What is "Disruptive Mass"?

[Frankymole]

If you're near a station, but outside its Mass Lock, your FSD can be delayed or prevente from engaging by a ship that's by or in the station - and yet the ship has much less mass than the station.

So what is this "mass", that disrupts your drive, even though it is quite small compared to another mass at the same distance (or sometimes even closer that the "disruptive" ship)?

 

[Rochester]

Obviously it’s a game mechanism to stop players using jumps to crash into or go through other players.

The process can be broken, if you activate your jump just outside a stations mass zone, but point directly at it and then boost once its ’jumping’ you can technically jump right through said object. From a third party observer it would look like you jumped into the station.

The ‘science’ is made up, so there’s no real reason for it other than some game mechanics. Years ago there was a cool mechanic which allowed players to time their exit points in super cruise, and exit inside a mass locked zone, FD turned it off because players were using it to annoy other players and it caused graphical bugs.

 

[IstvaanDCIV]

If you're near a station, but outside its Mass Lock, your FSD can be delayed or prevente from engaging by a ship that's by or in the station - and yet the ship has much less mass than the station.

So what is this "mass", that disrupts your drive, even though it is quite small compared to another mass at the same distance (or sometimes even closer that the "disruptive" ship)?

It's the mass of the ship, isn't it? That's why a great big station or a planet can stop your FSD completely (mass lock), while a nearby ship can just slow it down a bit. I'm not sure that I've observed behaviour that cannot simply be explained by the relative differences in mass between the objects being considered.

 

[Frankymole]

It's the mass of the ship, isn't it? That's why a great big station or a planet can stop your FSD completely (mass lock), while a nearby ship can just slow it down a bit. I'm not sure that I've observed behaviour that cannot simply be explained by the relative differences in mass between the objects being considered.

You miss my point, I think. How can you exit the mass lock of a station, but a ship the other side of that station from you can still disrupt your FSD charging (when the station won't, at that distance)?

 

[Schmack]

It's the mass of the ship, isn't it? That's why a great big station or a planet can stop your FSD completely (mass lock), while a nearby ship can just slow it down a bit. I'm not sure that I've observed behaviour that cannot simply be explained by the relative differences in mass between the objects being considered.

Isn't it also true that it only happens with low wake? So whatever your FSD needs to do isn't encumbered by mass due to high wake science. This isn't true for mass lock however.

 

[Schmack]

You miss my point, I think. How can you exit the mass lock of a station, but a ship the other side of that station from you can still disrupt your FSD charging (when the station won't, at that distance)?

Sounds like an oversight or broken mechanics.

 

[IstvaanDCIV]

You miss my point, I think. How can you exit the mass lock of a station, but a ship the other side of that station from you can still disrupt your FSD charging (when the station won't, at that distance)?

I'm sure that I've exited loads of stations that had about half-a-dozen ships parked in the docking bay, and not once had any disruption to FSD functioning upon leaving mass lock. I've only experienced FSD disruption when a ship was right on my tail. Seems like you're describing a bug to me.

Isn't it also true that it only happens with low wake? So whatever your FSD needs to do isn't encumbered by mass due to high wake science. This isn't true for mass lock however.

Without further analysis I can't say for certain whether that means mass lock and FSD disruption are different phenomena, but my first guess would be that preventing high wake requires a much larger mass than those of the ships we can pilot. Haven't done the calculations so I cannot say with certainty, but I reckon that even an Outpost is at least an order of magnitude more massive than anything Commanders can directly fly.

 

[Schmack]

I'm sure that I've exited loads of stations that had about half-a-dozen ships parked in the docking bay, and not once had any disruption to FSD functioning upon leaving mass lock. I've only experienced FSD disruption when a ship was right on my tail. Seems like you're describing a bug to me.



Without further analysis I can't say for certain whether that means mass lock and FSD disruption are different phenomena, but my first guess would be that preventing high wake requires a much larger mass than those of the ships we can pilot. Haven't done the calculations so I cannot say with certainty, but I reckon that even an Outpost is at least an order of magnitude more massive than anything Commanders can directly fly.

It makes sense they are different science, since there's no gradient of mass lock, it's on or off. Disruptive mass seems to apply on a gradient. I notice when I drop into a busy NB and scan it, I have to get some distance from other ships to get into super cruise, but the FSD will still attempt to charge. It charges faster and faster as I get further from the peloton (for lack of a better word). I think I see it more these days because I fly smaller ships than I did in Horizons. I don't think they would affect a Federal Corvette.

 

[metatheurgist]

It's like that fantasy novel (I forget which). Wizards are anomalies and large gatherings of them cause reality to groan under their weight.

FSDs are anomalies and ships that carry FSDs are disruptive masses. Stations are fine 'cos they don't have FSDs.

Yes, I have a doctorate in bullcrap, why do you ask?

 

[JakXLT]

It's like that fantasy novel (I forget which). Wizards are anomalies and large gatherings of them cause reality to groan under their weight.

FSDs are anomalies and ships that carry FSDs are disruptive masses. Stations are fine 'cos they don't have FSDs.

Yes, I have a doctorate in bullcrap, why do you ask?

Yeah, or it just takes more energy to bend spacetime around you when other crap is already bending it? Impossible if the mass is too great. That's always been my understanding at least.

 

[zimms]

Isn't "disruptive mass" the collective term for forumites internally?

 

[JakXLT]

Isn't "disruptive mass" the collective term for forumites internally?

Probably. Sounds like what my school teachers called me.

 

[Ned Flandalorian]

You miss my point, I think. How can you exit the mass lock of a station, but a ship the other side of that station from you can still disrupt your FSD charging (when the station won't, at that distance)?

The big "MASS LOCKED" indicator means you can't charge the FSD at all (for neither high nor low waking).
A disruptive mass only slows you from low waking and has no effect on high waking.

 

[Frankymole]

The big "MASS LOCKED" indicator means you can't charge the FSD at all (for neither high nor low waking).
A disruptive mass only slows you from low waking and has no effect on high waking.

Yes... I know... but why is a comparatively little Anaconda causing "disruption" when a honking great station that it is sitting inside - or beyond - doesn't?

Same probably goes for when one is sitting in an asteroid belt... the whacking great lumps of metallic ore don't cause disruption, but the paper ship does...

 

[Frankymole]

Stations are fine 'cos they don't have FSDs.

Jaques did

 

[Northpin]

Yes... I know... but why is a comparatively little Anaconda causing "disruption" when a honking great station that it is sitting inside - or beyond - doesn't?

Because the in-system FSD low wake works differently than FSD hyperjump

The theory of "but it has a FSD" cannot be really tested since we dont have big enough ships that DO Not have a FSD and testing with a SLF can be easily dismissed since it may simply have a lower MLF than even the Sidewinder

 

[Ned Flandalorian]

Yes... I know... but why is a comparatively little Anaconda causing "disruption" when a honking great station that it is sitting inside - or beyond - doesn't?

I don't see how that could be... the MASS LOCK range of a coriolis is 5km which is the same max range of a disruptive mass. So there's no way a ship that is further away than the station could lock you while the station wouldn't, because the station would by definition also be within range.

 

[Fixitman]

That's how FDev set unrealistic rules in an unrealistic game. They are unlikely to tell us why.
I can think of several things that would break without this, so I'm thinking why not?

 

[Frankymole]

I don't see how that could be... the MASS LOCK range of a coriolis is 5km

What about an Outpost?

 

[Frankymole]

Because the in-system FSD low wake works differently than FSD hyperjump

The theory of "but it has a FSD" cannot be really tested since we dont have big enough ships that DO Not have a FSD and testing with a SLF can be easily dismissed since it may simply have a lower MLF than even the Sidewinder

Get a thousand SLFs together, they're bound to have a bigger mass.

Actually, you can fly even the Big 3 without an FSD, just damage it to 100% and use thrusters only.