jump points
Posted: Thu Dec 20, 2007 6:16 pm
I know it's been debated about how to represent jump points in VS. Pretty much nobody likes the wireframe pretend things we use now.
Basically, in VS the idea of jumping is that we jump at special points in space that allow the opening of a wormhole (initiated by the jump drive). I dont think we need any visual representation of this on screen. Just have the wormhole open up when we get close enough to it's mapped position and jump. We dont need an additional structure in space, and the wireframe thing is just dumb.
We'd all like the graphics of jumping to be better, but more importantly, making jumpoints basically invisible and only visible on your map makes for a possible feature of gameplay. Selling of jump point maps would be even more important, since it would be the _only_ way to find them outside of randomly happening upon one. Plus, the unstable wormholes could be highly guarded secrets. Rather than sending you to a random system, an unstable wormhole could simply be a wormhole that moves. It always links the same two systems together, but because it moves, You'd have to barter for info on it's last known location and find it yourself. Radar could then have an additional feature for detecting gravitational anomalies when in close range, allowing the detection of jump points not on your map, as well as perhaps future features such as detecting cloaked bases.
so my wishlist would be:
1. Remove wireframe jumpoints.
2. Jumpoint maps are traded like system maps, though, much more frugally with how much info is in each map. (makes you have to visit more than one place to get a complete list, etc)
3. Higher end radars can sense grav anomalies, allowing the detection of unmapped wormholes (these are added to your local map that you can then sell a copy of, and the more data you add the more you'll get for it assuming the buyer doesn't have those locations for grav anomalies)
4. unstable wormholes simply move around the systems they link together. These should link highly prized areas together, to make them sought after. Knowing these locations should be integral to certain missions. Bases will buy the last known location of these moving jp's from you, and you can thus buy the last known location it complete certain missions or just to travel.
5. Eventually, it'd be nice to have a wormhole animation fill the screen during the loading of the next system. Perhaps run a cutscene of your ship entering (from outside it) and then the flying through the wormhole and exit on the other side.
That's not asking too much right? heh.
Basically, in VS the idea of jumping is that we jump at special points in space that allow the opening of a wormhole (initiated by the jump drive). I dont think we need any visual representation of this on screen. Just have the wormhole open up when we get close enough to it's mapped position and jump. We dont need an additional structure in space, and the wireframe thing is just dumb.
We'd all like the graphics of jumping to be better, but more importantly, making jumpoints basically invisible and only visible on your map makes for a possible feature of gameplay. Selling of jump point maps would be even more important, since it would be the _only_ way to find them outside of randomly happening upon one. Plus, the unstable wormholes could be highly guarded secrets. Rather than sending you to a random system, an unstable wormhole could simply be a wormhole that moves. It always links the same two systems together, but because it moves, You'd have to barter for info on it's last known location and find it yourself. Radar could then have an additional feature for detecting gravitational anomalies when in close range, allowing the detection of jump points not on your map, as well as perhaps future features such as detecting cloaked bases.
so my wishlist would be:
1. Remove wireframe jumpoints.
2. Jumpoint maps are traded like system maps, though, much more frugally with how much info is in each map. (makes you have to visit more than one place to get a complete list, etc)
3. Higher end radars can sense grav anomalies, allowing the detection of unmapped wormholes (these are added to your local map that you can then sell a copy of, and the more data you add the more you'll get for it assuming the buyer doesn't have those locations for grav anomalies)
4. unstable wormholes simply move around the systems they link together. These should link highly prized areas together, to make them sought after. Knowing these locations should be integral to certain missions. Bases will buy the last known location of these moving jp's from you, and you can thus buy the last known location it complete certain missions or just to travel.
5. Eventually, it'd be nice to have a wormhole animation fill the screen during the loading of the next system. Perhaps run a cutscene of your ship entering (from outside it) and then the flying through the wormhole and exit on the other side.
That's not asking too much right? heh.