Hyperspace Drives

[Ironwatsas]

After playing Homeworld again recently, I've come up with the radical yet awesome idea of implementing a system of hyperspace drives ala the .beam command, but with a few extra bits to promote and add an element of awesomeness to the mod. Essentially, this would be an FLhook powered system which both permits teleporting around, something quite useful, and promotes roleplay.

The theory behind it is this...

A 'hyperdrive' equipment item will be available. This item will be purchased at a high price (ala the cost of a battleship) from certain bases and factions (those which would logically possess hyperdrive technology). This will not be 'fair' in distribution due to the implausibility of many entities possessing or having the technical expertise to use it.

Other factions will have to acquire hyperdrives through player interactions or kill ships with unmounted hyperdrives in them. Though any faction should be able to use it if it can get a compatable ship.

The hypedrive can only be mounted on a large warship. A Carrier, Battleship, Cruiser, or certian large Gunboats (and even certian classes of these ships wouldn't be compatable).

HOWEVER

The hyperdrive is not ready to run out of the box. It requires fuel, specifically an exotic matter which is sold at no bases in Sirius, and can only be acquired through mining. This fuel will be found in small patches scattered across Sirius, often hidden in larger mining fields or in remote locations. Such fuel will have limited value on the open market (though a profit could be made selling to research stations), the real value will come from selling it to other players. It will also force factions who want to use hyperdrives en-masse to deploy mining ships to gather it.

Once enough fuel has been acquired (enough as to not leave enough cargo space for profitable powertrading using this system to be viable) the hyperdrive can be used. Though it should be viable for most ships to be able to make a two-way journey (individual fuel use would vary depending on the size of the ship)

The system will be activated by a simple flhook command, such as

/hyperjump New York 111.222.333

The number at the end being co-ordinates in the system. This requires memorization of set co-ordinates for bases or points of interest, or risk 'blind jumping' into planets or stars.

If all is well, the hyperdrive will activate. An animation will play (which will immobilize the ship and drain it's powerplant) and the ship will be teleported to the target co-ordinates.

UNLESS

There is a Gravity Well present in the system.

Some systems will have gravity wells by default (Omicron-91 with the Razgriz black hole, Omega-41, Omega-58, etc). For systems without those, however, players defending these systems will have access to portable gravity wells. Each house/major faction will have a gravity well generator ship of their own (or one easily acquirable) which, when not docked, will prevent any hyperspace travel into a system (a message will be given to a player intending to jump indicating "HSNAV has detected a Gravity Well" or something).

The Gravity well will be an entire ship of it's own. Likely without weapons or thrusters. However, it will have a secondary function, in that it acts like a giant cruise disruptor (preventing ships in range from cruising away). It will probably have gunboat level shields and armor, making it a strategic tool.

Finally, any ship in a Gravity well's range trying to hyperspace OUT of a system, will be prevented from jumping away (as well as any ship in the vicinity of a planet or star).

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Bugged that only capships can hyperspace? SOLUTION!

Carriers will have their own special ability, fighters nearby (within a relatively small range like 1km) will be able to /dock or nk to a carrier, using another FLhook command. the fighter(s) will type something like:

/dock targetname

The carrier captain will be given a message /player X wants to dock Y/N and will be given the option to cancel or allow docking. However, this will only work with carriers or (possibly) battleships, with each shipclass being given a limited number of ships it can carry (if this can be scripted). Carriers would be able to carry dozens of fighters, while battleships and cruisers would only be able to carry a few (if any, depending on class). Transports will not be able to /dock (but freighters will) to prevent powertrading.

Assuming the carrier is already set to jump, any ships inside the /dock radius will jump with the carrier. If a ship leaves the radius, it will not be taken along. Ships that do not /dock will also not be taken along, to prevent unintended hitchhikers

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Presumably, the basics of this can be used by some of the same mechanisms used by the .beam command and the mining mod. Understanding the basic principals (if not actual scripting) that are already in use on the server.

The sheer costs in credits involved, complex set of events required to make a hyperdrive, rarity of supply limited shiptypes that can jump, dependence of player interaction, and available mitigation systems SHOULD balance it out and prevent most abusive players from getting a hold of one. But it would have practical benefits to factions like the Order or those with large ZoI, and for faction and player interaction and economics in dealing with moving around all of the various stuff.

It'd also add in a strategic perspective with planning of Gravity well deployment, plotting hyperspace co-ordinates, fuel stockpiling, etc.

All in all, something quite fun to <strike>implement right away</strike> consider.

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All that begins must end.