MERCENARY 2 - VELOCITY GAUGES  
       
 
Your spacecraft is equipped with six velocity gauges to help you monitor your ship's movement.
 
The set velocity and relative forward/reverse velocity gauges keep track of your ship's applied velocity level relative to other factors that may apply. For example, if you are in a planet atmosphere and set your velocity to 500, your IDS will apply enough engine thrust to achieve that level of velocity subject to the rotation and gravity forces of the planet. Your indicated forward velocity will read 500 to match the 500 'set' velocity you selected, but your actual velocity relative to the universe will obviously be different because you are above a planet that is rotating, which is carrying you along with it. So depending on your ship's orientation, your actual overall velocity relative to the universal constant (ie your position in the universe) might be slightly above or below your local indicated velocity due to the rotation of the planet. If you fly against the direction of the planet's rotation, your overall total velocity will be lower than your local velocity. If you fly with the direction of the planet's rotation, your overall total velocity will be higher than your local velocity. Your ship provides a gauge to help you monitor this velocity level as well. Next to the relative/local velocity indicator after the '/' is the 'total velocity' indicator. It provides your ship's velocity relative to your position in the universe, rather than relative to any local gravitational/atmospheric conditions. Most of the time in open space, this indicator will remain pretty close to the local velocity indicator. However, once you enter a gravity field, you may see these two values differ significantly. For example, if you are flying directly toward a star with the IDS on, your ship will work to match your local velocity with the set velocity you select. Both your set velocity and the local velocity indicators might read something like 700, but as you approach the star and the star's gravity increases its pull on your ship, you'll see your total velocity indicator increase to a value above 700 as you are gradually pulled in by the star's gravity to a faster overall velocity. If you disengage the IDS, then your ship's computer will stop trying to maintain your ship's relative velocity and your local forward velocity will also start to increase as the force of gravity is then allowed to accelerate your ship unrestricted by computer offset control, resulting in even faster velocity acceleration. If your ship is being pulled at an indirect angle by gravity, you'll see your horizontal and/or vertical velocity gauges change value as well. If you turn directly away from the star and engage the IDS, your ship's computer will work to return your local velocity to the selected 'set' level, but your overall total velocity will then be slower since gravity will continue to pull you toward the star. To escape the star's gravity hold, you'll need to accelerate to a velocity that is higher than the force of gravity is pulling you in by.
 
The gravity velocity gauge will help you determine how much of an effect gravity is having on your ship's trajectory. The gravity gauge displays the level of velocity your ship is being pulled in by, it is not a force factor indicator. So if your gravity gauge reads 500, you can maintain a fixed location by turning away from the object generating the gravity and setting your local velocity to 500. Select a faster velocity to pull away from the object generating the gravity.
 
Using all of these velocity indicators will help you maintain situational awareness of how your ship is being effected by environmental conditions around you, giving you the ability to formulate flight paths to perform maneuvers and stay safe in dangerous high gravity environments.