[Release] ADCK's Bulk Haulers

[maik]

just remember to make it use BigShips OXP or it'll try to dock

On that topic: Yes, it keeps big ships from docking. But it generates so many big ships that I had a Behemoth (which is supposed to occur relatively rarely if I understand it correctly) in almost every system, sometimes as many as three of them. That felt so wrong that I removed the BigShips OXP again...

[Eric Walch]

just remember to make it use BigShips OXP or it'll try to dock

On that topic: Yes, it keeps big ships from docking. But it generates so many big ships that I had a Behemoth (which is supposed to occur relatively rarely if I understand it correctly) in almost every system, sometimes as many as three of them. That felt so wrong that I removed the BigShips OXP again...

Funny, specially when considering that "BigShips OXP " only adds ships with a big ship role and the behemoths don't contain such a role.

[maik]

Funny indeed. I'm pretty sure I don't mix up OXPs here though...

EDIT: I did mix up things. I actually meant deep space dredgers, not behemoths...

[Thargoid]

Eric - minor nitpick, it should be TOO_BIG_TO_DOCK.

Also what about stations which don't have a dock specifically defined? By default they wouldn't allow docking either?

But if that's possibly going in, why not again consider inclusion of the bigTrader role into the trunk populator (using the same algorithm as the OXP one perhaps) and do away with the OXP solution completely?

[Eric Walch]

Also what about stations which don't have a dock specifically defined? By default they wouldn't allow docking either?

By default, even when no dock is defined, it is: (69, 69, 250). Although that might not be enough for all ships. But with a real dock it takes that dimensions and even without a real dock you can use a shipkey to set it.

Eric - minor nitpick, it should be TOO_BIG_TO_DOCK.
.... But if that's possibly going in, why not again consider inclusion of the bigTrader role into the trunk populator (using the same algorithm as the OXP one perhaps) and do away with the OXP solution completely?

I don't know if it is going in. But as it was a simple addition to Oolites code :

Code: Select all

	BoundingBox bb = [ship boundingBox];
	if (port_dimensions.x < (bb.max.x - bb.min.x) || port_dimensions.y < (bb.max.y - bb.min.y))
	{
		return instructions(universalID, ship->position, 0, 100, @"TOO_BIG_TO_DOCK", nil, NO);
	}

I just wanted to try it in game. I was worried that griff's anaconda would also fail as the dimensions that ship were slightly bigger than the dock. But I now remember Griff has corrected this shortly after release as it is just 1.5 meter smaller than the docks height according to the .dat file Anyhow, It will need more testing and discussion before it goes in. Currently I now send the ships away with a sunskim ai, but It might need a new one like the big ship one.

[ADCK]

speaking of dimensions, is it possible to find out a ships dimensions in-game with the debug.oxp or similar? as it would help with the wiki as not all ships have size data in their dat file.

On that topic: Yes, it keeps big ships from docking. But it generates so many big ships that I had a Behemoth (which is supposed to occur relatively rarely if I understand it correctly) in almost every system, sometimes as many as three of them. That felt so wrong that I removed the BigShips OXP again...

If you only have one ship that uses the 'BigTrader' role, it will appear alot, as was the case with dredgers on your PC. It would be like if only the Python had the 'trader' role it would be the only ship you see in space lanes besides pirates. BigShips needs a few ships with the role to work realistically, but as of right now there are only 2 or 3 OXP's that use it, Orisis, Aurora, Bulk Haulers and Dredgers are the only ones I can think of.

Bulk Haulers has a fair amount of ships with that role, so its more random.

PAGroove and I have been discussing merging Bulk Haulers with a few of his BigShips-using OXP's to make a Big-Ships mega-pack. More info on that in the coming weeks.
----
On the subject of Bulk Haulers, I've made an oolite version of the Lifter and Interplanetary Shuttle from Frontier/FFE that will be added in the next version. They'll be used for ferrying cargo and people between planets/stations. (and hopfully one day between the Bulk Haulers and stations too)

[maik]

BigShips needs a few ships with the role to work realistically

Mmmh, understood. So I guess there currently is no property for a ship that defines the likelihood of encountering it? I'll file it as a suggestion.

More info on that in the coming weeks

Yeay! I'm looking forward that!

[ADCK]

BigShips needs a few ships with the role to work realistically

Mmmh, understood. So I guess there currently is no property for a ship that defines the likelihood of encountering it? I'll file it as a suggestion.

There is, but only if there are other ships with the same role, if there's only one ship with the role, it defaults to 100%.

[ADCK]

Some pics of the Lifter and Interplanetary Shuttle (using basic textures)

Click pic for larger view..

[DaddyHoggy]

Some pics of the Lifter and Interplanetary Shuttle (using basic textures)

Click pic for larger view..

The Shuttle is very Star Trek:TOS - and therefore I like it!

[Smivs]

The Shuttle is very Star Trek:TOS - and therefore I like it!

Same thought here. The Lifter is very cool, but that Shuttle is, well it's ugly, box-like, un-imposing, and probably one of the nicest little spaceships I've ever seen I want one!

[ADCK]

The Shuttle is very Star Trek:TOS

Exactly what I was thinking when I was creating it hehe

[tonyhippy]

That shuttle could be the Morris Minor of Oolite!!!

[Smivs]

After getting a bit side-tracked by the Liner, this is my take on ADCK's battleship:-




The armaments include 14 nuclear torpedo tubes, 18 recessed gun turrets and 10 fighter bays as well as conventional missiles.
To give you an idea of the size of this monster, the individual gun turrets are 12m across, about the same size as the main turrets on a WW2 battleship. The WW2 battleship would comfortably sit on one of this craft's 'wings'.

[DaddyHoggy]

I love the idea - but those flat images of the recessed gun turrets look fine from some angles and really not very good from others - is it not possible to add additional plasma turrets to the original model instead?