Right, I'm not entirely sure this is a bug, but no one else seemed to know, so I'm opening my mouth. In a recent update, the jump system was modified to allow player to jump with 25% available energy. My problem is that, if I have more than 25% energy, say, a full energy bar, a jump drains it all. This does not make any sense to me first of all, as if only 25% is required, why use a full battery? And it also makes maneuvers like sequential jumps impossible. (Thus making it difficult to throw off pirate pursuit.)

That's all I have for the moment, but I'll no doubt be back later.

I can tell you that it's not a bug. Jumping behaves this way based on a decision that was made in order to balance gameplay by making it more difficult to throw off pirate pursuit. A technological reason to explain it should be invented, it's true. Or they might find another way to go about dealing with pursuit. VO aims to be a fun game with some sim characteristics, but it's certainly not a consistent and faithful simulation of our own or any other universe.

I think I remember Incarnate saying he planned on changing it to only drain the amount required... ah, here it is, took me long enough to find it: http://www.vendetta-online.com/x/msgboard/3/11386#134599

Personally, I'd actually like the energy required & drained by a jump to be based off the length of the jump, say 50e for the initial jump & 25e per sector jumped, so jumping one sector over would drain 75e, while jumping 10 sectors over would drain 300e (more than a FC battery's capacity! Wow, a reason to use a Heavy!). There's been a few threads in the Suggestions forum where I & others have suggested this or similar jump requirements.

Reason to use a Heavy Battery?

Quad Advanced Rails on a Hornet.

'nuff said.

Excellent! If I use a Heavy Battery, I can fly a death-trap! Woo-hoo! Sorry, couldn't resist. Quad Rail Hornets do have a niche that they excel in (one-shot kills), but it's a very, very small niche, that few people can fit in (ain't nobody never killed me w/ a Quad Rail Hornet, not no way, not know how).

/me is envious of Beolach's ability to pull up that link.

LordofBlades (and others) are correct. If the jump requires 25% of a battery's
charge, only 25% of the battery's charge should be consumed. As far as "making it more difficult to throw off pirate pursuit" is concerned, why are we encouraging
anti-social and illegal activities? In any society, real or simulated, pirating is an
illegal act. It SHOULD be difficult. If the pirates are so wimpy and lazy that they
cannot do the job they have chosen they should get another job.

Uhhhh...gameplay needs to be FUN, not REALISTIC. If changing things means making it either more fun, or more realistic, I'll take fun every time. Being chased by pirates and cheating the odds is fun, and it's far too easy right now. There are lots of gameplay changes that I think would make vendetta way more interesting and fun, but we're waiting to see if any actually make it.

Well, there's a little more to it than THAT, RattMann.

The warp animation from sector-to-sector was put in to prevent a certain type of behavior. The swarming-and-running kind of behavior. Making a running ship defenseless for a few seconds before you can leave the sector changes the strategy of warping, namely that you'd better not have any hostiles nearby when you warp out.

"Reason to use a Heavy Battery?

Quad Advanced Rails on a Hornet."

or any other energy weapon configuration with which you want to do an enormous amount of damage in a very short time; such as botting apies in a dual-neut cent - you want to take them out on the first pass, BEFORE they finish turning to engage you.

There are a lot of other practical uses too, such as chasing moths and the like... my point is, the FC battery is good for endurance and running, but aside from that, the heavy really does have its advantages in combat.

In the long run, FC is ALWAYS better than a Heavy for any energy weapons, and for chasing anything. The only time the Heavy is going to appear better is if you start at full charge, and finish the task before it reaches empty. Which is often completely impossible, and even when technically possible exceedingly difficult & unlikely.

And the UC is EVEN better... :)

Actually LeberMac and Harry Seldon, it IS that simple. This is not a "real" vs "fun"
issue. If it takes 25% of a battery's capacity to jump, only 25% should be used.
Plain and simple. Logical. Consistant. Fair. Resonable.

As for Leber's comment, if a "running ship" should be vulnerable for a few seconds
during a jump, why shouldn't a "running ship" be vulnerable all the rest of the time?
How do we define a "running ship?" And for how long? In order for gameplay to be
consistant, if my ship is as vulnerable during a jump (as it is during "normal" flight)
then why can't I defend myself during a jump? This is a PENALTY placed on the
law-abiding "citizens" of Vendetta. For the sake of gameplay, "illegal" activities
such as pirating should NOT be forbidden. But they should not be facilitated by the
granting of special circumstances either. As I said before, if pirates are too wimpy to
do their job, they should change jobs. Not demand that the game be changed to
suit them.