Palomino logo

Synopsis

Palomino (Version 2) is an open-source flight simulator
and 3D engine for Linux, FreeBSD, and Mac.

This version is obsolete. Version 3 is current.

Quickstart

F1 to switch views, ALT+Left|Right to pan around,
0..9 throttle, TAB to switch F-14 Tomcat models,
Backspace to reset view, Ctrl+c to exit.
For max FPS: pass -demo and press SHIFT-z then F12.

Contents

download compiling manual
features problems links
changes joystick benchmarks
requirements license programming docs

Screenshots

more screenshots


Debug modes (left shows rendering of the BSP tree).

Changes

  • Basic gameplay: press SPACE to fire a missile, F11 to spawn more targets.
  • Clouds, sprite graphics.
  • Sound effects (thunder when breaking sound barrier, stall warning). Requires PLIB.
  • Aircraft stalling.
  • Basic physics model (acceleration, thrust/drag/lift/weight).
  • HUD (alt, Mach, throttle, target boxes).
  • Multi-threaded terrain generation.
  • Program settings can be edited thru textual .conf files in the data/ subdir.
  • For Babylon 5 viewers: an F-14 model is infused with Shadow technology (shimmering textures).

License: GNU GPL 2

Features

  • Systems: Portable across GNU systems with OpenGL graphics (Linux, FreeBSD, Apple Mac OS X).
  • Source code: Written in C++ using GNU software. Tools written in Python.
  • 3D engine: 3D engine specialized for flight simulation based on BSP tree and graph data structures.
  • Modules: Low-level graphics functions, 3D engine, application-level modules.
  • Events: Modules can broadcast events to listeners in other modules.
  • State-sorting by graph: Graph sorts polygons and attributes to reduce OpenGL state changes.
  • Visitors: Pervasive use of the Visitor design pattern (technique used in OpenSceneGraph).
  • Efficient collision-detection: BSP trees are used to detect when a 3D object has collided into another.
  • Dynamically-generated terrain: Terrain model based on heightmaps that are dynamically generated using noise functions.
  • 3D models: Engine can import 3D models from Blender.

Requirements


Supported operating systems: Linux (Ubuntu), FreeBSD, Mac OS X.
Minimum CPU: 2 Ghz.
Minimum GPU: Video card made in 2003 with 32MB.
Minimum mem: 512MB.
Graphics: OpenGL, GLUT.
Sound (optional): PLIB.
Required software: GNU tools, development packages, Python, zlib.

Tested operating systems: Ubuntu Feisty Fawn (i386/amd64), FreeBSD 6.2, Mac OS X Tiger (PowerPC).
Tested video cards: Nvidia GeForce 5500FX, 7600GT, ATI Radeon 92xx,95xx (Apple), Mesa3D SW (Sony PS3).

Linux FreeBSD
OpenGL and GLUT are usually installed on Linux and FreeBSD from the XFree86 and Mesa packages.

Ubuntu
On Ubuntu (Feisty Fawn), these development packages are required:

apt-get install g++ freeglut3-dev xorg-dev zlib1g-dev

Mac OS X
Requires Xcode developer tools and X11 which are supplied on the Mac OS X installation discs.
May also require Fink (Mac ports of GNU tools).

Windoze
-- Not supported --
However, Version 2 [2007/08/31] was compiled using cygwin 1.5.x with OpenGL GLUT 3.7.6 DLL and ran on Windows XP.

Compiling

Linux FreeBSD Mac OS X
Just type make (gmake on FreeBSD).
Ubuntu users will need to install development packages (OpenGL, X11, zlib, plib).

Linux FreeBSD
Sound effects requires PLIB.

Joystick

A joystick is supported using the Linux or OpenGL GLUT joystick drivers.
Joysticks have been tested on:
Linux 2.6 (Ubuntu), FreeBSD 6.2, Mac, cygwin 1.5 (flakey), Playstion 3.

Joystick is disabled by default. To enable joystick, pass -j
See manual.

Joystick problems:

  • A CPU < 1 Ghz won't be fast enough for smooth joystick control.
  • Linux: Try modprobe joydev or running as root.
  • FreeBSD: Try installing the port devel/linux-js.
    linux-js emulates a Linux joystick driver at /dev/input/js0
  • cygwin's joystick driver is flakey
  • Delayed reaction to joystick input:
    This happens on slow systems. Try increasing JoystickInputQueueOverflow in settings.conf.
  • Linux: Analog joystick attached to Ensoniq ES1317 on Linux kernel 2.6:
  • Edit /etc/modules:
    joydev
    analog
    ns558
    
    Edit /etc/modprobe.d/options:
    options snd_ens1371 joystick_port=1
    
    Reboot.  udev should auto-magically make the required
    device node /dev/input/js0 after "modprobe analog" is run.
    

Problems

  • Many flight simulator features aren't implemented yet.
  • Mac: Press the Apple key while pressing a function key.
  • Known problems on cygwin and some GLUT joystick drivers.
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©2004,2008 Jim Brooks
Text logo courtesy of cooltext.com
Last modified: Wed Oct 22 19:32:48 EDT 2008