i know there is a interstellar travel topic but that talks about the vehicle type im talking about the device that allows the ftl travel i found a list on (ignore the ones that break the conservation of momentum) and discuss which would most fit the game (go to hypothetical methods) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spacecraft_propulsion
We already know of two methods of space travel- Asteroids and the Comm rocket. It is not FTL, but it doesn't matter. Even at sub light, it only takes a few minutes to realistically travel anywhere in a system. It would likely be even faster in game. Little more is needed for a single system map. There could be any number of FTL systems as PA requires. However, the method adopted in Total Annihilation utilizes gate travel. As a one way device it was excruciatingly expensive, with the manual describing that it takes weeks of fusion power to send a single payload. This one way network established the Commander as the de facto tool for invasion, tasked with conquering a planet after landing on the other side. A similar method of invasion was used for Supcom. Two way gate travel was considerably faster, capable of moving multiple units and working for the fast paced war established in TA's campaign. In Supcom this was used to deliver SACUs to the field, a cheaper and hardier suit when compared to the ACU.
dude it would take 28 years to get to Jupiter sub light so light speed engines or ftl engines are going to have to exist or we would wait forever and what about inter system it would take 7000 years to get to our closest star. Edit: and also it seems the robots havent invented gating
Actually, it wouldn't take much more than 45 minutes: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_long_does ... ch_Jupiter That's certainly too slow to play with, but we have no idea what time frame these guys work on. If conquering a planet takes "days", then a "1 hour" trip across the system really isn't so bad.
There is only one device, and that's the device for putting commanders into solar systems. If there were other devices, the gameplay would be boring, and the Commander would be pointless.
Not to mention all of that fringe science that 'could' make things arrive faster then they should have but without braking the light barrier.
Or you can hit a spot that's "close enough". Being a billion miles off target isn't a big deal when you're jumping light years across the galaxy. Fly the rest of the distance on rocket. More precision is possible when the target can be observed with information that's hours old, rather than dozens or hundreds of years old.
