WIP: Station Variation

[Redspear]

Another cry for help...

I've got 'my' stations appearing where I wish, with the markets I've set for them, but not with the comms I'm trying to give them. These will be main stations, so with standard roles. I've got the description list done with an array of comms but it's not happening.

The AI I've given them is based on station.ai (just a line or two of changes) to try to ensure that they still behave like main stations. However, they seem very reluctant to broadcast anything in either Idle or Seach for debris states. I've matched the AI name in the shipdata.plist, so that should be in order.

So, are there any special requirements for comms messages from main stations?
And/or if I need to turn it into a .js file is there any advice for otherwise keeping the standard main station behavior?

Thanks in advance.

P.S. I realise that hoopy casinos and the black monks do similar but not as main stations.

[Cody]

Cim's  Comms Pack A has main stations saying stuff - any clues in there?

[Redspear]

That's gotta be worth a look...

Thanks Cody.

[Redspear]

Building on ideas from my first post on these boards: https://bb.oolite.space/viewtopic.php?f= ... 6&p=203932

Essentially:

• Unique stations for each inhabitant group (i.e. birds, felines, frogs etc.)
  Unique markets for those systems based on inhabitants
  Unique comms from the main stations in those systems
  Unique vipers for such systems (and potentially planet to station traffic)

I've had a version of this running for ages but with new comms messages and markets there may be something suitable for release in the not too distant...



Some of the stations may be unusable (and need replacements to be made) due to licensing/permissions so these shots are more proof of concept than content (with the stations as placeholders/wish list choices):

[Disembodied]

Nice! Would it be worthwhile giving the stations designations other than just "station"? E.g. something like

Human/humanoid station: Station
Feline: Starbase
Frog: Starport
Rodent: Orbital
Lobster: Anchorage
Lizard: High Harbour
Insect: Hive
Bird: Nest

[Redspear]

Thanks!

Yeah, there's a bit of that going on in the images above but they're still 'placeholder'.
'Nest' and 'hive' are a bit to specific to my mind (i.e. nest for breeding, hive 'visitors' are only slaves/raiders/food), likewise 'colony' or 'den'.

'Star Port' and 'Orbital' are already in there and I like 'Anchorage'
There will be others, maybe 'Hub Station', 'Aquadome', 'Pyramid', 'Haven'; we'll see.
'Starbase' is generic enough for my take on humanoids. More thinking to do on this...

Appreciate the input.

[Disembodied]

Yes, I think you're right about "nest" and "hive". "Haven" is good, though. How about (not for any species specifically - just for more variation generally)

Highport
Uplanding
Exchange
Mercantile

[Day]

I like this WIP! It would be an owp I would install asap

[Redspear]

I like 'Mercantile' could be good and I like 'exchange'.

Keep 'em coming

@Day: Thanks! It's coming along nicely, I just need more time to work on it and then try to charm a few station 'owners' into letting me borrow some of their work. If not, then it's off to Wings3D I go

[Day]

@Redspear: take your time

[Redspear]

@Redspear: take your time

Thanks Day. With the rescale stuff going on, I might have to

[Redspear]

@Redspear: take your time

Thanks Day. With the rescale stuff going on, I might have to

Did I ever...

So close to getting the programming part of this done now.

Because the licensing could be tricky however, I've tried to make a base oxp that would cover most of the system elements on it's own (without including the more memory hogging station models).

Here's where I'm stuck:

Currently trying to get a script to reference a description.plist that contains all of the relevant comms for each station inhabitant type. Unfortunately the script is not recognising the comms groups in the way that an AI would (and indeed did in the picture examples above).

How do I tell it to look in the relevant .plist file OR should I instead be listing them all within the script itself?
Given that I don't yet know how to do the latter, I'd rather avoid it but...

Doing it by AI was easy (with a simple little delay check) but that would suggest packaging it up with the relevant model and I'm trying to avoid that just now for the reason I explained above.

Any help gratefully received. Thanks.

[Cholmondely]

Well I've certainly got more plans for this one as I seem to be gaining some traction in 'update mode' lately.

v1.3 is currently being tinkered with and, if I can get it to behave, then it should combine nicely with the long in the works station variation oxp... and if my current productivity lasts a while longer then that might even be released too!

Redspear - you might like to look at Massively Locked's work on Life in the Frontier (currently up to .04). BeeTLe BeTHLeHeM had ideas about varying the stations regarding politics & species which we may eventually be able to implement. It might make sense to co-ordinate activities.

[Redspear]

Redspear - you might like to look at Massively Locked's work on Life in the Frontier (currently up to .04). BeeTLe BeTHLeHeM had ideas about varying the stations regarding politics & species which we may eventually be able to implement. It might make sense to co-ordinate activities.

Although it's taken me an age of occasional tinkering, this oxp is pretty far down the line of development. Even the early pictures on the thread illustrate a working version.

A big part of the delay was working out what I could, and indeed should, do in terms of influence from each inhabitant type. Markets? Restricted goods? Distinct Vipers? Unique shipyards? etc. etc. It's very easy to either under or (especially) over cook it. What's cool for 5 minutes can be a bore after 50.

I essentially have that, the rest is chasing up permissions, including a request for use of pagroove's tunes from his (?) original version of famous planets but he's not been around for some time it seems.

What I almost certainly will do soon is release a version with two stations that I already have permission to use and then, if nothing else, it will make it easier to ask for permission to use others.

Whilst oxp cooperation is always nice, sometimes the respective author's visions are some distance apart (I'm not sure if that's the case here) and so always the oxp caveat of choice (and licence to tinker) applies.

[Cholmondely]

Redspear - you might like to look at Massively Locked's work on Life in the Frontier (currently up to .04). BeeTLe BeTHLeHeM had ideas about varying the stations regarding politics & species which we may eventually be able to implement. It might make sense to co-ordinate activities.

Although it's taken me an age of occasional tinkering, this oxp is pretty far down the line of development. Even the early pictures on the thread illustrate a working version.

A big part of the delay was working out what I could, and indeed should, do in terms of influence from each inhabitant type. Markets? Restricted goods? Distinct Vipers? Unique shipyards? etc. etc. It's very easy to either under or (especially) over cook it. What's cool for 5 minutes can be a bore after 50.

I essentially have that, the rest is chasing up permissions, including a request for use of pagroove's tunes from his (?) original version of famous planets but he's not been around for some time it seems.

What I almost certainly will do soon is release a version with two stations that I already have permission to use and then, if nothing else, it will make it easier to ask for permission to use others.

Whilst oxp cooperation is always nice, sometimes the respective author's visions are some distance apart (I'm not sure if that's the case here) and so always the oxp caveat of choice (and licence to tinker) applies.

What we'd need to know is what you are "adding" to your various stations so that we can see about working it all in (immigration control offices - they can go in Massively Locked's new Govt Offices, arenas for competitive breeding events, an adumbrated supply of vat-grown legs with suitable storage, etc.) And I have a feeling that ML might even be able to tweak the architecture so that this stuff does not show unless SV is loaded, to keep your surprises a surprise, if such is your wont. But we need to natter with him first.

Our elusive Famous Planeteer might be easiest contacted through his music websites.