Capsule Drives and Lpoints

I like the capsule space idea as well. Something you could do is let the A.I handle the ship during all 'normal' jumps (if that is possible). However, if someone wants to be daring, they could turn the AI off in capsule space and attempt a jump on their own. They could even explore, by trying to fly to 'off route' targets while in the capsule space. Improved Capsule Drives could make the player go faster and or stay longer in capsule space, allowing effectively for more lengthy jumps.

A problem I see is implimenting it for local jumps. The scale difference between the cluster and a single solar system would make hosting the two kinds of jumps in the same capsule space difficult. Perhaps local systems would be approached using a normal drive, and interstellar jumps would be made with the lds?

I guess it depends on the end goal. If you want to simulate the current PS lpoint implementation, then local lpoints should be easy to travel between. Scale does not have to be preserved in capsule space. The suns could be quite large, compared to the distance between systems. It could be almost as hard to move around a large sun as to travel to a nearby star. Just a thought.

Another idea for lpoint and capsule drive interaction. These two objects are orbiting each other. Which means the lpoint is moving. Could it be the movement of the lpoint that causes the long throw? Because that throw is along a tangental vector to the largest mass, it would have a very narrow angle.

I don't propose forcing a cluster to have carefully aligned lpoints. Too much work. But it would allow any lpoint to reach another star. It just has to have correct alignment. And - if a cluster were generated, the code could calculate lpoint alignment.

Entertaining conjecture: If it were easy to swap ship engines, it would be cool to have a special engine for this capsule system. And a very high speed limit. The lpoint would "toss" your ship at high velocity, like a cannon. And your job would be to steer and dodge, with only a little control over your main vector.