Looking ahead

[DaddyHoggy]

New galaxy charts... why not? Something like FFE maybe?

A_C proposed additional galactic charts way, way back - c. 1.68 I think...

[JensAyton]

With the likely switch to data-driven galaxies, adding more would be technically easy. The question becomes how to integrate them into the game. (I intend to keep the current eight galaxies distinct, with no official comment on how they relate to each other, and with the galactic hyperdrive still going through them in sequence in the baseline game.)

Of course, building new galaxies is perhaps the dreariest kind of modding I can imagine.

[another_commander]

New galaxy charts... why not? Something like FFE maybe?

A_C proposed additional galactic charts way, way back - c. 1.68 I think...

I did experiment some time ago, but it was more a proof of concept study rather than a proposal and was part of some broader experimentation I was doing with galaxies at the time. What came out of that was that adding new galaxies was doable but not exactly very simple. The thing that impressed me more though was that, after I had a Galaxy 9 "prototype" in the game, I had a very hard time figuring out what exactly it could be useful for and what it would add to the game that the existing eight galaxies could not. The only answer I could come up with was: mission playgrounds, but I think that we have plenty of time before mission saturation occurs on the original 8 anyway.

[Thargoid]

Pocket galaxies? Alien space? ST:Voyager-style missions across one to a natural wormhole back to the others (galactic hyperdrives not being available in the galaxy)? An alternative to interstellar space for where you could end up from a misjump?

There aren't many uses, but there could be a few with some clever handwavium.

[Switeck]

The only answer I could come up with was: mission playgrounds, but I think that we have plenty of time before mission saturation occurs on the original 8 anyway.

This seems mostly true. There is only 1 "Great Rift" and it is in Galaxy 7. Almost all other "unreachable" by normal jump systems are only singles and pairs. A sparsely populated "Galaxy Chart 9" could create from scratch all kinds of special conditions necessary to make crossing it ONLY possible through choke-points where enemies can be (super!) concentrated or require complex missions or very convoluted (mis)jump chains like used to reach Oresrati in Galaxy Chart 8.

[Lestradae]

Other galaxies/sectors? Thargoid space for the Elite pilots ... secret navy outposts ... "unknown" systems to be explored ... alien empires never heard from ... uncharted systems with mining outposts & nothing else ... lost colonies, human & otherwise (pacifistic thargoids? militant theocracies? etc.) ... and so on ...

I think it would/could be a playground for the imagination of oxz'ers (?!) & players alike - not tedious at all ...

[another_commander]

Other galaxies/sectors? Thargoid space for the Elite pilots ... secret navy outposts ... "unknown" systems to be explored ... alien empires never heard from ... uncharted systems with mining outposts & nothing else ... lost colonies, human & otherwise (pacifistic thargoids? militant theocracies? etc.) ... and so on ...

I think it would/could be a playground for the imagination of oxz'ers (?!) & players alike - not tedious at all ...

All this is very nice, but remember that a new galaxy would be populated just as a normal one, with planets with governments, known population types, tech levels, gross product values, main stations of the known types and descriptions just as any other planet in the game. Hardly anything new or unexplored apart from a set of fancy, previously unheard planet names, unless you start plist-editing to an extensive level, which you can do already.

[Commander McLane]

Other galaxies/sectors? Thargoid space for the Elite pilots ... secret navy outposts ... "unknown" systems to be explored ... alien empires never heard from ... uncharted systems with mining outposts & nothing else ... lost colonies, human & otherwise (pacifistic thargoids? militant theocracies? etc.) ... and so on ...

I think it would/could be a playground for the imagination of oxz'ers (?!) & players alike - not tedious at all ...

All this is very nice, but remember that a new galaxy would be populated just as a normal one, with planets with governments, known population types, tech levels, gross product values, main stations of the known types and descriptions just as any other planet in the game. Hardly anything new or unexplored apart from a set of fancy, previously unheard planet names, unless you start plist-editing to an extensive level, which you can do already.

Quoted for emphasis.

How could a new galaxy contain alien space, lost colonies, unknown systems, different empires, if and as long as all systems with their main stations automatically and by definition belong to GalCop??? Which simply is how the Oolite engine currently works, there is no way around it.

[Lestradae]

Other galaxies/sectors? Thargoid space for the Elite pilots ... secret navy outposts ... "unknown" systems to be explored ... alien empires never heard from ... uncharted systems with mining outposts & nothing else ... lost colonies, human & otherwise (pacifistic thargoids? militant theocracies? etc.) ... and so on ...

I think it would/could be a playground for the imagination of oxz'ers (?!) & players alike - not tedious at all ...

All this is very nice, but remember that a new galaxy would be populated just as a normal one, with planets with governments, known population types, tech levels, gross product values, main stations of the known types and descriptions just as any other planet in the game. Hardly anything new or unexplored apart from a set of fancy, previously unheard planet names, unless you start plist-editing to an extensive level, which you can do already.

True, but the default setting for any galactic sectors of 9+ (8+ internally) could be done as an empty template, TL0 no main station systems without any systems traffic, could it not? Empty until some oxz'ers with imagination put something into them.

[another_commander]

In a data driven universe, rather than procedural, I guess the opportunities of what you suggest happening are much better. My previous comments are applicable for Oolite 1.x but we'll have to see how the 2.0 universe design will work out, then we will be able to see how much of this can be realized.

[Lestradae]

In a data driven universe, rather than procedural, I guess the opportunities of what you suggest happening are much better. My previous comments are applicable for Oolite 1.x but we'll have to see how the 2.0 universe design will work out, then we will be able to see how much of this can be realized.

Yup ... and if it is considered now, the chances of such option happening (in 2.0 Oolite) are bigger I guess. I think the whole 2.0 idea is a big & bold step into the right direction. A very creative step, i was happy to read about that after a months-long hiatus from Oolite.

[Kaks]

Talking about wishlists & steps in various directions ( ), I just remembered one thing mentioned ages ago, and that might be nice to have in 2.0 (for wormholes & missions): video cutscenes. I've just had a very quick look & libtheora seems to be very much compatible with obj-c..

[Lestradae]

... one thing ... that might be nice to have in 2.0 (for wormholes & missions): video cutscenes. I've just had a very quick look & libtheora seems to be very much compatible with obj-c..

Heheee ... so we are all going to find out how we look like in RL. Here comes the age of the cheesy cutscene with us in the admiral roles

[JensAyton]

Talking about wishlists & steps in various directions ( :P ), I just remembered one thing mentioned ages ago, and that might be nice to have in 2.0 (for wormholes & missions): video cutscenes. I've just had a very quick look & libtheora seems to be very much compatible with obj-c..

I’ve been thinking about video textures… although I’d prefer a format that can make use of hardware acceleration. And is less, y’know, bad. But then, software patents aren’t an issue where I am.

(Of course, my main reason to want video textures is to be able to put the Fruity Oaty Bar advert on a shady billboard. <NOT MANDATORY>)

[Lestradae]

But then, software patents aren’t an issue where I am.

No software patents in sweden?