Ultimate space simulation software

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Intergalactic trip in preparation

08 Jul 2021 16:43

Or you can use the "go to" with warp that boosts your ship to 10 km/s relative to your target and engages warp until you're there. You can then increase your relative speed to make the trip shorter if you wish to.
You don't need to wait until that's done to increase your relative speed; even if you're going nearly the speed of light, the autopilot will simply correct your vector and activate warp. You don't need to bypass the autopilot to get the desired speed.
Yes of course, I was just trying to keep it simple for Alex to understand the basics since he doesn't seem to have any experience with ships. But that's definitely a valid thing to add.
You can even increase your speed while in warp (with the autopilot engaged) to make the trip shorter.
 
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Intergalactic trip in preparation

11 Jul 2021 04:43

You can change the field of view the same way as in the planetarium in the bottom right menu.
Thanks is there any way to do an "autopilot" where I can set a constant speed and course and calculate the amount of time it would take to get to a precalculated destination?
Yes, kind of. You can either use the "go to" button which is gonna accelerate you towards your target until halfway there and then slow down, but the range is limited to a solar system for it not to take at least years.
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Or you can use the "go to" with warp that boosts your ship to 10 km/s relative to your target and engages warp until you're there. You can then increase your relative speed to make the trip shorter if you wish to.
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Well, let me give you  a better idea of what I'm trying to do.  I've gotten into making 12 hour videos using OBS and then uploading them to youtube.  Is there any way to automate a trip so it lasts just under 12 hours so I can fit the entirety of the trip into one of my 12 hour videos?  Is there also a way to do a 12 hour video of an exploratory mission over the surface of a planet I find interesting and make it automated (autopilot) without flying off into space or crashing into the surface of the planet?  I have to maintain a fixed altitude above the surface without constantly being at the controls..... and can I use the same ship for both intergalactic and planetary missions or do I have to use a different kind of ship for each?
I want everything automated because I dont want to be at the computer for 12 hours lol.
 
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Intergalactic trip in preparation

11 Jul 2021 04:46

Or you can use the "go to" with warp that boosts your ship to 10 km/s relative to your target and engages warp until you're there. You can then increase your relative speed to make the trip shorter if you wish to.
You don't need to wait until that's done to increase your relative speed; even if you're going nearly the speed of light, the autopilot will simply correct your vector and activate warp. You don't need to bypass the autopilot to get the desired speed.
Yes of course, I was just trying to keep it simple for Alex to understand the basics since he doesn't seem to have any experience with ships. But that's definitely a valid thing to add.
You can even increase your speed while in warp (with the autopilot engaged) to make the trip shorter.
The way I'm doing it right now seems to be way more complicated and doesn't let me do 12 hour automated videos over planets because I need to be at the keyboard to make sure it doesn't crash into the surface or fly off into space.  Intergalactic 12 hour videos seem to be easier, but still involve some trial and error.  I use figures for diameters of galaxies and start at one end of he galaxy and use those calculations to determine how fast my speed needs to be to make it to the other end of the galaxy in just under 12 hours.
 
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Intergalactic trip in preparation

11 Jul 2021 06:14

I have to maintain a fixed altitude above the surface without constantly being at the controls.....
Find a planetary ship, such as the Skylone, and use the hold altitude button. It's left of the face target button. Just keep in mind some buttons do different things between Orb, Warp, Dock and Surf. Prograde in Orb faces you the direction you're going, but in Warp it faces you in the direction you have to accelerate to get your prograde marker over the target.
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11 Jul 2021 18:12

I have to maintain a fixed altitude above the surface without constantly being at the controls.....
Find a planetary ship, such as the Skylone, and use the hold altitude button. It's left of the face target button. Just keep in mind some buttons do different things between Orb, Warp, Dock and Surf. Prograde in Orb faces you the direction you're going, but in Warp it faces you in the direction you have to accelerate to get your prograde marker over the target.
Wow, that's amazing that there's a feature like that.  I had no idea.  I was using SE like SNPP (like a planetarium) and didn't even use any of the flight simulator functions or know features like that were available.  So I can set both constant altitude and constant speed?  There wouldn't be a compass feature on any of these ships to show me which direction I was going on a planet would there (N, S, E, W, etc.)?  I bought the Pro version hoping there were more features in here than in the regular version.  And thanks for the help- I had asked before and been told that there are no such features like this available.
 
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Intergalactic trip in preparation

12 Jul 2021 03:33

So I can set both constant altitude and constant speed?
Hold altitude does what it says on the tin, it locks your altitude. Fly to the desired height then activate, or use it to prevent a crash landing, You are free to change your speed and rotational on the horizontal plane, but vertical movement will be restricted. Holding down will put your ship in a temporary state of freefall, but the autopilot will prevent it from descending faster than 20m/s, making it useful for landing
There wouldn't be a compass feature on any of these ships to show me which direction I was going on a planet would there (N, S, E, W, etc.)?
In Horizontal and Orbital mode, you'll have compasses on your top and right sides showing you your pitch and yaw.
I bought the Pro version hoping there were more features in here than in the regular version.
That forty quid you spent on pro is as good as dirt unless you're a content creator, or obsess over HD skyboxes. Pro is just a license for content creation with a few extra bells and whistles.
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Intergalactic trip in preparation

12 Jul 2021 06:17

So I can set both constant altitude and constant speed?
Hold altitude does what it says on the tin, it locks your altitude. Fly to the desired height then activate, or use it to prevent a crash landing, You are free to change your speed and rotational on the horizontal plane, but vertical movement will be restricted. Holding down will put your ship in a temporary state of freefall, but the autopilot will prevent it from descending faster than 20m/s, making it useful for landing
There wouldn't be a compass feature on any of these ships to show me which direction I was going on a planet would there (N, S, E, W, etc.)?
In Horizontal and Orbital mode, you'll have compasses on your top and right sides showing you your pitch and yaw.
I bought the Pro version hoping there were more features in here than in the regular version.
That forty quid you spent on pro is as good as dirt unless you're a content creator, or obsess over HD skyboxes. Pro is just a license for content creation with a few extra bells and whistles.
Thanks, I've been asking about these features for a few years and been told they haven't been developed yet..... haha.  So "holding" doesn't mean I need to keep the button pressed, I can just set it to hold altitude and set the compass direction in flight simulation mode and it will keep that altitude and direction until I change the settings?  Both of these things only work with planetary ships right?
Spent about 100 in total because I had the regular version first for around 20 and then about another 80 to do the upgrade.  I do like the HD skyboxes but haven't done much with them outside of making 4K screenshots while my screen resolution is only 1080P.
 
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Intergalactic trip in preparation

12 Jul 2021 07:06

So "holding" doesn't mean I need to keep the button pressed, I can just set it to hold altitude and set the compass direction in flight simulation mode and it will keep that altitude and direction until I change the settings?  Both of these things only work with planetary ships right?
Yes. Just keep in mind that the autopilot only controls the vertical speed and orientation - everything else you control, such as horizontal speed and heading.
Spent about 100 in total because I had the regular version first for around 20 and then about another 80 to do the upgrade.  I do like the HD skyboxes but haven't done much with them outside of making 4K screenshots while my screen resolution is only 1080P.
You won't find much value in the Pro tools then. If you don't feel good about the purchase, you could probably get a refund.
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12 Jul 2021 19:19

So "holding" doesn't mean I need to keep the button pressed, I can just set it to hold altitude and set the compass direction in flight simulation mode and it will keep that altitude and direction until I change the settings?  Both of these things only work with planetary ships right?
Yes. Just keep in mind that the autopilot only controls the vertical speed and orientation - everything else you control, such as horizontal speed and heading.
Spent about 100 in total because I had the regular version first for around 20 and then about another 80 to do the upgrade.  I do like the HD skyboxes but haven't done much with them outside of making 4K screenshots while my screen resolution is only 1080P.
You won't find much value in the Pro tools then. If you don't feel good about the purchase, you could probably get a refund.
No I'll keep it...I figure I'm helping fund really good work that I really can't find elsewhere.  And who knows, maybe if there is a paid upgrade in the future, I wont have to pay for it ;)
Okay as far as horizontal speed and heading, let's say I set it to WNW (just picking a random compass heading) and say 1000 km/s for horizontal speed.....and leave it there for a few hours when I go to sleep and OBS is recording the video?  It will just stay on that heading and horizontal speed, and the same distance above the landscape until I wake up and change it?
Also, is there a way to get music from the music folder to play in flight simulator mode?  For some reason the music doesn't play when I go into that mode.  And thanks again for all the help!

edit- got the music to resume in Flight Simulator mode right from where it left off in Planetarium mode, so thats sorted out!  Now as for planetary ships, where do I find the one you referenced, do I have to land on a planet first?  Under My Ships I see Cruise Ship (Planetship Class) and a bunch of Starships (Asterisk, Explorer-2a, Fire Dragonfly and SS Science).  I also have a bunch under Other Ships but those are all Probes or Shuttles or Space Stations or a Planetary Base.

Cant find the hold altitude button, is that the button on the lower row all the way to the right (just to the left of the Target button?)  If so, it wont let me press it.

Also, I've gotten pitch and yaw to work with the number pad but while those numbers do change, it doesn't change the direction I'm facing (I want to actually face that direction, like I can using the number pad in Planetarium mode)?  Is there a way to do both at the same time?

second edit- I built the Skylone ship using the manual and that seems to have fixed my pitch, yaw and hold altitude issues since all of these now work properly using this ship :)
 
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Intergalactic trip in preparation

12 Jul 2021 21:02

I don't entirely understand the question you're asking, but the purpose of the slingshot is to increase the ships' velocity as much as possible in order for warp to go faster than just using the engines.
Of course since ships have unlimited fuel and there is time acceleration you could reach those speeds without using the slingshot, but for the sake of roleplay I like to limit myself to a certain speed ships can achieve by themselves.
Well, basically I am asking how to do this.  I don't think it's possible in Planetarium mode?  Also, which ship did you use?
No it's a maneuver that's meant for ships in the flight simulator. Ships don't have any limitations regarding fuel usage or time spent so this maneuver is just meant to simulate what you would need to do if those limitations existed.
I used the X-wing but you can do this slingshot with any ship as long as it has warp capabilities.
I made a video a couple of years ago on how to do the slingshot:
Hey question, how do I build the X-wing for intergalactic trips?  I dont see it in my default list of ships.  Thanks!
 
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Intergalactic trip in preparation

13 Jul 2021 03:31

Okay as far as horizontal speed and heading, let's say I set it to WNW (just picking a random compass heading) and say 1000 km/s for horizontal speed.....and leave it there for a few hours when I go to sleep and OBS is recording the video?  It will just stay on that heading and horizontal speed, and the same distance above the landscape until I wake up and change it?
1000km/s is the orbital velocity you approach near a stellar black hole, and besides hold altitude doesn't prevent you from flying upwards due to exceeding orbital velocity. Somewhere below orbital velocity would be a better place to aim for, and even then just establishing an orbit might be a better option for airless worlds.
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Intergalactic trip in preparation

13 Jul 2021 09:02

Okay as far as horizontal speed and heading, let's say I set it to WNW (just picking a random compass heading) and say 1000 km/s for horizontal speed.....and leave it there for a few hours when I go to sleep and OBS is recording the video?  It will just stay on that heading and horizontal speed, and the same distance above the landscape until I wake up and change it?
1000km/s is the orbital velocity you approach near a stellar black hole, and besides hold altitude doesn't prevent you from flying upwards due to exceeding orbital velocity. Somewhere below orbital velocity would be a better place to aim for, and even then just establishing an orbit might be a better option for airless worlds.
Thanks, that explains why I was flying off so much.  Is 100 km/s more reasonable?  How come there is no hold altitude in Planetarium mode (it's always either flying off into space or crashing into the ground- like at 100 km/s).
Also, I got most of it sorted out except for this-  how do I get a planetary ship to a distant exoplanet, like let's say I want to do a flyover of a planet in the Andromeda galaxy, how do I get the planetary ship there in a reasonable amount of time to do the flyover?  I assume I cant do these functions we talked about using to explore planets- hold altitude function and setting compass direction and steady horizontal speed using a starship?  Also, how do I increase the speed of the ship...I am trying to use the arrow keys like I do in Planetarium mode, but the speed isn't increasing?  I've also tried to do this with star ships in interstellar and intergalactic space.  edit- figured it out using the manual, use the mouse scroll wheel!  

Is there any way to get a portal view of a planet/outer space from inside the ship looking out from its windows?  And can I use an interstellar ship like the Fire Dragonfly to perform the same functions (hold altitude, steady horizontal speed, set compass direction, etc.)  as a planetary ship like the Skylone while doing a planetary flyover?
 
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13 Jul 2021 14:27

Thanks, that explains why I was flying off so much.  Is 100 km/s more reasonable?
Orbital velocity close to Earth is 8km/s, and Earth is the largest rocky body in the system. I'd suggest developing an intuition for spaceflight and physics before doing anything else because 100km/s is still a tenth of the orbital velocity around a black hole. It's still a stupidly big number. Hold altitude was really just made to help you fly just above the surface of a body at low speeds.
How come there is no hold altitude in Planetarium mode (it's always either flying off into space or crashing into the ground- like at 100 km/s).
I'm not sure why you'd need to do this at 100km/s when your target for a 12hr video should be closer to a few hundred meters a second. Besides that, planetarium mode wasn't built for maneuvering like a spaceship - there's no need to hold altitude.
Also, I got most of it sorted out except for this-  how do I get a planetary ship to a distant exoplanet, like let's say I want to do a flyover of a planet in the Andromeda galaxy, how do I get the planetary ship there in a reasonable amount of time to do the flyover?
A planetary ship already takes days to cross a small system, going interstellar would take in-game years, which would be a long time at 10,000x warp - the max time accel in flight simulation mode. Your only option to get across without rebuilding the ship is to dock it to a larger interstellar ship capable of entering warp, which is difficult on its own.
 I assume I cant do these functions we talked about using to explore planets- hold altitude function and setting compass direction and steady horizontal speed using a starship?
Hold altitude cannot be done with starships.
Also, how do I increase the speed of the ship...I am trying to use the arrow keys like I do in Planetarium mode, but the speed isn't increasing?  I've also tried to do this with star ships in interstellar and intergalactic space.  edit- figured it out using the manual, use the mouse scroll wheel!  
You can also use the bar at the bottom.
Is there any way to get a portal view of a planet/outer space from inside the ship looking out from its windows?  And can I use an interstellar ship like the Fire Dragonfly to perform the same functions (hold altitude, steady horizontal speed, set compass direction, etc.)  as a planetary ship like the Skylone while doing a planetary flyover?
Ship interiors aren't implemented yet. Interstellar ships weren't built to land or go near planets - you really want to dock a smaller ship and use that for landings.
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13 Jul 2021 17:38

Thanks, that explains why I was flying off so much.  Is 100 km/s more reasonable?
Orbital velocity close to Earth is 8km/s, and Earth is the largest rocky body in the system. I'd suggest developing an intuition for spaceflight and physics before doing anything else because 100km/s is still a tenth of the orbital velocity around a black hole. It's still a stupidly big number. Hold altitude was really just made to help you fly just above the surface of a body at low speeds.
How come there is no hold altitude in Planetarium mode (it's always either flying off into space or crashing into the ground- like at 100 km/s).
I'm not sure why you'd need to do this at 100km/s when your target for a 12hr video should be closer to a few hundred meters a second. Besides that, planetarium mode wasn't built for maneuvering like a spaceship - there's no need to hold altitude.
Also, I got most of it sorted out except for this-  how do I get a planetary ship to a distant exoplanet, like let's say I want to do a flyover of a planet in the Andromeda galaxy, how do I get the planetary ship there in a reasonable amount of time to do the flyover?
A planetary ship already takes days to cross a small system, going interstellar would take in-game years, which would be a long time at 10,000x warp - the max time accel in flight simulation mode. Your only option to get across without rebuilding the ship is to dock it to a larger interstellar ship capable of entering warp, which is difficult on its own.
 I assume I cant do these functions we talked about using to explore planets- hold altitude function and setting compass direction and steady horizontal speed using a starship?
Hold altitude cannot be done with starships.
Also, how do I increase the speed of the ship...I am trying to use the arrow keys like I do in Planetarium mode, but the speed isn't increasing?  I've also tried to do this with star ships in interstellar and intergalactic space.  edit- figured it out using the manual, use the mouse scroll wheel!  
You can also use the bar at the bottom.
Is there any way to get a portal view of a planet/outer space from inside the ship looking out from its windows?  And can I use an interstellar ship like the Fire Dragonfly to perform the same functions (hold altitude, steady horizontal speed, set compass direction, etc.)  as a planetary ship like the Skylone while doing a planetary flyover?
Ship interiors aren't implemented yet. Interstellar ships weren't built to land or go near planets - you really want to dock a smaller ship and use that for landings.
I tried those lower speeds in planetarium mode, and it just makes me crash into the planet.  I guess that's why I got so used to using higher speeds and simply course correcting when I got too high up.  I've been trying to find a happy medium where it wont crash me and wont zoom me up into space, are you saying there is a way to do that in planetarium mode or is flight simulator mode needed for that?
Since docking a planetary ship to an interstellar ship is difficult, can I simply take an interstellar ship to a distant exoplanet and use it like I would use a planetary ship just above the surface of a planet (with hold altitude, directional compass and fixed horizontal speed intact?)  I believe I might have a solution.  It turns out there is a small warp drive built into the Skylone ship you referenced....not the default one but the modified one in the manual.  I downloaded the files for it, but they are from 2016 (so made for 0.980), will these work with 0.990?  Also bar at the bottom- the one where I see Main engines 0 listed?  Thanks!

edit- if I choose the build option- can I do the following- 1) fly a starship to my chosen destination (let's say that's the Fire Dragonfly to a procedural system in the Andromeda Galaxy), 2) build a planetary Skylone ship once I get to that destination and 3) fly over a planet using that Skylone ship I just built there?  One thing I noticed is that I can't save locations in Flight Simulator mode and then go back to them the same way I can in Planetarium mode?  I didn't see a Go To option listed under Locations in Flight Simulator mode.  So if I exit the program and return to it again later I will have to do this procedure (or any procedure) all over again?

http://spaceengine.org/flight/#link-38
Although the Skylone (yes, we’ll use that ship for the lessons. It’s the Cessna of the Space Age!) provided by the simulator is great, we’ll use a mildly modified version, with stronger engines and equipped with a warp drive for mid range travels. You can find this modified version here: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B7OB_dhOlv9CdnNhMnJKTENIYTQ . Just extract the contents into the root SpaceEngine folder on your NICSS. Don’t worry, no original files will be modified. To go back to the original Skylone, just find the Skylone.sss and Skylone.cfg files and remove them.
 
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14 Jul 2021 05:46

I tried those lower speeds in planetarium mode, and it just makes me crash into the planet.  I guess that's why I got so used to using higher speeds and simply course correcting when I got too high up.  I've been trying to find a happy medium where it wont crash me and wont zoom me up into space, are you saying there is a way to do that in planetarium mode or is flight simulator mode needed for that?
Flight simulator mode will be needed. The free mode auto-level isn't perfect and your camera will drift up or down.
Since docking a planetary ship to an interstellar ship is difficult, can I simply take an interstellar ship to a distant exoplanet and use it like I would use a planetary ship just above the surface of a planet (with hold altitude, directional compass and fixed horizontal speed intact?)
Nope. You can try and it won't be realistic, and it especially won't work if SE ever introduces fuel, crash damage and the structural instability of a massive interstellar ship on a planetary surface. Your best option here is to just dock with an interstellar ship. It'll get progressively easier with each docking, and you might learn some handy techniques for saving time, such as setting the orientation of the mothership and planetary ship to prograde to eliminate pitch and yaw.
I believe I might have a solution.  It turns out there is a small warp drive built into the Skylone ship you referenced....not the default one but the modified one in the manual.  I downloaded the files for it, but they are from 2016 (so made for 0.980), will these work with 0.990?  Also bar at the bottom- the one where I see Main engines 0 listed?  Thanks!
1. You can try it.
2. Yep, that bar. Interstellar ships also let you throttle the warp drive if available using the bar below the main engine and thruster bars.
edit- if I choose the build option- can I do the following- 1) fly a starship to my chosen destination (let's say that's the Fire Dragonfly to a procedural system in the Andromeda Galaxy), 2) build a planetary Skylone ship once I get to that destination and 3) fly over a planet using that Skylone ship I just built there?
If you like.
One thing I noticed is that I can't save locations in Flight Simulator mode and then go back to them the same way I can in Planetarium mode?  I didn't see a Go To option listed under Locations in Flight Simulator mode.  So if I exit the program and return to it again later I will have to do this procedure (or any procedure) all over again?
Flight Sim does not permit jumping through time. Go To is replaced with Select so you can fly to your locations with a ship.
At this point, I'd suggest going through the manual yourself. You'll develop and intuition for spaceflight and many of your questions will be answered.
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