[EL SE] Is a fly by maneuver possible?

[Mentix]

Hello Mr. Vice,
hi @all,

Sorry for the new topic, but in the search i don't found any results for "fly by".

Gravity, in terms of flight behavior, is simulated to a certain extent in the game. And it does so quite well.

If I fly close enough to a heavy object, let's say a sun, then gravity takes hold of me and I fall towards the center of the object. so far well simulated.

If I also drop towards the object in inertial mode, I am even accelerated. also well simulated.

But now i want to do a fly by maneuver. I want to approach the object (sun) with a certain basic speed and then use its additional acceleration to gain enough speed to reach escape velocity and finally leave the orbit with a higher speed. (Of course everything in inertial mode.)

So, theoretically this should be possible in the game and with this physics (or not?), but every attempt i have made has always ended up as a pile of ash on the surface of the sun.

I think it's possible that my propulsion isn't good enough to maintain a certain initial speed. That could be the problem, but I still want to ask whether I should keep trying or whether the in-game physics don't allow it?

But it should actually be possible... because it simulates attraction + acceleration. What am I doing wrong. Of course, it could also be that the approach angle is too steep. Yes... could be. but hmm

#fly by ... for the search engine

Greetings from Germany
Mentix

[Vice]

I would say that kind of gravity assisted speed offset would be somewhat impractical/difficult considering the various conditions in the physics system, scaling/positioning, and velocity/thrust limitations with the manual control required (trying to achieve the required angles at the right velocities). You could perform an inertial (IDS off) arc with perhaps selective intermittent course adjustments and engine firing on the backside of the maneuver to achieve something like what you describe (at least for partial gravity assist), but it probably wouldn't be very practical or useful/effective overall outside of just the challenge of attempting it.

For gravity assist maneuvers to work (in the 'real world' via unpowered drifting), you need to precisely fly a path around a moving object in space. A stationary object would just result in a 1:1 speed transfer. If you fly in the direction of movement, you could actually lose a lot of speed and slow down. Since the conditions in the game for most objects are not conducive to flying around moving gravitational objects (and some parameters are limited in certain ways), it's not really an available option in the game unless you artificially assist the maneuver as described.

If you're trying to get somewhere fast below the speed of light, I would recommend a cruise drive once you are able to acquire one. It exceeds lower end limitations with manual control capabilities and can reach speeds up to 78K.

[Mentix]

Of course, you're right. The maneuver wouldn't have any meaningful use for the gameplay, but I just wanted to do it for the fun of it.

But it will be as you say. I'll never be able to develop enough speed with just the thrusters or boosters to be able to perform the maneuver with conventional propulsion.

But let me ask you another question. The speed in the game is given as K. How should I understand K? How fast is 1K? Can it be converted into m/s or km/h? How fast do I move in game when I fly 1000k?

[Vice]

Default indicated speed is in decimeters per second for precision, or dm/s (you can also change the factor to be meters per second or some other value, through customization). So 1K indicated is 1000 dm/s or 100 m/s. Here are the various measurements displayed in the game (copied from: viewtopic.php?p=192578#p192578 ):

Velocity = Decimeters (meters X 10) for higher precision, so 1000 indicated is 100 meters per second
In-Sector Coordinates = Decameters (meters / 10) so 100 coordinate units (CU) equals 1000 meters
Navigation Marker Range = Meters (so 1000 meters indicated range = 100 decameters coordinate distance)
Target MFD and Indicator Ranges = Meters
Radar/Sensor Ranges = Meters

[Mentix]

Ah, I knew you had made a detailed faq about it. Many thanks for the link and the explanation.

I will now continue to upgrade my ship and explore the universe. There is still so much to discover and find out.

I'm still mining asteroids to make money for further upgrades. My next goal is to get to grips with the deploy constructor to optimize the mining process. The cruise drive is of course also on my agenda. I'm looking forward to having it. Then there's the walker, the vehicle (I didn't even know that was available now), station building, lots of quests etc. I haven't finished the Evochron lore yet either.

[TraderDan]

Wait till you spot a black hole :-)

[Marvin]

Wait till you spot a black hole :-)

There is a way to actually transit a black hole and survive. But the smart thing to do is to save your profile just before making the attempt.

[TraderDan]

I have yet to survive the endeavor and boy have I tried

[Mentix]

Hey guys,

very cool about the black holes. I haven't actually found one yet. -I've seen it in the gameplay trailer, but not self viewed.- But wtf who would come up with the crazy idea of trying to cross a black hole?

Along the lines of... "hey, there's a singularity that dissolves everything into nothing, let's fly through it".

[Marvin]

There used to be a quest scenario which, at one point, sent you through a black hole. But I'm not sure it's still viable.

[TraderDan]

Spock asks Kirk why he chose to climb the mountain when he had access to gravity boots

"Because it's there" he responded

[TraderDan]

Went to a black hole location in Evochron mobile sadly only the wormhole was there, I'm guessing it was omitted due to hardware limitations