yes i some times gluide in that mode with jut thrusters heaps of fun and am looking for help removing the targeting reticules on ships that are not targeted to make it feel and look better any help would be apreciated

The linear drag is used to make the ships manouverable, since they don't have thrusters for that. It's also used to give the ships a top speed. Basically how this works is:

Top Speed = Engine Force/Linear Drag

The handling aspect is still a bit of a mystery to me. I'm going to have to deal with it sometime soon, but all I know now is the more there more a ship has, the faster it stops.

keep the linear drag at what it is cause otherwise its frictionless and ur ship cant start going into spins which is bad unless u like doing space donuts

Mess With the Best Die lIke the Rest

I think it is more "realistic" to have to slide out of a turn because unless you have some serious inertial dampeners you would be slaughtered... GREAT information thanks a lot...

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MSensei
Please visit my freelancer server. http://www.msensei.com/freelancer/

Anyone experimented with this anymore?

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MSensei
Please visit my freelancer server. http://www.msensei.com/freelancer/

If you want to learn all about linear drag vist some of the university sites just do a search on google. The ships mass also fits into the equasion try reducing it.

That was very unhelpful thanks

"Go look somewhere else"
Does me no good.

Thanks anyway I guess.

For anyone who IS interested I have made available a set of 10 engines, 10 powerplants, and 10 thrusters in my game, they all have graphed powercurves etc etc. visit my freelancer for more info!

Thanks again to Lancers Reactor for a great site!

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MSensei
Please visit my freelancer server. http://www.msensei.com/freelancer/

"Equasions" I didnt see any here but I did when I did a search on linear drag and found alot of useful information at university sites. If I understood you correctly that is what you were looking for. I'm sorry if you took it the wrong way.

I guessed that the game used viscus drag (because regular ol' dry friction just didn't seem to make sense), but the equations and the game results just don't add up. It could very well be a unit problem, though. Generally speaking, all you should need to know is

F = vb, where F is the force, v is the ship velocity, and b is the drag coefficient, or linear drag. Doesn't seem to quite add up, though. I can look into it, but it may take a little while.

That was the gist I was getting as well but my equations DEFINATELY don't match.... thanks for keeping this thread going.....

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MSensei
Please visit my freelancer server. http://www.msensei.com/freelancer/

This also fits into the equasion
mass =
steering_torque =
angular_drag =
rotation_inertia =
And see not one remark about looking somewhere else.


Edited by - BakedPotato on 14-05-2003 03:08:51

Well, of course mass fits into things. But it deals with ship acceleration.

F = vb = ma
=> a = vb/m
This tells you how quickly the ship slows down. The higher the mass of the ship, the longer it takes. Ultimately, it doesn't (or shouldn't, anyway -- I haven't tested the relation between mass and top speed personally) affect how fast you go.

The angular bits only affect how well you turn. They also don't seem to work with conventional, Newtonian viscus mechanics. I spent an hour or so one day trying to figure out the angular velocity of a battleship based on these values, straight from first principles (since I didn't know them off hand). I was only off by...hrmm...a factor of six? Back to the drawing board...

Yes yes same experience

I have added new engines to my mod (open commented source) that have different drag, definately makes a HUGE difference in stopping, cornering, and top speed. Very entertaining.

Just wish I had a little better grasp of the exactly whys of the whole situation, experimentation is fine but an equation that is exact is better, i'm gonna spend some more time with these notes thanks to ALL of you.... great great feedback!!!

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MSensei
Please visit my freelancer server. http://www.msensei.com/freelancer/

Hey, I'm a Captain now! w00t promotion!

I'm convinced the problem lies in non-standard units. The only way to figure out the equation, aside from heading down to DA's offices with a red hot poker (or perhaps a polite e-mail?) would be to grab a stop watch and start timing. It'd be so 1800's European physicist!