It may be just me...

[Guest Scathane]

...but I have no clue as to what the lines between planets on the galaxy map designate...

[Guest Scathane]

Maybe it's the hyperspace routes, then? I checked the game again and it seems to me that units travel faster along these lines...

 

Months in space wouldn't do it for a lot of reasons... O well, you know what they say: A long time ago...

[Evaders99]

They never specified.

Supposedly they are lanes to travel between worlds, but whether they are exactly hyperspace lanes (not that ships in Star Wars travel in straight lines in the physical universe.. rather they go to an alternate Hyperspace dimension) or something, we're not sure.

 

I guess they did slightly better than Rebellion in their placements, but it's more for gameplay value. I like that the lines give you travel restrictions, thus a sense of "borders" and "fronts" where Rebellion has ships popping in from anywhere to anywhere. Let's face it, ships shouldn't be stuck months in hyperspace.. they would just run out of supplies at some point right?

[Krytos]

They never specified.

I'm pretty sure I read the little droid helper thing saying that they're hyperspace lanes for faster travel. Nothing was mentioned in the tutorial? I'm almost positive it's mentioned somewhere ... maybe I saw it in a trailer video? Anyway, that's what they are - specific hyperspace lanes, sorta like the trade spines etc. in Star Wars.

 

Against the AI, they're not that necessary - but are helpful nevertheless. The idea is that controlling the worlds on those lanes would allow you to respond to threats quickly. For the Rebels it allows you to quickly strike at an enemy worlds and fall back before re-enforcements arrive. The Empire gets to use them mainly to respond to threats and defend their worlds easier (Then again, the Rebels get this same option). Against human opponents it apparently works a lot better, where someone can use the lanes to defend most of the core worlds.

 

I know in the game I'm currently playing those routes are really useful as I race from one side of the galaxy to the other with two decent fleets trying to fight off Rebel raids. Without them it would take me a lot longer to get a fleet to respond to a threat, and undoubtedly I'd lose a lot of planets quickly.

From experience playing the Rebellion, where you don't really start off with control of an major lanes most of the time, it can be a real burden to try and protect your planets without a speedy way to move your large fleets into a defencive position.

 

One thing I find annoying with the hyperspace in EaW is while they've set it up better than Rebellion (the idea that you can't just jump a fleet to the other side of galaxy and some planets are only accessible by certain routes), they only show the hyperspace lanes. I'd like it that when you drag a unit it would show the connecting lanes so I'd know which worlds I need to take over and which I don't need to defend because they're at there's only one way to the planet. As is, it's a guessing game and ruins some of the strategy involved.

[Evaders99]

I like showing the path travelled too. I think Sins of a Solar Empire does this well.

[Guest Scathane]

I agree: you can even see the speed difference in travel along the routes. Question answered then...

[Stratus]

Yes, it does seem to have an effect on speed of travel. Thought I'd throw in my two cents.

[Guest Scathane]

How does one measure time in EaW, by the way?

[Krytos]

It's 'real time' in galactic mode, and moves on in days. In the bottom left, above the radar of the galaxy there should be something to say which day it is - near the pop cap. Also, there's a row of green dashes that increment as the day goes on. Once all bars go green it's the end of a day. When they reset to off it's the next day and you get your money. Transportation in the game takes less than a day to get anywhere (I think) - but considering the timing of everything else it doesn't really mater how many days it takes. The main purpose of the day cycle is for money collection, and early in the game you watch that bar closely so you get some more money in the bank.

 

Hmm, all this talk about EaW has made me want to go finish my Imperial game. Side note to the game, due to the more "fun" gameplay than "cannon" Star Wars it's one of the first Star Wars games I enjoy playing as both the Empire and Rebellion

Still can't play as the Empire in Rebellion or FoCom ...