More Thrusters and After Burners

[jzimmerman4]

Part 1: Many players find it annoying how large ships can accelerate very quickly and reach the server max speed just like smaller crafts. I have a few ideas that involve adding a new type of thruster. This new block will be called an after burner.

Idea #1:

Thrusters affect the max top speed and after burners affect acceleration. The efficiency of both blocks degrade as more are added.

Idea #2:

Thrusters stay the same as they currently are. After burners then serve as a speed boost to quickly accelerate to a higher speed. After burners efficiency degrades as more are added.

(These are just two quick ideas so post your's below and/or your opinions on these.)



Part 2: More Thruster types: (idea by Lord Daro)

- Atmospheric engines: They would only work on planets but use much less energy. That way you would have more energy left for other systems.

- levitating engines: They would let the unit float at a stable high.

 

[22SAS_Wimp]

Just a quick FYI to all for comparison purposes -

Starmade Dev Calbiri is working on a thruster update in his own time (which may or may not be implemented) where players will be able to allocate a percentage of the total thrust produced by all their thruster blocks in all 6 directions. This would mean you can allocate, for example: 40% thrust to forward acceleration; 20% to aft/breaking; and 10% each to port, starboard, up and down strafing. Or, you could throw 90% forward but only have 2% in all other directions.
Calbiri mentioned that he thinks as the player\'s ship nears the maximum speed, it should be harder and harder to reach it. He also mentioned that \"the same percentage points that you\'re assigning your thrust with will also assign a percentage of the maximum server speed\", although he didn\'t go into any further detail because he became distracted and his next sentence didn\'t seem to follow on very well.
He also said that turn rates might be affected either seperately in the same style or as part of the same percentages, which would allow players with big ships to increase the turn rate in specific directions but at the cost of lowering it\'s top speed &/or acceleration in all 6 directions.
In reference to afterburners, Calbiri says \"by tweeking the thrust setting so that you\'re at a percentage (?) it is possible to add an afterburner effect with a high cost that would push you up to 100% thrust in a particular direction. We would make that a percentage of a percentage...\" so if you only have 1% thrust allocated to port and then activate afterburners in that direction you wouldn\'t just shoot up to 100% thrust to the left, you would achieve 100% of the 1% assigned to port (or something).

Again, this might not even make it into the game, so I think your (jzimmerman) second idea would be the best,

 

[NeonSturm]

Calbiri mentioned that he thinks as the player\'s ship nears the maximum speed, it should be harder and harder to reach it.


I support especially this. Even if it is only time-dependent and dampening is the same for every velocity then.



The Eurofighter and likely some other Real-World latest military aircraft can direct their thrust in other directions (somewhere +- 0 to 90° from the main angle).

I would support adding 40..70% thrust to strafe in 90° rotated directions, but it should cost same power (less efficient).

 

[jzimmerman4]

Added more content to the OP.