Yoke

**Yokes** are control devices that can be linked to various computers and systems. It is the main control method players will use in the game. The "Joystick" is a smaller alternative to yokes.

## Overview

Yokes are the primary method for players to interact with and control the myriad of systems in Starship Evo. If it requires that players control it then a yoke will most likely be linked to it. Certain systems such as Turrets are capable of operating without it; if players would like to take manual control of one then they will need to use a yoke.

### Setup

Yokes can be placed on any entity; even Handhelds however it is redundant to do so. They can not be stretched or scaled and only come in one size. Since they are an essential system they do not require any energy to operate and generate no heat.

When selected with the link tool yokes will display two arrows, one red and one green. These arrows are the yokes orientation and will determine what direction the connected entity will face when controlled. The red determines "FORWARD" and the green determines "UP".

If players are within 1 meter of their controlled yoke their avatar will attempt to grab ahold it. This is purely aesthetic and does not affect the yoke's functionality whatsoever.

### Usage

Once placed, Yokes have little use on their own. They can be accessed by holding **[F]** until the circle on screen is full. If the yoke is not linked to something players will be locked in place but still able to look around. Yokes are best paired with Chairs for both aesthetic and practical purposes. Linking a chair to a yoke will allow players to access the yoke by simply sitting in the chair where they would otherwise need to access the yoke afterwards.

Yokes must be linked to a either a Starship Computer, Hovercraft Computer, or a Turret Computer in order to gain its full functionality. When accessed the player will be able to control those entities. The type of controls that players will have depends on what computer the yoke is linked to. As long as the player can reach the yoke they can control whatever it is connected to; even if the player is physically not touching the controls. **Multiple yoke can be linked to the same computer** and be used as auxiliary controls however all subsequent yokes must have the same orientations as the first linked yoke.

Accessing a yoke will will cause the player to shift their perspective relative to the controlled entity's Forward direction. Ideally players should want to be as close as possible to the yoke while still being able to see where they are going/what they are doing. Large windows are best for small crafts however as players build bigger they will need to use Cameras. Linking a yoke to a camera will change the player's direct point of view to that of said camera.

Yokes can be moved around using Mechanisms. If a yoke is placed on a child entity then it can not be directly linked to a computer on its parent entity; Except for Turret Computers. To remedy this players will need to daisy chain link the child entity yoke to one placed on the parent entity. Then the parent entity yoke must be linked to the desired computer.

## Joystick

### Weight

25kg

**"Joysticks"** are an single handled alternatives to yokes. They function in the exact same way except for the fact that the are smaller and will only cause the player's avatar to grab it with one hand instead of two. If players would like to have their avatar grab two joysticks they can. Merely link the one joystick to the other.

## Fire Groups

Fire Groups are special input groupings for Yokes that allow players to toggle on or off different sets of weapons or logic; very much akin to weapon groups in the Mechwarrior series of games. Through clever logic wiring its is possible to use fire groups as a means to swap between weapons similarly to first person shooters. Fire groups are only meant to work with **"Primary Fire"** and **"Secondary Fire"**; Assigning fire groups to hotkeys is possible but they will interfere with each other.

Fire groups are configured in the Event Gate menu after it has been linked to a Yoke. In the event gate menu the drop down list has several options. By default every event gate is set to **"Always Active"** which means that the controls for that input will always be on and accessible at all times. Besides that there is options for up to four fire groups; Each fire group corresponds to their respective number key (1-4). As of 23w35b, The **"Never Active (Gimble Only)"** setting does not appear to be functional. When a fire group is assigned a new option will appear on the event gate menu. Toggling on **"Fire Group is Exclusive"** will determine if that fire group will stay on if the player were to select another fire group.

While controlling a Yoke, Assigned fire groups should appear in the controls list that appears on the left side of the HUD. Pressing the appropriate fire group key will toggle that group on. Pressing the assign input will trigger both the default input as well as the fire group's. Unless the "Fire Group is Exclusive" option is turned on it is possible to have all 4 fire groups on at the same time.

## Controls

### Event Gate Triggers

 **Is Landing Gear Pressed** | Sends a logic signal when the landing gear key is pressed (By default, this is the G key)

## Tips

* It is possible to control entities using yokes placed in different orientations. First place the yoke on a mechanism then daisy chain that yoke to the main one. Once it has been linked go ahead and use the mechanism to change the angle of the second yoke to its final orientation.
* Players can link Chairs to Yokes/Joysticks to automatically take control of them when they sit down.
	+ If a Yoke is linked to a chair Players will have full access to its controls even if it is currently not linked to a computer.
	+ Through cleaver logic wiring it is possible to create control schemes that only apply when sat in the chair and not when taking control of a vehicle.
* It is possible to control multiple yokes at the same time, even while piloting a vehicle. The only exception is trying to control a yoke linked to either a Starship Computer or a Hovercraft Computer. Yokes linked to Turret Computers can be entered and left whilst retaining control of the vehicle.
	+ Each controlled yoke is an additional layer of control. As such, if players would like to leave the controls completely they will have to leave every yoke they have accessed. There is currently no known limit to how many can be controlled at the same time.
* The player's grasping animation will prioritize the most recently controlled Yoke/Joystick.
	+ Yokes will be grasped by both hands while Joysticks are divided up between left and right hands. It is possible to have the avatar grasping both a yoke and a joystick at the same time.
* Nearly all text codes will work on anything that can have a custom label. This includes Yoke/Joystick event gate custom labels.