Node Drive
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Node Drive is a fictional FTL system that appears in the game Sword of the Stars.
Travel between worlds is achieved through moving between the Node Lines which only Humans can utilize within the game to achieve maximum efficiency. Since the node space, which the ships enter when they activate their drives, is highly compressed even early drives can achieve speeds over 4 LY per turn. The problem with this form of travel is that in order to reach certain distant locations; several different node lines might have to be used which can delay arriving reinforcements to protect a besieged colony. Also because the node lines are formed naturally at times it may be impossible to reach a destination through nodes, forcing a painfully slow STL trek through the void. They also often force human fleets into choke points, fighting bloody battles over locations that hold only little value to other races.
