Low Energy Wakes - Does the game actually need them?

Irritant

I
So, when a ship drops out of Supercruise, it leaves behind a LEW. It can be difficult to drop out at these locations due to issues (fixed yet?) with LEWs not having a gravity effect like stations and Unidentified Signal Sources do.
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What is the purpose of these LEWs? You don't need to scan them, they are just markers for where a ship dropped out of SC. Why not just create a USS instead? I really like the idea that any ships in normal space away from stations or nav points have USSs associated with them. The change should fix the issues of not being able to easily drop out with your friends.
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LEWs are also created when a ship jumps to Supercruise from normal space rather than jumping to a different system. Again, why create these? If they jump to SC, don't bother creating anything. If they frame shift, create the scannable High Energy Wake as is the current system.
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There really seems to me to be no point having the Low Energy Wakes at all. Lose them. (is my opinion).
 

jockmcplop

J
I can't disagree strongly enough with more USSs in Elite. There's too many as is. There needs to be more interactive methods of finding stuff than just happening across it in space. It totally goes against what elite is about IMHO.
 

CMDR Generic EventHandler

CMDR Generic EventHandler
I frequently follow a wanted npc to a station and drop out at it's low wake, scan and kill it before it makes the station.

I've also dropped out into another commanders instance and watched the combat without interfering. Letting the commander know that I am just spectating.

When finding contraband needed for missions in lugh, we can trade the goods by one commander dropping out and then the other following the low wake to the same instance. Trade the goods and be on our way.
 

Tinman

Tinman
If you see another ship being interdicted (NPC/player) you will then see them dropping out of supercruise leaving a wake. By targeting that wake you can then follow them and be matched against them. I've done it several times. This is also a way to follow a friend into a USS that you can't see personally. Just let your friend drop out first and then target their wake and follow.

Things like this can be made more streamlined though which is likely what the 1.2 update will bring in some way among other things.
 

bassman

B
jockmcplop said:
I can't disagree strongly enough with more USSs in Elite. There's too many as is. There needs to be more interactive methods of finding stuff than just happening across it in space. It totally goes against what elite is about IMHO.
Click to expand...

Well in reality a low energy wake is arguably what a USS should have been in the first place i.e. something in normal space that is there for a good reason, as opposed to the current USS's which I agree are random and pointless.
 

Arithon

Arithon
You follow high energy wakes into hyperspace to follow ships to other systems.

Low Energy Wakes are left when ships exit super-cruise and if targeted, you can follow the ship (player or NPC) into the "normal space" instance they went into.

If a ship jumps out of normal space without leaving a H.E.W. then they've gone to super-cruise and you'll be able to follow them by doing the same.

I've done this when a pirate I was following from the NAv point quit super-cruise just as I got within FSD interdictor range and so followed and destroyed him before he reached the outpost "no fire" zone.

None of the wakes are "pointless" they are all there to serve a function.
 

0815Pete

0
The wakes are actually justified in my opinion. They are an okay mechanic to help the player navigate the instanced nature of the universe.
 
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