Black Prophecy's Game Physics: Interaction with the Physics Engine
Realism
Of course a game like Black Prophecy, with action-oriented dogfights, does not claim to implement realistic velocities like they would be possible in space or with future technologies. Dogfights between single space ships that move with a velocity of e.g. 50.000 km/h are simply unthinkable. In this case you would have to deal with relative velocities of 100.000 km/h. The probability to hit your enemy under such conditions is relatively low. Classic dog fights are impossible even at velocities of modern jet planes. Therefore the ship velocities are heavily reduced, rather catering to the intended game fun instead of realism.
Aerodynamic drag? Loosely speaking there is nothing in space (at least nothing remarkable) that would put a drag to an object with relatively low velocities. As a result a space ship constantly propelled with a specific force would accelerate indefinitely. As previously mentioned, this would make little sense for a game. Therefore the linear, as well as the angular related velocities are limited upwards. So there is an artificial drag.
Furthermore it is being assumed that available technology is used to make the pilot's work easier. This means that the propulsion technology is monitored by computer programs that allow the pilot to concentrate on his flight destination. This is quite much comparable to active driving support technologies like they are utilized for automobiles. A pilot who takes a turn at full thrust for example, does not have to worry that his ship will break out sideways. The controlling programs try to keep the ship on the intended trajectory as closely as possible by triggering a counter-reaction.
Space
Space, the final frontier ...
For a game it would be nice to technically picture the infinity of space. Unfortunately there are technical restrictions, especially for a MMO. Those prevent the presentation of the overall scenario within an unlimited game scene. Instead, so called sectors, which create a relatively large cubic space, are used. Technically, such sectors offer the possibility to implement mechanisms which efficiently examine the sector for its content. This makes it possible to quickly and easily create subsectors to identify their content based on defined criteria. Examples would be visibility quantities, trigger systems, the generation of radial damages or AI neighborhood queries. Generally this process is called close range look up.
