SAMPLE CHART AND DESCRIPTIONS
1. Altitude Group
Top of Atmosphere (TOA): This shows you the highest altitude for what the game considers to be “in the atmosphere” (when your altimeter starts/stops counting). This number is rounded, so 24,000 might actually be 24,123 but who’s counting another 123 feet?
Quantum Travel Altitude (QTA): This shows you the lowest altitude at which you can use your quantum drive.
2. Identification Group
This group shows you the facility name, a 3-letter identifier for that facility (just like a real-life airport), and the location of the landing zone (planet, moon, star system).
3. Navigation and Environment Group
This area shows you the nearest OM to the landing zone (indicated as a number inside a diamond), a range of typical temperatures for the planet or moon, the coordinates of the location in latitude and longitude, the gravity of the planet or moon (expressed in Gs), and the presence or absence of an atmosphere and whether or not it is breathable (+) or not (-).
4. Facility Information Group
This section shows you some general information about the facility, ATC or law enforcement advisories, information on hazards and obstacles, suggestions on where to land, and warnings about other hazards that may be present.
5. Landing Zone Information Group
This shows you the number and size of landing pads/hangars/docking ports available at the site, and the recommended ship sizes that could reasonably land/dock there or land/park near the facility; the field elevation; ATC services, if present (if present you must request permission to land); whether or not an armistice zone is present; and the availability of fuel, rearm, and repair services (please note that these should be present at most planetary outposts with landing pads but this is sometimes bugged from patch to patch).
6. Plan View
This shows you a schematic map of the landing zone. It includes any buildings, landing pads, and the following:
a) obstacles and their heights,
b) landing pad sizes and elevations *where possible the landing pad elevation is placed on the pad, but when it will not fit the information is placed adjacent to the pad
c) landing pad dimensions
d) rocks, trees, or other obstructions (see below for examples)
7. Compass Group
This area shows you quite a bit of information:
a) North arrow
b) Direction to nearest OM or other object such as a comm array or orbiting station. The nearest OM usually is above the horizon but in some cases it is not, or it is right on the horizon. Where this is the case I try to include a comm array or station above the horizon.
c) Distance and elevation to the nearest OM. The elevation is the number of degrees of pitch as indicated in your HUD’s pitch ladder.
Ok, so why does any of this compass business matter? This information is intended to help you get out of the atmosphere as quickly as possible. The compass group tells you where the nearest OM or comm array or station above the horizon (or as close as possible to above the horizon) is and how far above the horizon (in degrees of pitch). So, if you want to get out of New Babbage quickly, you point your ship roughly east and pitch up 64 degrees. You should see Port Tressler there, and once you get above the QTA, 11,000 meters, you can quantum travel there instead of climbing all the way out of the atmosphere (100,000 meters).
If the nearest OM is below the horizon, this procedure still works but you’ll have to get to above the QTA first and then orient your ship towards the OM.
8. Minimum Safe Altitude (MSA) Group
This shows you the minimum safe altitude within 10km of the landing zone. If you stay at or above this altitude (within 10km of the landing zone) you won’t hit any terrain. This altitude is the height of the highest terrain I could find, plus a 200 meter safety buffer. That is a caveat, by the way. I do my best to find this stuff but I may not catch everything. Also, please note that the altitude shown on your HUD is the altitude of your character, not the altitude if your ship. The implication is that your actual height above terrain in a Gladius, for example, will differ by several meters from that of a Reclaimer. Because of the location of the flight deck on the Reclaimer (and therefore your location), there’s a lot more ship below you than in a single seat fighter. There isn’t really any easy way to account for this, so give yourself some extra room in larger ships where the flight deck is on or near the top of the hull.
This section may also contain information on No Fly Zones or other important altitude information if necessary.
9. Chart Indexing Group
This shows you the type of chart-system identifier-planet/moon-facility ID-revision number-page number (if necessary).
Example:
LZC-USTA-MICROTECH-BBG-12-1
This is a Landing Zone Chart, Stanton System, on Microtech, of New Babbage, the 12th revision, page 1.
