News on in-system travel
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I am really, really happy to hear you advocate that philosophy
What I wonder about is orbital mechanics. When using the frame-shift-drive to approach a planet something unusual will need to be done. Orbital speeds and re-entry velocities are way above normal maximum speeds of the Elite ships. Presumably, before landings are implemented the FSD will have to disengage when you get near a planet, leaving you at the closest to a high orbit.
When planetary landings are implemented it seems like there will have to be a transition from FSD to subsonic or low supersonic flight in real space... Problem is that at those speeds it takes hours to get anywhere on a planetary scale.
It's a mystery :S
When planetary landings are implemented it seems like there will have to be a transition from FSD to subsonic or low supersonic flight in real space... Problem is that at those speeds it takes hours to get anywhere on a planetary scale.
It's a mystery :S
Very old thread
It was the most relevant one I could find to stick the new info on; I didn't want to start a new thread.
Indeed it is! Rep to you!
(Or at least I would give you rep if the system allowed me...)
I see where you are coming from, in space one does not simply go to a planet and stay there, no, you have to accelerate into a proper orbit, the alternatives are (rarely) smashing into or (usually) flying past the object, the latter intentionally in swing-by maneuvres.
However, considering that FSD now is planned to be superluminal, I don't see how it could not also be used to assume the required velocity to stay in orbit around another body. Here's hoping that the ships will actually settle into their orbits due to proper changes in velocity, not just magically stay there; I am confident that they will do it right, given that FSD is already declared to not be some magical warp drive, but requires time to speed up and slow down.
I also suppose some form of auto-pilot will come into play here, with players rather plotting courses, swing-by-maneuvres and orbital insertions (plus an FSD-equivalent to FAOFF where players are free to move around and it will be possible but obviously difficult to perform, say, a rendezvous with a space station).
In other words, maybe we will get a bit of Kerbal Space Program vibe for interplanetary travel.
This makes my Beluga yachting business much more profitable! Who fancies a trip to see a double eclipse behind two volcanic moons in a binary system?
I didn't want to start a new thread.
That's worth rep in itself
...can't seem to give you any though...
This makes my Beluga yachting business much more profitable! Who fancies a trip to see a double eclipse behind two volcanic moons in a binary system?
Sure thing, let me know if you need an escort!
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I suppose if you're playing with friends and you can keep up with them while having your engines shut down while they're running at full speed that could be an indicator.
The highlighted sentence is the most succinct description I've read to capture the spirit of the Elite series, cheers Mike.
Can't wait for Alpha 4!
Perhaps make micro jumps within systems still possible, but very costly in comparison to an FSD trip.
I agree.
Jumping into a system with a hold full of cargo and then being ambushed en route to the starport by a group of Kraits is really going to get the blood pumping.
I think that was what he said some pages ago.
I think the issue with that is that traders could then basically "jump" straight to the space station without the risk of being intercepted by pirates (NPCs or other players). Kind of a key component in the previous games, don't you think?
@FD
BTW, if what you call "micro jumps" in the FSD proposal basically is a faster and automatic supercruise trip in a straight line, then you should probably call it something else. "Micro jumps" gives the impression of disappearing from point A and the materializing at point B without passing the distance between.
The way I understand it is that supercruise is basically what we had in Frontier except no time compression. Manual supercruise is like in Frontier when you flew around with accelerated time, but in ED we just increase the speed instead. From a visual point of view it will still be pretty much the same thing. "Micro jumps" seems to be like when you engaged the autopilot at maximum timeacceleration.
If this is the case then calling it a "micro jump" feels strange...
I don't think so...seems to me like the "isolated gas giants" might be the dark systems they have talked about earlier. Solitary planets that at some point have escaped their original system and now are drifting in interstellar space. I also interpreted it as you might have the ability to choose which star you want to jump to in a system with multiple stars present.
The travel within a system will be done with supercruise either manually or automatic, similar to the previous games. The confusion seem to be coming from the term "micro jumps", as I've already pointed out above...
Micro jumps may have just been a placeholder name.
It seems like now, you may be able to use conventional hyperspace to get to a significantly large mass that's adequately isolated. If places like Jupiter/Saturn/Neptune counted, that would then let you cut out quite a boring bit of our solar system.
It seems like now, you may be able to use conventional hyperspace to get to a significantly large mass that's adequately isolated. If places like Jupiter/Saturn/Neptune counted, that would then let you cut out quite a boring bit of our solar system.
Just a question about the >1C in system travel with the FrameShiftDrive:
From previous posts of the devs in this topic I understand it is supposed to be a game mechanic (against jumping from point to point) so that one can interfere with someone using that method of travel.
But technically speaking: HOW can we see an object moving faster than the speed of light? For instance, if an object would approach me with a speed higher than the speed of light, the object will arrive earlier than it's emitted light. (Basic Tachyon principles apply to that). Also if the object would move just slightly passed me I would see two objects moving away from me in opposite direction following the same Tachyon principles.
Just wondering how you plan on solving that, not critique on the solution itself.
More on Tachyons (basically hypothetical particles that travel faster than C ) :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tachyon
Important case on that page:
From previous posts of the devs in this topic I understand it is supposed to be a game mechanic (against jumping from point to point) so that one can interfere with someone using that method of travel.
But technically speaking: HOW can we see an object moving faster than the speed of light? For instance, if an object would approach me with a speed higher than the speed of light, the object will arrive earlier than it's emitted light. (Basic Tachyon principles apply to that). Also if the object would move just slightly passed me I would see two objects moving away from me in opposite direction following the same Tachyon principles.
Just wondering how you plan on solving that, not critique on the solution itself.
More on Tachyons (basically hypothetical particles that travel faster than C ) :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tachyon
Important case on that page:
The object will not actually be moving at the speed of light thought, to my understanding. It's a kinda space-warping thing, a bit like hyperspace jumps. Thus no inertia to worry about either. Indeed, it may be that there is no doppler effect or anything like that, and in any single instant it looks like the ship is sitting still in the location you see it.
Just wondering how you plan on solving that, not critique on the solution itself.
More on Tachyons (basically hypothetical particles that travel faster than C ) :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tachyon
Important case on that page:
