The Random Thread

If the speed of light is constant … doesn’t that mean that we could measures our absolute velocity to the universe or something? I get how relative velocities are calculated and that it’s hard to measure ones velocity without a truly fixed point but a velocity limit needs to be relative to something too. Or does relativity just cancel out for EM radiation?

As I understand it, a very basic explanation would be that the observed speed of light is constant no matter where you observe it from.

It’s the old problem of what would you see if you were travelling at the speed of light and shone a torch ahead of you, what would you see? So yes, the speed of light is constant, but it’s the ultimate expression of “relative to something else”.

… I have no idea if that made any sense at all.

What sabre said is correct. The speed of light(in a vacuum) is constant. You can be at any reference frame and it will always measure c. Relative to us? C, relative to us in orbit? Its still c.

To answer your question I think the answer is no. This is because the speed of light always is c and can’t be used as any reliable reference frame

To develop a bit, a photon is going at c for, on Earth. The same photon is going at c for me, on a ship going at half-c relative to you on Earth (for me, it’s the Earth - and the rest of the Universe - that is going at half-c and I’m motionless).
This is possible only by time itself (and distance) being different for you or me.

Amusingly, I get to see you slowed down, and you get to see me slowed down, so each will see the other ageing more slowly. This won’t actually create a paradox, as if I slow down to be motionless compared to you, the acceleration (a deceleration for you) will slow my time down to you - and symmetrically accelerate your time up for me - in a way that will make both of us see the end result (being that I will be the one who have aged more slowly).

@Kichae would better explain why this is directly caused by speed of light being a constant. IIRC, he was the first one I’ve ever read to manage a clear, understandable explanation of why exactly it works like that. Otherwise, this should also help:
http://www.physicsguy.com/ftl/html/FTL_intro.html

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The question you need to ask yourself is “If velocity is relative, yet the speed of light is constant, what is it constant relative to?”. As others have already mentioned, it’s not constant relative to some universal reference frame.

This is why relativity was a “crazy” idea a hundred years ago. It’s also one of the reasons why the alt-sci proponents are constantly trying to attack it: when you grow up in a world with a built in “universal” rest frame (the ground), the idea that no true universal rest frame sounds as ridiculous as it would were you told that people south of the equator walked in their hands and had their face in their torso… Oh, wait… Maybe that’s not the best example…

Yeah that was exactly my question.

I need simulations … they always help me with complex/mindbending stuff


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Using vJoy and Sx2vJoy as emulator/translator.
Deactivating standard driver by offlining every axis and setting every button to Buttonpress (Generic). So it won’t interfere by simulating Keyboard presses.

Been trying out the Spacemouse Pro with X-Rebirth (which is now playable by the way).

Wasted a lot of time (like I always do) using an outdated version of vJoy, staring in disbelieve at screenshots that look similar but not exactly, wondering what I did wrong … yeah was pretty pissed after I realized that big “Download” image was actually the download … I was trained not to click those.

After that it was some getting used to and developing a layout that worked with the game. I got it set up that most buttons needed are on the spacemouse and in battle I use the keyboard as addition for forward speed control and activating weapons, also dialogue windows. I even use it to navigate menus. Feels pretty good to just pull down and press down to select.

As you may be able to see there isn’t a single dead zone, even in the game setting it’s set to 0 and allows extremely precise movement. Using translation and rotation gets into each other way though and needs skill to navigate that physical border. I think with enough training I’ll be able to aim directly without aim assist.
I’ll do a video when more comfortable with it.

I tried using the build in X-Celerator (an analog, one axis controller) of the Roccat Tyon too. It works and is precise. But the build in deadzones are gigantic. It has a starting deadzone of 15% and cuts of at 50% going to full thrust from there. That only leaves about 35% to be controllable. I hope they implement a setting in their driver in future updates to allow tweaking the deadzone. There’s no workaround as those are the signals the driver outputs.

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… Define, playable.

I pre-ordered that thing, and as I am a hopeless optimist when it comes to justifying my purchases, I played it to much to risk trying for a refund. I felt like strangling the devs for that piece of junk.

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I know. I read enough discussion on that part and also “tried” to play it some week after launch. They released an alpha back then … why whatever.

But as they are egosoft they did the same they did with X3 … patch it. Now if you don’t like the whole game design, that stays.
But performance, Bugfixing and especially UI upgrades (check the gamesettings) brought it to a “Release” level. It’s version 2.51 at the moment.

They plan to release version 3.0 by December which will add even more requested features.

Marketing tactic plus or minus. If you got the game and some when plan to play it again/the first time I advise you to get the expansion they’re building before release without added cost: X Rebirth: The Teladi Outpost on Steam

After release it will cost. They need to eat after all.

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So… are we still stuck in the skunk? Or can we finally go into other ships?

Unknown what 3.0 will bring. I wouldn’t bet on it though. If they would introduce it, it would be quite the surprize. They added small ship dealers though. Maybe that was only the start.

Photo realistic.

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I want to fly my paper mache starship into that colour card ring system, covered in glued on glitter. Maybe even revolutionize the pinata candy trade industry in the process.

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Sound’s like a mod for IBS, if you ask me. :stuck_out_tongue:

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<img src=’//inovaestudios.blob.core.windows.net/forumsavatars/1896726c00fb4f95d81fca0956e7520edb3291af1dbf.png’

Ha! :smiley:

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I was looking for a Space Combat game I’ve seen a trailer of some years ago.

It is (or was) by a team of two guys.

The trailer contained Cockpit view of a fighter zipping between capital ships, shooting missiles (lots of explosions) with a lot of fog/dust in between. The graphic was pretty cool for it’s time and had an interesting lighting style. The fighter docked at a carrier and could modular re-equip itself.
Lots of fog … that was the most prominent part. And quite some interesting, deep minimalistic music in the background. I can remember it quite vividly but … names are always hard for me.

I saw the Video on their website where it was embedded in the middle of the screen. Can’t remember more. I tried looking trough a list of Space Games in development but didn’t find it.

Anyone an idea what it is/was called? Would like to see what happened with it.

Have no idea of the game you are talking about, but you might find it on this site:

A look at that … now there’s even a space capship MOBA comming up … looks like someone tries to capitalize on both booms, the space game and moba game boom :blush:

http://fracturedspace.com

Even Adventure Time has a MOBA … what comes next?

I made a little video of me flying around in Elite:Dangerous using the Space Mouse Pro.

It also shows that no VR is needed for situational awerness. A mouse can do that too.

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Is it really six degrees, with tilt and twist in addition to linear movement? I thought it was just 3 degrees when ive seen pictures before.

(i’d watch your video but discourse and my browser dont seem to agree on how to embed youtube links properly)

It is. The drawback is that, when using several axis at the same time, it can get hard to reach the absolute limit of some other axis. In sx2vjoy you cam configure non linearity to compensate for that, but I predere linearity and learned to live with the slight limitation and sometimes it’s actually usefull

http://youtu.be/XMeDExipHhU Here you go. At the end I dock. There you see it the best.