A short-term roadmap can be found here:
https://trello.com/b/ip2zVHUa/reentry-an-orbital-simulator-roadmap
Please note that this does not include my visions and my planned features, and some NDA features. Its intent is to give you a general state of the development work currently being done, and where we are on the path to version 1.0. I have many plans for this simulator, and reaching 1.0 is just the beginning.
The easiest and most direct way is to post it in the #suggestions channel over at the official Reentry Discord group. I'm active there, and we have a team of Test Pilots who registers and handles suggestions and feedback. Posting the log file also helps.
I'm currently on a journey towards Reentry 1.0. The plan for 1.0 is to have the core features of the Mercury, Gemini, CSM and the LM spacecrafts covered, and that they have a stable implementation. Each of the modules will have a dedicated Academy and a dedicated campaign used to challenge what you have learned. You can read more about this in the Roadmap and in the Early Access section below. After 1.0, the goal is to improve the existing spacecrafts while also expaning the Reentry Universe with new crafts, add more content, and hopefully multiplayer modes and Virtual Reality support. These additions might be added directly to the core of the sim, or as optional DLCs.
Having my own implementation of the Space Should would be a dream come true. My initial vision was to have support for the Space Shuttle, however Project Mercury, Gemini, the CSM, and the LM has received most of the focus before the 1.0 milestone has been reached. There are a few really good Space Shuttle simulators out there, and I recommend you to check them out!
It makes sense to have Russion spacecrafts in Reentry. I have been looking into this for quite some time, and if there is one that I would like to implement, it would be Vostok, the Soyuz TMA or the TMA-M variant. However, getting the documentation I need (in English), rights to used them, and the data I need seems to be very hard. I have access to the Souyz TM manual, but that's about it. If you have manuals, please reach out and send them my way so I can do some research!
Translation will be largely community based. A language system is available in the game that will let you translate the game, or parts of it. You can learn more about how to contribute from the Main Menu of the game, or on Git Hub:
https://github.com/ReentryGame/Languages/
The primary platform is Steam and it is not recommended to purchase the game over Steam (no longer possible). Earlier versions of the game was also available on Windows Store, and will be maintained for those who has purchased it. However, the two versions have their differences:
- No TrackIR support
- No Virtual Reality support
- No multiplayer modes
- No DLCs (subject to change)
- Slow update cycles
These are two very different platforms. While Steam aims for the desktop market, Windows Store can be compared to stores for the mobile market (AppStore etc.). Due to code execution security, many SDK and functional calls are different or not allowd on Windows Store, making it impossible to port parts of the project. I have done my best, and for most users, the two versions will feel identical. The major differences is the lack of support for SteamVR (meaning no Virtual Reality (VR) in the Windows Store version) and TrackIR. Multiplayer modes will not be supported, as with future DLCs.
This list can grow as features are added, however the current price will always reflect the current implementation when purchasing the game. In addition, the certification process and the manual steps required by the app certification team in Microsoft leads to delayed and slower updates, making the process slightly harder than for Steam versions. Due to this, I submit only a few of the updates I roll out through Steam to the Windows Store publishing pipeline (multiple updates are packed into a larger update) . This does not mean that the majority of the new features are skipped in the Windows Store version, but simply that more of these features are packed into less frequent but larger updates.
Reentry - An Orbital Simulator is a physics-based space flight simulator where you will learn how to operate and fly spacecrafts used in real life. The project is in active development and currently has the spacecrafts from Project Mercury, Project Gemini and Project Apollo. The goal of the simulator is to create a game that meets the balance between realism and gamification.
In such a complex simulator as this I believe in a development process where the community is involved early, and through Early Access I hope to both get feedback on what's already in the box, as well as suggestions on improvements, details and feature requests.
I'm constantly working on new features, as well as adding more and more details and improvements so you can get a realistic experience, but not too overwhelming. After the 1.0 release, the development will continue to add new systems to existing space crafts, improve existing systems, and add new game modes.
The target of Reentry is not to initially create a 100% replica of each module and their system (that would take more than a lifetime), but a playable craft that will let you experience how they mainly were operated, while also getting to experience more than one craft.
Given the complexity of building a realistic space simulator, it is hard to give an accurate estimate. I hope to have all the current spacecrafts (Project Mercury, Project Gemini and Project Apollo with the Lunar Module) as a stable release candidate early 2023 with the most needed systems in-place, where gamification vs. realism is considered per. system. The game might be expanded further with VR, multiplayer and other space programs like the Space Shuttle or the Russian programs as an expansion/DLC to the simulator.
In the 1.0 version of the simulator I wish to have the following improvements and features ready:
- Support for the Command Module and the Lunar Module of Project Apollo with their core systems needed to land on the Moon in the game. Some systems will not be simulated for 1.0, as the target is a general simulator for multiple spacecrafts.
- Able to land on the Moon in the Lunar Module, and perform lunar EVA's
- Campaigns where you start with the basic suborbital flight (Mercury) and end up having landed on the Moon (Apollo)
- Custom missions and Steam Workshop support
- The basics of a multiplayer mission control module for Project Mercury and Project Apollo so you and your friends can fly a mission, where one controls the spacecraft and the other plays mission control. This will allow you to create your own flight plans, and execute them.
- Initial system failures and emergency procedures
Reentry - An Orbital Simulator has been in development for 7 years (2015). The simulator is already in a fully playable state where you can complete missions and enjoy the simulator, and the view of Earth from orbit, and land on the Moon.
It currently allows you to sit inside a highly interactive virtual cockpit for Project Mercury, Project Gemini, Command Module and the Lunar Module. Almost every switch, fuse, gauge and button can be modified and will trigger a reaction in the simulator.
The simulator also has a high resolution representation of Earth (64k) so you can see landmarks and details on Earth from orbit, as well as a realistic view of the stars surrounding you. The current Earth and Moon model and transitions between landing areas is the target for 1.0, but improvements can be made as I progress towards 2.0. However, you can currently reach the Moon and land on it using the Lunar Module and the Command & Service Module in Project Apollo. As mentioned, the Earth and Moon textures might get an update after the v1 release.
The price will always reflect the current value of the implementation that is live right now and will most likely increase when the game is released, and during development as major updates are released. The simulator might further expand with DLCs etc.
I'm actively seeking community feedback and suggestions.
There are many details and systems to simulate in Reentry, in addition to the realistic physics on launching into space, orbiting Earth and landing on the Moon. Community feedback helps me prioritize the tasks and features I wish to implement, as well as fixing serious issues and bugs.
There are many other space enthusiasts who might know some details I don't, as well as have feature requests I haven't even thought about. By involving the community, I can learn about these and add features and functionality based on the feedback.
My goal is to work with the Community to create a fun, realistic (but with simplifications), and fun space flight simulator.
A simulator like this needs VR support, and this is why I decided to release a preliminary support for Virtual Reality event before the 1.0 milestone, just to get started with VR development. You can consider the implementation as being in a research phase and is currently not affecting the price of the product.
It leverages the SteamVR SDK. I have had support for VR in internal branches for a long time but have not yet had the time to focus on it. I decided to just release its current state, so those who wish can start helping me in testing this. This is in an experimental phase and requires an HMD with motion controllers.
Multiplayer is considered and will be reaching it's 2nd phase of development after the 1.0 release. This means that the work has started on releasing a player driven Mission Control for Mercury (the Mercury Control Center) and Apollo Mission Control (MOCR). This allows a Mercury Astronaut or Apollo Astronaut (a player) to host the game session as a multiplayer game. Telemetry is being broadcasted from the spacecraft to the Mission Control Center. Other players can join in and work as a team to execute planned missions, and react to failures.
Current implementation:
Technical Previous and alpha testing round 1: Learn about network programming and verify if the architecture chosen works in the Reentry Universe.
Co-op would be great for spacecrafts that supports more than one astronaut. This is something I wish to support in the future, and could be possible by using the Mission Control Live logic as the basis. More research has to be done in this field.