Fuel vent

disorganise

disorganise
Could we have an option to vent fuel?
For explorers, it sometimes becomes necessary to adjust fuel to allow a jump closer to max. There are two ways...wait....a long time for fuel to burn, or get a plasma slug effect on a rail gun and fire until u shed enough fuel.
Having the option to simply vent fuel would be much easier *and* avoid the *need* to carry a weapon....which opens the possibility to trading hard points for an FSD increase for a dedicated explorer line, but I digress.

To counter the 'explorer only' argument...
Venting fuel will need to be done in regular space only. Doing do creates a cloud of gas around the ship which could either drop you from radar for a short time (effect like silent running) or create a radar shadow. This then makes it a possible defense mechanism as well as an explorers best friend, and the cloud of gas could obscure naked eye vision as well (and look awesome).
Of course, being fuel, it would be explosive if hit in the right spot with the right weapon, making it a risky defense move (and visually spectacular when the cloud explodes)
 
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Van R Flyheight

Van R Flyheight
Really does seem like a simple mechanic that would be really helpful to explorers.

Never thought about it actually being visible in open space and being explosive. Not sure if this last bit will happen but you know I'd do it if I could :cool: toasty
 

bicarbon8

B
disorganise said:
.l..There are two ways...wait....a long time for fuel to burn, or get a plasma slug effect on a rail gun and fire until u she'd enough fuel....
Click to expand...

I like and support this suggestion, but just wanted to add that there is one additional option for burning off fuel and that is to go from normal space to supercruise several times. Each time you jump to supercruise from normal space it burns additional fuel for the FSD spinup.
 

Alec Turner

Alec Turner
As a Buckyball Racer I'd like to second the proposal to have a fuel venting mechanism. Often (and the latest race is a case in point) it's necessary to have just the right amount of fuel remaining in order to squeeze just a little more range out of the FSD and knock one or two jumps off the route. It would be a really easy thing to implement - just have an option in the right-hand panel, a bit little jettisoning cargo or materials, that lets you select fuel in 10% increments to be dumped.
 

Van R Flyheight

Van R Flyheight
Alec Turner said:
As a Buckyball Racer I'd like to second the proposal to have a fuel venting mechanism. Often (and the latest race is a case in point) it's necessary to have just the right amount of fuel remaining in order to squeeze just a little more range out of the FSD and knock one or two jumps off the route. It would be a really easy thing to implement - just have an option in the right-hand panel, a bit little jettisoning cargo or materials, that lets you select fuel in 10% increments to be dumped.
Click to expand...

Really thought you were going down the wacky races oil slick route there but you didn't. So close [haha]
 

Lucifera Danzig

Lucifera Danzig
disorganise said:
Could we have an option to vent fuel?
For explorers, it sometimes becomes necessary to adjust fuel to allow a jump closer to max. There are two ways...wait....a long time for fuel to burn, or get a plasma slug effect on a rail gun and fire until u shed enough fuel.
Having the option to simply vent fuel would be much easier *and* avoid the *need* to carry a weapon....which opens the possibility to trading hard points for an FSD increase for a dedicated explorer line, but I digress.

To counter the 'explorer only' argument...
Venting fuel will need to be done in regular space only. Doing do creates a cloud of gas around the ship which could either drop you from radar for a short time (effect like silent running) or create a radar shadow. This then makes it a possible defense mechanism as well as an explorers best friend, and the cloud of gas could obscure naked eye vision as well (and look awesome).
Of course, being fuel, it would be explosive if hit in the right spot with the right weapon, making it a risky defense move (and visually spectacular when the cloud explodes)
Click to expand...

Fuel dumping is a known procedure in aviation history, so this wouldn't be an unrealistic request I feel. I would point out that you don't want the cloud "surrounding" you, because your engines would set the cloud alight just about immediately.
 

disorganise

disorganise
The dump process could always cut all power to engines for a few seconds to avoid the engines igniting the plume. FD can flesh out the details as they see fit, I was merely trying to offer a way that it *could* be used in combat.

There should be risk to the attacker too....maybe a mine/trader is attacked, dumps fuel and the aggressor keeps firing and takes heat damage from the explosion, or has to cease fire and fly *around* the plume to avoid igniting it and potentially crippling his ship, which gives the miner/trader vital seconds to take leave.
 

Nene

N
Lucifera Danzig said:
Fuel dumping is a known procedure in aviation history, so this wouldn't be an unrealistic request I feel. I would point out that you don't want the cloud "surrounding" you, because your engines would set the cloud alight just about immediately.
Click to expand...
There's no oxygen, or other oxidiser, in space, so you're not in danger of the cloud igniting.

disorganise said:
The dump process could always cut all power to engines for a few seconds to avoid the engines igniting the plume. FD can flesh out the details as they see fit, I was merely trying to offer a way that it *could* be used in combat.
Click to expand...

The F111 looks incredibly impressive doing this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ai60FGNbIHs of course that's in an oxygen rich atmosphere.
 

Stellar Gambit

Stellar Gambit
like it, also like the idea that it might be flammable if fired on with energy weapons.... or boosted through. Don't think Hydrogen would be sufficient to give scanners/weapons targeting any problems.
 

Nene

N
Stellar Gambit said:
like it, also like the idea that it might be flammable if fired on with energy weapons.... or boosted through. Don't think Hydrogen would be sufficient to give scanners/weapons targeting any problems.
Click to expand...
I think it would be too diffuse to start fusing if you fired energy weapons through it, same with engines
 

Our Grid

O
This should be within a ship's default functions in the associated panel, select fuel, toggle the tonnage and dump.

Right this minute, commercial aviation flies over the oceans and dumps fuel when forced to land sooner than planned to prevent overweight landings.

Seems like spaceships would have all that and more ;-)
 

varonica

varonica
Stellar Gambit said:
like it, also like the idea that it might be flammable if fired on with energy weapons.... or boosted through. Don't think Hydrogen would be sufficient to give scanners/weapons targeting any problems.
Click to expand...

Hydrogen doesn't burn, it reacts with oxygen, a catalyser, in the presence of heat to produce a self sustaining reaction. Without the catalyser you could apply all the heat you wanted, well up until you reached hydrogen fusion temperatures, and you would get no reaction. So no it wouldn't explode, and even if there was oxygen in the venting process it's likely the cloud would disperse to fast in the vacuum to maintain a reaction. The venting is good, but didn't I recall someone saying you can vent fuel using a rail gun and plasma slugs? yes I did.

https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showt...-quot-effect?p=5678537&viewfull=1#post5678537
 

VR SenseiMatty

VR SenseiMatty
Nice idea! This will add a lot of risks and challenging for the exploration.


Van R Flyheight said:
Never thought about it actually being visible in open space and being explosive. Not sure if this last bit will happen but you know I'd do it if I could :cool: toasty
Click to expand...

You would be disappointed, fire and explosions don't work like this.
To light up a fire you need an inflammable material/propellant, ignition source and oxygen. Without one of them you have no fire, so fuel can't be explosive in the void without oxygen.
 
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