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+--- Thread: a "what if...." jumpdrives got revised to something different....super cruise (/showthread.php?tid=127865)
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a "what if...." jumpdrives got revised to something different....super cruise - Jinx - 03-30-2015
Jump-drives promise time saving travel. So their one and only usefulness is to shorten a journey. According to the single-player - they are also used to escape combat - but players here already figured out that this feature is not appreciated. - So what is left is the promise of getting from A to B faster than without a drive.
The other problem with the jump-drives is the claim that one cannot force interaction on other players that use it.
So here is a concept that destroys jump-drives as a FTL device - but might be interesting none the less while trying to maintain the promise of faster travel without countering the problems that currently plague the FTL drive.
First we'd have to say good bye to the idea of disappearing here and appearing there instantly. Instead the idea is a sort of super cruise drive ( SC in short ).
So super cruise is like cruise - just supercharged. It much, much faster - but makes up for it by punishing the player more than the normal cruise. The good thing about cruise is that it is a process that many players are familiar with. Countering a player that attempts to cruise away - or trying to interrupt an already cruising player is about the most basic pvp 101 - so there is nothing more to learn in terms of tactics. - and we can also rely on a lot of experience when tweaking the stats.
concept idea, Super Cruise:
- accelerates similar to a trade-lane to something like 1500ms - so yea... very fast
- disallows steering - so you have to line up well - or you will overshoot your destination
- 30 second charge up for the SC - while charging ... the ship becomes immobile and drops its shields - and also replays a nice and long charging sound to alarm the vicinity to go nuts at firing CDs at the charging ship
- 2 versions of SC drives. One for all capital ships ( excluding gunboats ) - and one special one for designated carriers
- normal SC drives consume fuel at a moderate rate to allow fast travel for like 100k ... and then there is the carrier exclusive SC drive that is pretty much the same - but does not drop the shield, charges longer 90 seconds maybe ( not like it matters much ) - but is a LOT more efficient - maybe allowing ranges of up to 300k distance.
- snubs and transports do not get SC drives - but being in formation "pulls" them into the wormhole like being in formation while the other ship docks with a trade-lane ( also of course docked inside the docking bays of a carrier ship )
thoughts on that:
- Carriers do not drop the shield for the reason of delivering their cargo into a hot combat zone - to make up for it - the timer until their weapons energy replenishes could be enlarged.
- Ships that drop out of SC mode immedietly activate standard drive to slow down - and drop their energy level to zero ( instead of the small pool they usually keep in cruise ) - that is a measure so they cannot abuse E-kill
- Ships that try to smash into snub brawls at 1500ms - well... to be honest ... since they cannot steer in super cruise mode - it literally becomes a lucky shot to intentionally try that. - but that is a danger to keep an eye open for... .
- A ship in full super cruise is hard to impossible to stop with a CD. - But that could introduce special CDs - that are very poor at tracking ( nearly dumb-fire ) but super fast.
- make fuel a PoB product, too instead of a cheap "buy it anywhere you wish" commodity - and you even keep high(er) maintenance costs.
- and for the Nomads - i don t know... they probably ask for a fuel free super version
So what about the concerns and promises of the current FTL drives
- Well - you keep interaction alive more than with any kind of limited system jump - because you do not just pop out of existence.
- Travel is shortened - but mostly useful for border or edge-worlds - because it would be easier and faster to dock with a lane in civilized space.
- Getting out of a hot combat is nearly impossible - but if you manage it - no one should complain ( after having half a minute time to CD you - and failing it ) - also no shields...
So that idea does of course avoid the core problems brought forth against FTL drives - by not being FTL drives but just some glorified cruise. Being a lot more user-friendly ( it is just lining up - and hitting a special button instead of typing some random 50 digit number ) - it might be a nice alternative.
Also - carriers might push their cargo into a combat zone ( instead of teleporting them in from various sectors ), smaller cruisers and destroyers could form the core of convoys for other reasons than just big guns - by acting as the formation anchor for super speed.
The question remains - is the FTL mechanic of teleporting so precious that a different traveling method is unthinkable? - or is the concept presented here even worse than the most nerft FTL drive.
RE: a "what if...." jumpdrives got revised to something different....super cruise - Tsuzumi Mori - 03-30-2015
Would be somekind logical. It was something I've proposed like 3 months ago, to give possibility to mount in-system jumpdrive instead of thruster for such manouvers.
Also, I tend to believe Cruise Drive is also somekind of warp/FTL engine, since it's kinda funny we fly around the systems in minutes, instead of hours (given we have 1:1 count to the real life time and in-roleplay time.
Also, one note. I wouldn't make it CD-able. Why? Well, sitting in place or flying straight line with no shield is already death sentence for e.g. transports. 30 secs is a lot of time during the battle anyway.
I like the idea nonetheless.
RE: a "what if...." jumpdrives got revised to something different....super cruise - Alley - 03-30-2015
If you're willing to code it, okay.
RE: a "what if...." jumpdrives got revised to something different....super c... - Tsuzumi Mori - 03-30-2015
I'm just saying I like that idea.
@Alley - corrected.
RE: a "what if...." jumpdrives got revised to something different....super cruise - Alley - 03-30-2015
I wasn't talking to you, Toris.
RE: a "what if...." jumpdrives got revised to something different....super cruise - Connor - 03-30-2015
A short range Hyperspace jump. I love this! Please code it!
RE: a "what if...." jumpdrives got revised to something different....super c... - Jinx - 03-30-2015
Alley Wrote: If you're willing to code it, okay.
yea - no, thats not quite how this "what if..." thread works.
So why not consider the theoretical situation of the concept instead of blocking outright
( unless what you really mean is "i will 100% include that concept if you can code it"
- but i am very doubtful about that )
who knows - sometimes something useful - AND who knows.. managable can be derived from just
spinning around some alternative ideas.
RE: a "what if...." jumpdrives got revised to something different....super cruise - Alley - 03-30-2015
I can consider the theory, but what good is the theory if it requires weeks of work to get anywhere without any guarantee it will work?
Snoopy: Something like that is coming. Somewhat.
RE: a "what if...." jumpdrives got revised to something different....super cruise - Connor - 03-30-2015
Quote:Snoopy: Something like that is coming. Somewhat.
That's good to hear! Assuming it'll be another PoB product though...
RE: a "what if...." jumpdrives got revised to something different....super cruise - Alley - 03-30-2015
They are all going to be POB products. The goal here is to provide more diversity and use to POBs.
POBs themselves are getting new possibilities at some point.