{"schemaVersion":1,"record":{"key":"mechanic/vehicles-racing--t146","type":"mechanic","id":"vehicles-racing--t146","lang":"en","title":"Spaceflight and orbital maneuvers","summary":"Space maneuvers change trajectories through thrust, requiring planning reserves and later encounters rather than continuously steering at a target.","updatedAt":"2026-10-22","status":"active","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/vehicles-racing--t146/","jsonUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/mechanic/vehicles-racing--t146.json","markdownUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/mechanic/vehicles-racing--t146.md","aliases":[],"tags":["Vehicles, racing and machinery","Mechanics and variants"],"sourceIds":["source-8cc54cd9f9a5c8e8","source-a62ae5b62aeabe68","source-84ed2165a3671285"],"sources":[{"id":"source-8cc54cd9f9a5c8e8","title":"Godot: Physics introduction","url":"https://docs.godotengine.org/en/stable/tutorials/physics/physics_introduction.html","verifiedAt":null},{"id":"source-a62ae5b62aeabe68","title":"OpenTTD: About","url":"https://www.openttd.org/about","verifiedAt":null},{"id":"source-84ed2165a3671285","title":"Kerbal Space Program","url":"https://store.steampowered.com/app/220200/","verifiedAt":null}],"sections":[{"id":"principle","title":"How it works","body":"Space maneuvers change trajectories through thrust, requiring planning reserves and later encounters rather than continuously steering at a target."},{"id":"variants","title":"Variants","body":"### Mechanic variants\n\n<a id=\"t146-variants\"></a>\n\n- Burns change a future trajectory. <a id=\"t146-v1\"></a>\n- Docking requires matching relative velocity. <a id=\"t146-v2\"></a>\n- Fuel limits the number of corrections. <a id=\"t146-v3\"></a>\n- Maneuver nodes preview expected results. <a id=\"t146-v4\"></a>"},{"id":"example","title":"Design example","body":"A craft first matches station velocity and only then closes the remaining distance.\n\nPrototype check: Test velocity reference frames and clarify whether the game uses orbital motion or simplified free movement."},{"id":"context","title":"Context and limits","body":"Vehicle mechanics connect controls, momentum, routes and machine condition; the chosen simplifications should stay consistent. Each overview separates player actions, state changes and alternative rules. Examples are hypothetical design scenarios, not claims about a named game. A prototype check states an observable question for the next iteration. Existing detailed references remain separately linked from the direction map."}],"relations":[{"type":"uses","direction":"outgoing","label":"Sources in the selection","key":"resource/godot-physics","title":"Godot: physics introduction","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/resources/#resource-godot-physics","jsonUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/resource/godot-physics.json","markdownUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/resource/godot-physics.md"}],"placements":[{"catalogId":"vehicles-racing","id":"t146","title":"Vehicles, racing and machinery","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/mechanics/vehicles-racing/#t146","categoryIds":["mechanics"]}],"supersededBy":[],"attributes":{"preview":{"updatedAt":"2026-10-22","title":"Spaceflight and orbital maneuvers","description":"Space maneuvers change trajectories through thrust, requiring planning reserves and later encounters rather than continuously steering at a target.","image":{"src":"images/mechanics/general-kerbal-02.webp","width":1440,"height":809,"game":"Kerbal Space Program","sourceUrl":"https://store.steampowered.com/app/220200/","originalUrl":"https://shared.akamai.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/220200/ss_25cce0f89404bb3ddc4028644a040784082b0763.1920x1080.jpg?t=1738037585","credit":"Squad / Private Division","rights":"Game imagery © its respective rights holders. Publisher-distributed screenshot from Steam; all rights reserved. Excluded from MIT and CC BY 4.0.","caption":"An orbital map shows the spacecraft’s future trajectory","alt":"An orbital map shows the spacecraft’s future trajectory","markers":[{"x":53,"y":29,"label":"The orbit line relates the craft to its path around the planet"},{"x":89,"y":38,"label":"The maneuver panel retains the flight calculation"}]},"tips":["Preview the trajectory and impulse cost before performing a maneuver."],"examples":[{"title":"Kerbal Space Program","url":"https://store.steampowered.com/app/220200/"}]}},"endsAt":null,"provenance":"Original bilingual editorial overviews authored for gamemechanics.pro on 2026-10-20 and reviewed on 2026-10-21. Scenarios are hypothetical design examples; prototype checks describe work to perform, not completed playtests. Primary sources support the stated techniques and implementation context, not every proposed variant.","license":"CC-BY-4.0","codeLicense":"MIT","attribution":"gamemechanics.pro contributors","catalogKey":"catalog/vehicles-racing"}}