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Tutorial:Helm

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


This guide explains how to operate the Helm station, the primary flight control interface for the Magellan Class starship, located on the Bridge in Starship Simulator. From the Helm, the pilot controls the ship's movement in sublight, manages RCS control, plots courses, engages the Alcubierre Drive for Faster-Than-Light (FTL) travel, and utilizes the autopilot systems.

Accessing the Console

To take control of the Helm, approach the designated Pilot's station on the Bridge (the most forward facing Bridge console) and press the interactive key (default F). Once seated, you may need to hold the 'Use Mouse' key (default E) to enable direct mouse interaction with the various control panels on the screen, or use the dedicated key bindings.

Helm UI Overview

The Helm console consists of multiple interactive panels displaying critical flight and navigation information. Key panels usually include:

Manual Flight Controls (Sublight & RCS)

These panels and associated key bindings provide direct control over the ship's orientation and movement at sublight speeds.

  • Pitch Down / Pitch Up: tilts the ship's bow down or up. (Default Keys: W / S; Alt: Numpad 8 / 5) (See Pitch)
  • Roll Left / Roll Right: rotates the ship clockwise or counter-clockwise along its central axis. (Default Keys: Numpad 7 / 9) (See Roll)
  • Yaw Left / Yaw Right: turns the ship's bow left or right. (Default Keys: A / D; Alt: Numpad 4 / 6) (See Yaw)
  • RCS Translation: controls for linear movement (strafing) using the [[RCS Thrusters|RCS Thrusters]
  • Heave Up / Down: moves the ship vertically up or down at 90° relative to its current orientation without tilting the nose (Default Keys: R / F) (See Heave)
  • Sway Left / Right: moves the ship sideways left or right 90° relative to its orientation without pitching or yaw (Default Keys: Q / E) (See Sway)
  • Sublight Engines (Throttle): controls the main sublight engines for forward and backward movement (Surge)
  • Throttle Up: increase forward thrust/speed. (Default Key: Numpad +)
  • Throttle Down: decrease forward thrust / Increase reverse thrust. (Default Key: Numpad -)
  • Max Throttle: set throttle to maximum forward. (Default Key: Numpad *)
  • Min Throttle (Zero): set throttle to zero/minimum. (Default Key: Numpad /)

Navigation Panel

This panel is used for setting destinations and monitoring the ship's position.

  • Coordinate Display: shows the ship's current Galactic Coordinates (X, Y, Z) and the coordinates of the currently selected navigation Target
  • Data Entry Keypad: aallows manual input of destination coordinates (X, Y, Z) via mouse clicks on the panel
  • Targetting Buttons & Keys:
  • SET TARGET (Panel Button): confirms manually entered coordinates as the active navigation target
  • Use Sensor Target (Panel Button or Key): populates the Helm's target data with coordinates previously sent from the Sensors station. (Default Key: U)
  • Target Earth (Key): sets Earth (Sol System) as the navigation target. (Default Key: Home)
  • Receiving Coordinates: when the Sensors operator sends coordinates, the pilot must activate the "Use Sensor Target" function (either via panel button or the U key) at the Helm to accept and load these coordinates into the Target display

FTL System Panel

This panel manages the Alcubierre Drive for Faster-Than-Light travel.

  • Field Power Display (%): displays the current power level or "throttle" setting selected at the Helm console (0-100%). This percentage represents the portion of the currently available FTL power generation that the pilot wishes to use.
  • Helm Power vs. Generator Output: the final FTL speed is determined by a combination of the Helm's power setting (%) and the actual power output being supplied by the main FTL power generation systems (which may be managed from Engineering)
  • For example, setting the Helm to 100% when the FTL generator is only outputting 50% of its maximum results in the same effective speed as setting the Helm to 50% when the generator is outputting 100%. The Helm setting acts as a throttle on the available power.
  • Speed Controls (MIN/MAX): buttons labelled MIN/MAX set the Helm's requested power percentage to its minimum (e.g., 0%) or maximum (100%) setting instantly
  • Engage FTL: button on the panel, or a dedicated key, to initiate the FTL jump towards the currently locked Nav Target. (Default Key: Z or Numpad 0) The ship must have a target selected and sufficient FTL power generation available from the ship's systems.
  • Velocity Display: shows the Target FTL speed (based on Helm setting and available power) and the ship's Actual speed while the drive is active
  • Disengagement: FTL is disengaged by means of the same engage FTL button/key, effectively acting as a toggle switch. Otherwise if not pressed and auto pilot is operating, upon reaching the set destination an automatic 'throttled down' state is induced on the control resulting in the ship coming to a halt. Visual effects like braking thrusters occur upon dropping out of FTL travel.

Autopilot Panel

Manages the ship's automated navigation functions.

  • Engage/Disengage Autopilot: button on the panel, or a dedicated key, to activate/deactivate the autopilot. (Default Key: Right Alt)
  • Status Display: shows the current autopilot mode (e.g., "Engaged"), target details, distance, and Estimated Time of Arrival (ETA)
  • Function: when engaged, the autopilot manoeuvres the ship towards the locked Nav Target, managing speed, orientation, and FTL jumps automatically

Other Panels

  • Targeting: displays information about the currently selected navigation or sensor target on the Windows HUD, you can toggle these to add or remove them
    • Nav Target: displays the navigation target
    • Sensors Target: displays the sensors target
    • Closest Stars: displays the closest stars
    • System Objects: displays the object within the systems that the ship is in
  • Lighting: contains toggles for controlling the ship's External Lighting. (currently not implemented)

Basic Flight Procedures

The typical workflow for traveling to a new system combines Sensor and Helm actions:

1. Scan (Sensors): the Brridge science officer uses Sensors to identify a target system and gathers basic info (L1 Scan)
2. Send Target (Sensors): the science officer uses the "Send To Helm" function on the Sensors console
3. Accept Target (Helm): the pilot seated at the Helm, presses the "Use Sensor Target" button or key (U) to load the received coordinates into the Navigation panel
4. Engage Drive (Helm): the pilot verifies FTL power, then either:
  • engages the Autopilot (Right Alt) to let the ship handle the jump and travel automatically
  • manually aligns the ship (using RCS controls) and engages the FTL Drive (Z or Numpad 0). The pilot may need to manage the throttle and make manual course adjustments during the journey if not using autopilot.

Mastering these controls and key bindings allows the pilot to effectively navigate the Magellan Class across the vast distances of the simulated galaxy.

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