Basic or Avanced Flight Control Unit what would YOU choose as a minimum

[five]

In Starbase there are three types of FCUs: Basic, Advanced and Premium. Now you always HAVE to have a FCU as far as I can understand. You always have a minimum of what you have to have. The minimum equipment for a flight would then be basic FCU. The basic FCU gives you standard controls for atmospheric flight: Accelerate, Decelerate, Pitch, Yaw, Roll. But since Starbase is a space game I would say the minimum you would need would be a advanced FCU that gives you the ability to strafe left, right, up and down. I wanna know what your thoughts are

Your curious fella, five

 

[CalenLoki]

You don't have to have FCU+MCU. It's totally possible to steer just with yolol, or even just with levers.

So far nobody is really utilising strafing, at least for combat. It's just too many controls for single keyboard input. It's useful for navigation in tight spaces and for autopilot (avoiding asteroids without changing course).
Theoretically it can give quite a lot of benefits, but first someone needs to break the current full-forward trend with efficient design. I'm slowly working on it.

TL: DR Basic for fighters, unless you really build a ship designed for strafing.

 

[Inevati]

As far as I understand it, the FCU helps modulate the thrusters to keep the ship moving perfectly forward while inevitably being slightly asymmetric as well.

Most ships in the real world accelerate in a single direction and turn around to utilize the same engine to slow down. Strafing is only really used for docking I believe. Even in Mass Effect there is a point during the game where they state the ship needs to turn around half way through its course to decelerate.

I personally believe that having one large engine group in the back is the most efficient while having small maneuver thrusters to land and translate with at low speed. Turn around to stop if you're going really fast. Depending on differences in part cost, I would probably use the basic FCU and use YOLOL for landing or basic translation for stuff like refueling or picking up cargo.

Of course it depends on the type of ship as well. I think the vast majority would benefit from these design choices.

 

[Meetbolio]

As far as I understand it, the FCU helps modulate the thrusters to keep the ship moving perfectly forward while inevitably being slightly asymmetric as well.

Most ships in the real world accelerate in a single direction and turn around to utilize the same engine to slow down. Strafing is only really used for docking I believe. Even in Mass Effect there is a point during the game where they state the ship needs to turn around half way through its course to decelerate.

I personally believe that having one large engine group in the back is the most efficient while having small maneuver thrusters to land and translate with at low speed. Turn around to stop if you're going really fast. Depending on differences in part cost, I would probably use the basic FCU and use YOLOL for landing or basic translation for stuff like refueling or picking up cargo.

Of course it depends on the type of ship as well. I think the vast majority would benefit from these design choices.

Flip-n-burn is what they call that maneuver. Most effecient way of slowing down, so long as you have good pitch or yaw.

 

[five]

Okay let me frame the question differently: What FCU would be more effective for combat? Basic or advanced?
I would argue that strafing gives you the opportunity to fly tighter curves and give you the edge in maneuverabiltiy over spacecraft without advanced FCU

 

[Meetbolio]

Okay let me frame the question differently: What FCU would be more effective for combat? Basic or advanced?
I would argue that strafing gives you the opportunity to fly tighter curves and give you the edge in maneuverabiltiy over spacecraft without advanced FCU

Your statement is true, however strafing is greatly underused and I don't know anyone from my friends who uses it in battles like I do.
Until we have mouse controls, strafing will be a greatly underused technique that not many will use and even less people will master.

 

[five]

Your statement is true, however strafing is greatly underused and I don't know anyone from my friends who uses it in battles like I do.
Until we have mouse controls, strafing will be a greatly underused technique that not many will use and even less people will master.

I used it alot when battling friends in SE and in Planet Side 2 (Not reaaaalllyyy a space game) using strafing is at the core of being a good fighter pilot. I also wanna play with a hotas in the future. Which would take 90% of the controlls + I can bind some buttons for strafing.

 

[Inevati]

I remember planet side 2. I used to fly the Terran republic mosquito. Not sure about the other ships, but if you couldn't strafe then that ship was almost completely useless lol.

Strafing allows you to keep pointed in the direction you're actually firing in while not flying straight towards them. For combat I think it's invaluable. I think the best application would be to have you main thrusters on the back and a couple large thrusters pointed down. Orient the ship however you want but only use the bottom thrusters for combat strafing. Less weight. In my opinion that makes a better ship and pilots only have to spend a small amount of time learning to use it properly.

 

[five]

I remember planet side 2. I used to fly the Terran republic mosquito. Not sure about the other ships, but if you couldn't strafe then that ship was almost completely useless lol.

Strafing allows you to keep pointed in the direction you're actually firing in while not flying straight towards them. For combat I think it's invaluable. I think the best application would be to have you main thrusters on the back and a couple large thrusters pointed down. Orient the ship however you want but only use the bottom thrusters for combat strafing. Less weight. In my opinion that makes a better ship and pilots only have to spend a small amount of time learning to use it properly.

First of all: HELL YEAH TR BROTHER I love the mosquito aswell

Second: I have a thread where I wanna discuss the idea of vector thrusters (Link: https://forum.starbasegame.com/threads/vectored-thrust-and-vtol-and-that-kinda-stuff.1281/ ).