Display Options For Multi Monitor Setups For Simulator Mech Cockits

[Captain-Colander]

First Post. 

Great to see the Mech world is very alive and well. I downloaded living legends 3 days ago, bought Crysis Maximus Pack especialy to play the living legends mod and I love it. Played a few mech games when I first got into PCs 15 years ago. Great to see some new mech games coming out this year too.  Cant wait for the release of MechWarrior 5, looks cool.

Now to the question for you guys.

Is there a way or is there anybody with the coding knowledge to remove the Mech cage frame from the display? I am pondering building a mech simulator cockpit in time for the release of MechWarrior Online.

Im wanting to build a full mech cage and instruments so it would be nice to get the mech damage display graphics, radar graphics and targeted mech graphics displays onto some 7 inch monitors inside the cockpit. I plan on using an HDMI projector to project main terrian displaycovering full eye view. Is there any solution to this or are we stuck with a cage and everything else on the main display?

Bit of a tall order, but I thought I would throw it out there....

Ive been simming on flight sims for years and Microsoft got the multi display thing right, with the ability to move instruments onto different monitors so projectors can be used for terrain.

Anybody that could maybe help or knows a work around, please let me know.

Keep up the great work and ive got to say living legends has got me mech silly again. "OUTSTANDING" gaming.....     

See you on the battlefield
Captain Colander.

[~SJ~ Xarg Talasko]

I wish, I'd move all the HUD elements back to the centre screen and leave left and right for pure visuals.

[Eximo]

Hmm, I wonder how it determines where to put the HUD items. If it is a certain number of pixels from left/right/top/bottom edge etc I would love for that to be editable. That damage display is just a little too far away from center.

[KingLeerUK]

New HUD system is coming, but still will not allow the configuration/placement customisation that you are looking for.
 
The "Mech cage" is actually the geometry of the 'Mechs relative to the pilot/player camera location on the vehicle and they cannot be removed.
 
The relative placement of the HUD elements is determined by the Flash designer and I believe the only variables that it reads in are the resolution of the monitor and whether or not it is a widescreen aspect ratio.

[AlfalphaCat]

But, you could use cl_hud = 0.  You just won't have any thing telling you what is up with your 'Mech.

[MerfMerf]

But, you could use cl_hud = 0.  You just won't have any thing telling you what is up with your 'Mech.

That does not remove the "cage" though so to speak. If he is building a pit the way he describes I am guessing he would ideally want that removed (since the pit itself would be the "cage").

/Merf - Pit builds are awesome

[1N4001]

In a perfect world, all HUD components would also be abstracted and exported when cl_hud=0 is used, allowing external applications to interface and overlay their own HUD onto the screen.

[-SM-SUCKER]

Oh, I would like to remove those sight hindering metal plates, too. Especially on the raven. NovaCat as well.

See, if this would be possible, one of the aspects of a chassis could be removed. Moving the transparent HUD elements around would be cool, though.

[Captain-Colander]

Interesting replies. Good to know I'm not the only one who would like to see changes. I think having the options to change the look of the display and possibly hide the HUD cage and move visual stuff to where we want to view it rather than where it is by default would be a great thing. I think there would be a lot more interest in MECH Sim building too! The first game that has these options available would certainly get my money and I would then be living in my self built pit 24/7 and it would surely secure the game development company for future releases. Maybe even start a whole revolution of MECH hardware manufacturing companies like it has with the flight Sim community. I would love to see a real future in MECH Sims even to the point of camera connection between MECH's, so when we are networked with our other team members in a group battle sitting in our home mode pits, we have visual monitoring of eachother. That surely would be wicked, and up to now, I ain't seen this in any game. I want to be 101% absorbed into my game, total escape.

 

[Cik]

unfortunately mate with the way the engine is bent, it might not even be possible. though i'd like to see it too, even though i have no such simpit, just to carry on the storied traditions of doing incredibly strange, arcane, and nerdy things in garages.

[MerfMerf]

HUD cage

Like mentioned, the cockpit cage is not part of the HUD. It is the actual mech geometry.
Just a slight correction (assuming of course that I did not misunderstand what you meant by cage).

/Merf - Precision

[Defender]

HUD cage

Like mentioned, the cockpit cage is not part of the HUD. It is the actual mech geometry.
Just a slight correction (assuming of course that I did not misunderstand what you meant by cage).

/Merf - Precision

This is correct. This is not MW4/3. All physical geometry is inclusive in the mech itself as the camera is positioned within the actual cockpit. Your view is limited by the focal length of the camera based on the internal mech geometry which outlines your view.

HUD elements are not, and will never be interchangeable as that's not how it's designed and we're limited by what we can/can't do with the tools given to us by the engine. 

[Captain-Colander]

Shame, so its a case of waiting for new Mechs being developed and hope a one comes along with a clear cockpit so there is no cage to cut down the visual area?

I remember a game in the late nineties that had the same type of setup, I cant remember the name of it anymore, it may have been the space Sim Freelancer. The game had a cage kind of window cockpit view, very much like the MECH games, but there was a click option in the main options to turn the cage like window on or off, it was a check option for "Hide HUD" and it just turned the window cage off in the virtual cockpit. I keep thinking there may of been this option in the early Mechwarrior games. It was so long ago I really cant be certain.

Anyway, something for the future developers to think about to keep the crazy Sim players happy. 

[Defender]

The difference between our games and other games that give you the ability to turn the cage on or off is that they project the "cockpit" through the camera itself (like prior mech games) while our cockpit is not a projection. It's actual geometry that your camera sits behind.

I can understand where the confusion lies.

If it makes you feel any better, it has posed some limitations and design changes to mechs and their TRO cockpits. Since most Battlemechs make no sense to actually look out from (Atlas?) with an actual cockpit, some needed a redesign (which not everyone likes) but now you're actually in the cockpit of the mech, rather than a floating magical camera of magicness. 

[Captain-Colander]

The difference between our games and other games that give you the ability to turn the cage on or off is that they project the "cockpit" through the camera itself (like prior mech games) while our cockpit is not a projection. It's actual geometry that your camera sits behind.

I can understand where the confusion lies.

If it makes you feel any better, it has posed some limitations and design changes to mechs and their TRO cockpits. Since most Battlemechs make no sense to actually look out from (Atlas?) with an actual cockpit, some needed a redesign (which not everyone likes) but now you're actually in the cockpit of the mech, rather than a floating magical camera of magicness.

I totally understand, and the game play reflects the true feel of operating a MECH because of the camera position, the simulation feel of the movement is great. and it works great. However, I can imagine there is a lot of people who would love to build a cockpit to sit in and enhance the game even further that are loathing the fact that the only way around the cage is to zoom a notch which totally throws the sim game feel out.

But all being said, your game is great and I will be supporting this company 100%