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Reentry - A Space Flight Simulator News

Reentry has been updated to 0.6!

Reentry has been updated to 0.6!

This update has a Project Mercury focus, but you will notice some new things in Gemini, the Command Module and the Lunar Module too.

As with the other major updates, it will take a bit of time to gather all your feedback and issues, but please except stead releases of minor updates covering the issues and bugs you report, so we can make 0.6 stable!


IMPORTANT
It's important to RESET DEFAULT CHECKLISTS from SETTINGS, and many of the Mercury Checklists has changed. This will install the latest versions, but be sure to make backups if you made changes to the default checklists.
In addition, verify that the VR checkbox is off in settings. I got feedback that it is on by default on some systems. Looking into this, but if this is ON, it will be hard to interact with anything in the cockpit.

RECORDING
You can find a recording of the Stream showing the 0.6 updates here:
https://www.twitch.tv/wilhelmsenstudios


TRUE SCALE SYSTEM (Mercury)
The main feature of the update is the introduction of the True Scale System (TSS). This make the scale of the universe in Project Mercury much more realistic. This is just the start of TSS and will evolve to cover the requirements for Project Gemini in version 0.7.

MERCURY SYSTEMS
Many of the Mercury Systems and physics has received an overhaul, such as pressure and a full electricity system overhaul. A Mercury Mission will now feel much more immersive and realistic (especially if you perform the full procedure from T-90 minutes - see the new campaign!). There are still things in the works, and things waiting for feedback, but this will evolve. Abort modes are also introduced, but not yet complete.

PANEL STATE
Mercury can now load custom panel states such as Cold and Dark. This can be done in the Mission Editor, or by using the Console.

MERCURY CAMPAIGN
The new Mercury Campaign will take you through many of the new features. I hope you will enjoy it and be inspired to make your own Mercury Campaigns and missions. The Campaign will be open sourced at github.com/reentrygame, so you can see how it was made.

FAILURES
Failures are added to Mercury. You will find emergency procedures and checklists in the mission pad. Random Failures can be configured in REALISM SETTINGS, and controlled failures can be triggered from the in-game menu. If you enabled random failures, missions could disable the setting for the duration of the mission (it does not make sense to have random failures in some scripted missions). This is a setting in the Mission Editor, and the mission designer controls this. Free Play missions has random failures enabled.

IN-TESTING ONLY: EXPERIMENTAL VIRTUAL REALITY SUPPORT
This update brings preliminary support for Virtual Reality in Mercury Missions. It leverages the SteamVR SDK. I have had support for VR in internal branches for a long time but have not yet had the time to focus on it. I decided to just release its current state for Project Mercury, so those who wish can start helping me in testing this. This is in an experimental phase and requires an HMD with motion controllers. Gaze is considered (do you wish to have support for Gaze? Let me know!) but it is not ideal for Reentry. Please see the VR lesson in the Mercury Academy.
Tested HMDs:
- Oculus Rift
- Windows MR
If you own a Vive or other headsets, it would be great if you can test it and see if it works. Please get back to me with you feedback on the forum here, Discord or on e-mail: [email protected], so I can fix whatever issue we stumble upon.


NEW REALISM SETTINGS
Make sure you check out the realism settings for new possibilities. Lots of changes here. You can now for example disable the auto proceed feature in checklists, so switches in their correct position can still be highlighted. This applies to missions as well. If a switch is in the correct position, a green box will highlight it. The off-screen indicator will help you find them too.

INTEGRATED MERCURY MISSION EDITOR
The Mercury Mission Editor has been integrated into the game and can be used to create missions!

APOLLO CSM TEI
Getting back to Earth is not streamlined and supported yet, but the major blocker for this feature has been solved. From the CSM Burn Planner and the Lunar Globe View, you can see the Earth/TEI Node, and data on passing it. This point can be used to plan a TEI burn. The CSM Burn Tool should now work when returning from the Moon, and can be used to alter your trajectory, or get into an orbit around Earth (unrealistic, entry was direct). TEI development can then finally start and is scheduled for version 0.7!

GRAPHICS CHANGES
The entire game has been upgraded from being based on Unity 2018 to now be based on the latest 2019 version. The Mercury capsule a realistic model of an astronaut in the seat, and some updated features on the panels. Gemini has received a new interior model (while panels remains the same).


BREAKING SAVE AND LOAD STATE CHANGES
This update contains a lot of changes to how the Save and Load state works. Old save states might not work correctly.

Dev Stream on Saturday: An update on Reentry 0.6

It's been over a month since we showcased some of the main features of version 0.6, in addition to showcasing the Mission Control feature scheduled for a later release. This Saturday we will be giving you the latest update from the development of version 0.6.



You will be able to watch the stream from here:
https://twitch.tv/wilhelmsenstudios

Mission Control Live and version 0.6

Reentry version 0.6 has been in development for a while, and will introduce many new changes to Project Mercury. This post aims to briefly cover the main parts of 0.6, as well as showing you another feature in planning: Mission Control Live



True Scale System
The major work we did with version 0.45 can be seen in-action through the True Scale System. This is currently only available in Mercury, but it changes how Reentry works with the floating points limitation. TSS now allows you to maneuver in a true scale environment with seamless ascent (no transition), and a much more realistic sized Earth. Zooming no longer affects the scale of Earth like it did before, and the "floating rocket parts" are no longer a thing.

Failures
With random failures, mission scripted failures, or failures triggered by a troublemaker in the Mission Control multiplayer module, you now have to pay much more attention to all of the internal systems. If a fault is detected, you will need to work the problem and figure out if the mission can continue or not. A basic implementation of the Mercury Abort Modes are also available, where the Escape Tower is used to drag the capsule away from a failing launch vehicle (see video below)



New missions & in-game Mercury Mission Editor
Version 0.6 will also add a few new missions for Mercury, where your abilities will be tested outside of the Academy. A new mission editor has been created, allowing you to create Mercury missions directly in the game.


Mission Control Live
The Mission Control Live module is a multiplayer mode scheduled for version 0.7 where multiple players can join a game session as Mission Control for an astronaut. The Mercury Control Center has been remade with a focus on details, gamification and functionality. I have been doing a lot of research into how it looks, feels and works, as well as how one person or a team can be Mission Control, following realistic flight plans, or private training sessions.

Here are some comparison pictures from real life, vs. what I have in Reentry




The mission control room is populated with custom avatars where each player can design his or her own character to be used as a mission controller (and eventually as the face of your astronaut).



Saturdays stream
Many of you saw the stream on Saturday where the Test Pilots and I were playing the new Mission Control Live module for Reentry, with Serpatron in the capsule. Unfortunately, we were unable to bring him down due to an unfortunate event where the retros were jettisoned too early.

If you wish to see the session, you can do so here:
Mission Control Perspective:
https://www.twitch.tv/wilhelmsenstudios

Astronaut Perspective:
https://www.twitch.tv/RealSerpatron

When will 0.6 or Mission Control Live be released?
I do not yet have an ETA on when version 0.6 or the Mission Control Live feature will be released. Version 0.6 will need to be released before Mission Control Live can be a part of the game. Mission Control Live will hopefully make it into 0.7.

Tune in this Saturday to see a dev-stream from Reentry 0.6!


Tune in this Saturday to see a dev-stream from Reentry 0.6! The stream will start on April 18th at
20:00 GMT / 1 pm PDT.

The stream will happen here on Steam and on Twitch:
Main coverage:
https://twitch.tv/wilhelmsenstudios

In addition, there will be another live stream directly from the Astronaut here:
https://www.twitch.tv/RealSerpatron

Tune in this Saturday to see a dev-stream from Reentry 0.6!



Tune in this Saturday to see a dev-stream from Reentry 0.6! The stream will start on April 18th at
20:00 GMT / 1 pm PDT.