So, I don't get how sometime acceleration is more or less instantaneous e.g. you leave an USS and you're at 200+C immediately. Whereas when trying to interdict someone your speed creeps up at 0.1C increments when at 30C, for example. Both the examples happen in deep space nowhere near a gravity well. What gives? Is it just an inconsistency in the game?
I don't get the acceleration mechanic
- Thread starter ithinkiam
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Any time you have a target your ship is doing some automatic speed regulation. Targetting nothing at all is how you get maximum acceleration (and deceleration while we're at it).
During an interdiction, both ships maintain the lead ship's velocity, any acceleration or deceleration is minuscule (relatively speaking)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcubierre_drive just for fun cos this is what our drives are loosely based upon...
...and I believe the acceleration and slow down mechanic were mainly added to reduce the monotony, increase the travel time arbitrarily, but realistically, and give you something to do on approach (fiddle with throttle and experiment with other nearby gravity wells, such as moons, to get an optimal 'overspeed' approach. This is something I frequently do. If done right you can cut deceleration times SUBSTANTIALLY!
...and I believe the acceleration and slow down mechanic were mainly added to reduce the monotony, increase the travel time arbitrarily, but realistically, and give you something to do on approach (fiddle with throttle and experiment with other nearby gravity wells, such as moons, to get an optimal 'overspeed' approach. This is something I frequently do. If done right you can cut deceleration times SUBSTANTIALLY!
If you're closer to stellar bodies with a lot of gravity, that will affect your acceleration. For instance, starting near a star will be a slow increase, but if you're in deep space, you'll jump up in speed very quickly.
As previously mentioned, having a target selected will also affect your speed.
As previously mentioned, having a target selected will also affect your speed.
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ish. It's just odd how sometimes you blink and you're at 100+ C and other times you're crawling to get to 20C. I know about the gravity wells near stars etc., but I'm talking about times unrelated to that.
Woooow Woooow there, hold on, that would mean we are expected to actually read the text below the subject. I mean
Other aspects of the topic were covered previously. I was expanding on the subject because there was only a brief mention of gravity wells in the OP.Woooow Woooow there, hold on, that would mean we are expected to actually read the text below the subject. I mean
Ok, well then all explained above. Acceleration is only slow if A. Being interdicted, B. Inside a gravity well, C. When a target is locked, the ship will maintain a calculated acceleration/deceleration rate.
Broadly, your normal [1] top speed is dependent on your distance to the most significant gravity well - which might well be 10,000Ls away, but still counts. Acceleration up to this top speed is fast.
However, as you move, your position relative to the gravity wells changes, and therefore your top speed also changes.
So, let's say you've just exited a USS in deep space, are facing away from the system's only star, and see a ship ahead of you which you want to interdict.
You start off accelerating very quickly from 0 to the local top speed of 30C. You're now moving away from the star, and the local top speed is slowly increasing. At this sort of distance from the star, local top speed increases relatively slowly, so you then go from 30C to 35C as you chase the ship you're pursuing to try to get into interdiction range, because the local top speed is now 35C. If you suddenly put on the brakes, you'll drop to zero quickly, and then be able to get back up to 35C again quickly.
If you look at the speed gauge in supercruise it has two parts.
1) The bit around the right edge. This is on a logarithmic scale, with 1C half-way up. This shows the local top speed and will only change slowly as you move closer to or further away from gravity wells.
2) The bit in the middle. This runs on a linear scale, with 0 at the bottom, and your local top speed marked. So if you're deep in a gravity well and getting {Slow Down}, you can be off the top of this scale at well under 1C ... whereas if you're in deep space you can be going over 500C and still not at the top.
Basically, acceleration on scale 2 is quick, acceleration on scale 1 is slow. If you've been flying at full throttle for more than 10 seconds or so, you'll usually be accelerating on scale 1.
[1] If you're approaching a gravity well, you can be in a situation where your actual speed exceeds the normal top speed - you will be travelling faster than you could accelerate from zero from in this position. This can be used with care to get to places much faster than you normally could.
The idea of the local top speed interests me, can you elaborate on that. In deep space what would be the local top speed?
The maximum is 2001C, but you have to be a very long way away from any body to get that.
To measure it, set your throttle to maximum, and fly around in supercruise trying to keep the same distance from the most important large body (probably the nearest star, but maybe a nearby planet if you're particularly close). Once your speed lines up with the marker and stops increasing, you're at the local top speed.