the current wormhole system works okay

but it could be improved.

with a system that uses names for "sectors" of 1-10 galaxies which are randomly generated, an entire new way of navigating the universe could be made. the "name" of the sector would also be its designation, the "possible names" are the "possible sectors", you could name one after your character, something IRL or even just a random string of letters and numbers.

rather than having a spiral map, galaxies would be organised into clusters of star systems interconnected by wormholes, to jump to a cluster you just type its name into the warpdrive.

warp drives would take 30 seconds to activate (resetting if you get shot or shoot while it charges), and without the need for a GUI for navigation, the universe would effectivelly become "unlimited" in size, with clusters randomly generated when they are visited (and maybe resetting when they go more than a month without being visited at all)

mapping the universe would be an issue of checking coordinates, "sweeps" would become impossible, with the names of galaxies and sectors being the "keys" to them

it would mean teams can have "shop sectors" which are advertised, and "secret sectors" where the names must be kept secret to prevent enemies from being able to "find" them directly, so teams can defend galaxies with bases, or by keeping the locations secret

the idea needs work, but i think it could be extremely useful since each sector could be its own server, so that rather than having to log out to change server, it would be an inbuilt game mechanic. that way everyone can be kept in the same "universe" of SS

sectors could even be made finite, with limited lifespans and resources, eliminating the need for "universe wide" resets, as when a galaxy runs out of resources, teams would simply move on and the sectors would be reset after a predetermined amount of time.

/discuss.

Good idea, but not SS imo.

/unsigned

It makes raiding an entire teams gal for a resource or base (shop gal) abusable and such. I indeed would like the clusters but with like 1j short connectors which are 3 gals long for each cluster to stop a team expanding or growing

Sounds interesting. It's quite silly that the entire universe is mapped within hours after a reset. If exploration actually requires some sort of effort and strategy, it would be a lot more rewarding

exactly. this removes the requirement for teams to be able to share maps, since the function would be replaced by them sharing among teammates the names of sectors, which would each be small enough for individual players to map them without it being a frustrating waste of time.

it also means that knowing the names of your enemy's sectors can influence the outcomes of wars, it gives an advantage to small, close knit teams who can keep secrets.

it also means that as time passes, wars come become less and less "stable" as each side learns more and more about their enemy, where their territories are, how well those territories are defended, and as resources run dry in the well defended galaxies, teams are forced to move, meaning teams can no longer rely on their bases, long term wars of attrition would become less about opportunities/mistakes and more about actual "war" and battles.

you could also add in completely new features, for example if you're at war with a team, and you kill one of its members, you get a black box with the names of the last 2 sectors they jumped to, meaning that small PvP encounters actually matter.

it also means that by learning an enemy's "habits" in the kinds of sectors they search (they might stick to a formula, or pick sectors based on things they can remember like their favourite band's songs, or hometown) you can gain a temporary advantage over them. just like in real war, knowing the "patterns" the enemy follows can help you fight them.