I propose a command be added (shift-F) that automatically sets the nav route to the same sector as the last "<name> jumped to..." message, and jumps.

Makes pirating easy...

Would also make chasing pirates easier...

Personally, I don't see why making it an automatic function (of whoever you have targeted) would be a problem. It would save a lot of time and it's just plain common sense. I mean it's no different than the reason we use the activate key for docking, jumping a sector, AND jumping a wormhole. I'd hate to have more keys to worry about. But if it (having a key) means having the feature there in the first place, then I say go for it.

Good idea.

Approved. Better yet, make it autoset a following course if in range, and if no other course is set, so all you'd have to do is press activate.

And as I mentioned before in another thread, I think the navcomp should be able to revert you to the previous course you had set if you happen to lose the target, or if you decide to disengage. That's not something that would be hard to do, since technically all you'd have to program the game to do is "undo last click" however many times you followed the player through warps or jumps.

Would it? You'd be in a different sector than when you left your original nav route. Seems like making it a keystroke would avoid a lot of if's and's and buts.

I don't see how making it a keystroke would fix the problem you pointed out though, Phaserlight. But I really don't see it as a problem to begin with. I'm sure reverting your course would be very much possible to program into the game, for those concerned about losing their previous course. I know it's probably not as easy as I made it sound, but I'm sure it's very much doable.

And I certainly don't see how you can accidentally follow someone, for those concerned about that too. If you've got 'em targeted and if you're 3000m out and you're hanging close enough to see where they're going... what the hell are you doing there anyway?! Just seems like a common sense sort of thing, ya know? Why would you be fixated on that one person while they're trying to get out? There can only be one reason.

Also, wouldn't convoys look cooler if they all warped at once? NPCs do this on occasion. Having the auto feature would help encourage tighter formations within convoys. I don't know... the bottom line is if this idea will be implemented I'd like to see some type of auto-follow feature. I want to be on that person's tail as fast as possible, without any interruptions or without having to map yet another key to press. That's just my opinion though.

As always, options are good if possible...

Arolte, yeah it would be cool to see convoys all jump at once (or one after the other in a 'ripple' effect, like Return of the Jedi ;)

Here's the scenario I could see as a problem: I jump into a new sector, out of instinct I target the nearest hostile who happens to be within 1k and is just in the process of jumping to a sector where I don't want to go. Whoops, I just got pulled along into a sector I don't want to be in.

Perhaps there could be a /follow <target> command that automatically jumps to the same sector as a target as soon as the target jumps, but something like jumping to a new sector should never be done automatically without some kind of user input. I could be wrong, but I just think the above scenario would happen quite often and would get a little frustrating.

Also, if you could hit shift-F after someone jumped and it would follow them based on the chat box it would take some of the pressure off of you to target them before they jumped. This might even lead to some interesting diversionary tactcs where the trader jumps to one sector and the escort jumps to a different sector immediately afterwards to try to get the pursuers to follow him instead. I don't know... just kicking some ideas around.

That's a good point. I wouldn't want to jump back from the wormhole I came from, because I tend to do the same thing by selecting the nearest hostile upon entering a sector.

I would rather see a small port weap called the "jump supressor". when activated, no ship within 600m can jump.

Capships should have them. and you shouldnt be able to jump within 2000km.

oooOOOooo...
/me likes where this is headed

I like the idea of the jump suppresor, see no point to the "follow" key. Opening the navcomp ("n"), setting the course and typing "j" (to jump within the nav screen) takes all of what, two seconds? Those two seconds won't help you if your quarry's doing two consecutive jumps to lose you.

As for the jump suppresor, I like it, but I'm guessing the actual range would need much tweaking until everyone was happy. TRS's range strikes me as a little bit too far, specially since missiles and rockets can be fired and will reach the target at that range, with both ships turbo-ing, and so it would make pirating too easy.

For the capships themselves, if they could be made to count as "large objects", thus preventing warp, that's all it'll take.

Actually, jexkerome, those two seconds will make all the difference in the world. Right now while the fleer has to open his/her navcomp only once, the pursuer must open his/her navcomp every time. Automating an already implemented task would give the pursuer a much better chance of following someone who is running away.

And instead of suggesting an entirely new feature (like a jump supressor) for one simple problem, why not try to integrate the features we all ready have in game to try and come up with a solution?

I agree with you about having cap ships count as "large objects." We already have that feature in game, and cap ships are a lot bigger than asteroids and seem like they should count as large objects.

Well, if a capship counts as a large object, how do capships ever jump? It's tough for them to get 3000m away from themselves... and even if you have an exception for itself, what happens when 2 capships start duking it out? If it's going badly for one, it's going to want to run, but all the other one is going to have to do is keep withing 3000m, and there's no way the dmaged one can escape. Do you really want every single capship battle to be all the way to the death? With how expensive I expect capships to be, I don't think that's a good idea.

On the other hand, if it's some type of jump suppressor it makes sense that there would be some limitation on when & how long it could be activated, which would give enemy ships a chance to escape, if they can survive through the time the jump suppressor is active.

Just give capships different kinds of jump engines. :P

How about this:
"LARGE" is relative... it only goes for objects that are large relative to the ship. A capship isn't large relative to another capship, but it is large relative to a fighter.

For astroid fields you have to look at the total mass of the field, if that's large relative to the ship, it can't jump.

heh.