Disclaimer: This is not a suggestion for "fast travel".
TL;DR: Extended hyperspace jumps limited by your ship's total range, but taking the same time as manually jumping.
The modes of long distance travel in Elite are basically a mixture of repetitive actions, or just waiting.
In keeping with that theme, I suggest an extended form of hyperspace travel as an additional option above and including the existing modes.
Essentially, the idea is that you will be able plot a destination with a distance less than or equal to the total jump range that your current fuel level allows.
Note that the path to the destination can not be a straight line. The system still has to plot a route through systems that your ship's max single jump range can manage.
You will then be able to initiate an extended hyperspace jump sequence, that "hops" over each star along the route without stopping, until you reach the final destination on the route.
This should take roughly the same amount of time it would take for the journey to be done manually jump-by-jump without fuel scooping, and including FSD cooldown times.
I envisage a HUD overlay during the hyperspace sequence that renders a graphical representation of the route, so you follow the plotted line, and you see the star of each system you're passing into approaching, and you pass over it (or through it if your preference is for the dramatic).
There should also be an option to drop out of hyperspace at the next star, just as there is an option to drop out of supercruise at speed, and it should likewise result in some wear and tear.
This would certainly be a convenience over existing hyperspace travel, and yet no less convenient than supercruise.
The expectation then would be that this mode of travel must come at a cost. There is already a downside, in that you won't get the exploration data and potential credits you would have by jumping manually and honking in each system. You'd also not be able to take advantage of the Neutron Highway. The upside though is that you won't be susceptible to interdictions, so that may count towards balancing out the downsides.
An additional cost to further offset the convenience could come in the form of greater wear and tear on your ship or FSD than would normally have been experienced by jumping the same distance manually. Also, when your ship reaches the destination, it could be forced to stop and go through a reboot/repair sequence as a result of the strain placed on the ship's systems, making you temporarily vulnerable when you arrive. Lastly, a considerably longer FSD cooldown time.
So what kind of distances could be travelled? Well, a somewhat engineered ASP Explorer equipped with nothing but a 3A Fuel Scoop with all other slots taken up by fuel tanks could travel over 1,500 LY. A heavily engineered Anaconda with a 4A Fuel Scoop, a 5H Guardian FSD Booster, and the rest all fuel tanks could reach close to 3,500 LY.
As an alternative to the above mentioned cost offsets, some dangers could instead be introduced in extended hyperspace travel, but this would require more work.
Things like a gradually destabilizing wormhole that you have to navigate with skill, or the introduction of hyperdiction for non-Thargoid NPC and Human players, hopefully with a somewhat different mechanic than what is used for interdictions.
TL;DR: Extended hyperspace jumps limited by your ship's total range, but taking the same time as manually jumping.
The modes of long distance travel in Elite are basically a mixture of repetitive actions, or just waiting.
In keeping with that theme, I suggest an extended form of hyperspace travel as an additional option above and including the existing modes.
Essentially, the idea is that you will be able plot a destination with a distance less than or equal to the total jump range that your current fuel level allows.
Note that the path to the destination can not be a straight line. The system still has to plot a route through systems that your ship's max single jump range can manage.
You will then be able to initiate an extended hyperspace jump sequence, that "hops" over each star along the route without stopping, until you reach the final destination on the route.
This should take roughly the same amount of time it would take for the journey to be done manually jump-by-jump without fuel scooping, and including FSD cooldown times.
I envisage a HUD overlay during the hyperspace sequence that renders a graphical representation of the route, so you follow the plotted line, and you see the star of each system you're passing into approaching, and you pass over it (or through it if your preference is for the dramatic).
There should also be an option to drop out of hyperspace at the next star, just as there is an option to drop out of supercruise at speed, and it should likewise result in some wear and tear.
This would certainly be a convenience over existing hyperspace travel, and yet no less convenient than supercruise.
The expectation then would be that this mode of travel must come at a cost. There is already a downside, in that you won't get the exploration data and potential credits you would have by jumping manually and honking in each system. You'd also not be able to take advantage of the Neutron Highway. The upside though is that you won't be susceptible to interdictions, so that may count towards balancing out the downsides.
An additional cost to further offset the convenience could come in the form of greater wear and tear on your ship or FSD than would normally have been experienced by jumping the same distance manually. Also, when your ship reaches the destination, it could be forced to stop and go through a reboot/repair sequence as a result of the strain placed on the ship's systems, making you temporarily vulnerable when you arrive. Lastly, a considerably longer FSD cooldown time.
So what kind of distances could be travelled? Well, a somewhat engineered ASP Explorer equipped with nothing but a 3A Fuel Scoop with all other slots taken up by fuel tanks could travel over 1,500 LY. A heavily engineered Anaconda with a 4A Fuel Scoop, a 5H Guardian FSD Booster, and the rest all fuel tanks could reach close to 3,500 LY.
As an alternative to the above mentioned cost offsets, some dangers could instead be introduced in extended hyperspace travel, but this would require more work.
Things like a gradually destabilizing wormhole that you have to navigate with skill, or the introduction of hyperdiction for non-Thargoid NPC and Human players, hopefully with a somewhat different mechanic than what is used for interdictions.
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