Star Fury Advanced Control Configurations page
By Mara Jade

Key to Figures and Diagrams:

	Axis Representation: Light green: Z-axis (Up and Down), White = X-axis (Forward and Backward) Light blue:Y-axis (Left and Right)
	Vector Diagrams : Red Heavy line : Main Thruster force Direction. Orange Medium line : Auxiliary Thrusters force direction. Multi-colored circles with arrows : Indicate direction of relative motion along a certain axis. Circle colors correspond with correct axis colors.

Auto Cancellation Theory

The StarFury's onboard computer compliments the pilot by maintaining relative courses even through complex maneuvers. This means that it would be almost impossible to become totally disoriented. (Like spinning out of control) To do this, the computer compensates for certain movements by applying counter-thrusts at the appropriate times to stop a relative movement. A graphical representation of how this is accomplished follows:

	Joystick Centered no movement relative to current motion.
	Joystick Leaning Right Thrusters active and increasing in power by degrees of rotation from the Joystick center position.
	Joystick Full Right Thrusters at maximum power.
	Joystick Falling Left Initial thrusters disengaged, counter thrusters (opposite) active in progressive power from Joystick center position.
	Joystick centered No thrusters active. No movement in relation to original position.

Pros: This method of control enables easier logical control of the StarFury. It also prevents the pilot from getting out of control by using too many thruster movements, and not being able to counteract the correct movements to come to a relative stop. A good idea for beginning maneuvers.

Cons: This method does not allow for the more precise movements involved in precision flying and docking.

Mandatory Keys

Here are some of the keys that I feel need to be in the game:

• Forward / Reverse Main Thrusters Keys -- Keyboard equivalents for motion 'forward' or 'backward' relative to current direction and motion.
• Manual Control Key -- Nullifies Auto Cancellation of Joystick / Mouse maneuvers. (See Following Section for details)
• Macro Recorder Key -- Enable the StarFury to record complex maneuvers, for playback at anytime. 'Macros' would be executed relative to existing motion and direction. Pilot would momentarily transfer control of the StarFury to the computer, until the 'macro' is complete. The game should save 3 spots for 'macro' definitions.
• Point to Target -- Automatically angles the Fury toward the current target. Does not effect current motion, just rotates the Fury.
• Lock to Target -- Does not allow for a "wandering target mode" where the target changes depending on who is in your line of sight. The target would remain fixed on one specific enemy until he is destroyed. (Or he destroys you.)

NOTE: I assume that ships have the ability to detect a weapon's lock, due the the many instances in the show where I hear someone yell: "They're locking weapons!!" So, I assume that the StarFury also comes equipped with some version of this tool. This provides the basis of my next key...

• Manual / Automatic Target Lock Key - This would enable or disable the computer's target lock system, enabling the pilot to manually target a ship, rather than having the computer keep an active lock on it. This would allow for "sneak attacks" on enemy ships, since they wouldn't have the dramatic "weapon's lock" warning.
• Standard Rotations Keys - Several keys that would be available to perform such basic maneuvers as a 180 rotation, or a complete turn-about. (Going in one direction, turning to face the way you came, and then proceeding along that vector.
• MAX / ZERO Thrust Keys - Performs different purpose depending on situation. If you are currently in any kind of displacement motion, then pressing the ZERO key would set your displacement to zero, thus stopping your craft cold. If you are already stopped, then pressing it again would do nothing. Pressing the MAX key would set your thrust power to maximum accelerate you to an upper-bound velocity.
• Wingmen Group Instruction Keys - Pushing certain keys would tell X number of wingmen to attack certain targets. Or tell X number of wingmen to help you out.

Toggle Cancellation

Upon pressing and holding the so called Manual Control Key, the computer releases its hold upon the movement cancellation technique, allowing for more complex and finer maneuvering. This feature might be used as a permanent option for players that think they have the controls down to a science... An option perhaps? Here is the same motion cancellation diagram as before, however, this assumes that the Manual Control Key is held down.

	Joystick Centered No movement relative to current motion.
	Joystick Leaning Left Thrusters active in increasing power from Joystick center position.
	Joystick Full Right Thrusters at maximum rated power.
	Joystick Falling back Left No thruster activity, relative movement continues.
	Joystick Centered No thruster activity. Original motion combined with new relative motion.

Pros: Basically the same as with the Auto Cancellation theory, in reverse. This actually allows the pilot to fine-tune his movements.

Cons: Could get confusing when performing very complex maneuvers. Possibility of getting disoriented or out of control.

Fury Rotation

Fury Rotation assumes that the Translation / Rotation curve is set to 0 translation, full rotation. (see Rotation/Translation Curve) Whatever the initial motion is, these movements will simply rotate the craft relative to the pilot's point of view, in no way changing the initial motion. This is because the thrusts are equally balanced, in opposite directions. (See Law of Conservation of Momentum for further reference) In the following diagrams, the Joystick movement represents the Intended rotation, while the StarFury graphic represents what is actually happening. Red arrows represent Initial Joystick movement, Blue represents computer cancellation while the joystick is being centered again (not shown, but the blue vectors would just be opposite the red ones on the same engines...). This assumes that the Manual Control Toggle key is not pressed. The forward and backward labels in the Figure below indicate a nose-down and nose-up motion respectively. These should be able to be reversed in an option menu, to accommodate a pilots taste. (Front = nose-down OR nose-up, user set)

Combination y/z axis rotation		Rotation about y-axis		Combination y/z axis rotation
	Front-Left	Front	Front-Right
Rotation about the z-axis	Left	Centered	Right	Rotation about the z-axis
	Back-Left	Back	Back-Right
Combination y/z axis rotation		Rotation about the y-axis		Combination y/z axis rotation

Setback: This control configuration limits direct control of the StarFury to only Y and Z rotational movements only. Neglected from the above figure are the X rotational controls. This set of movements should optimally be Throttle mounted, or secondly, keyboard located. Another option is to include them in the Left / Right Hat movements on the Joystick itself. Whatever the final decision, this should be user customizable. (See Custom Config) Here is a simple case demonstrating the Clockwise and Counter-Clockwise Rotations along the X axis using two pre-setup keyboard keys.

Fury Translation

Fury Translation assumes that the Translation / Rotation curve is set to 0 rotation, full translation. (see Rotation/Translation Curve) These movements are lateral motions (side-to-side) and will be cancelled out unless the Manual Control Toggle is active. In this Figure, Up refers to 'lowering' in position relative to the pilot, while Down refers to 'raising' in relation to the original position. These default motions should be able to be reversed in an options menu in the game for the convenience of the pilot. ( Front = 'raise' OR 'lower')

Combination y/z translation		Translation along the z-axis		Combination y/z translation
	Front-Left	Front	Front-Right
Translation along the y-axis	Left	Centered	Right	Translation along the y-axis
	Back-Left	Back	Back-Right
Combination y/z translation		Translation along the z-axis		Combination y/z translation

Once again, I have neglected the most important translational movement, simply because it does not fit into the Joystick model very effectively: X Translation. In other words, forward and reverse thrust. These particular motions are primarily 'up for grabs' as far as location is concerned. Certainly, I can think of at least four places to conveniently place these controls.

1. On the keyboard. A sensible location, and more than likely they will end up here anyway, simply because X Translation is the most important thrust of the game. That, and everyone has a keyboard.

2. On the 'up' and 'down' Hat positions. This would enable you to quickly change directions 'on the fly' while you maneuver. A good choice for those who wish to be keyboard-free.

3. On a separate Throttle. This might contradict with what was said before, but like I said, this should all be Pilot customizable. The throttle forward and back positions would initiate the forward and reverse relative motion of the StarFury. Upon re-centering, the forward / reverse motion should NOT be cancelled out.

4. Pilot customize. The pilot should be able to place the forward / reverse thruster toggles wherever he wishes to maximize pilot comfort. These should be able to include special Joystick buttons, or any of the above mentioned areas. See the diagram below depicting a typical keyboard layout:

Rotation/Translation Curve

The Rotation / Translation curve is a gauge that defines the difference between a rotation and a translation. The curve is a way that provides a pilot with just a single Joystick to use it for a combination of Rotational and Translational movements, without needing an additional Joystick or Throttle. (Although that would be nice) The curve is the deciding factor in determining when the Joystick is moved, what thrusts actually get applied. It is also useful to enable the pilot to perform Rotational and Translational movements with a single movement of the Joystick. The curve is a hyperbola in which the end bounds (usually infinity) are set at a predetermined rate, which I shall from here out call 'full', indicating full power output of the thrusters, in various combinations. The total power spent doing any single maneuver can never exceed 'full' since that would be the StarFury's maximum power output level. Along the x-axis of the graph is the power distributed to translational movements. Along the y-axis is the power spent on rotational movements. All along the curve, the power output equals 'full', whether it be 'full' rotation, translation, or some combination of both. If the 'power indicator', a gauge set by the pilot, is at the zero point on the translational axis, then all power is distributed to rotational movements, and any Joystick movements would cause point-rotation. On the other hand, if the power indicator is set at 'full' on the translational axis, then all the power is distributed into translational movements, with Joystick movements indicating slide-translations, with no rotation. If the power indicator, is set somewhere in-between, then Joystick movements cause a combination of rotational and translational movement. The closer the gauge is to one end of the curve or the other, the more translation / rotation, your StarFury will receive during your Joystick maneuver.

The Rotation / Translation Curve

The optimal controls for this setup would be to use a Throttle control to slide the power indicator 'up' or 'down' the curve. Alternates for this setup would be two keyboard controls for increasing / decreasing the power indicator.

Pros: Allows a pilot to easily determine the type of flight model to use, "on the fly." If the pilot desires his craft to behave like an atmospheric-bound ship he can easily move the Rotational / Translational curve up to almost full translation. If he wants his ship to behave as in a vacuum, then the pilot moves the curve toward rotation. This also allow one joystick to essentially function as two.

Cons: This setup, (with only one Joystick for Rotation and Translation) is limited to combinations of Rotation and Translation witch coincide to a single Joystick direction. In other words, it becomes impossible to slide right, while rotating left. A simple, yet also limited compromise, is to also include the translation controls on the Joystick Hat. Your StarFury would then be able to perform a limited number of opposite-end maneuvers at once. (Limited to the 4, or 8 Hat directions.)

Custom Configuration

These options would be available under a universal game configuration setup.

• Ability to choose a type of flight model (Newtonian or Aerospacial)
• Toggles for detail levels in the game
• Toggles for sound levels and detail of sounds
• Key Set-ups for keyboard supplemental keys

  Accelerate forward / Backward
  Rotate CW / CCW
  External Camera Views
  Autopilot
  Quick message toggles
  Ship service power distribution (i.e. a variance between power to engines and weapons and life support)
  Optional pre-set rotation keys
  2-3 Macro keys for use with the Macro Option
  Standard X, Y, and Z rotation and translation keys (including mouse / joystick configurations)
  Eject key

• Toggles for level of enemy difficulty and / or wingmen prowess
• Toggles for "smart targeting" (useful to enhance the difficulty of the game)
• Toggles for what the pilot considers "pulling up" on the stick (Does Joystick-down mean craft goes down or up?