Improved navigation tools: Gyroscopes and Inertial Sensors

[StandPeter]

Virtually any real-world spacecraft or aircraft above a certain weight class has an Inertial Navigation System to help them figure out where they are and where they are headed. I think including similar tools would benefit creative builds and significantly improve quality-of-life in Starbase. Here are some spitball ideas:

Navigation Gyroscope - the rotor at the center of the gyro stays put during rotation, so this device can measure the spacecraft's current rotation
YOLOL fields:
- GyroX: ship pitch
- GyroY: ship yaw
- GyroZ: ship roll
- GyroReset: set the current ship rotation to 0 (ie measure future readings compared to the current heading)

Inertial Sensor - inertial sensors can detect the sensor's current velocity. They are effectively a space speedometer.
YOLOL Fields:
- VelocityX
- VelocityY
- VelocityZ

I think both devices would add a ton of really useful features that are currently missing in Starbase. For instance:
- A working speedometer
- The ability to match ship heading to a turret's current orientation
- Diagnostics to detect unbalanced maneuvering thrusters
- Transmit ship heading to help fly in formation
- The ability to give accurate-ish directions (ie reset gyros at the easy build spawn on Origin 14 and fly 30.5,46.7,-12.1 for 100km)
- Autopilot that turns off engines after a collision changes your heading

 

[geezergamer]

This would be an awesome add on.
It will make self guided flight possible as well.

(i.e. Docking Procedure)
You set your script to target a stored position for a station (Origin or Player), a particular field you like to plow in, or checkpoints of a safe(er) flight path through PVP space.

You click a button on your board and off you go based on some parameters.
1. Clear Path (using the distance detection module could add feedback for parameters there and even cause the ship to slow down and maneuver around an obstacle)
2. Weight of the craft
3. Propellant onboard calculated on most efficient throttle rate
4. Fuel Rod power remaining again for the most efficient throttle rate

This could even add feedback for the player on an ETA lol (Great for bathroom breaks in Safe Zone jumps)

 

[Womble]

Accelerometers should be a thing along with gyroscopes. Then you can use YOLOL to build your inertial guidance system out of basic components, which seems in keeping with the devs' intents.

 

[Amos.37]

Some of these already exist in game through YOLOL.
The collective have made ISAN, essentially a Coordinates system that can be installed on any ship.
ISAN can also be used to give your speed, heading and even be made into an autopilot.
Asteroid avoidance systems can be made with rangefinders and YOLOL.

While I admit that having designated tools for navigation would be helpful, most of the functions you're talking about already exist.

 

[Womble]

ISAN depends on external references. Who is to say that those (or similar) reference points will be available the other side of a warp gate? Or that future developments won't mean people can disrupt them locally or globally?

 

[Jakaal]

ISAN is a decent system but it should NOT be the only means of navigation. It's like taking the insrument panel out of a plane b/c you have a GPS. It's a decent tool but no way in hell should it be the only tool in the toolbox.

 

[StandPeter]

ISAN is better for positioning; it can technically be used as an accelerometer/gyro but its really not optimal - it requires a lot of complex math only to end up with slow and imprecise results.

Having a GPS (aka ISAN) alongside separate gyros and accelerometers would enable a lot more stuff than just a GPS that's forced to fit all three roles. That's why most real-world craft have all three.

 

[anton_stezhkin]

ISAN is better for positioning; it can technically be used as an accelerometer/gyro but its really not optimal - it requires a lot of complex math only to end up with slow and imprecise results.

And that's good! How else do you explain the value of maths to people?

 

[anton_stezhkin]

That sounds good, but if you give the math-mages power to know their exact speed and acceleration, they will design some kind of monstrocity thet will blow up your ship before you even blink. At least in SE the situation is close to this.

 

[Quevin]

100% agreed, we have been asking for this since the beginning of Closed Alpha.

 

[Womble]

The fact that a basic YOLOL chip can't do MOD() is a reflection of the weird mix of primitive (wot ships can compute and 'sense') and immensely advanced (your Endo which must have very capable proprioception and control processing running at the Teraflop rate, rather than the centafip-at-3-d.p. of a YOLOL chip) that we just have to handwave into the background...

 

[Copone]

Great idea, maybe one day we will see this implemented or close to it, not just ISAN

 

[Womble]

Oh, I just remembered that it's kind of relative. There's a way of determining your orientation and its changes; it's used by the fully automated mining ship that you can probably google for, and involves tractor beams and a perfect cube.

 

[Amos.37]

The devs have said that capital ships will use some sort of coordinates system in order to select locations for fast-travel/ jumps. So presumably some sort of in-game coordinates system will be added.
I have no idea what it will look like or how it will work though.

 

[StandPeter]

The fact that a basic YOLOL chip can't do MOD() is a reflection of the weird mix of primitive (wot ships can compute and 'sense') and immensely advanced (your Endo which must have very capable proprioception and control processing running at the Teraflop rate, rather than the centafip-at-3-d.p. of a YOLOL chip) that we just have to handwave into the background...

Hahaha I actually really like the juxtaposition of a universe where hyper-advanced robots have to make do with dinosaur computers.

That sounds good, but if you give the math-mages power to know their exact speed and acceleration, they will design some kind of monstrocity thet will blow up your ship before you even blink. At least in SE the situation is close to this.

I'm not sure what you mean. The "math mages" already have some semblance of this power and I'm suggesting these devices to move the power back into the hands of the common player.

Navigating the belt with any degree of accuracy currently requires ISAN. I hate that. A critical tool for enjoying the game is locked behind community involvement and the ability to awkwardly copy intimidating code into the game. And even then the belt can still be very disorienting unless you know how to do matrix rotations and signal filtering in code.

With a gyro, new players could do some rough navigation using nothing more than a display and the origin transponders.

Smart ships that automatically kill players will still be very far away from reality even if they add this much needed QoL boost.

 

[anton_stezhkin]

ISAN and 0.2 seconds per line give coordinates with accuracy +- 100m. And not accurate speed. Who knows what they do if they have the data?
Don't underestimate their power and cunning!

 

[Quevin]

ISAN and 0.2 seconds per line give coordinates with accuracy +- 100m. And not accurate speed. Who knows what they do if they have the data?
Don't underestimate their power and cunning!

play gps will never be accurate or reliable.

Simple example:
use player gps on the moon!

 

[anton_stezhkin]

Does it even reach there? Does the moon block the reciever signals?
And... that was my next suggestion. Player-made Retransmitters for ISAN station siglals.