What do you think orbiter is?

[ryan]

I know this is kind of pointless but it gives us something to talk about, do you think Orbiter is a simulator or a game or both?

 

[astrosammy]

I think both. It has realistic physics, but many Addons make it funny as a game.

 

[Kyle]

Space Flight Simulator.
It even says it is.

 

[adamb193]

The answer to the meaning of life?

 

[Jebusy]

Pop Cutie! Street Fashion Simulation......... ahhh, well the simulator in the name argument falls flat on its face right there.....orbiter is both a sim AND a game...... i just flew the wandering star into orbit for fun....or maybe i wanted to practice my ascent to orbit in a 16th century wooden ship so i could do it in real life.

 

[C3PO]

I still stick to my own personal distinction between sims and games.

It depends who sets the goal(s).

Sim -----> User
Game -----> Program(mer)

 

[Spicer]

I think Orbiter is both. It's got the realistic characteristics of a simulator. It does a pretty good job of simulating realistic space flight situations. It also has add-ons, so that if you want to play the "what if" scenarios, you can. It's also very playable, making it a game, as much as Madden, or anything else.

I love Orbiter. I have been PLAYING for about a year and half. Unlike other games, I haven't run out of interesting things I can do with it.

I've learned so much about space flight from Oriber, too. I'm a nerd that way. I love playing video games, but I love learning new things too.

 

[Deke]

Makes me sick, the Orbiter Community of today. I remember two years ago people KNEW what it was and used it for what it was.

When did it become a free ride to just sit and watch the computer do everything?

I say no more.

 

[Linguofreak]

Depends on your definitions of "sim" and "game."

I tend to go with sim = model of physical laws.

and

game = (in the context of computers) Any program that presents an interactive computer generated environment (from a simple text interface RPG to a chess game to a 3D virtual world) for the purpose of entertainment. Orbiter is thus both.

However, if you pick sufficiently narrow definitions it could be neither. (Such as if "sims" are only such computer models of physical laws as are used professionally for research and design purposes, and "games" are only such entertainment programs as define a goal for the user).

 

[Andy44]

Um, actually, three years ago we were having this debate. Funny how the same old threads always pop up.

 

[Deke]

Um, actually, three years ago we were having this debate. Funny how the same old threads always pop up.

Yeah but three years ago someone called it a game we'd drag 'em out back and beat them with a hose. Now you've got all these damned Unions.

 

[Zatnikitelman]

I'd say it goes into the Sim category more than the game category. Yes, you can have objective-based play thanks to the wonderfully expansive API with all sorts of pure "fun." But the objective of Orbiter is to provide an open-ended simulation environment of real space physics in which a user is essentially limited by only their own goals and skills...which can always be improved.
Boils down to this: game=limited sim=unlimited orbiter=sim

 

[ryan]

Yeah but three years ago someone called it a game we'd drag 'em out back and beat them with a hose. Now you've got all these damned Unions.

Easy Deke.

 

[Andy44]

Isn't any sim a game? Isn't real life a game? Open-ended, but you can set goals in life and try to achieve them before you die. If you make those goals, you assign yourself a score. No one else even needs to know what you're doing inside that head of yours, right?

 

[pete.dakota]

D'oh. I accidentally selected game. I meant to say 'Both'.

I think in the manner of Orbiter having goals (orbit, rendezvous, docking, flight planning, re-entry and landing etc.) AND it also being a heck load of fun, it should be considered both a 'Game' and spaceflight simulator. It is of course mostly the latter, though.

 

[FordPrefect]

*snip*

 

[simonpro]

I'm struggling to think of anything I care less about that Orbiter's naming convention.

Next question, is the two-wheeled form of human powered vehicle known as a bicycle or a bike?

 

[dmc]

If you go by definitions...
From dictionary.com

Game:
1.an amusement or pastime

Simulator:
2.a machine for simulating certain environmental and other conditions for purposes of training or experimentation

To me both describe orbiter.
Even though it is titled as a space flight simulator, im pretty sure all of us here play it for fun.

EDIT: Also I just thought of, a game is basically anything you play for amusement or fun. Depending on if its from Halo to the Sims or Orbiter to GTA.
They all fall under their own genres, which Orbiter would fall under the simulation genre. So Orbiter would both be a game and a simulator

 

[reverend]

I'd say respect martins... Read what he has on orbitersim.com

About Orbiter

ORBITER is a free flight simulator that goes beyond the confines of Earth's atmosphere.But make no mistake - ORBITER is not a space shooter. The emphasis is firmly on realism, and the learning curve can be steep. Be prepared to invest some time and effort to brush up on your orbital mechanics background.


Sounds like he wants to make it pretty clear, this is not a game, it's a tool.

 

[dmc]

I'd say respect martins... Read what he has on orbitersim.com

About Orbiter

ORBITER is a free flight simulator that goes beyond the confines of Earth's atmosphere.But make no mistake - ORBITER is not a space shooter. The emphasis is firmly on realism, and the learning curve can be steep. Be prepared to invest some time and effort to brush up on your orbital mechanics background.


Sounds like he wants to make it pretty clear, this is not a game, it's a tool.

Does that also make this a tool, or just another "game"?