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1988-01-27
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*************************************************************
KiteSim v2.42 - The Kite Simulator
(c) R.Boardman of Wavelength Software 1993
__/\ __
\/
This version 22nd August 1993
*************************************************************
Commodore-Amiga //
A1200 OK \X/
What is KiteSim?
================
Well, KiteSim is, as the name implies, a kite simulator - i.e. it
simulates the paths of kites as they move through the air. As yet they
just do a loop (or as near as they get within the set time limit).
As this is the first release, but one of many revisions, what it can
do is fairly limited. When all of the variables have been user set, you
can see a star-filled sky (yes, even in the day-time - there is still
a small bug which I will fix in the next version). On this screen you
will see a list of variables (kite area doesn`t work on-screen) about
the current kite.
Also on the screen you will see the kite (surprise, surprise!) with
two or more kite lines coming down from it. The kite will start to do
a loop (the larger kites take a long time and the movement is jerky)
within the time limit. Pressing the left mouse button just after it
redraws the kite will abort the current kite's flight.
When finished you can press the right mouse button to restart, or the
left mouse button to give a printout and restart.
Pressing <Ctrl> and C will quit out of the program.
The User-Definable Options
==========================
Despite its complicated title, they really are quite simple to alter.
The first thing it will ask is :
Enter zoom level (400 = norm)
For this, you may alter it as much as you wish (within reason),
but if you do put in a very large or very small number then you will
hardly see the kite. (I forgot to mention this, but it works out how
the light is reflected off the lines and the kite, so sometimes you may
not see the kite and/or the lines. This is perfectly normal, so don`t
worry - it hasn`t crashed: look at the x/y figures to see if it's still
working.) Level 400 Zoom is quite good.
Enter distance (500 = norm)
This is the distance away from the kite (in metres) you are standing.
This works in harmony with the zoom for your final viewing position. I
quite like 500m as it puts you it a good position along with 400z level.
Enter time (s)
This is the total time that the kite will be in the air in seconds.
It will keep looping until the counter expires (or until you press the
left mouse button).
Enter limit * factor (2 = norm)
Until you get familiar with the kites' limitations I suggest that
you leave this at 2. It goes from two to four and adjusts the kites'
movements very slightly.
Enter kite flexibility (1 = norm)
Do you want your kite to be a well `ard rigid delta or a sexy
flexifoil? Well, this goes from one to over five but I only recommend
going up to five. Bear in mind that a delta-wind with standoffs is rigid
(1), without standoffs is slightly flexible (2), all eddy/trilby
(diamond-shaped) kites are rigid (1), parafoils go from 2 to 4, sharkfins
from 2 to 5 and flexifoils are 5 (immensely flexible!).
Enter wind speed (0 = Random)
Wind speeds from 3 to 10,000,000,000 (!) mph are supported. Anything
less than 3 will result in an error. Enter 0 mph for a random windspeed
up to 30 mph.
Nightflight (1=Yes, 0=No)
Nightflight darkens the sky and adds an impressive starfield. A bug
means that it adds a starfield anyway!
Delta-wing (1=Yes, 0=No)
This option works in conjunction with the next to work out what sort
of kite it is. Enter a 1 here for a delta wing or a sharkfin, or a 0
for an eddy/trilby, a parafoil or a flexifoil.
S'division of s'face vectors (2-8)
Now, this is the interesting bit. If you put in 40 here it would
result in an error. If I had just left it, you would have ended up
with a kite several miles across! Here is a table to show you what
sorts of kites you get with combinations of the previous two options:
Kite type | Delta-wing | Vectors
-----------------------------------------
Eddy/Trilby | 0 | 2
Std Delta | 1 | 2
Parafoil | 0 | 3-8
Flexifoil | 0 | 7
Sharkfin | 1 | 3-8
The next bit
============
After pressing return after the vectors you can select one of three
modes to display your kite in:
Left Mouse - Low-res Standard
Right Mouse - Hi-res Interlaced (My favourite for kiting)
Space-bar - Hi-res Standard
After this, your kite will appear, floating gracefully around the
sky. There are some numbers in the top corner. The x/y co-ordinates
are the only ones that change. The rest are statistics about your kite
(except the area one. That doesn't work in this version.).
You may press the mouse button to get out of this at any time, but
it may start printing unexpectedly.
When the `bird has flown', a screen will come up and if you decide
to print, the following info will be on your piece of (hopefully)
recycled tree pulp (paper):
The version number of the program
The flexibility and type of the kite
How long it was airborne
The recommended minimum line strength and the average wind speed
The kites' maximum speed (doesn't work for deltas or diamonds, sorry!)
The area of the kites' sail
The strain on the Rip-Stop nylon fabric
The maximum wind speed
What time the kite was flying
Here is an example printout:
KiteSim v2.42 (c) R. Boardman of Wavelength Software 1993
Current Kite Status Report
This kite is a flexible sharkfin.
It was in the air for 44 seconds.
The recommended line strength for this kite in winds of 50 mph is 250lb.
It reached a maximum speed of 100 mph (160.93 km/h).
The area of this kite is 4 square metres or 37.2 square feet.
The strain on the fabric was 75 psi.
There were gusts of up to 85 mph.
The kite was flying during the night at 11:53pm
What is to be expected?
=======================
In future versions there shall be:
* Fixed bugs
* Max speed indicators for smaller kites
* Wireframe version (for speedy flights)
* Added support for other forms of kite (if there are any)
* Annoying tune that only stops playing when you are on the verge of a
nervous breakdown after listening to it for three weeks
* A 3D Kite Designer
* NTSC Support
* An AGA version (maybe)
* A faster version
* User-controllable kites
* Anything else I can think of
* And all your suggestions
Other notes
===========
Unfortunately, I couldn`t get hold of a 500 to try it on, so I only
know for sure that it works on WB3.0 machines with at least 2Mb of mem,
but theoretically it should work with less. (* marks versions on this
disk.)
Version history
===============
v1.0 The original - no user-definable options or stats or
printouts. Lowres only. No nightflight. Eddy kites
only. No lines
v1.1 Hires added.
v1.15 Hires laced added.
v1.2 Zoom level changeable. Kite lines added
v1.3 Distance changeable. Vectors added.
v1.4 Time counter + stats added.
v1.5 Limit + flex factor added. Surface light added.
v1.6 Further stat support.
v1.7 Windspeed added. Parafoil support added
v1.75 Random windspeed added.
v1.8 Flexifoil support added.
v1.9 Delta-wing and sharkfin support. First ß Release.
v2.0 Small printer support added.
v2.1 Extended printer report.
v2.2 Bugs fixed (some).
v2.3 Nightflight added. One bug added!
v2.4 Best printer support.
*v2.41 Refused to work on a 2Mb A1200. (Tell me if you get it
to work andhow, please!)
*v2.42 Over 200% acceleration and first real (gamma) release.
If you like this prog, please send £1.50 to me, Rick Boardman, at:
41, Roylen Ave,
Carleton,
Blackpool,
Lancashire,
ENGLAND.
FY6 7PH
I will register you as a user and you will be informed of all major
updates and get one free if you send back your disk to me.
If you want the source code in AMOS (yes, I swear by it!) then please
send another £2.50.
This program was written in AMOS Professional and begun a few weeks ago.
It took a lot of my time (and a lot of my hair!) to write. So please,
have some sympathy!
(You may also send bug reports, cars, computers, bikes, sofas, MONEY,
kites, guitars, anything really to the above address.)
Copying notice
==============
This prog isn`t quite shareware, as it is still in it`s early days,
but I would still appreciate a donation. If you copy it to all of your
friends, make sure you still leave the program and this document
intact.
Disclaimer
==========
Now, listen up. If you are watching a vector kite scream around the
air in eight million mile per hour winds, and there is a power cut,
causing all the stored current to leap back into the plug and melt the
1p coin you replaced the fuse with, making a billion volt jump back
through the United Kingdom and causing a small but heavily populated
part of Bognor Regis that lies across an undiscovered fault line to drift
off into the ocean and sink, then it`s not my fault. In other words, I
accept no responsibility for anything bad that happens using this program,
directly or indirectly. Cheers!
Rick Boardman
22nd Aug 1993