Mech Simulators

[Criminal]

You guys are lucky, we've never had ANYTHING like that up here in Canada. I just had to make due with putting a motorcycle helmet on and pretending

[BHawthorne]

Not that this isn't cool, but it's not geared towards the end user. There is licensing involved and you can't exactly go out and buy one of those pods without a lot of work. I'd much prefer a home built simpit that interfaces something like MWLL. It wouldn't be hard to do it if the back end was put into the game to read data from and interface i/o cards. Aircraft simulator hardware is all that is needed to do this with. It's all COTS stuff. I have the knowledge to do a mech simpit right now. There aren't any good MECH pc games out that are current generation graphics yet for me to interface such a project with though.

They do this stuff all the time with aircraft and racing sims. For example:

www.mycockpit.org
www.viperpits.org

What keeps MWLL from having the ability to read data from the client and push it to third party apps and i/o like in aircraft sims? If you add it I'll use it. 

[Unearthly]

What keeps MWLL from having the ability to read data from the client and push it to third party apps and i/o like in aircraft sims?

Time? Code Monkey has no shortage of work.

[BHawthorne]

What keeps MWLL from having the ability to read data from the client and push it to third party apps and i/o like in aircraft sims?

Time? Code Monkey has no shortage of work.

True enough. Is it an idea that is plausible in the future though, or is it outright implausiable within any timeframe? I'd be willing to work closely with the devs to make sure everything works. Just throwing that out as an option to be pondered in the distant future when there might be time to review the possability. 

BTW, here's a pic of the current simpit I'm working on. 

[Unearthly]

It is theoretically plausible I suppose (inter process communication?), though I imagine it won't really be considered until the game is fully working. That or one of the code monkeys decides to set up one of these cockpit like things. 

[BHawthorne]

It is theoretically plausible I suppose (inter process communication?), though I imagine it won't really be considered until the game is fully working.

All the simpit builders would need to see is the streaming mech state data. They can work from there to do the stuff like switches, custom USB i/o, touch screen interfacing via regular keymapping and joystick i/o. There are already the third party hardware and software interfacing SDKs out for that stuff. Some of the simpit guys could just program a utility to do the footwork between the client and the hardware. I know there would be a definite interest in the simpit community for this type of client capability. A lot of the simpit builders are into military fighter simpits. Not too far of a logical jump between fighter simpit and mech simpit. Wouldn't be surprised if people wouldn't just interface thier fighter simpits to play.

[ToeBall]

You guys are lucky, we've never had ANYTHING like that up here in Canada. I just had to make due with putting a motorcycle helmet on and pretending

I swear I remeber playing around in some sim pods, not battletech, but something, up at Ontario Place when I lived up there.

[Flux]

I played in one a few time while I was up in Milpitas, CA for a convention I was speaking at several years back.  It was a blast and we had enough dudes for a decent battle.

[MrBRAD!]

I have found an arcade at the Gold Coast that has some Tesla pods, they are trying to unload them. They say the licensing costs too much and that the technicians don't know anything about apple macs and can't fix them.

I'm going to ask how much they might be willing to sell one to me for, perhaps I might buy one if it isn't too expensive.

About this licensing that BHawthorne mentioned. Are you saying I can't go and buy a machine and play BattleTech: Firestorm or Red Planet at home for free

[MechCorps]

do tell?

As far as the tesla pods, no Macs involved unless it still has the version 4.x software...  then it's not BattleTech:Firestorm.

Ownership of the pods does not include ownership of the software...  sorry.

If you buy just one pod, you'll have to contact one of the sites that use our SiteLink technology in order to play live players online.  There is no "server" that hosts games and the 4.x software does not include AI opponents.  You'll need to buy a "console" with a pod inorder to launch a game  and at that point with one pod in 4.x, you're the only player...

So, buy the set or get a group to buy the set and stage them in different locations and network them via siteLink.  Contact me of you want more info.

[MrBRAD!]

Some more information:
The pods look quite old and run down. They mentioned that the systems DO have macs in them, so they are an old version or something.
All they have said to me about the game was- "the game they used to play was called battletech or mech warrior".
I'm going to go see them in a week or so perhaps. I'll have another look and ask some more questions.

None of the pods are actually running at the arcade, all are off and shoved in a corner. 

I wonder if I could mod the system to work with my pc in some way. (MWLL+ Tesla Pod?) I have very limited electronics skill though, I  doubt I could do anything with a machine... I suppose I can learn.

Any information you can provide would be hugely appreciated

[Landros Radick]

Sounds like it's still the 4.x Tesla version. Rare find you have there, even if they are run down!

[MrBRAD!]

Rare maybe, but is that a good thing? Is this version any good? What makes it different compared to others?

Rare:
1. Hard to find replacement parts for.
2. Another reason for a higher price.
3. Wasn't produced much due to being a bad design.
4. Hard to get help from other owners due to little knowledge of this design.

Please don't tell me I'm right 

[Landros Radick]

No, you're right. However, the best place to ask about this system would be: http://www.virtualworld.net

They have several experienced 3.0 and 4.x system owners there and is a much better resource for that kind of thing!
Also, the systems were designed well.. however it's ancient hardware at this point. Upgrading it if they are the Apple systems will be near impossible. There might possibly be a conversion somewhere to run newer 4.x or Tesla II hardware.. Honestly, if you are not experienced with electronics hardware, I wouldn't even bother touching them. Instead I'd let PropWash know that these systems are available and if you can get some prices so that they might go to a good home and get some restoration!

[MechCorps]

Some more information:
The pods look quite old and run down. They mentioned that the systems DO have macs in them, so they are an old version or something.
All they have said to me about the game was- "the game they used to play was called battletech or mech warrior".
I'm going to go see them in a week or so perhaps. I'll have another look and ask some more questions.

None of the pods are actually running at the arcade, all are off and shoved in a corner. 

I wonder if I could mod the system to work with my pc in some way. (MWLL+ Tesla Pod?) I have very limited electronics skill though, I  doubt I could do anything with a machine... I suppose I can learn.

Any information you can provide would be hugely appreciated

first off, are these round pods or square pods???  one look at the exterior will tell that answer.

second, neither of them had Macs IN the pods, a mac was only used as the console to launch the missions for the pods.  If the pods are square... they "may" be Amiga computers running the pods. (most people have no idea what they look like at first sight.)  At that point... harder to find parts for computer and pod controls.

third, the pods always looked old and run down.  They were "weathered" with paint when they were new.  But... if you see stuff that looks broken off, then it really is broken off.  they were weathered and dirty looking, but never looked like they were "broken".  (unfortunately if they were just stored in a corner, they really MAY be dirty. 

For the best information on the tech of the older pods, check in with www.virtualworld.com the makers of these pods. Your computer may run software other than what came with the pods, but the software is not configured to run the dual screen and digital readouts square pods) or the two main screens and 5 MFD screens (round pods) and all of the associated buttons and controls that are exclusive to the VWE pods. So at best, without doing some major rewiring, all you "might" get is the main screen to work and a lot of dead instruments in a really cool desk if you don't run the intended software.

To run MWLL and to ahve everything functional in the pod(s), there would have to be a (probably substantial) rewrite to make it work with all of the MFDs and buttons in either pod. (although, if someone on the MWLL dev team would like to discuss that possibility, I'm sure we would be MORE than willing to share ideas.    )