Building Jumpgates in empty star systems

[Dupmeister]

Hey there! So this is my first game of the new MOO and I am trying to get used to the tweaks and changes from MOO2. Namely the Jumpgate technology. in MOO2 it was automatic once researched but here you have to physically build them, which is all well and good except I am having a hard time setting up gates in systems that I dont own.

When I park a factory drone in an empty star system, I go to the build list and I see the option for an Advanced Jump gate. The description plainly says its for use in systems that I have no colony presence... yet its grayed out, I cant find a way to build a Jump gate of any kind unless its in my own colony.

My other question is: If I have a network of Jumpgates and there is an empty system with no jump gate, how does that effect my network?

thanks in advance.

[RestlessNative]

First, I'll assume you're not using mods. Unless this has changed recently as far as i know the advanced jump gate was never implemented. Which means you can see it in your build list, but cannot actually research and unlock it. So you are stuck with the normal jump gate. There is a mod that allows you to research and use this. Read the below thread from a few months ago.

https://steamcommunity.com/app/298050/discussions/0/154642901286393145/

For the second part of your question, the jump gate just allows you to travel without restricting to the star lanes. you will be able to travel through any jump gates you own, but only need a jump gate on each end of the journey. (effectively jump gates create an invisible star lane between each other that only you can use).

For an extreme example, if you had two systems, one each side of the galaxy, each with a jump gate, you can travel directly, in a straight line between those systems. You do not need any other jump gates along the way. So you don't really need a network of jump gates, but it is more flexible if you have. So if you have one system without a jump gate, your ships can still travel to a system beside that with a jump gate, then travel the rest of the way normally.

[Dupmeister]

Thank you for the info. That really clears things up. I was originally under the impression that it simply sped up your travel time between systems. The way you explain it makes more sense. Much appreciated.

[RestlessNative]

Yes, it just allows you to travel directly between two gates, and not follow the star lanes. The description is worded badly . While it doesn't make your ships travel faster, it does give you a much shorter direct route, which means you get there in less turns. I tend to build them in my main ship producing colonies and border systems and then maybe any system that's very out of the way. They are really useful if you have territory than is split by other races. You can use them to bypass their space and star base blockades,.

[Dupmeister]

cool, yeah the description sucked so I was just assuming they worked like the MOO2 jump gates, which just reduced your travel time. Do the stargates in this game still provide instant travel or have they changed the mechanics of that too?

[RestlessNative]

They do not provide instant travel at all. Basically you travel at the same speed you would if there was a star lane between the two points.

[Dupmeister]

how do they differ from JumpGates then?

[RestlessNative]

sorry i think we may be getting confused here. the jump gate is what i was talking about, there is no 'star gate' in this game.

[Dupmeister]

oh, well that is a crying shame. I loved those things. For me it was a crucial element to maintaining a very large empire. I will take a look on the workshop, I cant imagine there isn't a mod for that.

Thanks again for all the info on Jump Gates.

[frdnwsm]

I tend to try to build jump gates in most of my systems. With star lanes, even with a better propulsion system, the frequent stops at each planetary system means you don't really get the full advantage of having faster ships. But with Jump Gates in most systems, the faster engine types can seriously cut down on travel time. You can thus respond to attacks far more readily.

And, of course, if I am attacking, a space factory is part of any invasion armada. A newly conquered system gets a jump gate ASAP.

[Dupmeister]

Agreed. my empire in the last game I played spanned from one side of the galaxy to the other and getting across it without jump gates took about 14 turns. with Jump gates it took about 5 so a considerable savings in time, but MOO2 spoiled me with being able to have a ship in every system and one turn later have a massive fleet on my front line.

since that is no longer an option, I use the same tactic as you, sending factories with every squad of battle ships, first thing I do is set up a gate after getting a foothold in a system.

[crashman_123]

Originally posted by RestlessNative:

sorry i think we may be getting confused here. the jump gate is what i was talking about, there is no 'star gate' in this game.

WRONG: Technically there ARE Star Gates in the game, since travel between WORMHOLES is near instantaneous (arrive next turn).

Originally posted by RestlessNative:

They do not provide instant travel at all. Basically you travel at the same speed you would if there was a star lane between the two points.

Originally posted by RestlessNative:

While it doesn't make your ships travel faster, it does give you a much shorter direct route, which means you get there in less turns.

BOTH WRONG: You travel TWICE AS FAST between Jump Gates as you will along star lanes of identical length (Time to travel multiplier is 0.5 normal, and has been that way since a few weeks after initial release).

(4 reply comments and THREE OF THEM ARE WRONG ... this guy does NOT have a good record so far!)