Seamless flight is one of the greatest features ofStar Citizen, and we have not seen anything similar to it with the same level of realism in other games yet. However, sometimes you need to break the realism rules to avoid frustration.
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Traversing millions of kilometers with Hydrogen fuel is impossible in Star Citizen. Instead, the game offers a faster option called Quantum Travel, which is used for quick traversal between planets. It can also be used for getting inside a planet’s atmosphere, which could take much longer when using Hydrogen fuel.
Using Quantum Travel For Long-Distance Traversal
All ships in Star Citizen feature Quantum Travel, though the amounts of fuel consumption and fuel capacity are different from one ship to another. Quantum Travel is only available for targets that are at least 50 kilometers away from you. So, any distance that is less than 50 Kilometers cannot be traversed using Quantum.
In order to activate Quantum Travel, press “B”. This will boot up a new UI element in the middle of your pilot screen with two different bars. The first bar, which is called Spooling is on top of the circle. This one serves as a scanning of the surrounding area. Once the Spooling is done, you can see all the available destinations. The targets that appear in red are unavailable to access via Quantum Travel. The reason for it could be different. You are either too close to those targets, or there is something like a planet between you and the target that doesn’t allow a Quantum push.
Keep in mind that for Quantum Travel there shouldn’t be anything in an imaginary line between you and the target. If you are close to a planet or a moon that blocks your target you need to get to the other side of that obstacle. While it is possible via Hydrogen fuel, there are a bunch of targets marked by “OM” around each planet or moon that allow you to get to the other side of it using Quantum Travel. So, if there is a blocker, search the targets for an “OM”. Each “OM” has a number assigned to it. Most planets usually have at least six OMs that get you to different sides of the sphere.
Once your target turned blue/green, it means you can trigger Quantum Travel. For doing so, align the original crosshair of your pilot screen (the circle that shows the steering of the ship) with the target’s icon and wait for the calibration bar on the left side of the Quantum circle to reach 100%. Once done, hold “B” for 4 seconds to trigger Quantum. Keep in mind that sometimes due to server lags or high ping, Quantum Travel might be initiated with a delay. This means you stop holding B, but the Quantum Travel doesn’t seem to be activated. In this case, wait 10 more seconds, and you will notice Quantum Travel will be initiated. If you press “B” in the middle of Quantum Travel, it will be deactivated.
Keep in mind that you should always turn off cruise control (“C”) before activating Quantum Travel. During Quantum Travel, you will have no control over the steering of the ship or the maximum speed. Everything that is related to the ship’s movement and navigation will be locked until Quantum Travel goes off at the destination. There is a Quantum Travel cooldown for each ship. This means when you travel a long distance, you need to wait for a short time until Quantum Travel gets restored to be used again. This will appear as a red bar on the right side of the Quantum circle. During the cooldown, all targets will appear in red.
