Reentry - An Orbital Simulator

[Asid]

Reentry has been updated to version 0.82: CSM & LM improvements, VR for Apollo
Fri, 27 August 2021



Reentry has been updated from version 0.81 to 0.82. This "minor" update improves a lot of systems and functionality in the CSM and the journey to the Moon. Some improvements on the TEI tool has been made but still seeing some reports of strange behavior as you enter Earth SOI.

You can always revert to a previous version by changing the branch in Steam in case you are having problems with this update, To do this, use the Steam Beta tab under properties.

Some of the features you will see in 0.82 are:
- Two new Lunar Module Crew Member features to aid in Rendezvous and Docking after Lunar Ascent
- New F2 external view camera with fixed attitude (not relative to spacecraft rotation) to aid in maneuvering, docking and so on. Only available in Apollo for now. A radio button selector lets you select between free camera and orbit
- Entry Monitor System improvements
- Long Press on the EMS increase and decrease, and for the Attitude Set Control panel added. Hold mouse button for >1 second to adjust instead of spamming the mouse buttons.
- New DSKY circuit logic and rendering has been added to the AGC and LGC.
-> Made the DSKY v2 relay clicking sfx optional so you can disable it if you wish
- Improved the Lunar Module Quad Heater logic and temperature methods
- Made the CSM Numbers Selector functional. You can now use it to change brightness of the DSKY rendering
- S-IC, S-II, S-IVB fuel calculation changes
- CSM: LV PRESS changes and updates to gauges
- DSKY Live Feed exports as strings and not integers. Blanks will now be "" and not 0.
- PGNS bug on Lunar Surface where jets would get stuck is fixed
- TrackIR sensitivity bug in the CSM and LM corrected
- Moon Tessellation Settings for increased performance on some computers (if you struggle with fps around the moon)
- File based camera tooling, you can now modify where default cameras are set
- Minor needle shake when engines are burning on the various analogue gauges in the cockpit.
- Fixed the Gemini Space Walk campaign mission
- Fixed the CSM SCS roll stutter issue and general SCS attitude logic
- Mercury has received some upgrades on the MA-6 mission, still work to be done but should not be a blocker anymore
- Faster camera transitions in cockpit views.
- Moved the default camera points for astronauts in the CSM and LM to their correct head positions.
- TEI Planner prevents the insertion of values below 1.1.
- Apollo Moon Map legend and coloring changes
- AGC Light Test changes
- AGC warning light bulb color corrections
- VR for Apollo
- VR: Gaze Cursor
- VR: Mission Pad menu
- VR: Mission Command Subtitles
- VR: Checklist Guide Panel
- VR: Change Camera view using the left thumbstick
- VR: Apollo - use motion controllers as joysticks for attitude and translation control
- VR: Added mission subtitles to Apollo, these can be disabled from the VR settings on the Main Menu.

As this update has been in testing, the code-base has had a two week feature lockdown. With the release out, I will work on some 0.82 patches that has been reported the last couple of days, and will start to focus on the 0.83 update that has its main intent, in addition of bug fixes, of adding the Apollo CSM ECS system, gyro drift error, cabin pressurization, and improvements around the Mercury ECS system.

If you need information about VR for Apollo, check this post:
https://steamcommunity.com/games/882140/announcements/detail/2968417243128902621

If you are curious about the larger plan of this project, please check this post. You will also find the roadmap here:
https://steamcommunity.com/games/882140/announcements/detail/2963917519737693263

In this post I wish to share my thoughts on the journey ahead, and what to expect. Keep in mind that this is a plan, and it might change.

[Asid]

Reentry has been updated to 0.83: CSM ECS, Gyro Drift, bugfixes!
Thu, 21 October 2021



The latest update primarily contains a lot of bug fixes for Gemini and Apollo, in addition to the CSM ECS and IMU Gyro Drift. The following post will cover the details of this build.

Gemini RCS Physics

One of the bigger fixes this upgrade has is the rewrite of the RCS logic and jet physics for the Gemini spacecraft. Previously, the RCS and LV gimbal systems has made it impossible for some to reach orbit, or use the RCS due to it being overpowered. This was because of an issue with the attitude control physics implementation. Most players on either powerful PCs or PCs below the minimum requirements especially saw this issue, but it has been present for all.

Public Issue Tracker

I have been working with the Test Pilots on setting up a public issue tracker that you can use to see what bugs has been reported, and what has been fixed or is waiting for release to EA.

This is a board that is started from scratch, so it does not yet contain all the issues. The Steam and Discord moderators will be adding tasks to this board as things are reported.

You can find the board here:
https://trello.com/b/PHdetNmC/public-issue-tracker

Apollo CSM Environmental Control System

The biggest new feature of this update is the complete rewrite of the CSM ECS. It is the first of many iterations of it, and the intention of this first release of it is to get the procedures in place, the major features, and see how it all works together. As you can imagine, a lot of things functions together here and needs to become solid both during normal operation, and while time scaling. Once stable, I will iterate and go deeper in more specific areas of it.



It's a beautifully complex system that interacts with a huge loop of equipment to function correctly. The Oxygen Supply System is responsible for providing oxygen to the pressurized suit circuit (PSC), pressurizing the cabin, the water and water-glycol tanks in the water and coolant subsystems, while the heat exchanger in the PSC provides temperature control and to work with the water accumulators to pick up humidity from the oxygen the crew has been breathing. This water is then supplied to the evaporators for thermal control in the glycol loops, and so on.

In short, the ECS does the following primary tasks:
- Spacecraft atmosphere control
- Water management
- Thermal control

Read on.... https://steamcommunity.com/games/882140/announcements/detail/2998826055797211847

[Asid]

MOCR Monday: Mission Controllers needed!
Tue, 9 November 2021



Announcing MOCR Monday!

The Mercury Control Center (MCC) and the Apollo Mission Operation Control Room (MOCR) multiplayer modules are currently in alpha testing and will gain focus as Reentry passes the 1.0 milestone, and the journey towards 2.0 begins. Before this I want to get as much network-programming experience and testing of the multiplayer implementation, while at the same time I have noticed many of you are looking for scheduled Mission Control sessions to join.

I'm therefore happy to announce that we are planning on running official MOCR/MCC sessions on Mondays (as a start) at 19:30 UTC+1 / CET.
We will take the learnings from these organized sessions to schedule more at different time zones and days. Maybe you want to help? See bottom for details.

What we wish to do is to create low key sessions for all who wants to get started learning about being a Mission Controller in Reentry for both the Mercury Control Center (MCC) and Apollo Mission Operations Control Room (MOCR), or those of you who have experience from previous sessions, wants a challenge, or wants to teach others to become a mission controller.

We will use the #mocr-monday channel on Discord for this, so check this channel for details (http://discord.gg/reentrygame). The flight plan, session planning and discussions for hosted session will take place there, as well as deciding if we run MCC or MOCR, or even both, based on interest.

The mission and goal will be designed by the MOCR Monday team. The intent is that we will set up a mission, and will need a crew to execute it. The level of difficulty and numbers of issues, if any, will be designed based on the level of experience of the players who have joined. Each session will be designed to last for about 1 - 2 hours.

We plan to execute this in an agile way. We do not need a full room to execute a session, but it would be great if we could decide in the channel on what role you want to have ahead of time. However, if someone wants to just drop in last minute or grab a role that is available when we start, feel free to. If we have enough to fill a room, great, if we are more than the capacity, we will set up multiple sessions or do them in queue.

The MOCR roles are:
- BOOSTER
- RETRO
- FDO
- GUIDANCE
- CAPCOM
- EECOM
- GNC
- TELMU
- CONTROL
- ASSISTANT FLIGHT
- FLIGHT

The MCC roles are:
- MISSILE TELEMETRY
- ENVIRONMENT
- SYSTEMS
- FDO
- RETRO
- CAPCOM
- FLIGHT

By joining multiplayer these sessions you will learn a lot on how to be a mission controller, follow a flight plan, lead a group, how to monitor data and react to anomality's. The astronaut will experience how it is to have a team behind the mission, and get help and guidance throughout the mission.

Want to help?

We are looking for volunteers who want to join the community who will help organize these sessions. Each week we will create a new mission or re-run a previous mission, all based on the availability of the volunteers. Also, based on availability on various time zones or days, we might even be able to set up sessions on other days and time zones. Please reach out on http://discord.gg/reentrygame if you want to help!

So, how can I prepare?

We want the sessions to be as easy as possible for anyone to join, and we are looking for first-timers to join this as well, so don't be afraid to join. You do not need much experience, but you should be familiar with the mechanics of Reentry - An Orbital Simulator, and have some experience with the spacecraft.

Other optional suggestions and sources of information are:
1) Watch the "A brief tour around the Apollo Mission Control Center aka. MOCR" video I created to get familiar with the multiplayer mechanics, and MOCR itself
YouTube™ Video: A brief tour around the Apollo Mission Control Center aka. MOCR




In this video (originally a Twitch stream) I will walk you through some of the key features of the Apollo Mission Control Center aka.


2) Check the Mercury Control Center and Apollo MOCR Reentry manuals:
https://reentrygame.com/manuals

3) Join the discussions over at Discord!

[Asid]

Update Notes for patch 0.8311.EA
Tue, November 9, 2021

The 0.8311.EA minor patch contains the following fixes:

- Added 2 "spectator spots" for MOCR.
- Corrected the logic on the RCS TRNFR switch on middle portion of MDC and made it spring loaded so it will return to center after setting it up or down.
- Minor changes to the Academy
- Fixed the CSM SUIT COMP panel textures from ON to OFF in center position
- Changed the label of the RCS TRNFR switch up position from ON to CM
- Fixed the Apollo Mission Editor so that the hour can be set to a 3 digit value instead of just two
- Removed the bug that allowed you to set the GLYCOL EVAP TEMP IN sw to center.
- Corrected the REPRESS PKG label typo in the CSM

VR
- Fixed the VR gaze cursor reference to easier reach things above you and your eye-level
- Fixed the VR subtitles always on issue
- Improved the VR laser pointer in Apollo to avoid it being invisible when not targeting a switch

Note:
The additional spectator seats in MOCR is to create a larger room for "MOCR Monday" and allow people who wants to learn how to be a Mission Controller to oversee the session, as well as those who wants to stream the session for those who want to watch.

[Asid]

Updates to MOCR Monday! Season 2 started. Two events: one for US and one for EU
Mon, 10 January 2022



I'm happy to announce that MOCR Monday now has expanded to having two hosted sessions, one for the EU timezone, and one for the US timezone.

Curious of what MOCR Monday is?
Reentry - An Orbital Simulator AnnouncementTue, 9 November 2021
MOCR Monday: Mission Controllers needed!
Announcing MOCR Monday! The Mercury Control Center (MCC) and the Apollo Mission Operation Control Room (MOCR) multiplayer modules are currently in alpha testing and will gain...  https://steamcommunity.com/games/882140/announcements/detail/3072012083349984264


The first Season of MOCR Monday is complete. This season had one scheduled session in the EU timezone every Monday where an Apollo 10 style mission and a Mercury orbital mission was completed over 10 "MOCR Monday" sessions.



The first season was all about testing and improving the network logic in addition to improving systems and bugs in the spacecrafts. MOCR Monday lets real players monitor systems and spacecraft behavior, making it an ideal tool for developing the spacecrafts.
The first half of the sessions had a lot of connectivity and technical networking issues. I was able to gather and analyze a lot of data and monitor network load/timeout data in real-time. Some of the major issues has been solved and for the last few MOCR Monday sessions, we have had zero timeout issues and very stable sessions. Thanks to everyone who as joined or tried to join a session, as this has been a critical factor on solving some of the basic networking logic issues needed to have more reliable and stable sessions.

MOCR Monday Season 2 has started and we welcome everybody to participate. You do not need to have been part of the season before, or have joined a previous session, to be able to join. Even if a session is a continuation from the previous session, the roles and participants will change. The veteran and high level players has always been helpful if new and inexperienced players has joined, so do not be afraid, it's all fun! Each Season will have a major mission focus such as for example doing an Apollo 11 or Apollo 8 missions, where each session will continue from where the crew left of last time. One episode might be ascent and LEO insertion, while the next will be TLI, etc.


So when are the MOCR Monday events hosted?
Every Monday at:
- EU: 18:30 UTC
- US: 00:00 UTC (5 hours 30mins after the EU time)

Feel like participating or watching one of the streams for the events, or want to get into the details of the event? Checkout the #mocr-monday channel on the Reentry Discord where all the event planning and execution takes place: http://discord.gg/reentrygame

Thanks to all the volunteers who are making this happen!

[Asid]

Reentry has been updated to 0.86 - Guidance, Ascents, Systems, Physics
Thu, 3 February 2022



Reentry has been updated to 0.86! I know this update is way overdue and that it has been a good while since the previous update, but it comes packed with a lot of good things.

The 0.86 update is all about iterating on existing systems, tools and game mechanics. Below is the list of the main aspects of the update, and a list of other issues that has been fixed. Keep in mind that this is an update that dives deep into the core of the game, so you might encounter issues or strange things. Please let me know of these on Discord - it's easy to revert back to 0.85 if you wish, see below.

Thanks to the Test Pilots, Alpha-Floor testers and everyone else who has reported issues or has provided suggestions.

Major changes in the Command Module IMU and inertial platform, and P01 alignment

When you prepare the CSM/Saturn V for launch, you typically start by running P01. This will align the platform with the planned launch Azimuth. This entire program has been rewritten to reflect some major changes in the IMU.
Note: You should never use timescale during P01.

You should no longer experience that alignment rotates multiple times, and during ascent, the FDAI attitude will typically start at 90 degrees pitch and move down towards 0, heads down. Earlier you might have seen this moving towards 180 degrees, but still heads down and correct way. This was due to an issue internally in the IMU logic, leading to quite a few strange "180 degree roll" issues scattered around the entire mission in the CM.


FDAI during P11 - notice the heads down and pitch relative to 0 and 30 degrees



FDAI during P01


Major changes in the LVDC (Saturn V computer) used during ascent and TLI

A similar update to the CM IMUs is seen in the LVDC. The ascent guidance logic has been change, as well as how it behaves both before and during TLI. It should now much more precisely hold the attitude during TLI burns (less ping/pong), and the TLI calculations and guidance has received a huge level up. Still far to go on the TLI burns but a good step in the right direction.


Saturn V during Liftoff by YourHistorian



The S-IVB holding attitude through the IU/LVDC


Improved LM P12 ascent logic

The LM ascent guidance has been improved. This is executed by P12 after liftoff from the Lunar Surface. The thruster issue where a thruster could get stuck firing for long periods of time has also been fixed, and the entire staging mechanism has been fixed so the ascent stage and the descent stage will separate (you should no longer be able to lift-off with the descent legs still attached, even if you have properly separated from it).

Apollo Maneuver Planner improvements

The Maneuver Planner has received a lot of internal changes. The Maneuver Planner has been made context aware, and has received preliminary support to plan LM DPS burns. It tries to automatically take the weight into account (CSM only, CSM+LM, LM only, LM ascent stage, ..) to calculate the burn time. To create LM maneuvers, open it with the LM as the active craft, and for CM maneuvers, open it in the CM as the active craft as previously.


CM and LM jet physics improvements

The CM and LM jet physics has been improved to reduce the ping/pong effect between the configured deadband (DAP setup). It also reads the DAP setup to better calculate thrusting durations to compensate rates into desired, within the deadband. It should still ping/pong but stabilize and be able to hold the attitude much better than before. Most of this work has taken place in the PGNCS (CM) and the PNGS (LM).

R62 - Crew Defined Maneuver and R03 - DAP Setup

On both the Apollo Guidance System (AGC) and the Lunar Guidance System (LGC), V49E will now realistically call R62. R62 is Routine 62, and will require a few more steps than before.
The CM Academy Lesson: AGC & AUTOMANEUVERING has been rewritten and updated to cover the R03 and R62. I highly suggest you to retake this lesson.

The earlier procedures was to manually change N18 to the desired attitude and execute with V49E. Now V49E must first be called to run R62. R62 will first show N22 where the desired attitude should be inserted/accepted, then N22 is copied to N18 and V50 N18 will require a PRO to start the maneuver. The CSM will have a direct mapping from N22 to N18 as both nouns are RPY. In the LM, N22 is YPR, while N18 is RPY. This is an important detail to know about.

The DAP setup has been improved with more options. A DAP setup checklist exists for both the LM and the CM, so you can follow this to set up your desired automaneuvering parameters.
To do this, key V48E to start R03. This will first ask you to input the DAP setup strings into R1 and R2. Proceed will ask you to enter weights. These weights are used to calculate jet thrusting. A new circular button named "Request Weights Data" has been added to the CM and the LM. This will give you the weights you need to input into the DAP Load. This should be frequently updated.
- New/updates checklists are available for the CM and the LM for R62

V34E will terminate any running Routine. If you run a routine without completing it, strange things might happen, so use V34E if you experience this.




Lunar Guidance Computer

P30 has been updated for the LGC to reflect the latest changes, and P40 has been added to execute DPS burns. P52 opt. 1 has also been added to let you align the inertial platform with the preferred burn direction.
Added support for V24 and V25 (AGC and LGC)

Apollo Guidance Computer

Added support for V24 and V25 (AGC and LGC)

Command Module Electrical System updates

I have rewired and change some logic related to the DC busses internally. Some strange behavior in the EPS related to the batteries, battery busses and the flight bus has been located to these issues that now has been fixed.

    Panel 275 FLT/PL bus cbs incorrectly appear to affect battery availability entirely (DC Voltmeter reads zero on bat a/b if the FLT/PL Bat Bus A/B CBs are open)
    EDS appears to be non-functional if Panel 275 FLT/PL BatA/B cb open



Command Module "Cold & Dark" updates

Some of the checklists and runnable steps has been updated to make the C&D setup better. Some circuit breakers was easily missed if running the checklist, and some things has been added to the activation checklists. More improvements will be made here as we have an ongoing C&D focus group in the #alpha-floor channel on Discord. If this is your thing, feel free to join!



CM SPS Injector Valves

The SPS injector valves should now be visible and functional depending on the system you use to ignite the SPS. All 4 valves should point towards the right when closed, and left when open (burning).



Improved Gemini Rendezvous burn calculations

The rendezvous burn has received some improvements to make the rendezvous burn more precise.


Gemini on its way to LEO - by YourHistorian


Improving the Checklist Guide

Checklist System has now received support for naming the labels. Myself and contributors are working on adding this data to the new system. This allows the Checklist Guide show you "Set ASCS to AUTO" instead of "Set ASCS to Left", or "Set DC VOLTS to Main Bus A" instead of "Set DC VOLTS to 4" etc.

The PRO button has been rebound to B instead of T (due to a conflict in the Lunar Module ROD) and the PRO label in the button has been replaced with a check-icon.



Unit Standardization to Imperial

Started to standardize everything to imperial (nautical miles, pounds, feet). This is a huge task and will be an ongoing process as many missions still refer to this. The main radio comms and tools should be updated in this patch. If you stumble upon a place that uses Metric (except for the console and some orbital mechanics readings), please report them so I can convert it.

Experiment: Preserve field of view on the different cockpit cameras (CSM only)

I have started to test a common request by users. This is that the field of view is preserved between camera changes in the CSM only. As usual, double-click the middle mouse button (wheel) to reset it whenever you want.
I think the next step in this experiment will be to also preserve the camera orientation. This will let you move from the COAS to the AGC and back without having to readjust both orientation and zoom.
Let me know what you thing about this idea. It could be a setting that is toggleable.


Earth seen through the CSM window by JFast


Not finding your resolution?

I started the work to try and find the issue that prevents some users to find their monitor resolutions. If you are one of them, please try to use the new console command to list all detected resolutions and see if you find it there. During alpha-testing, this has made the missing resolution appear (more data needed). If not, you can use the tool to set the resolution directly.

Added a command to list the detected resolutions supported by your monitor:
s -resolution -list


Added a command to the console for setting a screen resolution (test).
The command is:
s -resolution w h fullscreen

Example:
s -resolution 1920 1080 1

This will set it to 1920x1080 in fullscreen

Being blocked in this version compared to the 0.85?

Use the BETAs page on the game properties in Steam to switch back to the 0.85 branch, I have stored it there.
Note: A branch containing an old version can be deprecated at any time for various reasons.

Other bugfixes:

In the list below I have stripped away most of the things covered above.
For a full history, see the alpha-floor thread: https://steamcommunity.com/app/882140/discussions/0/3118160027737663624/

Mercury

    Lots of Mercury checklist updates
    Mercury Checklist Dictionary updates


Gemini

    Lots of Gemini checklist updates
    Gemini Checklist Dictionary updates
    Checks for the retro burn circuit breakers


Apollo: Command Module

    DAP is now integrated with the save state
    Fixed so that P40 automatically sets the deadband to 0.5, overriding the DAP
    ASCP/ATT SET tw should now go between 0 - 359 again
    ATT SET 180 roll offset hot fix
    New CSM checklists and section changes
    Fixed multiple typos in the Virtual Cockpit labels
    Huge CSM ECS rebalancing
    Changes to the CSM T&D checklists and removed the old deprecated NO LM version
    Updated the CSM Deorbit and Entry lesson
    The Burn Planner should now prevent interaction with the panel behind it
    Fixed so MOCR renders the CSM attitude rates in deg/s instead of rad/s
    TLI calculated dV should now be visible in the MOCR RTCC program, previously it rendered as zero
    Fixed the time to SOI in TLI tool and MOCR, it used the wrong calc and was showing time to LOI or time to return SOI instead. This explains the 49h vs 60h seen in MOCR Monday.
    Fixed so the Apollo Current Objective tool does not get stuck on drogue and chute deploy. Corrected a couple of other states that had the same issue as this.
    Changed the CSM RCS Command switch to a spring switch. Both this and the SM Transfer switches should now be spring loaded
    LOI and SPS burn physics fixes
    TLI burn physics fixes



Apollo: Lunar Module

    DAP is now integrated with the save state
    Removed the red band on the Thrust Indictor. It should be all yellow.
    Fixed multiple typos in the Virtual Cockpit labels
    LM Water Separator caut lt fix
    Fixed so the LM Event Timer Seconds-Units increase it with 1 and not 10 seconds.
    The Burn Planner should now prevent interaction with the panel behind it
    Added Helium regulators instructions to the LM descent and ascent lessons
    Fixed so the ascent stage does not lift off with the descent legs (visual issue), if unable to ignite due to He pressure. A race condition made it partially "possible". Thanks, good find folks!
    Made some fixes with the He pressurization on the LM RCS, as well as oxid/fuel consumption.
    Made some tweaks to the RCS quantity indicators
    LM DSKY remains lit when powered off

[Asid]

Update Notes for patch 0.8617.EA
Thu, 10 February 2022

Reentry has been patched to version 0.8617.EA.



The following changes has been made:

    Corrected the CSM Deorbit lesson with regards to some redundant procedures related to the introduction of a more realistic R62
    Corrected some Gemini states with regards to retro AUTO and MAN cbs to be closed
    Corrected so that loading a Gemini Save State wont spawn you back on the pad
    Fixed some issues with the loading screen and change its design, this is just the first iteration, more changes will arrive soon.
    Corrected the LSM-bug where the Lunar Module would magically spawn inside the SM when performing a CM/SM separation
    Corrected so that the Gemini capsule wont flip upside down when landing. A default collider was added by accident, causing inbalance in the buyonancy logic
    Fixed some more unit conversions from metric to imperial. Keep reporting them when you see them!
    Fixed the IU logic to correctly disable the liftoff light and the no abort light in the CSM
    Fixed some logic related to the NO AUTO ABORT lt in the CSM
    Corrected the NO AUTO ABORT lt, and the LV ENGINES status light colors (red/amber)
    Made some more change to the TLI guidance logic in the IU/LVDC.

[Asid]

Reentry has been updated to 0.87 - Tools, Checklist Guidance, Free Play missions
Sun, 27 February 2022



This patch is all about improving the data and in-game experience, and is a preparation for the upcoming 0.9-update series. In addition, multiple bug reports has been corrected since the previous patch. It will come with new tools to create checklists and improve the in-game data, and prepare for language support. The game engine (Unity) has also been upgraded to a new version. Due to the critical changes, this might bring some side-effects. If you experience this, please report them so I can fix them, and if needed, you can always revert to the 0.86 build through the Steam betas tab in the games properties.

Simpler to create checklists

I improved the checklist creation tool for all supported spacecrafts. The checklist tool is available from the in-game menu and can be used to create new custom checklists.



A new toggle is available in the tool to automatically append a procedurally generated checklist based on the available RUN steps. You can open the image in full by pressing it to learn the details.
 


To create a new checklist, use the tool from the in-game menu. Then add an optional checklist text that will be visible when the checklist is opened. If the automatic checklist generator is enabled, the procedural steps will be added below this text.

The STEPS page supports recording the previous switch that has been interacted with, a manual step that requires the player to press the checkmark button on the Checklist Guide UI to proceed, and a Text Only field that will only be used to render custom text, line breaks, headers etc, into the automatic checklist generator. Text Only will only be used when rendering the checklist itself.


Cockpit dictionary

Improved the Mercury, Gemini, Command Module and Lunar Module cockpit dictionary data structure. This now supports automatically creating checklists from the RUN steps. This is the data that will be used when a checklist is automatically generated, or by the Checklist Guide UI.

In the image below, notice that the actual switch position labels are used instead of "Left/Right/Up/Down/Middle". This also applies to the selectors, to prevent it from asking you to "set DC VOLTS to 4" etc.



I have completed adding all the switches for the Mercury, Gemini, Apollo Command Module and the Lunar Module into the dictionary, as well as each of the possible positions for every switch, circuit breakers and selectors.

A cockpit dictionary tool for advanced users has been added to each of the available spacecrafts and can be opened from the Create Checklist option in the in-game menu. This will toggle a simple tool that will show the data of the switch you interacted with last such as its Display Name and the possible labels. Warning: This has direct write access to the dictionary so any changes made here will be applied to your own local checklist.


Pre-Backup Crew Ingress panel configuration (checklist)

Created a checklist using the automatic checklist generator that contains a list of the entire Command Module panel configuration for Backup Crew Ingress, as seen on page 380:

This checklist can be used to verify the entire cockpit configuration for C&D setup and Backup Crew Ingress.


New Apollo Free Play missions

Added two new Apollo Free Play Missions, one for Backup Crew Ingress (continues from the panel state set by the above checklist) and one for Prime Crew Ingress (continues from the completion of the Backup Crew checklists). The old C&D mission is still available and can be used to set up the cockpit as Ground Crew, before Backup Crew Ingress.
 



AGC/LGC DSKY input improvements

I also added support into the LGC and AGC for "shorter" inputs, so the logic adds leading zeros. For example, if you want to enter +00001 into P52, R2 (to align IMU with pref), you previously had to Key V37E 52E V22E +00001E. Now you can Key V37E 52E V22E +1E and it will translate into 00001.
Another example is during V49. Say you want to maneuver to 0, 90, 0, but all registers had something in it and would need to be replaced. Previously you had to key V25E and then +00000E +09000E +00000E to set all the registers.

Now you can simplify this:
V49E V25E +0E +9000E +0E
vs
V49E V25E +00000E +09000E +00000E




Cockpit Cursor changes

The cockpit cursor will now render the switch you are currently hovering and interacting with by looking up data data from the Checklist Dictionary. I have also supplied all the remaining data for the Mercury, Gemini, Command Module and Lunar Module spacecrafts.
 





0.9 preparations

A lot of internal changes has been made to the game as well. The rendering engine (Unity) has been upgraded to a newer version, and I have moved a lot of the hardcoded text data for Mercury, Gemini and Apollo, as well as the Main Menu, into files that can be localized/translated. Translation tools has also been made available from the CONTRIBUTE-screen on main menu. These tools are there just for testing while they are being developed and is only considered for advanced users.


LC39 exhibition


 
In celebration of the Reentry Discord server hitting 2000 members, I decided to release a fun little side-thing. You will now find a new Main Menu option called EXHIBITIONS. This will give you first-person (FPS) view of the dev-environment I have been using to test some 3d models. In this case I will let you walk around and explore the Apollo-era Launch Complex 39A in first person. Keep in mind this is almost a direct dev-tool, and is not a big priority for Reentry - An Orbital Simulator. You will fall through the floor, and there are not much that will prevent you from venturing towards the infinity - it's just a fun little thing for those interested. If you press ESC during the experience, you will find a RESPAWN button, and some other settings you might enjoy.

How fast can you climb the stairs? Who knows, maybe other "digital museum"-like experiences will reach this menu too?

Thanks to everyone who are part of the Reentry Discord community!

Other bugfixes and improvements

•   Corrected the inverted burn direction in the CSM when returning home, after TEI burn and Earth SOI entry
•   Corrected the 90 degree inclination offset that happens in some cases after TEI. You need to plan a mid-course correction to tune your trajectory/entry angle after Earth SOI entry.
•   Corrected some logic related to APS ignition
•   Corrected a lot of panel texture issues and typos in the Apollo Command Module
•   Corrected regional differences related to TEI and AGC/LGC input, causing strange side-effects
•   Corrected the dark/black shadows issue in the Balanced Graphics settings
•   Increased the render distance on the CSM & LM camera sources
•   Fixed clipping issues with the Orbit View in Apollo
•   Fixed the issue that caused Master Alarm with the C/W PWR lt illuminated when setting the LM Ordeal LIGHTING sw to DIM
•   P63/P64 Lunar Descent improvements
•   Lunar Descent and Landing academy lesson fixes
•   Fixed the 1202 issues with the LGC
•   Fixed some GSE issues related to the startup procedures for the CSM
•   Added female versions of the various Mission Control vests
•   Made some changes in the CSM C/W system related to the SM and CM RCS warning lights and master alarm
•   Fixed some logic that caused side effects when using the LM ROD during Lunar Landing
•   Corrected the electrical system wiring to the CSM C/W lights


Thanks to everyone who has been part of testing and reporting issues!

[Asid]

Update Notes for patch 0.8711.EA
Tue, 8 March 2022



Reentry has been patched to version 0.8711.EA. This is a hotfix related to an issue where rendering avatars/mission controllers fails. See list below for other minor changes:

•   Added capability to override the language. This is meant for contributors as they develop language support. Set the language to ENGLISH, then type in the language code your files are using, then press OVERRIDE. This will only work if the dropdown is set to ENGLISH.
•   Fixed a breaking issue with the avatar/character rendering engine causing only the headsets to render in the latest release
•   Did a major update of the avatar rendering engine
•   Correcte many missing labels and text artifacts in the Mercury Control Center
•   SLV ascent guidance tunes
•   TLI guidance tunes
•   Corrected some issues related to loading language files

[Asid]

MOCR Academy - learning to be a virtual mission controller
Mon 21 March 2022




Want to participate in a multiplayer session but not sure how it all works, or thinking it's too hard and complicated? You have found the right event.

The Reentry community is organizing the MOCR Academy, where we plan on running both live practical sessions on how the intercom works, station overview and what each role should focus on, and live mini-missions designed to teach you the various aspects of being a virtual mission controller in Reentry. We also plan on creating short videos that will be used as learning material.

The first MOCR Academy will take place on Thursday with the goal of introducing you to MOCR. You will learn everything you need to get confident and join the real deal on other events such as "MOCR Monday".



AGENDA

- Overview of the Apollo Mission Operations Control Room (MOCR) and its functions
- Brief overview of each station (CAPCOM, FLIGHT, AFD, BOOSTER, EECOM, GUIDANCE, etc)
- How to set up and operate the Intercom
- Radio Communication: voice discipline & comm usage
- Training session: Live & fun mini-missions in various settings and scenarios to practice


The event will take place at the Reentry Discord server, join us here: http://discord.gg/reentrygame


Hope to see you there!

Upcoming Event Starts Thu, 24 March 2022

[Asid]

Reentry has been updated to 0.9 - Game Mechanics and Infrastructure
Fri, 6 May 2022



I'm happy to share that Reentry has been updated to version 0.9! This is mainly a bugfix, infrastructure and game mechanics update.

If you need to revert back to the previous version, you can use the 0.87-branch under the game properties/betas-tab.

Thanks to the Test Pilots, Community volunteers, contributors and alpha-floor testers. and everyone who has been a part of testing!


Adaptive UI

Massive changes to the User Interface system to make it more adaptable to various screen resolutions. Most of the user interfaces has been modified, but the look and feel should remain similar to what you are used to. Most settings related menus has changed to a single column rendering method instead of a dual column, so you will need to re-learn where some of the settings are located.

This has been a big pain-point for many, so I hope this improves things for those with both older screens, and ultra-wide screens.

Text-To-Speech System

I have received quite a few requests for a text-to-speech system. A new option (disabled by default) will use a voice synthesizer available on your system to read out the mission commands given during tutorials and missions. You can toggle the setting on the main menu:
SETTINGS -> Audio section -> Untoggle Text-to-Speech



Improved the Mercury Academy

The Mercury Academy is the entry-point to the game for many, so I have made a revisit to some of its academy lessons to cover basic game mechanics a bit better or differently. It should now better highlight the gauges and switches that are being discussed. The on-screen switch indicator that will show a dot in the direction of the currently highlighted switch will also work with this.





Improved Save States

I have continued to work on the save state system, especially focusing the complex nature of saving and loading a state in Lunar Orbit. If you have tried to save a state here when the LM and the CSM is in close proximity, like during docking, for then to discover that when loading the state, the two space crafts suddenly are a few degrees apart. This should now have been improved to be within fractions of a degree.

More Game Overs added

Flying a space craft is hard. There is a lot of things to monitor and check. In the 0.9 update, I have implemented some more Game Overs to Mercury. This includes suffocation of O2 is depleted, fires in various cases. I will keep adding more and more ways to fail and die in space, including Gemini and Apollo.



Pause Game

Pressing ZERO

• on the keyboard will pause the game. A "PAUSED" text will render below the time and date UI to indicate that the simulation is paused.

Language Support

The major aspect of this update is all around language support. Most (but not all) important UI text elements is moved into a file-based lookup system. There is one system responsible for the User Interface, and another responsible for mission content and checklist content. Almost any mission and User Interface should now be translatable to any language you wish to support.
To test the language tools, I wish to set the target for 1.0 that A) the User Interface system to support both Spanish and Chinese, and 2) Mercury Academy will support Spanish and Chinese.

It is quite easy to translate the game. You can follow these guides to contribute, or to just make some changes locally on your own PC (without contributing):
https://github.com/ReentryGame/Languages

We are looking for help to translate the game, please reach out on Discord if you are interested!
Current focus is Spanish, French, Chinese


File based storage, Save Games and System Mechanics

Another major aspect of the 0.9 update is that the save games has been moved into a file-based storage system. This will allow Steam Cloud integration, so your save state is stored online, as well as taking a backup or moving your save to another computer.
Most of the game settings are located here, as well as progress. Another settings-file has been made for graphics settings. This should not be Steam Cloud enabled.
I have also started the process of enabling Steam Cloud Play to test the online storage and the Cloud Play services, including GeForce Now (hopefully, if it gets accepted).

Other

- More unit conversions from metric to imperial
- Option to disable the Highlight renderer so the blue box is invisible, while the Checklist Guidance UI (triggered by RUN) is still functional
- Added "Hold Countdown" to Gemini and Mercury (from cockpit)
- Fixed a Mercury Retro firing bug causing the mission script and cockpit shake to happen, even if the individual Retro Rocket No. 1, 2 and/or 3 was off.
- Option to disable the radio noise filter on voice radio communication (multiplayer)
- MOCR TV channel logic correction
- MOCR/MCC sitting animation fix (offsets still needs tweaking)
- Mission Accomplished text wrapping
- Fixed some P01 IMU alignment issues


Small note about 1.0



As we move into the 0.9 update series, you will mainly see game mechanisms and game system changes such as language support. Language support will be iterative as contributors submit their changes. If you wish to contribute with translation, please reach out! We wish to support as many languages as possible, even if it’s just the User Interface files, or various missions. The language system will fall back on English if it’s not able to locate a translation for the selected language.

Once we reach the 1.0 milestone, the game will leave the Early Access tag, and move into its journey towards 2.0. The main goal of 2.0 is to improve existing space craft implementations and their systems, add new capabilities to them, focus on multiplayer, Virtual Reality, and introduce new space crafts to the game. I will soon publish more information related to my plans for Reentry - An Orbital Simulator between 1.0 -> 2.0.

What's new in Reentry 0.9?



Thanks for playing Reentry!
// Petri Wilhelmsen

[Asid]

Update Notes for patch 0.9031.EA
Sun, 29 May 2022



Reentry has been updated to version 0.9031.EA:



    Updates to AGC P60's (entry) prediction values
    Updates to the reflection probes settings: If setting them to OFF, a similar lighting technique developed for the MOCR alpha version has been rolled out to Mercury, Gemini and Apollo to reach better graphics and shadow lighting. This should remove the completely black shadows you see when probes are OFF.
    TEI calculation and execution updates
    Updates to Apollo Campaign 3 and Campaign 4 from reports and learnings by watching the N9 Gaming "Reentry - An Orbital Simulator" series.
    Lunar SOI and Earth SOI transition fixes to achieve better results and fixing the "inverted burn direction" bug.
    Fixed many of the reported typos



Thank for reporting issues!

[Asid]

Reentry has been updated to 0.91 - CSM performance, stability and bug fixes
Fri, 17 June 2022



I'm happy to share that Reentry has been updated to version 0.91!
This update mainly focuses on improving existing features, and contains a huge Apollo CSM performance boost, and Apollo save states.

Note: If this build causes issues for you, you can use the Steam Beta Tabs to roll back to version 0.90.


Apollo CSM performance improvements

The Apollo CSM has been and still is a beast to render in real-time. In this update, I have tried to improve this. Different optimizations and rendering systems are used to improve the performance of the Apollo CSM in desktop mode, while trying to maintain the visual quality of its interior. Significant changes has been made to it, so please report any new issues you experience with it.


The view above renders at 60-70 fps with max settings (probes at med) on my hardware compared to 20-25 fps before.


Reflection Probes updates

The way reflection probes works have been altered to improve performance. This affects all programs where reflection probes are enabled. Setting probes to OFF will use an alternative ambient reflection model to remove the completely dark shadows.

In-game docs

Pressing SHIFT+M (can be rebound) will now open an in-game browser capable of rendering pdfs. Each program has a library with common documents needed during missions. In addition, the browser can be used to open other documents you might need.


Apollo Save State / Inverted CSM burns after TEI

A big issue related to save states that caused inverted burns post-TEI has been fixed. This will require you to re-create any save states after TEI. This save state issue is also present in all other save states in Lunar Orbit, but does not affect general mission performance (as far as I know).

Other updates

- Mercury Chute Lines are now visible during landing
- CSM SM/CM RCS freeze issues fixed. Gauges should now be back to normal. Remember to use the heaters.
- Fixed some texture issues related to the CSM RCS
- Moved all the Mission Pad Map markers to their correct positions before ignition (no markers in the lat/long 0,0 position before ignition)
- Fixed an invert-issue with Ap/Pe markers in Apollo->Moon Map
- Lunar Module map markers visibility checks based on the LM being undocked or not
- Many updates to the Apollo Campaigns (III, IV)
- Fixed Set Sail circular orbit check
- Mercury Altitude Check on splashdown fixed

[Asid]

Tune in tomorrow (8/11) to learn what's new in 0.92!
10 Aug 2022


Going live with this video tomorrow to talk about the new features you will find in Reentry update 0.92!




Hope to see you there, and feel free to ask me any questions (AMA) on the chat, I will be available during the entire show to answer your questions about Reentry - An Orbital Simulator.

Upcoming Event Starts Thu, 11 August 2022  BST

[Asid]

Update 0.92 is out - AGC P30 & SPS, first PADs, improved Apollo Entry!
Thu, 11 August 2022



Reentry version 0.92 is primarily about improving existing features in preparation for the 1.0 milestone (keep in mind that 1.0 is just the beginning towards version 2.0). The major features in this update is a big overhaul of P30 in the AGC, a central piece of software used in all AGC controlled SPS/RCS burns, the introduction of a Preliminary Advisory Data (PADs) system and a big overhaul to atmospheric entry in Apollo and the related Entry Monitoring System (EMS).

In addition, hundreds of bugs and issues has been resolved in Mercury, Gemini and Apollo.

Note: If this build causes issues for you, you can use the Steam Beta Tabs to roll back to version 0.91.


Let's dive into the details:




Read on.... https://steamcommunity.com/games/882140/announcements/detail/3382785191076437791