Fdev, Y-Dwarf stars should be dark

[Darth Ender]

The current look seems to come directly from an artist's impression, featured by NASA: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/WISE/news/wise20110823.html

Given that, I'm not too bothered by the overall look of them, especially since Elite's cockpits seem to have an "ambient light correction" feature, as evidenced by the brightening of dark sides of planets.

Of course, that's also a bit over done, in my opinion - dark sides and Y-class dwarfs could do with some dimming of the ambient light... but at least FDev is fairly consistent in how they handle low light environments.

That's reflected light (the look of the artists impression). Not emitted. stars at the temperature "of the human body" dont emit any visible light.

I have no problem if they wanna make Y-Dwarfs look purple if they're in a situation where they're lighted by an object actually emitting light. If they're not though, they would be dark and should be dark because it adds to the game

 

[Bryan K]

It creates a bubble of differential spacetime around the ship, the way wings do with air pressure, and the thrusters push the ship along with the bubble around it.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcubierre_drive

This. Also the FSD has to work harder to compensate for the gravity well of particularly massive objects, like having to switch to lower gears to go uphill in your car. Which is why the change to black holes was a mistake.

 

[777Driver]

It creates a bubble of differential spacetime around the ship, the way wings do with air pressure, and the thrusters push the ship along with the bubble around it.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcubierre_drive

You should have a read of the science guide to Elite dangerous. Starting with the part that begins - First things first: the FSD is *not* an Alcubierre Drive.

https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php/106861-DCello-s-Science-Guide-to-the-Galaxy

 

[Bryan K]

You should have a read of the science guide to Elite dangerous. Starting with the part that begins - First things first: the FSD is *not* an Alcubierre Drive.

https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php/106861-DCello-s-Science-Guide-to-the-Galaxy

Sounds like one to me.

 

[Darth Ender]

If you wanna make the argument that heat is being generated by the ship due to massive objects being near then that's fine. It should be applied across the board that way.

Unfortunately, it doesn't appear that way as implemented in the game - since massive planets (some of which are very close to the size of the smaller in-game Y-Dwarfs) dont cause any heat buildup.

Also, it has nothing to do with the primary issue for the thread, which is Y-Dwarfs giving off light (light that is not limited to augmented HUD visuals).

 

[Bryan K]

If you wanna make the argument that heat is being generated by the ship due to massive objects being near then that's fine. It should be applied across the board that way.

Unfortunately, it doesn't appear that way as implemented in the game - since massive planets (some of which are very close to the size of the smaller in-game Y-Dwarfs) dont cause any heat buildup.

Also, it has nothing to do with the primary issue for the thread, which is Y-Dwarfs giving off light (light that is not limited to augmented HUD visuals).

The answer is gameplay (as I stated in my original post). Y-dwarf systems are very common, and making all of the Y-dwarf systems too dark to see would make them largely worthless from a gameplay perspective.

Content you can't see might as well not exist.

 

[Villainous Ruffian]

If you wanna make the argument that heat is being generated by the ship due to massive objects being near then that's fine. It should be applied across the board that way.

Unfortunately, it doesn't appear that way as implemented in the game - since massive planets (some of which are very close to the size of the smaller in-game Y-Dwarfs) dont cause any heat buildup.

Also, it has nothing to do with the primary issue for the thread, which is Y-Dwarfs giving off light (light that is not limited to augmented HUD visuals).

Large planets do generate heat when the thrusters pull against them. Not often, but my less upgraded ships have overheated just hovering upside down, otherwise idle. I turn over, and it cools off, because the top thrusters are weaker in atmo. Edit: eh, not atmosphere, whatever, you know. =]

I always figured the dark star lighting was just canopy graphics. The same way on the night side of a planet in a nebula, it looks pitch dark on the way down, but brightens a few hundred k from the surface.

 

[777Driver]

Large planets do generate heat when the thrusters pull against them. QUOTE]

Now try that in SC, where thrusters are not active.

 

[Andovar]

Maybe the Hud adjusts to show I.R wavelenghs.

That's the explanation I'm going with.

Would it be cool if they were darker and creepier? Yes, absolutely.
But I'd expect any changes like this would be low on the list.

 

[CMDR Ofan]

that's the community answer to the game. If this is true though, then if you blow your canopy, you should see it go dark where your glass is broken. Not the case.

Additionally, it would make no sense for Y-Dwarfs ...if we're seeing IR, to be purple when in systems near living stars since they would be much hotter, they should be the color of the reflected light of the actual burning star(s) in the system. Instead, they are treated as if they give off their own light. You can see it in rings... The stars are treated as if they give off light .. evidenced by the lack of shadows.

Just assume that when your canopy blows that it is instead processed by your visor that slams down to keep you alive.

 

[BluePilot]

Thrusters are not active in SC

Try Turing them off next time you're in SC, I assure you your Thrusters are active in SC.

 

[777Driver]

Try Turing them off next time you're in SC, I assure you your Thrusters are active in SC.

Thrusters need to be engaged during super cruise, however they are not active like in normal space. That includes heat build-up due to gravity.

It has been clearly stated that thruster heat build-up is due to the thrusters working in an overcharged state.

 

[Villainous Ruffian]

Now try that in SC, where thrusters are not active.

Trying turning yours off in SC first.

(Round and round the thread goes, I'll bail here)

 

[friendship drive charging]

Because it's kind of a bummer to go to a system where you can't see anything more than 500 meters in front of your ship.

they could give off negative light?

perhaps rather than creating no light they create negative light and reverse the RGB of everything

 

[777Driver]

Trying turning yours off in SC first.

(Round and round the thread goes, I'll bail here)

Dude, take your ship to high G planet and perform manoeuvres, heat builds up because they are overcharged. Now try that in supercruise, zero heat build-up because the thrusters are not active... Online but not active.

SC Heat build-up only occurs near stars. The build-up is from the heat radiating from the stars. maneuvers have zero influence on heat build-up.

 

[Bryan K]

they could give off negative light?

perhaps rather than creating no light they create negative light and reverse the RGB of everything

Nah, that only happens in the Twilight Zone

 

[Mengy]

it's a no-effort change that improves the game.


If there's a good reason why this isn't done, then please Fdev, let us all know because i can't think of a single good reason.

Careful, you might end up with beige Y-dwarf stars!!!!

 

[Darth Ender]

You already have the purple version of beige with almost every Y-Dwarf system. You wont be missing out on any missed visuals by having them be dark.

Instead, you gain the mystery of what is in the system. You dont see anything but the holo-markers (if you have that enabled) over your canopy. Now it becomes a means of hiding, both ships and stations and such. Raxxla is likely in a dark system if it's in the normal galaxy at all. The lore uses dark systems extensively for this very purpose and it's treated as dangerous and risky to jump into dark systems. The game could have that same air of mystery and risk with these systems but has been purposely neutered with this purple glow.

The argument that not seeing features of the planets and such in Y-Dwarf systems can only be made by people who have never been to any. The worlds are featureless nonsense already so you lose absolutely nothing by making dark systems dark. It's only a net-positive experience.

 

[verminstar]

Dark systems are a canonical thing in the Elite universe. In Elite Dangerous, this term is used to directly reference systems with cold dwarf stars that dont give off light, failed stars that are referred to as Y-Dwarf stars.

Y-Dwarf stars are too cold to emit even remotely visible light. In the game, they are often given temperatures around a comfortable room temperature or colder.

Please Fdev, stop making these stars give off a purple glow / emit purple light. It would be infinitely more interesting to render these systems how they are written in the various books still considered canon. Dark. Dead. Mysterious. Potentially dangerous and scary.

it's a no-effort change that improves the game.

If there's a good reason why this isn't done, then please Fdev, let us all know because i can't think of a single good reason.

Agree and repped...and thats it from me ^

 

[sidereal6]

Truely dark planets and dark systems could add a whole new depth to combat & navigation.

Just to back up your point, one of my favorite memories from when I had just started playing was going out to a barnacle site and finding it in the dark. This was before the nighttime lighting was kicked up to 11. I had the coordinates of the barnacle and I knew I was getting close, but I couldn't see anything at all on the ground. I'm looking at my landing radar because I was very close to the ground, and suddenly the bottom drops out - I was passing over a canyon. So I pitched down into the canyon, and now even the stars were gone. It was like being in a submarine - inky black outside the windows. I crept forward, and suddenly my ships lights illuminated the canyon wall right in front of me, and there were the barnacles.

I'm telling you, the darkness made it a great experience. It's sad that this is gone from the game.