Posted - 2006.08.27 22:45:00 - [1]

 

Edited by: Aliniel Vitissun on 07/11/2006 17:38:34
Moved from EVE General Discussion to Features and Ideas Forum - Jacques

The way I see it, the problem with instant-jump bookmarks is that they take up a lot of space, because each jump is individual. I've seen the purely skill-based solutions, I've seen the "warp-to 0km" option solutions. Here's my proposal for an alternative, using existing skills and adding a single new item class.

New Items: Starmap (system name), Starmap (constellation name)
A starmap is a full system navigational database that allows a ship navigating that system or that constellation to warp directly to any target given. It can be copied (Shift+Drag) and is incorporated by the Autopilot, which checks to see if the player currently possesses a starmap of the system when executing a warp. This is advantageous because no coordinates are stored for each copy, because the node controlling that system already has these coordinates in memory.

Acquiring System Starmaps: System starmaps are made by engaging in a prolonged scan of the system via use of the new "System Astronavigation Probe," launched from a Scan Probe Launcher. The scan takes approximately 5 minutes to complete and creates a new Starmap object of the system once complete. During the scan, the ship may not cloak nor leave the system.

Acquiring Constellation Starmaps: Constellation starmaps are made by engaging in a prolonged scan of the constellation via use of the new "Constellation Cartography Scanner." The scan takes approximately 2 days to complete and creates a new Starmap object of the Constellation once complete. During the scan, the scanner structure must not go offline or be deactivated. Alternatively, a full set of system starmaps can be consolidated into a single constellation starmap whose timestamp matches that of the earliest timestamp in the group.

Degrading Starmaps: Systems change over time due to gravitational perturbrations, and starmap accuracy degrades as well. The starmap's warp-to accuracy degrades at a rate of approximately 5 meters per day. Given an inherent warp inaccuracy of 1,500 meters and a 2,500 meter jump range, this provides 200 days' (almost 7 months) worth of viability. This is fast to check, as the accuracy offset can be computed directly from the current date and the starmap's timestamp.

Advantages:
-This opens a new, persisting market for scout characters who would make accurate, up-to-date starmaps to sell, of which are clearly labeled with both system and date, and thus immune to Escrow scamming.

-There's a built-in incentive to automatically abandon use of the current bookmarks, because starmaps tie in to the Autopilot (thought autopilot has an additional 5-km offset, to discourage afk travel).

-A single starmap subtitutes for an entire system's worth of bookmarks. In a two-gate system, this accounts for a 50% cut in object count associated with that system. It also does not need to store the coordinates of the mark, just the timestamp. This improves performance significantly by both reducing the object count and the object size.

New Skill: Stellar Cartography (Rank 3)
Requirements: Astrometrics IV
Reduces scan time for System Astronavigation Probes by 5% per level.

New POS Module: Constellation Cartography Scanner
Anchoring Requirements: Stellar Cartography IV, Anchoring IV
Activation Time: 2 days
This module scans the constellation in which it is anchored and produces a Constellation Starmap/Starchart. It also looks just like the giant radio telescope.

Additionally, corporations entities can possess a starmap database, and the warp code can easily check the player's corporation for an up-to-date map (impossible with BMs), which cuts down on data overhead AND makes starmaps much easier to organize for corps.