Hello, all. I wouldn't call this a mod so much as it is an accessory utility/application. It's a BC profile for Shoot, a freeware, stand-alone voice recognition engine that will work with virtually any game. I saw that there was already a profile uploaded to the Filefront database but it was pretty limited in terms of commands, so I built a new one specifically aiming to turn BC into a true bridge simulator. Get it here:
http://bridgecommander.filefront.com/file/SHOOT_Profile_for_Stock_Bridge_Commander;106203There are well over three hundred different phrases that Shoot will now recognize, and most commands have as many different phrases associated with them as I could think of...the idea was to create a natural, organic flow of orders, so you don't have to scratch your head mid-battle trying to remember the right wording for the computer to figure out what you want to get done.
I wrote this profile with the SP campaign in mind. My goal was to come as close as possible to the experience of actually being captain of a starship during the events in the Maelstrom, so that you could play through the entire campaign from your captain's chair using nothing but your voice. Though there are some things you'll still need to use the mouse for, I think I got pretty close to this goal. This does mean, however, that it's meant to be used with stock BC, as I know a lot of the great mods are incompatible with SP. Still, I think the experience of having your crew jump at the sound of your voice is worth giving the SP campaign another play through.
Enjoy!
__________________________________________________________________________
README v 1.0
Shoot Voice Recognition Software Profile for Star Trek Bridge Commander (STOCK)
v 1.0, by Laconic
November 3, 2009
---------------------------------
RM-1. Purpose
RM-2. Installation
RM-3. Recommendations
RM-4. Credits
RM-5. Contents of .zip
---------------------------------
RM-1. PURPOSE
Shoot is a stand-alone voice recognition program that will associate vocal commands with keyboard key combinations. Different "Profiles" allow Shoot to be used with virtually any Windows-based application, but it really shines with computer games. By using a specialized profile, one can theoretically control a game environment without ever touching the controls. Shoot is not part of any program or game that I know of; it runs as a background application behind any main program you may be using (similar to programs like Xfire and Fraps).
My purpose for creating a voice profile for Star Trek Bridge Commander is to allow the game to be as close to an actual bridge simulator as possible, and allow you to play through the game without ever having to leave your captain's chair. I have coded a very large number of voice-activated commands to be used with the game. Most of the commands are actually redundant, with multiple phrases that will access the same function; for instance, the phrases "Intercept them," "Ensign LoMar, plot an intercept course," and "Helm, intercept the target" all access the same command.
This will hopefully allow for a more natural and organic flow of things that, when in the heat of battle, will hopefully allow you to shout commands off of the top of your head without worrying about getting the exact wording of the phrase down. Though I wouldn't consider myself a hard-core Trekker, I've tried to place an emphasis on how the captain of a starship might actually interact with his or her crew.
RM-2. Installation
You'll need:
Copy of SHOOT-- get it free at
http://clans.gameclubcentral.com/shoot/Microphone
Bridge Commander (NOTE: This profile was written with the STOCK Single Player campaign in mind; use with mods and Quick Battle at your own risk)
1. Install SHOOT-- I still use Windows XP, so I have not test Shoot with Vista or Windows 7...you'll also need Windows .NET Framework, a recent version of DirectX (you should have this already if you're playing games), and a speech recognition engine (if you have MS Office you have one). All of those can be downloaded at
http://clans.gameclubcentral.com/shoot/2. Place the BridgeCommander-STOCK.xml file in your \Shoot\Profiles folder
3. Start SHOOT up and go to File-->Open and find the BridgeCommander-STOCK profile
3a. Many people have a problem getting Shoot to work right with .NET Framework 2.0. If you're getting an error when you try to open a profile in Shoot, replace the stock shoot.exe.config file in your \Shoot\ directory (it is part of the original install of Shoot) with the shoot.exe.config file that I included in this .zip...that should fix the problem.
4. Make sure "Send Keys" is checked (it won't actually send the commands otherwise), that your mic is working.
5. Start up Bridge Commander (IMPORTANT: MAKE SURE ALL CONTROLS ARE SET TO DEFAULT) and get ready to fill the role as captain of your starship as you never have before!
RM-3. Recomendations
Make SURE that you're using the stock version of BC and that your controls are all default--editing key assignments could ruin SHOOT's effectiveness.
I STRONGLY recommend that you open the "BridgeCommander-STOCK.xml" in Notepad or Notepad++ and look through the different commands and see what is and isn't possible. I've tried to organize the coding so that commands are where you would think they would be, and the coding is not that difficult to decipher...every command has a "Command Phrase," which is what you would say to execute the command.
I also recommend that you access Speech->Recognizer->Custom Dictionary in SHOOT and add record custom definitions for various Star Trek terms. That would be any names ("Brex," "Savali," "Liu,") along with technical terms ("Photon," "Quantum") so that the computer knows what those words are. In addition, if you've got a non-mid-mid-Western-United-States accent, or pronounce some words differently than may be typically expected ("Sens-OR"), you may want to record custom entries for some common words (I had to program quite a few new entries to account for a Texan drawl).
I did my best to try to make BC as much of a hands-off, voice-on experience as possible, but it will be necessary sometimes to use the mouse or cursors to access various menu commands, for example, there's a command to open the Warp Destination menu, but as it changes so frequently mission-to-mission, you must manually choose an actual destination (though once it's chosen all you have to say is "Engage!").
COMBAT- If you intend to let Mr. Savali handle all the shootin', you might want to decrease the difficulty level. Any joystick-jocky worth his lunch can take on half a Kesslock armada in 3rd-person ship view, but Savali may get toasted if he tries to take on too many ships.
MODS- Again, I made this with STOCK BC SINGLE PLAYER CAMPAIGN IN MIND. That does not mean that it WON'T work with whatever mod you're using, just that I don't GURANTEE that it will work.
You can always tweak the commands in the .xml to your liking if you don't want to use them as-is.
RM-4. Credits
All credit for SHOOT technology goes to their creators--I merely created this vocal profile.
Credit for the fixed shoot.exe.config goes to 'Smaug. You can find the original download here:
http://www.gameclubcentral.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=3945I am in no way associated with the team or company that made and published Star Trek Bridge Commander. I made this profile for my own enjoyment and I release it into the community so that hopefully they can enjoy it as well.
You can edit/distribute/use/abuse etc. this profile freely---I release it into the public domain, as long as my credit stays in the .XML...if you edit it and re-release it, give yourself credit as an editor.
Thanks for using the profile, and thanks for reading this extremely windy and pretentious ReadMe!
RM-5. Contents of .zip
1. BridgeCommander-STOCK.xml
2. shoot.exe.config
3. Readme
4. SPSS.JPG
http://bridgecommander.filefront.com/file/SHOOT_Profile_for_Stock_Bridge_Commander;106203
Topic: New Shoot Profile for BC- Voice Recognition (Read 1504 times)
