GATE
Keywords: GATE
=== USER MANUAL ===
Usage: gate <gate name>
Description:
Fly through a gate -- a fixed stellar structure that teleports
your ship to another starsystem. Each gate has a linked
destination system; flying into it punches you through
instantly.
Gates are the alternative to hyperspace: no coordinate math,
no calculate step, no cross-system fuel drain. You just fly
close enough and commit.
How It Works:
1. Approach a gate within 200 units.
2. Use scanplanet or radar to confirm its name and that
it connects somewhere.
3. Run gate <name> from the pilot seat.
4. Your ship accelerates to max speed into the gate, vanishes
from the origin system, and reappears at the target system's
linked coordinates.
Arrival:
You arrive near the destination's coordinates, jittered by
+/- 100 units + 5 per axis. Your speed carries over; there's
no braking on the other side.
Requirements:
Pilot seat ......... Must be at the ship's helm.
Pilot access ....... Must own the ship or be a listed pilot.
Spacecraft ......... Stations and non-spacecraft hulls cannot
gate.
Drive intact ....... "The ship's drive is damaged. Unable
to gate!" blocks disabled ships.
Launched ........... Undocked from any pad.
Real space ......... Cannot gate from hyperspace.
Gate in range ...... Gate must be within 200 units. Otherwise:
"No gate in range."
Gate connects ...... Some gates are one-ended / broken:
"Gate Malfunction: No target system."
Echo:
Gate sequence initiated. (you)
You fly into <gate>. (cockpit)
<ship> flies into <gate>. (origin system)
<ship> enters the starsystem at X Y Z (arrival system)
Notes:
- Gate name matching is partial: "gate sol" finds any
gate starting with sol.
- Gates honor line-of-sight: you still need to be able to
see the gate (not cloaked out of range or behind a body).
- Unlike hyperspace, gating costs no energy beyond the
normal flight energy to reach max speed on approach.
- Gates are unidirectional per stellar-object record --
arriving at a destination doesn't mean you can fly back
through the same structure. Check both ends.
- Arrival coordinates are randomized each transit, so
camping a gate exit is imperfect.
Strategic Notes:
- Gates leave a visible announcement in both systems
(departure and arrival echoes), so gating is not stealthy.
- Great for fleeing combat when your hyperdrive is damaged
or you lack a calculate setup -- but only if a nearby gate
actually leads somewhere safe.
- Scout unknown gates from a cheap hull before committing
a capital ship; malfunctioning gates are a dead end.
Related Helpfiles: HYPERSPACE, CALCULATE, JUMPVECTOR, SCANPLANET, RADAR, WORMHOLE
=== END MANUAL ===