Atmospheric flight visual effects

I’d love to see atmospheric entry effects added to SE2, like a glowing effect around the ship’s leading surfaces and trails flowing around the hull during fast planetary entry. The intensity could vary with speed and atmospheric density, making entry look spectacular while giving players a clear visual cue as they enter a planet’s upper atmosphere. The colour could also vary depending on the gases present, giving different planets a distinctive entry glow.

When atmospheric conditions are suitable, contrails could appear during flight, with brief wingtip vapour trails forming during high-speed manoeuvres or hard banking. These would help convey speed and make manoeuvres more visually fun.

This would complement the aerodynamic flight proposed in Atmospheric flight needs to evolve beyond “flying bricks” and Aerodynamic physics on planets, alongside the audio improvements suggested in Doppler Effect and Sonic Booms. These visuals could help bring those ideas together into a more immersive planetary flight experience.

This could be a purely visual feature, without heat damage. If heating were introduced, however, managing entry speed could become an interesting mechanic. Heat build-up could depend on speed and atmospheric density, with both the visual effect and HUD readings helping players judge safe speed. This could also build on the Mouse wheel to set desired thrust and top speed suggestion.

Cheers!