Long Jump Option
- Thread starter avarusbrightfyre
- Start date
" or doing anything other than just mindlessly jumping from system to system because you forgot something back in the bubble. It should absolutely take a lot of time to travel long distances; it should not require my constant attention and input. This option would require virtually no adjustment to the core mechanics of the game and still provide a reprieve for long distance travel."
I'm pretty new, but yes making all these mini-jumps is definitely tedious, and just seeing sun after sun, does not add much to the game. Being able to jump to the edge of your fuel range would leave the player substantially more time to engage in actually useful, engaging activities. There is no shortage of grind in this game. But receptively, Jump, scoop, Jump is not much fun, and I can't imagine it adds to the experience for anyone. Of course players making that hyper jump would be giving up Discovery opportunities so there would be a trade off vs jumping by hand per se.
I'm pretty new, but yes making all these mini-jumps is definitely tedious, and just seeing sun after sun, does not add much to the game. Being able to jump to the edge of your fuel range would leave the player substantially more time to engage in actually useful, engaging activities. There is no shortage of grind in this game. But receptively, Jump, scoop, Jump is not much fun, and I can't imagine it adds to the experience for anyone. Of course players making that hyper jump would be giving up Discovery opportunities so there would be a trade off vs jumping by hand per se.
Please explain how reducing the number of jumps but maintaining the same amount of travel time reduces the size of the galaxy.
This is exactly what I'm getting at. It should still take time to get places, just not require the constant, tedious inputs.
There are already means by which long distances can be traversed - use Neutron star jet boosts of go earn enough to buy a fleet carrier. The idea that you should further reduce your hands-on involvement in traversing the galaxy is basically just adding a big RED BUTTON™. Mind you, FDEV instigating the changes to FSDs making in-system travel insignificant might bode well for your desire to pop over to Beagle Point whilst making your dinner....
GitHub had a program which used images to navigate your ship around the stars and allowing you to sit back.
But these methods defeat the purpose of the game. It's nice to have supercruise automatically disengage during longer in system flights, but to allow players to traverse the galaxy overnight isn't s good idea and I'm aware you mentioned the need to manually refuel, but implementing this feature makes it even easier to code a program to fuel scoop for you after X hops and then let it automatically replot the course to initiate the automatic flight feature you mention.
But these methods defeat the purpose of the game. It's nice to have supercruise automatically disengage during longer in system flights, but to allow players to traverse the galaxy overnight isn't s good idea and I'm aware you mentioned the need to manually refuel, but implementing this feature makes it even easier to code a program to fuel scoop for you after X hops and then let it automatically replot the course to initiate the automatic flight feature you mention.
I don't mind being required to earn things, travel included, but the activities I'm asked to do should have some logical reason for them. Time requirements for travel are absolutely reasonable, as it makes logical sense in the world that it takes time to get places, but making it so I have to be actively involved in an overly tedious process in a hyper advanced spacecraft just doesn't seem reasonable at all to me. Modern aircraft have full autopilot suites that virtually remove the requirement of a pilot at all. We keep them because it makes us feel better and for redundancy.
If I got some kind of sense of accomplishment out of the current travel system, I'd be more inclined to leave it alone, but after many years of playing this game and trips out to the edges of the galaxy, I'm super tired of these little hops between star systems. If the original devs had decided on a more warp drive style of travel (i.e. galactic supercruise), you'd have exactly as much involvement in that as the system I'm proposing here and no one would question if you're "playing the game" because that would have always been the intent, so it seems like the answer to any requests for changes in the travel system (or anything with this game) is something like "it's always been this way, stop trying to change it", which isn't an argument.
Since the devs and a significant portion of the community seem dead set against a full-on autopilot, it seems to me that the very reasonable compromise of being able to combine 6-7 jumps worth of distance into one single jump that still takes the same amount of time and fuel as travel does now doesn't really affect anyone in a negative way at all, and significantly reduces the overly tedious process we have right now. You still have to fuel scoop, and the travel itself still takes the same amount of time, but between jumps you can spend that time doing something more productive. You still have to be involved in the process, just not nearly as actively, so you can't just walk away and let the ship fly to the furthest reaches of the galaxy overnight by itself, and those people who want to make shorter jumps always have the option to do so.
If there's some logical reason why reducing the travel workload is a bad idea, I'm certainly open to hearing it, but if your response to suggestions is "you're not having to work hard enough for it if we do that", then we have nothing further to discuss, as I find that to be a highly subjective argument which is firmly countered by my equally subjective response that "I don't play video games to work hard. Real life is hard work enough". I don't need a second job that doesn't pay me.
If I got some kind of sense of accomplishment out of the current travel system, I'd be more inclined to leave it alone, but after many years of playing this game and trips out to the edges of the galaxy, I'm super tired of these little hops between star systems. If the original devs had decided on a more warp drive style of travel (i.e. galactic supercruise), you'd have exactly as much involvement in that as the system I'm proposing here and no one would question if you're "playing the game" because that would have always been the intent, so it seems like the answer to any requests for changes in the travel system (or anything with this game) is something like "it's always been this way, stop trying to change it", which isn't an argument.
Since the devs and a significant portion of the community seem dead set against a full-on autopilot, it seems to me that the very reasonable compromise of being able to combine 6-7 jumps worth of distance into one single jump that still takes the same amount of time and fuel as travel does now doesn't really affect anyone in a negative way at all, and significantly reduces the overly tedious process we have right now. You still have to fuel scoop, and the travel itself still takes the same amount of time, but between jumps you can spend that time doing something more productive. You still have to be involved in the process, just not nearly as actively, so you can't just walk away and let the ship fly to the furthest reaches of the galaxy overnight by itself, and those people who want to make shorter jumps always have the option to do so.
If there's some logical reason why reducing the travel workload is a bad idea, I'm certainly open to hearing it, but if your response to suggestions is "you're not having to work hard enough for it if we do that", then we have nothing further to discuss, as I find that to be a highly subjective argument which is firmly countered by my equally subjective response that "I don't play video games to work hard. Real life is hard work enough". I don't need a second job that doesn't pay me.
I'd be all for a full-on autopilot option, but my understanding is that anything like that outside the game is firmly against the terms of service, and I have too much time invested to risk my account getting banned over something like that.
As far as the other point, people who really want to make it happen are going to figure out a way. Punishing the vast majority of players over the bad actions of a small few is a terrible way to approach the world. Punish people who break the rules, let everyone else have the best experience possible.
Yes it is illegal to use that stuff, but I wanted to make a point that already people are tweaking the possibility to have a full auto-pilot and some changes would just make it easier for them and we wouldn't want that.
Especially if there is distant system with treasures. People should put the effort into getting there and if that means on average 500 jumps, then 500 manual jumps.
Wouldn't be fair if someone auto-pilots there while they sleep and the other manually jumps there which obviously considers more effort.
Also if auto-pilot is a feature, the reward at the end of our trip isn't earned.
But another issue is that when we manually hop and hypothetically "race" to any certain system/event, someone can start later but have an efficient way of catching up to someone who started earlier, but takes their time to swing around a star. If everyone is using auto-pilot, it will eliminate this aspect.
Also, then people will be hauling and landing on auto-pilot. Defeats the purpose of the entire game if you think about it. You can grind all your credits this way with little to know effort, max out your ranks and ciao.
I would suggest that if flying from system to system is becoming a chore, take a break from the game and come back to it a little later.
I'll probably get around to that point where I'll have to take one so that I don't burnout.
I can certainly understand the points against autopilot, which is why I don't really push for that very hard. As for the rest, you're certainly entitled to your opinion, as am I. I find the current travel system overly tedious, and seek a way of making it less so.