Hello, everybody.
At the risk of probably causing some teeth-grinding amongst both Flight Sim enthusiasts and Dune enthusiasts, I wondered if anybody knew whether there were - or if there were any plans to release - any add-on systems for the Atreides Ornithopter? Specifically, navigation and (perhaps) autopilot?
Let me explain. Please.
So first off, I understand that in Flight Sim terms, the thopter is a novelty add-on, and that it’s not intended to be for serious, dedicated use. I understand that it’s not consistent with real-world physics and that a real one wouldn’t work. I get that it’s just for fun.
And, I understand that from the perspective of Dune, the principles of Butlerianism prohibit the use of thinking machines, and computers that can do the work of the human mind, and that therefore a vehicle like the thopter is (as portrayed in books and movies) going to be light on automation.
That being said, I love flying the ornithopter in Flight Sim and I use it regularly for sightseeing trips and just those ‘love of flight’ moments where you just want to blaze off into the sky and go circling clouds and doing all the wheeling and soaring and swinging that you love to do sometimes. The ornithopter is wonderful for that sort of experience.
It’s just… It would be nice to be able to use it for more careful flights as well. To be able to follow a flight plan, and run an approach (albeit a more helicopter-esque approach, perhaps) - and occasionally just leave it to its own devices so it can go somewhere without me having to sit with my hands on the controls all the way.
And I do also appreciate that there isn’t anywhere to add extra screens and things - but in practical terms I wouldn’t really need that: just windows I can pop up with the MFDs on them would be more than enough.
The obvious answer would be, “Make it yourself”, and that’s fair - except I haven’t worked out how to edit aircraft liveries yet, because it’s far too complicated, which should give you a rough idea of my level of technical expertise. Hence I ask if anybody’s already done this, and if the answer is no - or “no, of course not, don’t be ridiculous” - then I will put the idea aside.
Ta.
