Astro Galaxy - a realistic space exploration game

In game Pledge system project definition. To be updated prior to adding it to ingame project list.

PROJECT: Star maps, navigation computer, 2500 QP min, 24 days
    - navigation computer remembers star navigation data (stars, black holes, wormholes)
    - star map will show owned assets (planet,station,ship positions in space) and any corp / enemy assets that was discovered.
    - can view star map based on navigation data, with information of how old is each quadrant data.
    - stars that go supernova are reported and marked by the nav computer, as information comes in from the news feed. A distant supernova in unexplored space will appear as a bright explosion icon on the the star map, with option to plot a course for it.
    - system planetary information is remembered if the system was explored by a ship.
    - nav computer can show distances between objects on the star map, to offer perspective on long voyages.
    - VIP nav computer: Can remember a set course to a distant destination by chaining jumps. Once a jump is completed, a new course is set towards the distant object up to the max jump range or to object if in range. Also add option for VIP to tick on auto-jump when timer completes, and chain auto-jumps to destination.
   - Zoom in and out, multiple / single quadrant view, Galaxy view

Now this nice addition to the game. Thanks

That's a huge benefit for VIP as well.  That'd be a great development emi!

This project is great!

I have 3 suggestions:

1. A hyperjump option: select a star from the navcomp and arrive instantly using QPs (instead of using QPs every single jump).

2. Remove the limit of the nav comp in displaying the explored stars when ordering stars by the distance (currently displays stars within 100 LY only, except Sol).

3. To promote exploration, maybe set up a small reward for players who explored all the stars in the galaxy. :)

About what Raph said, maybe there could be a sol repository of information about stars.

Explorers would gather infomation about systems
. how many planets?
. How big are they?
. What is the quality of the deposits?
. Note, I wouldn't give information about who is in orbit to sol.  This'd give pirates way too much information with no effort :p

With wormholes and black holes there could be similar information about what is there; whether there are aliens, or a portal to a new system.

Captains can report this back to SOL for a reward, and players can either view this vague information, or perhaps make it a paid system, where sol will give you tips about a good mining colony if you give them some solars.

I'm already drooling...  :wow:

oh yes, please add this one:
can see your other ships on the map in the same quadrant...

Yeah you should be able to browse the map and see what areas you explored, where your ships and facilities are, where you should explore next and get a perspective view...

Added
  - Zoom in and out, multiple / single quadrant view, Galaxy view

The auto-jump feature is something I've been wanting for a while and I'm glad to see it's on the to-do list.

My only concern is that perhaps if you add too many of these awesome projects to the pledge system at once and none of them will reach the target for a while because we can't all agree that one is best and get behind one.

But I'm sure Raph and Mata along with a few of the other top players will probably be able to ensure that SirEmi is always busy.

JoolzVern: I have donated only 200 QP, I know someone has donated more than 10 times what I have donated and I am not speaking of Ralph. Me and Ralph are not the only contributors by far and it is OK like that. It is my intention to continue donating QPs but we need to remember that we can buy QPs with something other than solars. To date, me and Ralph are not the biggest donators to my knoledge.

That's ok, you shouldn't be concerned about that. What we'll do is make a detailed list on the forum / define the projects and add a few at a time, 5 or so, in the game, then when those are done add a few more and define some more. So at most you'll have 5-8 in progress to choose from in game.

Indeed, do not be concerned.  The Empire has funded all projects so far, and I do not see funding being withheld for any future projects (according to the priorities voted upon by the citizens of the Sargasian Empire).

my only suggestion to these 3 items are:

1.  The ability to set a course to any star you have knowledge of by setting the course and letting the ship jump and jump and jump (ad infinitum) with a percentage of possible dangers that will increase per jump.

2.  By using the 'Star Map', you should be able to display your known sectors (for those of you who don't understand my 'dialect', sector means the same as quadrant) by (for example) start at Sol, click North to the next 'known' sector, then if you have explored the next sector (which north would be 0,2), and if you have explored the ring positions you could click either N, NW, NE, S, E, W. SW, or SE, and so on...

3.  I, for one do not want to draw that kind of attention to my 'intelligence files'.

"Star maps & Navigation" project added to in-game pledge system.

funded

This makes it so much more important to have VIP I guess.  Those chained jumps will be an incredible time saver, especially if you don't play often.

I have found that VIP is more important than officers (don't get me wrong, I have a years supply of both)...

Well I guess if you compare for instance VIP and the navigation officer, VIP gives you the same benefit, plus so much extra stuff.  But a manufacturing officer must be really important when you get to your stage in the game.

Both are really must haves later on in the game. Luckily when you get to where we are you can afford to use solars to get the QP you need for officers and VIP.

Based on the project progress so far, these ideas have come into range for future add-ons regarding this project:

~New~ SOL Commodity exchange: Information Board
        -> Buy / Sell star maps and exploration data, Explorer profession
        -> in the future, buy information on distant pockets, black hole locations, wormholes, archeological dig sites, etc.

~New~ Sharing of exploration data between captains
        -> Exchanging exploration data between corporation members or in direct trades
        -> Based on scan time, if data is for the same object, the more recent data is used / old data is updated


Exploration data can not be forged, as it is automatically entered into the nav computer whenever a ship scans a star system, a planet / object surface or orbit, or survey data.
All issued ship Nav Computers come with integrated protection against data forgery, with lifetime warranty :)

Only goes a small way to truly functional corporation co-operation. We are still missing corporate stations and true ability to  protect each other's assets as a corporation.
Hopefully the current projects will help keep track of corporation members in a star system, which we also need.
And while the ability to attack a corp member used to be useful for exchanging items via orbitals....we probably dont need that anymore and we shouldnt be able to attack a corp member at all. That will at least stop an insurgent getting within the trusted ranks and killing all corp assets, should that scenario ever come up.
I would also like to see factions enabled where pacts and treaties can be put in force along the same guidlines. For eg a science treaty, where a % of each others corporate science is traded across to partners, a nav agreement to share system data across allies etc. a NAP where pilots can no longer target their allies "by mistake"

@ Dadds

Definitely agree with what you said, but at least we're getting somewhere!

Perhaps a new commodity trading system will also make it easier for Emi to introduce between player commodity trading

That's what I'm really hanging on for :)

That's a great update. :)