The developer tries to approach a ship in his pod (and accidentally lands in a crossfire).
The art of approaching ships in Heat Signature is just that: An art.
Detection
Each ship the player has to infiltrate has a detection radius, symbolized in the current build by a red border around the ship. Whenever the player's pod enters it and their heat exceeds the ambient temperature, the ship will begin to detect the player, symbolized by a red line from the center of the ship to the player's pod.
If detected, the ship will go into pursuit mode and attempt to shoot down the player's pod, until they exit the chase radius and cool down.
Strategies
- The only way to approach a ship is to keep your heat low and allow inertia to do the work. Use the thrusters only for minor adjustments and never use them for long. Aim for the airlock.
- Entering the forward field of view of a ship will immediately alert it to the player's presence and trigger pursuit mode. It can be an useful method to lure ships, but is a high risk/high gain affair.