Controls Reference
Movement
| Action | Input | Notes |
|---|
| Aim / Look | Mouse (pointer lock) | Pitch + Yaw, invertible in Settings. Decoupled from motion in mecha mode (drift). |
| Forward Thrust | W (hold) | Mecha: Newtonian thrust, momentum persists on release. Flight: direct throttle. |
| Reverse Thrust | S (hold) | Mecha mode only. Applies backward thrust with drift. |
| Strafe Left | A | Mecha mode only. Lateral thrust with momentum drift. |
| Strafe Right | D | Mecha mode only. Lateral thrust with momentum drift. |
| Vertical Up | E | Mecha mode only |
| Vertical Down | Q | Mecha mode only |
| Transform Mecha/Flight | F | Toggle between mecha and flight mode |
| Afterburner | Tab (hold) | 8x max speed. Flight mode only. |
| Zero Throttle | X | Instant stop |
| Dodge | Shift + W/A/S/D | 1-second directional burst with roll |
| Autopilot | Tab (double-tap) | Forces flight mode, full afterburner. Cancelled by any input. |
| Camera Zoom | Scroll | 1.0x – 3.0x chase distance |
Combat
| Action | Input | Notes |
|---|
| Fire Missiles | LMB | Lock-on guided swarm missiles |
| Fire Special (QWE) | RMB | Quasar beam (requires QWE upgrade) |
| Lock Target | R | Cycles nearest enemy |
| Deploy Funnels | 1 | 6 combat drones (requires Drones upgrade) |
| Recall Funnels | 2 | Returns drones to player |
System
| Action | Input |
|---|
| Pause / Resume | ESC |
Mecha ↔ Flight Transform
The ship transforms between mecha (humanoid) and flight (jet) geometry via F key toggle. Mecha is the default combat stance with Newtonian drift physics. Flight is a transit mode with direct throttle steering. Transform animation takes 0.25 seconds.
Mode Comparison
| Property | Mecha Mode (Default) | Flight Mode (F Toggle) |
|---|
| Speed Range | 0 to 100% maxSpeed | 0 to 100% maxSpeed (800% with afterburner) |
| Movement Model | Newtonian: thrust → acceleration → drift | Direct: throttle × maxSpeed along forward |
| Mouse Look | Rotates player only (decoupled from motion) | Steers motion direction |
| Drift | Yes — turn while maintaining momentum | No — always moves along facing |
| Strafe / Reverse / Vertical | All available (with drift) | Disabled |
| Weapons | All active | Disabled (funnels exempt) |
| Afterburner | Capped at maxSpeed | 8x maxSpeed |
Mecha Drift Physics
In mecha mode, directional keys apply thrust forces to a persistent velocity vector. Releasing keys triggers auto-dampening (~4 seconds from top speed to full stop). The player slides through space with genuine momentum — turn while drifting to strafe and orbit targets.
Emergency Airbrake
Pressing F in flight mode triggers a 2-second braking ramp from flight speed to mecha maxSpeed. Cancels afterburner and autopilot. The player can steer during braking.
Thruster Visual Feedback
| Socket | Colour | Behaviour |
|---|
| Engine | Orange | Brightness proportional to forward throttle. Dark at idle, full at max thrust. |
| Thruster | Blue | Off unless afterburner is active. Boolean on/off glow. |
Settings
| Setting | Location |
|---|
| Invert Pitch (W/S) | Settings > Controls |
| Invert Yaw (A/D) | Settings > Controls |
| Master Volume | Settings > Audio |
| Music Volume | Settings > Audio |
| Music Station | Settings > Audio |
| Shading Mode | Settings > Graphics |
| ZeroBump Textures | Settings > Graphics |
| SVGA Vertex Shading | Settings > Graphics |