Looking ahead

[Commander McLane]

This sounds dangerously like an OXP idea, but can OXPs change the costs of standard (non-OXP) equipment?

Yes, by overriding its equipment.plist entry. However, dynamic pricing is not possible that way. Each item costs the same amount of money all the time (different equipment_price_factors in non-main-stations notwithstanding).

The possible workaround is to subtract an additional sum via script whenever the item is bought. This needs some checks and balances, of course. For instance, how does the script deal with a situation in which the player has enough money for the equipment itself (the fixed price defined in equipment.plist), therefore he can click on it on the F3-screen, but has not enough money for the scripted extra payment? Anyhow you would need a dynamic additional mission screen popping up for explaining the situation and the different possible outcomes.

As an example, refer to the handling of the purchase of a Multipass in Anarchies.oxp. This is done exactly in the way outlined above. There is a fixed price displayed on the F3-screen, and a dynamic extra payment depending on your legal status, with different outcomes for if you can afford the extra payment or if you can't.

[DaddyHoggy]

Rescuing other escape pods gets you a discount? (although of course a surviving pilot COSTS the insurance company money... Eek - a terrible thought - a "Clean up man" - ship fitted with an "Insured Detector" - tasked with eliminating insured pilots/escape pods - to keep overall premiums down...)

[Ad_Astra]

Rescuing other escape pods gets you a discount? (although of course a surviving pilot COSTS the insurance company money... Eek - a terrible thought - a "Clean up man" - ship fitted with an "Insured Detector" - tasked with eliminating insured pilots/escape pods - to keep overall premiums down...)

That's a really twisted, evil idea. I like it.

[Switeck]

Would replacing the normal Escape Pods for sale with cheaper/more expensive ones be possible with a script?

[Commander McLane]

Would replacing the normal Escape Pods for sale with cheaper/more expensive ones be possible with a script?

Each item for sale needs its own entry in equipment.plist. You could use conditions in the entries to make sure that only the entry with the desired price is buyable. That would probably be an alternative to what I mentioned before. The conditions should be based on a mission variable, if that is possible.

[Bugbear]

A tangential idea to what's being discussed - Ooinsure: cargo insurance for when you get obliterated, of course the premium increases if you're Offender, and they don't pay out if you're Fugitive, or get blown up in an Anarchy (serves you right for risking your neck like that)...

Another thought for Oolite 2 - so many commanders have named their ships. Would it be difficult to integrate this into the game? Not sure what use it would be but some OXZ'ers could make use of it...

[Disembodied]

An insurance policy would make more sense ... you buy the escape capsule, but if you want to get your ship replaced when you use it, you should have to pay regular premiums – say, once every game-month or something. The fee would be calculated on the resale value of your ship, with a multiplier based on how many times the player used it. If you have an escape pod, but don't have a policy, then when you dock in the station after ejecting, your ship is ... an escape pod, with no cargo, no weapons, etc. If you want a new ship you'll have to buy one.

There's no way we could make ship insurance commercially realistic, given how dangerous the game is and how expensive the ships are – but it might be interesting to add in some variation which could work as a money-sink, if nothing else.

[Ad_Astra]

An insurance policy would make more sense ... you buy the escape capsule, but if you want to get your ship replaced when you use it, you should have to pay regular premiums – say, once every game-month or something.

The way I always understood it was that your Escape Capsule IS your insurance policy, both in the physical sense of it helping to not die in the vacuum of space and in the sense that you get your ship replaced (less any cargo or expendable equipment like missiles or IronHide Armour).

Now, I'm guessing that just like import/export/sales/duty/trumble/whatever taxes are handled at trading Stations, so are your Insurance Premiums - they just get taken as a fractional slice off the top of whatever sale price you've agreed upon to sell your latest cargo at.

I think that varying the Escape Capsule costs, as per my comments above, is another way for Insurance Companies to not-so-subtly let foolhardy Commanders know that maybe, just maaaaaaaaaybe having to punch out as you watch your ship explode for third time in the last 10 system runs could be an indicator that you are over-stretching yourself.

Ye Gods, I can't believe I'm actually considering creating an OXP...

[chrisirhc]

I've always been amazed at the efficiency of the insurance company in getting a replacement ship of my specification waiting at the station when I arrive in the escape capsule.(1) Would a more interesting variation be that they supply you with some alternative until they can get a ship that almost but not quite matches what you had. This would then be ready for collection at your convenience at their nearest base usually at least 20 ly from where you happen to be.

Would also expect the premium to vary depending on the ship, as well as the commander.

(1) or have I missed a time correction after the escape pod docks?

[Cody]

or have I missed a time correction after the escape pod docks?

The time between you ejecting and waking-up with a new ship can be quite long, and it varies, I believe... check your shipclock next time you eject.

[Disembodied]

An insurance policy would make more sense ... you buy the escape capsule, but if you want to get your ship replaced when you use it, you should have to pay regular premiums – say, once every game-month or something.

The way I always understood it was that your Escape Capsule IS your insurance policy, both in the physical sense of it helping to not die in the vacuum of space and in the sense that you get your ship replaced (less any cargo or expendable equipment like missiles or IronHide Armour).

By "insurance policy" I really meant something that you have to make regular payments on, rather than just one (small) one-off payment. I think it would make more sense to separate the "policy" bit from the escape pod. You could just choose to buy an escape pod: if you use it, it'll get you back to safety, but you'll have to buy a new ship out of your spare cash. If you are also paying the premiums on a policy, though, you'll get your ship replaced.

[maik]

And each equipment you add to your ship would need to increase your premium if you want it replaced, just like you have to have your house reassessed if you modernize or add to it. And some pieces of equipment could actually lower your premium if they give you additional chances of survival, just like theft protection lowers your car insurance.

But honestly, this is all going too far, it is a space sim game after all. Gameplay-wise I'm happy that I get my ship back after I used the escape capsule and it is ok that I only bought it once.

[Disembodied]

And each equipment you add to your ship would need to increase your premium if you want it replaced, just like you have to have your house reassessed if you modernize or add to it. And some pieces of equipment could actually lower your premium if they give you additional chances of survival, just like theft protection lowers your car insurance.

But honestly, this is all going too far, it is a space sim game after all. Gameplay-wise I'm happy that I get my ship back after I used the escape capsule and it is ok that I only bought it once.

True ... I have to confess it doesn't keep me awake at night. It's just very cheap for what you get, is all! Now that the player can be flying a Cr1 million+ ship, with masses of goodies attached, it seems odd that the whole thing doesn't cost any more than it would to replace a vanilla Cobra III ...

[Switeck]

No doubt in a few cases the player's ship can be recovered because enemies quit firing on it when the player bailed out. This may be pretty rare though...
I'd see the standard 1k credits escape pod only giving a basic ship of the same kind without additional premiums.
The whole Escape Pod + insurance business has to make money somehow...unless various system governments are subsidizing it.
But if that's the case, why would they? To maintain trade at all?

[Commander Wilmot]

I would like to request four things.
[*]First, that multiple lasers be added for player ships. (I agree with Mr. Bridges on this one, but think the player should limited to two or three forward laser, maybe at the expense of the ability to mount lasers on other facings)
[*]Second, I think that ship-switching by script and/or read-write values for shipdata.plists would be nice. (This might allow greater freedom in ship-design, a player could be offered the chance to buy a special ship upon the completion of a mission, or could have the option of paying to have his ship improved upon the completion of a mission.)
[*]Thirdly, I would request that the TAF not be substituted for the in-system torus jump drive. I personally dislike the TAF (so I am biased, like everyone else), but I also think it would make the game more of a hassle, even if it worked like the torus currently does and just added the amount time it'd take to normally go the same distance at normal speed, the contracts would have to be completely adjusted to account for the extra time required to get to the station or to the sun.
[*]Fourthly, I do agree that the mass-lock radius should be turned down, however I don't think it should go away (after all there should be some safety regulations on how close to another ship or a station one can use the drive). I think that the mass-lock radius should be 10km. That would allow a strategic element and explain why pirates use fast ships as interceptors. The faster the ship the faster it's torus drive and the faster the torus drive the better the ship is equipped to intercept and force a mass lock. Maybe there should be a cool down time for the torus after a mass lock? Stopping abruptly like that can't be good for it; and that way the player can't just wait until the intercepting pirate ship goes farther than 10km as it burns past on it's injectors, and then bolt away using his torus drive. The player would have to take time to get away to break the mass-lock anyway, and if the npc is a law-abiding citizen he would have plenty of time for the torus drive to cool down.