Longrange hyperjump

[BigBANGtheory [VR]]

I'm 100% in favour of being able to travel long distances without the mindless repetition of jump scan scoop, my tolerance is about 15 jumps before I simply go 'nah ain't gonna do it' and find something else to do.

What I thought might work is an autopilot that can plot routes to places you've visited. That way you can return to where you've been and you could legitimately argue that you ship having been there can plot a more accurate or efficient route thus permitting longer jumps and faster journeys. This method removes a lot of frustration, encourages you to explore and open your paths up and doesn't give it away for free i.e. you still have to earn/work for it.

 

[Ian Doncaster]

Yes I'm all for reducing the hyperspace animation/loading screen time, yes I'd be in favour of changing it from 5-4-3-2-1 just to 3-2-1 or even "engaging" or something.

I think Frontier would be quite happy - if they could do it - to make the hyperspace animation like the FE2/FFE one (which lasted about a second and some of that was cosmetic).

The 5-4-3-2-1 covers various steps of removal from your current instance - and is presumably set so that it's "always" enough time. When jumping out of a really big instance, it isn't always enough (and you get some weird animation effects as it "runs off the end"). They probably could make it shorter in the routine case - at the cost of it "overrunning" more often.

The actual jump loading screen has definitely got quicker for me since 1.0 - mostly because of Frontier optimisations, but I did also get a faster computer recently which shaved another few seconds off.

 

[nexxo]

I think that the galaxy is already getting too small as it is. Travel should not be faster, but more involved.

The original idea was that ships (and their modules) experience wear and tear. Hence they constantly need some repair and maintenance at stations. The further away you travel from the bubble, the more wear and tear accumulate to result in ship malfunctions, unless you are equipped with AFMUs and repair limpets --which need regular restocking with materials.

This would mean that traveling great distances or exploration becomes a matter of ship and resource management as much as of plotting routes. Neutron star highways and other fast strategies should also add risk and accelerate ship wear and tear. Routes need to take in fuel-scoopable stars but also stop-overs for finding and collecting materials. Getting to SAG* or Beagle Point should take not just a lot of effort but also strategy and planning. It should mean something. And, incidentally, get you an achievement sticker you can put on your ship.

As long as you stay in the bubble, you don't have to worry about all that because stations take care of all the maintenance and repair for you. So traders and bounty hunters can carry on as they are; deep space explorers and prospectors however have meaningful activity to get stuck into beyond repetitive jump-honk. The Codex can become a player-built reference for efficient routes with good stop-overs for restocking materials.

At the moment, it all feels too easy, which is why it also feels too tedious. There has to be a good challenge-reward balance.