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Realistic Orbital Physics in SE2 or side-quel; if possible, in SE

Jalaris shared this feedback ago

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Keen Software House recently just put out a survey for what they should develop next. I propose that they work on a Space Engineers 2 or side-quel that has Space Engineers gameplay but with realistic orbital physics akin to Kerbal Space Program!

There is next to no competition for KSP on the market, and I know I would personally pay $60 for a game that combines KSP physics with SE gameplay. I know Keen is an experienced studio and I think they can handle the challenge!

I would suggest that they add it to the current Space Engineers game, but I do think that that is probably out of scope for the existing game.

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Replies (4)

Randy Thompson ●

I recently read that you can manually change the game's gravity curve from r⁻⁷ to r⁻², which would theoretically allow for stable orbits around planets and moons (maybe in conjunction with a speed mod if you want to orbit closer to the planet/moon). Of course, this assumes that the game's physics simplifications won't result with you gaining/losing energy over time and destabilizing the orbit. You might be interested in trying it out.

Either way I'd love to have orbits incorporated into SE. I'm not a rocket scientist, but from what I know, it seems like orbits are fundamental to all things engineered in space.

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Maximilian Müller ●

I tried changing the value from 7 to 2. It doesn't apply and always resets when saving. If anyone has had more success, please let me know!

I seriously cannot fathom why the hell a physics game based around space could get this wrong in the first place...

Also, I would NOT pay 60$ for them to change one freaking value that should have been different in the first place. It's not like you would need to put a huge amount of effort into making orbits work. I could probably botch a small 3D orbit simulator in C++ in the course of a week if I really tried. (This is coming from someone with very little experience in programming, but a very good understanding of orbital mechanics)

This is a SPACE GAME, how is this too much to ask??

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domingo ●

Well, if 7 bothers you - then don't forget also 100m/s max speed, planetoids with way too high gravity instead of planets and lack of liquids ... ;-)

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Maximilian Müller ●

1. speed mods, duh.

2. planets cannot be life-size. That would be mad and massive-ly unfun to navigate. It also is absolutely not the problem

3. this is SPACE Engineers, not Subnautica. I think I can expect gravity to work properly before any fluid dynamics would be implemented.

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domingo ●

I suppose that GravityFalloff=7 is consequence of too low max speed and too small planets.

WIth 2 the gravity would fall off after ~250km, not ~42km.

They had to chose something ...

I personally consider max speed and lack of liquids more disturbing than gravity fall-off 7.

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Randy Thompson ●

You can meet the boundary conditions with either an r⁻⁷ curve or an r⁻² curve (you just have to shift and scale it, see my reddit post here).

I heard that the r⁻⁷ fall off is just an intentional way of preventing loose grid debris from orbiting and slowing down a game forever -- although it's not even possible to hit orbital speed in the best conditions possible; at 0.05 g, 103km radius, regardless of the gravity fall-off, you still need to be traveling ~225 m/s).

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Codster121 ●

I think this is a great idea, but i dont see Keen implementing it into Space Engineers currently because they tried to make the planets move, and it didn't work.

Space Engineers doesn't feel like it is the "interplanetary" game it could be, and feels very limited in terms of exploration because you find asteroids, and more asteroids, or maybe a moon, and a planet...

Perhaps Keen could (and should) make an "Inter-Planetary Engineers" as a planet based space game about Space and Interplanetary Exploration, Engineering and Survival. with procedural full-scale planets and star systems, and working orbital mechanics and rotation for celestial bodies, and ships/stations, in a massive galaxy with billions of procedural star systems, nebulae and other cosmic things.

Also if they build this game, the armor blocks should be as simple and clean as possible, without edges (those edges alone turn what could be a 18 poly cube into a 270+ poly monster)

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Sergey ●

+1 for some simulation of orbital physics. Also planets rotation will be nice.

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Krienas ●

+1 in SE2 (after current game version is released)

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