There is mention of environmental effects somewhere in the forums and in the discussion archives. They don't really detail what effects these environments will have. So I'd like to just waste my time and yours pondering about these things. Hopefully they'll get added into the game if they weren't already thought about.
- Nebula Plasma -
A nebula filled with hot ions, may be from recently dead star.
- Ship and equipment heats up quicker
- Heat signature reduces inversely to how 'hot' the nebula is
- Engine emission untraceable, signature rating drops
- Harder to detect via heat sensor, in/out of nebula
- Harder to detect via any other sensor (ion disruption)
- Shield recharge slowed (continually attacked by plasma)
- Hull slowly takes damage without shield
- Ship's 'condition' degrades without shield over time (due to plasma)
- Dusty Nebula -
A nebula filled with small particles/rocks that appear like smoke/dust.
- Visibility might be affected
- Some short range sensors affected? (esp. if they use hf waves)
- High velocity damages shield and ship (particles become bullets)
- No shield and ship condition degrades
- Hyperdrive/Supercruise damages ship hull (very little) when entering/exiting nebula
- Black Hole -
This is totally made up like the ones before, but the difference is I base black hole effect from pure imagination without much si-fi material. Black holes probably will kill anyone if they reach the event horizon so I'm thinking its effect should extend outside its event horizon. Black holes are partly about gravity so I'll go with that.
- Acceleration is reduced (huge gravitation)
- Sensor range greatly reduced in black hole effect
- All ship signature attributes reduced (emissions lost to background 'noise')
- Projectile speed reduced (ie. weapon needs longer to hit, and need to lead further)
- Hyperdrive/Supercruise takes longer to charge (gravity again)
- Too close to black hole: shield fails, sensors fail and probably lose control of ship if even closer to black hole
- Solar Flare -
Burst of hot soup of star matter from a star, it is detected before it occurs. Cause extremely high EM pulse.
- lasts only few seconds
- Ship restarts after solar flare ends (restart itself also takes time)
- Engine + PPlant restart immediately after ship restart
- Shield restarts after ship restart (and recharges from 0%)
- Weapon restarts after ship restart, but not immediate
- Sensors restarts after ship restart, but not immediate (takes longer than weapons)
- Ship restarts with max heat
- Ship invisible to outside-of-event ship sensors for the duration of solar flare (ie. ships and the whole event site become invisible to outside parties)
- Planetary Radiation -
Planet gives off an array of extremely high amounts radiation.
- Ship sensors fail until it leaves area
- No shield, hull degrades in condition
- No shield, hull begins to take damage slowly
- No shield, some equipment might take damage
- No shield, cargo might get contaminated that don't have appropriate container
- Nanite Cloud -
This was just for fun but happens in some si-fi novels. Rogue nanomachines aggregated into a giant cloud in space. Some are rogue salvage nanites and some are unlawfully dumped repair nanites... if they exist in elite universe.
- Sensors can warn of nanite cloud
- No shields cause immediate infection of rogue nanites
- Shield prevents infection
- Infection either damages hull or repair hull
- Only repair nanites wear out over time (they use themselves to fix things)
- Damage/Repair is very slow and little
- Condition of ship will degrade
- Nanites can infect cargo space (reducing cargo capacity)
- Nanites can infect cargo containers (infecting cargo or prevent storing of cargo)
- Stations and other ships can detect infection easily and will most likely act hostile
- Pilots can pay to decontaminate nanites near station (or self destruct ship???)
- Nebula Plasma -
A nebula filled with hot ions, may be from recently dead star.
- Ship and equipment heats up quicker
- Heat signature reduces inversely to how 'hot' the nebula is
- Engine emission untraceable, signature rating drops
- Harder to detect via heat sensor, in/out of nebula
- Harder to detect via any other sensor (ion disruption)
- Shield recharge slowed (continually attacked by plasma)
- Hull slowly takes damage without shield
- Ship's 'condition' degrades without shield over time (due to plasma)
- Dusty Nebula -
A nebula filled with small particles/rocks that appear like smoke/dust.
- Visibility might be affected
- Some short range sensors affected? (esp. if they use hf waves)
- High velocity damages shield and ship (particles become bullets)
- No shield and ship condition degrades
- Hyperdrive/Supercruise damages ship hull (very little) when entering/exiting nebula
- Black Hole -
This is totally made up like the ones before, but the difference is I base black hole effect from pure imagination without much si-fi material. Black holes probably will kill anyone if they reach the event horizon so I'm thinking its effect should extend outside its event horizon. Black holes are partly about gravity so I'll go with that.
- Acceleration is reduced (huge gravitation)
- Sensor range greatly reduced in black hole effect
- All ship signature attributes reduced (emissions lost to background 'noise')
- Projectile speed reduced (ie. weapon needs longer to hit, and need to lead further)
- Hyperdrive/Supercruise takes longer to charge (gravity again)
- Too close to black hole: shield fails, sensors fail and probably lose control of ship if even closer to black hole
- Solar Flare -
Burst of hot soup of star matter from a star, it is detected before it occurs. Cause extremely high EM pulse.
- lasts only few seconds
- Ship restarts after solar flare ends (restart itself also takes time)
- Engine + PPlant restart immediately after ship restart
- Shield restarts after ship restart (and recharges from 0%)
- Weapon restarts after ship restart, but not immediate
- Sensors restarts after ship restart, but not immediate (takes longer than weapons)
- Ship restarts with max heat
- Ship invisible to outside-of-event ship sensors for the duration of solar flare (ie. ships and the whole event site become invisible to outside parties)
- Planetary Radiation -
Planet gives off an array of extremely high amounts radiation.
- Ship sensors fail until it leaves area
- No shield, hull degrades in condition
- No shield, hull begins to take damage slowly
- No shield, some equipment might take damage
- No shield, cargo might get contaminated that don't have appropriate container
- Nanite Cloud -
This was just for fun but happens in some si-fi novels. Rogue nanomachines aggregated into a giant cloud in space. Some are rogue salvage nanites and some are unlawfully dumped repair nanites... if they exist in elite universe.
- Sensors can warn of nanite cloud
- No shields cause immediate infection of rogue nanites
- Shield prevents infection
- Infection either damages hull or repair hull
- Only repair nanites wear out over time (they use themselves to fix things)
- Damage/Repair is very slow and little
- Condition of ship will degrade
- Nanites can infect cargo space (reducing cargo capacity)
- Nanites can infect cargo containers (infecting cargo or prevent storing of cargo)
- Stations and other ships can detect infection easily and will most likely act hostile
- Pilots can pay to decontaminate nanites near station (or self destruct ship???)