A concept to fundementally change warpgate functionality.

[Jasper1991]

well if we go with the battlefleet idea then the ships would have to stay still (as if you were reparin it) while it charges for X amount of time before jumping. this would give the enemy time to destroy the ship before it runs away and it makes it so that you need to be more tactical about when you try to retreat.
Just ideas floating around

Good idea, although a tankier ship could probably survive that, its probably the closest to balanced you could get.

Shields would probably need to be disabled and power disabled as well for the sake of balance?

 

[Jaaskinal]

Jasper1991 yeah basically the idea would be to transport out and back in, given the gate is of an allied or (potentially) neutral faction.

Also, this isn't really a way to kill logic JD's, this would help replace them, but the way to do that would be to just make it so logic doesn't charge them.

 

[terra mining corp.]

Maybe this best method would be the warp gates all linked using faction modules instead of the marker beam(which is confusing at best of times),you could then add permission modules to the ones you want free travel for everyone(come spend your credits at my shop . One gate could then link to all your factioned gates kind of like a admin warp?

 

[NeonSturm]

Jasper1991 yeah basically the idea would be to transport out and back in, given the gate is of an allied or (potentially) neutral faction.

Also, this isn't really a way to kill logic JD's, this would help replace them, but the way to do that would be to just make it so logic doesn't charge them.

The best way to stop logic-charging is to have jump-modules take excess power produced by your ship (>90% e-capacity filled)

 

[Madman198237]

I'd say have jumping to a gate should make your ship receive 2-4 times regular damage. That system works in a game called Fractured Space (About capital-ship warfare in space) to prevent the use of warping out instead of facing battle. That would discourage random escapes somewhat.

I really like the idea of more versatile and defensible warp-gates.

 

[NTIMESc]

I really like the original suggestion. Warp gates should just use the Nav, and require exponential power cost. The Marker beam should be tossed into a wormhole, never to be seen again.

I don't like the idea of completely crippling ships coming out of a gate jump. That's not the case for jump drives, so why would bigger, better, more powerful gates suddenly results in systems going offline?

I would prefer to see advantages given to players in the receiving sector. For example, all players in the receiving sector are notified of an incoming jump as soon as it is initiated. An indicator appears on the HUD, as well as a visible wormhole-like effect at the exact spot ships will appear. All ships in the sector could also receive an accuracy bonus when targeting the incoming ship for a short time after it arrives.

Dropping shields just seems like a contrived way to balance, given that regular jump drives don't.

 

[Jaaskinal]

I added a few things in the edited section, but I wonder what some peoples opinions on this idea is:

To encourage combat, I wonder if it wouldn't be a good idea to show warps on the galaxy map. That way, a careful observer could see (if not exactly - roughly) where people are warping to. This idea somewhat comes from the ability to see active trade routes on the galaxy map, which hopefully someday can be intercepted. I really don't know about this one though, curious to see what other people think.

 

[NeonSturm]

I added a few things in the edited section, but I wonder what some peoples opinions on this idea is:

Make the word UPDATE bigger, upper case and colour it orange!
It makes your suggestion much better (not lost in space after using a gate).

I like the map idea. One problem is, clicking stations and clicking a star behind makes you lose orientation.
Faction-territory makes it too opaque to use, but without, it's just empty space without any patterns.

To more easily find your ship and the target, the map needs something like clusters of stars and faster movement between systems (like the speed-up in build-mode) rather than sectors.

​

I'd like if every system stores the direction of the last warp into or out of it and highlight on active warps.
It wouldn't be more map information than system-orbits.
Your selected sector should also highlight the destination, to make it easier to find (rather than having to count with sector-coordinates/differentials).

 

[NTIMESc]

I like the map idea. One problem is, clicking stations and clicking a star behind makes you lose orientation.
Faction-territory makes it too opaque to use, but without, it's just empty space without any patterns.
To more easily find your ship and the target, the map needs something like clusters of stars and faster movement between systems (like the speed-up in build-mode) rather than sectors.

This is a little off topic, but the way stars in the back seem to get mouse focus over closer objects seems like a bug in the map.
And, for faster movement, do you mean something other than holding shift to move 1-system at a time?

 

[NeonSturm]

This is a little off topic, but the way stars in the back seem to get mouse focus over closer objects seems like a bug in the map.

It's difficult to use. pressing a key to temporarily show some info and some sort of grid which star you select, hitbox-display wouldn't hurt.

And, for faster movement, do you mean something other than holding shift to move 1-system at a time?

It's shift? I use space for faster build mode movement.
When using shift, I often press CAPSLOCK, that's why I moved controls to the right and never access shift.
I noticed several hotkey issues with <YXC ^123 M,.–, LÖÄ# 90ß´ . The keys in the middle are more reliable.​

 

[NTIMESc]

It's shift? I use space for faster build mode movement.
When using shift, I often press CAPSLOCK, that's why I moved controls to the right and never access shift.
I noticed several hotkey issues with <YXC ^123 M,.–, LÖÄ# 90ß´ . The keys in the middle are more reliable.​

I thought you were talking about moving faster on the galaxy map. Hold shift+[WASD] to move one system at a time.
As for your issue with certain keys being more reliable, I would guess that is likely an issue with certain keyboards.

 

[Ithirahad]

Do this, add the hyperdrive capital system, remove jump drives.

FTL in StarMade? Done. Next issue.

 

[Madman198237]

Don't remove jump drives---keep them for small-ship travel, and make them a tactical weapon. Used on fighters as a sort of blink drive. Used on anything larger (Minimum block cap) for the same FTL travel we have now.

 

[happahappa]

Deploying warp gates should be much easier. I never did that without being frustrated and very annoyed by the game. But if you stick with the current system, small thinks would actually make a difference already.
Like a more permanent visual feedback - like a permanent message window on the side - what gate has been marked as what. It is very..veeery annoying, if you have to travel about 8 systems back and forth, because you got it wrong. Also would it be nice, if by the very moment you mark a gate, there would be a automatic measurement of how far you can still travel to deploy the next gate. I dont mind the hardcap here. But reading from the map, what is about 128 sectors away, is very cumbersome and errorprone. you most likely put the gates too close to each other in order to avoid the annoyance of putting them to far apart. Those two small things would really make a difference already.

The use case szenario for warpgates is very-long-range travel. i never deployed gates, where i wanted to go less then 8 systems. I wouldnt mind the fact, that i have to deploy gates all 8 systems apart, if the upper stuff is given, but what i find really annoying, is the going from one gate to another to another. You should be able to enter the first gate in this chain, and just come out at the last. Just use left click to make a bidirectional mark for the first chain (1,2) of 1-2-3 and right click for the next chain (2,3), define that recursivly, so you enter 1 and come out n. Or whatever. That would make the processof establishing an actual network of gates far less redundant (in the number of stations you need) and far more comfortable to travel. until then i stick to the nice logic jump drive, too

i also liked the idea very much, that jammer, cloaking and shields drop.
[doublepost=1485801421,1485801356][/doublepost]Also would it be very nice, if there were some sort of 'shipyard anchor' only for warpgates, with whom you can define in which orientation and where exactlt you enter the target sector.

 

[Krade]

I like it, but at the same time i dont.
The biggest con that i see is that there will not be trade routs that can be intercepted. Even if a warp can be seen on the mini map, a faction receiving trade materials will inevitably set defenses in place around the sector to make it safe for trade ships to warp in.

My solution is to create some way to intercept the warp in progress along the route, adding further risks to using a warp gate to anywhere. Gate to gate travel will not have this flaw.
The interception should work in one or two ways;
-Stopping the ship in warp.
cons - The stopped ship will be totally unprepared and most likely outmatched
- Even if the stopped ship survives the encounter it could now be stranded and far from a gate

pros - Trade blockades
- No go zones near pirate bases that will have to be dealt with before trade can resume.
- As long as you dont make a regular habit of sending ships to a location nobody will think to block that path.
- A faction could set up perimeter defense ships to prevent warping to nearby sector to prepare to attack.

-Matching the speed of the warping ship with warp engines and intercepting
cons - warping ships would have to physically move at very high speeds from one place to another, - Not very warp gate like, more like warp speed
- time, it would not be instant, i doubt you would have to load anything, being in warp space
- Again, the defending ship would often be outmatched and if its for trade; unprepared
- As the aggressor, it would be very difficult to defeat and loot the moving ship before it reached its intended location, where it may have friends.

pros - High speed heists and piracy, this sounds fun
- imagining the face of the poor suckers when the carcass of the trade ship warps into view
- no getting stranded out in space


I would like to add,
Eventually we will have semi usable AI in the game, and we will want to send automated miners and attack ships to locations, so i think a player should be able to manually set the warp destination at the warp computer.

 

[Atas-Pelangi]

I half agree.
i admit i have never used or tested "jump inhibitors", so i don't know if they already do or don't. if they don't.. they should.
i think what you suggest should work on a ship's own jump-drive.
however... I Do think warp gates and the ships traveling through them should be immune to this effect.
that is, only a ships traveling with its own jump drive should be interruptible.

this could also be explained in game as:
since the the warp-gates are self powered, linked and probably out of range they can not be drained or blocked and since a ship using them is not traveling under its own power.. there is nothing to disrupt
On the flip side.
A ship using its own jump drive is self powered, So as it hits the "disruption field. its jump drive would be forced offline. as its power source is traveling with it.

 

[Krade]

I think Gate to Gate travel should be the only method that is immune to interception.
If Gate to anywhere travel was immune then attacking trade routs would never even be an option.

 

[NeonSturm]

I think Gate to Gate travel should be the only method that is immune to interception.
If Gate to anywhere travel was immune then attacking trade routs would never even be an option.

There is a need to distinguish between interception and blockade.
I think Gates to everywhere should be block-able.

One is catching ships which are oblivious about the trap, the other is just a dysfunctional gate-way.​

 

[Krade]

Just above i outlined different methods of interception, be it by blockade or high speed heist. You know what i speak of when i say that gate to gate travel should not have this weakness. Ether add to or correct what i have brought to the table in a constructive and thought out manner, but don't nitpick without something to add to the OPs idea.

I just think that the reward for going through the trouble of building gates on both ends of the route is that no foe can do anything about it.
To build a gate on a station in a sector would mean that you have secured the sector, you would not be able to make one deep in enemy territory. And if gate to anywhere travel was risk free, why on earth would you take the time to make connecting gates. To get home yes, but then you have to build fortifications for this gate, and thats more work than fitting your ship with warp capability and puddle jumping home.