Make "Jump Calculation" a Scientist Action

[mrsandman321]

I can't seem to find earlier versions of this suggestion to see what came of them, so, apologies for that.

It still feels like the sequence for going to warp could be shared more amongst the crew.

Captain plots course - no one can see this except the Captain
Scientist calculates jump - this is what illuminates the next sector as blue
Pilot lines up with next sector
Engineer preps jump drives - this is current state
Pilot initiates jump - would require them to not be in their pilot-view mode, which is fun


This would require moving/creating some functions. But it would make the crew interactions far more interdependent and also allow for things to be way more thematic. Not to mention various mechanics make more sense:

Drive charge rate would apply only to exactly that, and it could even be a talent (if it isn't already?) for Engineers to get the drive to charge faster.

Scientist can also have a talent to improve jump calculation time. The "Instant Warp Charge" program would become "Instant Warp Calculation" which makes way more sense. And there can also be processors that help with this process.

Pilots have to wait for the calculation to even know what to aim for, and they can't jump to warp until the drives are ready. This means the Engineer and Scientist need to coordinate but not necessarily sequentially.

I feel like this could create some really entertaining experiences while also keeping what can otherwise be the only thing to be done between sectors a bit more interesting.

[Mr. Morague]

1. How much longer would this take compared to current jump drives?
2. How would blind jumping work differently compared to now, or would it not?

[mrsandman321]

1. How much longer would this take compared to current jump drives?
2. How would blind jumping work differently compared to now, or would it not?

Good questions. Currently, the jump sequence has a "Jump Calculation step" so this would only take longer insofar as the Scientist delays in doing that action. However, as I picture the Scientist and the Engineer can do their respective jump prep actions simultaneously, that could actually save time, if the crew is johnny on the spot.

As for blind jumping, I think it would be the same. Move the button to the Captain's Chair though (in my dream state of the Captain getting their own command screen[s]).

[Edinstein]

This is all pretty neat, but I don't think we'll end up going down this route. We're in the process of wrapping up ship mechanics and a change like this is pretty substantial at this point in development. Thanks for the suggestion though!