Hard Light Productions Forums
General FreeSpace => FreeSpace Discussion => Topic started by: Hippo on March 29, 2003, 07:17:23 am
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Is it possible that all the FS2 plaetary systems had their own atmospheric fighters? A standard HercII only goes 55m/s IIRC, but modern fighters of today can easily attain speeds multiple timed the speed of sound... Any ideas? could make an interesting plot twist...
--Hippo
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erm i still dont think that FS2 units are in meters :/
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They are. Compare the lengths of ships given in-game to their sizes in ModelView :nod:
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yea, they are. It's rather sad. :blah:
As for atmospheric stuff, probably. Look for some of the camps with planets to show that off.
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Originally posted by Knight Templar
It's rather sad.
:wtf:
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I think it's safe to assume that the ships are so slow because if they were much faster, the capships wouldn't seem very impressive if you could just zip from one end of a Sathanas to the other in a matter of seconds ;) So I guess that's one of the cases where realism had to go in favor of gameplay. Not that realism is too much of a concern in a spacesim at any rate :p
Anyway, we can just decide to imagine that the speed we see is the relative speed at which the ships are capable of meaningful manouvering, so they'd really be able to go much faster but at greater speeds it would take forever to change their heading. Thus, they can well be going at 200 m/s, but if the capship they're attacking is going at 150 m/s in the same direction their relative velocity is only 50 m/s. And if they were closing from the opposite direction they wouldn't be able to brake in time to attack so they got a computer controlled speed cap that keeps your relative velocity at a level where you can actually manouver. Not sure if that makes any sense, but hey, there's gotta be some reason why their max speed is so low, and that's my idea for why :)
[Edit] As for planetary flight, I think you're right that the planets would have their own atmospheric fighters. Regardless of speed, most of the spacecraft in FS2 are anything but aerodynamic. And while aerodynamic lift might not be needed for them, the drag from their shapes would make them handle like bricks, and the friction due to that drag would make them burning hot. The Ulysses might do ok since it's got a fairly slim and low-drag profile, and some like the Myrmidon or Herc II might get by since they either aren't too bulky are shaped somewhat aerodynamically. But most I just don't see even trying to enter an atmosphere. Especially the Ursa :lol:
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Originally posted by diamondgeezer
:wtf:
... how slow the ships go...
:doubt:
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Quite. But at least FS doesn't have that disease where the instruments say one thing, and when you actuall look at a ship, it's a different speed entirely.
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you know what would be cool? Actually being able to see a cockpit.. like in XWA.
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Or starlencer, in which you see the controls moving, and the cickpit actually shakes.
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Originally posted by Knight Templar
you know what would be cool? Actually being able to see a cockpit.. like in XWA.
No, it would not be cool. It would suck. The first thing you would do is turn the damn thing off if you did have it. Cockpits suck, they have always sucked, and they will contiune to suck until Hell freezes over, and even then it will still suck.
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Originally posted by Exarch
Big long rant, edited for great justice
Dude, you sound like you'd rather be playing Wing Commander. FS is fun. Leave it at that.
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I think cockpits look nice but they are not good for gameplay since they just obscure the view.
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Most of XWA's hardly obscured anything (the X-wing, A-Wing)
meh :blah:
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Originally posted by CP5670
I think cockpits look nice but they are not good for gameplay since they just obscure the view.
Like a real cockpit?
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Originally posted by Falcon X
Like a real cockpit?
Yes but with a real cockpit you just turn your head and you can look around. Since you can`t do that in FS2 I say just leave them out (or make them so you can turn them off)
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Dude, you sound like you'd rather be playing Wing Commander. FS is fun. Leave it at that.
Err, what has Wing Commander to do with anything in my post? It wasn't even a rant, at least not by any definition I know of. I never even got into the whole cockpit debate that the thread derailed into later on, just replied to the first post, ie. on topic unlike most others :p It was just ideas for why the speeds in FS are so comparatively low, and why I agreed that each planet probably has it's own specialized fighters. Please, do tell me where it sounds like I think FS is no fun, or where I say something that makes you think I should be playing Wing Commander instead.