XR5 Vanguard, DG-XR1, and XR2 Ravenstar in Orbit
Latest News
10.24.2011 - Italian Translation of XR Flight Operations Manual Released
Ugo Palazzo (Ripley on Orbiter-Forum) has translated the latest XR Flight Operations Manual into Italian. Details in the first section of the Downloads page.
7.2.2011 - New D3D9-Ready XR1/XR2/XR5 Versions Released
The newly-released XR versions are fully compliant with the latest DirectX 9 Orbiter Graphics Client, which features 4x AA and vastly-improved framerates under Windows 7 and Vista compared to Orbiter's built-in DirectX 7 graphics engine. The XR release notes are available in this Orbiter-Forum thread. You can get the new versions on the Downloads page.
3.9.2011 - New XR1/XR2/XR5 Versions Released
The latest XR versions include an updated Attitude Hold autopilot that can now hold inverted roll attitudes, which is useful during high-energy aerobraking maneuvers. The release notes are available in this Orbiter-Forum thread. You can get the new versions on the Downloads page.
1.23.2011 - New XR5 Version Released
A new XR5 Version 1.5 has been released, which includes all-new textures from PennyBlack as well as new payload bay fuel/SCRAM/LOX/H20 tanks from Carmen A.
PennyBlack has also released a Paint Kit for the XR5. You can download the new XR5 1.5 version as well as the XR5 Paint Kit on the Downloads page.
XR Fleet Overview
The XR5 Vanguard, DeltaGlider-XR1, and XR2 Ravenstar are cutting-edge, high-performance spacecraft for the Orbiter Space Flight Simulator.
All XR vessels are built on a common framework and share similar internal systems. Highlights include three (XR1), four (XR2), or five (XR5) 2D instrument panels that natively support 1280-, 1600-, and 1920-pixel-wide resolutions, high-performance Altea Aerospace SCRAM engines, complex damage simulation, custom sound effects, over 250 voice callouts performed by actress Sally Beaumont, and highly precise autopilots just to name a few. In addition, the XR2 and XR5 include a payload bay with full payload support via a custom panel. The XR codebase consists of over 60,000 lines of C++ code.
The XR1's 3D mesh is based on the DG-S mesh included with Orbiter, while the XR5 and XR2 use all-new 3D models created from the ground up by Russell Hicks and Steve "Coolhand" Tyler, respectively. Check out more of Steve's 3D models at Coolhand Graphics. The XR5's skin and textures were created by PennyBlack.
XR vessels are designed to be pilots' ships, and with all the realism settings set to maximum the ships are significantly more challenging to fly efficiently (and safely) than Orbiter's default DeltaGlider; i.e., pilot workload is higher. However, each vessel is fully configurable via its configuration file, and with all the realism settings disabled each vessel is just as forgiving to fly as the default DeltaGlider. The configuration file also features a custom [cheatcodes] section that allows the user to directly set certain ship's values such as maximum engine thrust, fuel capacity, ship mass, etc.
Download the XR Fleet on the download page. You may also browse the XR Flight Operations Manual.
