[Tahna Los]

I don't know if this is already done or not, but in anticipation of the Wing Commander campaigns, I was wondering if the SCP is going to include sliding as an option.

For those who don't know, "sliding" involves giving your afterburners full throttle at an angle away from your target.  Then at the peak of the afterburner burst, turn your ship hard towards the enemy and start blasting.  At this point you're sliding as the same direction of the afterburner burst, but your ship is "pointing" at the enemy, allowing you to take potshots as your ship goes by.

I used sliding in order to not be involved in head to head fights with heavily armed ships like the Jalthi, Gratha, and Hriss, or even the Raptor and Rapier.  It would be nice to be able to do this again, or even better, to do this on the main FS2 campaign.....  Puts a whole different dimension to the game.

Please let me know what you think.

[DaBrain]

This is already possible. Beyond the Red Line uses this feature.

You won't see it in FS2 though, unless you enable it yourself. It kinda breaks the gameplay.

[Turey]

I don't know if this is already done or not, but in anticipation of the Wing Commander campaigns, I was wondering if the SCP is going to include sliding as an option.

For those who don't know, "sliding" involves giving your afterburners full throttle at an angle away from your target.  Then at the peak of the afterburner burst, turn your ship hard towards the enemy and start blasting.  At this point you're sliding as the same direction of the afterburner burst, but your ship is "pointing" at the enemy, allowing you to take potshots as your ship goes by.

I used sliding in order to not be involved in head to head fights with heavily armed ships like the Jalthi, Gratha, and Hriss, or even the Raptor and Rapier.  It would be nice to be able to do this again, or even better, to do this on the main FS2 campaign.....  Puts a whole different dimension to the game.

Please let me know what you think.

I believe it's called "gliding" in FS2 and it's enabled through ships.tbl.

Gliding is changing your heading without changing your movement vector
Sliding is changing your movement vector without changing your heading.

[karajorma]

Both are possible in FS2 incidentally. We've had the later since retail (Check the Mara's more closely for an example).

[Tahna Los]

What you call Gliding I call sliding.  This was on a WC strategy guide I received at one point.

What you call gliding, well, I have no clue what that is.

But still, how do you turn this sliding/gliding/whatever feature on?

[Herra Tohtori]

By editing table values for every ship that you want to be able to used that way. Like, for example, in here:

Code: [Select]

$Max Velocity:            90.0, 90.0, 90.0
$Rotation time:           3.8, 3.8, 3.1
$Rear Velocity:           90.0
$Forward accel:           3.0
$Forward decel:           3.0
$Slide accel:             1.2
$Slide decel:             1.2
$Glide:   YES

These values are the ones I edited into Aurora StarFury table entry, form TBP.

If you know what you're doing, flying in glide mode (essentially newtonean flight mode) actually gives some notable benefits. Perhaps the most important one being the ability to cross great distances in small time, when you can apply acceleration to half way, then apply deceleration for the rest of the way and voilá, you have used the least amount of time possible for any distance. Just be sure to start decelerating early enough. Better too early than too late.

It also makes possible to perform some pretty interesting maneuvres, again if you can take it. Full control of the ship is nice thing to have in some occasions.

By the way, sliding and gliding are the same thing. In both cases you end up with an angle between your heading and your velocity vector (in relation to some static objects in battlefield, of course).

[Turey]

By the way, sliding and gliding are the same thing.

nope.

Gliding:



Sliding:

[PotzUK]

Think of 'sliding' like straffing and 'gliding' like the "real" effect you would get in space...

Thought I've always known it as strafing and sliding respectively - heh

[Colonol Dekker]

You mean I war style (holding A or D) or Jinking as in helicopter style
Cool that would be useful for bombers, If only the MEdusas from the FS2 intro had Sliding

[Herra Tohtori]

By the way, sliding and gliding are the same thing.

nope.

Gliding:



Sliding:

And as I said, in both you are (at least on one phase) traveling into different direction than your craft's nose points to.

Your thinking is too much bound to background co-ordinates. If you don't give the space craft any relative points to compare its velocity onto, there are actually precisely two types of detectable movement for a space ship:

-rotation, involving angular acceleration and angular velocity
-linear acceleration, ie. changing the velocity vector of the craft.


In your first example, which you call "gliding", the space craft rotates around its CG, but doesn't apply any acceleration to any particular direction, which causes the CG (center of gravity, or mass center) to travel at constant speed.

In your second example, the craft applies lateral thrusters to one side for some time, then applies sme amount of impulse to other side, resulting in a movement of position sideways.


However you look it, both "sliding and "gliding" are simply one exactly same thing: F = ma, and its angular version M = J α (α=angular acceleration, J = angular inertia of object). Sliding and gliding are, as I see them, arbitrary names given to two types of maneuvering, and I don't know whether you made those definitions up yourself or if they are made by someone else, but I don't think it's in any way necessary to use those definitions... You can, of course, call different maneuvres all you like, but all maneuvres still consist of same things - combinations of angular and linear acceleration, and that's all there is to it.

[karajorma]

While I agree that your physics are correct I have no problem with different terms being used for movements based just on relative position.

Manouver! Manouver! Manouver! just doesn't have the same ring to it!

[Wobble73]

While I agree that your physics are correct I have no problem with different terms being used for movements based just on relative position.

Manouver! Manouver! Manouver! just doesn't have the same ring to it!

It doesn't when it's spelt wrong!

*Its Manoeuvre*


And I know what you're gonna say!

Its the inquisition again! But come on, lets try to educate the masses here eh!   :

[Shade]

Well, if you want to get nitpicky, it's Maneuver, as it's a verb in this case. Maneuver! Maneuver! Maneuver! as opposed to Dive! Dive! Dive!

PS. It's, let's.

You want inquisition? You got inquisition

[Edit] Now, if you want to retaliate, I imagine I messed up with some commas somewhere. I never did fully understand the rules that govern those in English. I just put them where I feel like it

[Wobble73]

Touche


And I'd put the accent over the e, but I don't know how. 

[Backslash]

As for 'gliding' in Wing Commander Saga, we discussed it here and have enabled it for the Arrow.  I think you'll enjoy it.

And here's a way to add both gliding and sliding for all FS2 ships. Sure, it messes with the balance, but it's so much fun

[Col. Fishguts]

And I'd put the accent over the e, but I don't know how. 

By pressing the "è" key   .... what, you don't have one ?

[jr2]

Touche


And I'd put the accent over the e, but I don't know how. 

And I'd put the accent over the e, but I don't know how. 

By pressing the "è" key   .... what, you don't have one ?

é or è ?  I'm pretty sure the Colonel just messed up here, as I think it's é.  Skip that, I know it's é.

1. Open your Character Map in Windows.  Start->All Programs->Accessories->System Tools->Character Map.  (It's in a similar location on Win '9x.)  If you don't have the Char Map, install it using your Windows Setup disk (under Windows Components).
2. Find & select the character(s) you want to copy, press 'Copy'.
3. Paste into the posting window.
Alternatively, look on the bottom-right of the Char Map.  When you click on the desired character, it tells you the keystroke you can use to access it directly (if that character is available directly).  e.g., Alt+0233 = é (really!).  You must use the NumPad keys (doesn't matter if NumLock is on or off) for it to work.

[Wobble73]

Touche


And I'd put the accent over the e, but I don't know how. 

And I'd put the accent over the e, but I don't know how. 

By pressing the "è" key   .... what, you don't have one ?

é or è ?  I'm pretty sure the Colonel just messed up here, as I think it's é.  Skip that, I know it's é.

1. Open your Character Map in Windows.  Start->All Programs->Accessories->System Tools->Character Map.  (It's in a similar location on Win '9x.)  If you don't have the Char Map, install it using your Windows Setup disk (under Windows Components).
2. Find & select the character(s) you want to copy, press 'Copy'.
3. Paste into the posting window.
Alternatively, look on the bottom-right of the Char Map.  When you click on the desired character, it tells you the keystroke you can use to access it directly (if that character is available directly).  e.g., Alt+0233 = é (really!).  You must use the NumPad keys (doesn't matter if NumLock is on or off) for it to work.

Nah! I can't be bothered!