Sustained Warp vs. Schine Engine

[Valiant70]

So, we have our jump drives and jump gates, but if you're going more than two or three jumps away and there's no gate, it gets to be a pain in the index finger, like having to mash the W key for an hour in the pre-FTL days, only worse. Like most systems, I highly doubt the first implementation of FTL is in the final form we will see in the released game, so here are my thoughts on the matter.

• Right now, the ability to escape a battle with jump is balanced by the fact that the jump charge resets when your ship is hit. Any new system must have a similar balancing mechanic.
• The speed you may travel is determined by the number of blocks on your ship in relation to the ship's overall mass
• The maximum yield of your jump drive is limited by your ship's power output
• After charging, provides instantaneous travel up to a certain range.
• A pain in the finger after a certain range.
• Jump into enemy territory and you might land in the middle of an unpleasant surprise!

I think something similar has been proposed before, but here are my ideas and details on sustained warp drive.

• An initial charge would still be required to enter warp
• The number of jump/warp modules on the ship would determine its "Performance Factor" which has two functions.
• Up to a certain range (called Instantaneous Range) scaled to the Performance Factor, functions just like today's jump drive. Charge, jump, wait two seconds. Are we there yet? Yes.
• Beyond its Instantaneous Range, the ship would remain in a metaphysical "warp tunnel" where it does not load or collide with other objects, but has a determinate speed based on the drive's Performance Factor. This has a steady power consumption about equal to the power required to charge the drive.
• Allow automatic recharging of the drive with logic. On charges automatically like a scanner, while off (default) acts as it does now.
• Activating without a waypoint jumps the Instantaneous Range in the direction the ship faces (just like now)

A number of refinements could be made to the system like showing actual stars passing by while in a warp tunnel. By default, I think a ship should go about the same speed across the galaxy as one does now by jumping repeatedly. I see nothing wrong with the current speed of travel. My index finger just gets tired and the drive feels clunky to me.

EDIT: To be clear, I'd like to replace the current jump drive technology with this. It is meant to do the same thing, except that beyond single-jump range you stay in the warp tunnel for some time rather than dropping out and wearing out your finger recharging multiple times.

EDIT #2: Warp interdiction
I've seen some ideas about warp interdiction, but most of them have been so overpowered that I'd ask my server owner to disable them entirely in the block configs or nerf the heck out of them. Thus, here are my thoughts on warp interdiction.

While in warp, you may detected TWICE as far away by scanners, and will give the scanner info about your direction of travel. You'd think all that energy boiling out of warp space would be really easy to spot, and it'd leave a trail too.

My idea of a warp interdiction matrix bears several similarities to a scanner (which is convenient as they operate alongside one another). To prevent people from spamming them, they should have a cooldown similar to a scanner, and they may also pull friendlies out of warp (configurable), including yourself. Pulling friendlies out would prevent someone from hooking a huge matrix up to logic and trolling people for no reason. If you're planning to interrupt someone's travel, at least put in the effort of pressing ONE button.

The other similarity to scanners is that interdiction matrices follow the same rules about range (including their block count). This leaves a strong albeit balanced disadvantage to warping through enemy territory while not guaranteeing that you'll get whacked.

 

[aceface]

already been suggested but i agree strongly, it is really tedious

 

[ToyotaSupra]

^ same as what chuckles here said, it's been suggested before but I'm still giving it a vote.

 

[Valiant70]

I seem to recall something similar being suggested, but I don't remember seeing some of the details and caveats I put into this thread. Anyway, sustained warp is a highly desired feature and I expect something close to this will be the final form of ship warp drives.

 

[ltmauve]

The instantaneous range gives it an overlapping role with the jump drive. I'm not sure it's good design to have a second mechanic have not oly the same ability as something else but alo another. If that was added there would need to be a cost so that jump drive is still used.

 

[Valiant70]

The instantaneous range gives it an overlapping role with the jump drive. I'm not sure it's good design to have a second mechanic have not oly the same ability as something else but alo another. If that was added there would need to be a cost so that jump drive is still used.

I was thinking of actually replacing the current jump drive with something that has its advantages but is more tasteful and corrects its flaws.

 

[Ithirahad]

I think that a sustained warp drive should only be, say, 25-50% faster than server max "sub-light" speed, but with the advantage of being automatic and not requiring holding W.... The drawback should be that your shields are zeroed out when you drop out of warp, and a really fast drive should take a lot of power to sustain. Also, pirate stations could have an automatic interdiction field that would drop you from warp if you passed too close, giving warp drive a dangerous disadvantage.

This way, jump drive would still be a better short-range choice for FTL travel, and the convenience and value of warpgates (And even wormholes) wouldn't be nullified either, but long-distance travel would look and act the way we want it to and not force one to spend ages holding down a W key.

 

[Snk]

It has been suggested before. This is my thread about it: http://starmadedock.net/threads/change-ftl-mechanics.3983/
It factors in power and enemy space. Not to crap on your thread or anything, but it has been suggested before with a little more style. I still do like your idea, though.

 

[Valiant70]

I think that a sustained warp drive should only be, say, 25-50% faster than server max "sub-light" speed, but with the advantage of being automatic and not requiring holding W.... The drawback should be that your shields are zeroed out when you drop out of warp, and a really fast drive should take a lot of power to sustain. Also, pirate stations could have an automatic interdiction field that would drop you from warp if you passed too close, giving warp drive a dangerous disadvantage.

This way, jump drive would still be a better short-range choice for FTL travel, and the convenience and value of warpgates (And even wormholes) wouldn't be nullified either, but long-distance travel would look and act the way we want it to and not force one to spend ages holding down a W key.

That's not even a warp drive. It's a nerf drive. It's slow and dangerous to use. It would NOT be more convenient than the jump drive for any length of travel if you get knocked out of warp with no shields next to a pirate station every time you try to use the thing. You'd have to charge and re-enter warp anyway, so you might as well use the jump drive and have shields between jumps and get there faster.

I really don't like this idea. I think the drive you described would be useless.

it has been suggested before

Yep.

with a little more style.

Nope.

 

[Ithirahad]

That's not even a warp drive. It's a nerf drive. It's slow and dangerous to use. It would NOT be more convenient than the jump drive for any length of travel if you get knocked out of warp with no shields next to a pirate station every time you try to use the thing. You'd have to charge and re-enter warp anyway, so you might as well use the jump drive and have shields between jumps and get there faster.

Eh, true. The pirate station thing doesn't need to happen anyway, I just got the sense that people would accuse it of being OP. As for it being slow, the whole point is that it's just an autopilot that's a bit faster than just using thrusters.

 

[NeonSturm]

AFAIK Schema does not want warp to be a "wait and lay back in your chair until you arrive"-thingy.

I'd appreciate it as long as you can walk around in your ship during this time.
I think there definitively needs to be something to do in that time.

 

[Valiant70]

AFAIK Schema does not want warp to be a "wait and lay back in your chair until you arrive"-thingy.

I'd appreciate it as long as you can walk around in your ship during this time.
I think there definitively needs to be something to do in that time.

I agree. In addition to normal-space autopilot, I want to be able to walk around during long-distance warps.

 

[Snk]

AFAIK Schema does not want warp to be a "wait and lay back in your chair until you arrive"-thingy.

I'd appreciate it as long as you can walk around in your ship during this time.
I think there definitively needs to be something to do in that time.

*Whispers*
Crewability

 

[Valiant70]

Please excuse the necro-bump, but I was just thinking about this again and I'd already written a thread about it, so here it is.

 

[Snk]

+1 to the concept.

 

[Sunkin351]

I absolutly love this idea... its soo good, i cant give any ideas that would make it better. Valiant70, most of your ideas that i have seen are well thought out, and I like them.

my idea of implementation is better.

On a tiny side note, i think it is just rude to come up to a person and say that and not give a few reasons why...

 

[Snk]

On a tiny side note, i think it is just rude to come up to a person and say that and not give a few reasons why...

No, its not rude, but it is a waste of time. I deleted it.

 

[FullMetalFox]

Pretty much would be an acceptable improvement, currently long distance travel, even with a ship that jumps as quick as possible, flying from one galaxy to another is just a painfull 20 minute wait. Yes wait, im using a programmable Macro Key on my Logitech Keyboard to chainjump, and read a book while waiting.

Sadly, even warpgates, with their tiny range arent much more attractive for travel.

 

[Sunkin351]

Pretty much would be an acceptable improvement, currently long distance travel, even with a ship that jumps as quick as possible, flying from one galaxy to another is just a painfull 20 minute wait. Yes wait, im using a programmable Macro Key on my Logitech Keyboard to chainjump, and read a book while waiting.

Sadly, even warpgates, with their tiny range arent much more attractive for travel.

Funny how my fav server chose to up the distance of both jump drive and warp gate from the server config... both are much more useful now.

Edit: In case you are wondering, they upped the jump drive distance to that of the default warp gate distance. and they upped warp gate distance to about a galaxy and a half... However, that does not mean that this thread is useless... I absolutely love the idea of continuous warp travel.

 

[NeonSturm]

Sadly, even warpgates, with their tiny range arent much more attractive for travel.

Use 16 systems = 256 sectors - is that not enough?
How else do you want an interesting Gate-Network without instantaneous arrival?

*joke ahead* Perhaps you can tweak it a bit to 32 systems or even 64, but you should not set 128 systems on a 64-bit server :D