I'm just getting started on writing an OXP of my own and I'm still sorting out the relationship and "mechanics" of how Oolite does things. I have been reading the wiki sources and studying OXPs but it's still a bit confusing as to how javascripts and plists operate together. But, because folks like you, and others, who take a moment to explain things, I'm getting a better picture.
You would call an empty mission screen with the background picture set on shipDockedWithStation and start a two-seconds-timer for leaving the screen?
But what about other OXPs wanting to show a screen on shipDockedWithStation? - Ah, I maybe know the answer to that: other OXPs should use missionScreenOpportunity, which only triggers after the report screen. But what if there is no report screen?
any gui screen should now display a nova sun in the background. Mission screens should be unaffected by this.
And missionScreenOpportunity is triggered at any time you enter a station, regardless of report screens being displayed or not. If there's a report screen to be displayed, Oolite waits politely for that to finish showing, but that's all...
You would call an empty mission screen with the background picture set on shipDockedWithStation and start a two-seconds-timer for leaving the screen?
I really don't understand what you mean there.
Sorry, I was asking about the showing-the-inside-of-the-dock-at-the-end-of-the-docking-sequence thing. For that you would need to delay whatever gets displayed after the docking rings rectangles and show a nice background pic of the inside of the dock for about two seconds, before triggering the first of the traditional screens. That's to recreate the animation sequence at the end of the docking tunnel which was present in some Elite versions.
I do not want to have a background pic on one of the traditional screens, just right after the docking rectangles animation, and no screen should be displayed on top of that picture.
I have been thinking of this and had an idea but not sure if it could work due to my limitations of how the game engine works.
I know that models in Oolite can be hollow. Ie you could fly into a large hollow asteroid, that had a hole in the side, and just park there. Then you can fly out of the same hole.
If you hit the edge of the hole then you would die.
I used to make models for a game called Klingon Academy using Lightwave.
I did make some hollow asteroids that you could fly into and hide there.
This gave me the idea of a hollow space station. The station would have to be bigger than normal but you would be able to fly inside and then see the cities ect... that were constructed on the insides faces of a station.
I assume that when you are at a certain posistion, ie the station entrance, then the game recognises that and shows the tunnel pattern.
It would be great if there was a large non rotating station that you could fly inside then the 'docking' area could be a platform that you have to 'land' on.
Once you are at this posistion then you get the docking tunnel.
I'm actually surprised that no one has ever made a hollow asteriod or other structure that you could fly into.
It would be a good idea to have the odd hollow asteriod added randonly to a system.
If you were being chased by pirates and a hollow asteroid is nearby then you can fly into it for protection.
Just an idea anyway.
If I could find the software to make models for Oolite and knew how to get them in game then I'd have a go myself.
It's the Rock Hermit from Griff's Normalmapped Ships, but not included in the all-in-one OXP yet (as far as I'm aware). So follow the link from the Wiki page to the individual downloads and you find it.
There's two versions of the rock hermit... if the full texture version slows your machine down, try the half texture version.
I think that's why it's not included in the all-in-one... some people found that it slowed their machines.
I would advise stilts for the quagmires, and camels for the snowy hills
And any survivors, their debts I will certainly pay. There's always a way!
There are no original ideas...and this comment will be going off topic...
There's another thread going regarding creating tourist attractions, eye candy etc.
I had thoughts of being commissioned by one of the systems that had been ID'd as "This is a boring planet" to create some attractions in an attempt to bring in the tourists.
One of these was an amusement park with one of the 'rides' being a 3D maze to fly through. Totally pointless and it would cost 20CR a go but what the hey...(and I was also thinking of lifting some of the images from YAH to decorate the interior - no good amusement park would refrain from collecting advertising dollars on top of entrance fees)
You'd also need a "Your ship must be less than 200CT to enter this ride" sign...
There was also going to be a trumble lucky dip / trumble shooting range...
Sounds like a variation on the concept of Lave Academy and the HQ station in Aquatics.
It can be done, although it may be a little tricky to get the docking sphere in the right place so it triggers when you want it to and doesn't get in the way of the collision detection elsewhere.
Having the dock reasonably accessible would work for the game, but 3D tunnels and such would probably fall over the collision issue unless done very wide.
I'm actually surprised that no one has ever made a hollow asteriod or other structure that you could fly into.
What? The Hacker Outpost and the Salvage Gangare hollow asteroids, and they are a part of Oolite for ages.
However, hollow structures only work if they are dockable. It is impossible to make a non-dockable entity you could fly into, because (repeating my mantra again) Oolite's collision detection sucks. You would blow up and die before you're even inside. And this is a good reason why nobody has made a just-so hollow structure.
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