SmokeJumpers latest progress
by Norv Brooks · 09/28/2006 (4:01 pm) · 10 comments
The schedule for SmokeJumpers has slipped a little due to getting a flying vehicle to work. Sometimes I would spend several days spinning my wheels, so to speak. A difficulty I would run into sometimes when trying to implement suggested code from the forums is that most of the threads could be 2 or 3 versions older of TGE. So, at times I couldn't tell if the reason something wouldn't work was because of using an updated version of TGE or just bad code on my part. Since my aircraft requirements are very simple, I've been able to get a simple version of a fyling vehicle to work but still needs tweaking.
On the whole, SmokeJumpers is progressing and I still feel very optimistic about it. Following are a couple of new screen shots. In the Base Camp, the Player can click on the barracks and bring up a Current Personnel Roster to track and mangage their smokejumpers.
On arrival at a wildfire incident, the Player determines when the smokejumpers start their jump. Their timing can influence where and how they land, smooth terrain or rough, in a tree, etc. Their landing can affect whether they land safely or are injured.
Unitl next time.
Norv
On the whole, SmokeJumpers is progressing and I still feel very optimistic about it. Following are a couple of new screen shots. In the Base Camp, the Player can click on the barracks and bring up a Current Personnel Roster to track and mangage their smokejumpers.
On arrival at a wildfire incident, the Player determines when the smokejumpers start their jump. Their timing can influence where and how they land, smooth terrain or rough, in a tree, etc. Their landing can affect whether they land safely or are injured.
Unitl next time.
Norv
About the author
#2
09/28/2006 (4:48 pm)
Looks great! 
#4
09/28/2006 (5:12 pm)
Nice! Don't forget to put a bunch of expensive McMansions with inadequate fire buffers out in remote places in the woods. You lose if you don't protect them first. :-)
#5
good luck with this... it'll be interesting to see where it goes...
--Mike
09/28/2006 (6:45 pm)
yeah... this is kinda cool... certainly a different 'game' from much of what has come before...good luck with this... it'll be interesting to see where it goes...
--Mike
#6
Edit: You know what.. we need to get rid of the star system... someone's low starring
folks like this that really don't deserve it. Star rank system here at GG has no place
as we don't need any tools for punks to grief members.
09/28/2006 (6:56 pm)
Good to see progress on this.Edit: You know what.. we need to get rid of the star system... someone's low starring
folks like this that really don't deserve it. Star rank system here at GG has no place
as we don't need any tools for punks to grief members.
#7
Is that a fully 3d view? If so how did you do that?
How's the terrain texture painting going?
09/29/2006 (11:47 am)
I like the "jump cam" in the top left.Is that a fully 3d view? If so how did you do that?
How's the terrain texture painting going?
#8
Thanks for your continued interest in SmokeJumpers.
Norv
09/29/2006 (2:00 pm)
Nicholas - I'm glad it looks 3D; however, it's 2D which I did in Photoshop. I'm letting the terrain texture painting rest for the moment and will re-visit it later. Right now I'm focusing on the parachute jump and UI for the wildfire screen.Thanks for your continued interest in SmokeJumpers.
Norv
#9
This is one of the original "serious game" applications that Horsetooth Technologies (HTI, now moribund) was thinking of pursuing.
A ranger from the U.S. Forest Service did some pioneering work with modeling wildfire behavior. It was all skunk works stuff, done on his own time at home. The first display was just a 2-dimensional, top-down display, but it accounted for wind, humidity, topography and vegetation. It was pretty impressive in 2D.
Its trial by fire (heh) came during one wildfire when the boss had a limited number of firefighters and no idea where to put them. This guy cranked up his program and predicted that sparks from the fire would jump all the way across a reservoir and land in "safe" woods on the other side. The boss was skeptical, but gave the guy a handful of firefighters to put over there. Sure enough, sparks jumped the reservoir and they were able to put them out in time, because this guy's program worked so well. After that it became an official project.
HTI's idea was to apply similar algorithms to TGE, using USGS terrain maps, USDA/USFS vegetation maps and real-time weather data streamed in from the Internet, modeling the fire and smoke accurately and charring the terrain on the fly. The idea never went anywhere, but there it is. It's yours if you want it.
I think the article about the fire simulator was in IEEE Spectrum two years ago, but I don't quite remember.
Regards
Ray
09/30/2006 (2:20 am)
Norv,This is one of the original "serious game" applications that Horsetooth Technologies (HTI, now moribund) was thinking of pursuing.
A ranger from the U.S. Forest Service did some pioneering work with modeling wildfire behavior. It was all skunk works stuff, done on his own time at home. The first display was just a 2-dimensional, top-down display, but it accounted for wind, humidity, topography and vegetation. It was pretty impressive in 2D.
Its trial by fire (heh) came during one wildfire when the boss had a limited number of firefighters and no idea where to put them. This guy cranked up his program and predicted that sparks from the fire would jump all the way across a reservoir and land in "safe" woods on the other side. The boss was skeptical, but gave the guy a handful of firefighters to put over there. Sure enough, sparks jumped the reservoir and they were able to put them out in time, because this guy's program worked so well. After that it became an official project.
HTI's idea was to apply similar algorithms to TGE, using USGS terrain maps, USDA/USFS vegetation maps and real-time weather data streamed in from the Internet, modeling the fire and smoke accurately and charring the terrain on the fly. The idea never went anywhere, but there it is. It's yours if you want it.
I think the article about the fire simulator was in IEEE Spectrum two years ago, but I don't quite remember.
Regards
Ray
Torque Owner Gary Preston
Could become quite a management/strategy game if you have multiple fires to deal with but limited resources and need to prioritise etc.