[Test RELEASE:] Interstellar Tweak OXP

[UK_Eliter]

Hi Gimi

I'm foxed by that error, 'cos I don't get it and 'cos it is in code I borrowed from someone else (with an acknowledgement) and which I don't understand properly. But please try the latest test version of the OXP - available via the OXP page - and see if you still have the problem. (Sorry development of this is so slow; I've too much to do these days.)

[Gimi]

Actually, that last error was with version 0.92, and I was not in interstellar space. I'll give a word if it pops up again.

[UK_Eliter]

Well, my OXP does do some stuff in normal space too (though that stuff has an interstellar connection). Please do tell me if the error comes up again. Note also that the latest version of the OXP does (still) involve some debugging messages displayed to the player. Thanks for doing testing! You might also want to note the list of other OXPs that mine makes use (see the ReadMe) - and install a few of those if you lack most of them.

[Solonar]

I started play testing Interstellar Tweaks 0.96. I did about 20 forced misjumps so far. All of the encounters I had thus far were Galactic Navy in various configurations with Thargoids porting in shortly after, also in various configurations. I have not yet encountered other scenarios and have not yet attempted to alter the script to force other encounters.

I have no negative impacts or system crashes so far. I am not seeing anything negative listed in the logs.

Here are some observations I made so far...



I docked on a Leviathan for fuel and when I departed, both Leviathan and I were in the system that would have been the completion of a normal jump.

Docking with a Behemoth also took me to normal space on departure.

Thargoid Gruntbellies and Poet Revenge Frigates from the Extra Thargoids OXP seem to spawn a considerable distance from the start point, hundreds of thousands, sometimes a million, kilometers. Common Thargoids and those from Thargoid Threat have been spawning near the start point.

The advanced space compass is disabled in interstellar space so even with the extended range given to the escape pod locator the compass is useless for tracking escape pods.

The fuel collector seems to not function while in interstellar space.

[UK_Eliter]

Dear Solonar

Thanks for your work/play!

All of the encounters I had thus far were Galactic Navy in various configurations with Thargoids porting in shortly after, also in various configurations.

Ah, I left a debugging switch on. Sorry. Change, in scripts\IST_MAIN-SCRIPT, line 95 from

Code: Select all

this.onlyNavyChance 			= 1;

to

Code: Select all

this.onlyNavyChance 			= 0.32;

Or download the fixed version I've just posted. Sorry.

EDIT: I recommend that you make the following change too. Please change line 86 from

Code: Select all

this.useOverride							= false;

to

Code: Select all

this.useOverride							= true;

I docked on a Leviathan for fuel and when I departed, both Leviathan and I were in the system that would have been the completion of a normal jump.

Docking with a Behemoth also took me to normal space on departure.

That's normal behaviour, and not down to my script.

Thargoid Gruntbellies and Poet Revenge Frigates from the Extra Thargoids OXP seem to spawn a considerable distance from the start point, hundreds of thousands, sometimes a million, kilometers. Common Thargoids and those from Thargoid Threat have been spawning near the start point.

Sometimes the way Interstellar Tweaks works is by shifting the player to an empty area of witchspace and then populating it - thus (largely) bypassing other OXPs. And sometimes, but only sometimes, when that happens, everything elsewhere in witchspace should go away. But only sometimes - and that's by design. For why should everything else always disappear? Still, you are missing out on stuff that should sometimes happen in your vicinity - because of the problem mentioned above (with the 'onlyNavyChance' variable).

The advanced space compass is disabled in interstellar space so even with the extended range given to the escape pod locator the compass is useless for tracking escape pods.

Yes: that's unfortunate. But sometimes you will directly see the pods.

The fuel collector seems to not function while in interstellar space.

Hmm. Are you sure you are not using the hyperdrive (= 'J')? When doing that sort of jump one doesn't pick up fuel.

Finally: sometimes you'll see red blips on the scanner that disappear immediately. I might try to fix that.

[Solonar]

I had noticed there seemed to be a lack of randomness in the encounters so I had already changed line 95 down to 0.25 with a great improvement to the randomness. I will implement your suggested changes and keep going forward with the testing.

As for the fuel collector, I let the ship cruise at normal speed for several minutes and did not observe any fuel collector activity. I will perform this test again after implementing your suggested changes.

I did see tharglets and metal alloys that would sometimes appear flashing red and yellow on the scanner display.

[Switeck]

Fuel Collector needs about 5-10 minutes in interstellar space to gain 0.1 LY fuel even at 100% speed.
(The very few times I've used it there, I used TAF set to 16x. )

Metal alloys shouldn't be flashing red and yellow...unless Interstellar Tweak OXP does that.

[Solonar]

I started using Interstellar Tweaks 0.961 which included the implementations you already suggested. There is a significant improvement with the randomness of the encounters so far.

[Solonar]

With the new implementations on this most recent release I encountered a wide variety of interstellar encounters. I kept the bounty on the captured generation ship for expenses incurred during the test piloting, naturally.

The fuel collector did work using the TAF but it took something like 15 minutes game time to collect 0.1 fuel. It might be interesting to note that I did encounter one derelict vessel. I was unable to leach fuel from it using the fuel collector and salvage drone missiles were unable to access it.

There were no negative impacts, other than the space sickness, no system crashes and nothing negative reported on the logs. I would have to conclude this test as successful pertaining to my test pilot mission.

[UK_Eliter]

With the new implementations on this most recent release I encountered a wide variety of interstellar encounters. I kept the bounty on the captured generation ship for expenses incurred during the test piloting, naturally.

The fuel collector did work using the TAF but it took something like 15 minutes game time to collect 0.1 fuel. It might be interesting to note that I did encounter one derelict vessel. I was unable to leach fuel from it using the fuel collector and salvage drone missiles were unable to access it.

There were no negative impacts, other than the space sickness, no system crashes and nothing negative reported on the logs. I would have to conclude this test as successful pertaining to my test pilot mission.

I did ask the creator of Fuel Collector to make it work with my derelicts; perhaps I'll have to supply a patch with my OXP. As to salvage missile, I haven't considered that. Still, there's not really anywhere to salvage the ship to. .

As to the other stuff: you met and destroyed the captured generation ship? Bravo! Did you use quirium? The ship is meant to have mine sweepers to impede that - although only if you've got a recent version of Extra Thargoids installed. A field missile can destroy the gen ship too, I've discovered - and, if you have some help, it might be practicable to destroy it by other methods (though a lot of missiles might be needed). Finally: did you encounter, among other things: empty witchspace; near empty witchspace; a derelict with an escape pod; bugs and no navy, please? Anyway: thank you for testing!

[Solonar]

Yes, I encountered the captured generation ship. I don't want to spoil it too much, but I had to spend several minutes destroying a thargoid fleet, including mine sweepers. After being sure the area was clear of mine sweepers I deployed a Q-bomb near it and injected away.

I like this tweak so much that I left it installed on my system. So far I have encountered things like empty space, space filled with Thargoids, Galactic Navy, combinations of them, pirates, a derelict ship, pirates, Fer-de-Lance 3G squads, misjumps that took me hundreds of thousands of kilometers away from the witchpoint beacon of my target system, space sickness, and of course one captured generation ship.

[Solonar]

I have observed that the effectiveness of the misjump analyzer seems to be greatly reduced. It may have difficulty or not be able to detect the misjumps created by this OXP.

[Solonar]

I was able to leach fuel from an Naval Raptor abandoned during a Thargoid engagement. I was able to use a salvage drone missile which scrapped it at a dredger in interstellar space. After docking and then departing from the dredger it took me back into normal space, to my destination system. The dredger was then near the witchpoint beacon.

[Switeck]

I have observed that the effectiveness of the misjump analyzer seems to be greatly reduced. It may have difficulty or not be able to detect the misjumps created by this OXP.

The way Misjump Analyzer OXP is programmed, it only detects its own self-created misjumps -- not misjumps created by other OXPs (as seen in a few mission OXPs) or by Oolite itself (such as when your ship is badly in need of repair.)

[UK_Eliter]

I have observed that the effectiveness of the misjump analyzer seems to be greatly reduced. It may have difficulty or not be able to detect the misjumps created by this OXP.

The way Misjump Analyzer OXP is programmed, it only detects its own self-created misjumps -- not misjumps created by other OXPs (as seen in a few mission OXPs) or by Oolite itself (such as when your ship is badly in need of repair.)

Ahem: I think that's mean to be a secret (or riddle)! Anyhow, I've modified my OXP so that it now takes account of it! Thanks for the reminder that there are damage-induced-misjumps, though.