Osprey

[Matthijs 40]

I've tried to make a simple VTOL script, which works fine. The only problem left to tackle for the Osprey is rotating the engines up and down. Apperentely, OFP can't handle this.

Did anyone ever try to solve it the other way around? Make the aircraft rotate around the engines. The result should be roughly the same. Better still: maybe the aircraft could be given enough power to lift itself up in a real VTOL takeoff, with minimal scripting.

1,000,000 idea's on 100,000 subjects, but there's only 24 hours in a day...

[Matthijs 40]

Option 2:

A helicopter with "dummy" rotors. The rotors are actually custom animated selections.

[AXE 0]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (Matthijs @ Jan. 30 2003,16:33)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Did anyone ever try to solve it the other way around? Make the aircraft rotate around  the engines. The result should be roughly the same. Better still: maybe the aircraft could be given enough power to lift  itself up in a real VTOL takeoff, with minimal scripting.<span id='postcolor'>

I like the idea of rotating the body, but that would mean

that you couldn't have ANY animations like rudders or

landing gear. Also, it is impossible for a plane to fly straight

upwards on its own like a helicopter, no matter how powerful

you make the engine it won't work

[peanuckle_00 0]

Go with the dummy rotors idea. Make it so they animate when the bird hits a certain speed.

[Unatomber 0]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (AXE @ Jan. 31 2003,00:41)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Also, it is impossible for a plane to fly straight

upwards on its own like a helicopter, no matter how powerful

you make the engine it won't work <span id='postcolor'>

What do you mean. I have flown the Hudsons hornet with a joystick and it goes straight upwards though it does slow down....or I can fly upwards with an over 90 degree angle

(its topside facing down). Any other aircraft in OFP can do the same.

[Matthijs 40]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (AXE @ Jan. 31 2003,00:41)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">I like the idea of rotating the body, but that would mean

that you couldn't have ANY animations like rudders or

landing gear. (...)<span id='postcolor'>

Hmm...

But how do they do the tank turrets then? That's also an animation in an animation. (barrel up/down and ratating left/right)

[STS_SolidSnake 0]

Maybe we could just use on action menu Animation, "Tilt rotors up" And if rotor up, activate VTOL script

you know what im saying..

[Matthijs 40]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (STS_SolidSnake @ Jan. 31 2003,12:30)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Maybe we could just use on action menu Animation, "Tilt rotors up" And if rotor up, activate VTOL script

you know what im saying..

<span id='postcolor'>

Yes, but the flight mechanics are not the big challenge.

The main problem is how to create tilting rotors. As Axe noted, rotating the body might solve the problem but introduces a new problem: rudders and flaps will not be animated.

[AXE 0]

Also, there is no way to tell the plane to start inverted,

so if you put it in the mission editor it would be nose

down with the wings facing forward. Even if you got it

inverted, the plane would have to be rotated (not an

animation but it's position in game) by 90 degrees at takeoff

so the body would appear to remain in the same position

with the wings rotating: this is, of course, impossibe

Here is what I would do:

1. Have the wings rotate on the body.

2. Have two sets of rotors : one set facing forward and

   one set facing up. This is great because OFP supports

   4 engines.

3. Using hiddenselections, start the Osprey with the wings

   inverted and the forward facing rotors hidden, and have

   the inverted rotors unhidden.

4. Using a script simular to Col. Klinks VTOL script make

   the plane take off vertically.

4. Using a script, just rotate the wings 90 degrees and

   make the inverted rotors hidden. Once the wing animation

   is done, make the forward facing rotors unhidden.

5. So far this would work, but there would be no rotors visible

   during the wing animation. So what you could do is add

   the blurred rotor object to the wings (I sure hope you

   know about all this vrtule and vrtule blur stuff, otherwise

   this will sound stupid) So when you rotate the wings, the

   blurred rotor image will rotate with the wings, but will NOT

   rotate.

6. Ok, now i'm not sure if this will work, but if it does then

   this will create a nice effect. Using the rotor blur texture,

   make a set of animated textures (can you even make

   custom animated textures?) And in each frame of the

   animation just have the image rotated a little more. So

   if you have 8 frames in the animation each frame would

   have the image rotated 45 degrees.

7. Apply the animated texture to the blurred rotor object

   that ROTATES with the wing, do not apply it anywhere

   else. make it so the animated texture rotors are only

   visible when the wing is begin animated, so when the

   wings move you will have the effect of multiple animations!

8. Ok, so if this all worked, you should have a fully functional

   Osprey will animated wings and rotors, plus all the good

   stuff like rudders and landing gear. Only two downsides:

   1. No animated ailerons or flaps (unless you use hidden

       selections to make them appear only when the wings

       are in the forward position - OMG you could still have

       ailerons and flaps!!!

   2. It would be funny to watch the AI take off!!!

      You would have to disable AI, run the VTOL script,

      then the tilt rotor script, and then reactivate the

      AI (is it possible to reactivate AI?)

Ok there is my Osprey idea!

[TYsiEK 0]

I making a V-22 Osprey .

http://members.lycos.co.uk/tysiek/osprey3d.php

Check this site. I need just better textures and VTOL script and of course fixed animation limitation problem .