Recovering "Lost" OXPs

[Cholmondely]

1) Cloud City.oxp by Dr Beeb for Zarece et al.: https://bb.oolite.space/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=5932

Never hear of that one before, thank you for that.

2) Seosu.oxp/Capisastra.oxp by dear old Selezen: see http://wiki.alioth.net/index.php/Capisastra_OXP on the wiki! Seosu is not mapped on Galaxy 4 - but maybe Selezen managed to include it in his .oxp!

This one I am aware of, I didn't touch it for a personal reason, I would probably completely re-model and re-texture all ships.

I have currently several OXP's in the queue for upload (updates and new ones) waiting that I finish Montanas Ressource Pack 01 next release. The code is almost done, but the testing will require some time.

As I mentioned above, I'm posting these here as a matter of record (these two seem quite different from the usual thing of a new-looking station or ship) - and in the hope that you might know a bit about them! Not as an attempt to bamboozle you into doing anything to them.

Do you happen to know whether Seosu supplies the unmapped system to Galaxy 4 where this new species resides?

[montana05]

Do you happen to know whether Seosu supplies the unmapped system to Galaxy 4 where this new species resides?

Not that I know of, the OXP got no new stations or planets included. Could be fun to pick a jungle world from additional planets and make it their home world.

[Cholmondely]

Do you happen to know whether Seosu supplies the unmapped system to Galaxy 4 where this new species resides?

Not that I know of, the OXP got no new stations or planets included. Could be fun to pick a jungle world from additional planets and make it their home world.

Quite! But need to squeeze in an extra system to the 256 hard-coded for the Galaxy to fit in with the plot line.

Unless we can just remove one from the F6 map, so to speak, hiding the location.

[montana05]

Quite! But need to squeeze in an extra system to the 256 hard-coded for the Galaxy to fit in with the plot line.

Unless we can just remove one from the F6 map, so to speak, hiding the location.

Spawn a rogue planet in interstellar space, and you got a hidden one, some (a lot) artificial suns/stations in orbit would be needed for light and heat.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rogue_planet

[Cody]

Spawn a rogue planet in interstellar space...

Be sure to give its station suitably capable defence ships - lots of them.

[montana05]

A warlike race with low resources on the homeworld, I guess interstellar would fit. To keep a tropical jungle world there would require a lot of artificial suns, so the raids got some reasons. Being their only planet a lot of warships would be in the orbit and, trust Cody, you will need them.

[Cody]

If you do opt for a rogue planet in interstellar space, between two very close systems is probably best.
I don't think there are any zero-distance doubles in the fourth octant, but I no longer have the list.

[montana05]

Just had a look at the maps, several systems are close to each other, some at major traffic points. To add some spice the frequency of raids could get lower the more far from the rouge planet the target is. Checking the distance and reducing the random chances before adding a group would do the trick.

Probably the stations from AncientAliens could be used, this would make a spinoff possible with ancient stations lost and hidden over the Eight. Since it's an old race better weapons are likely, no big deal, some of Redspears new lasers could be added. However, new ships are required. Maybe use some existing models and modify them a bit.

[Cody]

The fourth octant is a very strange place, missing four of the eight government types.
When I was doing regular circuits of the Eight, I always hurried through it - creepy!

[Cholmondely]

But...

if this inimical species is based in hyperspace/interstellar space, with artificial stars, surely their technology will be so advanced that they no longer need spaceships looking like space invaders!

I understand that we do have the technology to follow the Montana05/Cody route.

But: Do we have the coding technology to hew a closer line to Selezen's proposal, and remove a system from the F6/7 screens in Galaxy 4 which can then act as the base for the Seosians/Capisastrans? And do we have the coding technology to use it as a base with armadas fanning out from it to lay waste to all around them?

And do we have the coding technology for GalCop/HIMSN/GalCop/Sector 4 governments to assemble a response which the player can then join or lead?

[montana05]

if this inimical species is based in hyperspace/interstellar space, with artificial stars, surely their technology will be so advanced that they no longer need spaceships looking like space invaders!

An old race in permanent conflict on a planet between the stars ? I think they do need to be raiders to keep their homewolrd alive.

But: Do we have the coding technology to hew a closer line to Selezen's proposal, and remove a system from the F6/7 screens in Galaxy 4 which can then act as the base for the Seosians/Capisastrans? And do we have the coding technology to use it as a base with armadas fanning out from it to lay waste to all around them?

All systems are multiple times documented, so I would consider it as not a wise move. We can't add another system as well. I would suggest changing the lore a bit instead.

And do we have the coding technology for GalCop/HIMSN/GalCop/Sector 4 governments to assemble a response which the player can then join or lead?

We could certainly code a response, to let the player join and lead that a mission would be required.

All discussed is possible, it would take some time, probably 1 month for planet, stations, weapons and ships. Creating a mission takes longer and a serious testing will take a while.

[Cody]

Creating a mission takes longer and a serious testing will take a while.

Creating a mission for the player can become a massive time-sink - good luck!

[Cholmondely]

But: Do we have the coding technology to hew a closer line to Selezen's proposal, and remove a system from the F6/7 screens in Galaxy 4 which can then act as the base for the Seosians/Capisastrans? And do we have the coding technology to use it as a base with armadas fanning out from it to lay waste to all around them?

All systems are multiple times documented, so I would consider it as not a wise move. We can't add another system as well. I would suggest changing the lore a bit instead.

But are they? We had this issue with Sori/Ascension, and by the time somebody flies out to the other end of Galaxy 1 from Lave (if they ever do!) they may well know enough about Oolite and the lore to be able to deal with it - or may not care about it.

This must be an a-fortiori truth for Galaxy 4, surely! And how many of us know Galaxy 4 well enough to spot the missing system?

I would argue that the important documentation is the in-game variety - Explorers' Club & GalCop Galactic Registry. Also GNN, New Cargoes, Diplomancy & Smugglers. One presumes that their data is derived from that hard-coded and then .plist overwritten, so it will change with the oxp - or am I wrong?

[montana05]

But: Do we have the coding technology to hew a closer line to Selezen's proposal, and remove a system from the F6/7 screens in Galaxy 4 which can then act as the base for the Seosians/Capisastrans? And do we have the coding technology to use it as a base with armadas fanning out from it to lay waste to all around them?

All systems are multiple times documented, so I would consider it as not a wise move. We can't add another system as well. I would suggest changing the lore a bit instead.

But are they? We had this issue with Sori/Ascension, and by the time somebody flies out to the other end of Galaxy 1 from Lave (if they ever do!) they may well know enough about Oolite and the lore to be able to deal with it - or may not care about it.

This must be an a-fortiori truth for Galaxy 4, surely! And how many of us know Galaxy 4 well enough to spot the missing system?

I would argue that the important documentation is the in-game variety - Explorers' Club & GalCop Galactic Registry. Also GNN, New Cargoes, Diplomancy & Smugglers. One presumes that their data is derived from that hard-coded and then .plist overwritten, so it will change with the oxp - or am I wrong?

Cholmondely, yourself posted all the maps of the Eight and suddenly a system is missing ? Honestly I never tried it, I don't know if it is possible. Adding planets, moons or stations is not a big deal, changing a system, why not ? Just adding a planet to interstellar space is taking some time, not even talking about a mission. We are discussing the creation of an entire race and environment here.

EDIT:
It is possible, and I remember now where I could find the code for it, however I still consider it as not wise.

[Cholmondely]

All systems are multiple times documented, so I would consider it as not a wise move. We can't add another system as well. I would suggest changing the lore a bit instead.

But are they? We had this issue with Sori/Ascension, and by the time somebody flies out to the other end of Galaxy 1 from Lave (if they ever do!) they may well know enough about Oolite and the lore to be able to deal with it - or may not care about it.

This must be an a-fortiori truth for Galaxy 4, surely! And how many of us know Galaxy 4 well enough to spot the missing system?

I would argue that the important documentation is the in-game variety - Explorers' Club & GalCop Galactic Registry. Also GNN, New Cargoes, Diplomancy & Smugglers. One presumes that their data is derived from that hard-coded and then .plist overwritten, so it will change with the oxp - or am I wrong?

Cholmondely, yourself posted all the maps of the Eight and suddenly a system is missing ? Honestly I never tried it, I don't know if it is possible. Adding planets, moons or stations is not a big deal, changing a system, why not ? Just adding a planet to interstellar space is taking some time, not even talking about a mission. We are discussing the creation of an entire race and environment here.

EDIT:
It is possible, and I remember now where I could find the code for it, however I still consider it as not wise.

I do see your point. But.
1) We are talking about an OXP, not the core/vanilla game.
2) We can probably redo some of the maps (if it is that important).
3) We are talking about Galaxy 4. How many people can name even 10 of the 256 systems in Galaxy 4? How many people will notice a missing system? And how many will care, honestly? If they do care, they won't download it - or they won't keep it after they have played through the mission.

Anyway, at the end of the day it is not utterly important. But I am interested in the programming limitations of Oolite and the extent to which Selezen's original concept can be modelled in the game as it stands.

2 thoughts on the matter:
i) The 256 planets in the core code seems to be the issue. If that could be overwritten (as so many things can) then it would be an easy fix (I presume). Do you suppose that the 256 limit is a major one to circumvent?

ii) If it is a major pain in the unmentionables to do anything about it, then maybe we should consider "knocking out" several systems in each Galaxy - delete them from maps, from wiki etc - and reserve them for oxp use. We can then have Thargoid bases, lose races and all sorts of excitement, and it will be so much easier for people to create these.

Would it not be wonderful to have lore (like that around Raxxla) which could then be brought into life. Discovering lost planets! Discovering lost civilisations! Etc, etc.

Edited once: Death to typos!