OK, most people know you can't really supercruise between systems. Sure, you can cruise the distance, but you're not really "there". The frameshift jump animation masks loading the local system information and skybox. Sure, not many people even try. But here's a mechanic that I believe would take very little developer effort to implement to allow it, and might also open opportunities for other future things going on "out in the black" between stars.
Any possible "exploits" to this?
I think the only new thing this requires of development is a little message scripting/HUD animation and the added range trigger for a hidden "local system loading" (or the triggers for permit violation).
The only downside I can think of for the dev effort is there wouldn't be many people really trying this, except perhaps for the exploration / jump range potential. So a suggestion like this is probably somewhat "low priority" for userbase engagement. Unless there was a goal hinted about, out in very, very deep space, like the occasional rogue interstellar bodies (e.g. 'Oumuamua). Or a free Imperial Cutter, even better than the free Anaconda at Hutton Orbital!
But it would sure scratch my "completeness" itch. The fact that the new system doesn't load with supercruising just grates on my nerves. ;-)
- Pilot frameshifts into system which loads local orrery data, signal sources etc. In Beyond Ch 4, also pilot is now signed into the new system's communication channel.
- With the system ephemeris a quick new client background calculation notes values such as the halfway point sphere radius to the next nearest star, maybe also a spherical zone around each planet. Just as right now the game already "knows" the pilot is in shipping lane, a cis-planetary space, ring, or "deep space" (all else), it also knows your range to the gravitational center of the current system.
- Pilot now supercruises way out into the dark, speed increasing as they leave the gravity well until you hit top SC speed (2001c? Is that an on-purpose Easter Egg by the way?...always been curious...). As you are flying the NAV panel still shows highlightable locks but of course visually they're all converging to the same point in the skybox. As far as client and server know they're still in that system, still enrolled in system chat, etc, until they hit the aforementioned radius/distance from local stellar/planetary bodies.
- Once the radius is hit, trigger a quick check - are they now as close to another star system as they are to the one they're "departing"?
- IF YES:
- Trigger a HUD warning to the effect of "Warning - Stellar Navigation Lock Lost....Recalibrating...". Lose all NAV locks in your NAV panel. Lose orbit lines if on.
- Blur out the HUD display, show some staticky artifacting like you do for reboot/repair, or for shutdown due to thargoids or similar. Basically a brief visual acuity schmear to conceal the fact that you are now loading the new nearest system, skybox, etc. I'd even be ok with pilot control being lost for that brief moment aside from headlook, as it is during frameshift jump now.
- HUD clears up, announced "Navlock Restored: System ____", provide security stats or whatever you want as you do now with the pre-jump warning. Server has now moved pilot location to new system, skybox is updated, logs you into new system chat. NAV panel repopulates and circle icons, orbit lines etc available again.
- IF NO: (System to your back is still "closest")
- Lose all NAV locks in your NAV panel except that to the main stellar frameshift jump target (maybe Icon goes "dotted" as when obscured because it's now a bit vague, just optical). Lose orbit lines if on. System chat channel disconnects ("CARRIER NOT DETECTED.."). Otherwise, pilot keeps flying, nothing catastrophic happens. Re-trigger check every 2-5 minutes or something like that to route back into the IF YES above.
- Can even glitch out the HUD occasionally or slightly drop temp or something. Just for a sense of foreboding. Different creaky background sounds.
- Maybe very mysterious signal source types can only be found in very, very deep space like this well outside the stellar zone. But with great rarity. New exploration scanning DSS mode needed to pick up?
- IF YES:
Any possible "exploits" to this?
- I suppose people can "hide" by not being in any system chat, but with instancing now not everyone in the same system in open can truly interact despite proximity anyway. I don't see how that's worse than existing Open/Solo/PG splits already.
- I suppose someone might try to 'surf' back and forth across that limit to pop in and out of system chat and stress the servers, but why? This would take time and burn fuel. Anyone childish enough to try and metagame the system probably hasn't got that sort of timeline in mind.
- With a really big fuel tank, someone might use SC travel to supplement jump range to make it across a previously uncrossable jump gap (even with jumponium or neutron boost). But they'd have the same risk of stranding themselves as with one-way boosted jumps now if the couldn't reprospect/refuel/re-neutron, so that's not really an "exploit" just an added range opportunity for someone really, really dedicated to exploration.
- Could this be used to bypass system permits? Possibly. But devs can game that right back:
- If pilot is attempting to enter a permit-locked region that's locked by development for future events/storyline (e.g. the big nebula permit zones) you just ramp up the "NAVLOCK LOST" message with something like "PERMIT INTERLOCK FAILURE, LOSING LIFE SUPPORT [oxy countdown, canopy begins icing], SUPERCRUISE SPACETIME GRAVITY GRADIENT DECAYING [engines begin overheating]"...whatever. Some impending destruction timeline to make them retreat (and if they don't, blow them up....there would be PLENTY of warning).
- If they're entering a populated permit-locked system they don't deserve to be in yet (Founder's, Sirius, Earth, etc.) they get instant trespassing notoriety and you dispatch the ATC.
- Or even have the ship take control and auto-align back to prior system (similar to final auto-alignment for frameshift engagement now) which covers both cases.
- Could someone try to "leave the galaxy" this way? Sure. But they do already, supercruising away from Beagle just to try and set a distance record. Eventually you run out of fuel and there's nothing new to load. So what?
- What about closely packed systems near the core - could the distance from the outermost body in "current" system and next nearest jump system sun be already imbalanced, so this might let you leave a planet zone and almost imediately load the next system somehow? Yeah, might be some extra distance logic to manage here and there (dev-magic!!)
I think the only new thing this requires of development is a little message scripting/HUD animation and the added range trigger for a hidden "local system loading" (or the triggers for permit violation).
The only downside I can think of for the dev effort is there wouldn't be many people really trying this, except perhaps for the exploration / jump range potential. So a suggestion like this is probably somewhat "low priority" for userbase engagement. Unless there was a goal hinted about, out in very, very deep space, like the occasional rogue interstellar bodies (e.g. 'Oumuamua). Or a free Imperial Cutter, even better than the free Anaconda at Hutton Orbital!
But it would sure scratch my "completeness" itch. The fact that the new system doesn't load with supercruising just grates on my nerves. ;-)
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