Gate System image in Rebirth

[spankahontis]

http://s8.postimg.org/g4q59whxx/rebirth.jpg

{Oversize image replaced by link. Please review the forum rules regarding posting images. - Nanook}

So I take it this is the setup of Rebirth?

I've heard from reading that there is 6 Solar Systems to explore?
Rather than the gate system where you only visit one part of the system and everything else is just void space.
That each planet, asteroid field, gas giant, nebula etc. is bridged by a Local Highway?

Or is the Highway point A to B in the Solar System? I'll update as I get more info.

[Tooonz]

There's a sticky that explains this.

[A5PECT]

[ external image ]

I've heard from reading that there is 6 Solar Systems to explore?

Five, according to the article linked here.

Rather than the gate system where you only visit one part of the system and everything else is just void space.
That each planet, asteroid field, gas giant, nebula etc. is bridged by a Local Highway?

More or less, as we understand it.

Or is the Highway point A to B in the Solar System? I'll update as I get more info.

Superhighways and jump gates are point-to-point. Standard highways can be exited and entered anywhere along their length. That's the only thing not being illustrated in the image above, each standard highway contains zones at their end points, but there are also zones everywhere along the highway and throughout the sector.

[Geek]

This again ?

Superhighways do not connect solar systems, they are used for long distance *in system* travel.
Local highways are similar but for shorter distances.

EDIt : see above pic.

[Earth Ultimatum IV.]

Highways take you from zone A to zone B. Zones are formed into clusters, about 10 zones in each cluster. NOTE: you can also travel between zones without using highways, it just takes a little bit longer, but you can discover secrets along the way! You can also enter & leave the highway at any time.

Superhighways take you from cluster A to cluster B. There are about three or four clusters in each solar system.

Gates are connecting solar systems. There are three-six solar systems (I dont know the real number).

Skunk has no jumpdrives, but if you dock at capships, you can jump with them.
Capital ships cannot use highways or superhighways, only gates.
They can jump only a limited number of zones now, (maybe one or two clusters, not more) and energy is much more valuable or hefty now.

[spankahontis]

[ external image ]

I've heard from reading that there is 6 Solar Systems to explore?

Five, according to the article linked here.

Rather than the gate system where you only visit one part of the system and everything else is just void space.
That each planet, asteroid field, gas giant, nebula etc. is bridged by a Local Highway?

More or less, as we understand it.

Or is the Highway point A to B in the Solar System? I'll update as I get more info.

Superhighways and jump gates are point-to-point. Standard highways can be exited and entered anywhere along their length. That's the only thing not being illustrated in the image above, each standard highway contains zones at their end points, but there are also zones everywhere along the highway and throughout the sector.

Brilliant, thanks.

[spankahontis]

So is everything inside the Cluster (yellow circle) reachable?
Everything Outside pretty much 'dead space' like traveling past the gates boundaries leading you to nowhere like in X3 series?

Or can you only travel within the Sector (Red Circle)?
Sectors will be like Planets, Asteroid Fields, Gas Giant's etc?

[A5PECT]

So is everything inside the Cluster (yellow circle) reachable?

Not sure about that. Personally, I think the space within clusters between sectors will be unplayable, but others disagree.

We do know everything inside a sector is theoretically playable.

Or can you only travel within the Sector (Red Circle)?

So yes. Though we're not sure if it is the only playable space.

Keep in mind sectors are supposedly designed closer to actual astronomical distances than previous games. So attempting to travel those distances without the use of a highway or jump drive will likely be unwise.

Everything Outside pretty much 'dead space' like traveling past the gates boundaries leading you to nowhere like in X3 series?

This is my thinking.

Sectors will be like Planets, Asteroid Fields, Gas Giant's etc?

Not sure on the specifics of zone/sector composition yet, or how actual astronomical bodies are divided into the zone/sector/cluster format.

[spankahontis]

It's interesting because it's all been micro-managed, rather than sector to sector missing out everything else inhabited in that Sector due to Jump Gate limitations.
Sectors seem more monstrously huge.
Only fear is for such mammoth distances that in future Rebirth extensions, you could not squeeze everything from previous X Titles into this rethinking.
The Hard Drive Space would be enormous, not to mention you could never explore it all anytime soon.
Not that I'm complaining

[Tooonz]

As I said above, there's a sticky that explains all this pretty well. This is something that keeps coming up in various posts with all kinds of speculation when the information was posted at the top of this forum all the way back in 2011.
Since most people can't be bothered to go there I'll just paste it here.

from the navigation and universe design sticky

Local highways accelerate all ships by a very high multiplier (different from place to place though) and bring ships with the same destination much closer together. You can leave a local highway at any time and explore the areas between zones. Although a highway boosts your speed permanently as long as you are inside it, you can still influence your speed by skillful steering. This makes it fun to travel as fast as possible, but also possible to intercept other ships or even attack them in the middle of a highway.

Local highways can be entered not just at their endpoints, but also anywhere in the middle.



Super Highways and Gates

Super highways are even faster than local highways and bridge interplanetary distances. Again you can influence your speed and interact with other ships but you can not leave a super highway in the middle.

Gates still exist, but right now.... they do not work. However, there are signs that this may soon change!



The Structure of the Universe: Zones, Sectors and Clusters

Shortly after the events of X3:Terran Conflict, the X universe began to change. Thanks to the invention of space highways, massive changes suddenly became possible. Much bigger settlements became possible and a lot of the formerly planet bound economy could now be moved into space too.

Where our old universe was a simple arrangement of cubic sectors, we now have a hierarchy of really stellar proportions allowing a more realistic and varied universe than before.

It starts with what we call zones. This can be anything from a city in space or a group of factories to a unique asteroid field or any other interesting location. Zones are either at the end of local highways or alongside a local highway. Most of the time a group of zones, sometimes hundreds of kilometers apart form a sector. Sectors are then connected with superhighways and form a cluster (e.g a solar system).

[spankahontis]

As I said above, there's a sticky that explains all this pretty well. This is something that keeps coming up in various posts with all kinds of speculation when the information was posted at the top of this forum all the way back in 2011.
Since most people can't be bothered to go there I'll just paste it here.

from the navigation and universe design sticky

Local highways accelerate all ships by a very high multiplier (different from place to place though) and bring ships with the same destination much closer together. You can leave a local highway at any time and explore the areas between zones. Although a highway boosts your speed permanently as long as you are inside it, you can still influence your speed by skillful steering. This makes it fun to travel as fast as possible, but also possible to intercept other ships or even attack them in the middle of a highway.

Local highways can be entered not just at their endpoints, but also anywhere in the middle.



Super Highways and Gates

Super highways are even faster than local highways and bridge interplanetary distances. Again you can influence your speed and interact with other ships but you can not leave a super highway in the middle.

Gates still exist, but right now.... they do not work. However, there are signs that this may soon change!



The Structure of the Universe: Zones, Sectors and Clusters

Shortly after the events of X3:Terran Conflict, the X universe began to change. Thanks to the invention of space highways, massive changes suddenly became possible. Much bigger settlements became possible and a lot of the formerly planet bound economy could now be moved into space too.

Where our old universe was a simple arrangement of cubic sectors, we now have a hierarchy of really stellar proportions allowing a more realistic and varied universe than before.

It starts with what we call zones. This can be anything from a city in space or a group of factories to a unique asteroid field or any other interesting location. Zones are either at the end of local highways or alongside a local highway. Most of the time a group of zones, sometimes hundreds of kilometers apart form a sector. Sectors are then connected with superhighways and form a cluster (e.g a solar system).

I've read the sticky several times but it still leaves me confused, tried searching for similar conversations on the forum as not to clog the forums with similar topics.
My apologies.

Ahh Cluster is a Solar System! I'm getting it now, thanks Tooonz, I'd +rep you if I could.

[ishmaeltheforsaken]

The fact that we cannot leave super highways arbitrarily suggest that inter-sector space doesn't exist in terms of playable game area.

But it would be neat if it were possible to go from one sector to another with standard engines, even if it took hours and hours.

[A5PECT]

I think highways may be a bit of a misnomer. Rebirth's highways are slightly more analogous to a jet stream, ocean current, or even simply traveling downriver.

But that's just me being a pedant.

But it would be neat if it were possible to go from one sector to another with standard engines, even if it took hours and hours.

If they're actual astronomical distances, they would take months if not years to traverse.

Remember, no more SETA.

[spankahontis]

The fact that we cannot leave super highways arbitrarily suggest that inter-sector space doesn't exist in terms of playable game area.

But it would be neat if it were possible to go from one sector to another with standard engines, even if it took hours and hours.

So the Cluster would be the Borders of the Solar System which you couldn't reach cause it would be like leaving the Sector Gates and going in one direction endlessly into empty space.
Same probably if you left the confines of the Sector itself?
Or maybe there is hidden wonders out there like an asteroid field not connected to the highway system?
Hate to think everything inside the Cluster to outside the Sector is dead space.

[A5PECT]

I think it's a little rash to jump to that conclusion when you don't actually know how large a cluster actually is.

Large game worlds are nice. But they're pretty much worthless if the designers don't utilize the space effectively.

That was pretty much the entire issue with X3's universe design. Sectors kept getting larger and larger, the universe map kept getting wider and wider, all in an attempt to one-up itself. But eventually Egosoft realized that increasing raw dimensions like that without occupying or connecting spaces with anything interesting makes the whole thing an ultimately meaningless exercise.

[spankahontis]

I think highways may be a bit of a misnomer. Rebirth's highways are slightly more analogous to a jet stream, ocean current, or even simply traveling downriver.

But that's just me being a pedant.

But it would be neat if it were possible to go from one sector to another with standard engines, even if it took hours and hours.

If they're actual astronomical distances, they would take months if not years to traverse.

Remember, no more SETA.

That's another thing, would making money in the X-Universe be super slow if you can't fast forward?

[A5PECT]

Not necessarily. In X3, the economy moved at the pace it did because SETA was available.

Rebirth will not have SETA available, so Egosoft just has to adapt the rates of production/consumption and the volume of resources involved to compensate for the new timescale.

My hypothesis is that manufacturing goods in Rebirth will be much faster than in X3, but will also involve much larger amounts of resources.

[Alci]

That's another thing, would making money in the X-Universe be super slow if you can't fast forward?

is making money in GTA super slow when you don't have SETA? Or in EVE?

Speed of money inflow in no way depends on ability to accelerate time.

And to actually answer: we don't know. It just doesn't depend on SETA in any way.

[spankahontis]

Not necessarily. In X3, the economy moved at the pace it did because SETA was available.

Rebirth will not have SETA available, so Egosoft just has to adapt the rates of production/consumption and the volume of resources involved to compensate for the new timescale.

My hypothesis is that manufacturing goods in Rebirth will be much faster than in X3, but will also involve much larger amounts of resources.

Then I hope they've hit the rate of production right.
Even the Stock Market would take ages for results.

[A5PECT]

Then I hope they've hit the rate of production right.

Well it's a balance issue, just like in any other game.

Even the Stock Market would take ages for results.

Bernd (or maybe it was CBJ) already confirmed that stock markets will not make an appearance in Rebirth at launch.

Even then, X3's stock market system was highly accelerated itself, even before accounting for time acceleration via the SETA device.