I would like to propose the idea (if it has not already been proposed) of a "Gravity Well Slingshot." This is an idea to help you move your ships around the space you own faster without having to stop in each planets gravity well, cross it, then recalculate phase stuff and jump. This would also help with larger fleets jumping as a group, only needing to get in formation once. I see it working something like this:
-On planets you have colonized you have an option to build a Gravity Well Measurement Device (yeah, needs a better name). This is not an orbiting platform, but built on the planet itself.
-When jumping to a planet that has one of these measuring devices you have the option to "slingshot" or "skip" off that planet's gravity well and continue on down a different phase line without slowing down.
-If you have multiple planets connected by phase lines and they all have these "measuring devices" installed on them you can travel great distances without having to stop at each one and travel across the gravity wells.
Obviously this would change things up and putting it in just like that would probably unbalance some things, so I also propose these possible restrictions.
-Obviously needs to be researched as this is mainly useful after your empire has expanded quite a bit. So it can be placed somewhere in the middle of the tech trees or require lots of research stations
-"Measurement Devices" can only be built on colonizable planets, with the justification that the gravity wells of asteroids, gas giants, etc is too weak for the ships to "slingshot" off of. This also will make it so it is not always possible to phase jump across your whole empire and may need to stop at an asteroid or something similar.
-Could also require that in order for ships to utilize a Gravity Well Slingshot they need to be in a fleet, and this fleet needs to contain a Capital Ship (or as an alternative a special, unarmed, frigate/cruiser) -- because on they are capable of carrying some device to enable the slingshot.
-The time to communicate with a planet being used as a slingshot to retrieve mesurements take a little time, therefore the charging time for a phase jump with a slingshot takes more time, the more slingshots in a row, the longer the prep time.
-Once a phase slingshot is underway, it cannot be cancelled. So if you start a 15-planet slingshot, and 2 planets into it you get attacked. You have to complete the slingshot before that fleet can do something else.
Anyway I think this would be useful. Comments? Additions? Flames?
