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Author Topic: Stuck in an Empty System? Not enough ships to scuttle for fuel?!? Try...  (Read 5965 times)

Az the Squishy

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An SOS.

After having been trapped in a few empty systems... more than once... Usually from an unlucky incident in the storms. Or worse. I begun to wonder is there a way to make the Empty-ports escapeabl withou either:
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A) commiting suicide by waiting down the time and waiting till the sun or Atrophy takes you.
B) Scuttling nearly all your fleet just to get out and MAYBE, just MAYBE, get free?
C) Try in vain to attack a fleet an gain some fuel?

Wait, maybe I could do that... well, More of "Trade" rather than attack.
This is an idea for an Ability I though of. Considering the sensor burst, and that some systems have Derelict stations, a com-relay, or something else that could possibly be scrapped for a little something.
I wondered if it'd be possible to send out a Short-range "SOS" that would "broadcast" 2 squares around the system to ANY fleet not busy that makes a request for fuel. This appears to "Ping out" 4 times, meaning you've a 25% RANDOM chance of the fleet coming to your aid. be it bad, or good... Heh.

This would help, with resulting in a decline of suicides to the sun gods in sacrifice; And boost morale when you get lucky and get a fleet that DOESN'T. Want to skin you rump form end to end and instead. For some amount of Credits (a base 100 for Fuel perhaps?) Gives you the special honey you so, so, so SO very much crave at that very moment. 
To avoid this being abused it would require that you  are at 1: At a Relay/Abandoned Station/ Other Stellar Body with Transmission capabilities that can help broad cast a signal farther.  2: This also requires that your fleet is at less than 15% or 10% Fuel. (eg 10% of 25 is 2.5 (2 or 3), barely enough to get out or at least sit in Hyper-space. if you're in a single ship...)
Likewise, it scales with the ships... So. If total feul 386.  10 % of 386 is  38, enough for  desprate tanker fleet of frigates to get out, but if unsure can equest help. But for a larger military fleet lacking a Tanker, depending on composition... Barely enough to move a single square before getting pulled back to the empty star. At least, in vaniliia it can be. In modded the universe is very populated with very few empty systems.  Regardless, it's an idea a base idea.

One I thought up of after commiting suicde for the umpohteenth time after being chased by luddi-loonie's through space and driven to an empty system only to die burning in plasama and failing 2 missions~! GAUH!

goduranus

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It makes sense that bad things would happen when the player makes a bad decision, like when you have an Atlas defended only by a couple of frigates and run into a large group of pirates.

If you win regardless what you do, then what do you have to do to win?

Deshara

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I like the thought of an sos but it would pretty much be a sensor burst. I think if fleet control ever gets added in it would give shuttles a big use-- have your fleet sit on a jump point, send your shuttle through and have it send out sensor bursts until a pirate group swings by to snatch it and have it draw them out of hyperspace and into the clutches of your main fleet.
Tho that would require the ability to cordone off enough fuel for one vessel to breach hyperspace for emergency use without it getting used before getting left to be drawn into the nearest gravity well
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Az the Squishy

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It makes sense that bad things would happen when the player makes a bad decision, like when you have an Atlas defended only by a couple of frigates and run into a large group of pirates.

If you win regardless what you do, then what do you have to do to win?

Yes, but, that's not the point. Empty systems are empty and you basically have to wait to die. Some, have places to explore though or have at least something to obverse. again if you're in a purely empty system then that's it. If you have places to go though that can (from a lore perpesctive) send out a small SOS, why wouldn't you?

Also, you wouldn't win. Again, it's a 25% chance for a RANDOM fleet of good or bad to come to your aide. But, most good fleets are busy, so guess who more likely has a chance to come get you? and even then, that fleet could be intercepted or not have enough fuel to trade you. So you don't just "win" You get lucky, and then you win.
Also, are we on the same page??? I'm talking about being traped in an empty system, not trying to escort an Atlas with 2 Kites and hoping a fleet will come. The SOS is for fuel, you wouldn't ping it unless you were out of fuel. And even if you did, the same thing applies. There may not be a fleet around to help. They might be intercepted, or it's another BAD fleet that comes to join the party in hunting you down. the 25% is just the chance that a fleet "Hails" the signal.

@ Deshara  That makes some sense, but i doubt the Command-Pod would be actually able to enter the Hyper-space. It's a pod I don't think they'd outfit it with a hyper-drive that would be able to get through the warp-point.  But it's not a bad idea. Just, doesn't make much sense to me (again just what I think)
« Last Edit: May 13, 2016, 07:14:09 AM by Azmond »
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Deshara

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Not the command pod, but a Hermes or a Kite. It would give non-combatant non-freight-efficient small frigates some use
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Az the Squishy

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Ah.. That makes sense. However that'd be only useful for larger fleets or desperate frigates. But makes better sense.

goduranus

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What do you think should happen when people explore uninhabited regions and don't bring enough supplies? First they eat their horses, then they eat their belt and boots, then they die.

Although, if there were friendly hyperspace comsats in thr systrm, it would make sense that you could call for help, but it should come at a cost of credits and reputation.
« Last Edit: May 13, 2016, 09:15:18 PM by goduranus »
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Az the Squishy

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What do you think should happen when people explore uninhabited regions and don't bring enough supplies? First they eat their horses, then they eat their belt and boots, then they die.

Although, if there were friendly hyperspace comsats in thr systrm, it would make sense that you could call for help, but it should come at a cost of credits and reputation.

Yes, that makes sense. However the idea is for when you are in space. And again this is when you have the ability to do so and you have the sense to do so. You don't have to do it but. Your point about it costing reputation well as credit makes sense... you are messing with the relay and they may not like that. So I will concede that that does make sense.

But this wasn't meant to render empty systems winable. Simply less harsh in regards to the fact that there will likely be more empty systems later.
You are right however. At this moment in time with merely two systems that are empty it is not likely that this will be implemented. But it will be a great addition for a later ability within the game.

Deshara

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Another thought; pirate vultures would make dead systems less unwinnable. make wiring into coms to broadcast an actual SOS alerts A) everybody nearby (in hyperspace like youre sensor bursting out of each jump point and out of neighboring sectors comms) who may take offense to you *** with coms in their space or whatever you were doing if you did so without transponders, B) nearby Pirates and enemies and C) anyone who isn't hostile will be out to extort. So first of all you wind up having to wait, draining cr and straining supplies, makes you take relations hits if you're doing something you shouldn't have (like killing allies transponder off) and then you are either hit by raiders or extortionists, being forced to decide whether or not the price offered for fuel and supplies (with skyrocketed prices) isn't worth the chance of being overwhelmed by the next pirate force.
Oh and unless the pirates are vengeful and have a hit out on you, the pirates you get attacked by are weaker than normal, more aggressive against fleets they can't take/quicker to merely maintain contact after a loss to join the next fresh force rather than flee and carrying little extra fuel and supplies to account for the fact that they're actually operating in dead systems or are dead-spaxe vultures
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I cant be blamed for what I said 5 minutes ago. I was a different person back then