While I agree that not being able to SC to other systems is a failing, I don't think your suggestion would do anything to improve the user experience. Replacing something unfinished with an equally disappointing and more arbitrary barrier is needless.
System Travel Without Hyperjump
- Thread starter IrishVigil
- Start date
While I agree that not being able to SC to other systems is a failing, I don't think your suggestion would do anything to improve the user experience. Replacing something unfinished with an equally disappointing and more arbitrary barrier is needless.
It may not be needless if the engine simply can't support loading and transitioning systems in any other situation other than high jump. In that case, you would be better served by this barrier than by letting players goto an empty system.
That is the point. I'd love if they updated it in a way that loads the system like you'd expect, but i suspect that their lack of foresight has made the engine incapable of doing that.
A lot of my interest in this stems from the way the game handles exploration. It boils down to pointing your ship toward the next system, smacking headlong into the star, and honking. Rinse and repeat, earn exploration cash. Done. Does honking at a star and fuel scooping sound like exploration to anyone else? It doesn't to me.
If you've got an infinite scanner, which is very easy to acquire, that's literally all you need to do to be a profitable explorer.
Exploration to me should be like the film, Alien. Long journeys in deep space where you're awakened by the computer to investigate a strange signal on an unexplored planet. It should require REAL exploration where you've got to actually see something. The distance to get there should feel organically long and arduous (within reason).
Jumping from literal star to star is incredibly bland and is one of the main reasons why I can't bring myself to explore deep space because of the sheer tedium of it. I should, at the very least, be able to choose to jump out at a planet within the system just to change things up.
If you've got an infinite scanner, which is very easy to acquire, that's literally all you need to do to be a profitable explorer.
Exploration to me should be like the film, Alien. Long journeys in deep space where you're awakened by the computer to investigate a strange signal on an unexplored planet. It should require REAL exploration where you've got to actually see something. The distance to get there should feel organically long and arduous (within reason).
Jumping from literal star to star is incredibly bland and is one of the main reasons why I can't bring myself to explore deep space because of the sheer tedium of it. I should, at the very least, be able to choose to jump out at a planet within the system just to change things up.
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checking system map? at least that's what i do during the fsd charge when out exploring. if some shiny is there, i cancel the jump.
Technically, if the scan range is infinite, we should only ever have to use the thing once, and it should scan every body in the entire universe.
I'd prefer Interstellar Tom Cruise. Lots of build up and anticipation then BAM, flies straight into a moon, at full speed.
Sorry, still hurting over seeing The Mummy and the latest Jack Reacher film.
I think it's pretty much doable, from a technical standpoint. I see it working like this:
When you enter interstellar supercruise, the current system is unloaded (hence ISC would only be engaged on the edges of the solar system) and you roam the galaxy more or less the way you pan around the current galaxy map. Of course some speed restrictions and fuel requirement would still apply. When you approach a star and disengage the ISC, you exit 'galaxy mode', the solar system's assets are loaded and you land on its far edge.
When you enter interstellar supercruise, the current system is unloaded (hence ISC would only be engaged on the edges of the solar system) and you roam the galaxy more or less the way you pan around the current galaxy map. Of course some speed restrictions and fuel requirement would still apply. When you approach a star and disengage the ISC, you exit 'galaxy mode', the solar system's assets are loaded and you land on its far edge.
To be fair, it might not just be a lack of foresight. You need a full understanding of the entire engine and instancing mechanism to fully understand the decisions that have been made. We can only speculate on the details here. One thing to think about is what are they doing during 'loading'? It can happen pretty quickly if the netcode is behaving, a second or two... To load the next system fully you would potentially need double the graphics card memory. I haven't checked my usage recently but I suspect we are already using quite a lot already!
Assuming you could shave a second of the transition by using double the memory... Would you.
Now what you need is a rolling load/instancing method... But that is really, really hard! You might prefer that they spend their time on other features.
As I say. Speculation but it's a safe bet that a lot of of the ideas that come up on this forum have been considered by the devs and discarded after a cost/benefit analysis
.Far as I know the system loading time is pretty fast, don't forget the game uses procedural generation so it should only need the raw numbers and then your own client should generate the system.
I'd be willing to bet the long delay is the game checking for other players and updating anything that the NPCs are doing as well as loading you into the peer to peer network.
I'd be willing to bet the long delay is the game checking for other players and updating anything that the NPCs are doing as well as loading you into the peer to peer network.
When it came up in a Live stream FAQ it was something along the lines of
They can do it, and have the new system transition at say the 2/3 mark, but it is such a niche thing, it is not likely to get the Dev time.
And look how much people want less travel times, and bigger jump ranges when an 8 light year journey would take 35 hours, ruling out ships with fuel tanks under 32 tons
They can do it, and have the new system transition at say the 2/3 mark, but it is such a niche thing, it is not likely to get the Dev time.
And look how much people want less travel times, and bigger jump ranges when an 8 light year journey would take 35 hours, ruling out ships with fuel tanks under 32 tons
The skybox is static for each system. Allowing true supercruise-between-systems would mean the skybox would have to become dynamic: flying from Sol all the way over to Sirius, you'd watch Alpha Centauri slowly creep past you, and the other nearby stars gradually change position.
I'd be really cool (kind of a super-slow-motion version of the old Windows screensaver) but I'm not sure current gaming-computer technology and internet connections are capable of keeping up with that kind of dynamically rendered full-scale universe, especially given that it's be something you'd never even notice unless you were actually doing the interstellar cruising.
I'd be really cool (kind of a super-slow-motion version of the old Windows screensaver) but I'm not sure current gaming-computer technology and internet connections are capable of keeping up with that kind of dynamically rendered full-scale universe, especially given that it's be something you'd never even notice unless you were actually doing the interstellar cruising.
so make thargoids harmless for the most part?
Another game called Evochron Mercenary (and currently Evochron Legacy) does this already. All within 512MB of game. Yes, it fits into a 1GB SD card if you want
You can launch from any station, point your ship in the direction of the destination, and just engage your engines. You don't need to jump, you will reach your destination eventually. Players of that game have done this years ago, and their legacy lives on in the forums over there.
I actually met one of those players online... he doesn't even own a jumpdrive, says it takes up space. He gets around everywhere on standard newtonian physics....
Of course jumping gets you there quicker.
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No, only part of the part, for those who are scared. The others can jump as usual.