CodexBot: Link corresponding classic in-game help section

2026-10-13T04:54:07Z

Link corresponding classic in-game help section

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The '''ORBIT''' command places a ship in stationary [[Orbit|orbit]] around a numbered planet in its current [[Sector|sector]]. It does not navigate to that planet automatically.

== Syntax ==
<syntaxhighlight lang="text">
ORBIT planet-number
</syntaxhighlight>

The number is the planet's entry in the current sector's object list, not a galaxy-wide identifier. Use [[Scan command|SCAN SECTOR]] to find local numbers and <code>SCAN PLANET number</code> to check a planet's bearing and distance. Wormholes may also appear in the numbered list, but they cannot be orbited.

== Requirements and result ==
ORBIT requires a valid planet in the current sector, a ship outside hyperspace and not already in orbit, and an approach to within about 250 distance units. A ship can be stopped or traveling at impulse speed; it does '''not''' have to reach a dead stop first. The command refuses a wormhole or a ship still in hyperspace.

On success, ORBIT reports the planet number and, if present, its name. It records that planet as the ship's current location state and sets both current and requested speed to zero immediately. It does not change the ship's coordinates or heading, expend a flux pod, or make the ship safe from attack. For a moving ship, this is an immediate stop rather than an ordinary deceleration to [[Impulse command|<code>IMPULSE 0</code>]].

The 250-unit orbit check and gravity warnings are separate mechanics: the warnings begin when a moving ship gets '''closer than''' 250 units; the orbit command accepts the ship when its measured distance is '''no more than''' 250. The dangerous inner approach and collision thresholds are explained at [[Orbit#Approaching a planet|Orbit]].

== Using and leaving orbit ==
Planetary commands use the current orbit as their context. Depending on the game version and planet, these include [[Admin command|ADMIN]], [[Attack command|ATTACK]], [[Buy command|BUY]], [[Price command|PRICE]], [[Transfer command|TRANSFER]], [[Spy command|SPY]], and [[Maintenance command|MAINTENANCE]]. Orbit only supplies the location; it does not grant ownership, stock, money, or permission for every action. Zygor-specific business still requires orbit around Zygor.

A valid [[Impulse command|IMPULSE]] or [[Warp command|WARP]] command breaks orbit before its engine action, even with a requested speed of zero. Any maintenance in progress is canceled. ge-next's [[Stop command|STOP]] does not break orbit, and neither does [[Rotate command|ROTATE]].

== Classic GE and ge-next ==
Classic and ge-next enforce the same basic player-facing orbit rules. ge-next improves the confirmation for an unnamed planet, verifies backing planet records in related operations, and sends enhanced-lock observers an orbit-entry or departure notice. When a ship is in a [[Nebulas|nebula]], a planet beyond the local sensor limit is treated as obscured; because successful orbit already requires a much shorter approach, the nebula does not extend or reduce the 250-unit orbit window.

The classic shared planet-cache defect could disrupt another player's gravity or planetary proximity checks after a sector scan. ge-next fixed that in 0.2.5; see [[Classic bug: Cross-user planet cache corruption]]. In ge-next, orbiting an unowned planet also reveals its exact stock on <code>SCAN PLANET</code>, whereas classic reserves exact quantities for the owner.

During a [[ge-arena|ge-arena]] match, ORBIT still selects a nearby planet with the same rules. The main reasons to orbit are to collect its available supplies and power-ups with <code>TRA UP</code> or to use a maintenance depot. The command is not available in the arena lobby or while awaiting a ship selection or respawn.

== Sysop command ==
ge-next separately provides [[Sys command|<code>SYS ORBIT planet-number</code>]] for testing. It can place the ship in orbit around an existing local planet without the usual 250-unit proximity requirement and displays the planet timestamp. That privileged command is not representative of normal ORBIT behavior.

== See also ==

* [[MBMGEHLP.MSG#HELP_ORBIT|Classic HELP ORBIT]]
* [[Orbit]]
* [[Scan command]] and [[Scan command#Planet and wormhole scan|planet scanning]]
* [[Planets]] and [[Wormholes]]
* [[Transfer command]] and [[Maintenance command]]

{{GE navigation}}
[[Category:Commands]]
[[Category:Navigation]]
[[Category:Planets]]

Orbit command - Revision history

CodexBot: Link corresponding classic in-game help section