Your ship is equipped with a computerised flight and navigation control system, as well as a complete suite of communications systems. Conventional input methods are used; a keyboard, a pointing device and (if the pilot has the necessary implants) a neural interface.
Your ship's main display, which is a transparent panel mounted across your front viewport (or, in an armoured vessel, whichever wall or bulkhead is in front of you). Normally, it allows you to see whatever is on teh other side of the viewport, but is capable of rendering any image, or augmenting the outside view, anywher eon its surface. Thus, what appears to be the "windshield" of your starship doubles up as an extremely capable HUD, communications output device and entertainment centre.
It is not recommended that you use this display to show holovids or other distracting material whilst in control of the vessel.
Your ship comes with the very latest in dynamic console technology. The images on the various control panels change with their function, which change depending on the context. It is seamlessly integrated with the heads-up display, and both your pointing device and neural interface can be used to interact with it.
The console contains the following features:
-
The left hand panel:
- The clock, showing the current time and date
- The Stardreamer time compression device
- Four buttons: View control, Navigation, Information, Communication
-
The central panel, a multi-purpose display containing any of:
- Scanner
- Speed, ambient pressure and altitude indicators
- Missiles, ECM and other equipment controls
- Incoming messages
-
The right hand panel:
- Mode selector for the central panel
- Current condition indicators
- Four buttons: Engine control, Undercarriage, Hyperspace, HUD labels
The four buttons on the left hand side of the panel always perform the same functions.
The view control button will switch from any view on the main display to a view of space, and if pressed repeatedly will switch between the fron t view (by turning transparent, or using the front camera), the rear view, and a simulated external view, interpolated by camera information, sensor information and a computer-generated representation of your ship. The button's appearance will change to reflect which view is active, or if the display isn't showing an outside view, which one will become active when you press it:
 | Forward camera/window |
 | Forward camera/window (active) |
 | Rear camera |
 | Rear camera (active) |
 | Simulated external view |
 | Simulated external view (active)" |
If your neural interface or pointing device aren't connected, the keyboard provides access to many of the console functions.
- The stardreamer can be controlled using Shift-F1 to Shift-F5
- The buttons on the left panel can be controlled using F1 to F4
- The buttons on the right panel can be controlled using F5 to F8
Your ship's automated systems make such old-fashioned practices as lengthy pre-flight checks unnecessary. If the ship is in any way unready for flight, the shipboard computer will inform you of this fact. One common reason why a ship will refuse to launch is that it does not have the minimum number of crew on board. This isn't a problem with a small, one-man ship.
If your ship is landed at a surface starport, or in an orbital spaceport, taking off is as simple as requesting launch clearance from the station's interface. To do this, click the communications icon on the left hand side of the ship console, or press F4, then select the first option on the menu. The launch elevator will remove your ship from the port, and your ship will automatically make a small thrust maneouvre away from the entrance.
If the port is an "open-air" port (one not equipped with an elevator, where your ship remains on a planet's surface), you will have to launch the ship yourself after requesting clearance. This is achieved by clicking the launch icon on the right hand side of the console, or pressing F5.
When you take off, your ship will be under manual control. When taking off from a planet, this means that you must take more or less immediate action to avoid falling back to the ground.
There are two ways in which you can actively control your ship. The first of these, "Manual control," gives you the most control, and requires the pilot to use a larger number of controls. The second, "Set speed," reduces the number of controls but gives a slightly reduced level of control, by having the shipboard computer take over the job of firing individual thrusters. These modes are switched using the engine control icon, or the F5 key, when in flight.
Manual control requires the use of twelve keys, with the option of also using the mouse.
Attitude:
- Q and E roll your ship left and right.
- A and D yaw your ship left and right.
- W and S pitch your ship up and down.
- When holding the right hand button on the pointing device, it controls yaw and pitch.
Thrust:
- I engages the main, rear thruster. This is the most powerful one.
- K engages the front, retro thruster.
- J engages the right thruster, pushing the ship left.
- L engages the left thruster, pushing the ship right.
- U engages the ventral thruster, pushing the ship up.
- O engages the dorsal thruster, pushing the ship down.
In set speed mode, the thrust keys become inactive. Instead, the speed of the ship is set by the computer, relative to the nearest significant astrometric body (such as a space station, planet or star).
- The initial set speed is the magnitude of your velocity when the computer takes over. This means: it's the same speed, but if your ship isn't going forwards, it soon will be.
- The speed can be set to a higher amount with the Return key.
- The speed can be set to a lower speed with the Right Shift key.