Longer-range gateways

[An Ning]

So I have been playing 2.0 for a few hours, playing on a higher difficulty than usual (even got destroyed twice, which is kinda new to me)

 

...I still don't use gateways.
The problem at hand: They are just too expensive for the distance they make you go -especially considering how long you need to travel in the sector to use them (it can take several minutes -literally enough time to jump out, back, and out again), especially in the early game, to go from one gate to another).

Gateways as they are, seem to have no point.
Because of the long distances between gates, it takes longer to get to a place by hopping through gates than by jumping. Add to that the fact that if you are making a $30k delivery and you use 10 gates, you lose $2k just going there, and gate travel just seems to be a very massive "why?"

 

I've suggested before that gates be made cheaper and placed closer to the center of a sector so you can pop in and out within a half minute -and that idea was discarded, but I'm not suggesting that again.

Here's what I am suggesting now: Add in some longer-range (and more expensive) trade-hub to trade-hub gateways in systems. Sort of like a gateway interstate (or like a cross-country flight followed by a local bus).
Current gates seem to move you about 6 sectors on average, and seem to have a maximum distance of about 10. These "tradeway gates" would have a minimum sector movement of 12, and a maximum of about 23 -letting you make large hops across an area (for a fee) with these gates, then using the smaller gates (or a simple jump drive) to get to where you want to go locally.

This would make gates logical and semi-useful (or at least make a gate that is useful) ...and would also make an interesting possible future aspect for faction conflict -where conflicts get larger in sectors with the trade gates, as they are, or go to, important systems in the faction's territory.

Edited September 15, 2021 by An Ning