Welcome to the fleet !
At the moment, other ships are on their way to the rally point. Before we set out, I wanted to make sure that all our ship Captains are familiar with the control functions of the vessels that are currently with us. You never know when you may be asked to take the helm of another ship and this document will serve as a quick refferance guide that you can save and use for yourselves. Just copy/paste the info here into a txt. file using notepad. This document will be updated as new ships arrive so don't forget to check in at the CIC when they do !
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The Battlestar is the backbone of the fleet and serves as the primary defence for your fleet. It's big, fast, and packed to the gills with firepower.
QJBAY BattleStars !
Use K to Retract/Extend Launch Bays
Use 9 to Select Attached Ship
Use J to Launch Selected Ship
Use Shift K to deploy "Whiskers"
Use Ctrl K to disengage "Whiskers"
Use 1&2 to Adjust JF (Jump Factor) in small increments
Use Ctrl 1&2 to Adjust JF in smaller increments
Use 3&4 to Adjust JF in large increments
Use 5&6 to Adjust JC (Jump Constant)
Use Main Thrust to Adjust TF (Thrust Factor)
Use Ctrl 12 to Hyper Jump.
Use F to Select Panel View
Use B to Select Landing Bay Camera
Use V to Select Reverse-View (looking back, exterior, over landing bay 1)
Use O to Select Outside Exterior View
Use S to Set STANDARD THRUST: Restores the Main Engine Thrust to NORMAL
Use W to Set Mains to Practically ZERO (For the Jump) and MAX RCS for stability
Use U to Multiply Default Jump Distance by 10
Use D to Divide Default Jump Distance by 10
What’s in a name?
Did you know you can name your Battlestar?
There is a scenario parameter called NP that allows you to designate a different texture for the nameplate area.
The default name used is Galactica but I have also provided textures for Atlantia, Columbia, Pacifica, Pegasus, Rycon and Triton which just happen to be the Battlestars named in the original TV series.
If you don’t like any of those names you can easily create your own by drawing a new nameplate. The texture size I used was 256 wide by 64 high. After you have create your new nameplate all you have to do is convert it to DXT1 format using the widely available dxtex tool and copy/move it to the Textures2/JTM/QJBay folder.
Ah, but how do you use it ?
Simple as baking a cake. Only kidding, it’s a lot easier than baking a cake.
Just add the name of your name new nameplate graphic to the QJBay section of your scenario file.
Example:
NP Triton.dds
The complete scenario entry would be:
This is for the Battle star Triton which is docked to the ISS at the moment.
BS_Triton:QJBay
STATUS Orbiting Earth
DOCKINFO 0:1,ISS
PRPLEVEL 0:1.000 1:1.000
NAVFREQ 578 0 0 0
XPDR 0
NP Triton.dds
END
I chose the Triton for a reason. Notice the name in the first line BS_Triton. It’s important that you do not name a ship the same as another object like say a moon. If it was just Triton, Orbiter gets confused because of the moon named Triton already in it’s database.
Well that’s pretty much it.
Have fun filling the system with many differently named Battlestars.
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QJBStar Battlestar ( Twin Bay version )
Use K to Retract/Extend Launch Bays
Use 9 to Select Attached Ship
Use Ctrl-J to select left or right LAUNCH BAY
Use J to launch ship selected in Bay menue
Use Shift K to attach vessels within 5000m for FLEET JUMP
Use Ctrl K to disengage Fleet Jump attachment
Use 1&2 to Adjust JF (Jump Factor) in small increments
Use Ctrl 1&2 to Adjust JF in smaller increments
Use 3&4 to Adjust JF in large increments
Use 5&6 to Adjust JC (Jump Constant)
Use Main Thrust to Adjust TF (Thrust Factor)
Use Ctrl 12 to Hyper Jump.
Use F to Select Panel View
Use B to Select Landing Bay Camera
Use V to Select Reverse-View (looking back, exterior, over landing bay 1)
Use O to Select Outside Exterior View
Use numberpad Del to Set STANDARD THRUST: Restores the Main Engine Thrust to NORMAL
Use numberpad Ins to Set Mains to Practically ZERO (For the Jump) and MAX RCS for stability
Use U to Multiply Default Jump Distance by 10
Use D to Divide Default Jump Distance by 10
New battlestar scenario parameters
GS means “Gift Shop”
Any value other than 0 will close off the right side bay and turn it into the Galactica “Gift Shop”
Example
GS 1.0 = Bay closed off for Gift Shop
GS 0.0 = Bay open and operational.
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Prototye Vipers !
The VP1 is an original design. It came about because I wanted a fighter like ship for demonstrating the launch and recovery code. I liked the base shape enough that I decided to make it a full fledged ship. Right now the bombs and missiles don’t release but I plan to fix that in a future version. The other thing I plan on is giving it the same name changing ability I gave the Battlestar.
KeyBoard Commands:
Ctrl B will Extend/Retrach the airbrake.
J will launch if attached to the Battlestar
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Blackbird Recon Viper ( original Prototype )
Hyper jump using standard FTL keys.
Gear extend/retract with G
Airbrake extend/retract with Ctrl B
Canopy Open/Close Ctrl G
Launch from Flatbed or Battlestar with J
Attach to Flatbed with Ctrl J
Viper attachpoint for Battlestar.
Beta2-Varient
Turn on/off lights Ctrl K ( for visual stealth mode )
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Viper MK-1
J: launches you from Battlestar or Flat
Ctrl J: attaches you to Flat
G: raise/lower gear
Ctrl B: air brake
Ctrl G: Open/Close canopy.
Hold down 1 to get a gun effect.
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The Qoud-J Assault Raptor
The QuadJ Assault Raptor is my tribute to the revisualization of the “Battle Star Galactica” TV series. Although it is not the Raptor seen on the series, the BSG Raptor did inspire it. The BSG Raptor is a stealth reconnaissance ship with extensive sensor systems and EMC capabilities. It is generally seen on recon missions or as a forward EMC platform for the Viper space fighters. The QuadJ Assault Raptor is a stretched version used as a troop carrier or with the seats removed, a battlefield supply ship. It is fast and nimble but lacks the stealth and EMC abilities of its smaller cousin. In addition to its pilot and navigator it can carry up to five fully equipped combat troops. It is not armed but has been used to deliver and place large-scale nukes during combat operations.
Features
Animations of landing gear, air brake and door.
Standard docking port adaptor.
FTL drive. It’s really more of a hyper jump thing but it’s called FTL on the series.
Keyboard commands.
G cycle the landing gear.
Ctrl B cycle the air brake.
Ctrl G cycle the door.
1 decreases the Hyper Jump factor by a small amount.
2 increases the Hyper Jump factor by a small amount.
3 decreases the Hyper Jump factor by a large amount.
4 increases the Hyper Jump factor by a large amount.
Ctrl F12 Hyper Jump.
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JJ Ground Supoort Strike Fighter
The Joltin Josie is a close quarters ground support fight used to back up dirt side operations.
Armament is consists of two high capacity assault cannons and six multipurpose hard points.
The JJ is fleet compatable and can launch from a Viper tube or land on a flatbed.
J will launch you and Ctrl J will land you on ships equipped for auxiliary craft landing.
The JJ has one unique feature which is a anti-gravity suppressor field which keeps the bottom of the ship from contacting the ground on deck. (Think Naboo fighters in Star Wars)
There are no special feature other than the launch and land.
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Colonial-1
Colonial One is a luxury space liner that now serves as the headquarters for the President. It is equipped with FTLD, is small enough to fit in the launch bays of a BattleStar and is capable of planet fall.
Keyborad commands:
G opens/Closes the Gear.
J launches if attached to Battlestar
Ctrl B opens/closes the pedtal like things in the back which also serve as airbrakes when in atmosphere.
Look in the FTLD topic for information on using the FTLD.
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Aries / Space Park
The Space Park is an old style civilian passenger liner built prior to the cost effective use of artificial gravity. Advancements in artificial gravity eventually cause the ring ships to fade into history but recently a few of them were modernized and put into service as upscale luxury liners. These ships have maintained there ring rotation for aesthetic reasons.
Features:
FTLD
Two hangars with docking ports and attachment points.
KeyBoard Commands:
H Open/Close hangar doors.
See the FTLD topic for information on using the FTLD.
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Introducing .... the Firefly Sport !
The Firefly Sport is a private spacecraft which fulfills the same role as modern business jets. It is highly automated and very easy for a single pilot to fly. It has room to accommodate four passengers in relative comfort for medium duration flights. In addition to it’s standard docking port it is fully launch and recover compatible with Battlestar launch bays. Make sure to retract the engine down prior to launch bay capture.
Keyboard Commands.
Ctrl O Set Main Thrust to half
Ctrl B Airbrake
Ctrl F12 Operate FireFly Drive
Ctrl F11 Operate Super FireFly Drive
Ctrl K Retract engines up
K Retract engines down
G Landing Gear
O Set Main Thrust Full
F8 Cockpit On/Off
J Launch from Battlestar
1&2 Rotate Left Engine
3&4 Rotate Right Engine
5&6 Rotate Both Engines
7 Rotate Main Engines to Main Thrust direction
8 Rotate Main Engines to Hover Thrust direction
9 Rotate Main Engines to Retro Thrust direction
Shift G Cycle view points.
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FireFly GreyGoose 2008
The 2006 version of the excellent cargo hauler and her "Doodlebug" Shuttles is back and she's hotter than ever ! DO BE SURE to read the included documents with the download ! Here are her command keys.
Key Controls:
Ctrl-F Extend/Retract cargo bay attachment post
Ctrl-G Open/Close cargo door
G Raise/Lower landing gear
J Extend port shuttle
K Extend starboard shuttle
Ctrl-J Release port shuttle
Ctrl-K Release starboard shuttle
(the following are NOT NumPad numeral-keys ~ they are ALPHA-numeric keys, above the letters of the keyboard)
1 Swivel the port engine nacelle forward
2 Swivel the port engine nacelle backward
3 Swivel the starboard engine nacelle forward
4 Swivel the starboard engine nacelle backward
5 swivel both nacelles forward
6 swivel both nacelles backward
7 set both nacelles automatically to forward position
8 set both nacelles automatically to hover position
9 set both nacelles automatically to reverse position
C Set engine thrust ONLY to normal (Firefly thrust factor NOT affected)
S Increases engine thrust ONLY to 3x normal (nearly 50 m/s/s with no cargo and a full fuel tank)
Ctrl-0 Reduce engine thrust to about 1/4 ~ also reduces Firefly thrust by 1/10th, approx. 100 m/s/s with full fuel, no cargo
0 Set engine thrust to normal (about 16.5 m/s/s with no cargo and a full fuel tank) ~ also sets Firefly thrust to normal
Ctrl-9 Sets Firefly thrust to 10x normal ~ approx. 10 km/s/s with full fuel, no cargo
Ctrl-8 Sets Firefly thrust to 100x normal ~ approx. 100 km/s/s with full fuel, no cargo
Ctrl-F12 ACTIVATES the Firefly Drive
F Forward (Cockpit) view
D Downward view (from docking port 2, just below the cockpit, useful for visually-aided landings on base pads)
B Backward view (think of it as an external camera, REVERSE VIEW, looking back over the top-right of the ship)
Shuttle control keys
G Deploy landing gear
k Extend /retract wings
Release mouse MFD to release from inside a shuttle
( note: these controles only become active once you have released a "doodlebug" from the FireFly attachment point )
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USS Sydney Cargo Runner/ Colony Ship ( in conversion process )
The USS Sydney is a pre STTOS vessel that represents the early days of mankinds reach for the stars. It carries 8 cargo pods (with loaded cargo skids inside each one ) attached to the outside of the ship. It has a fantastic bridge and captains office view as well as a spiffy hanger bay with animated doors ( there is currently no docking point in the aft shuttle bay but that may soon change ) that the TOS Galileo shuttlecraft fits in handily
Sydney keyboard commands
Warp commands
Key 1: Decrease Warp factor.
Key 2: Increase Warp factor.
Key Ctrl F12: Activate/Deactivate Warp Drive
View commands
Key 3: Normal view
Key 4: Captain's chair.
Key 5: Captain's Ready Room.
Key 6: Docking port.
Other Commands
Key G: Grab cargo
Key J: Jettison cargo.
Key K: Open/Close hangar doors
Key S: Select Cargo attach point. The selected point will have a white strobe light turned on.
Cargo Pod keyboard commands
View commands
Key 1: Normal view
Key 2: Attach Point is on bottom and faces down.
Key 3: Docking port.
Key 4: Lounge
Other Commands
Key G: Grab cargo
Key J: Jettison cargo.
Key K: Open/Close cargo doors
Key S: Select Cargo attach point. The selected point will have a white strobe light turned on.
Key Ctrl B: Deploy/Retract airbrake.
Skid keyboard commands
View commands
Key 1: Normal view
Key 2: Attach Point
Key 3: Docking port. The port faces backwards for fuel skids.
Other Commands
Key Ctrl 1: Decrease cargo/fuel mass.
Key Ctrl 2: Increase cargo/fuel mass.
Key Ctrl B: Deploy/Retract airbrake.
**** Very Important Sydney information *****
Do not exit Orbiter while warp drive is active.
Do not save a scenario while warp drive is active.
If you try to load a scenario that has warp drive active you will crash Orbiter.
This is not, I repeat NOT a bug in Orbiter or the Sydney.
This is caused buy the scenario saving the QJ210Dummy ship to the file.
The QJ210Dummy is not a real ship but Orbiter thinks it is and tries to load it.
If you must use a saved scenario that was created while warp drive was active you
MUST edit the scenario file and remove the QJ210Dummy entries from the scenario.
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RTF Flatbed Repair and Construction Vessel
It is not designed for planet fall and should not be taken into atmosphere.
It has a secondary engine system that will give it a highter thrust but at the cost of using lots of fuel. The secondary thrusters are controlled using the standard Orbiter "Hover" thruster controls.
The large Quonset hut structure is a hangar with a door in the back which can be opened or closed using the G key.
The most unique feature of this ship is the ability to land anywhere on the deck or in the hangar. Only ships equipped to land and launch can do so but it’s pretty easy to add the capability to any ship.
Some of my fleet ships have built in controls that allow them to land and launch from within their cockpits. As of this writing the following ships can launch and land from their cockpits.
Viper prototype.
Colonial One
Sport Firefly.
QuadJ Assault Raptor.
New Keyboard commands for launch and land are:
J will launch from the battlestar or flattop. The battlestar will catapult you out but you need to leave under your own power to launch from the flatbed.
Ctrl J will land you on the flatbed.
Also included is a pop-up module that allows any ship with a fleet compatible attach point to launch from the battlestar and Flatbed or land on the Flatbed. I have included a modified config file for the DeltaGlider to demonstrate this feature.
To use the pop-up it must be set to active under the modules tab in Orbiter. Then use Ctrl F4 and select the RTF Control. There are two buttons Launch and Land.
You can land from any direction and anywhere on the deck, inside the hangar or in free space next to the flat bed. You must be within 500 meters of the center of the flatbed and you will be "snapped" to the same level as the deck. A land command is broadcast to all flatbeds so if you have two of them within 500 meters of each other you may have problems attaching as both will attempt to attach you.
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Cylon Raider MK-IIA
COMMAND KEYS
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1 & 2 Increase/Decrease FTL Jump Distance. Holding Ctrl down and or changing the FTL Factor will increase the increment amount. Increment is (1000meters, 1000000 with Ctrl key held down) multiplied by the FTL Factor
3 & 4 Increase/Decrease FTL Jump Factor
5 = Fires Guns
G = Release Bomb
K = open/close missile bays (The missiles bay must be fully open in order to extend the missile rack.)
Ctrl K = extend/retract missile rack. (The missiles racks must be fully extended in order to fire a missile.)
Ctrl G = Fire Missile
Re-Arming the Weapon hard points
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The bomb attach points are 0-5
The missile attach points are 6-11
NOTES
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If you take the Raider into space you will see that the missiles leave a trail just like in the TV show. Well not just like but as close as Orbiter can do.
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ATTACHMENT TUTORIAL !
How to add an attachment point to a non fleet model.
In some cases you may want to add the ability to launch and recover your own ship or some other non fleet ship like the Delta Glider or ShuttleA.
You can attach and launch just about any ship with a Parent attach point but you can only auto attach ships coded with the proper attachment ID. There are 4 types of attachment points IDs for the different locations within the launch bay. For lack of anything better I have called them Viper, Raptor and Colonial One points.
The Viper points are the Viper launch tubes and have an attachment ID of VAP.
The Raptor points are the two points behind the big bay doors and are coded APR.
The Colonial One is at the front of the bay and is coded APC.
If you want to add an attachment to a non-fleet ship config file it needs to be in this format.
BEGIN_ATTACHMENT
P 0 -2.5 0 0 0 -1 0 1 0 APR
END_ATTACHMENT
The first three numbers are the position and the first and third should be always be 0
The second number is is the height above ground.
The next 6 numbers should remain as in the example.
The last 3 letters are the ID and should be one of the following.
All IDs allow attachment to the flatbed.
VAP - Viper ID - Allows attachment to the battlestar Viper launch tubes and upper bay.
APR - Raptor ID - Allows attachment to the battlestar upper bay side and front points.
APC - Colonial One ID - Allows attachment to the battlestar upper bay front point.
APW - Allows the Battlestar to fleet jump the ship.
That’s it folks. Simple as baking a cake. That is if you bake with a text editor. Just for the curious. I used APR as the ID because the DG is just a tad to wide in the wings for the Viper launch tubes.
( Original text by Jon )
___________________________________BETA DEVELOPEMENT__________________________
Battlestar with both bays working.
Viper prototype.
Colonial One
Flatbed/Construction ship.
Sport Firefly.
QuadJ Assault Raptor.
Fleet compatable Delta Glider.
Also included is a pop-up module that allows any ship with a fleet compatible attach point to launch from the battlestar and Flatbed or land on the flaatbed. I have included a modified config file for the DeltaGlider to demonstrate this feature.
To use the pop-up it must be set to active under the modules tab in Orbiter. Then use Ctrl F4 and select the RTF Control. There are two buttons Launch and Land.
The following ships can launch and land from their cockpits.
Viper prototype.
Colonial One
Sport Firefly.
QuadJ Assault Raptor.
New Keyboard commands for launch and land are:
J will launch from the battlestar or flatbed. The battlestar will catapult you out but you need to leave under your own power to launch from the flatbed.
Ctrl J will land you on the flatbed. You can land from any direction and anywhere on the deck, inside the hangar or in free space next to the flat bed. You must be within 500 meters of the center of the flatbed and you will be “snapped” to the same level as the deck. A land command is broadcast to all flatbeds so if you have two of them within 500 meters of each other you may have problems attaching as both will attempt to attach you.
