Stars moving past you in space (I think is wrong)

[pwn4]

Don't get me wrong - Elite: Dangerous looks awesome. I can't wait to play it when my oculus arrives, but I've noticed something which doesn't seem to align with the realism that the game makers are going for.

In videos I've seen where someone is flying near a space station, you can see what I'm pretty sure are supposed to be stars zooming past you, but depending on the angle you will see them between you can the ship.

I'm sure this is because the programmers just wrote a general "make white dots fly by you" thing, but which doesn't always take into account some objects in your view.

If you see stars between you and an object, though, and they don't encompass that object, that must mean that they are smaller than the object you're looking at, which in the case of the space station can't seem possible. From the scale of it, the space stations are definitely not even planet sized, and there's no way really that these are "mini stars" or something because they need to be a certain size in order to be stars.

Am I missing something? Is this something that you think the game makers should fix? I know it's a picky detail.

 

[Deyu]

That is "space dust" not stars. A device often used in space-sim games with the purpose of giving the player a sense of speed and direction.

 

[Yaffle]

Hello there and welcome to the forums!

I think you're on about the 'space dust' effect which acts as a visual cue to the ship's movement. Here's a thread about it - http://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=32865

Enjoy!

 

[StuartGT]

From the scale of it, the space stations are definitely not even planet sized, and there's no way really that these are "mini stars" or something because they need to be a certain size in order to be stars.

They're Space Fairies, ever watchful of our galactic adventures

 

[nicomak]

particules, to give you some sense of speed, certainly not stars, even at 2000c you wouldnt cross the path of so many stars.

 

[MikeSnos]

Welcome aboard!

Not stars I'm afraid but particles... mainly to give you a sense of direction and velocity in-game... It's been discussed countless times already.

In the meantime, if you need any help or tips pootle along to this thread or this FAQ thread or the FAQ thread setup by Michael Brookes for some guidance etc. If you need help just ask, there's plenty out there willing to help out. But do have a go at searching first to see if your queries/prayers have already been answered

To get yourself going, start off in the Federal Distress scenario (head to Eranin 2 and SuperCruise around until you find it) and join the Eranin Defence faction (use the right hand menu, last tab, to do this). Do not shoot at anything that appears on your scanner with a hollow triangle or rectangle as these are PCs and most will likely retaliate. Shoot at anything with a solid red icon in the scanner you should manage to kill one every couple of minutes to start with and this will improve as you do. To collect your bounties remember to head back to Azeban every now and then... If you die you will not be able to collect any uncollected bounties.

If you die, do not worry, just get the free sidewinder again. Do not get the old loadout until you've built up a decent amount of cash in-game and are confident of making at least Cr3-4K between each death. At this point get your laser upgraded when you can afford to but make sure you always have at least twice and possibly three times the insurance value of your ship in reserve. Rinse and repeat until you can afford a bigger ship and carry on...

You will be able to start trading effectively when you get the Cobra so your options widen at that point...

Above all, keep practising and enjoy the game!

 

[Jackie Silver]

I tried looking for star parallax a while back while attempting to fly from star to star in supercruise - didn't see anything worth noticing, and I think I probably should have after flying half a light year, so perhaps that's another thing that doesn't update during frameshift.

 

[Kerrash]

It is Space dust.

 

[Dr Wookie]

I tried looking for star parallax a while back while attempting to fly from star to star in supercruise - didn't see anything worth noticing, and I think I probably should have after flying half a light year, so perhaps that's another thing that doesn't update during frameshift.

You would have to be looking at very nearby stars in front of more distant starts to notice much of a difference. A star at a distance of 1 parsec (3.2 light years) varies in relative position by 1/3600 degree when viewed 6 months apart (a spatial distance of 2 AU, or 16 light minutes). Over half a light year, that star would have moved by 4.5 degrees relative to the sky. But the vast majority of the stars in the sky are much more distant. Did you check with stars included in the beta?

Having said that, I suspect that the hyperspace effect is to mask the calculating of the night sky (the whole galaxy is used each time) and if so, hen moving within a system would not change the sky

 

[ecgallagher]

Keep an eye out for the Space Dust Bunnies.
They are real killers.

 

[EAGLE 5]

Micrometeorites so keep the landing gear up (classic Frontier Elite 2 warning)

Also gotta love the graphic... very Thargoid(esque)

 

[Gwyvern]

Because everyone else is doing it i'll say it too, that is space dust, not stars, it helps you determine how nyoomy you are at the time, and in which direction you are currently nyooming in.

 

[ianw]

I tried looking for star parallax a while back while attempting to fly from star to star in supercruise - didn't see anything worth noticing, and I think I probably should have after flying half a light year, so perhaps that's another thing that doesn't update during frameshift.

I saw some move in relation to each other on the long SC slog to that station that everyone moans about.

The name escapes me at the moment but I swear I saw them move!

ETA: For the avoidance of doubt - can I just add that what I saw moving was absolutely positively not the space dust effect, which is obviously not meant to be stars (to me at least). Thank you.

 

[Iain M Norman]

I saw some move in relation to each other on the long SC slog to that station that everyone moans about.

The name escapes me at the moment but I swear I saw them move!

I wonder how quick the Stellar Forge code can generate the 2000 or so visible stars needed for your average night sky?

 

[hawkenfox]

I would need that space dust visual que while drifting my viper to the space port.
Youtube : Docking the Viper

 

[kwik]

i actually would like to see how it looked with black space dust , and a bit more of it. ofc lights on would show it up as white ^^

 

[Dante80]

[Quote removed]

Seriously? That was completely uncalled for.

 

[Davevti]

I think you guys scared him off...

 

[Paul_Debrion]

Has I-War 2: Edge of Chaos style "HUD space dust" been considered and/or rejected at some point?

I really liked that feature. It was less ambiguous as it was clearly "artificial" and since it came in nice straight lines it was very "readable" in a practical sense.

 

[Deyu]

Has I-War 2: Edge of Chaos style "HUD space dust" been considered and/or rejected at some point?

I really liked that feature. It was less ambiguous as it was clearly "artificial" and since it came in nice straight lines it was very "readable" in a practical sense.

Nice idea! +1