If you want to add warp drive capability to a shuttle or the Skylone, you just need to make a couple of simple edits to the *.sss file of the particular ship. There will be two settings to change: "Warpdrive" from false to true; and "WarpBoostLog" from 0 to a suitable number, I believe 12 will give you about 1 lightyear per second when traveling at a speed of 10km/s.

And as the name suggests, it is logarithmic, so careful with the big numbers.

This same *.sss file also contains the definitions for the ship's cameras.

If you want to add warp drive capability to a shuttle or the Skylone, you just need to make a couple of simple edits to the *.sss file of the particular ship. There will be two settings to change: "Warpdrive" from false to true; and "WarpBoostLog" from 0 to a suitable number, I believe 12 will give you about 1 lightyear per second when traveling at a speed of 10km/s.

And as the name suggests, it is logarithmic, so careful with the big numbers.

This same *.sss file also contains the definitions for the ship's cameras.

Thanks!  Very useful- what folder is that file in? I've looked high and low for a Ships folder.  I think this may not be possible in 0.990  the file structure is entirely different   There are no individual ships files just one big ".pak" file like there is with everything else.  This is probably why the modified Skylone files didn't work, I can see it in the same folder (in a "default" subfolder) but it looks like everything in 0.990 is run through .pak files.

The Skylone is one of the ships included with S.E., so it is in the ShipsModels.pak file. For .9.9.0 it can be found at:

Slightly different filename for .9.8.0:
In both of these files, the *.sss file you are looking for will be in the default folder. You will see that folder when you open the .pak file with 7zip. Create a default folder in the same location as the .pak file. Extract the .sss file with 7zip into the default folder you just made. It should look like: depending on whether .9.8.0 or .9.9.0.

It is a plain text file. Once you edit and save it, it will have a newer time stamp than the one in the .pak file, so the .pak file version will be ignored and S.E. will use the newer version. No need to rezip it back into the .pak file.

Also, the Skylone file may use the parameter "Hyperdrive" rather than "Warpdrive". Either one will work, no need for both.

If you want to add warp drive capability to a shuttle or the Skylone, you just need to make a couple of simple edits to the *.sss file of the particular ship. There will be two settings to change: "Warpdrive" from false to true; and "WarpBoostLog" from 0 to a suitable number, I believe 12 will give you about 1 lightyear per second when traveling at a speed of 10km/s.

And as the name suggests, it is logarithmic, so careful with the big numbers.

This same *.sss file also contains the definitions for the ship's cameras.

Thanks!  Very useful- what folder is that file in? I've looked high and low for a Ships folder.  I think this may not be possible in 0.990  the file structure is entirely different   There are no individual ships files just one big ".pak" file like there is with everything else.  This is probably why the modified Skylone files didn't work, I can see it in the same folder (in a "default" subfolder) but it looks like everything in 0.990 is run through .pak files.

A-L-E-X, if you are having trouble with ships in .9.9.0, it will not surprise me. It seems that a lot of the functionality for ships we had in .9.8.0 is broken in .9.9.0. Or at least changed (not for the better, in my opinion (just that — an opinion)).

If you want to add warp drive capability to a shuttle or the Skylone, you just need to make a couple of simple edits to the *.sss file of the particular ship. There will be two settings to change: "Warpdrive" from false to true; and "WarpBoostLog" from 0 to a suitable number, I believe 12 will give you about 1 lightyear per second when traveling at a speed of 10km/s.

And as the name suggests, it is logarithmic, so careful with the big numbers.

This same *.sss file also contains the definitions for the ship's cameras.

Thanks!  Very useful- what folder is that file in? I've looked high and low for a Ships folder.  I think this may not be possible in 0.990  the file structure is entirely different   There are no individual ships files just one big ".pak" file like there is with everything else.  This is probably why the modified Skylone files didn't work, I can see it in the same folder (in a "default" subfolder) but it looks like everything in 0.990 is run through .pak files.

A-L-E-X, if you are having trouble with ships in .9.9.0, it will not surprise me. It seems that a lot of the functionality for ships we had in .9.8.0 is broken in .9.9.0. Or at least changed (not for the better, in my opinion (just that — an opinion)).

Hey, what kind of troubles have you gotten into with ships in 0.990? I haven't noticed any big change since 0.998 (although there are obvious issues), what did you see break?

Hey, what kind of troubles have you gotten into with ships in 0.990? I haven't noticed any big change since 0.998 (although there are obvious issues), what did you see break?

Well... let's see if I can remember everything...

1. When a ship camera view is a "cockpit" view, the right-click/mouse combo does not pan the camera. (Middle-click/mouse does, but also snaps back to default view when you let go of the button.)
2. If you lose focus of the ship, pressing 4 does nothing. It used to take control of the last used ship. Not a deal breaker, but can be annoying.
3. With 980, when you "detached" the camera with the 1, 2, or 3 key, pressing 4 would start the camera moving back to the ship, but if you quickly pressed Escape, the camera would snap back to where it started from, but now attached to the ship. Now, with 990, the camera seems to move a little quicker, and when you press Escape it stops moving but does not snap back to where it started from. Most annoying if you are setting up a screenshot but might need to tweak the position of the ship.
4. When in free-flight camera (1, 2, or 3), the velocity vector does not work.

I thought there was an issue with the trajectory/orbit view, but that was me not selecting a reference body. Can't show an orbit without a reference body.

Well... now that I type these out, they do seem rather trivial. Maybe there's more, but I can't think of any right now.

Hey, what kind of troubles have you gotten into with ships in 0.990? I haven't noticed any big change since 0.998 (although there are obvious issues), what did you see break?

Well... let's see if I can remember everything...

1. When a ship camera view is a "cockpit" view, the right-click/mouse combo does not pan the camera. (Middle-click/mouse does, but also snaps back to default view when you let go of the button.)
2. If you lose focus of the ship, pressing 4 does nothing. It used to take control of the last used ship. Not a deal breaker, but can be annoying.
3. With 980, when you "detached" the camera with the 1, 2, or 3 key, pressing 4 would start the camera moving back to the ship, but if you quickly pressed Escape, the camera would snap back to where it started from, but now attached to the ship. Now, with 990, the camera seems to move a little quicker, and when you press Escape it stops moving but does not snap back to where it started from. Most annoying if you are setting up a screenshot but might need to tweak the position of the ship.
4. When in free-flight camera (1, 2, or 3), the velocity vector does not work.

I thought there was an issue with the trajectory/orbit view, but that was me not selecting a reference body. Can't show an orbit without a reference body.

Well... now that I type these out, they do seem rather trivial. Maybe there's more, but I can't think of any right now.

Those quality of life things could definitely get some attention and be improved, but I think it's more of a symptom of the interface and how you interact with things. I believe you first point could be something intentional though.

Hopefully the incoming features for ships will come with some QoL improvements!

Those quality of life things could definitely get some attention and be improved, but I think it's more of a symptom of the interface and how you interact with things. I believe you first point could be something intentional though.

Hopefully the incoming features for ships will come with some QoL improvements!

All four of my points worked (or worked differently) in 980. If the cockpit camera function was intentional, I might consider it a step backwards. The middle-button thing already worked that way on 980, but you could pan freely with the right mouse button, and I found it easier, as well as more useful.

But it is what it is. I love the improved lighting system, but I still find myself using 980 more than 990. 990 is getting to be too much for my poor PC.

I posted a couple of pics of ships from 990 in the Image Dump thread, it does look nice. But if we had shadows... now that would be something, but no doubt yet more strain on my aging PC.

The Skylone is one of the ships included with S.E., so it is in the ShipsModels.pak file. For .9.9.0 it can be found at:

Code: Select all

C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\SpaceEngine\data\models\spacecraft\ShipsModels.pak

Slightly different filename for .9.8.0:

Code: Select all

C:\SpaceEngine\data\models\spacecraft\ShipsModels0980.pak

In both of these files, the *.sss file you are looking for will be in the default folder. You will see that folder when you open the .pak file with 7zip. Create a default folder in the same location as the .pak file. Extract the .sss file with 7zip into the default folder you just made. It should look like:

Code: Select all

C:\SpaceEngine\data\models\spacecraft\default\Skylone.sss
or
C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\SpaceEngine\data\models\spacecraft\default\Skylone.sss

depending on whether .9.8.0 or .9.9.0.

It is a plain text file. Once you edit and save it, it will have a newer time stamp than the one in the .pak file, so the .pak file version will be ignored and S.E. will use the newer version. No need to rezip it back into the .pak file.

Also, the Skylone file may use the parameter "Hyperdrive" rather than "Warpdrive". Either one will work, no need for both.

Thanks this might explain why SE 0990 was ignoring the modified Skylone file I installed.  It was extracted into a "default" folder like you mentioned, that sits alongside the ships pak file.  The problem is the date on the .sss file is from 2016.  Do you suggest I re-save it so that last modified date changes to 2021?  Maybe that would make SE 0990 use that file instead of ignoring it?

Those quality of life things could definitely get some attention and be improved, but I think it's more of a symptom of the interface and how you interact with things. I believe you first point could be something intentional though.

Hopefully the incoming features for ships will come with some QoL improvements!

All four of my points worked (or worked differently) in 980. If the cockpit camera function was intentional, I might consider it a step backwards. The middle-button thing already worked that way on 980, but you could pan freely with the right mouse button, and I found it easier, as well as more useful.

But it is what it is. I love the improved lighting system, but I still find myself using 980 more than 990. 990 is getting to be too much for my poor PC.

I posted a couple of pics of ships from 990 in the Image Dump thread, it does look nice. But if we had shadows... now that would be something, but no doubt yet more strain on my aging PC.

For some reason 0990 is a lot faster on my computer than 0980.  No idea why.  I use higher settings with 0990 too.
Hey does either version give us a look from inside the cockpit to the outside world (like a portal view)?  I haven't found a ship that does that yet in either version.

Thanks this might explain why SE 0990 was ignoring the modified Skylone file I installed.  It was extracted into a "default" folder like you mentioned, that sits alongside the ships pak file.  The problem is the date on the .sss file is from 2016.  Do you suggest I re-save it so that last modified date changes to 2021?  Maybe that would make SE 0990 use that file instead of ignoring it?

Sure, load it into a text editor, make a change, change it back (if you need to), and save it. Then it should have today's date.

Hey does either version give us a look from inside the cockpit to the outside world (like a portal view)?  I haven't found a ship that does that yet in either version.

Sure, there have been a few ships with cockpits. But you must remember, if you want to make a movie from a ship at warp, you will be seeing the Universe from inside the warp field. You can, of course, move the camera away from the ship, but depending on where that camera is relative to the ship, you may see the warp bubble around the ship.

Hopefully the incoming features for ships will come with some QoL improvements!

Couldn't hurt.

Oh... another thing I noticed today (maybe it was my ship — only tried it with the one today), when at warp, and light-years away from any light source, the auto exposure system lit up my ship just as if it were in a stellar system. I think that's new, I don't remember seeing that before.

Thanks this might explain why SE 0990 was ignoring the modified Skylone file I installed.  It was extracted into a "default" folder like you mentioned, that sits alongside the ships pak file.  The problem is the date on the .sss file is from 2016.  Do you suggest I re-save it so that last modified date changes to 2021?  Maybe that would make SE 0990 use that file instead of ignoring it?

Sure, load it into a text editor, make a change, change it back (if you need to), and save it. Then it should have today's date.

Hey does either version give us a look from inside the cockpit to the outside world (like a portal view)?  I haven't found a ship that does that yet in either version.

Sure, there have been a few ships with cockpits. But you must remember, if you want to make a movie from a ship at warp, you will be seeing the Universe from inside the warp field. You can, of course, move the camera away from the ship, but depending on where that camera is relative to the ship, you may see the warp bubble around the ship.

I'm using the X-wing cockpit   It's very good for touring galaxies.  I made a 2 hour video (not 12 lol) which I will put up shortly.
The modified Skylone works, but I can't tell what its warp factor is.  I see the number 10 but I don't know if that's the warp factor or some other field.  Could you download it and see if that's the quantity that determines the max speed it will go?  I see that the E-Wing Cockpit has a warp factor of 12 and I'm wondering if I can use it as a planetary ship too to explore the surface of a planet.
One problem I'm running into is on a tidally locked planet (1:1) if I land on the dark side of the planet how do I get to the bright side?  It sounds like a simple issue but for some reason Flight Simulator doesn't let me change my landing spot and isn't letting me use the cursor keys to redirect the landing spot when I'm over a planet?  But it allows me to do it when I'm on the surface or in interstellar space?

And I love the cockpit lighting.  It's dark when the source of the light is front of you and bright when it's behind you for backlighting- excellent!  It's just really hard to navigate on the dark side of a planet, I have no idea where I'm going or if I'm even moving lol and it zooms me off the planet if I move too fast, even with hold altitude enabled.  Here's an idea- why can't these ships have headlights and tail lights, so we can navigate on a planet in the dark!

What's the fastest way to reverse course in case I miss a target and want to go in reverse?

Thanks this might explain why SE 0990 was ignoring the modified Skylone file I installed.  It was extracted into a "default" folder like you mentioned, that sits alongside the ships pak file.  The problem is the date on the .sss file is from 2016.  Do you suggest I re-save it so that last modified date changes to 2021?  Maybe that would make SE 0990 use that file instead of ignoring it?

You should try creating an addon folder for it (look in manual) rather than interfering with SE's core files.

One problem I'm running into is on a tidally locked planet (1:1) if I land on the dark side of the planet how do I get to the bright side?

Take off and fly to the bright side.

Thanks this might explain why SE 0990 was ignoring the modified Skylone file I installed.  It was extracted into a "default" folder like you mentioned, that sits alongside the ships pak file.  The problem is the date on the .sss file is from 2016.  Do you suggest I re-save it so that last modified date changes to 2021?  Maybe that would make SE 0990 use that file instead of ignoring it?

You should try creating an addon folder for it (look in manual) rather than interfering with SE's core files.

One problem I'm running into is on a tidally locked planet (1:1) if I land on the dark side of the planet how do I get to the bright side?

Take off and fly to the bright side.

Got it to work!  Thanks for all your help (and for the help the other Alex provided of course.)  I don't know what that other guy was complaining about, I love these ships and especially the cockpit views.  Everything seems very logical once you get the hang of it (I'll still be asking for advice because I want to get the most out of this feature I've ignored for 4 years lol.)  I'm actually on the surface of Krypton with the E-Wing cockpit so I guess you can use a star ship for planetary surveys.  I have the main engines at 99, and it says my ship velocity is 83.56 km/sec I set hold altitude- will that keep me on the surface (it's not too fast is it?)  So far altitude is holding.
Also, is there an easy way to do a reverse, like let's say I'm going at warp speeds and overshoot my target?  I noticed the ship slows down as it approaches the target anyway (I hope this is always the case), but I want to be prepared in case I overshoot.
One thing I see that might be a graphical glitch, when I go to the surface of a planet I see a weird grid like pattern in the sky, but when I press go to surface a second time the glitch goes away.  Is this a known issue?