Space Sim Framework [RELEASED]

Good afternoon,

I just ordered the asset and did not see any of the scenes as shown on the YouTube channel. I am running Unity 2019.3 (standard 3D render). The only thing that I could get to run is the Unity UI Menus. Is there a time frame on restoring the other aspects of this asset? Thanks

 

Hi, in the asset hierarchy the scenes of the Space Sim Framework project can be located at Assets/SpaceSimFramework/Content/Scenes. I'm not sure if you were referring to this, but let me know exactly what kind of issues you have. You can also contact me via personal messages or mail.

 

Hi, is Phase II released yet? Thanks, Greg

 

Hi Greg, not yet, as I'm still working on polishing the asset and implementing some minor issues. It will be out in a week or two, I hope!

 

How's it going Sincress? If you need any testing let me know! I'm excited to get working with your framework. bradyaero@gmail.com

 

The asset is almost ready for release - I still have some testing and art to set up before I can publish the whole package! Thank you for your patience, I hope to finish this as soon as possible.

 

Hi Sincress, I just wanted to ask about floating origin, where you re-center the scene every so often around the player so that your ship doesn't start shaking after a certain distance away from the orgin. why485 wrote a script to manage it: https://gist.github.com/brihernandez/9ebbaf35070181fa1ee56f9e702cc7a5 Not sure if it applies to your framework but I just wanted to mention it. Thanks, Greg

 

I follow Why485 (I know of him since our Discovery Freelancer days) and his work was the inspiration and the basis of my project. Floating origin was not a concern of mine since the sectors I've worked with are "downscaled" and are up to 10000 units in size. Sectors of that size shouldn't present a problem, but if it's a highly requested feature I'll certainly consider implementing it!

Also, my apologies for the delay in the release, I lost all scene setups and prefabs since my meta files got corrupted due to a git error. I spent the entire weekend fixing the prefabs, testing everything and I still have work to do. The updated framework will be released as soon as possible, but the price will probably be increased to $69.99 USD.

 

That's really cool! I'm a big freelancer/wing commander player too, Why485's Itano Circus is excellent and I've had fun with his freelancer ship controls project and his turrets project. The great part about the floating origin script is that it can be attached to the camera or to the player's ship, set a few parameters and it takes care of re-centering if its needed. I'm looking at a dead 3GB drive that has alot of my stuff not backed up so a few meta-files sounds not too bad to me I'm keeping an eye on your page to see when it gets released, I'm playing with tanks and trains in the mean time. Awesome, Greg

 

I'm proud to announce that Phase Two has finally been released! Please let me know if find any bugs, if you have suggestions or need help.

 

HI Sincress,

Congrats! I just purchased the kit and it looks great so far. Is this the best place to communicate with you or do you have a direct email?

I have a few small problems, I am using 2019.03 I loaded the start scenario and hit a few errors:

1. An error occurred while resolving packages:
Project has invalid dependencies: com.unity.package-manager-ui: Package com.unity.package-manager-ui@2.1.2] cannot be found

--> I did a Rest Packages to default under the Unity Help menu and that fixed this one.

2. 'the referenced script on this Behaviour (game object'Sector') is missing.

--> Selecting the Sector Object there is a missing Script Below the Game Controller script.

3. [Singleton] An instance of ConsoleOutput is needed in the scene but was not found.
An instance of ControlStatusUI is needed in the scene but was not found.

--> no idea what do about this one

5. Null Reference Exception: Object reference not set to an instance... ship.set_InSupercruise

6. The default ship has no fire mode, do I have to select manual/automatic? If so how do I bring up the menu for that? and a few other warnings that I can send you a screenshot of if you want.

7. Couldn't create a Convex mesh from source mesh ring.001

8. I can't continue with a saved profile

Super job overall, I hope you are ok with my feedback, Greg

 

hello, just came across this kit as I was toying with a new project idea. I wanted to create a space sim that allows players to fly between galaxies (infinite+random if possible) and do quests/find gear to upgrade ship etc. But I also wanted to aim towards a bit of a simlife blend with ftl system where you can go to the inside of your ship and manage your crew. After seeing your kit, I am thinking it would be great to have this as a feature on top of the game design already built in. I was thinking I would have a second (or third?) camera in the scene, that only renders the interior of the ship and its crew, offset somewhere in the game scene so as not to interfere with the space flight systems. These crew would have their own ai and control patterns, and in effect, they would boost the stats of the selected ship depending on what control station they were using and their skill level etc, and when in the interior view, I'd let the RTS controls that already autopilot the ship take over.

From what I gather from the videos, your ships do have certain stats that alter the way they fly/fight etc, would I be safe to assume that I could alter those stats at runtime based on the crew interaction system? Also that the actual fly around space only takes up a certain section of the scene so I could place the interior of the ship out of the way somewhere.

Do you think this would be achievable with only a little meddling with your system?

 

Hi, thanks! You can contact me at sincress@gmail.com directly.

These are weird issues, but you should try going into Project Settings and switching the scripting runtime version to .NET 4.0 equivalent. That usually solves a lot of problems.

I'll redownload and reimport the asset to a new project once more but I'm pretty sure there shouldn't be any broken connections and missing scripts! Hm. If this doesn't help, send me a mail with some more detailed issues and I'll have a look, one by one problem!

 

Hi, it seems to me that the Space Sim Framework could work well as a base for your project. The framework has a built in cockpit view mode, which is achieved by moving the camera to the location of the cockpit mesh - which is usually paired to the closest LOD of the object (only two or three ships have cockpits, out of the 9, though).

As for the ship stats - they are stored in Scriptable Objects and those values are loaded in as base values. The mountable equipment in the framework can change those base values in runtime, so I don't see why you couldn't do the same thing with a crew!

Everything is achievable, but keep in mind that your ideas are very ambitious and the scope is very wide. I wish you best of luck with your project!

 

Fantastic Sincress, its coming along great!!!

 

hey thanks for the reply! Yeah the idea is a bit broad at the moment, fleshing out more ideas and concepts with a friend who plays rimworld and those sorts of control games. We've drawn a lot of inspiration from FTL, but making the crew side of things slightly more complex. But as for the framework, I think a minimal amount of integration is best, which is why I think boosting those stats as the only real interface between the framework and the crew game is best, the less I have to alter the less likely there is to be conflicts.

We're also thinking of being able to upgrade your ship all the way through to a station, allowing you to dock other ships and send them out with their own crews (or abandoning your station to start in a new ship). The space sim seems to indicate that it has the RTS system included, is this true and if so, would it allow us to handle that? (control of multiple ships). or do you think I'd be better off going for the RTS package and just utilising the ship controls in that kit?

 

You are correct, the Space Sim Framework now includes most features from the Space RTS & Arcade Kit, and as such you will only need the Space Sim Framework. Docking of ships to other ships isn't a feature, but I don't see why it couldn't be done utilising the station docking code. Some adjustment and work would, of course, be necessary. Control of multiple ships and switching between them are supported, of course.

 

Groovy! well yeah looks like the features in SSF are the way to go then! Off I go to purchase

 

Hey do you think this could be used to make an RTS style game?

 

Sure, you could make an RTS game if that's your goal. The asset has a lot of first person oriented stuff though, as it was primarily built as an arcade space shooter like Freelancer and X3.

 

Hi Sincress,

Upon importing this to unity 2019.4.1f1 I had this
An error occurred while resolving packages: Project has invalid dependencies: com.unity.package-manager-ui: Package com.unity.package-manager-ui@2.1.2] cannot be found

I did what Dexxy suggested above, reseting the packages via help menu and fixed it.

I opened the json manifest in the packages folder of my project before reset and found that
"com.unity.package-manager-ui" : "2.1.2" line was there and after the reset was not.
So maybe that's the problem? Unity stuff. Just leaving it here for those that may have lots of dependencies, maybe deleting that line fixes things with no blood spilt.

 

I'll have a closer look at why these dependencies (which aren't needed) are causing problems. Unity has some weird issues with importing which seem to change with each version. Thanks for letting me know.

 

Hi again Sincress,

after playing around trying stuff, here is the thing, I have my own stuff, scenes, fighters, weapons, projectiles, cap ships, stations and such and is kinda annoying going back and forth to your demo scene to see how their are set up and then try to replicate, any guides? Guides would help with the speed of our learning process and with the procurement of results.

I am good with models, textures, animation and optimization of the aforementioned, can't say I am a begginer with code since it has been 15 years now but never really stuck with any language for long time and I have been using C# for a year now but I am a strict adherent of KISS, you can expect me to cut and simplify everything in sight. And I have started with your ship controller. I love freelancer but I prefer to have a single control scheme, with look-move/throtle/fire/weaponselect on the mouse , directional strafe with the AWSD keys and roll with QE.

 

Hey, I made a guide on adding your own ships to the framework. If you have any other guides (or explanations on how parts of the framework are set up) you'd like to see, I could perhaps try and record some. It's easier to remove code than to add it - you should easily be able to remove the redundant control scheme code and tailor the flight mechanics to your liking. If there's any tutorials you'd like me to do, please let me know.

 

Ah, thanks I found it, its quite good, proffessionaly made. I will try do this on my own scene with my own stuff and let you know if I run into any trouble.

 

Just wanted to come here and say while I was wading through Space simulation related assets to make the project I am working on a little bit simpler I stumbled across this and instantly forgot about everything else I had looked at.

Although the video isn't incredibly visually stunning, it comes across that you know exactly what you are doing as a programmer and that this asset has been lovingly created by a person with a passion.

This will be my birthday present to myself next month, I don't think I've ever given myself something this amazing before, it is serendipitous that Phase 2 was released last month.

I am working on a hybridized 4X game that forces you into the role of a single individual with more of an first person pilot/commander role in a space sim and I wanted to ask one question about extensibility.

Is this developed as separate systems that work together? This is my assumption, I am just looking for confirmation. I am sure whatever the case I would be able to dig in and modify any systems to my hearts content, I am simply curious.

 

Hi, thank you for the lovely words of support. It means a lot to hear the approval of fellow developers.

I'm a software engineer by profession and have an OCD for nice code, so I try to make components as easy to change, separate them as much as possible and keep everything somewhat intuitive.
Having said that, some people may not like my style of code, but that's a matter of preference. The assets are geared towards people with engineering skills and so I keep in mind that someone might want to change many of the components. I hope I have been able to achieve that with the Space Sim Framework!

I wish you best of luck with your project. Please let me know if you have any further feedback on the asset, questions or any issues you may face.

 

Was browsing the assetstore and noticed the Space Sim Framework mentions that the Map from the Space & RTS Kit was integrated. I was wondering if the Space & RTS kit will also receive future updates with new features (docking) or it future development will focus on the Space Sim Framework?

Also, in the youtube video I only noticed direct control and I was wondering if there is support for homeworld-like tactical control where you can use a key-modified to specify a "height" for movement (or if it's planned)?

Last question: I think units only move individually, any plans for formation-movement?

 

I keep updating and maintaining all assets (currently working on the RTS Framework) but new features come as people request them. Docking is available in the Space Sim Framework, but features like Z axis control and formation flight sound like good ideas - something I might just add in the future.

 

Hi! A quick question regarding merging the various Sincress Assets:


I have the Space Sim Framework already - its a great asset thanks!

Does the Space RTS asset offer more functionality beyond the already integrated RTS parts of the SS framework? It looks a little more advanced with commands to ships and AI unless I'm mistaken? Could you describe the differences?

I like the concept of using the RTS parts to be able to issue orders to a fleet on a battle table: for example launching fighters from a carrier and then issuing their orders in real time. I understand this is already doable with just the SS Framework but I wondered about what additional options there might be.

Since there is a bit of overlap between the Space RTS and the SS Framework I was wondering if i got the Space RTS is it possible to merge the two without too much trouble?

Also regarding the Spaceship Builder: Is that easily integrated into the SS Toolkit? I would like to be able to customise my own ship models. I notice that some of these assets have different version release dates - would there be any compatibility issues?


Thanks for some great products!

 

Hi, thanks for the kind words! The RTS functionality in Space Sim Framework is a superset of the RTS Space & Arcade Kit, meaning it has most of the functionalities from that asset. Basically the only asset the Space Sim Framework does NOT include is the highly specialized Ingame Ship Builder.

As for adding the functionality, it would not be trivial, but if you don't mind playing around, it can sure be done with a bit of effort. You'd need to change the spawning logic, game saving/loading logic, some UI changes on the buy-ship menu and etc.

I initially inteded to make the Space Sim Framework an upgrade of the Space RTS & Arcade kit, but that was not possible at the time. I certainly hope there are no compatibility issues - apart from the unfortunately frequent issues with importing assets into the editor itself. The assets don't use any external dependencies anyway so they wouldn't be affected by cross version compatibility.

I hope this makes the situation a bit more clear. If you have any other questions or concerns, let me know!

 

Thats very cool and the answer I was hoping for really Cheers.

 

Can this asset be used for creating mobile games?

 

Hi, I've already replied to you via email, but I'll leave the answer here as well in case anyone is wondering.

Technically, yes - the asset has no external dependencies or anything that might stop it from running on a mobile platform, and computationally it shouldn't be an issue for a modern smarthpone.
Effectively - the framework is built with many options and meant to be controlled by mouse and keyboard, which is a consequence of the complexity - there's a reason why space sims and sandbox mobile games are rare.

 

Thank you!

 

is there anything new planned for this project?

 

Maintenance and bug fixing at the moment. I'm working on another project in my very limited free time. Which features would you like to see?

 

Hi. how easy would it be to implement multiplayer. ?

 

As hard as taking a completely offline game and making it multiplayer sounds.. difficult, not impossible.

 

Generally if you're a skilled/experienced engineer with some time on your hands, you'd be able to implement multiplayer in Unity. If you aren't, it's one of the more complicated things to do generally, which is why I haven't ever gotten around to doing it. It would take me a lot of time. The asset covers most of the basic game features on top of which you could add multiplayer functionality.

 

I'm working through mlapi systems at the moment, it's very hard to retroactively implement multiplayer on most things that haven't been built with it in mind. Particularly when you have hard coded components with automated referencing that only expect there to be one version of the component they seek. I found that in most cases, building the game from scratch with multiplayer in mind is the best strategy.

 

That is completely correct. A game is usually build from the beginnings with mutiplayer in mind. I'm not sure how that would pan out with my asset, but I did sometimes consider such things and pay attention to usage of singletons and design patterns which would create problems when mutiplayer is being added. It's by no means an easy task even if you've got a solid starting point.

 

Can I create my own sectors with Space Graphics Toolkit?

 

I haven't ever used that asset, so I can't really tell you if it would work. There is a simple built in sector editor integrated into Space Sim Framework which allows you to place sector objects (stations, asteroid fields, jump gates) and edit its properties.

 

Hey Sincress thanks for the great asset! Learning a lot from it and able to understand it for the most part. One area though I would like a bit more instruction on please is setting up the jump gates. And using the sector editor.

Right now I am just trying to set up the basics. For the sake of my example here let's say I want simple sectors with one planet, one space station, and two jump gates. I want four of these sectors. I want them in a straight line on the universe map. Each jump gate progressing to the next sector and the last one in sector four to jump back to sector one. Ok So...

If I understand correctly I have to use the sector editor scene to build each sector one at a time. Then I open up the window/sector editor to save the sector to file. Here is where things get sketchy.

According to your Instructions:

So after some lengthy trial and error and a few times running the random generator to see how it labeled things I figured out what the above meant. So one random generated station had this for it main
Identity : Neutral Station (x1y1sttjeMU5) So I labeled my custom station model: Gataca Station (x1y1sttjeMU4) changing the last letter only (I tried variations too) I learned the hard way the station script had to be in there too and it generates it's own ID. I also learned you had to TAG it as a station lol. Ok so after all that when I launch the Sector Edit window I can finally see my custom station in the list. I also changed the textures on the jump gates. Now when I save it to sector x1 y1 everything should be fine right? Well I go back to the start scenario scene and hit play. I go through the jump gate there which I marked for x1 , y1. The level I autogenerated is there but the jump gates reverted back to their old textures, and none of my custom models are there including that ID nightmare of a station.

Basically mate anything I change or add to the sector editor will not save so I can jump to it in game. Only auto generated stuff saves to the file. And yes I emulated the file naming structure you used when you saved sectors. Still only getting what is auto generated and nothing new that I add or change. I am sure there is something I am missing in the naming system or saving. But after seven hours of trial and error I am at a loss. Could you please elaborate more on how to add your own custom models and such to the levels. And more explanation on setting up jump gates please and thank you. Really good stuff, I can see the potential here. Just more information on how to set up a basic scene is really needed.

Thanks for your indulgence.
Zax

 

This is a screen shot for the above inquiry.

 

Hi Zax,

My apologies for the late reply. The SystemEditor is meant to save only entities which are supported in the script itself. This means Stations, Jumpgates, Asteroid Fields and sector properties are being saved, while any other objects you wish to add (ships, debris, wrecks, comets, whatever) you'll have to support in the save/load system.

But do not fear! It's actually not that hard. If you dive into the FindObjectsToExport method of SystemEditor.cs, you'll have a starting point for finding how to integrate the changes. There you can also take a look at how the ID system for entities works, if the documentation is too confusing. Remember, the codebase is built so that you can play with it, it's not a black box that is not meant to be opened. You'll also need to tell the framework that your new objects need to be loaded when you jump into the sector.

If you have any more questions, feel free to follow up or shoot me an email to sincress@gmail.com.

Kind regards,
Sincress

 

Hi, @sincress!
Just purchased your asset and imported it into new project.
It looks like MainMenu scene should be starting one, right? If yes - scene is missing CanvasController and it causes errors.
Also, I suppose that TargetDescUI Update script should look like this

Code (CSharp):

1.  void Update()
2.         {
3.             target = InputHandler.Instance.GetCurrentSelectedTarget();
4.             if (Ship.PlayerShip)
5.             {
6.                 if (target)
7.                     text.text = "Target: " + target.name + "\nDistance: " + (int)Vector3.Distance(Ship.PlayerShip.transform.position, target.transform.position);
8.                 else
9.                     text.text = "Target: none";
10.             }
11.             else text.text = string.Empty;
12.         }

It will help to avoid errors that happen when both target and PlayerShip are null for example.

 

@sincress
Recently I've played Freelancer Crossfire 2
Game allowed you to exit Super Charge mode with S key, so I suggest to add following into ShipMovementInput.cs Update function:

Code (CSharp):

1. if (Input.GetKeyDown(KeyCode.S) && _ship.InSupercruise)
2.                 ToggleSupercruise();

Also maybe you consider updating ShipPhysics.cs Update as well:

Code (CSharp):

1. private void Update()
2.         {
3.             Vector3 linearInput, angularInput;
4.  
5.             if (_ship.IsPlayerControlled)
6.             {
7.                 linearInput = new Vector3(_ship.MovementInput.strafe, 0, Mathf.Max(_ship.Throttle, 0));
8.                 angularInput = new Vector3(_ship.MovementInput.pitch, _ship.MovementInput.yaw, _ship.MovementInput.roll);
9.                 _appliedLinearForce = MultiplyByComponent(linearInput, linearForce) * _forceMultiplier;
10.                 _appliedAngularForce = MultiplyByComponent(angularInput, angularForce) * _forceMultiplier;
11.             }
12.             else
13.             {
14.                 linearInput = new Vector3(0, 0, Mathf.Max(_ship.AIInput.throttle, 0));
15.                 _appliedLinearForce = MultiplyByComponent(linearInput, linearForce) * _forceMultiplier;
16.                 _appliedAngularForce = _ship.AIInput.angularTorque;
17.                 _appliedAngularForce.z = 0;
18.             }
19.         }

As you can see, linearInput Z axis now is clamped to 0. Atleast for me as Freelancer CF player having negative ship speed feels kinda weird.

 

Hi, thanks for your comment. If you wanted to model the ship movement and behaviour exactly to Freelancer physics, there would be slight modifications, just like you mentioned. Although I didn't exactly want to follow that model, these changes are a good improvement to the ship behavior. Cheers!