Galactic Hyperdrive

One shot hyperdrive engines, for jumping to the next of the eight galaxies.

Vanilla game
Name	Galactic Hyperdrive
Cost	5,000₢
TL Availability	11

Overview

Trigger the galactic hyperdrive by pressing g on your astrogation console. It catapults you to the next galaxy.

A Galactic Hyperdrive doesn't use any fuel (all the fuel is contained in the device) and can be purchased for 5,000₢ at any planet with a tech level of 11 or over.

Due to difficulties in long-range communication, criminal records are not shared between the galactic sectors: so regardless of your criminal rating, you come out legally Clean when you emerge into a new galaxy. Thus the Galactic Hyperdrive is sometimes used by mobsterpilots to escape prosecution.

Depending on which additional OXPs you have installed, the behaviour of the galactic hyperdrive can be slightly different. Read on.

Coluber HUD: Galactic Hyperdrive icon

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OXPs

There are several relevant OXPs. Some merely tweak the vanilla game Galactic Hyperdrive. But GalDrivePod is an additional hyperdrive which is loaded on a missile pylon and needs priming just like any other piece of OXP equipment.

• Galactic Hyperdrive OXP allows a choice of destinations in the next Galaxy
• Galactic Hyperdrive Reimagined makes the vanilla game equipment rechargeable by sunskimming, and the Galactic Hyperjump take time (several days) which can wreck some mission OXPs.
• Galactic Misjump OXP - what happens if you misjump between galaxies? By Cim.
• GalDrivePod provides a (second?) pylon-mounted Galactic Drive allowing one to leave the "unreachable areas" in the next galaxy (by Smivs).

Also relevant

• Galaxy Names OXP by Wildeblood - also downloadable through the in-game Expansions Manager (an Ambience .oxp): puts the galaxy names onto the F6 screen.
• Bounty System prevents loss of "illegal" status on jumping to the next galaxy.
• Note that various OXP stations will have a different TL to that of the main station and may possibly stock the Galactic Hyperdrive - but the price may be rather different!

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Classic Elite

For the BBC Micro version of Classic Elite, the Galactic Hyperdrive entry points are fixed for each galaxy:

1. Usle, (85,99) TL: 9, Confederacy, purchase next Galactic Hyperdrive at Enonla.
2. Ororra, (96,95) TL : 4, Confederacy, purchase next Galactic Hyperdrive at Resori.
3. Xeines, (90,111) TL : 3, Anarchy, purchase next Galactic Hyperdrive at Alace.
4. Soenisti, (99,103) TL : 4, Anarchy, purchase next Galactic Hyperdrive at Biante.
5. Ceinan, (105,93) TL : 7, Confederacy, purchase next Galactic Hyperdrive at Sotidi.
6. Intisoar, (99,102) TL : 7, Confederacy
7. Beritere, (106,95) TL : 3, Anarchy
8. Cecees, (94,96) TL : 8, Anarchy

The system chosen is the one encompassed by the smallest rectangular search box centred on (96,96). The choice of '96' was driven by the desire to generate an '0x60' Op-code in this vicinity of the 6502 machine code, an RTS command that could be reached by nearby branch instructions. The observation that the system government is either Anarchy or Confederacy appears unrelated as the connection to the coordinate calculations is indirect.

Ian Bell & Classic Elite variants

In a text-only trading version of Elite coded by Ian Bell in C around 1999 the planet number is conserved across a galactic hyperdrive jump. These are listed in the planet list but are not visible to the player. This choice gives the appearance of random, but predictable, entry points (determined by your departure planet). This choice allows access to the large isolated island of systems in Galaxy 7 and is responsible for the the ancient warning "If you leave Galaxy 7 from Rainza you will end up at Oresrati in Galaxy 8".

This choice was implemented in some post-classic versions of Elite, including ArcElite.

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Theory

Why only one-way travel? See the discussion of Cody's theory in The Eight.

Some older fanfiction/technobabble on Elite's engine drives can be found here .

Oolite Equipment Standard Equipment Astrogation Console • Cargo Hold • Compass • Energy banks • Engine/Main Drive • HUD • IFF Scanner • Life Support Systems • Missile • Pulse Laser • Shields • Ship's Hull • Torus Jump Drive • View Screen • Witchspace/Hyperspace Drive Optional Equipment Advanced Navigational Array • Advanced Space Compass • Cargo Bay Expansion • Docking Computers • E.C.M. System • Escape Pod • Extra Energy Unit • External Heat Shielding • Fuel Scoops • Galactic Hyperdrive • Integrated Targeting System • Military Shield Enhancement • Multi-Targeting System • Naval Energy Unit • Passenger Berth • Scanner Targeting Enhancement • Shield Boosters • Target System Memory Expansion • Witchdrive Fuel Injectors • Wormhole Scanner Weapons Beam Laser • ECM Hardened Missile • Energy Bomb • Military Laser • Mining Laser • Missile • Pulse Laser • Quirium Cascade Mine • Twin Plasma Cannon