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"space lanes"

isthisscienceisthisscience Member Posts: 863 Arc User
They look pretty and all, but I was just wondering if these ever served a purpose? Or if they've always just been there for aesthetics? When I first started playing I thought it must be some faster way of getting around, or an automated navigation system... or something... but didn't see any use for them.

If they are just for aesthetic purposes, how come they're so disjointed? Sometimes they connect with neighbouring sector blocks well, other times they ignore each other. Cardassian routes aren't centred on Cardassia and Romulan ones don't hook up at all. Basically, was this part of some early idea that got dropped after the first few seasons?

Random aside while looking at the map: and Delta V cluster, what on earth is unexplored space doing right next to Earth when TOS' Cestus 3 is so far away? I can imagine the Enterprise getting thrown far away by god-like aliens so often that exploration got very disjointed and they were to busy being forced by Apollo or Q to explore the far side of the galaxy that they never got round to looking on their own door step! :)
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Comments

  • thecosmic1thecosmic1 Member Posts: 9,365 Arc User
    edited July 2013
    I think the original idea was that if you follows the lanes you'd go a little faster - sort of like a cosmic jet stream - but that never really took off in early Beta, and it became all but meaningless once people starting turning off the sector space graphics to go with the "natural" space look.
    STO is about my Liberated Borg Federation Captain with his Breen 1st Officer, Jem'Hadar Tactical Officer, Liberated Borg Engineering Officer, Android Ops Officer, Photonic Science Officer, Gorn Science Officer, and Reman Medical Officer jumping into their Jem'Hadar Carrier and flying off to do missions for the new Romulan Empire. But for some players allowing a T5 Connie to be used breaks the canon in the game.
  • futurepastnowfuturepastnow Member Posts: 3,660 Arc User
    edited July 2013
    I think the original intent was to make space cool-looking. It used to be much, much worse, too- here's how sector space looked when the game launched in 2010. And you couldn't disable it.

    Now, you can just hit the "Disable Astrometrics" button on the bottom right to enjoy space.
  • isthisscienceisthisscience Member Posts: 863 Arc User
    edited July 2013
    Ouch, that does look bad.

    Yes, I prefer it with it off, it is more Trek. We've never had a concept of designated corridors for space travel like SW et al, and even with transwarp conduits, that's never really been put in beyond the odd mention. Things like 'transwarp straight to DS9' is rather undermined by the lack of a visible portal there or the need for a portal at the starting end.

    I wonder what alternative there is that is more Trek? Aside from just a blank starmap that many opt for?
  • steamwrightsteamwright Member Posts: 2,820
    edited July 2013
    huh...interesting. I'd always wondered if they represented major and minor trading routes, since some of them were larger corridors than others, and since they were color coded to regional governments.
  • starkaosstarkaos Member Posts: 11,557 Arc User
    edited July 2013
    huh...interesting. I'd always wondered if they represented major and minor trading routes, since some of them were larger corridors than others, and since they were color coded to regional governments.

    I believe that the various transport ships and Sector Space Vendors follow some of these trade routes.
  • angrytargangrytarg Member Posts: 11,016 Arc User
    edited July 2013
    I thought that you could follow these lines to complete "patrol" missions at one point, but maybe they were just cosmetical.
    lFC4bt2.gif
    ^ Memory Alpha.org is not canon. It's a open wiki with arbitrary rules. Only what can be cited from an episode is. ^
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  • lordfuzunlordfuzun Member Posts: 54 Arc User
    edited July 2013
    huh...interesting. I'd always wondered if they represented major and minor trading routes, since some of them were larger corridors than others, and since they were color coded to regional governments.

    That is precisely what those lanes are. They are heavily traveled lanes civilian ships use when traveling from major system to major system. These lanes would be well patrolled and well maintained. Well maintained in terms of having all know space hazards marked or dealt with. Travel times would be well know. Help would not be too far away if an emergency comes up.
  • wildmousexwildmousex Member Posts: 0 Arc User
    edited July 2013
    Back at launch you would find cargo ships to trade with flying along those lines if you needed to merch something without flying back to a star base.. with the ability to turn off sector map, transwarp everywhere, and call a transport when you need it I haven't noticed if that's still the case with the new sector space.
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  • isthisscienceisthisscience Member Posts: 863 Arc User
    edited July 2013
    Makes sense as a system to find cargo ships, though I agree that you never really need them now. But the concept of them being trading routes when they are so disjointed and bare so little resemblance to how you'd expect a trading network to operate? I mean, the Cardassian network is crazy, aside from it not being based from Cardassia I mean - why for instance does it go through the badlands? You're meant to avoid the Badlands, it's kinda in the name, no?

    I was hoping there was a logical explanation for it. I don't want to become one of those people that just whine at Cryptic over minor things... erm, so I'll just shut the hell up and blow up some Klingons. Badlands do look pretty, no?
  • javaman1969javaman1969 Member Posts: 298 Arc User
    edited July 2013
    I tried to follow these when I first started, now, I just lay in a course with my conn and watch my ship fly. I don't see any reason to bother getting rid of them they do make the map look sort of like traditional sea charts with shipping lanes marked...sort of.
    His methods have become unsound.
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