last update 6th march, 2015
With the
Including collaborations and re-makes I have 24 OXPs which are listed here on my wiki page. Some are going to be much easier than others to convert, and some may not be converted at all, which is the reason for this post. I'm hoping for a bit of feedback to help me make some decisions, some of which are going to be difficult. Here are my thoughts so far.
Straight-forward conversion to OXZ format:-
(These will be done ASAP)
Aliens - Now converted to OXZ
Contractor - Now converted to OXZ
Cup of Tea - Now converted to OXZ
Delightful Docking - Now converted to OXZ
ExtraFuelTanks [- Now converted to OXZ
GalDrivePod - Now converted to OXZ
TOGY Memorials - (Done but waiting for main TOGY OXP to be converted to OXZ)
Teretrurus v2.0 - Now converted to OXZ
YellOo Cabs - Now converted to OXZ
Conversion to OXZ anticipated but will need extra work:-
(Work and time needed, so conversion could take some time)
Clippers - Provisionally converted to OXZ - graphics/HUD update pending
Combat HUD - Now converted to OXZ
BattleDamage - Now converted to OXZ
Better Screens - Now converted to OXZ
Giant Space Pizza - Now converted to OXZ
Star Jelly - Now converted to OXZ
Xeptatl's Sword (Major overhaul now underway by spara)
Collaborations:-
Liners - Thargoid has now 'adopted' this project and has done/is doing the conversion. Now converted to OXZ
Chopped Cobra - This is really Staer 9's baby, but I have some interest in it and host the OXP. Staer 9 seems to be MIA, so if/when I get time I will try to look at this. It should not be a massive job.
OXPs that will not be converted. :-
Accessories
No longer maintained or supported. Now redundant as the new default items are as good or better.
Cloak Repair
No longer needed as all Cloaks are repairable in v1.79/1.80
Jellybaby Dispenser
This one has had its day, I'm afraid, and will not be converted. No longer maintained or supported, this will remain available as an OXP for now,
Smivs'Shipset
No longer maintained or supported. Effectively replaced by The Classic Ships
ToughGuys
No longer maintained or supported. This OXP has been very hard to maintain as it has to work with so many combinations of shipsets, and development as a 1.8 OXZ is unlikely. Cim's 'Skilled NPCs' does much of what TG does, and would therefore be a worthy choice for those wanting a harder life in the future.
WonderWorm
I do not consider this OXP as suitable to be offered via the Expansions Manager on grounds of responsibility.
No longer maintained or supported, this will remain available as an OXP for now.Original post:-
Accessories and Smivs'Shipset:-
Yes, two of my most popular OXPs with approaching 5000 downloads between them, but I really don't know what to do with these in the longer term.
My feeling is that with the new improved default ships, demand for re-texture sets will fall dramatically and that the non-shader sets will be worst hit. To update these OXPs would be a lot of work, but take-up is likely to be much lower than with previous versions of Oolite and so I have to ask myself whether it is worth the effort. The existing OXPs will continue to work, but in truth it is unlikely that they would be actively maintained or developed. However I am reluctant to just let them die a natural death.
I know many people like the styling and the fact they are brighter and much more visible than other shipsets (including the new default set), and the visible damage feature does also seem very popular. Also, like myself, many of you also seem to like the shapes because they are very close to the original Elite shapes. A bit of nostalgia.
One option I am considering is to merge both OXPs back into one 'unified' set which would replace all the standard ships and objects in 1.79/1.8 giving players the option of returning to the 'classic' shape ships. This would probably be called the 'Classic Gold Shipset'.
These would be based on the skins from the current OXPs, but these would be made less fussy and a bit more neutral to give a broader appeal. I would take more inspiration from the current default set in terms of colours and any detail styling to more closely mimic the look of the current default ships but without the pastels and with improved and more realistic detailing.
Also, although these will be designed pricipally as a non-shader set, they would gain normal and specular mapping to bring them alive on shader-capable computers.
The ships would look great on non-shader hardware but would also look excellent on higher-end machines. It would incorporate an improved version of the visible damage feature, and the extra variants that feature in the current Smivs'Shipset. And perhaps most importantly it would keep the original ship shapes alive for those who like them.
This would involve a great deal of work (as I would be more or less starting from scratch) and clearly would not be a quick job, particularly if the visible damage feature and integration with an updated BattleDamage OXP is needed.
So I'm looking for thoughts, comments and feedback to give me some hints as to what you might want - would there even be a demand for a set as described above? Is that what you'd want or would I do better keeping things more as they are? Are there features that are un-necessary, or features that you would like to see? And are the proposed upgrades/changes to my other OXPs in line with what the community wants? Please let me have your thoughts.
Thanks,
Smivs
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