GALNET - Prototype Frame Shift Drive almost production ready, competitor sceptical - 04 APR 3310

[SergMx]

Also flew around and I have just one question for the developers (wish there was an answer):
Did I understand correctly that this is just a prototype, and after some time this function will be equipped with ALL FSDs in the game ?

On the other hand all existing engines can't be redesigned like that, it would make the Supercruise Assist (module) unnecessary.

P.S. Although we could just not press the TAB and go for tea. But Supercruise Assist takes up a slot ... I don't know.

P.P.S. By the way about interception, different ships have different maximum speed in SCO ( and different amount of fuel consumed) i.e. in essence FDL will always catch up with T10 even in a straight line, without braking.

 

[Jmanis]

I don't like it, too many downsides.
I don't want to sacrifice modules and shield boosters for putting heatsinks and extra fuel tanks just for saving 5-10 minutes in some trips.

In general you wouldn't need to though?

 

[Shurimal]

So, reactivation of the SCO has a cooldown (though, i can't see it anywhere in the display). That might just be indicating the ship can't activate it at that time.

Now I'm wondering... maybe the functional difference of the P2 and other variants will be that the negative effects of the SCO are mitigated?

Seems that ship sensors can detect in what state another ship's SCO is—"Signature fading" seems to indicate that SCO has been turned off and the targeted ship is slowing. Also, seems that a ship in SCO can be detected from really long distance—I saw that ship from 15000 ls away—so stealth is not an option when using it and the interceptor can time their intercept with practice so that they can successfully interdict the runner.

 

[DjVortex]

the interceptor can time their intercept with practice so that they can successfully interdict the runner.

At least smaller ships can now outrun bigger ships in supercruise...

 

[SergMx]

At least smaller ships can now outrun bigger ships in supercruise...

Everything is very different here. Can he catch up or maybe he can intercept him in this mode? What if he flies past while catching up?

Now I understand why a prototype is needed.

 

[Decksmeck]

The Dolphin is fun. It doesn’t overheat with a little engineering on the power plant and thrusters.

The Sidewinder is very fun. Very maneuverable and better on fuel than I thought it would be.

The booster is great for getting out of a gravity well and even from planet side .

I was actually able to tick off .1 light year toward a distant star. Very quickly I wonder if this will really lead to interstellar super cruise . Perhaps if the stars are close enough together, it can be done already. I doubt it though. Fuel gets used up fast.

 

[DjVortex]

Very quickly I wonder if this will really lead to interstellar super cruise . Perhaps if the stars are close enough together, it can be done already.

There are certainly pairs of systems in the galaxy that are so close to each other that you can supercruise between them. In fact, there are a couple of them in the Bubble itself that are closer to each other than Hutton Orbital is from the main star.

Problem is, you can't supercruise from one system to another. I mean, you can travel the distance, but once you arrive at the position of the other system, there will be nothing there. The game doesn't load the other system, and it will just be empty space. The only way to travel to another system is by jumping.

 

[Shurimal]

At least smaller ships can now outrun bigger ships in supercruise...

Unless the catcher doesn't go straight behind the runner, but comes in from a 90° or so angle, the runner running straight into the catcher The SCO-ing ship can be seen from 10000 ls away, the catcher can lurk somewhere between the main star and the station. If the catcher sees an SCO-ing ship they start their own SCO when the runner is in "Signature Fading" phase, comes in at an angle and interdicts. At this point the runner is overheated and in the SCO cooldown phase so can't run.

Of course, this is just theorycrafting and I haven't actually tried the new gizmos out yet. Bought 4 of them but was too busy yesterday fitting my anti-Orthrus missile frigate 'Conda and doing the first combat trial around Oya before Thargsday

 

[Felix DiCestria]

Does Marco Qwent have anything to say yet? Anyone stopped by Sirius?

Speaking Siriusly they may be sceptical but LYR will still give you a discount.

 

[Shurimal]

Speaking Siriusly they may be sceptical but LYR will still give you a discount.

Yup, Thurston Ring in Qama has all sizes in stock, although strangely according to Inara the discount for the drives I bought there is 8%, not 15+2.5% as expected...

 

[SergMx]

And where is there a table of speeds, fuel burn and overheating by new engine.
And full description of what works and what does not in SCO mode, how to intercept, etc. ?

I was told that if you leave the blue zone, then turn on the super cruise assistant, then turn on SCO, you can move to the blue zone and the assistant will work in SCO mode.

 

[Markov Chaney]

I think this FSD absolutely needs a short tutorial to pop in, to tell people what it is, what to press, and to only use it in short bursts. It's all too easy to misuse.

Nah the lack of information is accurate to the real world, as anyone who put their Nissan backwards into a tree on the way home from having it remapped will tell you. In fact this is VERY much like "I swapped the turbo for a bigger one but I'm still driving it on the old map"

Even more so because it can't be engineered - I wonder why.

Because it's a prototype and you can't put a hat on a hat. (And also because FDev may have foreseen the risk of someone coming up with an engineering combo they didn't think of, thereby breaking game balance and forcing an emergency update)

 

[Zieman]

Next development step: SuperCruise Booster as a module, like the Guardian FSD Booster.

 

[Rat Catcher]

And where is there a table of speeds, fuel burn and overheating by new engine.
And full description of what works and what does not in SCO mode, how to intercept, etc. ?

Have you checked the Canonn site?
It is less than 24 hours since the update was released, possibly you might even consider doing the research to answer your questions yourself?

 

[HRDiagram]

Next development step: SuperCruise Booster as a module, like the Guardian FSD Booster.

But this will be a Thargoid module: if you install them both, they'll start fighting each other!

 

[Zieman]

But this will be a Thargoid module: if you install them both, they'll start fighting each other!

Yes, that's a possibility (with FEDV, a certainty!), but there have to be choices that mean something. I'd probably dump the FSD booster if they couldn't exist at all together. But if they could coexist as long as one of them is not powered, I'd be happy to turn them on and off as needed.

 

[Markov Chaney]

I disagree here. The game needs next level tech that should be significantly better without tradeoffs. It's like comparing car engines from 50 years ago vs now. The new ones are much better in every aspect.

Interesting point from the same comparison: those motorsport series which are tech-first and not resource-bound (F1, WEC, previous iteration of rally) have had a HELL of a time trying to extract a "game" if you will (ie sporting regs which provide some sport) for the last decade because of the lack of natural constraints on capability.

WEC has actually had to nerf motorsport technology to keep the series going, and one outcome is that they have removed an entire class, which is not cool for all the teams that were sitting on 5+ years of capital equipment, investment, and skills around that tier. Sound familiar?
Unfettered improvement to FSD would give you the same problem, and worse still, you can't introduce sporting regs to control the runaway of technology in ED, because it's not a sport, it's a sandbox with diverse playstyles.

Rally and F1 can't even find an answer that keeps everyone happy. At all.

There's no way to drop "better FSD" in from a great height without massively screwing over all the existing mechanics, because the current constraints on travel dictate a LOT of the other things about how the ED universe operates.

 

[Markov Chaney]

Cosmo, seriously.
Space ships are more complex, than math.
10 is always "better" than 9, but big ship is not always better than smaller XD

I think you meant "arithmetic."

Fitting multiple ships with multiple degrees of freedom of their design, with a metric for each one, into a balanced set of rules and behaviours, with agents who have free will but also the ability to detect when they are being nerfed, could not BE any more of a mathematical problem.

Also 10 is not better than 9 if the criterion is "must be a multiple of 3" ;-)

 

[Cosmo]

Interesting point from the same comparison: those motorsport series which are tech-first and not resource-bound (F1, WEC, previous iteration of rally) have had a HELL of a time trying to extract a "game" if you will (ie sporting regs which provide some sport) for the last decade because of the lack of natural constraints on capability.

Motorsport is different because for example F1 has rules to prevent big discrepancies. Otherwise it's not a fair competition between the F1 drivers.

The tech of regular car engines improves every few years. There's downsizing to reduce emissions and improve fuel efficiency. People with deep pockets can buy supercars and hypercars that far exceed regular cars.

The new FSD (SCO) module has too much downsides for regular use.

 

[Jmanis]

Motorsport is different because for example F1 has rules to prevent big discrepancies. Otherwise it's not a fair competition between the F1 drivers.

Which is an excellent principle to apply to game design. A fair playing field between different types of equipment creates a more interesting experience.