Howdy, Stranger!
It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
Quick Links
Star Citizen: Flight Model & Input Controls Explained
SBFord
Former Associate EditorMember LegendaryPosts: 33,129
Star Citizen: Arena Commander has been out for a couple of weeks and the development team has been avidly keeping track of user comments and criticisms. Two of the most common issues tracked by the team are the flight model and the input controls. In a special "From the Chairman" blog, Chris Roberts takes time to discuss the design decisions made by the team, including how they affect Arena Commander and the larger game at release.
Most space games (including my past ones) greatly simplify the simulation, usually as an atmospheric flight model without gravity and air resistance – ships have predefined pitch, roll and yaw rates, linear acceleration (that is applied to a simplified point mass) and a capped top speed. When you want to turn, the joystick or mouse input is mapped directly to the specified turn rate irrelevant of the ship’s moment of inertia. Damage is usually handled as a multiplier on the turn rates and linear acceleration.
Star Citizen doesn’t do that. We model what would be needed on an actual spaceship, including correct application of thrust at the places where the thrusters are attached to the hull of the ship – in our model moment of inertia, mass changes and counter thrust are VERY necessary. Star Citizen’s physical simulation of spaceflight is based on what would actually happen in space.
Roberts further elaborates that this is far from a perfect system given its complexity. However, knowing this was one of the primary driving forces behind getting Arena Commander into the hands of backers and to gather intel on what players think.
The second major topic Roberts explains is Control Devices. The debate has been strong with sides coming down along the lines of mouse / keyboard controls vs joystick controls. Roberts explains that neither system should be construed as having an advantage over the other and that the team is working to address concerns from the community.
Further topics of discussion include:
Yaw vs Roll
Turreting
Gimbaled Weapons vs Fixed
The post is a long and detailed one but of keen interest to current testers and future players. You can read the full article on the Star Citizen site.
Comments
"If you're going to act like a noob, I'll treat you like one." -Caskio
Adventurers wear fancy pants!!!
Not really, we are still early in development, and that module is exactly there to test that kind of stuff.
it seems Chris learns the hard way that simulation fans dont actually want true to life simulation when it makes it difficult.
I personally love the flight system, have to reteach myself how to fly properly, though i do not like that uncouple feature, it should always have drift and lots of it its freakin space.
want 7 free days of playing? Try this
http://www.swtor.com/r/ZptVnY
That's not fair. You can do computer modeling pretty well on how most thing will act/react in space.
Now once you get into the magic of anti gravity or warp.. then just guessing mostly.
We can send a bogey to land on mars, don't you think we know how spacecraft move in space ?
Primary school physics....
The ridiculous part is how CR was boasting about "realistic" flight model and then this....lol
I have no issues with the flight model myself.. hell tis still a very early alpha build my only issue with it at the moment is that there is no feeling to the game.. but that will come in time..
Saying that seeing the latest gameplay videos from Elite Dangerious I think the devs for SC need to pick things up a bit as Elite is looking like it already plays really well.
What do you mean? They set the direction they want to go with the flight model a long time ago.
Time's the thief of memory.
with HOTAS this is going to be a dream, no other game has in depths space physics like Starcitizen
mouse mode sucks but who the hell plays space sims with mouse
what I really want to know is which actors they will bring back from Wing Commander