Jump Drive | |
---|---|
Category: | Functional Component |
Status: | Functional |
Fits large ship and station | |
Mass: | 36,580 kg |
Capacity: | 3 MWh |
Power: | -32 MW |
Range: | Base: 2,000,000 m |
Data Controls: | [edit] [purge] (?) |
The Jump Drive is a block that allows a mobile large-grid vessel to teleport (that is, travel instantaneously) long distances in space.
Multiple Jump Drives add to the maximum distance -- or allow multiple jumps in quick succession.
- If you have several Jump Drives, choose to switch all on for the maximum jump range, or switch one/some off for multiple small jumps.
- The "Jump" action is not available for grouped Jump Drives in the Tool Bar. This is because each Drive could be set to a different target/distance.
- When you trigger one Jump Drive, it discharges all Drives that are switched on and fully charged, and jumps to the target/distance configured in that one Drive. The energy consumed depends on the distance jumped.
Remember, to keep one charged Drive unused as backup --to jump back out in an emergency-- switch it off before jumping.
Construction[]
This large-grid block is 2x3x3 blocks in size and it works the same no matter where on the ship you put it or which way round it faces. It requires a charge of 3MWh, so make sure the ship can store or generate that much power.
The Jump Drive’s components can only be produced in an advanced Assembler and you'll need a large amount of gold and silver ingots, so expect to only be able to afford this block later in your game.
What happens to Passengers and Docked Ships?[]
- Players sitting in cockpits or seats, holding on to ladders, or resting in beds or cryochambers, will teleport with the jumping ship.
- Free floating or free standing engineers --or boarders!-- will be left behind.
- Docked ships and vehicles that use Connectors or magnetic Landing Gear count into the total mass and will jump with the mothership.
- Loose grids and floating components are left behind.
How to Jump?[]
There are two ways to aim the jump:
- Either target a specific location,
- or jump “blindly” for a specific distance.
Targeted jumps mean faster travel, but blind jumps come in handy to avoid sudden attacks or when approaching an unmapped location for the first time.
Before attempting a jump:
- Verify that the Jump Drive is 100% charged.
- If you have several Jump Drives, decide which ones to switch on (to increase the jump distance) or off (to recharge and as emergency backup).
How to jump:
- Open the Jump Drive's Control Panel.
- Configure the jump using one of these methods:
- Press 'G' and add one Jump Drive block's "Jump" action to the ship's Toolbar.
- Disconnect the jump ship from its hangar/dock, if applicable.
- Verify whether the crew is seated and carried ships are properly docked.
- If it's a blind jump, turn the ship to face into the blind jump's direction.
If you have selected a target, the target overrides the blind jump, no matter where the cockpit is facing. - Lastly, activate your "Jump" toolbar slot. A dialog will show you details: Click YES to jump or NO to abort.
- Expect a ten second countdown.
Vessel movement is not required to jump. If the vessel is moving, however, the momentum does not change and the ship will continue moving after the jump. Consider this before crashing into an asteroid on arrival.
Limitations[]
- Jump Drives cannot jump if the line of sight is blocked by a planetary body or asteroid.
- Jump Drives cannot jump in or out of natural gravity wells. However, there have been occurrences of Jump Drives jumping vessels into the middle of hollowed out asteroids. If you receive a gravity warning, you must either travel further away from a planet/moon, or (if you are in zero g) select a shorter jump distance before trying again.
- If the target GPS or beacon are closer than 5 km, the jump drive will show a warning dialog and will not engage.
- If you attempt to jump with only partial charge, the jump drive will show a warning dialog and will not engage.
If the total mass of your ship including cargo exceeds 1'250'000 kg, your effective maximum jump distance will decrease.
How to postpone or cancel a jump?[]
During the countdown, press the "Jump" shortcut from the toolbar again. The same dialog will appear, where you can select "No" to abort. If you click "Yes", it will restart the 10 second countdown, which may buy a dawdling team member enough time to get seated, in which case you might not need to abort.
Energy Management[]
Jump Drives have priority when charging, which means they will consume the power first before batteries, thrusters, and Gyroscopes will receive power.
All Jump Drives present will proceed to hog power until fully charged. If the power drain is detrimental to essential ship functionality, use the Jump Drive's "Recharge on/off" toggle to temporarily pause charging.
Maximum stored power inside a jump drive is 3 MWh, which corresponds to, for example, burning ~3kg of Uranium Ingots in a reactor.
Is this drive charging?[]
Check the status light colours to get information about the charging status.
- red — the Jump Drive has no power.
- yellow — the Jump Driving is charging, but not ready yet.
- green — it's charged and ready to jump.
If you cannot select a jump distance beyond 5km, that is also a hint that the drive is not charged yet.
Best Practices[]
If you want to jump further than your maximum range, make the shorter jump first. This way the drive recharges faster while you are en route in unknown territory. If you make the maximum jump first, then you would need to wait longest in the middle of the trip, and you could be stuck there with no way to quickly escape pirates. If you are jumping into friendly or allied territory, you can afford to shift the longest wait to after the final jump when you can recharge at the allied base.
Example: If your max jump range is 2000km, and you want to jump to a friendly station 2500km away, then first make a partial jump of 500km, recharge quickly, then jump 2000km, dock, and let it fully recharge at the station.
If jumping into battle or in dangerous territory, several small jumps are better than a large one. You recover faster from a small jump and it typically gets you out of immediate danger. Don’t get caught by enemies with a discharged Jump Drive only because you were rushing.
Recipe[]
Jump Drive | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Component | Large Ship/Station Required | Large Ship/Station Optional | Small Ship Required | Small Ship Optional |
Construction Comp. | 40 | — | — | — |
Computer | 300 | — | — | — |
Superconductor | 1000 | — | — | — |
Power Cell | 120 | — | — | — |
Detector Components | 20 | — | — | — |
Gravity Comp. | 20 | — | — | — |
Metal Grid | 50 | — | — | — |
Steel Plate | 40 | 20 | — | — |
Types of Manoeuvring Blocks[]
- Jump Drives (this page)