throttle vs thrust vs speed question

[Rogue187]

I just bought SGS and i look forward to really getting into the game. My inital question is: what should I be seeing for the thrust and speed in relation to my throttle setting? I am using a Saitek X52 joystick and it works fine with the game. What I am seeing though is when I have the thrust set at 50%, the speed does not remain constant. Rather it is continually going up or down. While it is a slow increase/decrease, I have not yet had my speed hold at the speed I want.

Planetside the sitution is the same, but I also loose speed every time I make a turn of any degree. The only way to maintain speed, is to use the afterburner. For example, I have the thrust set at 95%, but if I hold a turn, I loose all of my speed.

Do I have a genuine issue with my speed, or is this how things are supposed to be with the game. I realize these are space vechicles and my not operate well planetside. Any input would be appreciated, thanks.

[Kuokkanen]

From X52 I would guess you should be familiar with heavy weight aeroplane and fighter simulations (Flight Simulator, Falcon 4, IL-2 Sturmovik etc.). Anyways when in space you turn throttle off and release your hand from controls, there shouldn't be any change in speed of fighter (or starship). If there is change, check calibration of your throttle control.

What comes to atmosphere operations, you didn't say what fighter you were using. Anyways Falcon maneuvers lots easier than Thunderbolt. I've played fighter sims myself (F-14 Fleet Defender and 1943 Pacific Air War), and what I can recall, hard maneuvers reduce speed dramatically. But I think Stormhawk maneuvers little bit easier than F-14 Tomcat. Anyways faster you turn, more speed you lose.

[Destraex]

perhaps he is using arcade mode?

[Rogue187]

I am using standard mode for flying. It could be a calibration issue. As you said, I should be able to hold a speed, but mine is constantly changing. Its not a fast change, but I can't hold 500 mps or whatever. My speed either keeps going past it or below it. Only in auto nav can the ship hold a speed.

When flying on the planet I realize that there are differences between the fighters. I was using the ship you get in the training missions when I posted. I would expect a certain amount of performace loss for turns, but I get a loss no matter which direction I turn. For example if I push the ship downward, I loose speed until I level out. I should be gaining speed due to gravity. Also in a sharp turn, speed and thrust should be countering each other. If I am at 95% thrust, I should not have my speed reduced to 200 mps unless I really hold the turn. I guess this could be subjective to how I turn, but I guess the speed loss was much more than I expected.

[Psycho0124]

Lets not rule this out as a problem/glitch with the game. I have seen odd behavior and reported it here only to have it dismissed as me peing picky. Try and post us some exact numbers and conditions so we can test our games behavior against yours. 

[Rogue187]

I am getting the hang of it a bit. I shook the dust off X-Wing Alliance, so that is my benchmark for how I think speed should work (obviously it is not as advanced as this game) I was playing some single player missions and this is what I was getting, keep in mind that I am in standard flight mode so the Newton physics are in full effect:

Lets assume that 500mps (meters per second) is what you get at 50% thrust. At 50% thrust, my speed just keeps increasing without stopping. I would expect the speed to hold at 500 mps at 50% thrust. Likewise at 1/4 thrust, I would expect 250 mps. However, my thrust only seems to affect how quickly my speed goes up. If I am set at 0% thrust, then my speed hold at whatever it was last, but does not do down. This is what I would expect with space travel in real life.

However, I have also seen some drawbacks. When I do a hard turn in space, due to the counter movement of the thrusters I can quickly go from 500+ mps to -250 mps. This means that in a dogfight, I will go from forward momentum to backward momentum in a matter of seconds, then back to forward movement once I resume a level flight. Only the afterburner somewhat limits this.

Does this mean that speed is a reflection of inertia rather than what your throttle is set at?

I guess this next theory will reflect how smart or stupid I am when it comes to this game/actual space travel. If I go 500 mps in space, then I will go that speed no matter which way my ship is orientated. So if I turn, my ship would "slide" but maintain momentum. Looking from an exterior view of the ship ingame, I saw a counter thruster that was putting backwards thrust on my ship in order to turn 360 degrees. This accounts for the loss of speed. I guess it seems to me thrusters should help turn the ship without sacrificing speed unless a deliberate backwards thrust is applied such as when I am trying to land.

Am I missing a fundamental principle of space travel and this is normal? or do I have a unique bug with my system?

[Rogue187]

I guess to also help develop this topic, I have my controls set to starship. This way i don't roll when I turn. However, using the external camera I noticed that the ship does not bank when turning in space. Rather it pivots to turn. This causes a loss of speed for me due to the counter movement to pivot the ship.

Please keep in mind that this is not a complaint thread nor is it a slam on the devs. But I have never played a truely realistic space combat sim, so this is not a matter that I have ever encountered. So I am not sure if this is how it is supposed to be, or if I have a problem with my joystick or system. Thanks for all the insight that previous posters have provided.

[Dragonlead]

Your joystick is fine.

Welcome to Newton's playground! The throttle setting you see is not a speed setting. As Matti said, drop your thrust to zero to maintain a constant speed. Unlike atmosphere, there is no drag to counteract thrust, so as long as your engine is producing Newton's third law, you will continue to accelerate. No, your ship does not necessarily bank to turn in space (again, no lift factor) What you are seeing with the +500 to -500 is quite normal depending on your heading. However, in normal flight mode (FLCS auto, I believe) your ship will automatically use thrusters to eventually get you headed the direction you are facing. If you go FLCS manual, you can coast in one direction while facing in another and the thrusters should not be firing.

As for the atmosphere, most modern high-performance fighters lose a tremendous amount of velocity in a turn, and usually need afterburner to maintain it. Take a look at your G indicator (top left in the HUD if memory serves) and you will notice some incredible G forces. That is where your energy is going and why you need AB to maintain that level turn.

Hope this helps.

V/R

[Kuokkanen]

ORIGINAL: Dragonlead

What you are seeing with the +500 to -500 is quite normal depending on your heading. However, in normal flight mode (FLCS auto, I believe) your ship will automatically use thrusters to eventually get you headed the direction you are facing. If you go FLCS manual

That mode is changed with 'm' key. It also seems that you haven't read manual. I recommend you to do it. By words of captain Hikaru Sulu:

As they say in 20th century: read the fine manual