Player Features and Ideas Discussion

What if jump drives had an exhaust timer?

Now now before you panic it quite simple, as people know, most machines can only work for so long before they require a down time! So to speak.

Now how would it work would be quite simple to understand yet complex to master.

Now lets say that for every jump an exhaust timer is added to the jump drive, however this by no means prevent you from jumping! For the reasons to make a debate lets say that the timer is 5 minutes long. However you can still continue to jump drive all you want with extra added jump you make, an extra five minutes is added to the timer.

Now this is where the exhaust timer comes into play, at some point of constant jumping puts a strain on the system and the heat from the constant use cause the system to shut down and force you to wait out the exhaust timer cause you now have taxed the system beyond capabilities. So lets just say that number is 30 minutes. So that means you can make 6 jumps in a row before taxing your systems, or you can wait between jumps for those so many minutes so you can jump without worry.

So lets say I am 2 jumps away from my target and can jump those two jumps and have a 10 minute cool down timer to wait out, or continue to jump and add more time to that timer (of course till it reaches 30 minutes.)

Now, first I would like to say that all the numbers posted are variable and can be changed at any time.

If you made it this far I want to thank you for actually reading the thread and not skimming it, second you may say no and tell me I'm just blowing smoke out of my behind, or you can provide constructive feed back, don't matter which. Though constructive feed back will provide me on building bigger and better ideas and help me avoid the bad ones.

Questions and answers down here:

This is rare.

Things to consider:

1. Pilots make n jumps and then logout to do dishes. They come back 20 mins later and login to roll out. Sounds neither fun nor interesting.

2. Capital/Alt (depending on where it is tracked) networks develop where people jump into a new ship, new character, or both at a pre-planned destination.

Okay, I shall provide simple counter points. Most cap pilots are alts and once the get to their destination and unload, they log out and play on their main. Remember I say most, not all. Second, if it is their main and that all they do is freighter, then number two will be as follows.

For number two, this idea provides capital ships pilots a choice. They may make a choice of distance, capitalizing on their fuel bay to lets say jump 6 light years in two jumps thus exhausting their fuel This means that they get somewhere and reload on fuel the capitalizing on their fuel bay again to make it back to high sec and slow boat it through high sec, and seeing this only affects jump drives and not warp drives. The other basic choice would be is one can suffer the penalty of jumping many times for safety and precision.

for number three, if you are in a low sec limited capital ship, most carriers dreadnoughts and titans don't go anywhere without a good reason to, like a target in a hotdrop, or the need for pos destruction/fleet battles. This in turn forces alliance command to already have their capital ship pilots in place in certain locations so that they can provide cap ship support.

The idea was generated around these two outstanding conditions. 1: It won't cripple the current jump drive system to the point of unusability. 2: limit force projection without limiting force projection if you get what I mean, thus making it a requirement to preplan your defense forces, and not just make a WTF defense force from the deepest part of your alliance and throw them at the invading forces.

Now I do agree with you though that this idea is a bit rough around the edges.

per jump. Like I said, I don't want to cripple the system, though this is an idea, if you can come up with a compelling argument that pushes it towards that direction of per light year then all means make it! All idea makers should always be open to change which is something that is rather...lacking as of late in the features and ideas sector.

Sticky please.

How about rigs to reduce cooltime or something that effects this. Would make the fitting more interesting.

But yes this sounds rather interesting.

btw say if you dock up. Would stations provide "instant repair" to yor engines and after you undock the time is reduced to 0min or would the engines be always at that level of stress that you cannot reduce the cooltime in any other way except just waiting the times out and mayby having rigs/skils/etc on your ship.

Would there be a possibility that you might destroy your jump engines and thus leaving your stranded somewhere unless you ger some specialized repairs? (im seeing nanite paste in my mind atm )

I wouldn't be very keen on the docking, insta-ready thing. Capacitor levels are currently the only "cooldown" mechanic limiting capital ships from jumping across the map over and over again... and it is easily circumvented by docking as you pointed out or through cap transfers.

Adding rigs to assist in the cooldown would be interesting... skills though... I find questionable. They would just another thing a good capital pilot must train to be considered "competent" (on top of an already long and painful list).


Not too fond of this idea. One of the reasons I like the OP's timer is that, again, it's "punitive" without being overly so (IMO of course).

The thing is though is if you use a skill, as Shah said, that's just one more thing you are forced to train, however if you use fittings, yes that can make even more decision but it would leave the ship that can't fit module, like the jump freighter alittle lacking in the department of reducing the cooldown timer. While rigs would be interesting, it would just mean that freighters will have to get a skill that they will be forced to trained, to compensate with their inability to equip things.



That could be a little game breaking for some pilots as if they burned out their engines and had no one that could come and rep them, they would be forced to train an alt up for repping and hope it makes it there before they system is over run by hostiles. The timer is meant to make a pilot thoughtful of their actions, however the cap pilot will only think this is BS if he suddenly starts burning out his engines.

well, not entirely.
you get 6 jumps (or whatever) before you're stuck for 30 min, less however much time has already elapsed. What if you were only 7 jumps from a station -- personally I'd rather risk burning out the drive (and being in station) than hiding in some system for half an hour.

Same goes for being in a JF or having to run inter-station logistics ... 6 jumps is only 3 round trips.

Perhaps add a repair shop option for the jumpdrive? 10m* ISK to pull 5 mins* off the timer?

* ISK and time up for debate.