🚀 go-pugleaf

Re : "banking" while turning in DESCENT :

: I completely agree.  I love the game, but I don't think I will register it 
: only because of the banking.  I don't see any point in it at all except to 
: give one that added sense of realizm.

Banking does NOT add to the realism of the game.  Aircraft bank while
turning to use part of the lift generated by the wings as a turning
force.  The aircraft must be moving forward at all times to generate
the required lifting force.  There must also be significant gravity
and drag.

Spacecraft do not have either lifting or control surfaces, and turning
is accomplished either by thrusters or by flywheels/gyros.  In
DESCENT, the ship is not always moving forward, and there is no
gravity (although there is apprently some drag).  The ship generates
no lift while moving forward.  Presumably, it is a spacecraft.  
Therefore, there is no reason or
rationale for the ship banking in order to turn.  The appearance of
the bank while turning in DESCENT is (a) an annoying anachronism,
since in this respect alone it behaves like an airplane, even though
it's a spacecraft; and (b) a mild control problem, since I'd like to
be able to control the ship's attitude completely, and sometimes I can't
line it up exactly the way I want to.

I agree it should be a toggled feature (like auto-leveling, and thanks
Interplay for letting me toggle THAT off).

Actually, I'd also like to toggle off the annoying way the ship hovers
up and down, up and down, while it's waiting for me to do something.
Makes me think I'm in a Jonny Quest cartoon, for god's sake.

Patrick