Change to Linear Dampening

    How should the dampening be done?

    • Keep it as it is now.

      Votes: 0 0.0%
    • Inertial Dampening influenced by the Directional Thrust system

      Votes: 2 50.0%
    • Inertial Dampening based soley on a % of Thrust Capacity

      Votes: 2 50.0%

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    This suggestion relies on Calibre's plans for thrust mechanics; if you are unfamiliar with his plan go read this post. http://starmadedock.net/threads/thrust-mechanics-explained.2696/

    I think that the Linear Dampening should be nerfed by a lot. To replace it; there should be an option when setting up your thrust system that allows you to allocate a certain % of your thrust to inertial dampening. Inertial dampening would only activate when your velocity is > 0 and you are not applying directional thrust. So when ever you take your hands off you will automatically start to slow down. The system itself could be toggled from the hotbar or a hotkey.

    The thrust % assigned to dampening would be independent from the other thrust % of your ship (since it only represents how much force will be allocated in order to slow you down) and would limit the force of your dampeners rather than the max speed. The ships mass would, of course, also be taken into account.

    As example here's a ship layout:

    Engine Allocations:

    Forwards 60%
    Back 30%
    Left 2%
    Right 2%
    Up 4%
    Down 2%
    Dampening 80%

    This is obviously built like a fighter.

    So when this ship accelerates it does so with 60% of your thrust capacity and you are limited to 60% of the server speed (which I assume will get bumped up a bit when the thrust system comes out).

    (At this point the ship is assumed to be going strait forwards at 60% of the server speed)

    When you stop using the engines the ship will use (80% x 30%) = 24% of the thrust capacity to slow you down.

    Though much less realistic, you could ignore the directional thrust altogether making the dampening effect a flat rate no matter what direction the force is being exerted in to slow you down.

    In that case, when you stop using the engines the ship will use 80% of the thrust capacity to slow you down.


    I feel like the constant dampening we have now will still need to be there though, just at a extremely reduced value. Else the server will have to keep up with abandoned ships flying out to the edge of the universe.

    This system would add a few cool things to the game.
    1. You can hover in a planet's gravity as long as your thrust capacity is greater than the force gravity.
    2. Asteroids, ships with no power, and debris will all act more realistically.
    3. You could turn off dampening and just cruise forever; poor man's autopilot.
    4. Adjustable dampening would let small ships have more manoeuvrability for docking and mining while large ships could keep it low in order to save on power.

    Things I worry about.
    1. Too many extra calculations to be worth it.
    2. Asteroids wandering towards someone's home base
    3. That I might not understand the Thrust Mechanics
    4. My ability to physics
    5. Whether its spelled dampening or damping
     
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    OR use the thrusters' direction to decide the maximum thrust in that dirrection (including rotations)...
     

    Valiant70

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    Good. We've been needing to get rid of "space friction" for a while and I think this is a good way to do it. Let people set their ships up to slow down as they please and let me drift without holding down a key if I want to.
     
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    I think this is a good idea however.... I think we sort of have this system in place already.

    When I looked into the Server.cfg file last - there is a setting for the amount of friction space applies to a vessel.... This I read as meaning if the value was zero I would accelerate and decelerate with no external counter forces being applied to slow me down.

    I'll give this a try tonight and see what the result is.
     

    Valiant70

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    I think this is a good idea however.... I think we sort of have this system in place already.

    When I looked into the Server.cfg file last - there is a setting for the amount of friction space applies to a vessel.... This I read as meaning if the value was zero I would accelerate and decelerate with no external counter forces being applied to slow me down.

    I'll give this a try tonight and see what the result is.
    That's an old feature that's been around forever. It is what the OP suggested changing because "space friction" is the stupidest sci-fi garbage ever and it would be nice for each ship to have its own (thruster based) setting.
     
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    Mariux

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    Very nice. I like how you can remove linear dampening completely.