Fuel in Space?

[Merovian]

Why is it with Newtonian physics enabled in spaceflight in a fighter I tend to run out of fuel at an astounding rate? I'm laying off the throttle almost entirely and I am using manual FLCS fairly often, but I still find it nearly impossible to fly an entire patrol route without coming up empty halfway through --- and I notice my wingman can burn fuel constantly, engage in dogfights, and still make it home...

[Kuokkanen]

Falcon don't have much fuel, so it isn't unusual returning with it from patrol with drops left. Switch to Stormhawk and you have much better reserve. And always make sure you return safely. It's better run and save valuable fighter than go alone against 8 enemy fighters and got blown pieces.

[John DiCamillo]

It's just part of the science-fiction setting of the game.  Fighters are driven by fusion reactors that must maintain a core temperature of over 6,000,000 K - they have to burn some fuel to keep the reactor running even when they aren't using that fuel for reaction mass.
 
It is also part of my attempt to find a happy compromise between realistic flight simulations and more arcade-oriented space simulations.  Fighter missions are meant to last for only a few minutes of wall-clock time so that you can get in, blow some stuff up, and get back out before dinner.  The way I play the game, I hardly ever see the fuel level go below fifty percent.
 
It's been a while since I've looked at that portion of the code, but I think that if you switch to a lower EMCON setting, you will lower reactor output and conserve fuel.  But don't quote me on that.

[Pheonix Starflare]

It might be neat to see an "engineering" display for fighters detailing power use, fuel consumption and detailing what's damaged, sort of an expansion of the caution panel. Perhaps the ability to reroute power from there as well; cut it from a busted sensor array and dump it into the guns etc.

Similarly, I think a little more info, number-wise on the starship engineering panel might be nice; I'm never quite sure how much I'm helping things by moving subssytems around.

PS At least a couple of the enemy cruisers (Imperial class I believe) have their power allocated all wacky; sensors and stuff are on the main reactors and guns etc are on the Aux one and the battery.

[Kuokkanen]

ORIGINAL: Pheonix Starflare

Perhaps the ability to reroute power from there as well; cut it from a busted sensor array and dump it into the guns etc.

What's wrong with turning sensors off?