How to automate jumps?

[Maximillian (OP)]

I've got a fleet of three Starlifter Jumpships waiting at the warp point to Alpha Centauri and I've been shuttling ships back and forth.  It's been working, but I can't figure out how to get the jump ships to shuttle back and forth when the fleet is bigger than their jump capacity.

If I've got ten freighters to move through the warp point is there any ordr that I can give to have a jumpship to take them all through one at a time, or do I need to manually jump back and forth, moving one freighter at a time into the transit fleet?

Thanks!
Max

[sloanjh]

I've got a fleet of three Starlifter Jumpships waiting at the warp point to Alpha Centauri and I've been shuttling ships back and forth.  It's been working, but I can't figure out how to get the jump ships to shuttle back and forth when the fleet is bigger than their jump capacity.

If I've got ten freighters to move through the warp point is there any ordr that I can give to have a jumpship to take them all through one at a time, or do I need to manually jump back and forth, moving one freighter at a time into the transit fleet?

Thanks!
Max

Have you read the FAQ on Jump engines/ships/gates etc.?  (Or whatever it's called.)

You don't need to do any "shuttling".  Simply put one Starlifter in its own TG, and "move to" the warp point.  You can then give the other ships "standard transit" orders through the WP, as long as they don't exceed the size capacity of a Starlifter, or as long as they don't have military engine if the Starlifter has a commercial jump drive.

The idea is that, for standard transits, the jump ships holds the wormhole open and the other ships go through it - this costs more in destabilization time, though, and creates a "choke point" since they appear right on top of the warp point in the other system.

John

[Vanigo]

You don't have to detach the Starlifter, actually. Jump ships in the same task group work just as well as ones sitting on the jump point.

[Hawkeye]

You don't have to detach the Starlifter, actually. Jump ships in the same task group work just as well as ones sitting on the jump point.

You are correct. What sloanjh meant, however, was using one of the jumpships as a "poor man´s jumgate", i.e. parking a jumpship at the jumppoint. The parked jumpship will allow an unlimit number of TGs to jump through, as long as
a) no one ship is larger than the size-limit of the jumpship.
b) commercial jumpdrives can only move ships with commercial engines through a JP, while military jumpdrives can only move ships with military engines through.

[Maximillian (OP)]

Have you read the FAQ on Jump engines/ships/gates etc.? (Or whatever it's called.)

Read, yes.  Remembered?  Not so much.  Thank you!

I had been assuming that standard transit just sent the jump ship through, this makes much more sense.

Max

[Maltay]

You are correct. What sloanjh meant, however, was using one of the jumpships as a "poor man´s jumgate", i.e. parking a jumpship at the jumppoint. The parked jumpship will allow an unlimit number of TGs to jump through, as long as
a) no one ship is larger than the size-limit of the jumpship.
b) commercial jumpdrives can only move ships with commercial engines through a JP, while military jumpdrives can only move ships with military engines through.

You can leave a jump ship on the jump point and still send other starships through the jump point?

[Hawkeye]

Yep. Basicly, the program sees a TG approaching a jumppoint.
It looks if there is a jumpship of the proper type (commercial or military) there.
If yes, it looks if the size of the jumpship is sufficient.
If yes, TG can jump

[sloanjh]

You are correct. What sloanjh meant, however, was using one of the jumpships as a "poor man´s jumgate", i.e. parking a jumpship at the jumppoint. The parked jumpship will allow an unlimit number of TGs to jump through, as long as
a) no one ship is larger than the size-limit of the jumpship.
b) commercial jumpdrives can only move ships with commercial engines through a JP, while military jumpdrives can only move ships with military engines through.

You can leave a jump ship on the jump point and still send other starships through the jump point?

Hmmm - I guess it wasn't made clear enough in the FAQ thread.  I added a new reply to the thread that deals with this specific issue.

John

[sloanjh]

You don't have to detach the Starlifter, actually. Jump ships in the same task group work just as well as ones sitting on the jump point.

You are correct. What sloanjh meant, however, was using one of the jumpships as a "poor man´s jumgate", i.e. parking a jumpship at the jumppoint. The parked jumpship will allow an unlimit number of TGs to jump through, as long as
a) no one ship is larger than the size-limit of the jumpship.
b) commercial jumpdrives can only move ships with commercial engines through a JP, while military jumpdrives can only move ships with military engines through.

Yep, that's exactly what I meant - thanks

One thing:  I'm pretty sure that military jump drives can move ships with commercial engines.  In reality, though, this situation is unlikely to occur since military jump drives will tend to be smaller than the smallest ship with commercial engines.

The big restriction is, as you say, that military drives can't utilize a jump ship with commercial jump engines.

John

[Decimator]

b) commercial jumpdrives can only move ships with commercial engines through a JP, while military jumpdrives can only move ships with military engines through.

Incorrect.  Commercial jumpdrives can indeed only move ships with commercial engines through a jump point.  Military jumpdrives, however, can move ships with any type of engine through.

[Hawkeye]

b) commercial jumpdrives can only move ships with commercial engines through a JP, while military jumpdrives can only move ships with military engines through.

Incorrect.  Commercial jumpdrives can indeed only move ships with commercial engines through a jump point.  Military jumpdrives, however, can move ships with any type of engine through.

I stand corrected

As sloanjh said, this rarely matters, as commercial ships tend to be a tad larger than military jumpships (at least this is true for _my_ games), but if you start building large military jumpships, yes, they can take commercial shipping along.

[The Shadow]

I've got a class (the Conduit) devoted to being exactly a "poor man's jump gate" for commercial shipping until a real jump gate can be built.  They're quite handy.