Currently, loading a mission script requires a full flight reload, which resets aircraft systems and breaks immersion. This makes dynamic, seamless experiences hard to build.
It would be great if we could load mission scripts without requiring a flight load. This could be a WASM API that allows us to load / unload scripts at any point during a flight.
This would have several use cases:
- It makes it easier to create dynamic missions. For example, a rescue scenario where after completion, another scenario can be seamlessly loaded. Without the need for a flight reload, the aircraft systems state is preserved.
- Dynamically add content in freeflight. For example, when the player is in a flight and wants to spawn a landable ship, it can be added seamlessly without requiring a flight load.
Many types of content are exclusively available with mission scripts:
- Landable ships / moving platforms
- Dialog with TTS / .wav and subtitles
- Calculators that can access a lot of data that other API’s don’t provide
- Temporary / moving / custom POI marker
- Custom UI panel / HUD that’s only available during a mission (and doesn’t clutter up the toolbar panel)
- Highlight an instrument (e.g. for tutorials)
- Replaying a ghost recording (e.g. for a race)
- Set a custom / moving smart camera target
- Dynamically add ATC frequencies with custom logic
- Set / read assistance settings
Because the sim already handles loading and unloading of WorldScripts during flights, the groundwork appears to be in place, and the main challenge would be creating the WASM API itself.
This feature would enable third-party developers to create more immersive and dynamic experiences, and would significantly raise the ceiling for what mission add-ons can do.
