Tales from the spacelanes...

[Kaks]

How long does an NPC escape pod last in interstellar space? If the player ejects in IS, he lasts about ten seconds (?), then it's a 'life-support failure' and 'Press Space'!

From the wiki, js reference for player:

function setEscapePodDestination(destination)

This method can only be called after the player has launched an escape pod – for example, from the escapePodSequenceOver() event handler. It determines where the player will end up. destination may be any carrier/station entity, or the string "NEARBY_SYSTEM", or null. If it is "NEARBY_SYSTEM", the player will end up at the main station in a random nearby system. If it is null, the player will die of life support failure. (null is the default in interstellar space.)

A nearby system is anywhere within 7ly, the closest systems are supposedly coming up more frequently than syestems further away...

As an alternative the scenario already described, there could even be a story to each 'nearby system' escape: captured by pirates, scooped up by a miner on an urgent delivery to the destination system, etc... and have it show up at the nearest missionScreenOpportunity...

[Cody]

Thanks for that, Kaks.

Next time I see an escape pod jetting around in interstellar space, I'll follow it instead of scooping it.

[CaptSolo]

I left Sori, the last homely world in galaxy chart one, and engaged the galactic hyperdrive for chart 2 and it's unique sector called, "Ramaan's Keep". After several uneventful runs I jumped to Leaza, a poor industrial, anarchy. Despite its relatively high tech level I was on high alert as I exited witchspace. Immediately the scanner was alive with bandits: Two groups of them bracketing an Anaconda convoy and I was smack in the middle so I hit the injectors to put some space between me and the bad guys. Then began the game of cat and mouse. I targeted the biggest ship I could see and blasted away with the aft mil laser. That got their attention as several pirate ships sped towards me. That provided a short breather for the poor Cobby ones defending their mother. After splashing a Mamba and a Sidewinder I noticed the main group renew their attack on the Anaconda so I sped forward, firing fast and furious. That got their ire up as they concentrated their fire on me. I had to inject out again which was my plan anyway, taking out a Gecko in the process. I had a quick glimpse and noticed the Anaconda with her remaining escorts fleeing the scene. All in all a most entertaining series. Whatever alien species commanded the pirate fleet, they must have been frothing at the orifice for having their sport ruined. I kept up the game of attack and run slowly reducing their numbers until the last one was dispatched: A fat Python Blackdog. I stowed the floating cargo in my hold among which were six escape pods. I felt sure the occupants did not enjoy the rest of the voyage as much as I did.

[SandJ]

Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo


I had 5,831 kills. That was some hours ago. When I last saved my game.

I shot up a Search And Rescue ship that was trying to steal a pirate's escape pod from under my nose - so I shot the SAR. Ker-ching! Instant 75 Credit bounty on my head and I'm a Fugitive. Damn! What fool suggested that enhancement to the Escape Pod Locator .OXP? (Oh, yeah. Me.)

So I jump about between two close systems back and forth to clear my name and then need to go sun-skimming to get more fuel ... and I pass a Wasp's Nest.

So I have spent a couple of hours 'milking' the nest of its wasps, going back and forth killing half a dozen at a time. I had got my kills up to 5,976 by this point.

Then I had a great idea: use the injectors to whizz into the swarm, drop off a Quirium bomb, and finish them off.

DO NOT DROP QUIRIUM BOMBS WITH THE INJECTORS ON

I waited a second or so, switched to the rear view, and stopped the injectors so I could watch the party and ...

... saw the Quirium bomb overtake me!

BOOM!

I was the first casualty to the bomb.

And my corpse watched the following explosions as the swarm got blown up. I counted 53 secondary explosions and that was just the ones I could see.

I make that 198 kills I had clocked up from my last save to when I got killed.

Razzle, frazzle, blinking über-weapons, rumble, grumble.

[Cody]

Good tale, S&J... and there's a lesson there. I just had a rather good flight myself:

I boosted away from Celaqula main, heading for a rock hermit out by the sun, which even on torus drive is a long haul with Sensible Sun installed. About halfway out I got mass-locked by a Boa and its escorts, also heading for the sun/hermit. I was just easing past them on injectors when another two ships appeared up ahead… ‘gotta be bandits’ I thought, so I locked onto one and sure enough it was an offender Krait. The second ship was a clean Cobra III though, and they were flying in close company, and also heading for the sun/hermit. Intrigued, I matched speed and followed them for a while… all of a sudden, it was as if the Krait realised that there was an iron-ass on its six… it lit its injectors, came about and headed for the planet. When it was almost off-scan, it came about again and followed me (or the Cobra, possibly) at a distance until it eventually dropped off the scan completely… all without locking-on to me once. Fantastic!

[Cmdr Wyvern]

Alright, SandJ, take notes, here's a little lesson in the use of the q-bomb from the best in the biz.

1. Arm the bomb (duh). Inject a little past the pack of varmints you want to grant extinction to.
2. Let off the injectors, and decel to cruising speed. Even better, cut to half speed. You may take a little fire during this.
3. Release the bomb. Immediately light the candles and haul out of there. Enjoy the fireworks from a safe distance and count the mula.

Easy as pi.

[Switeck]

Or go at normal speed towards the enemy, arm the bomb, inject briefly (maybe 1 second) while facing the enemy, drop bomb, stop injecting, pull up hard, and do a 180 degree turn. If timed perfectly, the bomb will detonate about 10-25km from your ship.

A cobra 3 can drop a q-bomb and do a 180 at the same time and not even need injectors to get away if the enemies don't detonate on the q-bomb explosion almost immediately.

[Cmdr Wyvern]

All very good, but some things I note. Pirates always charge at you, they'll chase after you if you try to run, and they ignore q-bombs. So the method I described above gets pirates to chase after you - right into the blue blast o' doom which they so helpfully ignore.

Thargoids are the exception in that the Bugs will try to shoot the bomb before it blows. But then Thargs will shoot at anything that isn't Tharg.

[snork]

How great it is to have 7 energy units in a ship.

This does not work when status is red for other reasons, like cabin temperature. Then you need to just try the button repeatedly until it works.
(I just had this yesterday, trying to get rid of something.)

Need some BBQ sauce?

No, not anymore, but thanks.
But I did feel like I needed a drink - alas, them buggers didn't leave any ....

The screenshot was taken seconds after trumbles almost killed me (a Python is slow).
Energy was as low as to the last unit and about a 10th of the second unit.



goes to show to never give up - when the shields vanished and the energy units gave up 1 after the other, and the next and the next ... I thought that this was it, but kept trying anyways for the torus drive which eventually kicked in and got me out of the heating zone at the very last moment.

and one bugger even survived all this ...

[Jack_Sterling]

What-ho Chaps,
Sterling here. I've been exploring Galaxy One and having some spiffing adventures doing a bit of trading and, more and more, cleaning up some of the scum out there.
I had a good tussle with a pirate the other day, in a Cobra 3 similarly equipped to my trusty Bulldog One.
He targeted me and approached aggressively, and got very close before opening fire...I could almost see the pilot through the cockpit window.



Our ships might have been similar, but my combat skills, honed on countless Mesershmitts back in 1940, proved superior.
I fired back with a volley of forward laser, hitting him square on the nose of his ship. He turned and fled. I continued firing as he retreated and eventually his sheilds gave out and my laser started hitting hull. I closed in on him as his ship started throwing sparks and could see the effects of my laser fire. Un-protected by shields, my laser was etching lines of damage across his hull.



He realised that he was beat, and ejected, his escape pod rocketing away towards the system Main Station. I'd collect him later.

His ship, now dead and deserted, powered down. The interior and external lighting flickered and went out, and the engine glows gently died down. The scanner Pip turned from Red to White. The ship was derelict now and just gently tumbled in space, a lifeless hulk.



I gently prised her open with the lasers, and collected my Spoils of War, a few metal fragments and a collection of cargo pods, then headed for the planet to track down that escape capsule. I soon caught up with him, scooped him and was happy to hand him over to the authorities when I docked at the main station.

[Commander McLane]

The hull scratches are a nice touch. I take it they are done by exchanging the whole texture on the fly. Almost makes my think over my usual tactics of long-range killing.

[Cody]

Almost makes my think over my usual tactics of long-range killing.

Up close and personal... that's where it's at, McLane!

[Capt. Murphy]

Un-protected by shields, my laser was etching lines of damage across his hull.

Nice laser work Sterling, I am most impressed with your 20th century dog-fighting skills.

If you can Tattoo Sterling was here into his hull with your lasers next time there is a bottle of the finest lethal brandy in it for you.

[Davidtq]

A week or so ago I decided to try my hand at an iron man game, got myself to a couple of hundred thousand credits and a fair stab at an iron ass and had the constrictor mission, managed to toast a SAR moray from the escapepod locator oxp when a bit over excited in a fur ball picking up a fugitive tag, which got whittled down to offender a couple of jumps later, had a nice profitable run in to tionisla, picked up a couple of pirates not far from the station, dealth with them, but had minimal shields remaining, got buzzed by a viper close to the station resulting in no docking computers and lasers to dodge whilst attempting a full injector docking dodging two ships in the bout - station lane, with a moray right at the entrance, just as I get there the moray pulls up straight into my path just as my wife chooses that second to enquire about a bottle of water. Tionisla Station got a impromptu gold and platinum coating. Press Space Commander...

The bottle of water my wife was enquiring about the whereabouts of, she had finished last night and forgotten about I went and fetched her a new one. Twice Ive tried Ironman games Twice Ive died to RL distractions, last time was a postman ringing the door bell...

[Commander McLane]

These types of certain deaths can be avoided by hardwiring the location of the 'P'-key into your right hand's mechanic memory. Myself I got into the habit of unconsciously hitting 'P' whenever something outside the computer is trying to catch my attention, even when I'm playing something else than Oolite.