unitystation
[Feature] - Shuttle Upgrades / Bluespace Travel
There is no other issue with the same feature request.
- [x] I have searched the existing issues
Why is this feature needed/good for the game?
The problem
The inherit problem we have currently with shuttle travel is how unfun it is to navigate space effectively, and how there are a lot of ways antagonists and random game variables can interrupt space travel completely, thus breaking the game and creating a ton of scenarios where the average player will get upset at things that are out of their control.
The solution
Players should have a goal to work towards to safeguard shuttle travel in space.
R&D + Engineering can race towards creating a "bluespace warp drive" component that can be installed on shuttles, which can then be used to skip manual travel in space.
Bluespace warp drives will teleport shuttles into a locked matrix with an animated background that gives the illusion of travel, but instead, the shuttle will stay in place for a period of time until they're teleported to their next intended destination. This is similar to how space travel works in the original SS13.
B.W.D upgrades
| Upgrade | Description | Cost | Time Reduction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base | A machine object that can be installed on a matrix to allow it to use bluespace travel. Can cause a massive explosion if damaged. Requires an entire plasma canister to make a single jump. All objects are EMPed inside the matrix. | 4 Gibtonites + 1 Machine Board + 5 Metal Sheets + 4 Cable Coil + 1 Multi-Tool | N/A - Base 185 Seconds regardless of distance. |
| Lvl.1 | Reduces plasma fuel consumption by half. | TBD | 20s Reduction - Each 35 unit of distance reduces travel time by 2 seconds. |
| Lvl.2 | Objects no longer get EMPed. Less Fuel Consumption. | TBD | 60s Reduction - Each 25 unit of distance reduces travel time by 8 seconds. |
| Lvl.3 | Removes the explosion penalty if damaged. No longer uses plasma for fuel. Can be repaired using glass sheets. Allows travel to specific coordinates instead of just bouys. | Solar Panel Machine Board + 1 Welding Tool + 35 Glass Sheets. | 100s Reduction - Each 15 unit of distance reduces travel time by 16 seconds. |
User Story
>Be Cargonian
>Captain creates a blockade in the cargo shuttle path
>Fellow Cargonians cannot order weapons or anything anymore
>Install BWD
>Cargo shuttle can reach CC again.
----
>Be miner
>Explore asteroids for artifacts
>Forget way back home
>Fak fak fak fak
>Use BWD to travel back to the station safely.
Describe alternatives you've considered.
This is the alternative, actually.
We have some players who are vocal about not liking manual space travel at all, but it's part of unitystation's identity and gameplay. This offers the ability for players to pursue the ability to deploy their own preferred method of travel over our "jank" as they call it.
We cannot keep reworking shuttle movement again and again and again. This offers a middle ground between people who like the current way for how shuttles are being handled, and people who prefer the "safe" approach bluespace travel offers.
i dig it. might be better to use bluespace crystals instead of gibtonite so miners aren't specifically required to go to lavaland (or find the one volcanic asteroid) to obtain the construction materials.
from the description, it sounds like total travel time becomes inversely related to distance traveled after the first upgrade level, or am i reading that wrong? probably want shorter trips to not take more time than longer ones, though a minimum amount of time spent in bluespace sounds good for gameplay purposes and can be explained away via whatever sci-fi lore. plenty of opportunity to experiment with and refine those values in any case.
simulating shuttle landings could probably re-use much of a system like this w/ a buoy-type object on an awaysite or lavaland
perhaps a perk of the highest level upgrade could be the ability to travel freely to any coordinates the pilot inputs, without the need of a beacon (at higher fuel cost than buoy travel)
upgrades could also increase the # of saved beacons associated with the bluespace drive, w/ 2 in the base model, then 3/4/5
