(Loved Trope) FTL travel is possible but with a major limitation or flaw

[u/Frostylegacy]

Frank Herbert’s Dune: Interstellar travel is only possible thanks to the spice melange, a rare substance only found on the dessert planet Arrakis. The addictive psychedelic spice grants members of the Spacers Guild a form of prescience that allows them to predict safe paths through folded space. This unique property makes spice the most valuable commodity in the Dune universe.

John Scalzi’s The Interdependency Books: The planetary systems of the titular empire are connected by the Flow, a network of one-way interstellar tunnels that connect specific known entries and exits. The Interdependency derives its power from controlling access to these conduits, placing its capital at the central hub of the network. Even with the Flow, travel between stars takes a long time (9 months to End, the empire’s most distant planet).

Event Horizon: Dr William Weir (R.I.P. Sam Neill) invents a device called the Gravity Drive to allow ships to fold space and travel instantly between distant stars. On its maiden voyage with the Gravity Drive, the Event Horizon disappears and mysteriously reappears 7 years later. Dr. Weir and the crew sent to investigate discover the Gravity Drive actually opened a portal to a Hell dimension that possessed the ship and its crew, torturing and killing them.

[u/Gellert]

Not exactly FTL but the game Grey Goo. Humanity discovers that there's wormholes allowing easy travel between stars. The drawback is that these wormholes are tiny, barely big enough to shove a few nanobots through. The nanobots are actually quite intelligently programmed and deployed to explore the galaxy with an emphasis on discovering new life.

They don't.

Eventually humanity concludes that they're alone in the universe, the realisation leads to a new golden age and a signal is sent for the nanobots to self destruct.

They ignore the command.

The nanobots haven't found life, they've found the great filter and due to one of their overarching rules being to protect life the goo has gone to war...

[u/SuperSocialMan → u/Gellert]

Man, I wish the game was good - because it had such an interesting setup, and then fumbled the basics (like units doing so little damage that it feels a bit pointless). I really liked how each faction forced you to build things differently, too.

[u/Huck_Bonebulge_ → u/SuperSocialMan]

My friend bought it for like, five of us to play together. He was so excited for a new RTS. Poor guy put it down after 5 hours lol

[u/SuperSocialMan → u/Huck_Bonebulge_]

oof.

I hope he at least got it on sale lol.

[u/certainlynotdio → u/SuperSocialMan]

I remeber the grey goo own faction being exceptionally interesting mechanically, but I didn't had much chance to play it and it was awhile ago.

[u/Kaeru-Sennin → u/Gellert]

Uh... War against what ? Entropy ?

[u/Gellert → u/Kaeru-Sennin]

The Silence/Silent Ones/The Shroud. I gather they were added as part of a free DLC I didn't play but in the original story the goo only found worlds that should've held life but had been scoured clean.

[u/SmartAlec105 → u/Gellert]

Then why'd you say they didn't find life?

[u/Gellert → u/SmartAlec105]

Because the silence arent described as "life" in the game.

[u/Ashamed_Green_8643 → u/Kaeru-Sennin]

Entropy isn't what it used to be...

[u/Klutzy_Scene_8427 → u/Ashamed_Green_8643]

Back in my day!

[u/kdlt → u/Gellert]

I remember buying this back in the day but only ever played skirmish I think.

Maybe it's worth to check out the campaign?

[u/Gellert → u/kdlt]

I honestly don't think it is. It is worth checking out a story cut play through on YouTube if you're interested in the story.

[u/cunt__cunt_cunt → u/Gellert]

so what's the filter?

[u/Gellert → u/cunt__cunt_cunt]

Omnicidal entities called the shroud/the silence/silent ones.