Mark Abent · Lead Gameplay Engineer

That ties in with the ambient. We have an ambient system that's not quite in the game yet, but future. On the planets you would have different levels of different ambience, infrared, EM, that's basically all over in pockets, and there was the idea of having the ecosystems have different levels, so that when you're on the planet and you're going over and scanning stuff, maybe different things appear because you're in a swamp. There's heating pits or something that increase the ambient temperature. If you're in the top atmosphere, there's more stuff than if you're below. But if you're below, maybe the cross-section increases, because that's how you hide in the planet. But yes, there are things we're toying with in the ambient system.

Kirk Tome · Lead Systems Designer

I think maybe one simple way to look at it is the ambient system would almost be like the reverse effect of how the math works. And so say something at some point is emitting a thousand EM, what it may actually mean is that it reduces the EM detection by that amount for things that are just around it. So they act as a mask.

Mark Abent · Lead Gameplay Engineer

Exactly. So going with that, if you had a pocket of sand, maybe it increases the cross-section ambient noise a bunch. So if you're inside of it, no one could really find you.

Kirk Tome · Lead Systems Designer

Yeah, that's ultimately the gameplay we want to accomplish. I want to be able to hide behind an asteroid. Or I want to fly near a star, and that makes me less detectable for EM or IR. But I'll probably melt. But hey, you want to do the Icarus thing? Go for it.