Helm

The Helm console (sometimes referred to as "Conn") controls the ship's engines and maneuvering.

Screenshot of the Helm console.

Role

The helm console is in charge of:

• Setting the ship's heading and using Impule and Warp/Jump drives (depending on your settings) to pilot the ship
• Initiating docking with Stations throughout the sector.
• Communicating with Weapons to make sure their attacks are hitting where they need to be hitting.

The Helm can also access Shield controls, as well as Main Screen controls.

Warp Drive Vs Jump Drive

The Warp Drive is faster than light travel in through a sector. It's the most common drive used by players and one of the easiest to learn. The ship simply points to where they want to go and can use warp to go there at up to 4x the speed of light (in theory.) Enemies with Warp Drives are rare, and can't go above Warp 1.

The Jump Drive is instant jumping from one location to another. The Helm must manually enter heading and distance of where they wish to jump to, which is why this drive is not suggested for newer players. After the drive warms up (usually 5-10 seconds), the jump is made. Station screens will intentionally blank out while the jump is being made. Certain enemy ships are equipped with Jump Drives and will use them in battle.

Controls

The Helm can use the mouse, the keyboard, or even a USB joystick to control the ship.

• Heading can be set by either the arrow keys, dragging the heading bar on the bottom, using the Joystick, or simply clicking on the screen to get the ship to turn and point towards the location you clicked
• Impulse can be controlled with the green dragbar on the left, or up/down on the arrow keys. Impuls goes from 0 to 100.
• Warp can be controlled with the yellow dragbar on the left, or with 1-4 keys on the keyboard.
• Spacebar will initiate a full stop, first dropping the ship out of warp, then fully stopping the ship if pressed a second time.
• Docking is done by clicking the Request Dock button or by hitting the R key. The ship must be within 600 meters of the station for it to start the docking process. Docking can be disengaged simply by attempting to move away from the station.

Tips

• The Artemis can only go Warp 1 inside of nebulae (the purple clouds.)
• The Artemis is one of the most maneuverable ships in the sector, so the Helm should use this to their advantage in battles. Communicate with Weapons to attack enemies without them getting a chance to hit back.

More Info

• Advanced Helm
• Helm on the Artemis PBWorks Wiki