Difference between revisions of "Time warp"

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[[File:MET.png|framed| 3 green arrows indicate 10× non physical time warp  ]]
 
<!-- maybe add an image -->'''Time warping''' allows the player to speed up in-game time, e.g. during long low-thrust burns or interplanetary transfers. The arrows above the [[w:Mission Elapsed Time|MET]] show the active warp factor. By default, the time warp can be increased and decreased with the "." and "," keys, respectively. On changing the factor the new warp factor is shown near the center of the screen.
 
<!-- maybe add an image -->'''Time warping''' allows the player to speed up in-game time, e.g. during long low-thrust burns or interplanetary transfers. The arrows above the [[w:Mission Elapsed Time|MET]] show the active warp factor. By default, the time warp can be increased and decreased with the "." and "," keys, respectively. On changing the factor the new warp factor is shown near the center of the screen.
  

Revision as of 14:27, 3 May 2013

3 green arrows indicate 10× non physical time warp

Time warping allows the player to speed up in-game time, e.g. during long low-thrust burns or interplanetary transfers. The arrows above the MET show the active warp factor. By default, the time warp can be increased and decreased with the "." and "," keys, respectively. On changing the factor the new warp factor is shown near the center of the screen.

Physical Time Warp

Physical Time Warp tries to apply physics to the loaded crafts, i.e. forces such as drag and thrust are calculated. When running at normal (1x) in-game time, it can be accessed anytime by pressing "Alt+." As this is very complex and consequently puts a heavy strain on the CPU, it allows only four different warp speeds: 1× (default), 2×, 3× and 4×.

Warning: Physical Time Warp can lead to inaccuracies in the physics calculation, possibly damaging your vessel. This is especially true for high warp speeds and complex vessels with many parts.

Non Physical Time Warp

Non Physical Time Warp stops all physical calculations except for gravity and collision. It allows warp speeds up to 100 000×. and cannot be applied as long as the vessel is subject to any forces other than gravity. Therefore Non Physical Time Warp is unavailable as long as any of the following situations apply:

  • The craft is within an atmosphere (unless it is landed and has come to a complete stop)
  • At least one of the craft's engines is throttled up
  • An SAS or Command Module provides torque
  • The craft is moving over a surface, e.g. a rolling rover

As a side effect, it is possible to stop any rotation by activating Non Physical Time Warp. The following speed factors are available: 1× (default), 5×, 10×, 50×, 100×, 1 000×, 10 000× and 100 000×. However, in order to access high factors the craft requires a certain distance to the orbited body. Every celestial body has its own reference frame which defines the altitude at which the various speeds become available. For example, Kerbin's reference frames are:

Time warp Minimum Altitude
Any
5× 70 000 m Expression error: Unrecognized punctuation character "[".
10× 70 000 m Expression error: Unrecognized punctuation character "[".
50× 70 000 m Expression error: Unrecognized punctuation character "[".
100× 120 000 m Expression error: Unrecognized punctuation character "[".
1 000× 240 000 m Expression error: Unrecognized punctuation character "[".
10 000× 480 000 m Expression error: Unrecognized punctuation character "[".
100 000× 600 000 m Expression error: Unrecognized punctuation character "[".