@NeuralKernel

Can you tell how much ram is being used upto the moment it crashes? Perhaps log memory usage.

Sounds like the terrain might be consuming vast amounts of ram either in system memory or in GPU ram.

Also try with the terrain detail set to very low and see if it stops 😀

There's one pull request that uses a lot less ram on it's way, and I have some future ideas which I just need to find the time to implement but they're a while away yet.

OK, so I turned the detail way down and did a few runs but I kept smashing into Neptune... so I started making saves at each stage of my Scooping Procedure... Low Orbit, Pre-Atmo Entry, Atmo Contact, Scoop full... I even "popped upstairs" just past the edge of the atmosphere (looks like 4 km altitude? Any way to make it deeper?) and jettisoned my hydrogen so I could make another descent and use the cargo pods as a visual cue... it doesn't feel like I'm getting enough friction from Neptune's atmosphere... but I've never flown there so I can't really say! 😀

Everything seems to be working fine with the detail minimized so far... but could it be running OK because of the save / load clearing things out?

The saving shouldn't affect anything but the loading might do.

What I'm wondering is if it's running out of memory due to it fragmenting it by constantly allocating and releasing memory for the terrain chunks. Loading would hide the problem by resetting it constantly.

I think that people know we need a proper fix for gas giant worlds and their atmospheres, this temporary one is just meant to be good enough for now.

Is anyone actively working on Gas Giants lately? There is also the potential issue of Stellar Corona, I seem to remember scooping stars in on of the Frontiers?

I wouldn't try it on Alcyone, but maybe Proxima would work...

I think I've got a Scooping procedure figured out... I'll try it on Saturn and Jupiter to see if it scales, but who would I talk to about figuring out an autopilot / crew implementation?

Heh... and I probably shouldn't be able to "land" on Neptune, eh?

You need to be where atmosphere density > 0 && speed > 2km/s and it should work.

The ideal would be to have soft and fluffy giants, where gravity should crush you if you get in to deep.

Heh... and I probably shouldn't be able to "land" on Neptune, eh?

No it should probably crush you (like the scurvy spacedog you are) before you ever get down to something solid.

As Shadmar says the ideal would be to have a very deep "fluffy" (:D) atmosphere but the engine doesn't really support that.

I suppose that we could also limit the updating and depth of the terrain generation for gas giants since you'll never actually see the terrain so there's no purpose served in generating it.

Something for me to think about anyway.

If someone can help me solve (passing camera-altitude-density from planet atmosphere to shaders) this, we can create kickass fluffy giants (using shaders)

https://github.com/pioneerspacesim/pioneer/issues/1906

I don't know if making Hercules fluffier would make it any easier to scoop... I thought Jupiter was bad but that planet is NASTY!! 😀

OK, so I've made a couple more runs at both Jupiter and Hercules and had some borderline success. With Saturn sized and smaller planets you can pull back up and climb out but any bigger and you need to jump from inside the atmosphere and hope you get out in time...