Star Gates V2?

from Stardock Forums
So I've been thinking this over. Based on the 'brief history' found in the encyclopedia standard hyperdrive is 10x faster then travel via Star Gates, it also cost more then $1billion to use once, yet hyperdrive costs basically zero. It took about 15 years of subspace communication for us to receive the plans for a Star Gate, yet fairly early on in the game instant communications are (can be) discovered. There are space anomilies that send my explorer ships to 'random' places instantly, but the explorer ships never seem to gather any useful data about that effect. Towards the end of the tech tree we discover how to create stable wormholes that IIRC would allow a ship to travel from any point to any point instantly, yet we never see any useful implementation of that in game. Can't we have some intermediate step that allows instant travel between set points?

I really want a way in the game to send ships from one point to another across a large galaxy. I tried a 'slingshot' with about 50 +2 move StarBases, but on a gigantic galaxy even that was not enough for me. Maybe I've been spoiled by railroads in other games within the TBS genre that allowed huge mobility within my controlled areas. Current mobility bonuses from tech and StarBases feels like about the same benefits as adding dirt roads through the wilderness.

Even if I could only build Star Gates at my own StarBases or planets, even if there was a cost to send ships through, it would be better then sending my wee little constructor on a 3 year journey from one end of my empire to the other, I don't care if it costs me $1billion per shot.

Love the game, just my $0.02 on something that's been bugging me.
358 views 8 replies
Reply #1 from Stardock Forums Top
Nice idea....

~SDC~
Reply #2 from Stardock Forums Top
A bit off topic, perhaps, but somewhat related (if you think strange thoughts as I do). How did the Terran (human) race give the hyperdrive technology to every other stinkin race when we can't even communicate with them? Seemingly, the other races can all communicate from turn 1 with each other (since they trade stuff like hyper-Ferengi right away), and yet the humans have to find everyone in turn before they can even talk, (if they've resesearched Universal Translators!) How did we spread this great technology to everyone else in the first place? Maybe that's what all of these unexplained abductions are all about?

~SDC~
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Reply #3 from Stardock Forums Top
Science (particularly anything to do with mathematics) is a common language (sort of).

An example I heard of was at a conference of scientists from several countries at a formal dinner, often seated next to people who didn't speak the same language. How they solved the communication problem when one want the salt was to pass a note with the molecular structure of what they wanted. Incompatible language problem solved... at least a little bit.

Damian

~SDC~
Reply #4 from Stardock Forums Top
'Seemingly, the other races can all communicate from turn 1 with each other (since they trade stuff like hyper-Ferengi right away), and yet the humans have to find everyone in turn before they can even talk, (if they've resesearched Universal Translators!)'

If you read the story, there were a number of oddities in the Star Gate plans given to Humanity by the Arceans (including the lack of an 'off switch'). This could be more of the same.

And there is the above note that mathematics, and a few other base physiochemical concepts, really is a universal language. Math usually proves to be the initial breakpoint when translating a previously unknown language (of which there aren't many left on Earth, granted).

~SDC~
Reply #5 from Stardock Forums Top
Not to ruin our little linguistics conversation here, but I was also disappointed that I was not able to construct star-gates/controlled wormholes. I love playing on the largest size galaxy with the tight clusters of stars, so, of course, wormholes would be very beneficial to me. I've found before that another race will decalre war on me, I'll dispatch my fleet, and by the time it gets there I'll have declared peace already.
Reply #7 from Stardock Forums Top
Stargates would really be great for those of us playing bigger maps.

However, I could already think of building a stargate at home, parking a vast armada next to it and merrily sailing my stargate constructors into the heart of the enemy empire.

So maybe only stargates in controlled sectors or fixed wormholes. The AI would also need to learn how to use them effectively.
Reply #8 from Stardock Forums Top
I think Brad already said the reason there isn't anything like this in the game is because it would be a nightmare to code the AI to use it properly...

~SDC~