So how vast is the Evochron universe?

Artnez · Post by **Artnez** » Tue Mar 11, 2008 2:55 am

Last night, I found out... the hard way.

I was about to go to bed and saved my game. I've only been playing for a week or so and I'm still learning.

So when I went to the Olympus system I got completely owned. I killed a few craft but they just kept coming and trying to kill me while I was docked. At that point I realized that this game won't be so easy... lots of enemies... lots of attacking.

Anyhow, I retired to the Sapphire system and my plan right now is to mine enough metal so that I can have enough money to buy a license at the base right next to the jump gate in the Olympus system. Then I can use that base as a staging point when I exit the safety of the Sapphire system. Kind of like a beachhead.

That is a lot of work though, so I decided to hit the hay and work on it later tomorrow (tonight) night.

Before I went off to bed, I wanted to spend a few minutes and jump from system to system really fast (ducking all the baddies) just to see what they look like. Eventually I got to Orion (I think it was Orion). Then I noticed something on the Quandrant map that I didn't notice before... SOL! I remembered that SOL is earth's system. Holy crap I thought, I'm gonna go check it out. I was happy until I realized there wasn't a direct jump gate to Sol (not that knew of, probably hidden I guess).

So in my infinite wisdom I decide to just fly to Sol. Jumping 3 squares at a time.

After about 45 minutes of hitting the same button to jump forward, jump forward, jump forward... I didn't even make 1/30 of the way. And I was out of fuel. And missiles.

I imagined how much it would suck to be in that situation in real life... floating in deep space with no fuel.

So needless to say, that universe is pretty freaking big.

I wonder if it's worth trying to get to Sol...

I'll keep trying. Just hope it's worth it.

[Edited on 3-11-2008 by Artnez]

Post by **Vice** » Tue Mar 11, 2008 3:03 am

Getting lost in deep space without fuel can actually happen in this game

Very ambitious of you to make a run for it though, hopefully you saved near a charted system and can make your way back. If you do get into a situation that you need help with, another player can meet you in multiplayer and refuel your ship for a rescue. There are alternate ways to reach Sol

While it's not really a critical element of the game's universe, some like to visit for the scenery and to hunt for some valuable options in a system where their reputation is very positive by default.

Artnez · Post by **Artnez** » Tue Mar 11, 2008 5:09 am

wait... you're saying that someone can join my game? as in, the game that i'm currently playing... they can join into it and take part in my universe?

Post by **Vice** » Tue Mar 11, 2008 5:17 am

Yes, single player and multiplayer are unified, so you can use your profile in both. So you simply sign in to a multiplayer session in with your current profile and other players can join you in the same universe (managed by the server/host), then perform rescue operations like that... in addition to cooperative objectives, PvP, etc.

Majorhazzard · Post by **Majorhazzard** » Tue Mar 11, 2008 12:00 pm

Might i suggest we either start a lost in space thread or post situations like the lost in space senario in this thread, that way anyone that does get lost or runs outa fuel can post there situ and co ordinates for another player to come to there aid, i can't really see this happening alot so if this is deemed unessecery then np...

Just a thought...

Artnez · Post by **Artnez** » Tue Mar 11, 2008 5:00 pm

Would be cool if there was a distress beacon that you could only use once every 5 hours or something. It could show up in a panel list kind of like the Online News area, transmitting the coordinates of the distress signal with a server IP to join.

Spartan · Post by **Spartan** » Tue Mar 11, 2008 10:47 pm

i like the idea of a distress beacon, i dont play multiplayer online basically due to the poor broadband speed i get (yep i have contacted BT and my ISP and they will only guarantee 256kps!!) anyway if something like this could be incorporated into single player that'd give another element for realism. Maybe the beacon is loaded and deployed like a missile, someone will come in a few hours of real time waiting and refuel, but they could be hostile who knows (a random variable based upon your reputation, cargo) - this'd be good fun (i can hear people saying that if they are hostile and blow you away whats the point - so maybe they arent hostile straight away, but give you a few seconds to get yourself together) - just a thought

Spart

Artnez · Post by **Artnez** » Tue Mar 11, 2008 11:52 pm

awesome idea!

the hostile part is kind of iffy...

maybe whoever comes to help you would never be hostile, but they could force you to give up all of your cargo, missiles, and credits.

so you would ultimately have to build up again so people don't get too comfortable using distress beacons.

tha_rami · Post by **tha_rami** » Wed Mar 12, 2008 12:01 am

Pretty much a save from game over if you don't have multiplayer. I like that.

Mechanical · Post by **Mechanical** » Wed Mar 12, 2008 1:30 am

I wouldn't mind seeing some rescue missions pop up in the contracts based upon some sort of beacon. Dropping fuel off for ships lost and adrift in a nebula or other such things. Perhaps not even related to a contract but you might every once in a while run across a disabled ship and you could offer assistance for a fee (and a nice little increase in rep).

Something that gives you a general idea of where they are (maybe increasingly rapid beeps or something like that) but doesn't pinpoint it exactly. (I suppose for contracts like this you could just use nav-points like lost-cargo missions), but I like the idea of random adrift ships.

Anyways, I like the player beacons idea too. Maybe it could be a service you hire, something along the lines of salvage insurance in X3, but more physical in nature (ie. an actual ship has to come and help you out).

I like it.

MMaggio · Post by **MMaggio** » Wed Mar 12, 2008 11:47 pm

I agree. I think it has def possibilities. It's just a question of working out the details. I don't think it's something that happens very often, but it could be developed as an interesting side trip.

tha_rami · Post by **tha_rami** » Thu Mar 13, 2008 6:44 am

Or as contract. Locating a drifting ship based on a sound or pulse-thingy would be cool.

dogeddie · Post by **dogeddie** » Thu Mar 13, 2008 12:31 pm

I like the rescue mission idea

rivalin · Post by **rivalin** » Thu Mar 13, 2008 3:32 pm

Well since this game is supposed to be about freeform play maybe you could make it so the player could decide what to do. You could receive a distress signal and jump to it, and there could be a % chance that it was actually some pirates waiting to ambush you, or a % chance that it was just an ordinary ship wanting help.

You could then decide whether or not to help the ship, or to do some pirating of your own

. There could be a risk to piracy of possibly the ship's faction showing up to rescue them around the same time you do, and if you've already destroyed the ship and taken its cargo then they would attack you.

Drache Rott · Post by **Drache Rott** » Thu Mar 13, 2008 4:28 pm

another possibilty could be a ship to ship tractor beam for towing other ships back or capturing them and holding them hostage. we used to have this ability in a game called tradewars 2002. mind you it was a ansi turn based game but I am sure some one of vice's skills (major suck up there) could find a way to do so in this game.