The Assassins Guild OXP - Beta

LittleBear · Post by **LittleBear** » Fri Oct 20, 2006 9:50 pm

TGHC: Arberi isn't a system I pracked with in the OXP, so I think thats just the usual Oolite code: somtimes there's just no ships for sale. Glad to know you survived the rodent onslaught! A mission of a feline nature should be available soon.....

TGHC · Post by **TGHC** » Sat Oct 21, 2006 10:35 am

I've just completed the mission at Beatle, and no bugs or flaws found.

Have now been upgraded from a dangerous thug to a seasoned killer! The police kraits are not too tricky, it's just the sheer numbers of them and boy do they pack a punch when they all go for you, quick reactions and thinking required throughout this mission. Finding the mark and using the right strategy is tricky too, it certainly keeps you on your toes. There were times when my scanner was lit up and flashing like Las Vegas.

Brilliant work so far, and if that was mission 4 then with so many more to go and the difficulty level racking up I'd better take some steroids to beef up my keyboard fingers, this is a game all in itself.

TGHC

LittleBear · Post by **LittleBear** » Sat Oct 21, 2006 11:48 am

I have put up a new Beta version which has a different Assassins.png. Maybe this will work on the Mac!

Could a Mac Users test the images in game, though so I know whether it is just this one or any others that cause problems. The save game is set so that the first briefing comes about 30 seconds after the Commander is loaded. Normally, you would see the victim1.png, but if you change the name in the script, you could test each image quickly.

Open up the OXPs script and you'll see the first segment starts like this:-

Code: Select all

{ 
	"assassins" = ( 
		{ 
			conditions = ("galaxy_number equal 6"); 
			do = ( 
				{ 
					conditions = ("dockedAtMainStation_bool equal YES"); 
					do = ( 
						{ 
							conditions = ("mission_assassins undefined", "score_number greaterthan 199"); 
							do = ( 
								"setMissionImage: victim1.png", 
								setGuiToMissionScreen,

If you change the setMissionImage: to Assassins.png / redhand.png / etc this will enanble you to quickly test the OXPs images on the Mac.

sharkus · Post by **sharkus** » Sat Oct 21, 2006 4:06 pm

LittleBear,
Downloaded the latest beta about 10 mins ago, am testing the images. Have got a fair few crashes, will report back in about 15 mins with what I've found.

sharkus · Post by **sharkus** » Sat Oct 21, 2006 4:34 pm

OK, here are initial findings:

The following png files display without crashing Oolite:
redhand.png
mafia.png
victim1.png

All the other png files will cause Oolite to crash when it tries to display the image. I have saved individual crash logs for each of the crashes, let me know if you want them.

I think I've found a solution as well. If I open the png files in photoshop and make sure they are RGB (Image -> Mode -> RGB) and also 16 bits/channel (Image -> Mode -> 16 Bits/Channel) then save as PNG with Interlace set to None, then they will display in Oolite.

The downside is the files are slightly larger, but they do seem to work for me.

I've just looked at the files in GraphicConvertor and it tells me the files are 32 Bit/Channel, however Photoshop does not do this, the 32 bit option is actually greyed out.

LittleBear · Post by **LittleBear** » Sat Oct 21, 2006 4:38 pm

Could you e-mail me over those versions for all the OXPs images?

(My e-mail is [email protected])

As long as these work on the PC, then I could upload a new beta that will work on both PC and Mac.

EDIT : I think I know why the other PNGs are causing the Mac to crash. Ramon did the victim1.png (and being a graphic artist probley used some quality programe to do it). Red-hand & Mafia I downloaded from photo-shop. The others I made myself using "Paint". Paint is a crappy little programe you get free with windows!

HueijRevisited · Post by **HueijRevisited** » Sat Oct 21, 2006 5:06 pm

LittleBear, there is a great free graphics program out there, called GIMP. I haven't used it myself but the reviews are great. No more Paint!

http://www.gimp.org/

Hope this helps.

sharkus · Post by **sharkus** » Sat Oct 21, 2006 5:07 pm

Email sent

I did noticed that when opened in Photoshop that some of the images were using the Indexed format and the majority used RGB. I also noticed that victim1 had a transparent background whereas all the other images had a black background.

Anyway, email with attached file has been sent. Any problems, let me know.

For completness, system tested on was a 17" Core Duo Intel iMac (Early 2006) with 1.5GB RAM running Mac OS X 10.4.8 (build 8L2127)

LittleBear · Post by **LittleBear** » Sat Oct 21, 2006 6:50 pm

Thanks to Sharkus, the problem that caused the Mac to crash when displaying some of the Images is fixed!

I've uploaded a new Beta (v4) which has uses a version of the Image files, which works on both the PC and Mac.

The link is at the bottom of my posts.

sharkus · Post by **sharkus** » Sat Oct 21, 2006 6:57 pm

Glad to help out

Have downloaded and installed B4 and am off to play, will report back any problems I find.

sharkus · Post by **sharkus** » Sun Oct 22, 2006 2:29 am

I have noticed one odd thing with the OXP. I've completed the first mission and have jumped to the Esrire system and gone looking for the station, which I found after a long while

However, I've noticed NPC ships just standing still in space outside the station. There were also some cargo pods just sitting there too so I went to scoop them and normally when you're stationary near a pod then your scoop will pick it up. This did not happen, the sound for the scooping occurred but the pod was not picked up until I moved off a little.

I've tried docking with the station and granted my technique leaves lot to be desired, but I've not managed to dock without crashing into the station and thus ending the game. I've tried docking at other stations and don't seem to have a problem.

I've also noticed near the station that close stars, the ones you'd see fly past when piloting the ship seem to shimmer, very much like the effect seen in star trek when up close to a cloaked vessel.

I think these things could all be related.

Anyone else seen this?

LittleBear · Post by **LittleBear** » Sun Oct 22, 2006 9:59 am

The frozen ships by the station is an occasional DockingAI bug in Oolite, rather than somthing to do with the OXP. Not sure why cargo pods should be around though. Take it you mean the station by the main planet, not the one near the Gas Giant?

I havn't done anything to change the Main Station (just added a Dodec near the Gas Giant, the Giant itself, the nebula and changed the inhabitants and description on the F7 screen), so I don't know why it should be hard to dock. Could just SHIFT-D in!

The shimmering is down to the OXP (and is meant to happen!). This is being caused by the sky_blurs that are adding the clouds and space dust to make the nebula effect. Puzzeled by those cargo pods, as I haven't added any ships to this system.

TGHC · Post by **TGHC** » Sun Oct 22, 2006 11:45 am

I've had a few ghost cargo pods that won't scoop or be shot at, but I don't think that is unique to this OXP, I'm on the Thargoid attack mission now and have found some Thargoid Robot Fighters difficult to scoop, they start ok but very often lose "traction" even when very slow or stationary, normally if you slow right down that finishes the scoop process.

OK, this Thargoid attack mission, is as visually spectacular as the Repair Base mission, typically over 500 objects running and I've had well over 700 at one time, FPS on my Intel CoreDuo 3Ghz drops from 60+ to about 30 ish, not sure how slower pc's will handle this, I'll try it on one of the old office pc's next week.

I'm not sure where this mission is going at the moment I'm helping defend against the attack and these Thargoid warships don't behave the same, some spawn robot fighters, but die easily, some don't spawn, but need full bursts of military lasers, front then aft and then front again to kill the blighters. A couple of times there were pairs of warships dueling with each other, great fun to watch but it looked like handbags at dawn untill I joined in! I've killed so many now, but they keep coming back after docking and relaunching, this is one kick ass mission, I'm assuming I just need to keep killing them off untill their numbers diminish.

LittleBear you are one mean twisted commander, I love this OXP so far, and not even half way yet you sadist

LittleBear · Post by **LittleBear** » Sun Oct 22, 2006 11:59 am

The Thargoid Invasison is going to form the Backdrop to the next hit. The Invasion itself is sort of a "sub-mission", you can help your speices, but the Bugs can't (yet) be defeated permenatley. It's going to need more than you and Special Branch to stop them! Now if only the Navy got involved with some type of new weapon....

The reason you get two types of Thargoids is because some are Oolite Thargoids (and will include Hertics new Thargoids if you play with his OXP in). These attack the Main Station, and later on will start attacking ships near the w/s becon and in the Space Lanes.

The ones near the OXP station are my own creation (although they look the same). This is because I don't want the bugs to do your job for you when the Mark appears. If I used normal thargoids, they'd be quite likley to blast the Mark away before you arived. These Thargoids therefore have a special AI. Some are ordered to attack the Special Branch Base, some attack Special Branch Mega Asps and some attack the player and all other ships (except the Mark). To stop the Bugs getting their asses kicked by the Special Branch Asps, these special bugs have their energy and rechage rate boosted to the same levels as a Special Branch Mega Asp!

Make a few hyperspace jumps and the Guild will be in contact with the name of the Mark. Once this happens, he be about at Geteve.

The inter-bug warfare is a factor of Heretics OXP. Thargoids are told in their AI to attack anything that is does not have the role "Thargoid". Heretics escort Thargoids don't have the role Thargoid! Also every ship in Oolite will defend itself against attack. Because of the number of bugs at Geteve, "friendly fire" incidents between attacking bugs can happen.

The "newbugs" by the OXP station don't carry Thargons. As a Thargon's AI tells it to attack non-Thargoids, if they did the Thargons would attack the newbugs!

sharkus · Post by **sharkus** » Sun Oct 22, 2006 2:03 pm

LittleBear wrote:
The frozen ships by the station is an occasional DockingAI bug in Oolite, rather than somthing to do with the OXP. Not sure why cargo pods should be around though. Take it you mean the station by the main planet, not the one near the Gas Giant?

I havn't done anything to change the Main Station (just added a Dodec near the Gas Giant, the Giant itself, the nebula and changed the inhabitants and description on the F7 screen), so I don't know why it should be hard to dock. Could just SHIFT-D in!

The shimmering is down to the OXP (and is meant to happen!). This is being caused by the sky_blurs that are adding the clouds and space dust to make the nebula effect. Puzzeled by those cargo pods, as I haven't added any ships to this system.

OK, docking bug not the OXP, that's fine.

I was talking about the station by the Gas Giant, didn't notice another one by the planet, assumed that perhaps the guild's station might be seculuded away, hence the station being near the gas giant. As it stands, the Gas Giant station won't let me auto dock, says it could not obtain instructions from the station, plus the green "S" does not appear when you're in proximity of it. Perhaps this dodec isn't meant to be docked with? Would not surprise me if I'm being silly

Shimmering is ok, just wondered if it was related.