You can't. It's sort of like asking which vehicle is faster, a Pinto, or a Mack truck, and then only judging based on max speed, or only on how quickly one can get out of the gate over the other. Max speed and acceleration have to be taken into account.

Now, I'm pretty sure you can gauge the maximum angular velocity by simply dividing the torque by the drag. This is the impression I get, anyway. The time it takes to get to that speed, however, is a little more complicated. Observe.

τ=Iα
Tau is the torque, and alpha is the angular acceleration.

The angular drag can be thought of as a torque acting in the opposite direction, making sure the ship has a maximum turn rate. This rate occurs when

τ=βω, where β is the angular drag, and ω is the maximum angular velocity.
At this point, we can say that

α=βω/I

However, α is also ω/t, so t = ω/α, where t is the time it takes to accelerate to ω. This reduces to

t=I/τ=Iα
Tau is the torque, and alpha is the angular acceleration.

The angular drag can be thought of as a torque acting in the opposite direction, making sure the ship has a maximum turn rate. This rate occurs when

τ=βω, where β is the angular drag, and ω is the maximum angular velocity.
At this point, we can say that

α=βω/I

However, α is also ω/t, so t = ω/α, where t is the time it takes to accelerate to ω. This reduces to

t=I/β

So, ω=τ/β, and it takes the ship t=I/β to reach ω. Which ship turns better? The ship with a really high ω and the low t? Or the one with the high t, and low ω?

Basically, a low t and a high ω are best.

> So, <omega>=<tau>/<beta>, and it takes the ship t=I/<beta> to reach
> <omega>. Which ship turns better? The ship with a really high <omega> and the
> low t? Or the one with the high t, and low <omega>?
>
> Basically, a low t and a high <omega> are best.

So my dividing of steering_torque by angular_drag calculates the maximum angular velocity (<omega> ), but doesn't show how long it takes to reach that...?

What is the I in t=I/<beta>? Is that just a constant? Or the rotational_inertia?

Edited by - Yumiko on 2/23/2004 5:25:00 PM

---

rotational_inertia and mass

---

has everything to do with it....

The lighter the ship the faster it turns when the steering torque is increased. angular drag means that the higher the drag the slower your ship will turn.

making a maneuverable ship.... you need to make the mass as low as possible increasing the steering torque and decreasing both the rotaional inertia and the angular drag

---

---------------- E·N·D O·F M·E·S·S·A·G·E ... ----------------

---

The mass only has to do with the straight-line motion of the ship, though. Changing the mass will not change how quickly the ship rotates in space, but it greatly impacts how well the ship changes directions.

The exact same equations apply for straight line motions, only with m (mass) replacing I (rotational_intertia), b (linear_drag) replacing beta (angular_drag), F (max_force) replacing tau (max_torque), v (linear velocity) replacing omega (angular velocity), and a (linear acceleration) replacing alpha (angular acceleration).

So,

v = F/b

t = m/b

a = F/m = vb/m

Oh, and *I* is the rotational inertia, yes.

then why is it my ship has become lighter in maneuverability whenever i decrease my mass....

---

---------------- E·N·D O·F M·E·S·S·A·G·E ... ----------------

---

ok a couple of things I have noticed when adjusting maneuverability.
1. there is the percieved maneuverability.
this is how fast or slow the ship "seems" to be able to handle. as in whether or not you can keep that cursor on that light fighter that the corsairs are attacking you with.
this one is affected by the actual maneuverability and certain other factors.
-max bank- is one of the factors. if you set the max bank to 10 it will not feel like it is very manuveuverable. even if it actually is...
also the velocity of the ship itself will have a percieved manuverability change.
faster the ship the more maneuverability it will seem to have even though it is actually harder to target people at higher speeds.
2. physical maneuverability
this one is a combination of several factors that give the physics engine the actual maneuverability of the ship.
a. max_bank
b. velocity of engine
c. mass
d. strafe_max_thrust
e. the rest (see above) i.e. rotational inertia etc....

the max bank and strafe thrust change the way in wich the ship can roll the more bank the ship can do the more it will be able to rotate right or left ...
the rotational inertia affects how fast. along with mass.
lower the rotational inertia and increase the torque and lower the mass and the ship should handle quite well. but add max bank to those and it will handle even better.
the strafe_max affects how fast the ship can strafe. bump that up to 96000 and the ship will be able to stafe circles around most ships and keep the targeting on the ship it self( from experiance)

anyways there's my 2 cents spend them as you will

If A=A then santa doesn't exist

> Oh, and *I* is the rotational inertia, yes.

So if I want to compare the turn rate of two ships, then the only thing that matters is "maximum angular velocity" and "time to maximum angular velocity", right?

maximum angular velocity = steering_torque/angular_drag; higher is better

time to maximum angular velocity = rotational_inertia/angular_drag; lower is better

Oh, I heard that ships that turn the same at speed 0 might turn differently at speed 80. What factors affect turning at speed 80 but not a speed 0... max_bank perhaps?

Edited by - Yumiko on 2/26/2004 10:34:24 AM

Edited by - Yumiko on 2/26/2004 10:34:43 AM

Friction can limit and alter the rate of turn of two ships that have effectively the same rate of turn at 0 speed. The non-distinct frictional component can act proportionally with the angular drag and it also likely interacts in a minor form with the mass itself. I is very much the inertia, but perhaps Impulse calculations are also used to some extent.

+++++++++MESSAGE ENDS+++++++++++