Ship Lights Etiquette...A Non-Serious Thread :)

[ThomasWJames]

So I know ship lights don't give off heat signatures or increase the ship's heat source so they're only used to see better, even if it just in space. My question to all of you is how/when do you use the lights in your ship? Is there a proper etiquette? I don't think the Pilot's Federation Handbook says anything on this [haha]

I typically turn them on as soon as the ship is on. Ship on, lights on. But then I started thinking, should lights be on during Supercruise or regular flight and turned off when nearing a station OR should they be turned off during Supercruise and regular flight and turned on when nearing a station?

Any thoughts? Would love to hear how you all use them, if at all.

 

[Micha]

I turn them on for landing/takeoff and leave them off otherwise.

Light pollution is a serious issue.

 

[Arry]

No point in having them on in super-cruise, because you are travelling faster then light most of the time.

For things like mining or traversing the dark side of planets, they are very useful.

 

[insanephoton]

Since I can't remember the key I bound the light switch to and going into the menu is a bit of a faff, I usually forget about lights unless it's dark and there are likely to be objects close enough for the lights to be useful.

 

[NascentChemist]

I use them to signal other cmdrs, like flashing high-beams on a car.

Also like high-beams, I try to keep them off while entering a station. If I can be blinded from the reflection off the station, I'd hate to know what they do to players leaving the slot...

 

[ThomasWJames]

I turn them on for landing/takeoff and leave them off otherwise.

Light pollution is a serious issue.

Hehe I never thought of light pollution out in space! I'll keep that in mind Commander.

 

[CMDR Cosmic Spacehead]

Mine are off unless on a dark or detailess planet(those bland looking ones that are hard to gauge altitude), or in a dark ring.

Or on for docking at busy stations with other players.

Or for screenshots. Sometimes they complete the look.

 

[Rhaedas]

I have them tied into my docking request, ship launch, and jump commands, so they're only on automatically around a station. Anywhere else is a matter of if I need them to see or not.

 

[Comrade Napoleon]

No point in having them on in super-cruise, because you are travelling faster then light most of the time.

For things like mining or traversing the dark side of planets, they are very useful.

Hmm let me get this right... You are travelling faster than light, so is my light from my lights left behind then? That would mean theres a whole lot of light that has not been claimed, right? Can you pick this up, is it abandoned, I would sy yes, because you acted irresponsibly and lost the light, so it should be free.
But where do you pick it up?
I have more questions later, but I am quite puzzled now..

Cheers Cmdr's

 

[Gunnet]

I turn them on in SC just before dropping anywhere populated, off after landing, on before takeoff, and then off in SC just after jumping out again. I of course also use them when I actually need light (mining, USS with debris, etc.). Always off in combat.

 

[Strangepork]

I turn them on for landing/takeoff and leave them off otherwise.

Light pollution is a serious issue.

You might add landing on the dark side of planets or dark side outposts.

 

[Arry]

Hmm let me get this right... You are travelling faster than light, so is my light from my lights left behind then? That would mean theres a whole lot of light that has not been claimed, right? Can you pick this up, is it abandoned, I would sy yes, because you acted irresponsibly and lost the light, so it should be free.
But where do you pick it up?
I have more questions later, but I am quite puzzled now..

Cheers Cmdr's

I have always questioned, if light can exist in the same instance of something moving faster than light. But then relativity has to be considered. I would say that you maybe able to see the head-lights of something coming straight at you travelling at those speeds, but you would not see a beam from a side view.

 

[Alex Brentnall]

I generally turn them on anytime when not docked.

It's a nice visual cue that just before I hit the launch button the lights come on. May alert any nearby cmdr to my imminent takeoff. I'll then leave them on pretty much all the time except if I do a meet-up with a player and point at them as nobody likes to be blinded.

Would rather have lights on and not need them than cycle them and splatter into an Asteroid...

 

[NascentChemist]

Hmm let me get this right... You are travelling faster than light, so is my light from my lights left behind then? That would mean theres a whole lot of light that has not been claimed, right? Can you pick this up, is it abandoned, I would sy yes, because you acted irresponsibly and lost the light, so it should be free.
But where do you pick it up?
I have more questions later, but I am quite puzzled now..

Cheers Cmdr's

Well, your ship isn't travelling faster than light. It's frame of reference is being shifted so that you appear to be travelling faster than light to an outside observer. The light leaves your ship as normal, travels until it hits the edge of the FSD field, and then physics-knows-what happens. Seeing as photons can't be torn apart, I'm guessing that the light is randomly refracted along your trajectory as they leave the FSD area of effect.

 

[peteuplink]

I only really use them when landing on dark planets or outposts. The rest of the time they stay off.

 

[Lord Tareq]

I always turn them on, as it looks cool and has no downside.

 

[BluWolve]

I only switch my headlights on when needed, like in dark areas with something to reflect the light (planets, asteroids etc.). I never turn them on around stations just as a courtesy to others, they are bright! Could blind and distract commanders trying to navigate in and out of a station. Besides, all ships have navigation lights that are always on so they headlights arent needed to show our position to others. As far as I know they are purely there for vision in low light or complete darkness.

 

[mbs357]

I turn them on when on approach for landing and turn them off when I touch down.

I usually forget to turn them back on when I lift off.

 

[Stealthie]

This is a little bit radical and wacky but I turn them on... when it's dark.

 

[Sapyx]

I usually only turn them on only when I'm mining in metallic rings; even fully lit, they can be quite dark and hard to see without the lights.

I'd probably turn them on if I was landing out in the open on the darkside of a planet. Since I've never done that, I wouldn't really know how necessary it is. I have such an ancient machine and/or horrible connection to the servers in Britain that it literally takes me a couple of minutes to drop out of orbital flight, and maybe ten more minutes before the terrain loads properly (and the rocks aren't all floating in midair). As such, I avoid landing on planets unless it's absolutely necessary (like for Engineers).