Newcomer / Intro The punishment factor of going too fast

[Balddog]

You know how sometimes you're suddenly going way faster than you could ever get any other way? And how it seems to only ever happen when you really shouldn't be going quite so fast, either because you're about to slam into something or because you're trying to get to something?

At first I thought it might be tied to stars or planetary bodies, like maybe you're caught in their gravity well and it's pulling you in. But it happens when I'm heading away from stars or planets as much as if I'm heading towards them.

So then I adjusted my theory thinking maybe there was some sort of sling-shot zone around big objects. Until I accidentally hit my throttle a little too high inside a space station and found myself summarily catapulted forward at an insane (and impossible) speed.

After splattering all over the inside of that station, I have now revised my theory again: it's just a punishment.

It seems there's a punishment factor rolled into the thrust management stuff. If you're in some situation where you should be going slower, the system will throw your thrust way higher than you could ever get it in any other situation. You can't invoke it for good. You can't use it as a sling-shot effect. You're just subject to some arbitrary interpretation of what you should or shouldn't be doing. What's up with that?

And that makes me sad.

 

[kilvenny]

Speed in stations - personally not seen this in months of playing unless I play the full speed ahead and boost without aiming for the toaster. Could it be a key binding issue - you can set throttle settings and boost - this almost sounds like you have something mapped unexpectedly. Gear down in stations avoids a lot of speed issues.

 

[Dommarraa]

You are not accelerating around gravity wells, it just sounds like it. Watch your actual speed figure, it will continue to decrease at the appropriate amount while you engine seems to rev at a stupid rate.

 

[cmdr lowest]

I've had a couple of close calls in stations but never crashed inside one yet.

Did manage to smack against the outside of George Lucas in my Cobra though. Couldn't slow down fast enough... Lesson learnt.

 

[Arry]

I think it is pixel based, by this I mean a part of the programming?

OK, I can be in super cruise and bring the ship to as close to stop (30mn?) by hitting the throttle down button and doing a 180, up or down, from any speed. Unless I am within (what I will call) a zone, a place where the game, is saying, ok, it's time to slow down now. A place, like the final approach to a planet. Then the (pixels) take over, half a second too late with the throttle down action and I can do a complete 360 and sometimes more, to get down to the same speed.

Just a thought?

Arry.

 

[wiblflibl]

You are not accelerating around gravity wells, it just sounds like it. Watch your actual speed figure, it will continue to decrease at the appropriate amount while you engine seems to rev at a stupid rate.

This: the alien-looking dude knows what he's talking about!

 

[Smauler]

I think it is pixel based, by this I mean a part of the programming?

OK, I can be in super cruise and bring the ship to as close to stop (30mn?) by hitting the throttle down button and doing a 180, up or down, from any speed. Unless I am within (what I will call) a zone, a place where the game, is saying, ok, it's time to slow down now. A place, like the final approach to a planet. Then the (pixels) take over, half a second too late with the throttle down action and I can do a complete 360 and sometimes more, to get down to the same speed.

Just a thought?

Arry.

It's just simulated momentum.

It's quite easy to understand.... If you're going too fast, you can't stop (easily).

The easiest way I've found to get to anywhere is to be on full throttle then hit 75% throttle (bind a key!) when you hit 7 seconds to go. 75% will bring you in at 6 seconds to go constantly, and not overun.