Simple/stupid questions regarding the navball

[giltirn]

Hi all,

While I have become relatively proficient at using the navball, some things still confuse me.

1) Why is the 'east' line 90 degrees anticlockwise of the north line??

2) Is there any way, other than trial and error, to determine what the compass directions are relative to the orientation of the camera? I find docking and hovering about moons extremely difficult because I have no way of telling what direction

my ship is going to turn when I press WSAD.

I would appreciate any help!

Edited June 10, 2013 by giltirn

[stupid_chris]

For the anticlockwise on the navball, I think it'S just mirrored for gameplay reasons. I think, but really I'm not 100% what's up with that. As for your docking issues, when in orbit, press v until the camera becomes "Chase", then, if you put your camera behind your ship and looking forward, up will be up, down will be down, etc. Makes it a lot simpler, but theres not really any other way for now. I only use the navball during dockings when I do my final approach and I want to perfectly align my prograde vector with the target.

[purpletarget]

There's a really good primer on reading the NavBall here.

As for the east line being reversed, that's sort of a paradoxical thing...the instrument is made on a ball, so our mind thinks the lines should like up similar to a globe, because that's what we're used to.

However, what the Navball represents, or tries to show us, is to imagine the ship inside of a sphere, and all around that sphere we are looking at the navball markings from the inside looking out. So try mentally flipping the navball inside out, and then see if it makes more sense.

As for camera orientation, watch the navball...and otherwise, if you're having issues with spacial recognition, you can try adjusting the camera a bit to be in sync with the navball, or make sure your ships have a recognizable top/front. However if you're looking for compass headings, again, stick with the navball, and don't worry about the pretty ship.

[Akalaël]

Indeed, when you have the "Chase" cam, you enter a mode where your ship is the reference.

Therefore, you can hit the WSAD (and/or the IKJLHN) buttons and no longer be lost !

[giltirn]

Thanks for the answers guys. I have used chase cam for docking, but I haven't tried it when landing as I prefer a side-on view in order to judge how far above the ground I am.

[RoboRay]

You know you can still move the camera around for side-on views in Chase-Cam mode, right? It doesn't force the camera behind your ship... it simply orients the camera to your ship instead of to the body you're orbiting.

The NavBall displays the heading indications in the same way as they are depicted on a real directional gyro...

If you're heading east, north is shown to your left... the same as what you see looking forward out the window.

Pretend you're inside the ball, looking out through it.

Edited June 10, 2013 by RoboRay