Space is BIG

[rustybucket]

Why is it that we tend to bunch a group of objects in the center of each sector while leaving the rest a complete void. What would happen if we were to position a second group of stations at a very significant distance from the center? How about around a distant moon? What if we could create several distinctive communities within each sector, with distances between each community measured in 10,000 of kilometers?

I could never understand how a pirate base can co-exist in a major sector, without having it immediately destroyed by customs, police, and military forces. It would make more sense if there were significant distance between the two and perhaps even a hidden jump gate or two. It would give us a reason to explore these sectors; and, we may even finally locate that secret UFO base.

[Uzi77]

Trying to fly...

10,000 of kilometers

... would take a very, very long time, even on SETA.

[fud]

Well, with all the distances doubled/tripled, you could then double.triple the speeds of all the ships. In essence, it'd be the same as now, but with a more expansive feeling to it.



I know the DDRS mod moves the Pres End gates farter apart to "open" the sector more. It may not be all that difficult.


I'd be all for it. Prolly a max gate distance of 1000km tho. Even with speeds tripled, it'd take a hell of a snooze. You could almost set the auto pilot to dock somewhere and go to sleep for 8 hours.

[tensin]

There's gonna be a limited distance from traffic lines that something is going to want to be.

We could put those distances more realistically time-wise (put the pirate bases a few hours away for example), but it would make the game very monotonous.

You can increase the speeds; but then you've undone the reality that distances are acceptable based on time... but that's not the big problem.

The big problem is that fast ships crash into things when flown by the computer.

[Dread]

I have always loved the idea of a more vast style of the sectors, and although yeah make the sectors x amount as big, but even if we then increased the ships speeds by x amount too, it would feel more expansive as fud said, also this feeling would be better as things like capships and stations and asteroids\jumpgates etc, would not be in view as much as they are now. As it stands most sectors you can fly into and you can pretty much see everything the sector has to offer straight away. If you had to fly several times further to see\get to something then it would make space feel more like... Space I guess.

I have also posted a couple of times about changing the layout of the universe and inserting loads of new empty sectors with nothing...except the possibility of Pirates\Yaki and sometimes Khaak&Xenon. Sort of like Badlands sectors\passages of space that must be flwon through to get to a majority of populated sectors.

[rustybucket]

The big problem is that fast ships crash into things when flown by the computer.

The AI is doing much better in X3. Probably because it can adjust the speed to the task, rather then try to do everything at maximum speed. I usually have at least one very fast m3 for fun and giggles and it behaives well even when boosted to a max speed well in excess of 1000Kph.

The bigger collision problem comes from having a large mass of objects located so closely together that large ships barely have room to manuver at any speed. In some sectors we almost need harbour pilots and tugs to manuver the capital ships to the gate.

[banjaxo]

There would have to be a proportional increase in scanner range too, otherwise exploration would become a little tedious.

The increased speeds would also probably make hitting enemy ships a lot harder too, unless there was a proportional increase in the various weapon "bullet" speeds.

[rustybucket]

There would have to be a proportional increase in scanner range too, otherwise exploration would become a little tedious.

The increased speeds would also probably make hitting enemy ships a lot harder too, unless there was a proportional increase in the various weapon "bullet" speeds.

I don't know about the scanner range. Perhaps it is better, more interesting to keep it limited. You would have to assign ships to protect specific things rather then just fly around an entire sector.

So long as we can figure out how to add a few key map coordinated to the sector map you can steer your ship towards moon alpha and eventually the stations will come into range.

Missile and gun fire would have to be made faster, otherwise the target would just outrun them.

[rizzo420]

You'd have to increase the actual sector size, also. Any sector I've ever tried wraps back around at about 4500k....

[Cycrow]

maybe u should wait for firelance, some of the sectors are going to be 2000km wide with stations spread out

[rustybucket]

maybe u should wait for firelance, some of the sectors are going to be 2000km wide with stations spread out

More then just spread out; I was hoping for a more logical grouping of stations. Something that forces you to explore the various geographic points.

[fud]

Well, a max of 2000km between gates is a substantial increase, and reasonable. I think the farthest north-south gate distance is around 180km (Mysts of Elisium comes to mind). 10x that is nothing short of gargantuan by comparison.

If you expand it 10x on all three axex, you'd slao be able to pack more stations in comfortably.

The increased speeds would also probably make hitting enemy ships a lot harder too, unless there was a proportional increase in the various weapon "bullet" speeds.

Exactly why I brought it up. The collisions at high speeds are a direct cause of stations/rocks being stacked on top of each other.

Obviously, missles and "bullets" would also have to be modified. Trying to hit a harrier moving at 1500m/s with a BHEPT that's going 200m/s..

I'd be paying a plasterer several hundred dollars every week to patch the fist holes in my walls.

[Galaxy613]

Obviously, missles and "bullets" would also have to be modified. Trying to hit a harrier moving at 1500m/s with a BHEPT that's going 200m/s..

Thats why you don't use a BHEPT verses a small fighter! (duh...) A BHEPT is a heavy weapon, and is not suppost to be used to take down M5's, because it's so BIG! But yeah, the speeds WILL have to be bumped up, all depending on your ship's new speeds.

Also note, a little less then 5,000km from the center in any direction is the max, so effectively, the max working sector size is 10,000km, though you can set the actual sector size (I mean the sector size you see in the galaxy viewer) to ONLY 1,000km, a effective size of 2,000km. Which I think for most people, will be fine.

[damnationltd]

Real space is expansive, but let's not forget that out there, no one can hear you scream. (i.e. style over physics)

Personally, I think transports take plenty long enough to get where they're going already.

[DarthVain]

If you are within the limitations of sector space then u can place stations anywhere within that sector. From what I've read so far is that the Gates seem to stipulate how big the sector is and restrict space travel which is not the case.

Now that we have the availability of the gateless jumpdrives, it is just a matter of placing an object outside that supposed restriction and just jump to it.

If I had a way of getting rid of all the gates and the AI had the capability to jump to sectors on their own accord, that would certainly open up the galaxy big time.

The trouble also is that the game is being looked at two dimensionally (2D) instead of 3D. If you get rid of the North South East West perception or thoughts then travel is infinite within the confines of X-Universe capability ofcourse

[Tenlar Scarflame]

The trouble also is that the game is being looked at two dimensionally (2D) instead of 3D. If you get rid of the North South East West perception or thoughts then travel is infinite within the confines of X-Universe capability ofcourse

an "up" gate and "down" gate possibility would certainly be interesting...

perhaps that's where all the OTHER sectors are. The stupid explorers just haven't bothered to look "up" and "down" from sectors yet.

EDIT

In honor of my 666th post:

[defaultuser]

Maybe the X-universe is actually sideways, so that up and down in the denizens' perspective is actually East and West. The possibilities are really quite endless when you open up the pandora's box of a 3-d universe. But real space is pretty flat on a large scale, and a 3-d universe map would be insanely confusing to comfortably use.

[fud]

Thats why you don't use a BHEPT verses a small fighter! (duh...) A BHEPT is a heavy weapon, and is not suppost to be used to take down M5's, because it's so BIG! But yeah, the speeds WILL have to be bumped up, all depending on your ship's new speeds.

I beg to differ. I use hepts on/for everything. The balance would be linear imo. If you increase all the ships' top speeds 2x or 3x, you increase all missles'/weapons' speeds 2x-3x.


Like I said, it wouldn't take you any longer to travel the distance as everything would be increased 2x-3x, it would however, give a more vast feeling. It'd still take you 2 minutes to get to the cahoona bakery, the only major difference being it'd be 1200km away rather than 120km.

[rizzo420]

Maybe the X-universe is actually sideways, so that up and down in the denizens' perspective is actually East and West. The possibilities are really quite endless when you open up the pandora's box of a 3-d universe. But real space is pretty flat on a large scale, and a 3-d universe map would be insanely confusing to comfortably use.

You've hit it on the head. It's just too big of a pain to map and use in total 3d.

[Little]

hmm, well i doubt increasing the ships speed could in anyones terms be unreasonable, actually, even with our dodgy-prone-to-explosion rocket technology now, dont shuttles go a LOT faster than 100/ms? please correct me if this is not so, but i remember hearing that current day spacecraft are many many times faster than a speeding bullet.