Neo-Docklights OXP

[Thargoid]

Oh I can repeat it too just by docking and re-launching. I just haven't got a clue at the moment why they're wandering about...

[Thargoid]

OK, I just updated this to v1.01, with a fair number of changes:

• Documentation expanded to include the note about the view position.
• Lights are now spawned on entering aegis and launching from main station, and are removed when the aegis is left and the main station docked with (to stop things wandering about - I think it may be relating to our old friend the script-spawning with badly defined position from what I've seen in the JS console).
• If a ship launches whilst the lights are red, the timer is reset to 10s rather than just carrying on.

I didn't do the convoy launch keeping red, as when I launched an anaconda by console (S.mainStation.launchShipWithRole("[anaconda]") with trunk) its escorts also launched, but the escort count and group were 0 and just the anaconda respectively (even though the escorts seemed to form up correctly on the ship).

But it works better I think to treat the escorts separately anyway, as there should be no reason not to allow docking during a launch sequence.

Anyway download is via the normal routes below.[/color]

[SandJ]

Lights are now spawned on entering aegis and launching from main station, and are removed when the aegis is left and the main station docked with

That has fixed the launch, dock, re-launch problem. It also removes any ideas I had for reproducing the flighty lighties problem. Nice one!

[Thargoid]

Nice one, another bit of ambience - thanks!

There seems to be a clash with jump planner/long range scanner. I just put docklights in and when doing a "jump to system" it does one jump to the first system and stops. If you try again it leaves a wormhole behind (didn't stop to look at where the wormhole was going, though) but you don't jump anywhere. I don't think docking and launching gets rid of this behaviour, you just make a wormhole, but I think it does get rid of the landing strip lights. I removed docklights and jump planner worked okay. Put it back, problem reappeared. Ah, logs, hang on . . . let me have a look . . .

19:18:10.942 [shipData.load.warning.turret.badWeaponRange]: ----- WARNING: ball turret weapon range of 20000 for subenitity of ship aquatics_pirateDestroyer is too high, using 7500.

Off-topic already, oops! There are a whole load of these things in the log. I don't think it's related but in case anyone reads this and sees something that needs work . . .

. . . oh, er, no other errors noted in the log.

Rich

The jump error sounds like our old friend the NaN position bug, which seems to block wormholes working (it has been reported before, relating to both Swarm OXP and the jump planner if I remember well).

I just tested this with Long Range Scanner 0.1, and sometimes it works and other times you fall out of the docking chain with a missile nearby. That is due to the missile (which is what jumps out to make the wormhole) failing to jump as there is a mass-lock (normally the witchpoint beacon) blocking it. It seems quite repeatable, for example if I chain-jump in G3 from Mabelala to Aqualina (aka Ribiara if you don't have Aquatics installed) then I always fall out of the chain at Enata. But I can then re-trigger the wormhole maker and jump again (although from then-on it seems to need to be triggered in every system until the destination).

The v1.01 script should stop this OXP blocking things, as nothing gets spawned until you enter the station aegis. But somehow I think the lurking trunk position/jump bug may be resurfacing here.

[Switeck]

When I have docklights_1.00.zip installed, I get ALL KINDS of ghost ships, ghost stations, and ghost wormholes!
(Anyone else seeing that?)
When they're not installed, at most I have a rather rare ghost wormhole that I can fly through without hyperspace jumping as a result.
I'm using Oolite v1.76.1 and Win XP SP3.

[Thargoid]

v1.01 should make it a bit better by spawning at lower range, but I suspect our old friend the script-spawn NaN position is back again.

[richard.a.p.smith]

What I get is a bit different. I don't have any trouble with jump planner but if I'm in G3 I'll try to do what you put there and see if I get the same thing. Actually what version were you using? LRS v0.1 - I have v0.3 (the Wiki link takes you to that but I don't recall what Okti changed). The only repeatable error I get has been the one with Docklights present where it's not quite as your description but is a bit similar; I jump one system and see what is presumably the ghost wormhole but I don't recall any missiles. I cannot then re-start the jump sequence, I just get more wormholes. The behaviour disappears with Docklights removed and other than that the jump planner is fine. Not to try to dispute anything that's being said, just that the behaviour is different enough to make a comment. Rich.

[SandJ]

When I have docklights_1.00.zip installed, I get ALL KINDS of ghost ships, ghost stations, and ghost wormholes!
(Anyone else seeing that?)
When they're not installed, at most I have a rather rare ghost wormhole that I can fly through without hyperspace jumping as a result.

Within the last few days I have had:
- a GRS Buoy Repair Station which, when I auto-dock, just flies me slowly out of the back;
- a Rock hermit which, when I auto-dock, just flies me slowly out of the back;
- a cargo container I cannot scoop.
I have never had these problems before.

But, these happened in one playing session with DockLights 1.00 (and 61 other OXPs) installed. It has not recurred yet despite me trying, and both the rock hermit and the GRS Buoy Repair Station were created by using the Debug Console rather than occurring naturally. Because I could not replicate the problem after restarting Oolite, and had created the stations artificially, I decided not to report it.

Until I can reproduce the problem, I'm still not flagging it up 'officially', but if others are getting the same symptoms...

[cim]

- a cargo container I cannot scoop.

I've seen that one a few time with Docklights installed. Oh, and an Asp which you could see the sun through.

It wouldn't entirely surprise me if the use of a model with no vertices, edges or faces was exposing some obscure Oolite bug.

Thargoid: is it possible to rework this OXP so that rather than lots of null models with one flasher subentity, there's instead one model with a tiny real model and an 8km string of flasher subentities? If that stops the weirdness, at least we have somewhere to look for the source.

[Commander McLane]

Thargoid: is it possible to rework this OXP so that rather than lots of null models with one flasher subentity, there's instead one model with a tiny real model and an 8km string of flasher subentities?

That's how I would've done it in the first place. A small model (doesn't even need to be tiny) in exactly the same place as the station, and a string of flasher subentities. Or even (if that is currently possible; I haven't kept track of all recent changes in Oolite) just adding flasher subentities to the station after it's spawned.

[JD]

I've been seeing semi-transparent cargo containers and thargon robot fighters that I couldn't scoop but could shoot. It went away after removing the Docklights oxp, but I didn't want to burden Thargoid with a bug report until I'd firmly established that oxp as the culprit.

[Commander McLane]

Thargoid: is it possible to rework this OXP so that rather than lots of null models with one flasher subentity, there's instead one model with a tiny real model and an 8km string of flasher subentities?

That's how I would've done it in the first place. A small model (doesn't even need to be tiny) in exactly the same place as the station, and a string of flasher subentities. Or even (if that is currently possible; I haven't kept track of all recent changes in Oolite) just adding flasher subentities to the station after it's spawned.

Here's a test case (link removed) in its most simplified form. (Green docking lights for all main stations, no colour switching yet.)

[Commander McLane]

Thargoid: is it possible to rework this OXP so that rather than lots of null models with one flasher subentity, there's instead one model with a tiny real model and an 8km string of flasher subentities?

That's how I would've done it in the first place. A small model (doesn't even need to be tiny) in exactly the same place as the station, and a string of flasher subentities. Or even (if that is currently possible; I haven't kept track of all recent changes in Oolite) just adding flasher subentities to the station after it's spawned.

Here's a test case (link removed) in its most simplified form. (Green docking lights for all main stations, no colour switching yet.)

Et voilà: Another test case (link removed) with colour switching. Ten seconds of red light after each launched ship; continually increased for subsequent launched ships.

[SandJ]

When I have docklights_1.00.zip installed, I get ALL KINDS of ghost ships, ghost stations, and ghost wormholes!

Within the last few days I have had:
- a GRS Buoy Repair Station which, when I auto-dock, just flies me slowly out of the back;
- a Rock hermit which, when I auto-dock, just flies me slowly out of the back;
- a cargo container I cannot scoop.

I've been seeing semi-transparent cargo containers and thargon robot fighters that I couldn't scoop but could shoot.

deus ex machina? It's haunted!

Exorcise the OXP!

[Commander McLane]

Here's a test case (link removed) in its most simplified form. (Green docking lights for all main stations, no colour switching yet.)

Et voilà: Another test case (link removed) with colour switching. Ten seconds of red light after each launched ship; continually increased for subsequent launched ships.

Yet another test case (link removed). Now the docking lights have an additional indicator by flashing away from the dock when red, and towards the dock when green.