JUMPVECTOR
Keywords: JUMPVECTOR, JUMPV
=== USER MANUAL ===
Usage: jumpvector <ship>
Description:
Reveal the projected destination of a ship that is currently
traveling through hyperspace. Your navigation computer pulls
the target's last known vector and reports the target system
plus arrival coordinates.
Practical uses: chase a fleeing enemy through hyperspace, plot
an intercept, or confirm an ally's heading before following
them.
How It Works:
Your ship keeps a sensor log of every ship it has been in
range of. If the target is logged AND currently in hyperspace,
the computer can extrapolate its destination vector from the
pre-jump trajectory.
The reported coordinates are essentially exact -- a tiny
random offset is added for realism but rounds to 0.
Output:
After some deliberation, you figure out its projected course.
<target> Heading: <system>, X Y Z
Requirements:
Cockpit ............ Must be in the pilot's chair.
Launched + real .... Ship must be in a starsystem, not
docked, not in hyperspace.
Target visible ..... "No such ship." if the name does not
match a visible ship.
Not self ........... "You can figure out where you are
going on your own."
Sensor log ......... Ship must have been in scanship /
radar range at some point AND must not
be currently docked. Otherwise: "No log
for that ship."
Target in hyperspace Target must actually be traveling:
"You cant figure out the course vectors
correctly." indicates the ship is still
in realspace.
Notes:
- The sensor log is maintained automatically whenever two
ships are close enough to appear on each other's radar.
There's no command to manually log a ship.
- This command reveals destination but not intent -- a
fleeing enemy can still change course at arrival or jump
again before you catch them.
- Use in combination with calculate + hyperspace to
plot an intercept: read the target's arrival coords, then
calculate a jump to approximately the same point.
- Docked ships are hidden from this command -- a target
that has completed its jump and landed is invisible to
jumpvector queries.
Strategic Notes:
- A ship that jumps blind (using gate instead of
hyperspace) cannot be tracked with jumpvector -- only
hyperspace jumps leave a readable log.
- Breaking line of sight before a jump defeats the sensor
log. Use shipcloak or duck behind a stellar object.
- The arrival coords are already jittered by calculate
before the jump, so you may not land exactly on the same
spot even with a perfect vector read.
Related Helpfiles: CALCULATE, HYPERSPACE, SCANSHIP, RADAR, GATE, FOLDSPACE, SHIPCLOAK
=== END MANUAL ===