Issues with pull/push effects and target rotation

[Daykin]

Hello,

While playing asteroid herder with pull and push effect modules, I noticed that asteroids will rotate too, along with gaining velocity. Curious if I could apply this in a useful to my own ships, I tried using tugboat turrets to rotate the mother ship. Along an axis, push on one end, pull on the other. For some reason though the direction the mother ship decides to spin is fairly random. Any reason for this? I can't find any information on how these effect modules decide rotation on the effected target.

The test mother ship is a symmetric "+" shape, so pushing on tip while pulling on the opposite one should cause a predictable rotation.

 

[alterintel]

Hello,

While playing asteroid herder with pull and push effect modules, I noticed that asteroids will rotate too, along with gaining velocity. Curious if I could apply this in a useful to my own ships, I tried using tugboat turrets to rotate the mother ship. Along an axis, push on one end, pull on the other. For some reason though the direction the mother ship decides to spin is fairly random. Any reason for this? I can't find any information on how these effect modules decide rotation on the effected target.

The test mother ship is a symmetric "+" shape, so pushing on tip while pulling on the opposite one should cause a predictable rotation.

I think it has to do with the angle that the beam strikes the block that it's hitting, instead of being effected by the center of mass of the entity being hit. So if you hit the block at exactly 90 degrees it shouldn't rotate. I'm still experimenting as well.

 

[alterintel]

Ok, so I just tested with pull effect, and it doesn't seem to be affected by the angle of the hit. So I don't know... I'm guessing the pull has an all together different mechanic than push does.

 

[Daykin]

I've tested by being docked to the test mother ship and firing into it with the pull and push beams, which should be 90 degrees to the block surface exactly. In this scenario the rotation is most consistent, with a rotation from "+" -> "x" -> "+", however the speed is completely random, and sometimes the rotation is even opposite what it would be expected to. I do think that somehow angle may affect the situation though.

Ok, so I just tested with pull effect, and it doesn't seem to be affected by the angle of the hit. So I don't know... I'm guessing the pull has an all together different mechanic than push does.

Wouldn't they have the same mechanics but reverse values? I did not think to test if they behaved differently. (Apart from pushing vs pulling.)

Update: I've tried using two push effects in unison to create rotation, it has similar results of random ship twisting. I've also tried a push and pull weapon effect on the same end of one of the arms of the test structure, also with no luck.

 

[alterintel]

I am able to use pull effect with predictable results. My test weapon is 100Beam\100Cannon\100Pull, this gives me 100% pull with no reload it's basically as close to a tractor beam as I can get. When my tractor beam is docked to the mother ship and fires at the mother ship it predictably pulls the mother ship towards the beam. (beam is fired via a clock pulse) This imparts a predictable motion to the mother ship. Albeit allot less efficient than thrusters. I was hoping that I would be able to use it to get faster turning speeds, but I can't get the tractor beam to impart any kind of spin.

still experimenting.... I'm building the Firefly class transport Serenity, and I'm using the pull effect for her engines.

 

[Daykin]

Here is a visual description of what I mean.
The ship has some extra junk on it from testing, but the idea is there.