Thruster modes

Deon Beauchamp shared this feedback ago

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Thrusters should have 4 modes, cruise, full, red line and docking. Each would have a max speed and each would have differences in power/fuel consumption. Red line would have the additional cost in the form of damage over time, but would shut down before loosing functionality.

Red line speed would allow 300m/s

Full speed would be determined by grid mass, number and power of thrusters and the delivery rate of fuel or power

Cruise speed would be 2/3 of full speed max, but half of the acceleration

Docking would only go up to 20m/s.

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Replies (2)

Deon Beauchamp ●

I would prefer fully controllable acceleration, but this will do. The difference between red line and full will determine how pursuit situations play out.

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Steve ●

Not a fan of the red line speed - 300m/s should be possible to go up to without doing damage. If something is going to cause damage to the thrusters then it should allow you to go above the current max - like up to 350m/s in order to escape something.

Overall the game should allow you to go fast (300m/s still seems a little slow to me) at part of normal game play. Then in emergencies I would love to see some kind of trade off where you can go beyond the 300m/s but incur damage. That way players would only use the overclocked speed in emergencies.

I like the idea of being able to set your own cruise speed. So for example you can design a highly maneuverable ship which you can then designate the cruise speed as 250m/s and then for a ship that is less maneuverable, you might decide to set the cruise speed as only 150m/s. Ultimately, the only meaningful reason to have a cruise speed (rather than a max speed) it to allow for the ship to slow down faster when turning and doing maneuveres. So if you have a highly maneuverable ship then a low cruise speed is simply an inconvenience.

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Deon Beauchamp ●

Many players complain that max speed prevents one type of vessel from catching up to another during a pursuit. Acceleration rates would allow pursuits, but max speed prevents this from being viable.

Rather than restrict global max speed for vessel types I suggested 'Red Line' as a play off as to where a vessels mass/thrust power ratio could be used to formulate a stress thresh hold level after which came a cost/penalty. This cost would time limit the duration of max speed for any given vessel.

The time duration at max speed for a vessel would be dependent up on its mass and available thrust, enabling a pursuit situation to have some worth. During pursuit this would allow a vessel to eject cargo or shed other mass to increase the time at max speed. If a vessel of a given mass has enough thrust then 'Red line' would be beyond max speed and then unnecessary.

All of this is a design choice and would effect how the rest of the vessels mass is distributed e.g. max cargo, weaponry, armour and so on vs thrust and fuel.

Damage was a simple offering, though I am open to alternatives. I did consider a heat factor which could shut engines down. This would depend on a heat mechanic which others have suggested in other posts for other ship/base functions.

If there is a better method please share.

I think 'Red Line' should require continuous fuel regardless of damping.

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