Pilot tool: Yoke

[Richard LeMoon]

I actually got this idea while playing with W/S in ship view, so you could see for yourself what 8-12 degrees pitch looks like.

[Deltajugg]

As much as the idea seems cool (can't really say necessary for the game, but still cool), are you even able to do these things with an Airship? How are you supposed to Roll with a ship that flies because of a balloon attached with ropes to a piece of swinging metal? I'm not really good at this stuff, but even to me it seems like airships and planes work a little bit different, and the rules you imply on adding are only applicable for fixed-wing type of aircraft, are they not?

[Caprontos]

As much as the idea seems cool (can't really say necessary for the game, but still cool), are you even able to do these things with an Airship? How are you supposed to Roll with a ship that flies because of a balloon attached with ropes to a piece of swinging metal? I'm not really good at this stuff, but even to me it seems like airships and planes work a little bit different, and the rules you imply on adding are only applicable for fixed-wing type of aircraft, are they not?

Well I don't really know I assume it would work like..

The balloon has several compartments... putting more air in one and less in another could make it lopsided.

Anyway I like the concept of the tool but I don't know if I like it in practice.. because being able to do this changes combat quite a bit.. as gun arcs are a lot different to experienced captains.. which maybe a bit op depending how it works out..

Also does tilted ship force the ship then to fly in that direction? Like if I am tiled forward, do I fly down because the ship is tilled down and the engines are thus pushing me toward the ground?

[Richard LeMoon]

As per the controls, shifting ballast or ballonets would easily do this. An airplane uses control surfaces to do this. An airship (or naval ship for that matter) just has to shift its weight.

While you are using this tool, your engines shut off, so you lose all standard controls. Turing the tool off would reset your Throttle control to Zero as your ship leveled itself. If you reengage the engines before the ship has fully leveled (in about 2 seconds), your ship will be pushed up or down a bit as well as the normal forward and back (more with kero/moonshine). So, yes, you would move in the direction you are pitched.  Since this is only 8-12 degrees for less than two seconds, the effect would not be extreme. This is why it would have more of an effect on high acceleration ships. Roll would have no effect on normal throttle.

'Feathering' the tool with kero or moonshine to get a sustained dive would be possible, though sort of a pain due to the self-leveling and throttle resets. Could likely get a sustained dive of 4-6 degrees. Definitely a higher pilot skill to learn.

[Hillerton [PC]]

Just popping by to say, it might be a really cool idea (it is) but it would really mess up the game-play. Currently playing with height is the only way to limit a sniper (if they hang in the right area). Having a tool like this that would allow for extra arc on guns like merc and artemis could be really bad. Unless enforcing some high damage like kersonin or moon shin where instead it might become useless...

Feels like it would be a hard thing to implement in a good fashion if you ask me:S

[Richard LeMoon]

Adding anything will mess up the current gameplay. Adding ships did. Adding new tools did. Adding new guns did. Adding new ammo did and will. People adapt, and find the new best way to play. The arc difference is not really different than using balloon tools, but with the negative effect of not being able to steer your ship.

Since you are not actually using your engines to shift position, damaging engines would not really make much sense.

If it would be too hard to implement codewise, I would not bother. But it would be a fun thing to try out and tweak.

[macmacnick]

Richard, ships already tip to an extent when going up/down and forwards

[Richard LeMoon]

I know. I just don't know if it is relatively simple to convert that to player controls via a pilot tool. The tilt is only a degree or so.