[suggestion] Skill-based chain-jumping

[NW3]

I'd like to see an optional skill-based mechanic added to hyperspace jumping:

After you enter witch space, if you press the Jump key again within a few seconds of entering witch space, you have an opportunity to chain-jump. There would be a mini-game, much like interdiction, where you try to line up the next jump in your previously selected route.

(If it's too hard to program entering the mini-game during the hyperspace tunnel, you could press the Jump during the last 2 seconds of the 4,3,2,1 countdown to enter the mini-game.)

If you win the mini-game, your FSD would gulp the normal amount of fuel and immediately start the next jump. You can attempt additional chain-jumps, but it gets harder each time. If you don't have enough fuel to make the next jump, the mini-game immediately fails and you land in the targeted system, just like normal.

If you fail the mini-game due to lack of skill, you experience the normal hyperspace tunnel and exit at the target system with a somewhat longer cool down than normal, which is a bit longer for each successful chain-jump. If after a successful chain-jump, you don't attempt another (or if you are jumping to the last star in your route), the jump ends normally at the target system.

This would avoid a lot of time spent doing nothing but waiting. It would add some depth to the game and add another skill to be learned.

While chain-jumping, hyperdictions are still possible and would happen normally.

Optional: If you are in the bubble, there could be a percentage chance that a pirate was near the target star and saw you cruise past and started interdicting you, in which case the chain-jump would fail and you would drop into the target system and fight the interdiction as normal.

Neutron star boosting and FSD crafting does not allow for chain-jumping, since you can only have a destination selected and not a route.

Optional: Improve Neutron star boosting and FSD crafting, so that it works with the route planner, to take you as far as possible along the selected route. In that case, maybe these 2 conditions might allow for a double chain-jump of extended range and then continue normal chain-jumping.

 

[Galactic Fork]

How long would this minigame be? Do you mean you'd be doing it during the loading screen? Or before? Basically, what's the exact flow? Would the game be loading each system in succession, or wait until you fail and then load whatever system you failed on?

 

[NW3]

Ideally, it would happen during the witch space tunnel, during which time, asset loading and other work continues as normal. (If that's not possible, maybe it could be played during the last 3 seconds of the countdown before entering the tunnel.)

The mini-game should be short, no more than 3-15 seconds. It probably needs to be low overhead, for both the CPU and the GPU. Ideally, if you fail, the tunnel animation shouldn't take any longer than it normally would. If you succeed, another witch space transition starts. The time savings is due to omitted FSD cool down and charging at each waypoint system, so this should shave ~15 seconds off of each jump.

More importantly, it gives you something to do, instead of doing nothing while the witch space tunnel flies past.

The mini-game itself would be determined by the game programmers, based on whatever can be implemented within the game's constraints. That's intentionally vague; I'm not familiar with their code.

It could be something as simple as some console games' "special move" commands: Based on visual indicators, the player needs to press Up Up Down Right or Left Left Up Down or whatever. You could use joystick buttons, key presses, or controller buttons, depending on input device. It could be limited to left/right buttons/keys as a concession for players who use a mouse. To increase the difficulty, the sequence could be longer/faster or both.

My preference would be something more like fighting interdiction, but that might not be feasible given the game's constraints. My assumption is that the game would be loading each system in succession while you are winning the mini-game. The details would need to be worked out by the programmers.

The mini-game specifics are not that important to me. It needs to be somewhat entertaining and progressively more challenging for subsequent chain-jumps. (There's a low bar on entertaining, since anything would be more entertaining that the tunnel loading screen we currently have.)

I don't want to specify an "exact flow". I want to leave enough flexibility so that FD can develop something which works, given limitations which only they know.

 

[Galactic Fork]

Ideally, it would happen during the witch space tunnel, during which whatever asset loading and such continues as normal. The mini-game should be short. It probably needs to be low overhead, for both the CPU and the GPU. Ideally, if you fail, the tunnel animation shouldn't take any longer than it normally would. If you succeed, another witch space transition starts. The time savings is due to FSD cool down and charging, so this should shave ~15 seconds off of each jump.

More importantly, it gives you something to do, instead of doing nothing while the witch space tunnel flies past.

I like the idea of having something interactive during the loading screen, but I don't really like ditching the actual arriving at planets. Also, you aren't really saving cooldown time because you also can't scoop, so after X number of jumps you'll need to scoop, and typically your cooldown would be done before you finished scooping.

Personally I'd prefer other enhancements. I've always hated that fuel is consumed all in one go before hand. It'd be neater if a successful minigame decreased fuel consumption from the trip by a certain percentage. Or similar to your idea, a success could keep the FSD charged and ready for an immediate jump once clear of the sun, possibly at a decrease in temperature so you can still scoop. This way you can still check the system you're in.

No matter what, failed minigames should do more than just increase cooldown. Maybe minor damage to the drive.

 

[NW3]

The specifics and time-savings aren't that important to me. The goal is to make long trips with dozens of jumps less boring.

"a success could keep the FSD charged and ready for an immediate jump once clear of the sun". That's a good alternative, if parts of my suggested implementation aren't feasible.

Another option would be that if you win, half the fuel isn't burned and is returned to your fuel tank. That would reduce scooping time.

I'd rather not damage the ship upon failure. Some explorers don't have room for an AFMU. Other penalties could apply.

 

[Limoncello Lizard]

Something that looks like the worm-holes in the Farscape TV series. Navigating through these would be exciting.

 

[Davor Granic]

Maybe something like this:
Single jump is straight line but chain jump is broken line with few direction changes like route is shown in stellar map. So basicly player to sucessfully chain jump must make those turns/direction changes to another system within witch space which is in form of tunnel. Making the turns depends of ship mass fsd etc. Basicly smaller ships can do this easier. Hiting the tunnel wall drops you last sucessfully reached system on the route. Maybe few obstacles in tunel just for fun of it. To cut this explenation short-see doctor who intro ��.

 

[NW3]

Making the turns depends of ship mass fsd etc. Basicly smaller ships can do this easier.

Maybe few obstacles in tunel just for fun of it.

I really like the idea that smaller, more nimble ships can do this more easily. Rep++

Anacondas would be harder to chain-jump, which gives players a reason to fly smaller ships. It would be really cool if an Eagle or Vulture could be able to travel longer distance more quickly via chain-jumps.