Helm

This page is a Work in Progress as much of the lore/Development for the game is yet to be established.

The Helm (also referred to as Helm Control or Conn) is the primary flight control station aboard a starship. Manned by a pilot/helm officer, the station is responsible for controlling the ship's movement, navigation, and orientation in space. The helm is usually located on the ship's bridge, often as the forward-most console in the room.

Location and Layout

On a Magellan Class vessel, the Helm station is the only station located at the forward end of the bridge. It faces the bridge-front window, albeit the station's chair can swivel through 360°.

The console interface consists of multiple interactive panels displaying critical flight data and provides controls for various ship functions. Key panels identified include:

Navigation Panel: displays current ship and target coordinates featuring a keypad for manual data entry, and buttons for setting/accepting navigation targets
FTL System Panel: manages the Alcubierre Drive, displaying the requested power percentage (Helm throttle), FTL velocity, and the control to engage/disengage the drive
Helm Controls Panel: provides interface elements related to manual control via RCS Thrusters (Pitch, Yaw, Roll, Translation) and Sublight Engine throttle
Autopilot Panel: allows engagement and monitoring of the ship's automated navigation system, showing target information and ETA
Targeting Panel: displays information about the current navigation target and allows toggling of HUD target indicators
Lighting Panel: includes controls for the ship's external lighting systems (status currently TBD).

Core Functions

Operations performed at the Helm station include:

Manual Flight: Direct control over the ship's movement using:
- RCS Thrusters for rotational maneuvers (Pitch, Yaw, Roll) and translational maneuvers (Heave, Sway).
- Main Sublight Engines for forward and reverse thrust (Surge) via throttle controls.
Navigation:
- Setting destinations by manually inputting galactic coordinates.
- Accepting target coordinates sent from the Sensors station (using the 'Use Sensor Target' function).
- Targeting specific known locations like Earth.
FTL Operation:
- Setting the desired FTL power level (Helm throttle).
- Engaging and disengaging the Alcubierre Drive for interstellar travel.
Autopilot Management:
- Engaging the autopilot system to automatically navigate the ship to the selected target.
- Monitoring autopilot status and disengaging when necessary.

Interaction

To operate the Helm, a player typically approaches the console and presses the interact key (default F) to sit down. Interaction with the on-screen panels is usually done by holding the 'Use Mouse' key (default E) and clicking elements with the Left Mouse Button. Many functions also have dedicated keyboard shortcuts.

For a detailed list of key bindings, see the Helm Controls section on the Controls page.
For step-by-step procedures, see the Helm Controls Tutorial.