Talk:Space Shuttle Deluxe

Discuss the addon here!

Space Shuttle Computers

The real Space Shuttle of course has a set of five computers built into it, without which the shuttle is a 90 ton aluminum paperweight. These are called the General Purpose Computers, or GPCs. Any one of them can fully control the shuttle, but all five work together and watch each other to make the system automatically resistant to a failure by any one computer, and manually resistant to a failure of up to four of them. The shuttle also carries a disconnected spare computer in case the hardware of one of the others is damaged.

David413 models these computers using a combination of an MFD addon and logic built into his ship. For instance, the launch autopilot is built into the ship. It automatically takes control and puts the ship into orbit. Its only stimulus is leaving the ground in launch configuration. No particular MFD has to be active in order for this to work.

His GPCMFD then is almost entirely display. You can't really control the ship using the MFD, just monitor it.

This approach has its advantages, and disadvantages. The obvious advantage is that his computer simulation knows it is riding in his shuttle, so it can do special things to the shuttle that it might not be able to do in other ships.

The disadvantage is just the flip side of the advantage. Nothing he makes can be applied to other ships. Specifically, his launch autopilot can only fly his ship.

My own philosophy is three-fold.

• Build as much intelligence as possible into the MFDs, not the ship
• Make the MFDs as generic as possible, to control any ship.
• Don't try to follow the real GPC to the last detail. We don't have enough information to do this, even if we wanted to. Instead, implement programs as you would if you were writing the GPC.

This leads to a multitude of separate MFD addons, each responsible for a different phase of flight. Each looks nothing like its GPC counterpart, but works to do the same job(s) as one of the real GPC major modes.

Of course, the compromise position is to include all the intelligence in MFD modes, but make them look as much as possible like GPC modes.

Kwan3217 20:29, 10 February 2007 (MSK)