cockpit for mechs

[mrknife]

Does anyone have any links or resources on building a cockpit for mech warrior games?

i've played one at 2 years ago at an arcade near my house, it was 8 cockpits all linked for a free for all battle.

anyways, i'm looking into possibly building a control panel or a cockpit for more realistic control.

also maybe for some cool reading material any papers realated to the feasability of constructing real life mecha.

[rampy]

not sure about the game (check klov.com to see if you find it) but this guy built a Mech tree fort in his back yard....

not quite what you asked... but it is a metal/wood mech isn't it?   sounds like quite the construction feat...  but I suppose just a regular "racing" style cockpit would be really cool... *srhug*

rampy

[mrknife]

A racing style cockpit would be a good start...
i've been looking at those and at flight simulator cockpits for inspiration.

and just for clairification i was just wondering if there was any reading material on the reality of a military weapon similar to a mech.  the technical feasability, reaserch into such a weapon... but i guess anything that interesting would not be publically known.  just looking for sumthing to read on the can you know?

ps. that tree house is pretty cool !!

[rampy]

The irony of the treehouse is that the guy who built it for his kids works for nasa (or the like) and is actually working on designing a "real" mech ... he's an engineer or something...

There have been other folks who have worked on home made "real" mechs... I bet if you went to slashdot.org and searched there for Mech's (or whatever) there's at least a couple of articles of people trying to make real ones...


Good luck with the mech-cab =)

rampy

[1UP]

While the military has made plans for a type of powered armor to be used by infantry in the future, I'm afraid that we'll probably never see mechs of the "giant robot" variety (i.e. BattleMech.) They make for great fiction, but think about it:  One arm on a mech would have many times the complexity of a modern high-tech tank, and would be many times the price.  The only reason a large mech would ever be made is if it could do a job that other current military vehicles could not do.  For the most part, mechs are just walking tanks.  But we already have tanks, and adding legs to them wouldn't really be an improvement.  Any small improvement to performance would be outweighed by the astronomical jump in cost.  Also, the added complexity would mean added weight, which means shorter range, more frequent breakdowns, and added difficulty in field maintenance.  (You should watch the Gasaraki anime series--now there's a pretty realistic view of what real mechs would be like, right down to the operational limits and maintenance problems, as well as an interesting take on Japanese mythology.)

If you want to read about the military applications of a powered suit, do a search for the Hardiman or Pitman projects.  I think there was an article in Popular Mechanics on this subject.  If I can find my copy, I'll give you the info.

[brianleb]

Unfortunately no help on the cockpit, but since you asked, the guys at www.mechaps.com are making a real, working mech. They seem to have themselves very organized and very well off. They are a bunch of guys in California, but they are taking their semi-completed mech to anime conventions all over the country. The message boards are also usually filled with interesting arguments about the usefullness of mechs and the like. Well, good luck with the mech cockpit, I wanna see how that thing turns out.

[ErikRuud]

I am pretty sure that MrKnife visited a "Virtual World Entertainment BattleTech Center".  We have one here in Chicago, It used to at North Pier, but has since been moved into the Dave & Busters on Clark Street.

The Tesla pods that are used for the games, are really complex, and probably one of the most sophisticated simulators out side of the military.  The only thing lacking is motoion. There is a large monitor for your forward view, and a smaller monitor that sits between your knees for system status, radar, and other information.  There are LED displays and buttons for the weapons on either side of the main display. There is a throttle stick, and a multi button eight way stick for driving and firing.  There are several speakers including a huge subwoofer mounted in the back of the pilots chair.

Check out Virtual World Entertainment for more infor mation and photos of the Tesla Pods.

The BattleTech game and the Red Planet game are both amazing. I loved going to the center on Navy Pier and playing as many times as I could afford.

If you get a chance to go to a BattleTech center, go and check one out.

[mrknife]

 
Yup thats the one !!
I remember when D&B (Dave&Busters) first opened here in Toronto and they had battletech it was awesome.  now 2.5 years later i'm working there as a game tech.  Its a good job, all i do is repair and play games all day long.
the only thing is they replaced battletech a long time ago with some $hitty bluescreen "real hockey" game.  sucks hardcore.  
oh well, i guess i'll just go build my own.

actually the game tekki or steel battalion to be released on x-box is spost to be packaged with a 40 button controller, this mech simulation is spost to be really good. check it out.
very ambitious.
http://xbox.ign.com/articles/362/362157p1.html

[ErikRuud]

I started going to the North Pier BattleTech center when it first opened up more than ten years ago.  I had known some one that was involved in the developement of the original pods. At that time it was the only center in the world. I have played on System 1, System 3, and the earlier versions of the Tesla system. It haven't been there since it moved to Dave & Busters.

For those of you that want a good look at what the game looks like, go to the Videos page and watch the training videos. They give you a good look at what it is like in the pods.  Most of the game videos are from an observers point of view, and don't give a good feel for the games.

Steel Battalion looks interesting, but I have a feeling that the 155 dollar price tag will hurt it's sales. Buying the latest Mechwarrior and a Sidewinder is cheaper.

[BASSOFeeSH]

I too went to Battletech at North Pier when it first opened.  I even still have a tape of one of my missions.

One the center split into two different games it just sucked.(IMHO)  The first felt more like a sim to me while it felt more & more like a game after that.

[ErikRuud]

I liked both games, but running both games did make the lines for Battletech longer.

I was a little put off the first time they had Red Planet, but it was a lot of fun, and a completely different experience.  I remember a couple times playing Red Planet, and then getting on the Eisenhower expressway to go home. It was kind of wierd, I felt like I had to remind myself that I couldn't just ram the other guys out of the way.  

Everytime they upgraded the system, I thought it was great.  I would have been happier if they had added eight more pods when they added Red Planet.

I never got a mission tape, I do still have my original membership card though.