Difference between revisions of "Flight UI"

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The flight UI or HUD of Pioneer is made of several different parts:
 
The flight UI or HUD of Pioneer is made of several different parts:
  
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(Notice: this article contains elements from an upcoming release. The curious could try building master until that :) )
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[[File:01 parts.png|none|Parts of the flight UI]]
  
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[[File:01 parts.png|none|Parts of the flight UI]]
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 +
  
 
== Central reticule ==
 
== Central reticule ==
  
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[[File:02 01 deltaV.png|right|02 01 deltaV.png]]Along with the crosshair, the central reticule shows vital flight related information. With the help of them, you can navigate around, performe transits to anywhere without an autopilot.
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[[File:02 01 deltaV.png|right|02 01 deltaV.png]]Along with the crosshair, the central reticule shows vital flight related information. With the help of them, you can navigate around, perform transits to anywhere without an autopilot.
−
 
 
−
 
 
  
 
=== DeltaV bar ===
 
=== DeltaV bar ===
  
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The bars on the left side of the reticule are displaying the deltaV reserves of your ship. You could consider it as a "fuel" display, since deltaV is the capability of your ship to change speed.
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The bars on the left side of the reticule are displaying the deltaV reserves of your ship.  They can be thought of as a "fuel" display, since deltaV is the capability of the ship to change speed.
−
 
 
−
There are two bars there. The left one is your current speed. The right one is the deltaV capacity of your ship. Beneath it the fainter bar shows the maximum deltaV capacity.
 
  
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As your speed increases, the left bar will start to build up, which shows the speed of the ship proportional to it's deltaV reserves. Practically if the speed bar is bigger than the deltaV bar, you will not be able to slow down and stop, because you don't have enough propellant (fuel). Usually it's wise to keep some in reserve, so you have room for corrections if something goes unexpected. The autopilot uses about 1/3<sup>rd</sup>&nbsp;of it for acceleration, another&nbsp;1/3<sup>rd</sup>&nbsp;for deceleration, and the remainder is saved.
+
There are two bars there. The left one shows current speed. The right one shows the deltaV capacity of the ship. Beneath it, the fainter bar shows the maximum deltaV capacity.
  
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&nbsp;
+
Under them one finds a numerical display of the deltaV reserves. It shows the&nbsp;% of maximum deltaV (with full fuel tanks), and the remaining deltaV in km/s or Mm/s.
  
−
&nbsp;
+
As speed increases, the left bar will start to build up, which shows the speed of the ship proportional to its deltaV reserves. Practically, if the speed bar is bigger than the deltaV bar, you will not be able to slow down and stop, because you do not have enough propellant (fuel). Usually it is wise to keep some in reserve, so there is room for corrections for the unexpected. The autopilot uses about 1/3<sup>rd</sup>&nbsp;of it for acceleration, another&nbsp;1/3<sup>rd</sup>&nbsp;for deceleration, and the remainder is saved.
  
 
=== Orientation displays ===
 
=== Orientation displays ===
Line 30: Line 27:
 
[[File:02 02 orient.png|right|Orientation displays]]
 
[[File:02 02 orient.png|right|Orientation displays]]
  
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There are three orientation displays on the central reticule. There are toggleable numerical displays available for each.
+
There are three orientation displays on the central reticule. There are numerical displays available for each.
 +
 
 +
#Compass: Shows ship orientation in relation to the cardinal directions of North, East, South, West. Useful if you need to navigate to a downed ship in distress, for example.
 +
#Pitch indicator: Shows pitch relative to the ground. The central tick means you are parallel to the ground, the upper and lower are 90°: looking directly&nbsp;up or down respectively.
 +
#Roll indicator: Shows roll (bank) relative to the ground. The shorter half of the "L"s always point towards the ground. This is also useful in space, where they always point toward the planet or reference frame, so you can easily feel where you need to rotate to find it.  
  
−
#Compass: Shows your orientation in relation to the cardinal directions of North, East, South, West. Useful if you need to navigate to a downed ship in distress for example.
+
&nbsp;
−
#Pitch indicator: Shows your pitch relative to the ground. The central tick means you are parallel to the ground, the upper and lower are 90°: looking directly&nbsp;up or down respectively, and the smaller inbetween ones are 45°.
 
−
#Roll indicator: Shows your roll (bank) relative to the ground. The shorter half of the "L"s always point towards the ground. That can come in handy in space too, they always point towards the planet or target, so you can easily feel where you need to rotate to find it.
 
  
 
&nbsp;
 
&nbsp;
  
 
&nbsp;
 
&nbsp;
 +
 +
&nbsp;
 +
 +
&nbsp;
 +
 +
  
 
=== Flight data&nbsp; ===
 
=== Flight data&nbsp; ===
  
−
[[File:02 03 data.png|right|02 03 data.png]] [[File:02 04 data.png|right|RTENOTITLE]]
+
[[File:02 03 data.png|right|02 03 data.png]]
  
−
Flight related data are displayed on the sides of the reticule. If the frame of reference data isn't shown on the right side, a compact version is shown on the left.
+
Flight related data are displayed on the sides of the reticule. If the frame of reference data is not shown on the right side, a compact version is shown on the left.
  
 
#Name of the object for the displayed data.  
 
#Name of the object for the displayed data.  
−
#Closing speed. The speed you are approaching your target, which might not be the same as your speed relative to it. If negative, then you are getting closer to your target, if positive, you are getting further away from it.
+
#Closing speed. The speed of approach to selected target, which might not be the same as the speed of the ship relative to it. If negative, then you are getting closer to your target, if positive, you are getting further away from it.  
−
#Distance to the target and relative speed. Measured to their surface.  
+
#Approximate braking distance, measured in the same unit as the speed. An approximation of the distance needed to slow down&nbsp;to a full stop relative to the target or frame respectively. This is a helpful navigation aid, since it shows how far from your target you need to start decelerating in order to stop close to it target. It is based on the thrust of the main thrusters, so you need to turn your ship around, and decelerate with them. If the distance is smaller than the braking distance, there will not be enough time to stop, causing either an overshoot of target or a crash.
−
#Approximate braking distance, measured in the same unit as your speed. An approximation of the distance you will need to slow down&nbsp;to a full stop relative to the target or frame respectively. It's a helpful navigation aid, since you will see, how far from your target you need to start decelerating in order to stop close to your target. It is based on the thrust of your main thrusters, so you need to turn your ship around, and decelerate with them. If your distance is smaller than the braking distance, you will not be able to stop in time, so you will overshoot your target (or hit it).  
+
#Distance to the target and relative speed. Measured to its surface.  
−
#Display selector: allows switching the display to show data related to your current frame, navigation target or combat target.  
+
#Display selector: allows switching the display to show data related to the current frame, navigation target or combat target, respectively. Text color also represents it: Light gray for Frame, Green for Nav target and Red for targeted ships (combat target).
−
#Braking distance bar, complementing the braking distance readout. A visual display of your braking distance in relation to your distance to your target. There are two bars on top of each other that fill up as you are getting close to your target: a gray one for your retro thrusters and a white one for your mains.&nbsp;If the bar is filled up, it's 100%, if it starts to&nbsp;fill up from above with a red bar, then you will overshoot. &nbsp;Only shows if you are getting closer to your target (closing speed is negative). Note that the bar will fill up as you are getting closer to your target, even if you aren't accelerating.  
+
#Set speed display, for the Set Speed flight mode, and the reference object it is measuring the speed relative to.  
−
#Reference frame: The object you are measuring your speed against. (Since without this speed is meaningless)
+
#Braking distance bar, complementing the braking distance readout. A visual display of your braking distance in relation to the distance to target. There are two bars on top of each other that fill up as you are getting close to your target: a gray one for retro thrusters and a white one for mains.&nbsp;If the white bar is filled up, it's 100%. This&nbsp;is the right time to start decelerating. At&nbsp;95% it will start to turn green. If it starts to&nbsp;fill up from above with a red bar, then you will overshoot.&nbsp;Only shows if you are getting closer to your target (closing speed is negative). Note that the bar will fill up as you are getting closer to your target, even without any acceleration. Since it represents the proportion of your current distance, it can fill up fast when you are getting close to your target.  
−
#Closing speed towards the surface of the reference frame.  
+
 
−
#Distance to surface of the reference body.  
+
You can access the autopilot functions mainly from the reticule. Right mouse on the name of the target, the target itself, or in the system overview panel will bring up the autopilot command. Alt+right mouse on the name on the reticule will bring up the directional holds: Prograde, retrograde, normal, anti-normal, radial in and -out.
 +
 
 +
&nbsp;
  
−
=== Indicators ===
+
== Functions and views ==
  
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There are several indicators visible on the flight display to aid navigation and orientation: Some of these are also displayed on the inside of the central reticule, to show their direction, if out of view.
+
There is a row of buttons on the top of the HUD. Several screens and functions can be accessed trough them:
 +
 
 +
[[File:Functions.png|left|Functions.png]]
  
 
&nbsp;
 
&nbsp;
  
−
==== Vector indicators: ====
+
=== &nbsp; ===
  
−
*[[File:Prograde.png|middle|Prograde.png]]&nbsp;Prograde: The direction of flight. There's a white one for the current frame of reference and&nbsp;also a yellow one for the&nbsp;navigation target if it is&nbsp;moving, when you are not in its frame&nbsp;(like an orbiting space station or planet).  
+
=== Views and screens ===
−
*[[File:Retrograde.png|middle|Retrograde.png]]Retrograde: The opposite of the direction of flight. There could be a yellow one of this too.  
+
 
−
*[[File:Maneuver.png|middle|Maneuver.png]]Maneuver direction if there's a maneuver planned in the orbital map. You need to accelerate in this direction to complete the maneuver. The central reticule will also display the time of burn at the bottom.  
+
*[[File:Views.png|middle|Views.png]]&nbsp;Internal and external views.
−
*[[File:Zenit.png|middle|Zenit.png]]Zenit: The direction away from the center of your reference frame. Useful for blastoff for example.  
+
*[[File:Infoview.png|middle|Infoview.png]]&nbsp;Info screen:&nbsp;Shows information about ship, pilot, crew, cargo and missions.
−
*[[File:Target.png|middle|Target.png]]Target: Displayed on the center of the selected navigation (yellow) and combat (red) target.  
+
*[[File:Comms.png|middle|Comms.png]]&nbsp;Comms and Autopilot controls. Also used to access starport services.  
 +
 
 +
=== Maps ===
 +
 
 +
*[[File:Sectormap.png|middle|Sectormap.png]]&nbsp;Sector map: for interstellar navigation.  
 +
*[[File:Orbitmap.png|middle|Orbitmap.png]]&nbsp;Orbit map of the current system, or the one selected in the Sector map.  
 +
*[[File:Sys overview.png|middle|Sys overview.png]]&nbsp;System overview of the current system, or the one selected in the sector map. Shows general body information, starports, trade and population information.  
 +
*[[File:Galaxy.png|middle|Galaxy.png]]&nbsp;Galaxy map: shows the general placement of the current or selected system in the galaxy.  
 +
 
 +
=== Functions ===
  
−
==== Direction indicators: ====
+
*[[File:Wheel.png|middle|Wheel.png]]&nbsp;Landing gear control and status. Grayed out if it is in movement.
 +
*[[File:Hyperdrive.png|middle|Hyperdrive.png]]&nbsp;Engage hyperdrive.&nbsp;[[File:Hyperdrive-illegal.png|middle|Hyperdrive-illegal.png]]&nbsp;indicates that jump is illegal in current location (eg. close to starports).
 +
*[[File:Rotdamping.png|middle|Rotdamping.png]]&nbsp;Rotation damping control and status. If on it will halt ship rotation.
 +
*[[File:Equipment.png|middle|Equipment.png]]&nbsp;Switches between equipments and radar at the bottom of the screen. Missiles and ECM are accessible from there.
  
−
These are essentially the crosshairs for each viewing direction (Numpad 8,4,6,2,9,3), and they also show up when you rotate the view using the middle mouse button.
+
=== Flight mode display ===
  
−
*[[File:Crosshair fwd.png|middle|Crosshair fwd.png]]Forward crosshair:&nbsp;Points to the front direction.  
+
*[[File:Manualflight.png|middle|Manualflight.png]]&nbsp;Manual flight.
−
*[[File:Crosshair bwd.png|middle|Crosshair bwd.png]]Backward crosshair: Points to the rear direction.  
+
*[[File:Setspeed.png|middle|Setspeed.png]]&nbsp;Set Speed flight mode. The flight computer tries to maintain the selected speed relative the selected frame of reference.
−
*[[File:Direction.png|middle|Direction.png]]View direction crosshairs: Down, Right, Up, Left. Practically little arrows that are pointing towards forward direction. (eg: if the arrow points up, you have to look up for forward view.)
+
The autopilot functions bellow are accessible by right clickin on the name of the target either at the reticule, in the system overview list or on the target directly.
−
*[[File:Crosshair dir.png|middle|Crosshair dir.png]]Direction to front: This is only visible if the view is rotated, and it always points towards the crosshair, so the pilot always knows where forward is.  
+
*[[File:Goto.png|middle|Goto.png]]&nbsp;Autopilot: Flying to target.
 +
*[[File:Dock.png|middle|Dock.png]]&nbsp;Autopilot: Docking with target.  
 +
*[[File:Orbits.png|middle|Orbits.png]]&nbsp;Autopilot: Entering low, medium or high orbit.  
 +
The autpilot functions bellow are accessible by alt+right clicking on the name of the target at the reticule.
 +
*[[File:Proretro.png|middle|Proretro.png]]&nbsp;Autopilot: Holding Prograde or Retrograde orientation (with respect&nbsp;to orbit).
 +
*[[File:Radial.png|middle|Radial.png]]&nbsp;Autopilot: Holding Radial Out or In &nbsp;orientation (with respect&nbsp;to orbit).  
 +
*[[File:Normal.png|middle|Normal.png]]&nbsp;Autopilot: Holding Normal or Antinormal orientation (with respect&nbsp;to orbit).&nbsp;
  
−
==== In-space Indicators ====
+
&nbsp;
  
−
[[File:Indicator-pluto.jpg|right|Indicator-pluto.jpg]] [[File:Indicator-pluto-opened.jpg|right|Indicator-pluto-opened.jpg]] Bodies in space are shown with an icon and a name. If multiple bodies are close together, they are collapsed, and only the most "important" one is shown, with a "+" after its name, to show that it represents multiple bodies.
+
== Ship status ==
  
−
If you click on a body, you will select it as your nav target (or combat target in case of a ship). You can de-select it by Ctrl-clicking on it. If you click on a body that represents multiple collapsed bodies, you will get a pop-up menu that lets you pick which one you actually want to target.
+
[[File:Status.png|right|Status.png]]
  
−
'''Icons:'''
+
#Weapon temperature. Increases with weapon fire until full, at which point the weapon can not be fired, until it has cooled off. Each fitted weapon (e.g. front and back) has its own gauge.
 +
#Atmospheric pressure. Left number is in&nbsp;% of the hull's pressure tolerance; number on the right is preassure in atm units (Earth sea level pressure)
 +
#Hull temperature, in&nbsp;% of the hull's tolerance. Flying fast in the atmosphere raises it quickly, especially without heat shielding. As with flying with lowered landing gear.
 +
#Hull status in&nbsp;%.
 +
#Shield status in&nbsp;%.
  
−
*[[File:Icon sun.png|middle|Icon sun.png]]&nbsp;Star
 
−
*[[File:Icon gasgiant.png|middle|Icon gasgiant.png]]&nbsp;Gas giant
 
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*[[File:Icon planet.png|middle|Icon planet.png]]&nbsp;Planet
 
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*[[File:Icon moon.png|middle|Icon moon.png]]&nbsp;Moon
 
−
*[[File:Icon asteroid.png|middle|Icon asteroid.png]]&nbsp;Asteroid
 
−
*[[File:Icon orbital.png|middle|Icon orbital.png]]Orbital station
 
−
*[[File:Icon surfaceport.png|middle|Icon surfaceport.png]]Surface starport
 
−
*[[File:Icons ships.png|middle|Icons ships.png]]&nbsp;Different types of spaceships (Fighter, Courier, Shuttle, Transport, Cargo shuttle, Freighter)
 
  
 
== Time controls ==
 
== Time controls ==
  
−
It shows the current time and date, and provides time acceleration controls.
+
Shows the current time and date, and provides time acceleration controls.
  
 
Time acceleration levels are:
 
Time acceleration levels are:
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*>>>>> 10 000x  
 
*>>>>> 10 000x  
  
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Depending on the location of the ship, available time acceleration levels can be limited. Near planets for example. You can still force higher levels pressing their button while holding '''[Ctrl]'''. But be aware that forcing time acceleration can be dangerous. And it won't switch back to 1x when the autopilot has arrived at its destination.
+
Depending on the location of the ship, available time acceleration levels can be limited, e.g. near planets. One can still force higher levels pressing the time acceleration button while holding '''[Ctrl]'''. However, forcing time acceleration can be dangerous and unpredictable,&nbsp;and it might not&nbsp;switch back to 1x when the autopilot has arrived at its destination.
  
−
&nbsp;
+
== Radar and ground data ==
 +
 
 +
 
 +
=== Radar ===
 +
 
 +
If the Radar equipment is installed on the ship, a disc shaped planar radar is shown. It shows a representation of the relative position of surrounding ships, stations and objects to the position the pilot's ship.
  
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== Screens ==
+
There are two kinds of radar displays in the game, that can be toggled by pressing '''[right mouse button] '''on the radar display.
  
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These are controls for the internal and external views, and additional screens like maps, data access and communications.
+
*'''3D Planar:&nbsp;'''The classical Elite style radar display.[[File:Planar radar.png|right|Planar radar.png]]<br/> [[File:Azimuthal.png|right|Azimuthal.png]]
  
−
*'''F1: '''Switch views: Internal, external and sideral. External is anchored to the ship orientation, sideral is anchored to the orientation of the sun.<br/> All views can be rotated around with the '''[middle mouse button]''', and the Numerical Pad keys can be used for view manipulation too.
+
The plane of it shows the plane of the ship, as if it was viewed from up top and behind. The ship is in center, and contacts are shown as small dots. If they are above or bellow the plane of the ship, these dots will have a thin line above or bellow them, indicating their height to the plane.&nbsp;<br/> There are two sizes available, can be switched&nbsp;with the ''Compact scanner ''option in the Settings window.<br/> There are some keyboard shortcuts available:
−
*'''F2:&nbsp;'''Map screens. These can be used to plot hyperspace jumps, navigation around and access information of star systems.
 
−
*'''F3:&nbsp;'''InfoView screens. You can access general ship, cargo, personal, crew&nbsp;and mission information from here. There are some functions too, like in-flight refueling from cargo hold.
 
−
*'''F4:'''&nbsp;Comms screen. While docked, it is used to communicate with the space station. While in flight, autopilot and settlement targeting functions can be accessed with it
 
  
−
To the right of these buttons, there is an air pressure (atmosphere density) display, measuring in Earth atmospheres.
+
*
 +
**\: Toggle scanner mode. Auto will put the furthermost contact on the edge, and dynamically adjust the range based on that. In manual mode, a specific range can be selected.
 +
**]: Increase scanner range
 +
**[: Decrease scanner range 
 +
*'''2D Azimuthal:&nbsp;'''Projecting the globe onto a 2D plane. It only shows directional data, not distance, but it is omnidirectional.<br/> The range can be adjusted with the '''[mouse wheel].&nbsp;'''The dots fade out as they are getting out of the set range.
 +
**The inner circle shows what's in front of the ship.
 +
**The&nbsp;four segmented ring show&nbsp;what is to each side of the ship.
 +
**The outter circle shows what is behind the ship. The circle itself is what is exactly behind.
  
−
Above these buttons, one can also find weapon information and heat bars, if applicable.
+
=== Ground data ===
 +
When in the vincinity of a planetary body, the following information is presented:
 +
*[[File:Ground.png|right]]Altitude above ground.
 +
*Vetical speed relative to the ground. Positive if gaining altitude, negative if loosing altitude.
 +
*Latitude coordinates.
 +
*Longtitude coordinates.
  
 
&nbsp;
 
&nbsp;
  
−
&nbsp;
+
== Indicators ==
  
−
== Radar ==
+
There are several indicators visible on the flight display to aid navigation and orientation: If out of view, the most important ones are also displayed on the inside of the central reticule, to show their direction.
  
−
If the Radar equipment is installed on the ship, a disc shaped planar radar is shown. Useful to judge the position of other ships and station relative to the pilot's ship.
+
=== Vector indicators: ===
  
−
There are two kinds of radar display in the game. You can switch between them by pressing '''[right mouse button] '''on them.
+
*[[File:Prograde.png|middle|Prograde.png]]&nbsp;Prograde: The direction of flight. There is a white one for the current frame of reference and&nbsp;also a yellow one for the&nbsp;navigation target if it is&nbsp;moving, when you are not in its frame&nbsp;(like an orbiting space station or planet).
 +
*[[File:Retrograde.png|middle|Retrograde.png]]Retrograde: The opposite of the direction of flight. Likewise, there is a yellow equivalent for this one too.
 +
*[[File:Maneuver.png|middle|Maneuver.png]]Maneuver direction: If there is a maneuver planned in the orbital map, this will show the direction needed to accelerate towards to complete the maneuver. The central reticule will also display the time of burn at the bottom.
 +
*[[File:Zenit.png|middle|Zenit.png]]Zenit: The direction away from the center of your reference frame. Useful for blastoff for example.
 +
*[[File:Target.png|middle|Target.png]]Target: Displayed on the center of the selected navigation (yellow) and combat (red) target.
  
−
*'''3D Planar:&nbsp;'''The classical Elite style radar display.[[File:Planar radar.png|right|Planar radar.png]]<br/> [[File:Azimuthal.png|right|Azimuthal.png]]
+
=== Direction indicators: ===
  
−
The plane of it shows the plane of the ship, as if it was viewed from up top and behind. The ship is in center, and contacts are shown as small dots. If they are above or bellow the plane of the ship, these dots will have a thin line above or bellow them, indicating their height to this plane.&nbsp;<br/> There are two sizes available, can be swithced with the ''Compact scanner ''option in the Settings window.<br/> There are some keyboard shortcuts available:
+
These are essentially the crosshairs for each viewing direction (Numpad 8,4,6,2,9,3). They also show up when rotating the view using the middle mouse button.
  
−
*
+
*[[File:Crosshair fwd.png|middle|Crosshair fwd.png]]Forward crosshair:&nbsp;Points to the front direction.  
−
**\: Toggle scanner mode. Auto will put the furthermost contact on the edge, and dynamically adjust the range based on that. In manual mode, a specific range can be selected.  
+
*[[File:Crosshair bwd.png|middle|Crosshair bwd.png]]Backward crosshair: Points to the rear direction.
−
**]: Increase scanner range
+
*[[File:Direction.png|middle|Direction.png]]View direction crosshairs: Down, Right, Up, Left. Practically little arrows that are pointing towards forward direction. (e.g.: if the arrow points up, you have to look up for forward view.)
−
**[: Decrease scanner range 
+
*[[File:Crosshair dir.png|middle|Crosshair dir.png]]Direction to front: This is only visible if the view is rotated, and it always points towards the crosshair, so the pilot always knows where forward is.
−
*'''2D Azimuthal:&nbsp;'''Projecting the globe onto a 2D plane. Doesn't really show distance data directly, only directional, but it's omnidirectional.<br/> The range can be adjusted with the '''[mouse wheel].&nbsp;'''The dots fade out as they are getting out of the set range.  
 
−
**The inner circle shows what's in front of the ship.
 
−
**Then four segmented ring shows what's to each side of the ship
 
−
**The outter circle shows what's behind the ship. The circle itself is what's exactly behind.  
 
  
−
&nbsp;
+
=== In-space Indicators ===
  
−
== Ship functions ==
+
[[File:Indicator-pluto.jpg|right|Indicator-pluto.jpg]] [[File:Indicator-pluto-opened.jpg|right|Indicator-pluto-opened.jpg]] Bodies in space are shown with an icon and a name. If multiple bodies are close together, they are collapsed, and only the most "important" one is shown, with a "+" after its name, to show that it represents multiple bodies.
  
−
These buttons can be used to access ship functions like Equipment window (Missiles, ECM), Rotation damping, Alert states, Flight modes, Landing gear, Hyperdrive and Limited thrust options. More info about them can be found in the [[Manual|manual.]]
+
If you click on a body, you will select it as your nav target (or combat target in case of a ship). You can de-select it by Ctrl-clicking on it. If you click on a body that represents multiple collapsed bodies, you will get a pop-up menu that lets you pick which one you actually want to target.
  
−
Above the buttons are the indicator of the Flight mode (Manual, Set Speed, Autpilot), and the geographical coordinates for the current frame of reference object.
+
'''Icons:'''
 +
 
 +
*[[File:Icon sun.png|middle|Icon sun.png]]&nbsp;Star
 +
*[[File:Icon gasgiant.png|middle|Icon gasgiant.png]]&nbsp;Gas giant
 +
*[[File:Icon planet.png|middle|Icon planet.png]]&nbsp;Planet
 +
*[[File:Icon moon.png|middle|Icon moon.png]]&nbsp;Moon
 +
*[[File:Icon asteroid.png|middle|Icon asteroid.png]]&nbsp;Asteroid
 +
*[[File:Icon orbital.png|middle|Icon orbital.png]]Orbital station
 +
*[[File:Icon surfaceport.png|middle|Icon surfaceport.png]]Surface starport
 +
*[[File:Icons ships.png|middle|Icons ships.png]]&nbsp;Different types of spaceships (Fighter, Courier, Shuttle, Transport, Cargo shuttle, Freighter)
 +
[[File:Shipclass_icons.png|right]]

Latest revision as of 19:54, 28 May 2022

The flight UI or HUD of Pioneer is made of several different parts:

Parts of the flight UI

 

 


Central reticule

02 01 deltaV.png

Along with the crosshair, the central reticule shows vital flight related information. With the help of them, you can navigate around, perform transits to anywhere without an autopilot.

DeltaV bar

The bars on the left side of the reticule are displaying the deltaV reserves of your ship.  They can be thought of as a "fuel" display, since deltaV is the capability of the ship to change speed.

There are two bars there. The left one shows current speed. The right one shows the deltaV capacity of the ship. Beneath it, the fainter bar shows the maximum deltaV capacity.

Under them one finds a numerical display of the deltaV reserves. It shows the % of maximum deltaV (with full fuel tanks), and the remaining deltaV in km/s or Mm/s.

As speed increases, the left bar will start to build up, which shows the speed of the ship proportional to its deltaV reserves. Practically, if the speed bar is bigger than the deltaV bar, you will not be able to slow down and stop, because you do not have enough propellant (fuel). Usually it is wise to keep some in reserve, so there is room for corrections for the unexpected. The autopilot uses about 1/3rd of it for acceleration, another 1/3rd for deceleration, and the remainder is saved.

Orientation displays

Orientation displays

There are three orientation displays on the central reticule. There are numerical displays available for each.

  1. Compass: Shows ship orientation in relation to the cardinal directions of North, East, South, West. Useful if you need to navigate to a downed ship in distress, for example.
  2. Pitch indicator: Shows pitch relative to the ground. The central tick means you are parallel to the ground, the upper and lower are 90°: looking directly up or down respectively.
  3. Roll indicator: Shows roll (bank) relative to the ground. The shorter half of the "L"s always point towards the ground. This is also useful in space, where they always point toward the planet or reference frame, so you can easily feel where you need to rotate to find it.

 

 

 

 

 


Flight data 

02 03 data.png

Flight related data are displayed on the sides of the reticule. If the frame of reference data is not shown on the right side, a compact version is shown on the left.

  1. Name of the object for the displayed data.
  2. Closing speed. The speed of approach to selected target, which might not be the same as the speed of the ship relative to it. If negative, then you are getting closer to your target, if positive, you are getting further away from it.
  3. Approximate braking distance, measured in the same unit as the speed. An approximation of the distance needed to slow down to a full stop relative to the target or frame respectively. This is a helpful navigation aid, since it shows how far from your target you need to start decelerating in order to stop close to it target. It is based on the thrust of the main thrusters, so you need to turn your ship around, and decelerate with them. If the distance is smaller than the braking distance, there will not be enough time to stop, causing either an overshoot of target or a crash.
  4. Distance to the target and relative speed. Measured to its surface.
  5. Display selector: allows switching the display to show data related to the current frame, navigation target or combat target, respectively. Text color also represents it: Light gray for Frame, Green for Nav target and Red for targeted ships (combat target).
  6. Set speed display, for the Set Speed flight mode, and the reference object it is measuring the speed relative to.
  7. Braking distance bar, complementing the braking distance readout. A visual display of your braking distance in relation to the distance to target. There are two bars on top of each other that fill up as you are getting close to your target: a gray one for retro thrusters and a white one for mains. If the white bar is filled up, it's 100%. This is the right time to start decelerating. At 95% it will start to turn green. If it starts to fill up from above with a red bar, then you will overshoot. Only shows if you are getting closer to your target (closing speed is negative). Note that the bar will fill up as you are getting closer to your target, even without any acceleration. Since it represents the proportion of your current distance, it can fill up fast when you are getting close to your target.

You can access the autopilot functions mainly from the reticule. Right mouse on the name of the target, the target itself, or in the system overview panel will bring up the autopilot command. Alt+right mouse on the name on the reticule will bring up the directional holds: Prograde, retrograde, normal, anti-normal, radial in and -out.

 

Functions and views

There is a row of buttons on the top of the HUD. Several screens and functions can be accessed trough them:

Functions.png

 

 

Views and screens

  • Views.png Internal and external views.
  • Infoview.png Info screen: Shows information about ship, pilot, crew, cargo and missions.
  • Comms.png Comms and Autopilot controls. Also used to access starport services.

Maps

  • Sectormap.png Sector map: for interstellar navigation.
  • Orbitmap.png Orbit map of the current system, or the one selected in the Sector map.
  • Sys overview.png System overview of the current system, or the one selected in the sector map. Shows general body information, starports, trade and population information.
  • Galaxy.png Galaxy map: shows the general placement of the current or selected system in the galaxy.

Functions

  • Wheel.png Landing gear control and status. Grayed out if it is in movement.
  • Hyperdrive.png Engage hyperdrive. Hyperdrive-illegal.png indicates that jump is illegal in current location (eg. close to starports).
  • Rotdamping.png Rotation damping control and status. If on it will halt ship rotation.
  • Equipment.png Switches between equipments and radar at the bottom of the screen. Missiles and ECM are accessible from there.

Flight mode display

  • Manualflight.png Manual flight.
  • Setspeed.png Set Speed flight mode. The flight computer tries to maintain the selected speed relative the selected frame of reference.

The autopilot functions bellow are accessible by right clickin on the name of the target either at the reticule, in the system overview list or on the target directly.

  • Goto.png Autopilot: Flying to target.
  • Dock.png Autopilot: Docking with target.
  • Orbits.png Autopilot: Entering low, medium or high orbit.

The autpilot functions bellow are accessible by alt+right clicking on the name of the target at the reticule.

  • Proretro.png Autopilot: Holding Prograde or Retrograde orientation (with respect to orbit).
  • Radial.png Autopilot: Holding Radial Out or In  orientation (with respect to orbit).
  • Normal.png Autopilot: Holding Normal or Antinormal orientation (with respect to orbit). 

 

Ship status

Status.png
  1. Weapon temperature. Increases with weapon fire until full, at which point the weapon can not be fired, until it has cooled off. Each fitted weapon (e.g. front and back) has its own gauge.
  2. Atmospheric pressure. Left number is in % of the hull's pressure tolerance; number on the right is preassure in atm units (Earth sea level pressure)
  3. Hull temperature, in % of the hull's tolerance. Flying fast in the atmosphere raises it quickly, especially without heat shielding. As with flying with lowered landing gear.
  4. Hull status in %.
  5. Shield status in %.


Time controls

Shows the current time and date, and provides time acceleration controls.

Time acceleration levels are:

  • || Pause - Pressing it twice will open the Settings window.
  • > 1x
  • >> 10x
  • >>> 100x
  • >>>> 1 000x
  • >>>>> 10 000x

Depending on the location of the ship, available time acceleration levels can be limited, e.g. near planets. One can still force higher levels pressing the time acceleration button while holding [Ctrl]. However, forcing time acceleration can be dangerous and unpredictable, and it might not switch back to 1x when the autopilot has arrived at its destination.

Radar and ground data

Radar

If the Radar equipment is installed on the ship, a disc shaped planar radar is shown. It shows a representation of the relative position of surrounding ships, stations and objects to the position the pilot's ship.

There are two kinds of radar displays in the game, that can be toggled by pressing [right mouse button] on the radar display.

  • 3D Planar: The classical Elite style radar display.
    Planar radar.png

    Azimuthal.png

The plane of it shows the plane of the ship, as if it was viewed from up top and behind. The ship is in center, and contacts are shown as small dots. If they are above or bellow the plane of the ship, these dots will have a thin line above or bellow them, indicating their height to the plane. 
There are two sizes available, can be switched with the Compact scanner option in the Settings window.
There are some keyboard shortcuts available:

    • \: Toggle scanner mode. Auto will put the furthermost contact on the edge, and dynamically adjust the range based on that. In manual mode, a specific range can be selected.
    • ]: Increase scanner range
    • [: Decrease scanner range
  • 2D Azimuthal: Projecting the globe onto a 2D plane. It only shows directional data, not distance, but it is omnidirectional.
    The range can be adjusted with the [mouse wheel]. The dots fade out as they are getting out of the set range.
    • The inner circle shows what's in front of the ship.
    • The four segmented ring show what is to each side of the ship.
    • The outter circle shows what is behind the ship. The circle itself is what is exactly behind.

Ground data

When in the vincinity of a planetary body, the following information is presented:

  • Ground.png
    Altitude above ground.
  • Vetical speed relative to the ground. Positive if gaining altitude, negative if loosing altitude.
  • Latitude coordinates.
  • Longtitude coordinates.

 

Indicators

There are several indicators visible on the flight display to aid navigation and orientation: If out of view, the most important ones are also displayed on the inside of the central reticule, to show their direction.

Vector indicators:

  • Prograde.png Prograde: The direction of flight. There is a white one for the current frame of reference and also a yellow one for the navigation target if it is moving, when you are not in its frame (like an orbiting space station or planet).
  • Retrograde.pngRetrograde: The opposite of the direction of flight. Likewise, there is a yellow equivalent for this one too.
  • Maneuver.pngManeuver direction: If there is a maneuver planned in the orbital map, this will show the direction needed to accelerate towards to complete the maneuver. The central reticule will also display the time of burn at the bottom.
  • Zenit.pngZenit: The direction away from the center of your reference frame. Useful for blastoff for example.
  • Target.pngTarget: Displayed on the center of the selected navigation (yellow) and combat (red) target.

Direction indicators:

These are essentially the crosshairs for each viewing direction (Numpad 8,4,6,2,9,3). They also show up when rotating the view using the middle mouse button.

  • Crosshair fwd.pngForward crosshair: Points to the front direction.
  • Crosshair bwd.pngBackward crosshair: Points to the rear direction.
  • Direction.pngView direction crosshairs: Down, Right, Up, Left. Practically little arrows that are pointing towards forward direction. (e.g.: if the arrow points up, you have to look up for forward view.)
  • Crosshair dir.pngDirection to front: This is only visible if the view is rotated, and it always points towards the crosshair, so the pilot always knows where forward is.

In-space Indicators

Indicator-pluto.jpg
Indicator-pluto-opened.jpg

Bodies in space are shown with an icon and a name. If multiple bodies are close together, they are collapsed, and only the most "important" one is shown, with a "+" after its name, to show that it represents multiple bodies.

If you click on a body, you will select it as your nav target (or combat target in case of a ship). You can de-select it by Ctrl-clicking on it. If you click on a body that represents multiple collapsed bodies, you will get a pop-up menu that lets you pick which one you actually want to target.

Icons:

  • Icon sun.png Star
  • Icon gasgiant.png Gas giant
  • Icon planet.png Planet
  • Icon moon.png Moon
  • Icon asteroid.png Asteroid
  • Icon orbital.pngOrbital station
  • Icon surfaceport.pngSurface starport
  • Icons ships.png Different types of spaceships (Fighter, Courier, Shuttle, Transport, Cargo shuttle, Freighter)
Shipclass icons.png
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