User Interface - Drivetrain Controls

[JesseK]

Descent 2 is a fps-style game from a long time ago that was waaay ahead of its time in graphics and gameplay. It still has a cult-like following, though none of us ever expect there to be a Descent 4 because of ... well who knows why that company sits on its hands and the liscensing.

Like an underwater ROV, the ship in Descent 2 is in ultra-low gravity and has 6 degrees of freedom (roll, pitch, yaw, x, y, z). The default controls for that game were a single joystick with a 4-direction hat and 4 keys on the keyboard, however I'm sure that was only because of the rudimentary technology of the time (like the OS, lack of USB, etc). The ballistics in the game also meant you had to aim ahead of the target's movement as well.

In playing the game at my peak I could control roll, pitch, and yaw while varying strafe movements in order to circle-strafe and hit a target as it moved in a somewhat predictable line. It relates to FRC since a good pilot of Descent 2 would understand what's possible on-field with a true-holonomic drive train. It's the same without the roll, pitch, and z. Flying in Descent 2 would allow a driver to come up with the best way he/she is comfortable driving rather than having to conform to what the programmers and everyone else thinks is best. These days you can use multiple input devices instead of just the joystick/keyboard. However, the game's actual value is probably only realized if a potential driver plays the game well ahead of the build season since you really don't want to have to take excessive time trying to decide during the season.

(Descent 3 missed the mark -- it's not as responsive control-wise, though some of the environments were nice. D3 also kept crashing on me at the time. If they never make a 4th I will resolve myself to making a 6-DoF quadrotor or ROV when I'm done with grad school.)