Superjump to a beacon

[Xaintly]

The basic idea is that you can scan a beacon and then jump to it from a long distance away.
Some tweaks to this idea:

• You can only jump to beacons you have scanned, and lose this scan when you die
• The superjump requires an optional module with charges, like an SCB. Module size determines max distance of superjump, class determines fuel use, power, etc..
• You can launch your own beacons, but only in "deep space", and they can be detected and destroyed by other players. Requires a specialized limpet controller.
• There are some public beacons, perhaps even a highway of them between the bubble and some other place.

 

[Teh Smoo]

Do you mean intrasystem, or intersystem?

Intrasystem, I don't see the point.

Intersystem, as described, your idea is nearly completely unworkable. Do you mean that ANYONE can destroy it? What if you're in PG or solo? Why do you lose it when you die? What does this get you, just longer jumps?

It's pointless for exploration if it requires charges. It's pointless for most movement if you have to go there once already. I suppose it might be convenient if you're hopping between two systems that you frequent that are outside normal jump range, and you want to save a jump?

 

[Xaintly]

Yes, intersystem.

My thinking on this was that, a Superjump module would let you go something like module size x 100ly, and an A rated would let you have maybe 3-4 jumps before it needs to recharged at a station (or maybe synthesis).
So a size 8 superjump module in a Cutter would let you jump 800ly to a place you've previously been, and even a Cobra could set up a 200ly rare trading route with a size-2 module.
Large ships could get a long ways towards/back from Colonia by using one or more modules.

Requiring you to go to the destination the normal way once would give you some appreciation of what you're skipping. This way you can't just warp your way out to beagle point without any effort or planning.
However, with some strategic scanning/beacon dropping/whatever, you could possibly warp back from beagle point a lot faster than you got there.

I admit the destructible-in-all-modes beacon idea is pretty bad. I wanted there to be some kind of PvP counter, like you could maybe find another person's secret jump beacons and ambush them on arrival, or blow up the beacon so they can't jump there anymore.
Perhaps the idea could be more workable if it doesn't work at all during combat; like the module requires you to stay with hardpoints retracted & throttle 0 while it charges, or it has a 10-second spin-up time or something.

Also, I thought there should be some limit on the number of possible destinations you could have. It would be very convenient to be able to warp to all the engineer systems, but being limited to 3-5 possible destinations would force me to make some strategic decisions.

I'm thinking of them as 'witchspace beacons' where your ship can both open a bigger gate (using the superjump capacitor charge) and plot a direct witchspace path to the beacon.

As for why you lose all your fast travel destinations when you die, I guess you could say you store that data wherever you store your exploration data, and not on the flash drive that has the engineering data that doesn't get lost when you die.
The meta reason is just to make dying more annoying and cost players some effort. Losing money isn't a big disincentive to a lot of high end players with 10s of billions of credits, but perhaps having to fly back to colonia and rescan the beacons would be.

 

[Teh Smoo]

... I would NOT be upset if I could zap around inside the bubble to a few places that have good spots.

I think that's what felt wrong- it removes jumping for a lot of people. You'd fly around and get the beacons, and then switch out a large bay for this thingey, and zap over to a system 800ly away. Limited only by if you want to ship an engineered module around. It trivializes rare trading, and massively impacts regular trading. Fly to the CG, then zap back and forth between that and a mission system. It would nuke a lot of CG movement as well, giving up a large slot would be worth it if you could one-jump the trading runs between the CG and the item-source system.