An extensive categorization of OXPs?

[Wildeblood]

Dockables, add extra spacedocks...
-> in every system
-> in assorted systems
---- Giant Space Pizza
---- Lave Academy
---- Rescue Stations
-> in a category of systems
---> by government type
------ Anarchies OXP
------ Random Hits
------ Commies
------ Dictators
-> in a particular system
---- Tianve OXP
Ambience

Equipment...
-> for easier navigation
---- Planetary Compass
-> for enhancing IFF scanner
---- Auto Crosshairs *
---- Bounty Informer
---- Police IFF Scanner
---- Target Autolock Plus
---- Target System Upgrade
-> for increasing speed
---> of torus drive
---> of fuel injectors
------ Military Fuel Injectors OXP
------ Q-Charger OXP
-> for reducing damage
---- Shield Cycler
---- Shield Equaliser & Capacitors
---- IronHide
---- NPC-Shields (NPC)
---- CustomShields (NPC)
-> for additional weapon types
---> lasers
------ New Lasers oxz
---> missiles & mines
------ Missiles and Bombs OXZ
---> other weapons
------ Railgun OXP

Mechanics

HUDs
-> complete HUDs
-> HUD components
---> cross-hairs
-----> static
-----> animated
-------- Auto Crosshairs *
-------- Laser-ific Crosshairs
-------- Shield-tastic Crosshairs
---> MFDs

Missions
Retextures
Ships
Systems

[Wildeblood]

Following on from my previous post, I'd like to gather your suggestions for a more extensive categorization of OXPs. In the OXP List we were asked to, "Please put your OXP in one category only," and entries are in alphabetical order. The categories used in the OXZ manager were inherited from the OXP List; they are only one level deep, with no sub-categories, and are:-

Activities
Dockables
Ambience
Equipment
Mechanics
HUDs
Missions
Retextures
Ships
Systems
Weapons
Misc

Here, rather than alphabetical order, I'd like you to think of other OXPs that resemble yours and use as many sub-categories as needed to put the similar OXPs alongside each other. Also, for other than the simplest OXPs, don't limit one OXP to only one category.

I don't expect to achieve anywhere near a full list, but if just a few of you respond we should get some idea of whether or not a listing with extensive sub-categories is any more useful than the flat categories we use now.

[Redspear]

A quick effort using some oxps I'm familiar with...

Weapons

• --- Lasers
  --- Variety
  --- New Lasers.oxz

Equipment

• --- Weapons (subheading under this system?)

Ambience

• --- Spot Effects
  --- New Lasers, Zygo Ugo Explosions

Retextures

• --- Planets
  --- additional planets, system redux, system demux, DHS, povray planets

Ambience

• --- Retextures (subheading under this system?)

Systems

• --- Bodies
  --- Additional
  --- as above minus povray

[Lone_Wolf]

I'd change improving Shields to reduce damage and list these there :

Shield Cycler
Shield Equaliser & Capacitors
IronHide
NPC-Shields (NPC)
CustomShields (NPC)

[Wildeblood]

I'd change improving Shields to reduce damage and list these there :

Shield Cycler
Shield Equaliser & Capacitors
IronHide
NPC-Shields (NPC)
CustomShields (NPC)

And also ooCheat, which has a reduce damage option IIRC? See now that's the sort of thing I hope to highlight here. A player who wants a harder to damage ship might care about the in-game handwavium, and reject ooCheat as an option, or they might not care and ooCheat might be a better option for them than something as complex as Shield Cycler. But their purpose is to find an OXP that makes their ship more robust. But in the OXP list, none of the sorting options ever put ooCheat & Shield Cycler together.

Do NPC-Shields & CustomShields actually enhance the shields of NPCs? I thought they just added graphics, but made no difference to game play?

[Norby]

Do NPC-Shields & CustomShields actually enhance the shields of NPCs?

Yes. [wiki]NPC-Shields[/wiki] give a single omnidirectional shield with standard strength (equivalent with 2, 4 or 6 energy banks depending on enhancers), similar with the IronHide Armour of player.

[wiki]CustomShields[/wiki] give forward and aft shields (2x2, 4x2 or 6x2 banks) and have an option in .js to turn off and keep eye-candy only. But if both OXPs are installed then NPCs with military shields will be very strong due to the core add 6 banks to the max. energy and OXPs add 6+6 to shields also. I encountered up to 28 banks in shields+capacitors+energy+armour from [wiki]HardShips[/wiki] and [wiki]IronHide[/wiki] (which is also available for NPCs if HardShips is installed). There is a large ship with about 23 banks (1494 points) in this screenshot.

[wiki]ShipVersion[/wiki] is also a big shield-enhancer of NPCs due to the awarded equipments. Together with HardShips all level 7 NPCs has EEG and ESG which mean an one-shot recharge for all energy and shields. For example after you shot down 22 banks you must start again, which mean 45 banks in total.