Automated Ship Startup

[Exigeous]

While I love startup routines in sims the startup test built into Elite gets old pretty fast. I ran across the video below of a commander using some sort of VoiceAttack script to enable each of his modules one by one. Any idea what he did to set this up? A custom script per ship that shuts things down (powers them off) and then later brings them back online (power them up)? I'd think you'd have to have a script per ship/build since you wouldn't have the same number of modules depending on weapon loadout.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igDKYUiq53Q

Any ideas gents??

~X

 

[[VR] Enexemander]

You can turn off the startup test in the right hand panel. I think it's called preflight check, or similar?

 

[Gunnet]

I'd love the ability to fully power down ships and then start them from cold and dark via a process more complex than "press button to go". Obviously Elite will never go full DCS with ship systems (as much as it would suit me personally), but a few extra touches to make ships actually feel like complex machines couldn't go astray.

As for the video; it definitely looks like the script is just turning the HUD on and then hitting the appropriate keystrokes to go down the list turning modules on one by one. Incidentally, I do rather enjoy turning the HUD off while landed and for in-cockpit screenshots.

 

[drzdeano]

Yeh, it would be pritty cool if you could power the ship down completely, to eliminate it's heat signature.

I would imagine it would take a few minutes to go completely cold, but it would mean your ship cannot be targetted or picked up on scanners, like skimmers.

 

[Exigeous]

You can turn off the startup test in the right hand panel. I think it's called preflight check, or similar?

Uh yeah, thanks, as you pretty much learn that in your first few hours of game play I've had that shut off for the last 650 hours I've flown.

it definitely looks like the script is just turning the HUD on and then hitting the appropriate keystrokes to go down the list turning modules on one by one. Incidentally, I do rather enjoy turning the HUD off while landed and for in-cockpit screenshots.

I agree but do you think first when he starts a session he turns everything off then back on? If you exit game with your HUD off when you restart it'll be back on. I'm not sure if the module power works this way, will test shortly, but if they do I wouldn't think he's open game, run a script to shut down only to run another to put it back on.

I too fly with my HUD off much of the time, probably 25% or more. Not only is it good for screenshots but for things like Witch Space or sightseeing. I play in VR so turning the HUD off in many ways adds even more immersion.

 

[GreyAreaUK]

Yeh, it would be pritty cool if you could power the ship down completely, to eliminate it's heat signature.

I would imagine it would take a few minutes to go completely cold, but it would mean your ship cannot be targetted or picked up on scanners, like skimmers.

A bit like this (although I'm not sure what happened to this since Ars took a look):

[video=youtube;TGFlrRfVeNA]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGFlrRfVeNA[/video]

 

[Loskene]

Startup routines are cool and all, but aren't these ships by this time supposed to be more like cars of the future rather than aircraft? As in you actually are just expected to hop in and press the go button, the onboard computer handles the rest.

 

[777Driver]

While I love startup routines in sims the startup test built into Elite gets old pretty fast. I ran across the video below of a commander using some sort of VoiceAttack script to enable each of his modules one by one. Any idea what he did to set this up? A custom script per ship that shuts things down (powers them off) and then later brings them back online (power them up)? I'd think you'd have to have a script per ship/build since you wouldn't have the same number of modules depending on weapon loadout.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igDKYUiq53Q

Any ideas gents??

~X

Hey Exigeous,

I made that video a while back, just one of the many weird VA commands I built for fun. It is actually very simple, just recording the keystrokes, enabling disabling modules, setting PIPS etc... Got a ton of stuff like that including auto launch from planets, FA-OFF autopilot etc. Just weird experiments.

Edit - Was I supposed to send you that profile a while back? Apologies if so, a few ppl asked me for a copy a while back, completely forgot. Am away on business in the UK at the moment.

 

[Shiro Akai]

Hm... maybe I'm weird but full power down and full startup procedure when I'm staying literally 3 minutes on a landing pad is a bit of an overkill. (Side note: kudos to the ground fork lift crews that are able to unload and load 68t of cargo within that time. You nameless guys rock!). When I go into the station I rather go "idle", all systems are green and ready. Quick mission check, star map glance. Maybe commodity market visit and off we go. To the next station.

But.

When I'm going to log out - that's the whole different story. It'd be nice to completely shut off the ship. So upon logging in I'd have to perform one time full startup. that be ... immersive.

 

[777Driver]

When I'm going to log out - that's the whole different story. It'd be nice to completely shut off the ship. So upon logging in I'd have to perform one time full startup. that be ... immersive.

I initially created that script for bootup on initial logon and shutdown at the end of a session. The majority of time I use it for stealth purposes in open.. Drifting FA-OFF into stations iced up (a fast thruster bootup variation)

 

[Exigeous]

A bit like this (although I'm not sure what happened to this since Ars took a look):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGFlrRfVeNA

If I get one thing from this thread and it's that I now know about Rogue System I'll be happy. Definitely need to do some looking at that!

Startup routines are cool and all, but aren't these ships by this time supposed to be more like cars of the future rather than aircraft? As in you actually are just expected to hop in and press the go button, the onboard computer handles the rest.

Fair point and being clear I wouldn't want something like this to be mandatory, certainly not for everyone. I do think that even in the distant future there will be more than just "Go" buttons as even with future tech there still will be a number of systems. Think of aircraft now, we've had near a century of aviation and even on the most basic planes procedures are extremely important.

I made that video a while back, just one of the many weird VA commands I built for fun. It is actually very simple, just recording the keystrokes, enabling disabling modules, setting PIPS etc... Got a ton of stuff like that including auto launch from planets, FA-OFF autopilot etc. Just weird experiments.

Edit - Was I supposed to send you that profile a while back? Apologies if so, a few ppl asked me for a copy a while back, completely forgot. Am away on business in the UK at the moment.

Oh no worries at all, I'm very comfortable with VA and have made a number of my own commands too. Question - so I get how this would be built for startup but how do you get everything turned off? If you shut down at the end of a session does it stay that way when you come back?

I initially created that script for bootup on initial logon and shutdown at the end of a session. The majority of time I use it for stealth purposes in open.. Drifting FA-OFF into stations iced up (a fast thruster bootup variation)

This is exactly what I'm looking for as well.

 

[777Driver]

Question - so I get how this would be built for startup but how do you get everything turned off? If you shut down at the end of a session does it stay that way when you come back?

Everything remains shut down until I do a manual or automated startup, only exception is HUD & Flight assist status, the startup script takes those two items into account.

To turn everything ON/OFF I use recorded macros and manually fine tune the procedure in voice attack (computer voice callouts/timings between module changes)

It is possible to make a much more advanced script, I was just experimenting in that video. Currently have an auto start/shutdown built into all my larger ships now. Have something crazy like 4000 + Voice & Ship commands :-/

Voice attack is like a game in itself, the mind is the only limit to what you can do.

 

[jgm]

Trouble with powering up the ship in this way is you're then stuck on the pad for the next little while waiting for your shields to recharge. But if people enjoy it, then hey.

 

[Loskene]

Fair point and being clear I wouldn't want something like this to be mandatory, certainly not for everyone. I do think that even in the distant future there will be more than just "Go" buttons as even with future tech there still will be a number of systems. Think of aircraft now, we've had near a century of aviation and even on the most basic planes procedures are extremely important.

True that, but not everyone owns a plane. If I were to run with the car analogy, a bit over a century of that and we now have cars that drive themselves with no input from the driver at all. Now by Elite times they're supposed to have over a thousand years of space travel and starship design under their belts. It seems like the only reason we even have pilots at all is either for the sheer fun of it or because artificial intelligence is illegal. I wonder if it had anything to do with all those self-driving cars in the 21st century...

 

[777Driver]

It seems like the only reason we even have pilots at all is either for the sheer fun of it or because artificial intelligence is illegal. I wonder if it had anything to do with all those self-driving cars in the 21st century...

There seems to be a bit of confusion surrounding this, sentient machines are prohibited in ED lore, high levels of automation is completely different.

 

[Loskene]

There seems to be a bit of confusion surrounding this, sentient machines are prohibited in ED lore, high levels of automation is completely different.

Tell that to my nonexistant autopilot :V

 

[Exigeous]

Everything remains shut down until I do a manual or automated startup....

Ah, nice - I haven't time to test yet but will very soon.

....Have something crazy like 4000 + Voice & Ship commands :-/

I've written a lot but no where near that much. Care to share any special ones? (as in explaining, not really code). I have a few cool ones myself:
- Computer Lights (controls my HUE lighting)
- Amy, launch my fighter (I named my VA Voice Amy, first girl I had a crush on at 5 yrs old)
- Amy, attack target (and many others to issue commands to her)
- Share Screenshot (ShareX grabs active window, uploads to Imgur, grabs the URL and pastes it into Discord)
- Pause Motion (pauses my motion seat/platform)

Voice attack is like a game in itself, the mind is the only limit to what you can do.

In a lot of ways I don't think it gets the credit it deserves. People see it as an add-on for Elite or Star Citizen when in reality it's a powerful scripting language that happens to have voice input.

Trouble with powering up the ship in this way is you're then stuck on the pad for the next little while waiting for your shields to recharge. But if people enjoy it, then hey.

Yeah, that's fair but I don't generally lift off immediately without thinking about what I'm going to be doing. Even then shields are usually back strong enough for you to lift off and get into Supercruise or FSD where they'll charge very quickly.