How do Hyper Relays work exactly?

[ZeroAffex]

Took a lengthy hiatus from Stellaris and came back for Overlords DLC which am digging aside from the bugs. However, I totally forgot how Hyper Relays work.

I built 2 of them, one on my home sector and another about 30-40 sectors away and went to send a construction ship through it to test it and it doesn't have a 'destination'.

Can you not spread them out like that so you can quickly move fleets around your galaxy? Or do they need to be adjacent to each other? if it's adjacent (afraid it is..) whats point if you have top tier hyperdrives that allow jumps to be very quick?

I was under impression relays would allow me to send fleets around large amounts of space quickly but its been a spell since I've played and even then I never bothered trying this out.

I just got unlucky and my empire is very thin but super long, shaped like a runway and as long as one lol Takes forever to get around and thought I found a fix but they aren't working so here I am.

Thanks in advance for your help. Have a great rest of your weekend!

[Exothermically Eclectic]

Teleporting from one to another over vast distances is Gateways. Hyper Relays are built in connected systems and cut out the in-system travel time, vastly reducing total travel time.

[esotericist]

hyper relays are described as an early game tech by the devs in comparison to e.g. gate networks. it essentially lets you pave roads to move faster along certain routes. if you have top end hyperdrive, you're past the point they're meant for.

edit: also you say you "forgot" how hyper relays work... you have probably confused them with something else (maybe gates?); hyper relays are new content added specifically in the overlord dlc.

edit edit:

I just got unlucky and my empire is very thin but super long, shaped like a runway and as long as one lol Takes forever to get around and thought I found a fix but they aren't working so here I am.

this actually sounds like the ideal use case the relays are meant for, if you're able to place them along the whole route

[ZeroAffex]

Ah yeah, damnit, I got them mixed up with gateways LOL.. okay yeah they aren't going to work for me then. gateways are what I was thinking! ty for the help guys. take care ;D

[esotericist]

Originally posted by ZeroAffex:

Ah yeah, damnit, I got them mixed up with gateways LOL.. okay yeah they aren't going to work for me then. gateways are what I was thinking! ty for the help guys. take care ;D

are you sure they won't work for you? if you have a long empire a chain of relays will definitely help with travel time

[ZeroAffex]

well I mean yes and no. my empire is soooooo wide rn and I am pretty strapped on crystals needed. so it could still be worthwhile but it's going to take so long to do it. i think i'll just slowly work on them but really was thinking of something more immediate like gateways where if you had 2 no matter the distance, you could shoot fleets through. but yeah, might still be worth using like you suggest.

[orthostatic]

Originally posted by ZeroAffex:

Ah yeah, damnit, I got them mixed up with gateways LOL.. okay yeah they aren't going to work for me then. gateways are what I was thinking! ty for the help guys. take care ;D

A chain of hypers lets you traverse a great many systems in the same month. The time discount is quite palpable with hyper relays; I wouldn't write them off entirely.

[TwoTonTuna]

Originally posted by ZeroAffex:

well I mean yes and no. my empire is soooooo wide rn and I am pretty strapped on crystals needed. so it could still be worthwhile but it's going to take so long to do it. i think i'll just slowly work on them but really was thinking of something more immediate like gateways where if you had 2 no matter the distance, you could shoot fleets through. but yeah, might still be worth using like you suggest.

relays are like railroads in civ game: you need to build a chain to connect systems together. they greatly increase movement speed as ships won't need to cross empty space to get to the exit point of a system.

You can also activate edicts that apply to colonies connected via relays.

For example, machine empires get three edicts: amenity use reduction, resettlement cost reduction and bonus to migration speed, and a minor bonus to stability.

[=(FGR)=Sentinel]

I think it also needs to be said that, from what I've seen, hyper relays seem to reduce FTL travel time to near-zero on top of eliminating the in-system legs of the trip. Hilariously enough this means is the only aspect of travel time that matters in an empire with an extensive hyper relay network is FTL charge time. I'm not sure yet if gateways or hyper relays are better, but relays can let you cross a large portion of the galaxy in months or weeks instead of years.

The thing to remember is, overall, a relay network will be more expensive per jump than a gateway network, but it's also far more resistant to disruption and, therefore, more versatile than a gateway network. To get a similar effect with gateways, you'd need the number of jumps between them to be too low to be cost effective in comparison. The best idea I have so far for them is to combine hyper relays and gateways into an integrated network where gateways are placed at major hubs (points where multiple relay routes meet or sector capitals) in the relay network to cut down on travel time, but allow quick travel in the event a major point is captured. Think of gateways as your airports, the relay network as your superhighway, and unboosted hyperlanes as roads.

[RubiiX]

Originally posted by esotericist:

hyper relays are described as an early game tech by the devs in comparison to e.g. gate networks. it essentially lets you pave roads to move faster along certain routes. if you have top end hyperdrive, you're past the point they're meant for.

edit: also you say you "forgot" how hyper relays work... you have probably confused them with something else (maybe gates?); hyper relays are new content added specifically in the overlord dlc.

edit edit:

I just got unlucky and my empire is very thin but super long, shaped like a runway and as long as one lol Takes forever to get around and thought I found a fix but they aren't working so here I am.

this actually sounds like the ideal use case the relays are meant for, if you're able to place them along the whole route

They are useful even late game since building gateways cost a ton of time and resources. Having a combo of gateways and hyper relays is still very good late game. Doesn't matter if you have top tier hyper drives, cutting out the in system travel time still drastically reduces travel time.

[Malaficus Shaikan]

Hyper Relays just let you skip traveling through the system.
It is a very nice addition.
If you have 3 Hyper Relays in 3 systems next to eachother your fleet will fly to the Hyper Relay and jump to the next Hyper Relay, and then the next.
It is pretty much a high way.
Instead of traveling slowly through the mud you build a road that lets you get from point a to b.
But it is still a road and need to be connected.

[atomicturist]

Hyperrelays are a joke. By the time you can build an entire network and maintain it, they are meaningless. Also, devs, for some kind of a reasom advertise them as Poor Man's Gateways, But Better...

[Elitewrecker PT]

Meaningless if you're a small empire and rush gateways... they're a stepping stone between regular hyperlanes and gateways, you don't build gateways in every single system.
Gateways will let you travel most of the way quicker, with the relays speeding up the rest of the travel.
Sentinel has it best. Plus there are edicts you can use that make the relays give buffs other than the travel.

[RawCode]

nobody force you to build them....

just conserve resources and rush gateways.

[Dodge]

do they deny access to enemy fleets?

[esotericist]

Originally posted by dodge:

do they deny access to enemy fleets?

my understanding is they're only accessible to system owner and allies