Energy bombs and salvage yards

[xzanfr]

Firstly, 1.77 is fantastic! - the AI, look of the weapons and mission screens are a huge leap up and really add to the game - well done and thanks to all those involved

I've been playing the current oolite (1.77) with the excellent anarchies (version 2.8, I think).
Today I flew to a salvage gang where I was offered an energy bomb. I bought this, flew off and promptly got attacked by a gang of pirates. No one else was on the scanner so I hit <tab> but nothing happened! (I ended up having to do it properly )
I was wondering if one of the following happened:
1. although offered, the <tab> key or the energy bomb is hard wired out of 1.77.
2. I was sold a dud.
3. I somehow screwed up buying it.

I don't want to wade in to the energy bomb discussion - its no longer there in 1.77 and if I wanted it really badly I'd download the oxp however I think that its the sort of thing that the salvage gang could be selling - I've added it in to my mental canon as a banned weapon that the salvage gang have taken from an old vessel.
I'm also happy if I've bought a dud - as I feel that its my own fault for buying dodgy second hand equipment!
I'd just like to know if the point 1 is true and if anyone else feels like me that the energy bomb should be enabled for salvage gang purchase.

Cheers

Gary

[Zieman]

The Bomb might be primable equipment now.

Or did it disappear from your manifest when you hit TAB ?

[xzanfr]

The Bomb might be primable equipment now.

Or did it disappear from your manifest when you hit TAB ?

Hi Zieman.
I bought it pretty quickly then left the station - to be honest I didn't check that it was in my ship (f5) until after I'd pressed <tab> when I noticed it wasn't there.
I'll have a go at recreating this again and report back with some more substantial information.

[JazHaz]

Hmmm if you don't have the energy bomb re-enabled in 1.77, should the salvage gangs be selling them?

[Thargoid]

I'd guess it's a piece of OXP equipment (the salvaged bomb) which will be expecting the trunk version to be available so that it can award it on purchase (or use, as appropriate). However as noted, by default it's no longer enabled and available hence the salvaged version will be trying to award an effectively non-existent bit of kit.

The OXP probably needs an update so that the salvaged bomb is only available if the trunk version also is present in the game. Not too difficult to do by script in 1.77 with an equipment condition script, but will need to be implemented and will make the OXP 1.77-only. Or it could just be removed I guess.

One for McLane to look at anyway.

[cim]

Not too difficult to do by script in 1.77 with an equipment condition script, but will need to be implemented and will make the OXP 1.77-only.

Well, not necessarily. condition_script will just be ignored in 1.76 or earlier, so the equipment will always be available. But the energy bomb is always available in 1.76 or earlier anyway, so that should work out fine...

[Thargoid]

Even better

I wasn't sure if it'd be ignored or would throw an error.

[Eric Walch]

The way the salvaged equipments work is that you buy a salvaged version. Which is a dummy version of the original. Than, after purchase it is replaced with its original by script. But there it will go wrong in 1.77 that can't award the energy bomb.

It is difficult to fix in an compatible way. Anarchies could add a script to the bomb to make it only available on salvage stations and not on the main stations. But if (hypothetical) feudal stations does the same for feudal stations, we have a conflict.

So the best way for anarchies would be to check on startup if the bomb is available. If not, disable its own salvaged version. (Or do a check for availability in the equipment script of the salvaged equipment). That way there are no compatibility issues. And when the player or an other oxp restores the energy bomb, the salvage station can offer it also.

[xzanfr]

It has just happened again and this time I remembered to take notes!
1. The energy bomb is offered for 675 Cr
2. I clicked on it to buy - the money was taken from my account and time added to the clock for fitting.
3. I checked my ship and it is not there.
4. The energy bomb is still offered for sale.
5. I checked again once I had landed at the main station and it was still not there.

The following is from the log which seems to explain what has happened:

Code: Select all

15:17:01.386 [script.javaScript.exception.ooliteDefined]: ***** JavaScript exception (Anarchies 2.8): Error: Ship.awardEquipment: Invalid arguments ("EQ_ENERGY_BOMB") -- expected equipment type.
15:17:01.386 [script.javaScript.exception.ooliteDefined]:       ../AddOns/Anarchies2.8.oxp/Scripts/anarchies.js, line 657.

[Commander McLane]

Thanks for the report. The log shows that Thargoid's diagnosis was spot on.

One to fix for the next Anarchies version. Until then, just ignore the offer and don't buy the salvaged bomb anymore.