But, as you mentioned, entrances and exits are dynamically generated as seasons change. So are these truly subject to drift over time, or do the entrance/exit only move around a limited geography? Also, do multiple slipstream "maps" overlap and simultaenously change on the season, or just one at a time? Because having stuff go "north"/"south" seasonally would be just as easy as "east"/"west" ...
One "layout" fades away, and then the new one fades in. Otherwise it could get awkward with stream overlaps with going-away streams disrupting the new streams, etc. So the 6th/12th month of the cycle are when the current set of slipstreams fades away.
Plus, would be cool to have bounty/quest option to map any particular slipstream early in season and then sell to faction(s). Even cooler if player can also buy maps off of black market. Although I guess the level of cool would vary based on whether same slipstream maps are reused, so that even if it changes a little, maps still basically accurate (or not).
Could be very cool, yeah!
Also, what happens if your fleet runs out of fuel in a slipstream? Do you conserve momentum and just shoot out (and then drift), or do you still have some measure of control? Or when you get low on fuel, is it better to drop burn level to low and just ride it out to wherever you need to go; basically, what is minimum speed in a slipstream before being ejected due to lack of control?
Some momentum, but you lose control - it's as if you were constantly trying to move out of the stream and into the nearest gravity well. So you'll get carried along some, but not a lot.
Finally, can you still add a vectored version of the fluid particle effect to battles in sun corona and solar flares (plus maybe neutron star beams)? Solar wind baby!
Hmm, probably not, honestly - I don't know that adding something "busy"-looking to a combat background is a good idea. Might have a look at some in-combat nod to it at some point, but right now there isn't anything.
I'm time and time again impressed how you manage to come up with such elegant and fun idea to improve a part of the game I didn't even expect to get looked at in detail. I mean I was aware how some think hyperspace travel is boring and slow, but I didn't see a brand new mechanic coming. Looks really cool and can't wait to try it out in practice to see how much of a difference will it make.
Slightly unrelated, is this then the final "meaty" part of the upcoming update? I know there's still a fair amount of work to be done but I'm curious if we're reaching the final stretch so to speak.
Hah, thank you! Hope it works out well. And yeah, it's the last "meaty" part, though there is indeed a bunch of polish-type stuff still left.
Worth clarifying precisely - are ships in slipstreams protected from hyperspace storms (even if it's only because the two forms of stellar geography can't overlap), or are they protected only from the speed debuff and still liable to the slipstream taking them on a ride through a bunch of lightning strikes?
From the blogpost: "(Oh, and worth noting: being inside a slipstream takes precedence over any other terrain your fleet might be in. So, for example, the bonuses/penalties from being in deep hyperspace, or in a storm, and so on, do not apply.)" I interpret that as, yes, you're protected from hyperspace storm strikes.
Very cool (and completely unlooked-for). I'm intrigued by the "ghosts" themselves at this point, which of course, you'll say nothing about.
Indeed
The fact that these slipstreams are seasonal is also interesting, both for gameplay and lore reasons. I imagine I'll chart courses depending on whether a slipstream is available or not but I wonder how much I'll wait for one vs. leg it to a far-off location.
I'd imagine you *probably* wouldn't wait for one very often? But deciding which direction from core to go on an expedition in, where to take bounties, and so on - that could well take on a seasonal aspect. It'll be really interesting to see exactly how it pans out, though.
I remember some kind of "wave" phenomena from ages ago that I remember thinking "aww, that would have been a real cool way to travel" and lo and behold, we have something quite a bit more refined/focused.
Yeah! I remember that one; the class was even called "Slipstream"... something or other, in the code.
I also think these tunnels are great fodder for hyperspace monsters but I won't hold my breath!
(I'll say, I'm very partial to the concept, so you never know. If I could think of a way to get a really nice 2-D amoeba going...)
Now instead of flying into an unseen pirate armada at burn 30 I can do it at 40. Hyperspace just got 33% more exciting.
Haha! Indeed. On the bright side, you know exactly where to expect this. And in the (fairly limited) testing so far, going dark a little ways out from a break is pretty effective.
Hoping at least one of those ghosts is a giant alien amoeba flying around, MoO style.
These look like a lot of fun. I would've loved to see this in Star Control 2 way back. Fit real well with the simple inertial mechanics it had.
Ride the wave
(Ah, yeah, that would've been neat! Quasi space was pretty cool, though, and played kind of a similar role design-wise, didn't it.)
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Topic: Of Slipstreams and Sensor Ghosts (Read 16816 times)