Jump gates versus Jump ships.

[NightFalcon (OP)]

I'm wondering why anyone would go for jump ships when you could just build gates everywhere?

Even at their most basic 180 day schedule, that is fairly quick.

Do both sides of a jump point need a gate for it to work?

What are the downsides of jump gates? Where jump ships can only jump equal-or-smaller size ships, and only a limited number, jump gates can, as I understand, transport any number, any size.

Why are jump ships so much more popular?

[Hawkeye]

I'm wondering why anyone would go for jump ships when you could just build gates everywhere?

Even at their most basic 180 day schedule, that is fairly quick.

Do both sides of a jump point need a gate for it to work?

What are the downsides of jump gates? Where jump ships can only jump equal-or-smaller size ships, and only a limited number, jump gates can, as I understand, transport any number, any size.

Why are jump ships so much more popular?

1. Yes, you need a gate on both sides (well, if you want to come back, that is, you can use a gate on your side, even if there is none on the other side, but there will be no way back, until you either build a gate on the other side, or a jumpship allows you to return.

2. Downside: You do not own a gate, i.e. anyone can use your gate (Yes, this means your enemy)
As you said, jumpship can only bring with it a limited number of other ships, so, if your enemy´s fleet has 3 jumpships that can each bring 3 other ships with it, the maximum initial force attacking your jumppoint-guards is 9 warships and 3 jumpships, which are likely to try to jump back to bring reinforcement ASAP.

You just said it yourself, there is NO limit with jumpgates. If your enemy has a huge fleet of FACs, he can jump in several hundreds of them. Or assume he has a fleet of 50 battleships and they all enter in the exact same second, blowing your JP-guards to smithereens.

Of course, you also show any enemy the way to your homeworld too, he just has to follow your jumpgate-route.

[NightFalcon (OP)]

Interesting. So a jump gate's biggest advantage is also its biggest disadvantage. I had not thought of the fact that the enemy could use my own jump gates against me. Thanks for your thoughts!

[welchbloke]

Interesting. So a jump gate's biggest advantage is also its biggest disadvantage. I had not thought of the fact that the enemy could use my own jump gates against me. Thanks for your thoughts!

Steve, has made it like that deliberately.  He also did not introduce the ability to destroy JGs because it would make it to attractive to build JGs to conduct offensives and then destroy them to prevent invasions.

[RetSpline]

I normally just build jump gates leading away from my homeworld, and have jump tenders waiting on the side with the gate to bring ships through. Seemed to work so far.

[NightFalcon (OP)]

Is a "jump tender" the same thing as a ship with a jump engine?

[Starkiller]

I think so. Here's the thing. I have jump gates on the warp points of all secured and colonized systems. I always keep at least a warp line of two colonized systems past the last jump gate. You see, traders need the jump gates to do trade route between systems. Even so, ALL my ships have jump engines, as at my current tech, they are much smaller than when you start out.

Eric