Forums » Suggestions
RFC: Jump Directionality and Jumping Blind
Like you guys need more extraneous stuff on your plate, I was thinking about the seeming randomness of in-system Jumps in VO. Anyway, mostly looking for feedback on the idea than asking that this be implemented any time soon.
Currently, it doesn't matter which direction you are facing to make a Jump as long as you are clear of any large mass; this tends to give the VO 'verse a feeling of non-organic disjointedness with sectors not having any clear relationship to each other unless you look on a map. This feeling is exacerbated by the fact that wormhole Jumps between Systems are almost identical in execution though different in detail, as actual physical objects in space, and therefore subject to slightly different laws of physics.
My suggestion would be to have in-system Jumps reflect the direction the ship is heading. For instance, to jump to a sector to relative east would require a pilot to actually be heading east. Further, I would like to see blind jumping where you can do an in-system jump to an adjacent Sector in the direction you are headed without having to plot it; this would allow travel across a System more naturally (should someone choose to do so). I suggest a two-step process to avoid inadvertent blind Jumps: first tap on the Activate key displays the Jump point, second tap activates Jump as normal. Travel beyond current System boundaries (edges of the map) can be restricted and explained any number of ways (Oort cloud, radiation, gravitic anomalies, etc).
Tactically this presents some new challenges as well as opportunities. For instance, the immediate Sectors around a fight become important as potential destinations for pilots jumping out of a Sector in a hurry. Tracking becomes somewhat easier as the general direction of the trackee can be readily ascertained. Hit-and-run tactics will require greater coordination with the loss of the ability to consistently rearm and return in single Jumps. Combat can more naturally use the entire System instead of being confined to a Sector at a time. Natural boundaries such as the outer edges of the System, stellar objects, or 'roid fields which prevent jumps (I suspect cap ships will really hate asteroid fields) become useful as ways to contain opponent. Direct routes between wormholes and stations (and vice versa) become predictable as only a limited number of vectors are possible without introducing Jumps inbetween. You get the idea.
To reinforce the use of blind jumps in combat a delay could be introduced when using the NavComp to plot Jumps (e.g., "It'll take a few moments to get the coordinates from the navicomputer."). Of course, none of this prevents pilots from pre-plotting Jumps before entering combat but they will still have to turn and head in the right direction first.
Currently, it doesn't matter which direction you are facing to make a Jump as long as you are clear of any large mass; this tends to give the VO 'verse a feeling of non-organic disjointedness with sectors not having any clear relationship to each other unless you look on a map. This feeling is exacerbated by the fact that wormhole Jumps between Systems are almost identical in execution though different in detail, as actual physical objects in space, and therefore subject to slightly different laws of physics.
My suggestion would be to have in-system Jumps reflect the direction the ship is heading. For instance, to jump to a sector to relative east would require a pilot to actually be heading east. Further, I would like to see blind jumping where you can do an in-system jump to an adjacent Sector in the direction you are headed without having to plot it; this would allow travel across a System more naturally (should someone choose to do so). I suggest a two-step process to avoid inadvertent blind Jumps: first tap on the Activate key displays the Jump point, second tap activates Jump as normal. Travel beyond current System boundaries (edges of the map) can be restricted and explained any number of ways (Oort cloud, radiation, gravitic anomalies, etc).
Tactically this presents some new challenges as well as opportunities. For instance, the immediate Sectors around a fight become important as potential destinations for pilots jumping out of a Sector in a hurry. Tracking becomes somewhat easier as the general direction of the trackee can be readily ascertained. Hit-and-run tactics will require greater coordination with the loss of the ability to consistently rearm and return in single Jumps. Combat can more naturally use the entire System instead of being confined to a Sector at a time. Natural boundaries such as the outer edges of the System, stellar objects, or 'roid fields which prevent jumps (I suspect cap ships will really hate asteroid fields) become useful as ways to contain opponent. Direct routes between wormholes and stations (and vice versa) become predictable as only a limited number of vectors are possible without introducing Jumps inbetween. You get the idea.
To reinforce the use of blind jumps in combat a delay could be introduced when using the NavComp to plot Jumps (e.g., "It'll take a few moments to get the coordinates from the navicomputer."). Of course, none of this prevents pilots from pre-plotting Jumps before entering combat but they will still have to turn and head in the right direction first.
this sounds pretty interesting in theory, but space is 3D and the VO verse is well...not
I like this, I would also kind of like to see in system jumps be limited in distance. Say 6 Systems in a line before you've got to jump out of warp and cool down a bit.
And different visuals for in system and wormholes would be great.
And different visuals for in system and wormholes would be great.
Rejected: True but it would be by general heading so if I'm heading up but also east I would Jump east since Systems tend to be on a single plane. It's not completely realistic but than it is just a game. My question is whether or not the lack of travel off the ecliptic would become a liability or an accepted quirk in the long run.
What are we assuming a jump is? Are we assuming it's a really fast engine, or are we assuming it's a ... jump? If it's a jump then it doesn't matter which direction you're facing. If it's a engine you would, theoretically, run into asteroids on your path as well as Ion Storms. A jump wouldn't even hit the Ion Storms.
The reason I bring this up is because if I were to fly away from the sector I wanted to get to, and jump, I'd get there. With your system, would I have to fly towards a certain area, or could I just be 3000 m from anything *pointed* in the right direction?
The main reason I say this is because I remember a sector where I jumped in, and the recommended jumppoint was 15k away... yet I flew 4k away in a different direction and got their just fine. Would I have had to gone the whole darn way, or just the smaller part?
The reason I bring this up is because if I were to fly away from the sector I wanted to get to, and jump, I'd get there. With your system, would I have to fly towards a certain area, or could I just be 3000 m from anything *pointed* in the right direction?
The main reason I say this is because I remember a sector where I jumped in, and the recommended jumppoint was 15k away... yet I flew 4k away in a different direction and got their just fine. Would I have had to gone the whole darn way, or just the smaller part?
A jump is still a jump; you just need to be pointed in the right direction. As long as there is an area with sufficient clearance (3000m) you can jump in any direction as long as your heading, whether you are in motion or not, is the direction you want to go. You could even be moving directly *opposite* the direction you want to jump, spin 180 degrees (physics mode), and than jump. Fun!
EDIT: I'm trying not to break the current jump mechanics any more than necessary so I'm going with heading only rather than actual direction of travel.
EDIT: I'm trying not to break the current jump mechanics any more than necessary so I'm going with heading only rather than actual direction of travel.
The VO universe certainly does use 3 dimensions. Each system is 1 sector, by 16 sectors, by 16 sectors, and 1 sector is a great deal of space.
In other words, if you jump out 1,000,000km "above", there's no reason that couldn't have an effect on your placement in the sector you were aiming for. And if nothing else, it could modify the depth of your arrival point.
In other words, if you jump out 1,000,000km "above", there's no reason that couldn't have an effect on your placement in the sector you were aiming for. And if nothing else, it could modify the depth of your arrival point.
SuperMegaMynt: Well, I interpreted the question as whether you could actually "Jump" to another Sector along the z-axis as that's the only mechanism I brought up so the answer was no; I think that would just lead to needless complications for limited gains. However, your idea of having one's position along the z-axis in a Sector affect the destination point of such a Jump is certainly worth exploring.
Well, my point was this. If it's a jump, then pointing in the right direction would be ridiculous simply because if you can jump "through" stuff, then why does it matter what direction you're facing? The idea of a jump is that you make a little hole in space and walk through... therefore no real need for a directional thing. If it was a super fast speed type thing, then you'd run into stuff, and navigating between sectors would instantly become not very fun.
I like directionality, and certainly jumping blind — Wait! What if jumping blind was simply a function of the computers? A good thing to do when you're being chased or something. Point a direction, hit enter twice, and boom, your off w/o having to navigate. Otherwise I don't see a big connection between our jump system and directionality.
I like directionality, and certainly jumping blind — Wait! What if jumping blind was simply a function of the computers? A good thing to do when you're being chased or something. Point a direction, hit enter twice, and boom, your off w/o having to navigate. Otherwise I don't see a big connection between our jump system and directionality.
Considering we are talking about a wormhole physics which doesn't really exist any explanation for the way wormholes function is equally plausible. My take on it is that the endpoints of wormholes between systems are static objects so jumping through one is like getting sucked down a drain; no matter which direction you are facing when you get sucked in, you will still get spit out the other end.
For in-system jumps, however, the ship has to create its own "bridge" between sectors. Arguably, the most natural point to form the bridge is in front of the ship. Whether its focused gravitons, synchronized chronotons, or pixie dust, the action is happening in front of the ship (within the confines of my proposal, anyway) so the assumption that the entire bridge, both end points, is also in front of the ship is completely plausible.
But getting bogged down in explaining how things work within a fake system of physics is not my intent here; it's whether the idea of adding directionality to jumps would add up to a better game.
For in-system jumps, however, the ship has to create its own "bridge" between sectors. Arguably, the most natural point to form the bridge is in front of the ship. Whether its focused gravitons, synchronized chronotons, or pixie dust, the action is happening in front of the ship (within the confines of my proposal, anyway) so the assumption that the entire bridge, both end points, is also in front of the ship is completely plausible.
But getting bogged down in explaining how things work within a fake system of physics is not my intent here; it's whether the idea of adding directionality to jumps would add up to a better game.