Inner planets (ie. between main planet and star) would likely be more noticeable in their movements but the closer they are to the sun the more scale looks wrong.
Here's another compromise that involves dynamic planets and moons but not true orbits:
How about retrograde or pendulous 'orbits'?
What I mean by this is planets orbit as normal but once they begin to head to far side of sun, their orbit simply reverses back from where they came, like a pendulum.
Odd, but less jarring than true orbits without rescaling the star. From my work on the rescaling experiment I know that the star distance and size is typically proportional to the main planet size. It is very easy to increase the distance but putting planetary bodies 'behind' it remains a problem.
The glare effect helps (as I first discovered from rescaling, prior to it being in the main game) but is largely spoiled with planets behind).
I remain open to being persuaded otherwise but I think that oolite as it is, even in my rescaled version, does not currently suit true orbits.
Three obvious problems:
- Star is too small relative to planets (orbits make this worse)
- Planets are too small relative to player (requires 'cramped' systems for visible effect)
- Moons also tend to be very large in order to not just look like big asteroids (potentially obscuring planet)
My rescaling work addressed the second two in a way I was very pleased with but did little to address the first. Norby has some experience with Far Planets but I think realistic distances make orbits largely go unnoticed.
Please, keep thinking, I expect there is a way to make this work
EDIT:
I've just read your Sun Gear post.
Am I understanding correctly?
Have you resized suns relative to planets e.g. suns/stars 5 times larger and planets unchanged?
And via OXP rather than source code changes?
If so then I can see why you might think orbits less problematic.
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Alien Systems
