Celestial Navigation in SH4

[I'm goin' down]

I will be in heaven (in a manner of speaking) when we get it working.

Once it is working, I will need guidance on the folowing:

How do I set it up so SH4 games use Stellarium?

What is a good tutorial or lesson to get started?

When I set it for viewing from my home town, the moon (a few days ago) was in the sky, but it was below the horizon on Stellarium. Thus, I could not compare what I saw in the sky to the program, because the views were not the same. How can I fix that?

Pieces, I appreciate your morale boosting advice. But the instructions in the tutorial simply did not apply to the new version of Stellarium, plus the instructions on how to activate Python were not consumer friendly (I am being most diplomatic re Python.) Don Reed and I have spent considerable time (several hours) over the last 2 days dealing with it via email and telephone, and hopefully will finish it tomorrow since the latest road block was recently surmounted by Admiral Reed.

[don1reed]

Best advice: go to the first post of this thread and download 6SJ7GT's Tutorials and war year (1939-1945) almanacs.

Any questions you have after taking time to read that info...everybody here will gladly help you.

But...

Once we get you up and running with Python and Stellarium 10.5, You need to begin using Stellarium in an actual game, where taking simulated sextant sights will show your progress through the ocean.

[I'm goin' down]

Originally Posted by don1reed

Best advice: go to the first post of this thread and download 6SJ7GT's Tutorials and war year (1939-1945) almanacs.

Any questions you have after taking time to read that info...everybody here will gladly help you.

But...

Once we get you up and running with Python and Stellarium 10.5, You need to begin using Stellarium in an actual game, where taking simulated sextant sights will show your progress through the ocean.

I will give it a shot (I mean a sighting!)

[Pisces]

Originally Posted by I'm goin' down

Pieces, I appreciate your morale boosting advice. But the instructions in the tutorial simply did not apply to the new version of Stellarium, plus the instructions on how to activate Python were not consumer friendly (I am being most diplomatic re Python.) Don Reed and I have spent considerable time (several hours) over the last 2 days dealing with it via email and telephone, and hopefully will finish it tomorrow since the latest road block was recently surmounted by Admiral Reed.

Pieces ... (or did you say you were dyslexic, if so then I'm sorry I forgot)

I'm curious about the details of the reasons for Python not working (by itself). I wasn't aware of a new Stellarium version (past 10.2) but that's allways a possibility ofcourse. Still I gathered the problem lied in Python not working at all. Unless my earlier installation of the Python.org release solved some issues for the Active(something) version of Python that was unknown to me, I can't imagine why it went so bad for you, but so easy for me. (Yikes, awfull sentence I wrote there)

[I'm goin' down]

Originally Posted by Pisces

I'm curious about the details of the reasons for Python not working (by itself). I wasn't aware of a new Stellarium version (past 10.2) but that's allways a possibility ofcourse. Still I gathered the problem lied in Python not working at all. Unless my earlier installation of the Python.org release solved some issues for the Active(something) version of Python that was unknown to me, I can't imagine why it went so bad for you, but so easy for me. (Yikes, awfull sentence I wrote there)

I am not touching that with a ten foot pole. Don Reed can if he so chooses. What could be more productive is to issue new instruction dealing with windows vista. That would answer your questions.

[don1reed]

Herein lies the culprit. This very medium, this forum which we use to communicate; and me. Yes, me. I was content to leave well enough alone, using what worked for me, Python 2.6 and Stellarium 0.9.1. Why "upgrade" to something new? In other words, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

Old timer me, decided that if my system worked, it should work for IGD's rig as well....lol, not to be.

Once it was determined that IGD and I were using 2 different Stellarium pgms, I got off my duff and DL the newest version. [I] Reworked the SH4toStellarium10.ssc script for my cpu's subdirectory. And yet, all was not well, as the date/time and geo coords continued to stay in Paris with today's date/time. Default? Probably. So, I carefully read the script and discovered that it was supposed to write an sh4.ssc with the game date/time/posit into the SCRIPT directory of the new Stellarium.

My sys os is W/7 and for some reason, due to permissions authority, it was not allowing the Python script to write to Stellarium. It wouldn't let me edit any of the *.ssc files unless I physically drug them from the "My Computer" focus box to the desktop and modified them there.

Since this was preventing the "sh4.ssc" script from being written, I decided to create a blank "sh4.ssc" with Notepad, drag it into the Stellarium\Script directory, to kick-start the deal--Lo and behold, it worked. Opening the Stellarium\Script\sh4.ssc disclosed the proper params for my game.

I see now, this was just a ploy by 6ST7GT to drag me kicking and screaming into the 21st century. That was a dirty trick, Mike.

And that, Pisces, is how I lost all my remaining hair. (I think I'll start shaving my legs--for balance.)

[don1reed]

Here is a pic of the NLSR (Observation scope) from SH3 (It's just one I happen to have...I know this is an SH4 thread).

What I wish the Mod Guru's could accomplish is find a way to accurately measure the altitude of the LL or UL of the body to the Ocean's surface. We wouldn't need Python or Stellarium then.

To give the "O scope" a real function would be nice....dreaming....

Oh...a Split-Image would be even better, where you could rotate the body to the surface. Sweet.



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

[Munchausen]

Originally Posted by I'm goin' down

I will give it a shot (I mean a sighting!)

Actually, "shot" is proper terminology. Navigators "shoot the stars" to get a fix.

[Pisces]

Originally Posted by don1reed

My sys os is W/7 and for some reason, due to permissions authority, it was not allowing the Python script to write to Stellarium. It wouldn't let me edit any of the *.ssc files unless I physically drug them from the "My Computer" focus box to the desktop and modified them there.

Sounds like you have Stellarium inside the Program Files folder. Hmm, IGD too perhaps, then I guess there is another difference why it works easier on my end.

Microsoft chose to protect the Program Files folder with good intentions, by preventing malware from infesting it without the users notice, but man can this be a pain in the stern if you want to do things deliberately. In XP it allready has a more basic kind of protection, but since every user in it by default becomes an administrator, nobody noticed these restrictions. In Vista and 7 the first user account that is created at installation is only administrator by default. (And there is a buit-in administrator account, but disabled) All following become ordinary users, unless manually made a member of the administrators group.

@I'm Going Down

I agree the procedure could use an update. But ultimately it's only 6SJ7GT that can edit hit first message. Also, It would be important to know what went wrong on your end exactly with Python itself. I explained that I did nothing special during install (well, aside from a different folder location) but that didn't seem to help you. (assuming you actually did follow that advice at some point) You reported that you couldn't find any executable with which you could run it (python.exe). Did you eventually find it? And were you eventually able to get the programming environment to start itself(there should have been a IDLE.bat somewhere to run it; without using any kind of SH4toStellarium script or Stellarium config file for the moment) Sofar we only know that Don1Reed fixed, ... updated his Stellarium. ... And shaved his legs. But what steps you took I did not get enough feedback on. And you were the one having the problems.

[don1reed]

I'm an iMac user, Pisces, and I only purchased the pc for running SH. The pc is a lot more tedious...and frustrating sometimes. (The cat is out of the bag)

No blood, no foul.

[Pisces]

Originally Posted by don1reed

I'm an iMac user, Pisces, and I only purchased the pc for running SH. The pc is a lot more tedious...and frustrating sometimes. (The cat is out of the bag)

No blood, no foul.

Whoopsy, I forgot.

[I'm goin' down]

Originally Posted by Pisces

Sounds like you have Stellarium inside the Program Files folder. Hmm, IGD too perhaps, then I guess there is another difference why it works easier on my end.

Wrong, Stellarium is in its own directory in the C file. C:\Stellarium.

As for me explaining what went wrong, I am not going to do it. I do not understand the final adjustments that don reed made this morning. I lack the technical qualifications to fully comprehend what he did/changed.

[I'm goin' down]

Here is a something similar to my recent email to Don Reed. Mr. Reed can probably resolve Question No. 1, which he is familiar with.

I am on a single mission off of the Solomen's. The date is 11/14/1943. base time is 0648hrs. I save the mission and exit SH4. I input that information to python. When I run python, Stellarium opens.

Question No. 1. Stellarium says I am in the Pacific Ocean, so I assume I am at the correct location. On Stellarium's world map, the arrow it set and points to the Pacific Ocean, so that confirms my assumption. Next, I open the configuration window in Stellarium and run the SH4 script per your instruction. I assume that will run the most recent saved game in SH4. Unfortunately, it returns me to the Stellarium main screen where it still shows the current date (8/26/2010) and current time. What am I doing wrong?

Specific information. When I run the SH4toStellarium in python, Stellarium opens and says I am in the Pacific Ocean, so I assume I am at the correct location. Note, I had set the date in python 1943/11/01, which is the date of my saved game. However, when I open the configuration window in Stellarium and run the SH4 script per your instructions, I still get the current date instead of a date of November 14, 1943. The startup.sst folder in Stellarium does not bear a 1943 date. It still bears the following, incorrect data, which does not match the saved game,

Name: Startup Script
// Description: Script which runs automatically at startup
//
date utc 1943/01/01T11:02:00
moveto lon 162.960510583
moveto lat 5.23516041667
script action end

Second question. SH4 says base time is 0648 hrs. I am off the Solomen Islands. I am not sure what base time means. This is a single mission, and there is no indication on the map screen as to what the base is. How does base time coordinate with GMT, and if I am off the Solomens, how do I account for the time difference between that location and the base?

Third question. How do you figure the GMT for a remote location like the Solomens? This is related to question No. 2.

[don1reed]

@IGD:

1) The Startup position shown when Stellarium opens is not your correct position. Goto the Lower Left Side tool bar and click on the "Wrench"
the configuration window. Once it opens, click on "Scripts" icon. When it opens, click on sh4.ssc script and press the run button at the bottom.

If this is exactly what you're doing and getting those results, then you'll need to look at the sh4.ssc script file to see what's written there. The sh4.ssc script file is located in C:\Stellarium\scripts\ directory. Copy and paste it here so we can look at it.

The SH4toStellarium10.ssc.py script in Python is what is writing to the sh4.ssc script in Stellarium to call up the proper date/time/position of your game.



2) Base Time is the Local Time at the Naval Base your mission started from, i.e., Hawaii, that would put you in Time Zone K (-)10 hrs. or 6:48 base time = Local time on 11 NOV 43. 6:48K time = 10 Nov 43 20:48Z (GMT)

You headed West and crossed the IDL (International Date Line)(Represented by the Diagonal line across the chart below) and now in the waters off the Solomen Is.

Physically Crossing the IDL East to West you lose one day (-1) so the GMT Date would now be

10 NOV 43, Local time would be 10:48W in the vicinity of the Solomens.

As promised, here is USN's GMT chart. Copy it and make it any size your heart desires. (Click on it to see a larger pic)

The Sun travels 15° each hour, Therefore each time zone degree is in the exact middle of each time zone and has 7.5° on each side. The Navigator aboard ships is in charge of making sure all clocks (set to local time) and chronometers (are set to GMT). It's something to be concerned with as your navigation depends on it.

[I'm goin' down]

Here is my Stellariam/scrpts/sh4.ssc file content:

core.setDate("1943:11:14T06:48::00")
core.setObserverLocation(-157.981558667, 21.2394480833, 2, 0, "SH4 Navigation Point, Pacific Ocean", "earth

Here is the startup.ssc file content:

//
// Name: Startup Script
// Description: Script which runs automatically at startup
//
date utc 1943/01/01T11:02:00
moveto lon 162.960510583
moveto lat 5.23516041667
script action end

Here is the startup.sts file content:

date utc 1943/11/01T21:02::00
moveto lon 125.421066417
moveto lat 10.2463980833
script action end