Has anyone considered making a fan made Macross Game?

[vsim]

I've written a handful of design docs for a Macross game, and have tried to kickstart (Not on kickstarter) a few mods too. The problem is always a lack of programmers and no unified vision.

What I wanted to do was give everyone what they really want: The feeling of piloting a transforming fighter. The problem is, Macross can be shoehorned into many different genera. But in my opinion, Flight Simulator is the only one that makes sense.

Though my vision is probably not in line with what most people would want. My design doc calls for:

*A game based on Macross, not Robotech. But just like Robotech was a 'mod' of Macross in some ways, the final game could be converted easily.

*DCS level realism getting as close to reality as possible while maintaining Macross-like dog-fights.

* First person, cockpit based to include simulation of avionics, radios, mechanical systems and the like. From here, more arcade like modes could be devised, with the underlying simulation providing realism.

I can model, texture, mix sound, music, write, essentially do everything needed to create such a game, but until I find a programmer who shares my vision, my life-long Macross project goes nowhere.

Any my longtime dream is probably even less in line with what most would want than you're thinking.

I want to actually have a true VF simulation - that is, truly running in the vein that real simulators run, not as games run. There would be an absolute emphasis on realism - okay, as real as we can get after injecting the not-quite-so-real OTM. That would still mean that portraying some of what we see in the series/films wouldn't really be possible - and thus why I think many would not care as much for the route I prefer to take.

In an ideal world, I'd get some hardware to go with it as well. With the ever-increasing 3D printing tech these days, though, having some appropriate MFD bezels and HOTAS housings done up might not actually be out of the realm of possibility.

One of these days I'll find time to get back to working on what I have started before. Possibly this winter, as my other hobbies naturally die down during that season. One of the big roadblocks on my efforts ever amounting to anything is that I basically want nothing to do with graphics any more - that is, I no longer have any interest whatsoever in working on a 3D engine or related efforts. (Which is a huge change in position from where I was less than 10 years ago.)

I tried to start one many years ago (Link to sourceforge: http://sourceforge.net/projects/valkyrie/?source=directory), but always had trouble getting help with the graphics. My specialty is flight simulation, so I can handle all of the math models, etc., and would love to have a realistic simulation of the vehicles. I like awesome graphics, but don't really have the time, or desire, to learn how to program all those parts. I always wanted to write the vehicle and actually make it behave like a real one would, not just kind of fake it.

If either of you guys is interested, PM me, let's talk and see if I can't help you! I don't know how much time I can spare right now, but I can try .

[Cdr Fokker]

I tried to start one many years ago (Link to sourceforge: http://sourceforge.net/projects/valkyrie/?source=directory), but always had trouble getting help with the graphics. My specialty is flight simulation, so I can handle all of the math models, etc., and would love to have a realistic simulation of the vehicles. I like awesome graphics, but don't really have the time, or desire, to learn how to program all those parts. I always wanted to write the vehicle and actually make it behave like a real one would, not just kind of fake it.

If either of you guys is interested, PM me, let's talk and see if I can't help you! I don't know how much time I can spare right now, but I can try .

What we need to find is someone both capable and willing to tackle the integration of visual components - that is, the incorporation of a 3D engine into the rest of the simulation.

While I am still capable of doing so, I no longer have any real interest in it. About as far as I'd care to go these days with respect to the 3D aspects would be analyzing any 3D models to obtain reference data for the physical simulation. (For example, I still have some MEL scripts around to do things like compute the moments of inertia of an arbitrary 3D model under certain assumptions.)

BTW, I hold a BS in Aerospace Engineering and spent over five years working on flight simulation in the defense industry (plus some time during college working with simulation for civil/general aviation).

[jenius]

You know what I'd love to do? Make a Macross pinball game. I'd cover all the series and use gashapon figures for props. You'd have to complete a mission from each series to unlock super dimensional multi-ball.

[vsim]

What we need to find is someone both capable and willing to tackle the integration of visual components - that is, the incorporation of a 3D engine into the rest of the simulation.

While I am still capable of doing so, I no longer have any real interest in it. About as far as I'd care to go these days with respect to the 3D aspects would be analyzing any 3D models to obtain reference data for the physical simulation. (For example, I still have some MEL scripts around to do things like compute the moments of inertia of an arbitrary 3D model under certain assumptions.)

BTW, I hold a BS in Aerospace Engineering and spent over five years working on flight simulation in the defense industry (plus some time during college working with simulation for civil/general aviation).

Awesome! MS in Aerospace Engineering and 16 years and counting working flight simulation for NASA. And I even did some simulation in college too, though that was childs play to be honest. Nice to meet another AE sim person into Macross!!

The inertia data doesn't scare me, although I'm curious what MEL is? I could approximate it easily enough. I'm good with coordinate transformations, systems, frames, etc. I do that at work all the time. I would just need someone to tell me where the center of each component is and I can handle all of the calculations to tell the graphics, hey show this leg at position x,y,z, orientation q0,q1,q2,q3.

I originally wanted to simulate the transformation sequence as well, not just animate it, but have a control system command all of the actuators to transform it. Does that make me crazy ?

You know what I'd love to do? Make a Macross pinball game. I'd cover all the series and use gashapon figures for props. You'd have to complete a mission from each series to unlock super dimensional multi-ball.

I'd play Macross pinball!

[Aurel Tristen]

Holy crap, Vsim, I 'worked' on that project with you. And by worked on, I mean I was supposed to help provide some 3d stuff (terrain I think) but nothing really happened. Hope it wasn't my fault, but I can't remember.

Some of you might have seen my threat in fan works. I want to put a VF1 in DCS. That'll solve graphics engine and simulation engine problems, but I still can't write all the crap to make the avionics work. Anyone played around with DCS (and or its SDK)?

[Skull Leader]

I'm working on a windows HD remake of the Macross: Skull Leader/Love Stories strategy game. I can't seem to find anyone who knows how to code that is interested, so I'm having to learn everything from the ground up myself. I'll probably start working on learning the basics of coding next month

[Aurel Tristen]

I saw your post about that. So are you just swapping out graphics, or re-building it from the ground up? I don't know anything about that game, so I have no idea how difficult it would be, but I wish you luck either way!

The curse of the elusive programmer has killed so very many projects. I suppose it is just such a technical skill, and so time consuming that programmers aren't interested unless they're very passionate about the subject. Being a person who has 'ideas' and who isn't a programer is quite depressing. I for one gave programming a try several times throughout my life. The first time, with a 'learn C++ in 30 days' book, I wrote a Hello World that wouldn't work. I double, triple, quadruple checked that every character was exactly as the book instructed but it wouldn't run. I never made it past that.

I've learned scripting languages that mimic programming, like Auto Hot Key scripts, Glove Pie scripts, simple things in RPG maker. I just have learned that I can't keep all of the 'rules' in my head. Every single line is a struggle. Can't imagine building a whole game.

[Skull Leader]

It's a bit of both. The graphics will be upgraded reproductions of the originals, but so far I'm planning a direct port of the game play. Some of the info within the game will be changed (some of the random pilot names for example), and the valkyrie squadron names will be updated to represent squadrons found in the "Squadrons of the SDF-1 Macross" book

Of course, this is all assuming I can figure it out

Of course, this is all assuming I can figure it out

[vsim]

Holy crap, Vsim, I 'worked' on that project with you. And by worked on, I mean I was supposed to help provide some 3d stuff (terrain I think) but nothing really happened. Hope it wasn't my fault, but I can't remember.

Nah, the trouble is always finding the time. My expertise is in the math modeling and C++. I can sort of do graphics, but it takes me a long time. I only sort of know OpenGL. In any event, nope, not your fault, no worries . Maybe someday when life isn't in the way I'll get back to it or help someone else with theirs.

[Aurel Tristen]

You might consider playing around with a ready-built engine like Unit (ugly as crap but easy to use) Unreal Engine 4 (Easy to use and very nice looking) or Cryengine. Then you could play with the math all you want and let others deal with models and sound.

[Skull Leader]

Well, I already have Unity 3d (recommended to me by several others) so my plan was to use that... if Unit or Unreal can replicate the game easier, I'll gladly consider their use!

[mk16]

Oooh man this has always been something i always looked for ever since i discovered macross thank to macross plus. Heck i remember finding the Valkyie flight sim page a loong time ago lol.

If you guys are still interested in doing a macross sim but just dont have the time to make a flight sim from the ground up then why not modify an existing one?

http://www.flightgear.org/ is Full fledged flight sim and its open source. So im guessing it would be a lot less work to work tith that than making one from the groud up... Though im no developer so i probabl have no idea what im talking about lol.

Anyways cheers keep the dream alive!

[Robowang]

Someone should make a Street Fighter style Macross game so I can make Kakizaki jumpkick people. And Misa can shoot fireballs. It will be incredible.