Aircraft Scenerio Based Training (SBT) and Learning
by Robert Rice · in Game Design and Creative Issues · 09/12/2008 (9:24 am) · 9 replies
I am a Certified Flight Instructor and Bush Pilot who has worked in remote parts of Guatemala as a Missionary Pilot and MedEvac Pilot.
I am brand completely new to gaming and games development.
I would like to use a system, possibly like the ones here, to produce a learning tool to help prospective pilot train for real life situations using something call Scenerio Based Traning (SBT) or Learning (SBL). This type of education uses realistic scenerios to help teach decsion making skills in pilots.
I have a LOT of experience programming in C and other languags (from my before life) and I now have a LOT of experience flying in really challenging environments.
My question to you at large is this: How effective would the tools on this site be in producing a game that could simuate a real-life flight. Here are some of the parameters that would need to be simulated:
Aircraft performance capability (take-off distance, climb performance, etc...)
Aircraft fuel use and load capability. Speed, range, landing distances, etc...
Weather conditions: Like wind direction and speed and how it affects aircraft take-off and landing performance.
Emergency situations: Medical emergencies crop up at various land based clinics and they call to request a MedEvac. Conditions have various levels of urgency. Some are near death, others not. Some happen during the course of a flight, others precipate the initial flight of the day.
Various destinations (hospitals) have airstrips scattered around the country. Sometimes the weather or other things (like horse races) close an airstrip at a preferred destination and the pilot has to deviate to another place.
Darkness: We have to be on the ground before dark because the only airstrip with lights is in the capitol.
Equipment malfuctions: Alternators and radios fail. Sometimes other parts fail. In fact, I crashed a plane last month in Guatemala due to a mechanical failure! See GuateMissionPilot.BlogSpot.com its why I have time to do this!!!
There are tons of scenerios covering all aspects of aviation that could be transformed into a game environment and be a GREAT teaching tool.
DOES ANYONE HAVE OPINIONS ABOUT HOW DIFFICULT THIS SORT OF THING WOULD BE?
HOW HARD WOULD IT BE FORE A NEW GAME DEVELOPER TO LATCH ON AND BE PRODUCTIVE?
Thanks!
Rob
I am brand completely new to gaming and games development.
I would like to use a system, possibly like the ones here, to produce a learning tool to help prospective pilot train for real life situations using something call Scenerio Based Traning (SBT) or Learning (SBL). This type of education uses realistic scenerios to help teach decsion making skills in pilots.
I have a LOT of experience programming in C and other languags (from my before life) and I now have a LOT of experience flying in really challenging environments.
My question to you at large is this: How effective would the tools on this site be in producing a game that could simuate a real-life flight. Here are some of the parameters that would need to be simulated:
Aircraft performance capability (take-off distance, climb performance, etc...)
Aircraft fuel use and load capability. Speed, range, landing distances, etc...
Weather conditions: Like wind direction and speed and how it affects aircraft take-off and landing performance.
Emergency situations: Medical emergencies crop up at various land based clinics and they call to request a MedEvac. Conditions have various levels of urgency. Some are near death, others not. Some happen during the course of a flight, others precipate the initial flight of the day.
Various destinations (hospitals) have airstrips scattered around the country. Sometimes the weather or other things (like horse races) close an airstrip at a preferred destination and the pilot has to deviate to another place.
Darkness: We have to be on the ground before dark because the only airstrip with lights is in the capitol.
Equipment malfuctions: Alternators and radios fail. Sometimes other parts fail. In fact, I crashed a plane last month in Guatemala due to a mechanical failure! See GuateMissionPilot.BlogSpot.com its why I have time to do this!!!
There are tons of scenerios covering all aspects of aviation that could be transformed into a game environment and be a GREAT teaching tool.
DOES ANYONE HAVE OPINIONS ABOUT HOW DIFFICULT THIS SORT OF THING WOULD BE?
HOW HARD WOULD IT BE FORE A NEW GAME DEVELOPER TO LATCH ON AND BE PRODUCTIVE?
Thanks!
Rob
#2
Simulating flight is actually the LEAST of my concens. My goal would be more to simulate the situations that ake the job difficult and dangerous so that the participants can get a feel for the sorts of SITUATIONS that crop up to make the pilot's life difficult and exciting. We actually prefer to avoid excitement in the real-world (have plenty to keep us up at night already).
So, scripting a simulated world in which conditions change and can caus a pilot to make potentially fatal errors (and hence recognize those situations) is the real goal of the game. The simulated flight does not need to be good, or even exist, really. A realistic looking and acting environment would be VERY benneficial to the learning experience though.
Any idea how I might recruit some help and possibly appeak to the EULA?
Thanks!
Rob
09/12/2008 (10:23 am)
Your reply is encouraging. I do wonder about the restrictions on simulations and I suppose I would have to take that up with the EULA. Since the target of this would initially be humanitarian relief aviators, perhaps they would make an allowance.Simulating flight is actually the LEAST of my concens. My goal would be more to simulate the situations that ake the job difficult and dangerous so that the participants can get a feel for the sorts of SITUATIONS that crop up to make the pilot's life difficult and exciting. We actually prefer to avoid excitement in the real-world (have plenty to keep us up at night already).
So, scripting a simulated world in which conditions change and can caus a pilot to make potentially fatal errors (and hence recognize those situations) is the real goal of the game. The simulated flight does not need to be good, or even exist, really. A realistic looking and acting environment would be VERY benneficial to the learning experience though.
Any idea how I might recruit some help and possibly appeak to the EULA?
Thanks!
Rob
#3
As far as recruiting some help. I personally think it is a good idea to do a little work yourself first. Get some basic ground work going, showing what it is that you're trying to accomplish. Write a design document, get some good details and structure worked out. Maybe make some milestones to accomplish. Work iteratively.
Throw some programmer art or contents packs together to work with, maybe a little cockpit GUI, don't worry about polishing it if you're not an artist. Then, take some screenshots or "gameplay" footage, and do a writeup on your development. Post a nice blog here and you will get lots of attention on your project, and hopefully attract some talented, interested individuals. Best of Luck!
09/12/2008 (11:09 am)
Sounds like a cool project, definitely doable in Torque. As far as the EULA, I'm not entirely sure who would be best to contact. David Montgomery Blake has always been extremely helpful, and should be able to at least point you in the right direction. As far as recruiting some help. I personally think it is a good idea to do a little work yourself first. Get some basic ground work going, showing what it is that you're trying to accomplish. Write a design document, get some good details and structure worked out. Maybe make some milestones to accomplish. Work iteratively.
Throw some programmer art or contents packs together to work with, maybe a little cockpit GUI, don't worry about polishing it if you're not an artist. Then, take some screenshots or "gameplay" footage, and do a writeup on your development. Post a nice blog here and you will get lots of attention on your project, and hopefully attract some talented, interested individuals. Best of Luck!
#4
That is unbelievable. A horse race closes a medical airstrip? My jaw literally dropped.
Very well written. Amazing story!
This sounds more like a game to me, then a simulation. I guess the outcome of the product would have to be the determining factor. licensing@garagegames.com is the best place to ask about licensing questions. :)
As far as your questions are concerned:
1) TorqueScript is a very easy language to learn if you already know C. The TGE demo comes with an environment mission called "Content Pack Demo" 1 and 2. Download that and take a look. All of it is done in TorqueScript.
2) If you're making the game in TorqueScript, I'd image it would be fairly easy to latch on. If you purchase the engine and begin making engine changes, it may prove a bit more difficult (but fruitful in most cases). With the world and terrain editors already in place, there is not much of what you ask for that isn't already made for you.
09/12/2008 (11:56 am)
@RobertQuote:
Sometimes the weather or other things (like horse races) close an airstrip
That is unbelievable. A horse race closes a medical airstrip? My jaw literally dropped.
Quote:
See GuateMissionPilot.BlogSpot.com its why I have time to do this!!!
Very well written. Amazing story!
Quote:
Simulating flight is actually the LEAST of my concens. My goal would be more to simulate the situations that ake the job difficult and dangerous so that the participants can get a feel for the sorts of SITUATIONS that crop up to make the pilot's life difficult and exciting.
This sounds more like a game to me, then a simulation. I guess the outcome of the product would have to be the determining factor. licensing@garagegames.com is the best place to ask about licensing questions. :)
As far as your questions are concerned:
1) TorqueScript is a very easy language to learn if you already know C. The TGE demo comes with an environment mission called "Content Pack Demo" 1 and 2. Download that and take a look. All of it is done in TorqueScript.
2) If you're making the game in TorqueScript, I'd image it would be fairly easy to latch on. If you purchase the engine and begin making engine changes, it may prove a bit more difficult (but fruitful in most cases). With the world and terrain editors already in place, there is not much of what you ask for that isn't already made for you.
#5
Everything else you say sounds encouraging. Can you think of any other similar systems that I might consider as I search for a way to do what I am talking about?
How about something to help simplify the creation of decision trees? Is there something built in to Torque that I could use to simply create them?
Thanks again,
Rob
09/12/2008 (12:15 pm)
Yea, regarding the horse race, it happened to be a day when I had a trauma patient after a pick-up truck accident. The strip in Coban (where I later crashed) was closed for a horse race. I took the patient to Guatemala City instead but she died enrooted. That is the reality of life (and death) there. It is also why making an SBT training system would be very helpful to prospective pilots.Everything else you say sounds encouraging. Can you think of any other similar systems that I might consider as I search for a way to do what I am talking about?
How about something to help simplify the creation of decision trees? Is there something built in to Torque that I could use to simply create them?
Thanks again,
Rob
#6
On to your questions:
1) A good place to look is on devMaster.net. You can find Torque's reviews there too (although many of them are very old and have outdated information).
Decision trees will have to be created on your own. There are some examples of AI already available. I think the most popular one would have to be Mark Holcomb's AIGuard
AI behaviors is not something that is in TGE. But there is a basic AI class with movement code in place, taking much of the leg work (hmm.. I think that's a pun) out of creating AI. Once you have it moving, you just need to tell it what to do once it gets to it's destination :)
There is an AI path-finding example from Gavin Bunney as well. But you need an engine license to see the code.
09/12/2008 (12:36 pm)
That is absolutely terrible... I have no other words for it. On to your questions:
1) A good place to look is on devMaster.net. You can find Torque's reviews there too (although many of them are very old and have outdated information).
Decision trees will have to be created on your own. There are some examples of AI already available. I think the most popular one would have to be Mark Holcomb's AIGuard
AI behaviors is not something that is in TGE. But there is a basic AI class with movement code in place, taking much of the leg work (hmm.. I think that's a pun) out of creating AI. Once you have it moving, you just need to tell it what to do once it gets to it's destination :)
There is an AI path-finding example from Gavin Bunney as well. But you need an engine license to see the code.
#7
SBT/SBL is certainly feasible in Torque--in fact, many commercial companies (Visual Purple is one, Valador working for NASA is another, as well as Coalescent Technologies) are already doing simulations of various sorts. VP does threat/reaction planning, CT does first responder for WMD attack training, and NASA uses an application written in Torque by Valador for replicating multi-billion dollar simulation sessions in a more distributable and accessible format.
You mention C, not C++ as your experience, so I would suggest that your biggest learning curve will be around working within a game engine environment itself--the game engine handles literally hundreds of details that you may be used to handling differently, and until you absorb the advantages and techniques required for working within a fully fledged engine, I think you'll find yourself scratching your head a lot.
However, once you figure out the best practices for working with Torque (or any other game engine for that matter), I'm confident you'll find that with some modifications (as you would need for any fully developed feature rich project), Torque will meet your needs well.
09/13/2008 (5:33 pm)
When I flew in Bangladesh we had to always plan the first approach as an intentional low pass--to scare off the sheep, cows, and other wildlife that routinely wandered across the runways.SBT/SBL is certainly feasible in Torque--in fact, many commercial companies (Visual Purple is one, Valador working for NASA is another, as well as Coalescent Technologies) are already doing simulations of various sorts. VP does threat/reaction planning, CT does first responder for WMD attack training, and NASA uses an application written in Torque by Valador for replicating multi-billion dollar simulation sessions in a more distributable and accessible format.
You mention C, not C++ as your experience, so I would suggest that your biggest learning curve will be around working within a game engine environment itself--the game engine handles literally hundreds of details that you may be used to handling differently, and until you absorb the advantages and techniques required for working within a fully fledged engine, I think you'll find yourself scratching your head a lot.
However, once you figure out the best practices for working with Torque (or any other game engine for that matter), I'm confident you'll find that with some modifications (as you would need for any fully developed feature rich project), Torque will meet your needs well.
#8
09/13/2008 (7:07 pm)
Sounds like an interesting project. I would like to learn more about making the flight engine in Torque more realistic.
#9
www.amazon.com/Microsoft-Flight-Simulator-Pilots-Training/dp/0764588222
09/13/2008 (9:33 pm)
While I'd hate to think I was pushing away a potential customer for GarageGames, I'm a huge believer in the concept of NOT reinventing the wheel. If this were my project, I would use Flight Simulator X and develop tools and utilities for it to accomplish your goal. They actually use this program to help pilots build real world skills.www.amazon.com/Microsoft-Flight-Simulator-Pilots-Training/dp/0764588222
Quote:Get ready to take flight as two certified flight instructors guide you through the pilot ratings as it is done in the real world, starting with Sport Pilot training, then Private Pilot, followed by the Instrument Rating, Commercial Pilot, and Air Transport Pilot. They cover the skills of flight, how to master Flight Simulator, and how to use the software as a learning tool towards your pilot's license. More advanced topics demonstrate how Flight Simulator X can be used as a continuing learning tool and how to simulate real-world emergencies.
Torque Owner J.P. Berry
From the EULA :
Aside from that discouraging news.. Your idea would be well suited for TGEA. You will want to implement your own flight model, which varies in difficulty depending on your programming and flight experience. I for one had trouble getting a nice flight model in, but I am only an intermediate programmer. I believe getting in a flight model, or multiple flight models, would be your most difficult task.
As far as weather conditions, night/day. wind, etc. This would all be fairly straightforward, and there are a lot of resources to get you on your way. The Scenario based training could be done through scripting and even triggers, and would probably be the least of your worries.