About to release a simple OXP for simple testing. .

[UK_Eliter]

Dear all

I've adapted - slightly - some code from the Thargoid / Thargon Threat OXP by 'Arexack_Heretic'. I gather that he's no longer around. Is that right? Even if so, his OXP contains this:

'Created under Creative Commons Licence, as expansion on Oolite, created by Giles Williams (Aegidian). Look the relevant stuff up at http://oolite.aegidian.org. In short however; anyone is welcome to expand to or use parts of this OXP as long as credit is given where due, and as long as not in any commercial enterprise.'

So I think I can use his stuff. I think that his OXP itself contains shaders from Ahruman's 'Freaky Thargoid' OXP - but I can use that, right?

I'd just like to check that morally/legally all is well, and then I'll post my OXP. It adds a 'Terroriser Frigate (Poet variant)' that is: relatively rare; nippy; normally cloaked; and leprous looking. That ship should, rather slightly, redress the Navy - Thargoid balance - or at least the balance, or lack of it, that I have with the OXPs I have installed - in favour of the Thargoids.

Cheers.

[UK_Eliter]

No interest in this then?

[OneoftheLost]

I can't speak for anyone else, but Id be interested in seeing this released. However, I'm hazy on the legality of things. Did you get that solved? I believe the code you are borrowing was before the CCL was added to most OXPs.

If you've got your ducks in a row, then by all means!

[UK_Eliter]

Dear 'Lost'

Thanks for the response.

I've heard (and been able to decide) nothing on the legality/morality of it. So I suppose I'm stuck, at least for the moment. Also, while the OXP works fine - it's a pretty simple one, at least given the borrowings I've made - I'm unsure how good it is. For perhaps the lil' blighters I've created are simply just irritating. . Also, I've discovered that, at least with my OXP combination, the Thargoids actually tend to win (in interstellar battles) at the moment - even without my OXP.

[OneoftheLost]

I guess my next question is what OXp's do you use?

For instance, I myself use Galactic Navy, and things seem fairly balanced without my help. There is one other oxp that added to the thargoid side of things, but I can't remember off the top of my head. Hence why responses may be limited, in my experience at least, things seem fairly balanced as is. Still variety is the spice of life, so I would recommend releasing anyway.

Lastly, I thought I'd throw a compliment here for your Fer-De-Lance revision, I believe we discussed it in another thread and you added an oxp shortly after. That is a great little oxp, and one Ive come to enjoy, so I think you should release this, and then pull the plug if any complaints come up.

[Commander McLane]

As far as game balance is concerned, that depends entirely on your set of OXPs.

In the vanilla game (no OXPs) Thargoids have the advantage in interstellar space. It's you against them, they are in the majority, and nobody comes to your help.

So you may add some military OXP in order to beat the Thargoids. Behemoth.oxp was specifically created for that purpose.

Adding Thargorn_Threat.oxp balances things out again, or may even return the advantage to the Thargoids.

Personally I am playing with Behemoth.oxp, Thargorn_Threat.oxp, and SecondWave.oxp. Battles in interstellar space tend to be epic, and the Thargoids are outnumbering the GalCop forces. They also tend to win, even to crush the Behemoths. Especially the Thargoid Thargorn Cruisers and Battleships (with their turrets) tend to do that. So personally I wouldn't need more firepower for the Thargoids. They are already firmly in command in my setting.

This may be different for people who have Galactic Navy.oxp installed, but I dislike this OXP's entire premise, therefore it has no room in my personal Ooniverse.

As for Arexack, have you tried to PM him? According to his user statistics he was last logged in on February 21st of this year. So I'd say there's a fair chance that he'll respond eventually.

[UK_Eliter]

@McLane: I discover that, er, now, I hadn't PMed him. I've done so now!

@Lost: thank you very much!

[UK_Eliter]

I've had no reply from Arexack_Heretic, so, since the legality/morality does in fact seem clear enough, I'm releasing my OXP. I don't think it will need much testing, but I've put it, anyway, in the 'work in progress' part of the wiki page for OXPs.

The config folder contains a file called '~script'. Rename that to 'script' for some new-style Thargoid action upon launching from any main station.

[Switeck]

These Thargoids seem to run their limited energy/shield quite low using the cloak...and they're not as tough as regular Thargoid Warships from plain Oolite. Makes for an easy enough fight, once you realize they're there.

[UK_Eliter]

@Switeck

Thanks for testing the OXP.

These ships are not meant to be as tough as the warships. For those ships are based on the 'terroriser frigates' from the Thargorn_Threat OXP - and those frigates are less tough than the warships. Still, the frigates - and especially my versions of them - are very nippy. And my frigates have (weak, short range) plasma as well as lasers.

Still: I could increase their energy banks a bit, and/or increase the range of the plasma. On the other hand, I think that, instead, I'll adapt code from Thargoid (the person!) to make my frigates randomly displace themselves occasionally.

[Switeck]

A displace at low energy would be cool.

[UK_Eliter]

Switeck

Is there an easy way of doing that? I mean: is there a way in which a script that can detect low energy, without the detection needing to be built into an AI? Compare the 'this.shipBeingAttacked' routine (which, in fact, my displacement code uses).


EDIT: I've implemented displacement, complete with sound effect, but not (yet) on low energy. If the player doesn't know what the sound means, it should give him the willies - that and the ship disappearing.

[Commander McLane]

Switeck

Is there an easy way of doing that? I mean: is there a way in which a script that can detect low energy, without the detection needing to be built into an AI? Compare the 'this.shipBeingAttacked' routine (which, in fact, my displacement code uses).

Not for the player. The shipEnergyIsLow-handler only exists for ship scripts.

What you can do is check for the ship's current energy in the shipBeingAttacked-handler. That's how auto_eject.oxp works. You can have a look into its script.

[Arexack_Heretic]

Ahoy!

Go right ahead.
There's no need to ask for permission, though I'm gratefull you did draw my attention to your project.

I'm proud to have a 'third generation' oxp spawn from my addition to the 'first gen' behemoth_oxp.
The more oxps the better.

[UK_Eliter]

Marvellous!

Now, you ask in your PM, my dear heretic, for a screenshot. So here are some (albeit taken at a bit of a distance).





What you can't see here is the way the 'poets' cloak and, indeed, displace themselves when their energy is low or - sometimes - when missiled. And there's a little surprise included in the displacement. .