Looking ahead

[ADCK]

Why ships would be docking in the middle of a furball...seems a little strange.

I would think it might be to refuel, reload missiles, or get emergency repairs?

Also they're a good place to seek refuge for unarmed ships. But I think what he was getting at is why would a carrier drop everything its doing in the middle of combat just to let someone dock. Needs to get its priorities straight, the lives of hundreds on-board the carrier should outweigh the 2 or 3 on a standard ship. The person trying to dock should be the one putting itself at risk trying to dock with a ship in evasive manoeuvres. But on the other hand, the person trying to dock may be some sort of VIP.

[Commander McLane]

But I think what he was getting at is why would a carrier drop everything its doing in the middle of combat just to let someone dock.

Because the OXP-scripter who wrote the carrier's AI failed at understanding how AI-writing works and therefore wrote a faulty AI.

Which is exactly why I'd be reluctant to shift responsibility for ship behaviour from the code to the scripters.

[ADCK]

New suggestion: Respray!

I think the ability to recolour a ship in-game (Eg, being able to choose the colour of a ship when purchasing and perhaps an 'equipment' item that allows you to respray) would be a good idea. (Like the Specular key in materials in plists, but with an in-game colour picker)

Also perhaps the ability to choose alternate textures and/or decals?

[Zireael]

New suggestion: Respray!

I think the ability to recolour a ship in-game (Eg, being able to choose the colour of a ship when purchasing and perhaps an 'equipment' item that allows you to respray) would be a good idea. (Like the Specular key in materials in plists, but with an in-game colour picker)

Also perhaps the ability to choose alternate textures and/or decals?

Seconded.

[Staer9]

New suggestion: Respray!

I think the ability to recolour a ship in-game (Eg, being able to choose the colour of a ship when purchasing and perhaps an 'equipment' item that allows you to respray) would be a good idea. (Like the Specular key in materials in plists, but with an in-game colour picker)

Also perhaps the ability to choose alternate textures and/or decals?

Seconded.

Thirded

[Disembodied]

Being able to give a personal touch to the game is always good. I'd like to suggest being able to give your ship an individual name, too. The ability to name my ships always made me unreasonably excited when playing Escape Velocity.

Depending on how this might be done, the game could automatically provide pre-generated names for all ships for sale (which the player could edit, if they wanted to, when they bought a new ship) – or it could be just something that the player can choose to add if they so desire. It should be visible to the game and to OXPs, too, so that text can be generated naming the player and his/her ship.

[Killer Wolf]

Going from comments in the "have your own base" thread, i wonder if it would be worthwhile/possible to make station stock a bit more dynamic? Ie, everytime a ship docks or launches, the station stock is adjusted by a random amount of a random number of products?

[DaddyHoggy]

Going from comments in the "have your own base" thread, i wonder if it would be worthwhile/possible to make station stock a bit more dynamic? Ie, everytime a ship docks or launches, the station stock is adjusted by a random amount of a random number of products?

That would certainly reflect the fact that you're not supposed to be the only player buying and selling stuff!

[CommonSenseOTB]

Going from comments in the "have your own base" thread, i wonder if it would be worthwhile/possible to make station stock a bit more dynamic? Ie, everytime a ship docks or launches, the station stock is adjusted by a random amount of a random number of products?

Great idea KW!

[Wildeblood]

I wonder if it would be worthwhile/possible to make station stock a bit more dynamic? Ie, everytime a ship docks or launches, the station stock is adjusted by a random amount of a random number of products?

That would certainly reflect the fact that you're not supposed to be the only player buying and selling stuff!

I saw an NPC ship buy some stuff the other day. At least I think that's what happened... I docked at a station, there was 2 tonnes of food for sale; I launched from the station; I watched an Adder dock and then leave again; I re-docked at the station and the two tonnes of food was gone. I was impressed.

[Smivs]

That or the station's feral Trumbles.

[DaddyHoggy]

I wonder if it would be worthwhile/possible to make station stock a bit more dynamic? Ie, everytime a ship docks or launches, the station stock is adjusted by a random amount of a random number of products?

That would certainly reflect the fact that you're not supposed to be the only player buying and selling stuff!

I saw an NPC ship buy some stuff the other day. At least I think that's what happened... I docked at a station, there was 2 tonnes of food for sale; I launched from the station; I watched an Adder dock and then leave again; I re-docked at the station and the two tonnes of food was gone. I was impressed.

I'd be impressed if this was true - although - as I said when I was trading just inside the Diso system between Main Station and Constore - the main station eventually ran out of stuff (I wanted to buy to make a profit with at the Constore). That was some time ago though (perhaps v1.72 or 1.73) - perhaps its changed - Would/Could the Devs like to comment?

[Cody]

Would/Could the Devs like to comment?

[The gentleman from the Tionisla Chronicle waits patiently for the Admiralty to summon a spokesperson]

[Wildeblood]

To elaborate: it wasn't the main station (it was a Biosphere), but it doesn't have its own market defined, the market screen was the default one you'd see in the main station. The Adder flew straight back to the main station, IIRC. (I dunno, maybe I bought it myself and just suppressed the memory.)

[ADCK]

Well, I've seen plenty of npcs scavenging before, once saw a cobra mk 1 scooping thargoid drones taking them to the con-store to sell, then leaving the constore and getting more drones and repeating the process (this was after a big gal-navy mission) So I guess they must be selling stuff (or it wouldn't of been able to scoop more) don't know if they buy/sell on the same market we do though.