Helm

NOTICE: 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 Helm officer, this 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 main the main viewscreen, thought the occupant can turn it to face behind them.

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

Navigation Panel: Displays current ship and target coordinates, features a keypad for manual data entry, and buttons for setting/accepting navigation targets.
FTL System Panel: Manages the Alcubierre Drive, showing 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.