Yes, an odd combination of topics, but interrelated...
There has been a lot of discussion about how (or whether) to implement the theory that black holes can act as wormholes for transport. I understand that FD don't want "stargates", but this could still be done if the destination is random (and changes every time). You get close to the black hole, high-wake, and end up popping out of another black hole elsewhere in the galaxy, with no control over where you'll end up. Not a reliable way of getting anywhere in particular, just a new way of "heading out into the black". Maybe a 5% chance of ending up at Sagittarius A* (because it's supermassive), but otherwise completely random every time.
This hasn't been done before, but its sudden availability could be justified in-game as recent Guardian-derived tech. Perhaps it will require the new Guardian FSD booster (when it's reintroduced), that could produce a role for the otherwise underwhelming smaller ones (as any size will do).
Of course there should be a disincentive to just keep diving back in until you get where you want to be, so I suggest damage due to "gravitational stresses". You emerge with your shields down, significant FSD damage (20%-30%), minor damage to all other modules (0%-5%), and 20%-30% damage to hull - it makes sense for this to be a percentage rather than a specific number of hitpoints, because the more armour you have, the more it's going to get bent. The need to keep repairing your ship will encourage the building of specialist "hole-diver" builds for those who want to do this often. Of course, an AFMU still can't repair powerplant damage, this will accumulate. Integrity damage will also accumulate.
And there could be a new type of armour: "Flexible Plating". This is a modified form of Reinforced Alloy, just as Mirrored and Reactive are modified forms of Military Composite - so it's lighter than these, and gives less protection. But as it's designed to bend rather than break, it halves hull damage from black-hole transit, and would also give superior protection from explosive damage (as blast waves tend to ripple through it rather than tearing it apart). It would be more expensive and would have a lower AP resistance versus small-arms fire, as it's softer and more easily shredded by multicannons.
This also opens up the possibility of new experimental engineering effects. Possibilities include "Regenerating", your hull heals itself slowly (maybe 1% per minute), perhaps requiring Thargoid-derived biotech: if you're relying on this to fix your hull between dives, you might as well explore the area before you go back in. Another off-the-wall mod might be "chameleon coating", halving the range at which you can be spotted visually if you have no detectable heat signature.
There has been a lot of discussion about how (or whether) to implement the theory that black holes can act as wormholes for transport. I understand that FD don't want "stargates", but this could still be done if the destination is random (and changes every time). You get close to the black hole, high-wake, and end up popping out of another black hole elsewhere in the galaxy, with no control over where you'll end up. Not a reliable way of getting anywhere in particular, just a new way of "heading out into the black". Maybe a 5% chance of ending up at Sagittarius A* (because it's supermassive), but otherwise completely random every time.
This hasn't been done before, but its sudden availability could be justified in-game as recent Guardian-derived tech. Perhaps it will require the new Guardian FSD booster (when it's reintroduced), that could produce a role for the otherwise underwhelming smaller ones (as any size will do).
Of course there should be a disincentive to just keep diving back in until you get where you want to be, so I suggest damage due to "gravitational stresses". You emerge with your shields down, significant FSD damage (20%-30%), minor damage to all other modules (0%-5%), and 20%-30% damage to hull - it makes sense for this to be a percentage rather than a specific number of hitpoints, because the more armour you have, the more it's going to get bent. The need to keep repairing your ship will encourage the building of specialist "hole-diver" builds for those who want to do this often. Of course, an AFMU still can't repair powerplant damage, this will accumulate. Integrity damage will also accumulate.
And there could be a new type of armour: "Flexible Plating". This is a modified form of Reinforced Alloy, just as Mirrored and Reactive are modified forms of Military Composite - so it's lighter than these, and gives less protection. But as it's designed to bend rather than break, it halves hull damage from black-hole transit, and would also give superior protection from explosive damage (as blast waves tend to ripple through it rather than tearing it apart). It would be more expensive and would have a lower AP resistance versus small-arms fire, as it's softer and more easily shredded by multicannons.
This also opens up the possibility of new experimental engineering effects. Possibilities include "Regenerating", your hull heals itself slowly (maybe 1% per minute), perhaps requiring Thargoid-derived biotech: if you're relying on this to fix your hull between dives, you might as well explore the area before you go back in. Another off-the-wall mod might be "chameleon coating", halving the range at which you can be spotted visually if you have no detectable heat signature.