realistic Vs. arcade physics.

[hellcatv]

well it's a tradeoff...if you could toggle it nearly EVERYONE would play arcade-mode
we need to find a good balance that isn't too annoying but also doesn't toss physics out the window and doesn't toss challenge out the window

[Shark]

if you could toggle it nearly EVERYONE would play arcade-mode

What's wrong with that?

[hellcatv]

you'd see half a dozen posts:
Vega Strike doesnt' simulate physics properly: here's how to do it, the game would be 2x more fun

and it is 2x the fun

if you play with your shoes off

[Vespero]

Here's the deal. I like an arcade mode that approximates the realistic flight, but has relaxations. I want to be able to slide, but to also have thrusters that compensate for inerta so that I can have the option to do both. What would be cool is the option of having those thrusters damaged, so the more punishment you absorbe, the more you have to use realistic physics. Anyway, it should be somewhat realistic, but still arcadish enough to be fun.

[Wilo]

I aint even gonna vote on this since i just downloaded. but in my experience with arcade vs physics ppl using physics have large advantage over arcade. arcade forces you to keep going forward, while you could just cut thrusters and whip around and see how hard you can blast the other guy before he compensates with physics, can make up a few other things too but i aint gonna bother. not to rip ideas off alligeance or anything but i like their physics engine, ships practicly able to turn on a dime but your thrusters have to work against momentum built up from last tajectory of movement you were going in. but thats my opinion and i havent even played the game yet so go ahead and bash the crap outta the newbie's post if you want to

[hellcatv]

roger, WIlco!

[RFBurns]

This might be a late response to the physics issue in VS, but here goes.

I believe that even if you applied "real" physics, which technically it is "Newtonian Physics", and given the time period that is assumed in this sim...well it neutralizes the "Newtonian" aspect of the physics to a great degree.

Reason is...were not talking about ships that use rockets, limited in thrust, thrust durations and of course..onboard fuel. Although it would be neat to see a Saturn V rocket flying around in the VS universe!

Perhaps looking at this by taking in examples of how other sims and even some movies of space flight, might help with the issue. They all vary from sim to sim and from one film to another.

And like it was pointed out, changes in the config and in the ship's stats can yeild some players the results they are looking for. I dont think a general "blanket" option choice would work too well, because to one...it might not be "enough" real physics vs being too much to another, or one might find the choice of "arcade" physics too easy or too boaring.

Since ships in this sim can be specific when it comes to specs, I think that if a hotkey choice were placed into the sim, that might mess up someone's ship stats or some other thing.

How about a small tutorial or something focused on ship spec tweaking, pointing out the key lines within the files to change, and perhaps with suggestions on settings or variables to experiment with. Of course since everyone is going to have a ship that is specific to their tastes, the examples in the tutorial would be general starting points.

Just a thought I had while reading the thread.

[pincushionman]

Vegastrike ships behave using Newtonian, or real, mechanics. Just to clear that up for anyone who is confused about it. NM apply, and that will not change.

The question at hand is how best to balance the ships' turn rates and their linear acceleration, as controlled by the "ship's computer"; specifically their lateral acceleration (not forward and back). These quantities affect how quickly a ship's direction of flight (not just the direction it is facing) will change when control power is applied.

The most maneuverable ships are not the ones that can turn around the fastest, they are the ones that have the best combination of turn rate and lateral acceleration; only ships that are both quick to turn and quick to move can effectively dodge incoming fire.

And saying "the values are in this file, edit them and find one that works for you" is NOT an accepable answer. I know it's in the open-source bible to do stuff like that, but when VS goes multiplayer, accelerations must be consistent across all players. So the devs, at some point and if they have not already, are going to have to just pick a reasonable set of values for these quantities and stick to their guns about it.

[RFBurns]

The multiplayer will be a welcome addition to VS. At that point, yes your going to need an even playing field when it comes to ship specs and so forth. Balancing this out will not be easy Im sure. But this isnt a sim trying to duplicate the real world...leave that to the Orbiter sim.

[mkruer]

I find it somewhat amusing that everyone keeps talking about Newtonian Physics, and that’s not the problem with the game. The biggest problem with the Real vs Arcade is the LOD. Arcade games have the tendencies to conveniently forgot what is real. Where a Real game just has to roll with the punches, and if somewhat doesn’t like it tough shit, “That’s Lifeâ€