Late to the commentary, as you've run into and resolved most of the issues I could foresee, and have thought of -- on your own -- most of the details and features I'd go with. I gotta tell you, I always love seeing someone as detail/accuracy/functionality-obsessed as I am. Partly because kindred spirit, and partly because oh thank god you're doing this and it's one less thing I'd have to bang my head against for several years to get right.
I'm-a go do the survey in a bit, here, but what with where you are currently, I have a couple questions and suggentions I wanted to leave here for you...
- Someone else mentioned the Automatron game from the DLC. Were you going to tackle the cartridge art for that one, as with the other five?
- Regarding the holotapes in general... I know the "chassis" you have up on Shapeways is the prop one, and you won't have the functional one up until the architecture is locked. In the meantime, I want to take advantage of the twelve switch positions available and get six of each of your covers (six games, six logs) to work on in the meantime. But before I do I want to make sure they're interchangeable between the different chassis types. (Frankly, I like the idea of a version of functional that has microSD readers inside, but the process of getting the data to the rest of the Pip-Boy might be too cumbersome. But at least that would allow more than twelve possibilities...)
- Regarding switch/knob functions... I only have three thoughts, here.
1) Too many of the display functions in-game rely on you having not just more physical controls, but two hands to use them. The screen-left knob is useless for anything that involves actually looking at the screen, as your hand will be almost completely blocking it in order to use it. I suggest using it to change the display color (a feature in F4). I can't think of anything else remotely useful.
2) Next, a proposal for the small one next to the power switch. I suggest something like
this under the knob. Not necessarily that exact component (unless you think there'd be room, which I kinda doubt -- but even then it's pricey). But the key features are, if you scroll down, "2-Way Rotational, 360° Directional, Center Select". And have its functionality relate to which of the macro screens you're in. The directionality on the map screen is obvious, but then the rotational can zoom in and out, the select button then would bring up the options for wherever the pointer is, and clicking this joystick backs out one step. For the radio it can be simple volume control. And it can actually be used to control the minigames.
3) Somewhat related, and this would require a little tweaking to the UI... The select wheel and button. Have it be both the secondary select -- and then click and it becomes the scroll select. This would, however, mean altering the interface so noting is default highlighted in inventory or data -- you have to scroll through the secondary screens and actively select one before the highlighting bar appears for you to then manipulate.
- Related to functionality and on-board content... Rather than actual radio, if authenticity is your objective, have the "stations" be preselects for user-loaded content. And I don't necessarily mean the game music, although I'd include the Diamond City songs and Travis' commentary. I'd want more from the Swing Years, and a lot more classical. And uploading songs makes more sense in that respect, to me. There's enough room, though, that I wouldn't be opposed to one or several selections that are set to receive FRS or similar transmissions, say for Wasteland Weekends purposes...
- Regarding printing considerations and materials... I'd actually suggest making the two halves of the main body able to be ordered separately, once you have stuff up on Shapeways. Those are likely to be the single most expensive pieces, due to size, and doing so would keep prices down-ish, and buyers could get and work on cleaning up and prepping one, then the other. Spreading the cost out like that is pretty attractive. The knobs and wheels and switches and holotape carriage can all be one order, and I recommend maybe the black high-definition acrylate. The color's already right, and it's got a smooth hard finish (and is good for capturing details like the grooves and indents and such). It's not as flexible as the regular nylon they have, but I think you could work with that, especially given all your latest tweaks to those parts (plus it resembles the vintage Bakelite look and feel the designers were going for). I think everything else would be fine in the standard nylon, though.
- What were you going to do for the clear coverings on the radio dial and the rad counter? Laser-cut acrylic or some such?
- Had you considered the bits from McMaster that have annoying minimums... maybe offering sets of those in the relevant quantities, in part to save us having many leftovers, and in part to help you recoup outlay?
- For paint... It seems the look they're going for is 1940s vintage. Black Bakelite plastic and cork-texture olive drab paint. I found
this site in my researches, and I intend to use this paint and their ground cork to paint my Pip-Boy. Thoughts?
- And lastly for this post... The knob things I mentioned above would pretty much eliminate the need for a touchscreen. On the flip side, those sorts of joysticks aren't cheap. I'd call it a wash, except that preferring to keep things as game accurate as possible skews things away from the touch screen for me.
That's all for now. I'd say you're doing a superb job, but, while accurate, the word is woefully inadequate. Like describing the ocean as "wet". I already know, however long it takes, however much it ends up being, this is the only Pip-Boy for me. Pending your answer about the holotape casings on Shapeways, I look forward to beginning to order things. Maybe as various elements are "locked", you'll upload them as well...? I have zero objection to building this piecemeal.
--Jonah