Witch Fuel Injectors

Fer-de-Lance will not escape - even with Witchdrive Fuel Injectors.

Overview

Witchdrive Fuel Injectors have one function: to make your ship go very very fast almost instantaneously. They do not boost you to the speed of your ship's hyperspeed, and unlike the hyperspeed, they continuously burn fuel to augment your inertialess prime mover. Although they are not as fast as the intra-system hyperspeed/Torus Drive, they cannot be mass locked.

They thus add a fourth method of propulsion for your Cobra Mk.III (combining with the regular engine drives, the hyperspeed/Torus drive and the hyperspace/witchspace jump drive).

Usage

Witch fuel injectors are possibly one of the most versatile enhancements you can fit to your ship.

• They can be used for simple tasks such as speeding up the hyperspace exit procedure (inject away from the space station for a couple of seconds during hyperspace countdown to ensure you don't get the frustrating 'Too close to station' message and a failed jump).
• They can be used to reduce the time you spend mass-locked waiting to pass slower ships on your way to a planet's space station
• They can be used to enhance your combat performance. Many new combat tactics can be explored with the boost of the witch fuel injectors.
• The injectors can also be used to escape ECM hardened missiles which would otherwise cause severe damage or the destruction of your ship.
• They can be used to catch a fleeing pirate who would otherwise outrun your ship and mete out sweet vengeance.

You must bear in mind that the injectors require witch space fuel (Quirium) - and this comes from the same tank as your hyperdrive's supply. If you hyperspace to a system at the edge of your ship's range, you will have little fuel to use with the witch space fuel injectors. If you are intending to get into situations where it becomes necessary to use the injectors frequently, it is a good idea to plan hyperspace jumps to leave plenty of fuel for usage in the injectors. Typically, a third of a tank of fuel will last long enough for most purposes.

If you are ambushed by Thargoids in witch space, be extremely careful when using injectors - you don't want to use so much fuel that by the time you've finished with the Thargoids, there are no systems within hyperspace range! It is a good idea to have a system selected. This will put a marker on your witch fuel gauge which indicates how much fuel is needed for that jump. You will then know to stop using injectors before the fuel falls below that level.

To activate the fuel injectors press and hold the I key. Once the key is released the injectors will stop working. This will help conserve fuel. For example, if you become mass locked whilst using the jump drive then press and hold the I key until the ships on your short-range scanner have moved out of range. Then you can release the I key and reselect J to continue your jump.

Availability

Cr. 600.0 ₢.
Techlevel: 11

Lore

Witch Fuel Injectors were developed by Prosset Drive Systems. They used a fleet of Cobra Mk.1 ships to prototype and refine their new injector system, which gave a great boost to the craft's speed. The company chose the Cobra Mk.1 because it was simple to modify the engine bay to accommodate experimental equipment, where to do so in other ships would have involved major structural changes.

OXPs

The issue with injectors is that they quickly run out of fuel, leaving one at the mercy of the ravenous hordes of the unwashed. The following OXPs may be worth perusing.

• Extra Witchfuel reserves
  • Duplex Fuel Tank by Timer: very expensive tank which can easily be filled from the main tank.
  • Extra Fuel Tanks by Smivs: expensive tanks which can only be filled at stations.
  • Fuel Tank by Ramirez: cheap tank mounting on a pylon. One use only.
  • Internal Fuel Tank by Stranger: cheap internal tank. One use only.

• Fuel Issues
  • Fuel Generator by SMax: transmogrifies energy into fuel
  • QTHI Auxiliary Energy Generators OXP by QCS: transmogrifies fuel into energy
  • Star Fuel by Redspear: scooped quirium from large stars may be superior to bought fuel
  • Fuel Collector OXP: if you have fuel scoops, you can now scoop inter-stellar quirium ve-e-e-ery slo-o-o-wly!
  • Hard Way: similar to Fuel Collector, but the solar wind must be blowing in your direction! And, everything you do now uses fuel.

• Improved Injectors
  • Military Fuel Injectors by Thargoid: more efficient
  • Q-Charger by Common Sense Out of the Box: faster
  • Better fuel injection for small ships by Astrobe
  • Surjectors OXP by Astrobe: more efficient when weapons & shields toggled off
  • Ship Configuration OXP allows a choice of 4 different classes of fuel injectors. Warning: a very complex .oxp!

• Injector Use
  • Fuel Injection Cruise Control by PHKB: control of the Fuel Injectors mirrors that of the Torus Drive

• Tweaking the fragility of Injectors in Combat
  • Indestructible Injectors OXP by Redspear: in one direction
  • Breakable Witch Drive by Captain Murphy: in the other direction

• Equipment by Ship Class also impacts on the fuel injectors

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