Why can't i crash land into planets?

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Why can't i crash land into planets?

Post by HaK »

Hey everyone, Bought the game earlier today and absolutely love it to bits. Really cool stuff. But i'm totally preaching to the choir here lol. So my apologies if this question or topic is posted in the wrong place but yeah i'm a rookie and i got something that's kind of bothering me. As the title says... why can't i crash land into planets... Doesn't matter if i'm in inertial or IDS mode... i just hover 60-100 altitude without ever crashing... even if my speed is 0 and have 0 fuel i can still never crash into the surface. Now not sure if this is a feature which then allows me to do the vertical thruster to land much easier? Or is there some kind of setting that is preventing me from dying in this manner? I wish i could crash land due to my own mistakes or bad judgements, but nope even though the rainy weather and turbulence is throwing my craft all over the place as i dip below the cloud line spiralling towards my doom only to be saved by some unknown force? (No my auto pilot is not on) I can burn up in the atmosphere and i can blow up by warping to close or into a planet... but can't seem to crash land regardless of speed or zero fuel or anything... Please let me know anyone? Btw thanks Vice for a perfect game. Worth every bit of my hard earned money. :D
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Re: Why can't i crash land into planets?

Post by Vice »

From a recent discussion on the topic ( http://www.starwraith.com/forum/viewtop ... 1&p=190709 ):

... When earlier games in the series were more 'unforgiving', I received a lot of negative feedback, complaints, and requests to change it to protect the player better (to be 'more forgiving', 'protective', 'less punishing', 'more player friendly', 'more game-like and less hardcore space shuttle landing sim-like'... lol, the list goes on and on). I also did not receive much of any positive feedback from players who may have liked it the way it was. So it was changed to a fairly protective system several years ago and it hasn't changed much since.

Currently, for players who want to smack into the ground or have a risk of exploding while flying high speed 'nap of the earth' routes, the risk is there that they will collide with terrain and explode. For players who just want to reach the ground without worrying about exploding when they get there, they are generally protected if they keep their speed low. So each can have their way depending on how they fly.


So in summary, your ship's (spherical) shield system and anti-collision protection systems will generally help protect you from smacking into terrain and blowing up. However, you can override those systems by flying too fast and at too sharp of a nose down angle to cause your ship to either take damage (if speed is low enough), or destroy it entirely.

Glad you're enjoying the game otherwise and welcome.
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Re: Why can't i crash land into planets?

Post by HaK »

Aha as i expected! Why thank you very much for such a prompt reply and answer. I understand fully. I did actually manage to crash with the ways you suggested at the bottom of your reply. I understand how people may have compained in the past about the difficulty but hey isn't that the point behind simulators? I think it would be a nice feature as you would have a real sense of accomplishment mastering descents :D (In the same sense that mastering the combat takes some time) Perhaps in the future it could be a selectable option on startup? Hardcore mode or something lol. Anyway thank you for clearing that up, was not sure if it was an option i was overlooking or if i was doing something wrong.

I am really enjoying the game and it blows my mind that i can land on planets. (something i only dreamed of in freelancer from the good ol' elite n frontier days) So this game so far has exceeded all my expectations and is by far the best gaming purchase of this year i suspect. Will definately recommend this title to all my buddies who are avid space nuts too. Thank you for the welcome, i am truly humbled for your reply. :D
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Re: Why can't i crash land into planets?

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The current setup for ground collisions it pretty much a compromise between Legend's no-crash and the later version where you could easily scrape your tail on takeoff and abruptly blow up. Now, of course, you still need to be aware of your surroundings, especially during planetside combat. Because it isn't just a matter of attempting to land at high speed which results in disaster ... you can also slam into a mountain while in pursuit of an enemy ship. Just ask Starbuck.
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Re: Why can't i crash land into planets?

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Hey Martin, Nice to chat to ya buddy. Well been playing the game pretty much non-stop since yesterday just trying to learn how to do everything before i even launch into my actual proper game. I am actually glad that you can crash while on surface level if you flying too fast and it's awesome that things like mountains are a genuine obstacle and adds a sense of danger and something to be wary of. I have enjoyed my last few descents but sadly seems like every planet i have found so far has such extreme weather that i can't truly fly properly. So this has raised a few questions that i can't seem to find answers too, perhaps you could help this rookie out! :D

1 : So when you check the news you can see it tells you if the planet has weather or not. But how do i know how extreme the weather is.. meaning, if every planet says weather, does that automatically mean i will have major problems flying on them? Or is each planet unique with the amount of wind etc? Basically i would love to be able to land on a planet with an atmosphere but without such extreme weather so i can fly around at ground level without fighting the constant shaking, do any exist? I'm sure they do, just wondering if you could throw one's name out there for me to explore sometime. I know sol is in the game but have not even left the first few systems to see how bad its weather would be. (travelled as far as sierra and it was also an extreme weather planet) I did however land on a moon somewhere and it had no atmosphere and hence no weather, but i would love to land on an atmospheric planet with a nice blue sky, be able to fly around unhindered for a while before i hurtle back into space. Any planets fit that description??

2: I do see why the game was changed to avoid issues like crashing on take off etc and if it did work the way i expected then every bad weather planet would be a death sentence. But it would be nice if the current system was a "buyable option" like some special part bought for your ship or an addition to the auto - pilot "Anti collision or something" and if you didn't have one you would crash and burn as expected unless you had the skills to land successfully by utilitising your practiced landing skills. Or couldn't the system account for the speed and not blow you up if you did manage to scrape the backend? (as surely your shield would stop low speed damage) Which brings me to my next point.. i see i can't really crash into space stations either... was travelling at around 9000 velocity and simply bounced off, but i didn't even seem to acquire any damage at all from my brand new unmodified ship... I did manage to crash into a large freighter ship but once again had to travel at around 8500 velocity. So it's not a major issue but surely there should be a consequence for extreme speed crashing in space? (not referring to jumps which do kill you if you hit something) I understand everything has shield ands forcefields but i feel i should have died from such extreme speed crashes (or at least the inertia should have killed my character from the abrupt stop due to both the stations forcefields and my own colliding.

If there ever were a return to the crash system of old... i don't think it would need to be too brutal... if you can slow down enough to enter the atmosphere then surely players should be able to use their piloting skills and just slow down a little bit more to ensure a nice landing. (i just want my own mistakes to be a consequence. In the same sense that you could crash by not paying attention during planetside combat. My brother is a real life pilot, just became a captain recently flying the A380's for Emirates after so many years and he always says, the most important part of a flight is the landing.. lol..) This game is amazing and i'm pretty sure i will be a lifelong fan of this series future too. :D
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Re: Why can't i crash land into planets?

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*Marvin... (sorry)
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Re: Why can't i crash land into planets?

Post by Marvin »

Not all parts of a space station are protected by a force field. It you hit one of the unprotected sections, it hurts ... really, really badly. As for planet types, they come in a variety. If you started out as an ALC pilot, try the home planet: Pearl. There are others but Pearl* is the closest with sunny skies, water, fish and fowl ... and inbound meteors. And no hurricane-like wind.


* Anyway, I think it's Pearl. Somewhere around there, anyway. ???
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Re: Why can't i crash land into planets?

Post by Vice »

Some additional comments/thoughts:

1 - Weather can vary, even on the same planet. So the only truly reliable way to determine what the weather is like at a given point on a planet is to travel to that given point. The weather indicator on the planet information screen will simply tell you if there may be precipitation (even on a partial basis) and/or high wind (more than your ship is capable of automatically compensating for, resulting in you getting knocked around). Most of the planets in the game actually don't have that kind of whether. But if you are travelling in the upper Federation systems, many of them do have pretty turbulent weather. However, many of the more central systems and many of the Alliance planets don't have such weather.

2 - There were some more brutal collision conditions in the earlier games as well, where also feedback related requests lead to similar changes. But considering that we are dealing with -theoretical- technologies and events here, there are some elements to consider. When it comes to collisions and impacts, if your ship could not effectively counter the effects of inertia and gravity, your character would be squished/vaporized and your ship would break apart into pieces every time you made the jump to light speed, which would be a far greater force than a mere 800 m/s bouncing collision impact of two ships cushioned by shield bubbles. The theoretical technology approach is that your ship is capable of offsetting such forces, so it can also handle the bounce of two shield bubbles hitting each other at great speeds without the death of the pilot or destruction of the ship. It can even largely protect you against asteroid/terrain surfaces that don't even have shields, relying on your ship's shields alone, but the risk of destruction can be present in that scenario.
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Re: Why can't i crash land into planets?

Post by HaK »

Hey Marvin and Vice, Thanks guys very helpful info. I have actually been starting every game as an independent and it starts me in the Talison area, so i suppose that it why i have been encountering such extreme weather. Thanks for letting me know i shall certainly start next time as alliance and go and checkout Pearl (or whichever is nearby, i'll find it) :D Fish and fowl you say, very interesting and an extra bonus to try and find! I also did not realise that only certain sections of the space stations etc were unprotected. That makes alot more sense and i obviously was hitting areas that were protected. I also struggled at first to crash into that same freighter (large very spaceship, not sure its official name) and then succeeded so i obviously hit it at the right angle.

Fantastic, you answered a question i thought of before i asked. Really like that weather can indeed vary on a given planet. Is the planet information screen only accessible via being in a space station and going through the news menu? Or am i able to see one inside of my ship while being in space... say i randomly happen upon a planet with no station nearby. (unless all planets do have something nearby with the news function?) Does my ship allow me to see these details? Yes my choice of being independent which starts me in the talison area is why i have been finding many extreme planets. I shall make an alliance start for a slightly easier start. Was thrown in the deep end with the independent starting area but hey gave me good experience for times when i need to land or do a mission on a hostile planet.

Yeah i understand completely how the player feedback influenced changes and that's actually a good thing, glad to know there is a developer out there (Vice) who cares what his fans think and has implimented their ideas. Nice job Vice. Hahaha yes certainly theoretical technologies and events here. Your points make perfect sense and i thank you for them, ofc the technology would have ways to "dampen the blow" or account for the inertia and forces etc. I agree 100% with what you just said and that puts my mind at ease with the results of forcefields colliding etc and how that would also make "jumps" impossible. I was experimenting with a nearby asteroid field and could easily destroy myself but not at low speeds due to my shield/forcefield which makes sense, your explanation cements this truth about why shield vs shield reacts the way it does. Thank you both for taking the time for the explanations and help :D
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Re: Why can't i crash land into planets?

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Is the planet information screen only accessible via being in a space station and going through the news menu?
No, you can access it in open space.
Or am i able to see one inside of my ship while being in space... say i randomly happen upon a planet with no station nearby. (unless all planets do have something nearby with the news function?) Does my ship allow me to see these details?
Yes, you can access the news/information screen in space without a station nearby. Details are provided for the nearest planet.
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Re: Why can't i crash land into planets?

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Great! Oh how silly of me, just had to open my inventory. Well that's great news. Also the planet was indeed "pearl" (You were correct Marvin) Exactly all the info and help i needed. Thanks once again guys. :D
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Re: Why can't i crash land into planets?

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:P Actually, if you were flying as an Indy pilot, you didn't need to change factions. Indies can dock anywhere (as long as they don't get rowdy ... 'though sometimes they might be charged a docking fee*). The only advantage of switching to ALC is where you start off ... Pearl. Where, if you fly close to the surface for awhile, you might spot a bird or two as it wings across the prarie.


* IIRC. 'Though it wouldn't be the first time I confused an old EM option with a non-existent option in EL. :o
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Re: Why can't i crash land into planets?

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Yeah that was my exact reason for choosing Indy initially as i didn't want to be on either side and just wanted to mess around doing a bit of trading unrestricted. I read about the increased docking fee (all pertaining to the various actions of the player affecting the prices etc) Yes it is an awesome change starting as ALC due to the Pearl system having a beautiful hospitable planet. I actually did spot a bird on my first landing (could have been a distant spaceship though lol) and was super impressed by it hahaha. (it's the little things) :D

As a newcomer i never knew all these things (have no clue how this series flew under my radar all my life being a huge elite/frontier/wing commander/freelancer etc etc player. I got the demo of Mercenaries and was about to purchase it when i saw there was a newer version (Legacy) So i went ahead and got legacy due to all the reviews on being able to now also build stations and even planetery cities. (excellent features along with great graphics and wow 355mb game that's quality design right there, i guess the game inflates over time as i explore more and more is generated?) The fact that the planets even have mountains and gulleys etc etc is also a major selling point. I actually have one final question if that's ok. To do with the trading system. I understand the economy and how thinks are affected but what i want to know is... If i build my own station or city on a planet... will the ai then start automatically trading with it too? Is the station or city independent of me after being built? (or do i now own that station and therefore earn extra money) Either way is fine in my books. Just wondering if my cities and stations will affect the entire economy of a system and will be used by the AI? Which haha brings me to my last question... (apologies) Do i ever encounter random ships in the middle of nowhere? Or is the AI confined to being around planets / stations etc... are there random pirates who would try hijack or destroy me for my goods out in the open etc? (with me being "indy" i mean, and no affiliations, just a run of the mill trader, the space equivalent of a 18 wheeler hehe) :D
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Re: Why can't i crash land into planets?

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If i build my own station or city on a planet... will the ai then start automatically trading with it too?
Yes, it will bring them into the area to trade and establish a presence there.
Is the station or city independent of me after being built? (or do i now own that station and therefore earn extra money) Either way is fine in my books.
Yes, it will operate independently. When you build stations, you are helping your fellow faction members in expanding your faction's presence and control over a region of space, rather than being some kind of small convenience stores from which you would profit. Instead, they are designed to primarily be installation and supply depots that benefit your faction as a collective whole in the effort to conquer the opposing faction. And building in uncharted space is also an important part of the exploration and territory expansion mechanisms of gameplay.
Just wondering if my cities and stations will affect the entire economy of a system and will be used by the AI?
Yes, they can effect the local economy of a system as well as being used by the AI. For specifics on each module type:

Storage, production, and command modules can help increase local technology levels. Their benefit is roughly 3.3% per module added to the base regional level. Storage modules help store items that are built and made available in local inventories, production modules help produce items that are built and made available in local inventories, and command modules include benefits of both of the other modules (although you can only build one of these per sector, so the other modules can be used to expand things further). Module totals for analysis are available in the Inventory > News/Information screen.

A secondary benefit of storage modules is to provide more weapon storage for weapon turrets. So once you build enough turrets, you'll start to be prompted to build storage modules to help support them.

Crew modules provide living space for the crew needed to support a station once it reaches a certain size. Once you reach certain design limits, the game will prompt you to construct more crew modules to provide the required crew level to support it.

Horizontal and vertical modules are structural pieces that can be used to provide connecting/spacing structures and/or defensive obstacles around other modules. They provide no other functional benefit and are not required as part of a station's design.
Do i ever encounter random ships in the middle of nowhere? Or is the AI confined to being around planets / stations etc...
You can encounter random ships in more open/uncharted space, although such encounters will be much less often than when you are around planets/stations. If you are out there, then it's possible for some other ship to be out there as well. But higher traffic/populated areas are where most encounters will generally occur.
are there random pirates who would try hijack or destroy me for my goods out in the open etc?
Not at this time. Under the war conditions of the game, ships/pilots generally battle for resources and territory in combat conditions on a larger scale, rather than random lone intercepts for what one ship might have on them. That can change in multiplayer, depending on the types of people you encounter. But from the game's standpoint, the focus is on larger scale intercept missions/contracts where multiple ships are involved and you stop large quantities of cargo from reaching its destination, rather than trying to retrieve a few small items from one small ship.
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Re: Why can't i crash land into planets?

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As an Indy pilot, you're likely to be left alone (evidently, the aligned factions do a really good job of patrolling for pirates). But, if you've swapped your unaligned status for either ALC or FDN, then enemy territory can become a major hazard to your health and welfare. So, if you do decide on an incursion, I suggest you plan to find an unsettled sector (one without a space station) and do a bit of building on your own. Start with a command module and then reinforce it with a few missile turrets. Preferably, place a turret near wherever it is you plan to situate yourself while building the rest of the station (that goes for building a city, too).
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Re: Why can't i crash land into planets?

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Good evening guys (well from my country's timing at least) Ok wow thank you for all the amazing info, i see the whole system is more complex than i originally thought. Yeah it makes total sense about how the stations/cities are beneficial for the whole faction or sector you in. I have been referring to mainly single player as i'm sure conditions (ie random pirates) would change for multiplayer due to whoever you may meet. I also guessed that seeing random ships while being in the middle of nowhere would be far more rare. (As perhaps i would like to be one of those pirates preying on some random ships without the worry of retaliation from a local stations defences etc.)

Which does raise one more question. If i do attack a ship of either side. If no one is around to see me do it, will i get away scot free? Or does the entire faction get notified about my actions (regardless of seeing my actions etc, perhaps the ship under attack has time to report my naughty escapades? :D)

So if i understand right, this game seems to be a constant struggle between the two forces taking more sectors for their own. So does that mean that one faction could possibly wipe out the opposing faction in it's entirety across the entire galaxy (after a lot of battles and conquests) I also read somewhere that station or cities could be destroyed.. (do they dissapear forever or simply change over to the conquering side?)

I'm quite excited to eventually start building my own stations. (im guessing if im indy, that newly built station, would then belong to the faction that owns the sector?) I really love how my actions do affect the outcome of the game. If i just sit back and do my own thing, (trading with no regard of building or helping either faction) will the AI still be trying to conquer each other without my intervention? Could i eventually be a lone wolf in a universe totally controlled by one side?

Ok well i think i am finally ready to start my actual game properly. Can never have enough training right! :D Those who fail to plan, are planning to fail. :D Once i feel i have mastered more aspects (combat, building etc) i will certainly delve into the multiplayer side of things. If you get destroyed in multiplayer what happens? Do i lose all my progress on that server and need to create a new pilot? Or do i just get a slap on the wrist and respawn back at homebase or something?

I can only thank you guys once again for taking the time to answer so many questions! You both deserve a medal for helping this rookie out. Well the rookies of this year are the commanders of next year! :D
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Re: Why can't i crash land into planets?

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If i do attack a ship of either side. If no one is around to see me do it, will i get away scot free? Or does the entire faction get notified about my actions (regardless of seeing my actions etc, perhaps the ship under attack has time to report my naughty escapades?
If no one is around, then you may get away with it. But if they are flying with allies nearby, those allies will likely change their threat level and attack you. The impact of such an attack can be that (if you destroy the ship) you will lower the territory control level for that region slightly.
So does that mean that one faction could possibly wipe out the opposing faction in it's entirety across the entire galaxy (after a lot of battles and conquests)
Yes, one side can eventually wipe out the opposing faction entirely, given enough battles that favor the winning side. The setting you choose for the game to simulate territory control changes (ie random battle outcomes) can impact this factor. If you want your actions to effect the territory control factor exclusively, you'll want to disable that setting in the profile you use to try and conquer the opposing faction entirely.
I also read somewhere that station or cities could be destroyed.. (do they dissapear forever or simply change over to the conquering side?)
Both can be destroyed and will remain destroyed until you rebuild them. Control varies depending on entity type. For stations, you must destroy the command module and opposing structures (weapon modules) to rebuild your own if you want to have a base in the same sector. But when it comes to cities, those link to a command module in the same sector for their control. So if a city is linked to an FDN command module and you destroy that module, then rebuild an ALC command module in its place, the city (or cities) will then link to the new command module's faction for control. This way, you can take over planetary cities without having to destroy them. If no ALC/FDN command module is present, then the city(ies) will be marked 'IND' and operate independently.
im guessing if im indy, that newly built station, would then belong to the faction that owns the sector?
No, the station will be marked 'IND' and operate as an independent station. You can build non-affiliated stations as well as opposing stations even in regions controlled by other factions. This way, you can set up a base of operations to begin combat objectives in enemy territory and/or set up a station that will allow any ship to dock and trade with.
If i just sit back and do my own thing, (trading with no regard of building or helping either faction) will the AI still be trying to conquer each other without my intervention? Could i eventually be a lone wolf in a universe totally controlled by one side?
Yes and potentially yes (if you enable the setting for the game to simulate battle results), but the latter would be very rare/unlikely as the game is designed to simulate a pretty even random battle result pattern.
If you get destroyed in multiplayer what happens? Do i lose all my progress on that server and need to create a new pilot? Or do i just get a slap on the wrist and respawn back at homebase or something?
You will be given the option to respawn at your last save point. You won't lose your progress on that server (unless you don't save to keep that progress) and you won't need to create a new pilot. This game does not enforce that kind of perma-death punishment. But you will need to save your progress at various times in order to keep what you earn in the game in either single player or multiplayer. And with its unified gameplay architecture, you also get to keep what you earn in either single player or multiplayer for use in any gameplay mode. Most elements of your progress are universal and kept with your profile. One exception being your single player faction affiliation is not effected/harmed by your actions while in multiplayer and vice versa. So you are free to take on different roles and actions while in multiplayer that you might not otherwise in single player because of conditions/reputation you want to keep.
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Re: Why can't i crash land into planets?

Post by Marvin »

Additionally. When engaged in battle, you can lose equipment (destroyed) and cargo. If you then get blown up, you might recover the stuff which had been destroyed. Or, as happened to me a couple days ago, you might be given the option to recover stuff ... at a price. Adding insult to injury. But, admittedly, fair.

Also, if you build a city in a sector where no space station exists ... and somebody from another faction comes along and builds the space station ... the city then belongs to the station's affiliation. Or, if the station already exists, any city you build will automatically belong to the station's faction.

P.S. You might want to peruse the tutorial on building stations and cities before committing your supply of metal to the endeavor. :P
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Re: Why can't i crash land into planets?

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Excellent information as always guys! Thanks alot! :D Yeah i certainly will need to checkout the other threads and tutorials before i attempt any station/city building. Also need to really learn all the intricacies of ship building too. Currently just got an explorer start with pretty much everything stripped off it to allow for 5 fuel blocks (2500 fuel) and 5 cargo bays. Bought a mine/tractor beam and now i'm set. (wonder if that is better than even choosing a trader start? As i now have a better ship with faster engine, more fuel, more cargo, and the mining capability) I love the seamless transition between single player and multiplayer that is a great feature and or being able to choose another role in multiplayer. (eg fighter vs my single player trader)

I did notice something strange... could be a small glitch.. When i was travelling back to a space station after my first haul of 5 x 25 diamonds... travelling at 7000 velocity, when i used the "back view camera" (which does not turn the ship around) and i was in inertia mode, i saw my speed suddenly dropped (or was registering a drop) to 6700... when i let go of the key and returned to my front view... it very quickly climbs back up to the 7000 i was travelling at, but wondered why the game registers a slow down by simply viewing the back view camera. (didn't seem to affect my actual speed and the "glitch" can be repeated over and over to see the speed dropping to around 6700 and then climbing back to 7000 in 3 seconds or so) Doesn't cause any problems.. just something i noticed.

Ahhh so would it then be a wiser choice to first build a space station in a sector before any cities (to avoid any poaching by the opposion then sneaking in a building a space station first? Provided my objective was to control the cities for my own faction or to keep them neutral)

Lastly this is not a feature of the game, just something i did and worked quite well for some fun for anyone who wants some "extra entertainment* in their ship during long voyages or mining times. I installed the K-Lite codec pack, which allows you to view videos on your laptop/pc and it gives you "media player classic" and if you play with its viewing options to "always be ontop" (this does not work with all games but does with legacy) The video will be displayed ontop of your legacy game and you can view videos inside your ship while you are still playing. If you change the video viewing preset to "minimal" it just shows the video with no border.. so if you resize the window to the right size.. you can make it seem as if the video is infact a part of your ships interior (i block the 3rd monitor out on the right, the one that shows other ships info) Works really well and i enjoyed a movie during my long voyage flying slowly with no jumps to a local asteroid field for some mining and then all the way back to the space station afterwards. :D Just a little bit of extra fun. (mind you i am playing on a big hd-tv, so the video is small and looks like it's one of my screens in my ship but looks great) Also play with your individual volume levels to adjust the videos volume versus the game's volume to get a nice balance. When you mining and the game is quite loud with the beam, you can simply click on the video you watching and the sound only plays the video's while the game is still viewable and running in the background. :D

Thanks as always guys and thank you Vice for writing such detailed explanations.
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Re: Why can't i crash land into planets?

Post by Vice »

The velocity factor may be your AVL indicator, which could be experiencing a slight offset as the framerate changes that is momentarily throwing it off (by about 5%) when you look behind and the framerate takes a sudden leap do the reduction in scene detail. The problem may be more pronounced if you're on a system with a fairly limited framerate capability (causing sharp changes or stuttering). Rest assured though, your velocity is still consistent, only the indicator may be getting thrown off a bit by the change in timing conditions that it uses to measure the estimated velocity. I tested this myself tonight and it settled to match the FVL properly very quickly, but that's with a pretty high minimum framerate. If that doesn't sound like what you're describing, I can look into it further. Normally, the AVL indicators aren't even visible in rear view, so perhaps you've turned on redundant digital displays via a HUD mod.

Depending on the threat level of the region you are in, you could either build cities first or a station. But if you're in a higher risk area and you are flying for one of the primary factions (ALC/FDN), then building a station first would likely be a good idea.
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Re: Why can't i crash land into planets?

Post by HaK »

Hi Vice, thanks for looking into it, as i said it's not a problem or causing any issues. It also only happens once my game has returned to its main view. (i explained a bit weird, i don't see any hud or indicators while holding down "end" the back camera view) I push the rear view camera and only once i let it go and it goes back to the front view inside my ship do i see the FVL registering a drop (the right side number not the left) which quickly rises back up. The game is not stuttering or running slow by any means, just seems like the back view camera is somehow registering a slow down due to me looking behind. I can do it in open space with the game running fast and nothing visible nearby causing any drops in framerate, i noticed it happens at any speed level. Once again not a problem at all, just seemed a bit strange. It definitely is not affecting my game or my actual ship speed. (but perhaps it is as you say a slight offset as when i push the back view camera i no longer see my 3d cockpit in that instance, and once i let go i do see the 3d cockpit again and perhaps that sudden reappearance of my ship's interior is causing the number to drop slightly and rise very quickly back to it's matching number on the left.) I am not running any mods or anything like that. I will test it abit more and perhaps even lower all my graphics etc to see if i can still reproduce the effect on even the lowest settings, as i am currently running at max settings. I will let you know what i find in a short while.

Ahh i see. Thank you for the info. :D
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Re: Why can't i crash land into planets?

Post by HaK »

Ok i just tested it again with graphics all on its lowest and the game has a much higher framerate. But the "drop" still registers, even with it running lightning fast and i even disabled the 3d cockpit and the affect still happens. I go into inertial mode and i use my thruster to increase speed. Both of the FVL numbers are stable and holding consistent but when i push the back view button and then let go, i see the number has dropped and very rapidly climbs back up. So it seems the "rear camera view" does somehow affect that number oddly enough (with no actual consequence or problem to the game)
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Re: Why can't i crash land into planets?

Post by HaK »

Just tested a little more. Still lowest graphics and running lighting fast and 3d cockpit off, just the hud showing. The effect happens with all kinds of views... pushing left (insert) or right (page down) or back (end) all create the effect. I also tried the 3d view (F10) and it happens in realtime as you look around. The game is running very fast with no slowdowns, but if you look around you see that rightmost FVL number fluctuating and very very quickly re-correcting itself.
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Re: Why can't i crash land into planets?

Post by Vice »

So it's the FVL number and AVL number? Interesting. If they do bounce, they should correct quickly once the HUD becomes active again. Not yet sure what might cause the FVL to change value momentarily. I'll try testing it some more later today.

Edit: Tested and can't seem to duplicate that behavior. If the rear view key were double bound to a thruster control or something, that might produce such an effect. But otherwise, the FVL should remain set where it is until altered by a flight control. Which is what it does for me. So there may be other factors involved that I'd need to learn about with your control bindings/configuration to try and duplicate it.
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Re: Why can't i crash land into planets?

Post by HaK »

Yes that is correct, the FVL and AVL numbers. The leftmost FVL number stays fixed and does not change. Due to me being in ineria mode and flying perfectly straight. Obviously if i move my mouse and the ship actually moves and turns etc then both numbers will change momentarily until i straighten out again. All of this while being in inertia mode. So that was my exact thought... i thought that somehow while using any of the view keys that somehow a reverse thruster was firing or something for a split second. I have not changed any of my key bindings, the game is installed stock standard without any changes from my side. (except any graphic option changes) So i will check if somehow my settings do have a conflict, but i kind of doubt that. I am also using my keyboard and my mouse to fly. (the option where i move my mouse and and the ship flies in the direction i aim for) I also can come to a complete halt. With zero speed and save my game. So i don't seem to have some kind of axis or deadzone issues. Perhaps my laptop is too blame? I really don't see any slowdowns with my lowest graphic settings. (sure it doesn't run quite as perfectly smooth but i can replicate the effect in both modes. (My cpu is not taking any strain, no external programs are running, (including my little in ship video thing from above) So everything seems to be running fine and looks great. Just those two numbers "rightmost FVL" and "AVL" number.

I must say that the leftmost FLV number is always constant as it should be, even when looking around and using the camera keys. So nothing is going wrong there, only the number next to it and the AVL as you pointed out does it too. So perhaps it could still be a small framerate issue due to my laptop using an Intel HD 4000 series card with amd chip. i7 with 8 gigs of ram. Windows 8.1. (the game runs great truly and i have zero issues, just that strange anomoly of a number that should not change from me simply looking around.

Ok i double checked and made sure all my key binding were set back to default. (never changed them before) and the result is still the same. Don't see any thrusters conflicing or firing at the moments of looking around. The left FVL never changes, only the right side FVL and AVL. So just a weird thing i suppose. (truly has no adverse affect on the game at all, thought it could be a small bug or conflict, but seeing as other people are not reporting it, it's probably an isolated event with my system or something. (Game runs great honestly)

Here are all my conditions. I am ALLIANCE, using a "explorer" start, all i did was remove everything from my ship (in the frame config) to allow me to then have 5 cargo bags, and 5 fuel blocks. (2500 fuel) I kept my equipment bays (3 of them) and then bought a mine/tractor beam. and the second you leave the space station, you can instantly gain some momentum then switch to inertia mode, make sure you in a straight line with no lateral movement, the bottom numbers are both 0, showing im going perfectly straight. Wait for the numbers to be totally stable and matching. Then just look around either with the keys, or using F10 function and you can watch those numbers dance around very slightly and very quickly re-correcting themselves. (Not the leftside FVL number, only rightside FVL and the AVL number) seems to dip by 100-300 or so randomly while doing the viewing thing. (game does not stutter or hang while this is happening so all seems fine in reality)
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