Alpha: Which star is Sol?

[Pembs]

I read somewhere that the star scape of the system you're in is accurately modelled based on that system's location in our Milky Way. If that is the case, has anyone been able to triangulate which star in the combat alpha is our system Sol?

This may be impossible to figure out for two reasons. 1. The star scape modelling may not be present in the alpha. 2. Sol may not be viewable from the system the alpha takes place in.

Still, perhaps this could be a little challenge for those players that are beginning to tire of the alpha. I noticed a trio of stars in a video that reminded me somewhat of Orion's Belt, so there's a start for you!

 

[Tinman]

I suspect that the both the stars and the nebula in the skybox is just an texture at the moment. It looks that way. The planet and moons are real though.

 

[Pembs]

I suspect that the both the stars and the nebula in the skybox is just an texture at the moment. It looks that way. The planet and moons are real though.

Yes a texture, but is it a texture that has been procedurally generated based on your current system's location in the Milky Way?

 

[Yaffle]

It’s difficult to work out anyway. As Space is a big 3D thing the constellations you see from here distort as you travel further away, so your instant “ease of reference” will vanish.

There’s a great little open source programme called “Celestia” (go via here - http://www.celestiamotherlode.net actually the main website is down, so go here - http://sourceforge.net/projects/celestia/) which allows you to travel to any point in known space and time and have a look around. It’s really cool, so if you want you could go to Barnard’s Star and see what the patrons of the Thargoid and Fer-de-Lance can see from the window. You could try and use it as a navigational boot camp. Also, why not try to spot Barnard’s Star constellations and have them added to the Elite canon? I have no idea if Alan would allow that.

My favourite bit is that you can ask it to mark the constellations – say Orion, then travel to another star. It leaves the connecting lines in space and you can see how weirdly distorted it all gets.

Enjoy!

 

[Arn]

In alpha stars are not real, but real, we will see later

 

[Tinman]

Yes a texture, but is it a texture that has been procedurally generated based on your current system's location in the Milky Way?

Personally I hope not. The reason is that at the moment the stars look a bit like big balls. I'm hoping the star field will be particle based in the final game similar to what can be seen in SpaceEngine/Limit Theory/EVE. Stars are suppose to be sharp points of light not fuzzy discs of light like we are currently seeing.

 

[jan]

I think i saw the "Horse head nebula" during Kerrash last live stream, but i did not get a closer second look so it cud be only my imagination playing tricks on me

 

[Arn]

Yes a texture, but is it a texture that has been procedurally generated based on your current system's location in the Milky Way?

It's just a skybox for alpha

 

[nicomak]

I read somewhere that the star scape of the system you're in is accurately modelled based on that system's location in our Milky Way. If that is the case, has anyone been able to triangulate which star in the combat alpha is our system Sol?

This may be impossible to figure out for two reasons. 1. The star scape modelling may not be present in the alpha. 2. Sol may not be viewable from the system the alpha takes place in.

Still, perhaps this could be a little challenge for those players that are beginning to tire of the alpha. I noticed a trio of stars in a video that reminded me somewhat of Orion's Belt, so there's a start for you!

I doubt you could see orion's belt or any of the constellations, unless perhaps if you're very very close to Sol, and even a few LY would make a difference. I cant say where this system is though but i know one system in Frontier which had the same name : http://forums.frontier.co.uk/showpost.php?p=216162&postcount=1

 

[Cmdr Eagleboy]

As everyone else said this is texture for now (that beautiful nebulae is too beautiful it will be generated in final game too). I guess we will see "no skybox" with real stars during second beta.

 

[Kerrash]

I think i saw the "Horse head nebula" during Kerrash last live stream, but i did not get a closer second look so it cud be only my imagination playing tricks on me

Thanks for watching Commander Jan
I was thinking the same thing, but I guess it just look similar.
Just like in the Stargate movie, without some kind of reference points; picking a star out from an unfamiliar background would be impossible

 

[Bob_H]

I seem to remember from one of the episodes in Star Trek (prolly Next Generation) that they could work out where they were at any one time from tracking a specific set of quasars/pulsars. If they got lost they'd scan for those specific star types and identify them from a library of them then triangulate their location from 3 or more.

I think they tried that in the first episode of Voyager but couldn't find any identifiable ones and so knew they were no longer in our bit of space.

I know it has very little relevance to this thread really but if you COULD work out where you were from the star scape, that would be the way to do it, not from known constellations.