I have updated the logic and shaders used to render the Earths night lights. These lights will now become dimmer or completely invisible as you venture further away from Earth.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Apollo Guidance Computer fixes[/p][p]I have fixed some stability issues in the core AGC logic, and program flows related to P11 and P15 to allow them to exit as stated in the in-game checklists. They will now behave like the other programs and exit to P00 when complete. Realistically you would see V37 flashing and have to input the program to transition to, this is something I might implement as the game progress towards 2.0.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]TLI Tool fixes[/p][p]I have iterated on the burn that will take you on a trajectory towards the Moon and corrected some issues that I have experienced with the planner in my own playthroughs. I have also fixed the time it displays for ignition, what parameters it inputs to the LVDC, and LOI-1 burn estimations. This will make it slightly easier to use as you better see when ignition happens, and when the LOI burn happens. Keep in mind that these are estimates and will slightly deviate from your actual burn. You can correct this with a mid-course correction burn once you have reached Lunar SOI.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Star Depth Testing[/p][p]I have fixed an issue with the star rendering system/shaders to make it easier to control their lighting, brightness and depth testing. The main issue corrected here is that you would be able to see stars rendering above the geometry of the Earth and the Moon in some cases.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Screen Resolution reverting to 1x1 for some players[/p][p]After the Engine Update patch rolled out earlier in the summer, some players has experienced a full screen solid colored square being rendered as the game window when starting the game. This is because an issue in the games initialization logic would, for some players only, set the screen resolution to 1x1. This could be fixed by changing the screen resolution settings in both the INI file and in the games regedit area before launching the game. I have not been able to reproduce this issue myself but have found the most probable cause for this to happen. Let me know if this patch fixes it for you, or not.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Lunar Module Battery fixes and monitoring[/p][p]An issue with the Lunar Module battery would show an inaccurate voltage when the battery is disconnected and during light loads. This has now been fixed and the battery readings should now be in the correct range.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Configurable UDP Package Rate[/p][p]For those building panels, hardware, peripherals etc, or those using these: you can now configure the UDP package rate from the games setting. This will make the game send out more frequent update packages to external devices. An additional suggestion was to make this part of the API, so I can eventually look into that.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]LM pressurization fixes[/p][p]I have improved some of the logic related to the pressurization of the Lunar Module, and improve the instrumentation of this. This will at the same time correct an issue where the pressure gauge would stabilize at a pressure difference on 1.0 instead of 0.0.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Fixes to the Mercury Excess H2O warning cycle and lights[/p][p]A balancing issue with the logic related to the excess H2O causing icing would trigger the Excess H2O warning lights during entry preparations. This was especially visible during cold soaking before entry as you would set the cooling to maximum settings, while some loads are reduced (like turning off the lights). The cooling combined with reduced loads would cause the icing that triggers these lights. This system has now been refined and balanced to avoid these cases during normal procedures.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Removed Sun Reflection blob on Earth ocean[/p][p]I removed the excessive sun reflection blob visible on the oceans of the Earth while in orbit or from far away. This was a very large specular reflection artifact of the lighting model used in the Earth Rendering shader. I have completely removed this feature and will continue to iterate on the general brightness of Earth (being too bright in many cases).[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Apollo Maneuver Planner Ap/Pe Nodes[/p][p]I updated the Apollo Maneuver Planner trajectory renderer to also include the Ap and Pe nodes, and lines to easier see exactly where they are during maneuver planning. This is especially useful when you try to plan the DOI (Descent Orbit Injection) - the burn that defines where you land.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Lunar Module DPS fixes[/p][p]I have made some fixes to the Lunar Modules Descent Propulsion System to better balance its thrust and better match the landing point predictor before PDI ignition. When you request the PDI, the landing point predictor will follow a brute force algorithm and show you where it predicts the craft to land. Keep in mind that the landing predictor only have a minor influence of the descent guidance. The descent is mostly set by the orbits Pe point, where it is, and what altitude it is. The DOI burn controls this (the new Ap/Pe nodes on the Burn Planner can help you design better DOI burns).[/p][p][/p][p]Note: Remember to always Reset the tool between each use to avoid inaccurate calculations and predictions.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Transition to Lunar Landing fixes[/p][p]I have improved some bugs related to the lunar landing transition, and started to slowly improve the logic related to this. Some dev-flags are used to reset various parameters during this transition while I have been writing the core transition logic. This patch will remove one of these dev-flags to transform the vertical velocity you have before the transition. This will not affect your descent much but you will see that upon transition, the Lunar Module will have some vertical velocity. At this point the craft is, in Reentry, switched to Attitude Hold mode and the LGC will stabilize the rate of descent so you can control it with the ROD-switch.[/p][p][/p][p]I will keep iterating on this both towards 1.0 and towards 2.0, where the attitude upon transition, orbital velocity, sun position etc. is transformed as well.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Lunar Ascent fixes[/p][p]I have received reports of the Lunar Ascent being unstable, especially during transition from Lunar Surface Rendering mode to Orbital Mode. I have not been able to reproduce these issues but I have improved some of the transition logic and guidance logic related to the transition to potentially fix this. Let me know if this works for you, or not.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Fuel Balancing[/p][p]I have decided that the game is getting ready and more stable to support more realistic fuel consumption. As a first iteration of this I have improved the fuel usage/consumption balancing in the Gemini OAMS, Gemini RCS, CM/SM RCS, CM RCS, LM RCS, CSM SPS and LM DPS. I have also completely removed all dev-flags that would result in infinite fuel (if the fuel was depleted, the logic would still let you fire the thrusters - mostly used during Gemini and Apollo rendezvous work) in any system.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]TEI planner inserts garbage into the CMC desired attitude noun[/p][p]After using the Trans-Earth Injection tools to calculate the burn that will take the Apollo CSM back to Earth, you would typically see that as you would maneuver towards the burn attitude using for example V49E, the tool would have added garbage attitude into the computer memory. Most players have not cared about this as V25E would be used to set these to all zeros. However, if you would just accept the random values existing in the routine, you would ignite the engines in the wrong attitude, potentially making you crash into the Lunar Surface. I have fixes the issue that caused this. The burn would typically be done using all zeros on the attitude if you use P52 opt 1, or if not, use the attitude suggested in the burn PAD.[/p][p][/p][p]DPS and SPS sound mixing fixes[/p][p]I have changed the sound logic related to the SPS and DPS engines to implement a better transition experience when going from ignition to full thrust, and from cutoff to no thrust. You will now hear the sound fade and follow thrust commands.[/p][p][/p][p]Thanks to GeometryPrime for some great screenshots.[/p][p][/p][p]Update: This patch had two additional rollouts due to metadata and function call changes, the list of features are identical. If you suddenly experienced a new patch, this is the reason for that.[/p][p][/p][p]Patch notes:[/p]

• [p]Added impact force, velocity and landing evaluations to the Lunar Surface landing[/p]
• [p]TLI Tool Ignition time display text fix[/p]
• [p]Apollo Flight Documents pad: Added reference to Apollo 8, Apollo 11 and Apollo 16 documents (flight plan, etc)[/p]
• [p]Fixed a font glyph issue (visible in all Career tree node texts) after the Unity 6 engine migration[/p]
• [p]Fixes to the Career tree Gemini Elite Commander note to also require completing the burns lesson[/p]
• [p]Increased Apollo FDAI drive speed while Time Scaling[/p]
• [p]Fixed CMC P11 and P15s logic that prevented transition to P00.[/p]
• [p]Improved the Earth night light rendering to reduce light visibility at distances[/p]
• [p]Apollo: Fixes to the star rendering depth testing logic to avoid drawing stars over other geometry[/p]
• [p]Save State: Fixed an issue with restoring the Moon position when loading into an Earth Orbit state in Apollo[/p]
• [p]QualitySettings/ini SetResolution fixes[/p]
• [p]Added better coverage of the flashlight in the academy and the loading tips[/p]
• [p]Made fixes to the LM Activation Academy lesson[/p]
• [p]Made fixes to the LM EPS Academy Lesson[/p]
• [p]LM battery fixes for more accurate EPS monitoring and behaviors.[/p]
• [p]Made the UDP package rate frequency configurable[/p]
• [p]Mercury reticle camera position fix[/p]
• [p]Fix to the LM pressure stopping at 1.0 psi diff.[/p]
• [p]Excess H2O warning logic fixes in Mercury[/p]
• [p]Fixes to the sun reflection in the 16k and the 64k Earth renderer[/p]
• [p]Added the Ap/Pe nodes to the CSM/LM Maneuver Planner trajectory[/p]
• [p]Retrofire Planner tool for Mercury and Gemini (no VR version yet)[/p]
• [p]Started to improve the Lunar Descent transition logic[/p]
• [p]-> Starting with vertical velocity[/p]
• [p]Lunar Descent DPS thrust tweaks[/p]
• [p]Minor modelling changes to the CM panels[/p]
• [p]DPS and SPS sound mixing fixes[/p]
• [p]SPS fuel balancing[/p]
• [p]DPS fuel balancing [/p]
• [p]SM RCS fuel balancing[/p]
• [p]CM RCS fuel balancing[/p]
• [p]OAMS fuel balancing[/p]
• [p]Fixed a bug where the TEI tools inserts wrong attitudes for the V49 maneuver[/p]
• [p]TEI tool landing prediction[/p]

[p][/p][p]This update focuses on Project Gemini where I have been trying to solve some rather brutal tasks. First of all, the update rolls out a fix for the breaking issues related to Gemini/Agena undocking. It also improves rendering performance in both Standard and Virtual Reality, and fixes some rendering artifacts.[/p][p][/p][p]Note: If you experience new issues related to this update, please report them. You can revert back the a previous build using the Steam betas tab for the game. Most recent rollback option: Reentry Version 0.99.80[/p][p][/p][p]Gemini/Agena Undocking[/p][p]This patch fixes an issue where the Agena would disappear when undocking, only to suddenly snap back and re-dock after 30 seconds. The issue was hard to track down but was caused by the docking/undocking detection logic and the positioning logic happening in different parts of the frame (something that happened during a re-write a few months back). This is not usually noticeable but at orbital velocities, a few milliseconds can become quite a big distance. The issue should now be fixed and you should be able to correctly undock from Agena.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Gemini Performance Optimizations and Rendering improvements[/p][p]I have spent quite a lot of time trying to figure out some of the Gemini performance bottlenecks in both standard and VR rendering. Using the Unity 6 performance and rendering tools I have spent some time updating some rendering shaders and rendering techniques to improve the general performance in Gemini. In addition, I have applied some of the rendering tricks I have used to make it possible to render the Apollo Command Module and Lunar Module panels in real-time to Gemini.[/p][p][/p][p]I have also fixed quite a few rendering artifacts, inverted normals, and reflection probe priority flickering issues that has been visible under various graphics settings in Gemini.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Patch notes:[/p]

• [p]Agena undocking teleport fix[/p]
• [p]Gemini performance optimizations[/p]
• [p]Gemini rendering fixes[/p]
• [p]Gemini reflection probe logic updates[/p]

[p][/p][p]This is a major technical update and is all about upgrading the engine version used to render and execute Reentry. It upgrades the engine from Unity 2022.3 to Unity 6.1 (latest Unity version). This means that Reentry now runs on the latest and most modern version of Unity.[/p][p][/p][p]The benefits is mainly related to getting access to the latest work the Unity team has been doing with the rendering technologies (Standard Rendering Pipeline) between Unity 2022 and Unity 6, and the upgrades to the development tools. Unity 6 also comes with new features that will allow me to improve the experience, continue to iterate on rendering performance going forward, and start doing research on transitioning from DirectX 11 to DirectX 12 in the future.[/p][p][/p][p]This is a significant update and I have spent most of the available development time over the summer to perform this much needed engine upgrade. This has been a very complex task and I hope I have been able to correctly migrate the logic and the assets. However, Reentry is a huge project so please report any issues related to logic that used to work before this engine upgrade (Engine Update issues).[/p][p][/p][p]I have made "Reentry Version 0.99.79" available as a rollback option if this new upgrade causes issues for you (you can change this using the Steam Betas tab on the games properties in Steam). I will prioritize working on engine update related issues as they are reported, but please be patient as I work to stabilize this work over the next few patches. The bits has been in testing with the Test Pilots, and on the Alpha Floor branch (Steam Betas tab) so far, before rolling it out as part of this update to all of you.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]You can read more about Unity 6 here:
https://unity.com/releases/unity-6 https://unity.com/blog/unity-6-features-announcement[/p][p][/p][p]You can read more about Unity 6.1 here:
https://unity.com/blog/unity-6-1-is-now-available[/p][p][/p][p]Note: The Unity artwork used in this post is from the Unity 6.1 splash screen, made by Keijiro Takahashi.[/p][p][/p][p]FPS display[/p][p]In addition to this I have also modernized the FPS renderer. It now has multiple FPS modes that you can use while testing performance and the various graphics options to tune rendering related to your hardware. You can use CTRL+F to toggle between the various modes. You can toggle it on and off using the "Show FPS" toggle under graphics settings.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Patch Notes:[/p]

• [p]Major engine update: Unity 2022.3 to Unity 6.1 (latest version).[/p]
• [p]New FPS renderer: I have changed the FPS renderer to a more sophisticated one. You can use CTRL+F to toggle the modes of it. It will follow the "Show FPS" toggle under graphics settings.[/p]
• [p]Fixes to the sun positioning logic when loading from a State[/p]

[p][/p][p]This update continues to iterate on the Gemini cockpit lighting control, introduces a new Bookmark System for the Mission Pad checklists and fixes some issues related to Mercury attitude logic.[/p][p][/p][p]Note: If you experience new issues related to this update, please report them. You can revert back the a previous build using the Steam betas tab for the game.[/p][p][/p][p]Checklist Bookmark System[/p][p]The checklist bookmark system allows you to mark a checklist as a favorite. This will place a bookmark tape that can be used as a shortcut to open the checklist. When you mark the checklist as a favorite, the bookmark will be stacked on the side of the checklist. If you press the favorite button again, the bookmark will be removed.[/p][p][/p][p]The bookmark data is individual for Mercury, Gemini and Apollo. Each will store their bookmarks into a json file. You can optionally edit the name of the bookmark and the tape-color (background color) by modifying this file. The file is saved in the games AppData folder under the ChecklistBookmarks folder.[/p][p][/p][p]With the current setup you can have up to 11 bookmarks for each program. [/p][p][/p][p]Mercury Attitude logic fixes[/p][p]This patch continues to fix some issues related to the Mercury Attitude logic. It will correct an issue with the Retro Attitude light due to the ASCS retro attitude changes in the previous patch, and fix the PROGRAMMER with the new attitude targets. This will correct the issue where, after the last patch, you would need to switch this to BYPASS to let the PROGRAMMER advance to retro fire.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Mercurys LAUNCH CONTROL switch[/p][p]I fixed a very old bug that would ignite the engines of the Mercury Launch Vehicles but keep it bolted to the PAD if you didn't set the LAUNCH CONTROL switch to READY before the countdown is complete. Now ignition should happen when the countdown completes and the launch control switch is set to ready.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Gemini Cabin Lighting[/p][p]I continues to iterate on the interior lighting of the Gemini Capsule. I changed the hue/warmth of both the panel lights for the Commander and the Pilot, and the attitude indicator ball (FDI). You can dim the cabin lights, control if the panel lights are red or amber, and toggle the attitude indicator lights.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Patch notes:[/p][p]- Checklist Bookmark System[/p][p]- Mercury: Retro Att light and programmer stage logic fix. Retro Att light should now illuminate again.[/p][p]- Mercury: Fix to prevent engine ignition when rocket is not set to ready[/p][p]- Gemini CDR/PLT panel light re-coloring to match the same hue/warmth as the cabin light[/p][p]- Gemin FDI (attitude indicator ball) light fixes[/p][p]- Realtime Voice/Speech Synth stability fixes[/p]