[WIP] Wormhole drones!

[Mauiby de Fug]

Well, I think I'm finally ready to release my first attempt at an oxp!

Basic instructions:

You buy the wormhole generator as a piece of pylon based equipment.
You select your hyperspace destination in the usual way on the galactic map.
You fire the generator in the same way as you would a missile/mine.
The generator then exits the system to another system in range that is on the route to the hyperspace destination you selected, leaving a wormhole in its wake.
You then follow it through the wormhole.
Once in the next system, the drone exits the system to the next system on the route.
You follow.
Repeat.

'Tis a work in progress, as I intend to eventually make this equipment only buyable after the player has completed a mission. Which I have yet to write... I believe that the drones themselves should now be fully functional. I've tested them every way I can think of, and things seem to be working fine. However, as their creator, it is possible that I've only taken account of how they are meant to be used, rather than how they can be used. So, I need some cunning, twisted and devious commanders to test them and try to break them, and where better to find such but on here on the forums!?

Feedback of all sorts is welcomed, whether it be about playability or scripting or I've made a stupid mistake... Variables such as the price of the drones, their availability, the icons, how long the wormholes stay open for - these are testing values, and not necessarily going to be the final ones. Again, feedback and suggestions are welcome!

The oxp can be downloaded from http://www.box.net/shared/hgry3j39kp

[DaddyHoggy]

So, my question is - did you read Snake Charming

[Mauiby de Fug]

Wow! No, I hadn't read that, but they definitely appear to be the same thing! And it could provide an interesting bit of backstory regarding the origins of the device... I'd love to tie the two things together somehow! Thanks for that - a good read!

[ClymAngus]

so how many jumps is this little thing good for before it runs out of sun juice?

[Smivs]

I wondered about this, as well. Doesn't it need to refuel?

[Mauiby de Fug]

At the moment, each drone is a one shot device which can make as many jumps as you want it to. That is, you can buy the drone, target your system, launch the drone, and follow it through the wormholes to wherever the destination is, which can be any distance away, any number of jumps. However, once you've launched the drone, you can't get it back. It is used up, and you'd have to buy a new one.

I was too busy thinking about getting it to work to think about things such as how many jumps it would be "realistic" for it to make! Oops...

[Smivs]

Big picture first, then worry about the details.

[ClymAngus]

Big picture first, then worry about the details.

If I might prefer some minor and completely ignorable guidelines:

1: Limit it to 3
2: Make it INSANELY expensive
3: If you make an unlimited one then your idea to use it as a reward for a mission is very cool. One shot get that 30 tons of platinum wherever speedily.

It's the kind of item that if left "free to roam" turns oolite into a boredom magnet. The devil with this make sir will be in the detail. Still, kudos for the make!

[Pluisje]

Is it possible to decrease the time the wormhole stays open with each jump? That would create a natural limit, without enforcing it. And it would add to the excitement factor.

(disclaimer: I haven't tried the OXP yet)

[Smivs]

Doesn't the time a wormhole stay open depend on the mass of the ship generating it?
This thing might need to be the size of a planet!
Perhaps it can be tiny, but with a planet in one of Thargoids virtual holds.

[CheeseRedux]

One shot get that 30 tons of platinum wherever speedily.

If I understand the concept correctly, it wouldn't save you much in the way of in-game time, since you still have to do the jumps. In fact (again IIUTCC), this thing doesn't do anything that couldn't already be achieved with a sufficient number of fuel tanks in your pylons.

[Mauiby de Fug]

The drone itself uses the standard Oolite Q-bomb as a model - I couldn't be bothered creating one. I can vary the length of time the wormhole stays open for by changing the density value in the shipdata.plist, but as far as I know, I cannot modify it in-game.

Pirates are added when exiting the drone's wormhole, the number varying depending on the system's government type, in an attempt to make things a little more interesting than simply following the drone through without interruption. The location of the wormhole can be anywhere within scanner range of the witchpoint, so the distance will vary.

I really don't want to make it too expensive. All it does is save a bit of time flying to the nearest station to refuel, which if you have oxps such as YAH, is not far at all. And the price of fuel isn't likely to break anybody's bank account. On the other hand, it bypasses the dangers of in-system flying, which should be something worth paying for! Contracts are also made somewhat easier with this though - traversing large distances quickly with relatively few interruptions and a cargo full of gold/platinum/gem stones could well make ridiculous amounts of money in too short a space of time. So this should be taken into account when deciding on cost... You see the dilemma - cost is going to be the hardest thing to balance!

The number of jumps that each drone can make should be limited, I agree. 3 seems too few, but unlimited is somewhat implausible. Maybe half a dozen, or, as it's the 7 ly rule that I'm circumventing, a maximum of 7?

Unlimited jumps may well be part of a mission in some form or another - I haven't really got very far on thinking about it.

In-game time is still the same - it just makes life quicker for the player in real-life time. And yes, it is somewhat equivalent to many fuel tanks. Except that a fuel tank only gives you 3 ly worth of fuel. To make a bunch of long jumps, you'd have to completely fill your pylons with fuel tanks, and not have any missiles at all.

The problem is making it a playable piece of equipment. I don't want it to be an instantaneous jump from one system to another - I want people to still be able to traverse the galaxies and have to visit various systems. It should make life somewhat easier, sure, but not trivial or boring. As ClymAngus said, the devil's in the details!

[Smivs]

Sunskimming is quick, and very cheap (as in free). I actually traveled halfway across G1 earlier today (around 8-9 systems) in about 20 minutes Earth time, and it didn't cost a bean. The problem you have (and I see you understand this) is that to be competitive this device will need to be inexpensive, but to 'fit in' with most people's view of the Ooniverse something that breaks a 'Golden Rule' like the 7LY limit must be prohibitively expensive.
How do you reconcile this? I don't know, but if I have any bright ideas I'll let you know.

[Okti]

Hi Mauiby de Fug,

I just downloaded and testing your equipment with 1.75 Beta. In 1.74.2 player ship always reached the destionation of the wormhole. But in 1.75 there is a chance the player can end up in interstellar space. After the forth jump I ended up in interstellar space and full of Thargoids so Press Space Commander.

And I realized sometimes the wormhole is created in a position outside of scanner range.

Apart from those it is a good idea to save playing time during long runs required for contracts or missions that you need to travel from one end to the other many times. Especially most of us do not have enough time to play the game so completing Iron Raven may take up to a year.

[Mauiby de Fug]

The problem you have (and I see you understand this) is that to be competitive this device will need to be inexpensive, but to 'fit in' with most people's view of the Ooniverse something that breaks a 'Golden Rule' like the 7LY limit must be prohibitively expensive.

This. Exactly my problem!

I've never been much of a fan of sunskimming. Perhaps it's a hang-up from my old days on ArcElite, but I'm sure it took a lot longer to get to the sun there than it does in Oolite. Also, I'm an impatient flyer. I trade to earn enough money to finance my opulent life-style, spending money on fuel and equipment without much thought for the cost. Liberating cargo from pirates provides sufficient funds, if you sell them in the right place. And I'm not averse to a bit of narcotics smuggling either...

As I've said before, any ideas to balance the Ooniverse are welcome. And people don't have to stick with what I eventually decide upon either - they're quite free to modify their own plists and scripts to make it fit better.

The wormhole is always created within scanner range of the witchpoint beacon. So occasionally your ship will emerge one side of the beacon, and the wormhole will be on the other, out of your scanner range. To find it, just head towards the witchpoint beacon and it'll quickly appear.

As far as the Thargoids are concerned, that is one of the hazards of space travel. It could happen when you jump on your own, or if you follow through another wormhole. One of the risks of using a multiple jump device. Although it occurs to me that I haven't checked to see if all the variables are reset properly after such an incident. Rather remiss of me. It ought to sort itself out (I hope), but I should probably check!

The same goes for not saving. 'Tis the player's responsibility to remember to save, not mine, and their choice to take a long stint of jumps. Presumably they would save before starting such a run, and when they docked at the end of it. With the current unlimited number of jumps, it is somewhat unfortunate if they get splatted after the 15th jump or something, but as mentioned earlier, the number of jumps shall be restricted to a more reasonable number.