On Wed, 2005-11-30 at 20:25, Steve Knoblock wrote: > >It'll still be the same. The C172 doesn't use the generic autopilot code > >- it has a KAP140 autopilot model - which is controlled by clicking the > >buttons on the device in the cockpit. > > This confusion will raise its head every time a person comes to > FlightGear for the first time. They will start with the Cessna and > reach for the Autopilot dialog on the toolbar and wonder why it does > not work. How could they know it is not hooked up for the particular > aircraft....
Steve Knoblock is replying to my query about bizarre inconsistent autopilot behaviour on the default Cessna. Makes me wonder whether there's an excuse for some new thinking on the subject of UI design, regardless of whether a cockpit is 3D or 2D. Here's what I propose - please be kind with your comments, I'm not trying to dictate terms or tread on anyone's toes: Flightgear (and any other flight sim) is trying to reproduce the experience of flying, both in terms of the flight dynamics and (to a limited extent) "the whole experience". As such, many of the instruments in the virtual cockpit can be configured with mouse-clicks on the instruments themselves. Some can also be configured through dialog boxes. If FG wants to try and model the "flight experience", these alternative dialog-box UIs must go. There are no pull-down menus on a real plane, and no dialog-boxes. Providing them therefore breaks the "flight experience". I'm not saying get rid of the menu-bar as such, because the menu bar has a valid raison d'etre in that it allows you to control aspects of the world outside that are not part of the flying experience. For instance, setting the weather, time of day, type of plane, lat, long and altitude of the plane. That sort of thing has to stay on the menus. Everything else (autopilot, comms and navigation radio settings etc) must go. Trouble is, as Steve comments above (and as caused me to get messed over by the Cessna autopilot fake dialog-box bug in the first place), you can't always read the virtual instruments on the 2D/3D cockpit on smaller screens. For instance I can't read the compass on my screen - the numbers are too small. I propose then that every single instrument on the cockpit has the ability to be double-clicked, and if so then a separate draggable window appears containing a magnified view of that same instrument. Obviously, it will be a *lot* easier to click on buttons and knobs on this magnified instrument, though some people with colossal screens won't need to bother and can carry on with the normal-size instruments. Being able to double-click the comms radio, click on the buttons to tune it and set it up will remove the need for the dialog-box option for setting it. Likewise the autopilot. The user will be able to choose to declutter his/her screen by dismissing the magnified instrument once they're done with it, The smaller version on the instrument panel will of course reflect the same information. Any time you want a closer look, you double-click again. In my case, I'd probably double-click the magnetic compass at takeoff time, drag it to a convenient corner and leave it here for the flight. At least I'd know where I was going! In my case, I'd expect to double-click the altimeter at takeoff time to adjust it for QNH, then dismiss it (I can read the altimeter OK on my screen anyway). The user would have the option to double-click *every* instrument on the panel of course - they'd end up with an awful lot of draggable windows and probably nowhere to put them all, but that's their choice. Users of 'gimp' will know what I mean by this sort of idea. Just my $0.04 Now just off to don fireproof suit.... Steve _______________________________________________ Flightgear-devel mailing list Flightgear-devel@flightgear.org http://mail.flightgear.org/mailman/listinfo/flightgear-devel 2f585eeea02e2c79d7b1d8c4963bae2d
