Auto escape pod

[Cmdr Wyvern]

An automatic E-bomb? hmm.... Naww! I think I'll pass, preferring to choose when and where to set it off.

Now an automatic escape pod, I'd whip out the wallet for that.

[Nijik]

An automatic E-bomb? hmm.... Naww! I think I'll pass, preferring to choose when and where to set it off.

Now an automatic escape pod, I'd whip out the wallet for that.

Now that's a bloody good idea!

[Diziet Sma]

Agreed.. though part of my mind wonders, "suppose the escape pod auto-ejects before you get from your Commander's Chair to the Pod?"

[Zbond-Zbond]

"suppose the escape pod auto-ejects before you get from your Commander's Chair to the Pod?"

losing all your cargo is a bit of a nightmare though, sometimes
(fortunate that the "safe" seems to be situated in the escape pod)

so if I shoot up a pod, in my foulness, why doesn't it spout gemstones & bullion?

but then, if shot to pieces, I'd lose the lot anyway.. ..

at present I'm struggling through the infinite journey from an Adder to another ship .. Any Other Ship .. it's very slow, and there are no funds for anything (much) at all

[another_commander]

Split from the energy bomb poll thread.

[Chrisfs]

What's the criteria for it being set off ?

[allikat]

Why not have it start a 10 second countdown every time you get below 1/4 on your last energy bar?

[Diziet Sma]

When you're that low, 10 seconds can be a long time to try and stay alive.. maybe it should just automatically trigger at 2 or 3% of the last bar remaining. What's the trigger-point for the emergency automatic energy device to activate?

[allikat]

Good point.
I have survived (somehow) being lower than that.
I remember finishing a fight with no shields, and my ECM pushed me down far enough it cut out for lack of power...

[Commander McLane]

I think every commander would have to install an automatic escape pod at his own risk.

On the one hand side it may get stalled in the last moment and—BANG! Press Space Commander!

On the other hand side it may happen that your very last opponent manages to land a hit on you the very moment you blast him to oblivion. So you could enjoy your victory and let your ship slowly recover—but instead you find yourself ejected and can only wave your ship goodbye, fully knowing that now your cargo belongs to the next salvager coming along.

Both cases will happen, because MURPHY RULZ!

I may actually make a small OXP tonight, because my RealLife™ schedule has just become much lighter (just sent away some job applications half an hour ago).

[Eric Walch]

It is not scriptable in 1.73. To launch an escape pod we need the new 1.74 command: abandonShip()

I just tested in the worldscript:

Code: Select all

this.shipDied = function(who, why)
{
    if(Math.random() < 0.95 && why === "energy damage") player.ship.abandonShip();
}

However Oolite is not prepared for a resurrection on death and this will not work on death. On screen I still get the text GAME OVER ! (as I already suspected)

And when in fight with a fugitive carried you will find yourself "rescued" on that same carrier as the pod docks at the closest station.

In UPS there is one rare situation were you can find yourself in the opponents station when using your pod. There I scripted it in a way you will dy on launch from that staton

[Commander McLane]

Good to know. So it will be a 1.74 OXP.

Oh, and I don't plan to do it on death. I rather want to use the shipBeingAttacked handler, check for the remaining energy and the presence of an extra equipment item, which you have to purchase in order to make your escape pod automatically.

Therefore my case "Oops 1" would happen if either the pod itself or the new equipment item would be damaged during the battle.

[Eric Walch]

Oh, and I don't plan to do it on death. I rather want to use the shipBeingAttacked handler, check for the remaining energy and the presence of an extra equipment item, which you have to purchase in order to make your escape pod automatically.

My suggestion would than be:

Code: Select all

	if (player.ship.energy < player.ship.maxEnergy * 0.125 && Math.random() < 0.25) player.ship.abandonShip();

because this is the exact same criteria NPC pilots use to decide if they should jump out. This check is also made on every hit on them.

[Cmdr Wyvern]

I recon it could be a buyable upgrade to the standard escape pod, ie you must have an escape pod installed before installing the auto-eject option.

Now how useful it is depends on the player's career path, right?
A trader probably wouldn't see it as useful; he has too much invested in his load. On the other hand, a pirate or bounty hunter salvages cargo from his victims; losing the load isn't a big deal and he can go scoop up some more, if he survives to do so.

[ADCK]

Could sort of be done now, would have to make new version of every ship tho.

What you do is, you make an escape pod as a standard ship, and then add the original ship as a subentity with the same health as the original. The ship would have to completly suround the pod. And the pod would have to have all the original ships stats. It would also mean that you can pilot the escape pod.

That way when your subentity dies, you'd automatically be in an escape pod, with some drawbacks (see lowest paragraph)

And can also have an escape pod on your escape pod, so you can pod while you pod...



Downside is enemies would still be hostile to you after "fake podding" and you pods stats would be the same as your ships stats... perhaps theres a way to lower a ships stats to pod stats and drop aggro after losing the subentity through some serious hardcore coding, but I wouldn't know where to begin.