Guard Frequency Episode 277 | The Last Hyperstraw

Comments

4 responses to “Guard Frequency Episode 277 | The Last Hyperstraw”

1. 

   Sarah

   October 3, 2019

   Considering the length scales given and involved in the mechanic, quantum interdiction as currently presented sounds like nonsense (I’m assuming that in the final game, they will keep it such that Quantum Travel can be manually plotted, rather than the computer always using “straight lines”). As Tony notes, space is big:

   https://joshworth.com/dev/pixelspace/pixelspace_solarsystem.html

   Even if every player plots a “straight line” flight path between destinations, the odds are low that you’ll interdict anything.

   Think about it this way: depending on what longitude you leave Hurston (diameter 2000km), the possible flight paths form a cone from Hurston to Olisar if you let the flight computer plot a straight course (a distance of about 32 million km based on QT times from patch 3.5). Let’s say you’re a pirate hanging out exactly halfway between Olisar and Hurston. Doing some basic trigonometry, with only a 20km interdiction radius, you only cover 0.16% of the area. Let’s say you set up closer to Olisar: only 10% of the total distance away. One craft still only covers 4% of the area.

   So even being “lazy” and flying along a straight line path, odds are you won’t get interdicted, and you don’t really need to worry about being interdicted until the last minute or so of your QT. Furthermore, all my calculations assume your destination to be a singular point. If we were instead flying from Hurston to another Hurston sized object, the size of the cylinder we form, never mind the fact that people don’t even have to fly straight, makes the concept of a 20km radius interdictor absurd. It also seems like a fairly boring way to be a pirate that leaves the pirate player without much agency. I think the mechanic would be more fulfilling if there was a more active component in searching out and pursuing targets, rather than just waiting.

   I think this mechanic (despite the surface level description) is actually more about introducing PVE content: A “pirate” turns on their interdiction device, and at random intervals, the game spawns NPC ships that got “interdicted”. Basically, the inverse of the random interdiction happening to players right now.

   Reply
2. 

   Ken from Chicago

   October 4, 2019

   Previously …

   RB1: New guy!
   RB9: Yes, ma’am?
   RB1: What is your duty?
   RB9: Research where the data is. Retrieve the data. Report the data.
   RB1: Is “redact” part of it?
   RB9: No, ma’am.
   RB1: Then why was KFC’s feedback … missing data?!!
   RB9: Gasp! No, it was all there.
   RB1: I understand. You’re the new guy. You’re assigned KFC duty. He can be verbose. 7 & 8 had to take turns when he posted on Google plus.
   RB7: No! The Dark Times!
   RB8: Sssh. It’s okay. It’s over now.
   RB1: Anyway, you have no right to edit feedback. You report all of it to LR, he sends it to TH who distributes it to the GF team. They are human and get to edit the data.
   RB9: Pardon, ma’am, but what part do you think I edited out?
   RB1: The part where Geoff basks in total … total what?
   RB2: The Ancient One.
   RB3: Geoff the Undying.
   RB4: So cool.
   RB9: Oh yeah, it was vindication. That’s right. He had a GIF of Andre Braugher from Brooklyn 99.
   RB5: And previously Homicide: Life on the Streets, born in Chicago, Illinois, film debut in Glory.
   RB1: 5, no one likes a show off. So, new guy, a tweet? That explains it. LR or TH might have only copied text.
   RB9: Ma’am, if they didn’t know the rest of it, why not just look up the original comment?
   RB1: They’re human. They often proceed based on assumptions over even … incomplete data.
   RB9: GASP!
   RB1: True. Anyway, as long as you reported the whole data. Fine. Besides, if KFC really thought data was missing, he’d definitely let them know. You might want to brace yourself, new guy.
   RB9: Gulp.
   RB1: Heh, gulp indeed.

   This week on GF:

   [If you’re short on time, you can cut out the above skit.]

   As a wise man said, a long time ago, the truths we cling to often depend on a certain point of view.

   I bear good news and bad news, depending on your POV.

   CQ #1

   I’ve yet to play Elite Dangerous, which can be bad news, but I’ve avoided a lot of the “drama”, which I view as good news.

   CQ #2

   KS makes his triumphant return, definitely good news, only to run smack into the buzz saw of TH being right, bad or good, depending on your POV. TH was right in describing quantum travel as a cylinder or “straw” and quantum interdiction as a sphere that might clog up said straw and interrupt quantum travel.

   KS was looking at it as a Star Trek style warp that sees slower than light objects while in warp while SC (except for your target destination), makes quantum travel more more like the JJ Abrams Star Trek style of warp that isolates you from the real world (like his beloved Star Wars hyperspace). Ergo, it’s unlikely someone in quantum would see an interdictor ahead of them and simply drop out of quantum before being snagged.

   As far as game play that would be “fun” with interdiction. It encourages patrols and escorts for cargo runs. The Mantis isn’t that strong of a ship, so one or two fighters might be able to take it out. Plus, if the ship has two separate modes of interdiction, then while keeping the star fighters out of quantum, it might allow someone already in quantum to stay. Also, you might have decoy ships. Imagine a starfarer unleashing a bunch of dragonflies on a Mantis or some M50 leading the Mantis on a wild goose chase while a Freelancer or Hull-C maintains quantum travel.

   Finally, general feedback, about ship limitation or ship specialization, it’s my sad duty report this was NOT a matter of perspective. You were all wrong, Tony, Kinshadow and Geoff, well words came out of Geoff’s mouth that were incorrect. Had Henry been on the show and repeated it, he’d be wrong and if he said ship limitation was just to boost ship sales, then he would have been doubly wrong.

   Ship specialization is not a bug, an oversight and not some last minute change. It is strength, by design, from the beginning. Yes, some ships had modules that you could swap out but the rest were specialized. Even the first ship, the Aurora had *specialized* variants. And some of that specialization included entire game mechanics. Wanna mine, you had to have an Orion or later the Prospector. Wanna doctor, you needed the Cutlass Red or later the Aurora. Wanna science, you need the Endeavor? Wanna haul fuel around like a ED’s fuel rats, you need a Starfarer.

   Ship specialization DEMANDS you choose. No one ship is the be-all end-all god-ship. You have to pick your poison. This is what counters actual pay-to-win. This isn’t about monetization but core game philosophy. Yes, you can rent a ship to do game mechanic you otherwise lack. Yes, if you buy said specialty ship you can be more skilled at it—if you practice. Buying a ship doesn’t mean jack squat over renting if you don’t practice with it because SC is intended to be skill-based. It’s like chess. You see a piece, you know what it can do—and what it can’t do.

   Reply
3. 

   Ken from Chicago

   October 4, 2019

   [Okay, I’ve edited it down bit:]

   I bear good news and bad news, depending on your POV.

   CQ #1

   I’ve yet to play ED (bad), but I’ve avoided its “issues” (good).

   CQ #2

   KS returns (definitely good), only to run smack into the buzz saw of TH being right (bad or good). TH was right. QT (quantum travel) is like a cylinder or “straw” and quantum interdiction is a sphere that can clog up said straw to interrupt QT—if you are in the right spot.

   KS sees QT as a Star Trek warp that lets you see slower-than-light objects while in warp but SC (except for your destination) depicts QT like JJ Abrams Star Trek warp that isolates you from the real world (like his beloved Star Wars hyperspace). Ergo, KS’ critique–you’d see an interdictor ahead of them & simply drop out of QT before being snagged–is unlikely.

   “Fun” interdiction gameplay: Patrols & escorts for cargo runs. The Mantis isn’t that strong of a ship, so one or two fighters could take it out. Plus, the Mantis has two separate modes, snag you from QT & keep you from QT, so while keeping fighters out of quantum, it’d let someone already in QT stay. Also, you might have decoy ships. Imagine snagging a starfarer only it unleashes a bunch of hard-to-hit dragonflies on a Mantis or a hard-to-catch M50 decoying a Mantis while a Freelancer or Hull-C maintains QT. Plus, if your escort is snagged, they can warn you where so you can drop out of QT & route around.

   Last, general feedback, about ship limitation or ship specialization, sadly this was NOT a matter of perspective. You were all wrong, Tony, Kinshadow and, well, Geoff’s words were all wrong. Had Henry been on the show and repeated it, he’d be wrong & if he said ship limitation was just to boost ship sales, then he’d’ve been doubly wrong.

   Ship specialization is not a bug, an oversight and not some last minute change. It is a strength, by design, from the beginning. Yes, some ships had modules you could swap out but the rest were specialized. Even the first ship, the Aurora, had *specialized* variants. Some specialization included entire game mechanics. Mining needs an Orion or Prospector. Medical needs a Cutlass Red or Apollo. Science needs an Endeavor. Fuel transport ala “fuel rats” needs a Starfarer.

   Ship specialization DEMANDS CHOOSING. No one ship is the be-all end-all god-ship. You have to pick your poison. This is what counters actual pay-to-win. This isn’t about monetization but core game philosophy. Yes, you can rent a ship to get a game mechanic you lack. Yes, if you buy said specialty ship you can be more skilled at it—if you practice. Buying a ship doesn’t mean jack squat over renting if you don’t practice with it because SC is intended to be skill-based. It’s like chess. You know what each piece can & can’t do–but you have to be skilled to know HOW to *best* use a piece.

   Reply
4. 

   Gek Bobo

   October 4, 2019

   Granduncle Geoff,

   Please believe me. I held out as long as I could.

   I must have just missed your agents on BL0.M3.C1. I’m sure they have arrived. I know you would have sent help immediately after receiving my happy message.

   Granduncle, there was so very little food to eat. And no water. Only the purple fungus I found under rocks, and the scat.

   Only once the scat.

   Without shelter and because of violent swings in temperature from day to night, my senses began to fail me. All the colors became wrong and raucous terrible creatures popped in and out of my mind. Most of these avoided me, though a few seemed to suspect I was a source of moisture, which I suppose I was. If in fact they were real.

   I fashioned the included daguerreotype just before…

   https://imgur.com/a/TTlkdRx

   I don’t remember anything after that, not until I woke up on this ship. That was several days ago, I think. I’ve found no one else on board. The entire thing is automated. Few controls, only a view port at the bridge, and what I’m hoping is a functional transmitter port.

   Judging by the stars whizzing past, we must be traveling at a great rate. And praise those stars I found exactly one functional food replicator!

   There are hundreds if not thousands of Sentinels in this ship’s massive hold. They are inactivated, but still they make me uncomfortable.

   I can’t tell where I’m going. If and when I get there I will try transmitting again.

   Your faithful second cousin twice removed,

   Gek Bobo

   PS – The Truss is secret, the Truss is safe.

   Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.