Eccentric orbits!

[Noshtzy]

All orbits currently appear to be perfect circles, but why?

It's odd that there's no eccentricity when there already are elliptical orbits (double planets, binary+ stars) in the game, and they accurately orbit a barycenter in relation to their mass.

I love that some planets' orbital inclinations differ from their neighbors. Don't change that.

Please consider adding eccentricity to orbits for that realistic space-simulation feel. It would make sense to have double/binary bodies elongate their orbits around their barycenters, and then extend that to lone objects.

I'm not suggesting complex body calculations on all objects in a system, just a reasonable facsimile based on mass and distance.

 

[Janichsan]

The orbits aren't perfectly circular. In most cases, they have a quite low eccentricity, but they are elliptical. You will find a bunch of quite eccentric orbits especially for companion stars or planets on the outer reaches of a system.

The preference for orbits with low eccentricity in the game is also probably since these result in more stable multi-body systems in accordance with most scientific models for the formation of planetary systems.

 

[Silvershadow]

Look at the System Map. The Orbital Eccentricity is indicated as soon as you have scanned the planet.

 

[Noshtzy]

Look at the System Map. The Orbital Eccentricity is indicated as soon as you have scanned the planet.

True but at such miniscule values that the orbits could be made a perfect circle without anyone noticing.
I'm only suggesting a small change to help preserve immersion. When I approach a gas giant that has eight moons with perfectly circular obits, all almost spaced evenly apart, I feel like I'm looking at the set of a western, where the front facades of houses and shops are built but there's nothing behind them.