Hello CIG, after 4 years or so of having the current QT mechanics, I think it is about time to re-assess what current QT actually brings to this game and what it does not. This might be a long read, so bear with me! :wink: 1. The problems with current QT 1.1 Not much room to evade interdictions/environmental hazards Currently QT is pretty boring, you just point and click and you fly away, you get interdicted occassionally with the help of some dice rolling (probability factor) and there you go. How can we fix this so it becomes more fun and more organic for the player, and brings the game forward as a whole. 1.2 No easy way to pick an alternative route Also you are always flying the same path, sure in the future different flight-path become available, but once you picked your route, there is not really a way to alter from that (only by selecting another pre-defined end-point, which does not allow for a lot of flexibility, and is super, super clunky). 2. Solutions 2.1 Get rid of QT Point & Click This point and click system needs to go, if you want to fly somewhere, you fly somewhere, with the speed of QT. You choose your own route, which makes it more organic and more in-depth as well then just click & go. Even Freelancer had a more in-depth system then SC currently has. Unfortunately at the moment it is basically a press-B to continue, where it will be much more fun to have much more impact on your QT travel, thetn we currently have. 2.2 Make evading interdictions skill-based By giving the player more freedom and finding his own path, you can evade asteroids (fields), evade UEE scanning patrols (for example, by checking your radar signatures, lowering your own signature by shutting down your engines etc etc, lots of gameplay involved). 2.3 Allow more manual control over the speed of QT I like QT not being a fixed speed anymore (it is a parabole right now, so you start slow, and end slow, and go fast in the middle). In the new system I propose you have much more manual control (if desired) where going slower allows a better turn-rate then the top speed. Of course in QT the turn-rate will never be great, but a small effect to make it matter will be nice. I also like the intertia effect, the way it would work it pretty much the same it is now, but you actually get to control the speed (so more skill will be involved, and more control if deemed necessary). This is actually exactly like a parabole (and as it works now), you will speed up slowly when entering QT, till you reach a max speed (a parabole with a max on it), and after a while you will slow-down again, to safely get out of QT. I think it will add a much more interesting aspect to QT, where you can just like you do now, do max-speed laid-back and get some coffee, but for example, when you jump with more people (perhaps 10 people), you can sync-up with each others jumps, so you can arrive roughly at the same time at the destination. Or you can actually de-sync the jumps, so you can get the capitals in there first (which can take a heavy beating), and then get the calvary of small ships shortly after that. Simply said, it will allow for much more strategic coordination within the game, and we finally get rid of the Press-B to continue mechanic, which is simply not fun for most of the times. I hope this again is a satisfying answer to you, if you have any other feedback, ideas, critic I would love to hear it. Also if you like this thread, let your friends know! 2.4 Open up the game for exploration and let trade lanes form organically I think this is the most interesting part of opening up manual QT. Many players will probably stick to the known routes, those will be mapped and will form based on environmental factors (patrolled by UEE, not a lot of asteroid fields, and mostly secure), this will yield mostly the same experience as the current system, apart from more flexibility when altering the route, or when trying to evade a probability factor. If the player is smuggling, or willing to explore more efficient routes, the route is simply not mapped (the player is the one mapping it), if you have flown from A-B, and deem it to be a perfect way to actually do more efficient trading, you can share this route with your org, or you can sell it on the market. In tandem with the still to intergrate Quanta (as shown on Citizencon by Tony), the trade-lanes can dynamically adjust, for example known trade-lanes will get more pirates, because it is the most used trade-lane, those traders will seek alternatives, and a different trade-lane becomes super popular. This not only brings a much more organic approach to the game, but also makes sure that every travel you do is unique (if you choose to do so). Also with rotating asteroid fields and the like, no journey, or trade-lane will ever stay the same. 3. Problem with manual QT 3.1 Less curated experience Of course with every new system, there are different problems. For example, with manual QT, there is a less curated experience (which I honestly prefer), so for example, when out exploring new trade-lanes, you will face asteroid fields many, many times, making it very hard to explore, I think this is part of the fun of exploring, but maybe other people could see it differently. 3.2 Might be hard to take into account in combination with Quanta More trade-lanes means there are more variables, more variables to smuggle, to get good from A-B etc etc. This might be hard to involve into Quanta, I am unsure about this, since I have only seen it once (at Citizencon) really. 4. Possible scenario in a new system and possible solutions (only read this, when you read above points, and still interested in more or have questions) To elaborate further on this mechanic, and to prevent some obvious issues with this system. I like to sketch more of how such a more manual approach of QT would work. I already described it is a less curated system for the developers, but of course the developers still need some form of control, otherwise everything is going all over the place, making the whole game a less enjoyable experience. To start off here, taking a known trade-lane will always be faster then exploring a new one (which will eventually be known), this is because a known trade-lane is known, you know where asteroid fields are, and you can simply step away from the cockpit and go your usual way (mostly like the system we currently have, though it is manual, but you don't need to be at the buttons in the cockpit all the time, obviously). To prevent people just going into deep-space like there is no tomorrow, we have some current mechanics in-game called fuel. On known trade-lanes there will be reststops, where you can get fuel and the like, making it more attractive to take this route (they are known for a reason). It gets more and more interesting when for example a more dynamic approach is required, and the UEE sets up a blockade on a trade-route, a pirate for example does not want to go into that blockade (or he will get fined/arrested), so it is obvious he will try to pick a different route. When the pirate still has to explore this route, it will take more time, since the pirate has to map this route, scan for environmental hazards, enemies and the likem it is uncharted space after all (which is way more risky, then a known trade-lane). Eventually this pirate can opt to get back on the known trade-lane again (and leave uncharted space, just past the blockade). Or the pirate can go all the way through uncharted space (not advisable without an exploration ship, suitable for this kind of endavours). When he has done such an endavour, he can keep this route for himself, or sell it to other pirates/his own org, so they can also easily evade this blockade and smuggle goods. Systems like this naturally limit the player in a way more organic matter, since everything can be done, but are limited by fuel, qt fuel and the time it takes to map a new trade-lane. But it is probably also very rewarding for some players to find new trade-lanes entirely (without meeting up with any known trade-lanes) and selling it. This even allows this trade-lane to grow eventually, let stations settle there, and make it more popular (once stations settle, fuel is available, smaller ships will be able to take this trade-lane and so on, and so on). I think this is a way more interesting way to look at things, and I hope I have peeked the interests of the readers a bit. :slightly_smiling_face: