The 'preferences’ menu can be used to adjust the appearance and speed of the game. The Table below describes the meaning of the options.
OPTION
DESCRIPTION
AMBIENT LIGHT
Adjusts the level of background lighting and will affect the brightness of objects that lie in shadow. The adjustment is dynamic and its effects can be seen as the slider is adjusted.
NEBULA LIGHT
Adjusts the level of brightness of the background Nebula. The adjustment is dynamic and its effects can be seen as the slider is adjusted.
MIN VEGETATION SIZE
Adjusts the size of visible vegetation on a planets surface. A higher value will reduce the amount of vegetation that is rendered and will consequently increase the speed of the game. The setting is only noticeable close to the surface of a life supporting planet and the adjustment takes immediate effect.
MIN ANIMAL SIZE
Adjusts the size of visible fauna on a planets surface. A higher value will reduce the number of animals that are rendered and will consequently increase the speed of the game. The setting is only noticeable close to the surface of a life supporting planet and the adjustment takes immediate effect.
VEGETATION CREATE
Adjusts the amount of vegetation that is created during a single iteration of the planet generation routines. A high value will place a greater load on the CPU, whilst a low one may cause the generation of a planets fractal landscape to lag.
ASTEROID CREATE
Adjusts the number of asteroids that are created during a single iteration of the planetary ring generation routines. A high value will place a greater load on the CPU, whilst a low one may cause the generation of a planets asteroid field to lag.
TEXTURE CREATE
Adjusts the rate at which the Fractal Texture Map is created during the initial approach to a new planet. A high value will place a greater load on the CPU, whilst a low one may cause the formation of a planetary fractal to be delayed.
HIGH ALTITUDE DETAIL
Enables/ Disables detailed fractal texture maps when above the atmosphere. Disabling this option may be necessary if an older video card is used.
PASSIVE PIRATES
If selected then Pirates will not attack your spacecraft if unprovoked.
PASSIVE ALIENS
If selected then Aliens will not attack your spacecraft if unprovoked.
ANIMATED ADVERTS
Enables / Disables the animation of the advertisements that appear on Space Stations. Disabling the option will cause the adverts to become static, but it may reduce the loading placed on the Graphics card.
HIGH RES TEXTURE
Enables/ Disables Hi Resolution Texture Maps. Enabling this option will fix the distortion that occurs particularly at the planets poles and should improve the low altitude appearance of the planet. However it requires increased video memory and the fractal will take longer to generate.
RENDER CLOUDS
Enables/ Disables the rendering of 3D clouds. Disabling this option may be necessary if an older video card is used.
ARCADE MODE
The Arcade Mode activates a 3rd person perspective of your spacecraft where the position of the camera behind it can be controlled by the Height and Distance Sliders.
