Reasons to KEEP the cruise change

[ed_philips38]

I'm an engineer, and have been for 42 years, both on land and at sea and I can say with complete honesty, the cruise drain has to be put as it was.

Definition of a cruise engine.

1. a. To sail or travel about, as for pleasure or reconnaissance.
b. To go or move along, especially in an unhurried or unconcerned fashion.

2. To travel at a constant speed or at a speed providing maximum operating efficiency for a sustained period.

Now if you don't want to obey the laws of mechanics, that's your decision.

Scenario 1

A vehicle that uses electrical energy to start the vehicle uses more power to fire up the engine, once started, the generator / alternator replenishes the used energy, not the opposite way round, otherwise you motor car would only recharge the battery AFTER you switched the engine off.

Scenario 2

A ship uses far more fuel and energy when manoeuvring in port than when at full speed, to reduce this power drain tugs are also used to help, another invention was the bow thruster, these are high powered water jets that are rotatable and are electrically powered.
During these manoeuvres a ship has to use more than one generator / alternator and also 2 air compressors, once under way, the secondary units are no longer required.

Scenario 3

A spacecraft uses huge amounts of fuel to move it, but again, once moving moving through a vacuum, the power core uses less energy / fuel.

These are facts of applied science and mechanics, therefore the cruise engine would use far more of an energy drain going from thrust speed to full speed.

Secondly, the cruise engine would NOT drain during long flight, otherwise you'd be unable to stop altogether and would simply crash into a planet or other object.

GET REAL, remove the cruise drain, it could NEVER happen even in a game.

Final Note.

When you undock and engage the engine, there's the time displayed along with a percentage the engine is taking to charge to full power, ONLY AT THAT POINT, would the power core drain.

EDIT: Forgot to mention, thrusters use more power and drain energy faster than cruise because they're designed for short bursts, not extended flight.