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2019-07-02 Signal Detection

#1
Signal Detection
The emission of power consumed in solar systems is too revealing, especially for new players. As soon as they start generating power, they can be detected and stomped.

Instead of emitting total power consumed, solar systems now emit a warp signature. The warp signature is a measure of the accumulated warp factors engaged in the system.

Warp signature signals are emitted hourly by solar systems. This is a bit more responsive than the previous energy emissions, which were emitted every six hours. 

Airport terminals and base air terminals account for one warp drive engage per hour, at the maximum warp factor available to the empire. Warp technology of an empire is based on the highest patent they know for making a warp drive.

For example, if a ship engages warp at factor 4 and another ship engages warp at factor 2, and the system contains two cities with spaceports owned by empires with warp 2 technology, the solar system will emit an accumulated warp signature of 10.

Warp signatures reach about one sector per accumulated warp factor. The example signal would reach about 10 sectors. Beyond that it is too weak to be detectable.

The signal can be detected by radar of an empire with warp technology and spacecraft with sensors and warp drives. Their warp signature detection range is reported on their analysis report, replacing deep space detection range.

Actual maximum detection range is the lesser of the two values: the range the signal can reach and the detection range of the radar or sensors.

Wording on the star map was updated in appropriate places.

Color and marking of detected systems was changed.

Star map filter settings now includes a check box to turn on/off the warp signature markers on unexplored systems. Previously, the yellow detected markers could not be turned off.

New Avatar Respawn Bug
Created a new avatar. Buit a quarry; it became my home. Hand crafted a flag, which made me create/join an empire. Got killed and BAM! I'm in limbo.

Fixed an unfortunate bug that prohibited a person from respawning on their starting world when any building existed that belonged to a different empire. Fixed another bug that prevented a person from respawning at an enemy building. Buildings that belong to empire 0 are now considered when making those checks.
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#2
Great update, I look forward to building untraceable raiding outposts.
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#3
It's finally safe to play again lol
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#4
(07-02-2019, 11:43 PM)Haxus Wrote: Signal Detection

Using the empire's warp-drive patent seem a little exploitable. You can let all your cities belong to an alt empire that doesn't have the warp-drive patents researched. Produce all your warp-drive upgrade modules in an airport-less city belonging to an empire with the patent.

I guess a lot of features require that a city has an airport. Without an airport it can't do interplanetary fetching, can't receive shipments, can't reply to non-local hails, can't get citizens in harsh environments and can't detect cities in explored systems?
I guess a ship could still trade with the city if it has a broker and the ship lands on a building site. Population can be ferried and raised by childbirths.
So we could in theory just place tiny listening posts with a radar, a farm and a power plant. That is an undetectable signal listening post.

The more real-time tracking of enemy warp ships is nice though. Assuming they don't have a wormhole-drive too and just take a small stretch through wormholes when going to or from their non-airport hideout.

(07-02-2019, 11:43 PM)Haxus Wrote: Warp signatures

I would suggest referring to the new signal/signatures as a "subspace signature" instead of a "warp signature". That way it is more generic and can be applied to whatever you want. (Such as star gates, see below.)
Hazeron Forum and Wiki Moderator
hazeron.com/wiki/User:Deantwo
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#5
Or just use a ringworld system and use the stargate to jump anywhere in the universe with no signal ever emitted.
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#6
(07-03-2019, 06:31 AM)Mr. Mortius Wrote: Or just use a ringworld system and use the stargate to jump anywhere in the universe with no signal ever emitted.

Make an active star gate make a powerful warp signature? Seems fair considering the advantage it gives to use them.
Hazeron Forum and Wiki Moderator
hazeron.com/wiki/User:Deantwo
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#7
(07-03-2019, 09:41 AM)Deantwo Wrote:
(07-03-2019, 06:31 AM)Mr. Mortius Wrote: Or just use a ringworld system and use the stargate to jump anywhere in the universe with no signal ever emitted.

Make an active star gate make a powerful warp signature? Seems fair considering the advantage it gives to use them.

This could be completed by having a signature depending of the distance you warp using a star gate. Your max detection range will grow with the distance you warp. Maybe adding the number of ships warping through the gate ?
This shouldn't be too much detection range to avoid making it unusable. But is has to be a strong signal, we're using some badass advanced technology, able to warp us anywhere in no time  Cool
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#8
(07-03-2019, 02:00 PM)Neils Iyssada Wrote:
(07-03-2019, 09:41 AM)Deantwo Wrote:
(07-03-2019, 06:31 AM)Mr. Mortius Wrote: Or just use a ringworld system and use the stargate to jump anywhere in the universe with no signal ever emitted.

Make an active star gate make a powerful warp signature? Seems fair considering the advantage it gives to use them.

This could be completed by having a signature depending of the distance you warp using a star gate. Your max detection range will grow with the distance you warp. Maybe adding the number of ships warping through the gate ?
This shouldn't be too much detection range to avoid making it unusable. But is has to be a strong signal, we're using some badass advanced technology, able to warp us anywhere in no time  Cool

Calling it "warping" seems weird since it is not using the warp-drive. Which is also why I suggest calling it a "subspace signature/signal" instead, so it is more generic technobabble.

Yeah I guess the strength of of the star gate's signal/signature could be affected by the distance to the destination, but the signal should still be fairly strong anyway. But I like the idea of the signal being created from the star gate being active rather than from the use of the wormhole-drive.
Allowing wormhole-drives to not emit a detectable signal makes them both more useful and helps to keep new empires more hidden.

There is also other FTL options to consider. If we were ever to get jump-drives, stargate-drives and so on, it would be nice if the they fit at least somewhat into the detection mechanics.
Hazeron Forum and Wiki Moderator
hazeron.com/wiki/User:Deantwo
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#9
I'd prefer a less linear dependency. This way you could assign some fixed high number to airports and they won't reveal you further than a few sectors still.
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#10
(07-03-2019, 03:28 PM)AnrDaemon Wrote: I'd prefer a less linear dependency. This way you could assign some fixed high number to airports and they won't reveal you further than a few sectors still.

Agreed.

Airports having a signal strength equal to the new detection range they have seem fair, a plain static value equal to the 17.32pc range. Don't involve warp factors or patents into the airport signal at all. And don't multiply the signal by the number of airports.
Using patents for anything like this is too easily exploitable. And punishing a player for having more airports in their solar system also seem kinda weird.
Hazeron Forum and Wiki Moderator
hazeron.com/wiki/User:Deantwo
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