A modest proposal: Orbiter metagame

[Roger Burton West <roger@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi folks,

While on my way to Jupiter this evening, I was struck by an idea.
Orbiter isn't a "building" game, purely a simulator. But it would be
entirely possible for a simulator to wrap around Orbiter - to generate
the relevant configuration files, launch the game, then examine the
saved state afterwards.

I'm thinking it might work something like this:

Start with a default position - say, one launch site somewhere on Earth,
and a starting budget. Choose what to buy, which will then determine the
missions you get to fly. The more quickly and efficiently you complete
the mission, the more budget you get for more interesting things.

So, you might start with suborbital courier runs; then buy something
with a bit more carrying capacity, and start work on a space station.
(First mission would involve getting to the orbit in which you want the
station, and "delivering a payload" - the metagame would convert your
position and velocity to orbital elements.) The more components you
delivered to the space station, the bigger it would get (more docking
ports, and more budget).

Then you could set up a lunar base - first mission would establish the
base site, later missions would allow it to be expanded. And asteroid
rendezvous, research stations, colonies... there are lots of
possibilities.

Any interest in this?

Roger