Viewscreen vs Window debate

What is it?
A window (with a HUD projected onto it) or a viewscreen?

When you are flying, are you staring out of a window or gazing into a viewscreen?

Overview

While the vanilla game code does not address this issue, it is found in debates on the Bulletin Board and some OXPs assume one or the other is true.

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Dangerous HUD showing occluded view from starboard/right window

Windows

The argument for windows is simple - it is based on just looking at the ships!
If the "windows" are not windows, what are they supposed to be?

OXPs based on Windows

• Griff (Oolite's official ship-designer) seems to take this side of the debate.
  

See the 2013 analysis here of the screenshot to the left of one of his ships.
And then have a good look at his ships on the Oolite Ships wiki page.

• Dangerous HUD - shows occluded side window views, whilst rear view is from a viewscreen
• Fer-delta-Lance - alpha-OXP of a ship with a cockpit sub-entity

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Plagiarism HUD

Viewscreens

The arguments for viewscreens is more complex - one needs to measure the size of the ship, and then calculate the size of the "window". The "windows" are massive!! But then, what are they? See Smivs's analysis linked below and his Classic Ships OXP.

OXPs based on Viewscreens

• Killer Wolf's Dynamic HUD
• Plagiarism HUD
• The Classic Ships OXP - Smivs's "front windows" are portrayed as a Star-Trek like deflector or sensor panel

Proponents for Viewscreens

• Smivs argued for Viewscreens (see here, here and here). His second post argues from Elite canon, his third argues from "window" sizes.

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Links

Pilot models for ships (2009) includes this argument (the pilot models were for windows!).