Things I Wish I Knew BEFORE Starting this *@*#~&ing .oxp

[Reval]

Cheers. ATM I'm scaling only the Asp Explorer (by 1.5). You're saying that the scaling algorithms will not take care of the view-positions automatically?

[dybal]

Cheers. ATM I'm scaling only the Asp Explorer (by 1.5). You're saying that the scaling algorithms will not take care of the view-positions automatically?

The distance in model coordinates will be multiplied by the scale factor... in your case, 2m in the model coordinates will be 3m in "oolite world" coordinates

[Reval]

I usually offset at the y axis (that's the second number), the smallest amount that gives you enough paralaxe to see the beam, but not enough to make you have to put the cross-hairs high on the target to hit... try 2 (depends if you are scaling the model in the shipdata), and I prefer to have my viewpoint above the gun (yours are below the centreline, there are plenty of negative numbers)

For the Gecko, tried 2 (great), then 1 (also fine). +1 I guess is more accurate (?) so shall keep that. Thanks again for your help.

Edit: I discovered setting the y value to 1.0 right across the board (all ships) gives spectacularly accurate results with the lasers. Been popping tins of Spam left right and centre

[dybal]

I usually offset at the y axis (that's the second number), the smallest amount that gives you enough paralaxe to see the beam, but not enough to make you have to put the cross-hairs high on the target to hit... try 2 (depends if you are scaling the model in the shipdata), and I prefer to have my viewpoint above the gun (yours are below the centreline, there are plenty of negative numbers)

For the Gecko, tried 2 (great), then 1 (also fine). +1 I guess is more accurate (?) so shall keep that. Thanks again for your help.

Edit: I discovered setting the y value to 1.0 right across the board (all ships) gives spectacularly accurate results with the lasers. Been popping tins of Spam left right and centre

Viewpoint 1m over the gun (after the model scale factor) means that if you put the crosshairs in the center of the enemy, you will hit 1m below the center... the enemy dimension you aligned with your ship Y axis (by rolling) would have to be less than 2m for you to miss.

I discovered all of that when I bought a Lira... this is its original forward position definitions:

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        model_scale_factor = 2.0;
        view_position_forward = "-0.5 0 50.0"; //orig
        weapon_position_forward = "-0.5 -12.85 38.0"; //orig

As you can see, its forward optical pickup is almost at the center line, 1m to the left, but its forward gun is 25.7m below... to hit a flattened ship, like most in Ooniverse, I would have to aim way high, or roll so the enemy X axis is aligned with my Y axis.... so I moved the forward optical pickup to "-0.5 -10 50.0", which gives me a bit less than 6m paralaxe, which is fine for manual targetting.

SniperLock, though, was worse than useless

[Reval]

Is the Lira a big ship, then? - Those orig. values are pretty extreme (much more so than mine were).

It seems the maker(s) of the Oolite lightweight ships made 0.0 the models' y baseline, making my job very easy

[Cholmondely]

I have added the following list of helpful OXPs for OXP writers to the OXP howto wiki page.

What have I missed, and what mistakes have I made?

Helpful OXPs for your OXP

There are a number of OXPs which have been specifically written to allow your OXP to use them:

Library: a collection of useful snippets and helpers. Its main purpose is to simplify or unify some common tasks used by OXPers. There are examples of interractions with dynamic maps, music & animation. It also introduces a Personal Assistant Device for the player which can be used for details of people met, medals awarded etc. It also allows configuration of an oxp by the player.
GalCop Missions introduces many new pieces of equipment with wide varieties of use (Cargo Stoppers, Ejection Dampers, Range Finders, Solar Radiation Disrupter Missiles, Seismic Resonance Scanners, Patient Transport Modules etc). It can also help with managing missions.
Diplomancy can be used to make states of war impact personally on the player
System Data Config helps re-organise the F7 screen to squeeze more information onto it

Stations

HD Backgrounds can provide a High Definition screenshot of a station lobby or other such for interaction with the player
BGS can help organise a customised docking or launching sequence (see the Riredi OXP or the Kiota Stations).
GNN can broadcast your news alerts (see how Diplomancy uses it for war & peace declarations). GNN also contains PhraseGen which can be used for randomizing text descriptions.
Station Validator will remember that a station has been destroyed and stop Oolite automatically replacing it on the next visit to the system
Station Dock Control can help interraction with other ships docked at the station
Bulletin Board System can help manage interractions at the station as can the Email System OXP
Ship Storage Helper allows storage of the player's ship whilst doing other things (such as flying another ship)

In-flight

MFD - Broadcast Comms can be used for in-flight interaction with NPC's
Bigships can be used to help with the AI for massive space ships which cannot dock at orbital stations
Montanas Resource Pack 01 contains a number of resources for use (treasures, containers, escape/survival equipment)

Planet Surfaces

Planetfall OXP allows landing on the planet (used by Feudal States for access to the Royal Court, and by Astronaut for space-jumping)

Reference Link: http://wiki.alioth.net/index.php/OXP_howto

[Cholmondely]

What does this mean?

OXP Verifier

Oolite has what amounts to a spell checker for shipdata.plist and other some plists, called the OXP verifier. The verifier detects unknown keys or wrong use of keys etc. It can currently only be invoked from the command line.

On Windows or Linux: Code: oolite.app/oolite --verify-oxp <path to OXP>

On Mac OS X: Code: Oolite.app/Contents/MacOS/Oolite --verify-oxp <path to OXP>

Most mac users will not be familiar to using the command line. Look inside your application folder for a utilities folder. Inside that you will find a program called terminal. Run it to open a terminal window. Now drop the oolite application on that window. That will generate the path to oolite on the command line. Delete the trailing space and paste the following text - including the trailing space- behind it: "/Contents/MacOS/Oolite --verify-oxp ". Now drop the oxp you want to verify on the window. That will again create the path to the oxp behind the last entry. When you select the window and hit the <return> key, the verification will start. It should now open the console program, showing the results.

Reference: OXP Howto



Where is behind it?

I've tried accountname@Fulls-Air ~ % /Users/accountname/Desktop/Oolite/\ \ Oolite\ 1.90.appOolite.app/Contents/MacOS/Oolite --verify-oxp /Users/accountname/Library/Application\ Support/Oolite/AddOns/oolite.oxp.Cholmondeley.Carver\'s_Anarchy-Ships_Library.oxp

and gotten this:

zsh: no such file or directory: /Users/accountname/Desktop/Oolite/ Oolite 1.90.appOolite.app/Contents/MacOS/Oolite

(a drag & drop, followed by deletion of trailing space, a paste immediately after the deleted trailing space, and then another drag & drop at the end of the paste's trailing space, followed by the return key).

And I tried this: accountname@Fulls-Air ~ % /Users/accountname/Desktop/Oolite/\ \ Oolite\ 1.90.app/Users/accountname/Library/Application\ Support/Oolite/AddOns/oolite.oxp.Cholmondeley.Carver\'s_Anarchy-Ships_Library.oxp Oolite.app/Contents/MacOS/Oolite --verify-oxp
zsh: no such file or directory: /Users/accountname/Desktop/Oolite/ Oolite 1.90.app/Users/accountname/Library/Application Support/Oolite/AddOns/oolite.oxp.Cholmondeley.Carver's_Anarchy-Ships_Library.oxp
accountname@Fulls-Air ~ %

(same as above but after the paste, moved cursor so that the second drag and drop appeared between the game programme's pathway and the command to verify the oxp.)

and got this:

zsh: no such file or directory: /Users/accountname/Desktop/Oolite/ Oolite 1.90.app/Users/accountname/Library/Application Support/Oolite/AddOns/oolite.oxp.Cholmondeley.Carver's_Anarchy-Ships_Library.oxp

No idea what is going wrong, or why!

[hiran]

I've tried accountname@Fulls-Air ~ % /Users/accountname/Desktop/Oolite/\ \ Oolite\ 1.90.appOolite.app/Contents/MacOS/Oolite --verify-oxp /Users/accountname/Library/Application\ Support/Oolite/AddOns/oolite.oxp.Cholmondeley.Carver\'s_Anarchy-Ships_Library.oxp

and gotten this:

zsh: no such file or directory: /Users/accountname/Desktop/Oolite/ Oolite 1.90.appOolite.app/Contents/MacOS/Oolite

So you used this command

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/Users/accountname/Desktop/Oolite/\ \ Oolite\ 1.90.appOolite.app/Contents/MacOS/Oolite --verify-oxp /Users/accountname/Library/Application\ Support/Oolite/AddOns/oolite.oxp.Cholmondeley.Carver\'s_Anarchy-Ships_Library.oxp

and the terminal just passes this command line to the operating system. Not direrectly though, between the terminal and the OS there is something called the shell. In your case it is the z-shell, or abbreviated zsh. That one complains

Code: Select all

zsh: no such file or directory: /Users/accountname/Desktop/Oolite/  Oolite 1.90.appOolite.app/Contents/MacOS/Oolite

Looking closer the program you are trying to start must be in the filesystem at path

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/Users/accountname/Desktop/Oolite/\ \ Oolite\ 1.90.appOolite.app/Contents/MacOS/Oolite

This path contains spaces, which usually are used to separate items on the command line, such as the application and parameters. In your case this does not matter as you used escape sequences to tell the shell that this space is not a separator by using "\ ". So far so good. What looks strange to me is the part

Code: Select all

\ \ Oolite

as it would indicate you have a folder named with two leading spaces in front of Oolite. Check if the folder that zsh claims to not exist is in your filesystem. It may be right there and you might want to specify (drag&drop) the correct folder...

[Cholmondely]

Thanks! I'll give it a stab!

Edited to add:

Just remembered, I added spaces before important files (such as Oolite) so that they appear at the top of folder contents lists...

I'll remove the spaces and try again

[Cholmondely]

accountname@Fulls-Air ~ % /Users/accountname/Desktop/Oolite/Oolite\ 1.90.appoolite.app/oolite --verify-oxp /Users/accountname/Library/Application\ Support/Oolite/Managed\ AddOns/GalacticAlmanacBeta1.oxp
zsh: no such file or directory: /Users/accountname/Desktop/Oolite/Oolite 1.90.appoolite.app/oolite
accountname@Fulls-Air ~ %

So I remember using this several months ago and it worked fine. All of a sudden it has been attacked by mental constipation, hebetation of the intellect, pandation of the cranium or some such.

I wonder if it might be some secretive Apple Update which happened and jinxed everything?

[hiran]

accountname@Fulls-Air ~ % /Users/accountname/Desktop/Oolite/Oolite\ 1.90.appoolite.app/oolite --verify-oxp /Users/accountname/Library/Application\ Support/Oolite/Managed\ AddOns/GalacticAlmanacBeta1.oxp
zsh: no such file or directory: /Users/accountname/Desktop/Oolite/Oolite 1.90.appoolite.app/oolite
accountname@Fulls-Air ~ %

So I remember using this several months ago and it worked fine. All of a sudden it has been attacked by mental constipation, hebetation of the intellect, pandation of the cranium or some such.

I wonder if it might be some secretive Apple Update which happened and jinxed everything?

Something only you can find out: Does the directory you specified really exist? If not, is there a similar directory that you actually wanted to specify?
From that difference figure out what needs to change in the command so the computer will actually understand.

[Cholmondely]

accountname@Fulls-Air ~ % /Users/accountname/Desktop/Oolite/Oolite\ 1.90.appoolite.app/oolite --verify-oxp /Users/accountname/Library/Application\ Support/Oolite/Managed\ AddOns/GalacticAlmanacBeta1.oxp
zsh: no such file or directory: /Users/accountname/Desktop/Oolite/Oolite 1.90.appoolite.app/oolite
accountname@Fulls-Air ~ %

So I remember using this several months ago and it worked fine. All of a sudden it has been attacked by mental constipation, hebetation of the intellect, pandation of the cranium or some such.

I wonder if it might be some secretive Apple Update which happened and jinxed everything?

Something only you can find out: Does the directory you specified really exist? If not, is there a similar directory that you actually wanted to specify?
From that difference figure out what needs to change in the command so the computer will actually understand.

Good point. I never use the word "app". I have no idea where 1.90.appoolite.app/oolite came from.

[hiran]

accountname@Fulls-Air ~ % /Users/accountname/Desktop/Oolite/Oolite\ 1.90.appoolite.app/oolite --verify-oxp /Users/accountname/Library/Application\ Support/Oolite/Managed\ AddOns/GalacticAlmanacBeta1.oxp
zsh: no such file or directory: /Users/accountname/Desktop/Oolite/Oolite 1.90.appoolite.app/oolite
accountname@Fulls-Air ~ %

So I remember using this several months ago and it worked fine. All of a sudden it has been attacked by mental constipation, hebetation of the intellect, pandation of the cranium or some such.

I wonder if it might be some secretive Apple Update which happened and jinxed everything?

Something only you can find out: Does the directory you specified really exist? If not, is there a similar directory that you actually wanted to specify?
From that difference figure out what needs to change in the command so the computer will actually understand.

Good point. I never use the word "app". I have no idea where 1.90.appoolite.app/oolite came from.

...but you are the one who placed the purple line in the terminal window? So either you typed it, or you used drag and drop to construct it. In the end you hit the enter key, which indicated to the computer you want that command executed. So what would be the correct command to put there?

So accountname@Fulls-Air ~ % is just the prompt with which the computer is indicating it will listen for a new command.
The next part is the command or binary you want to execute, and to me it looks like the full path to oolite (the executable file, not just the installation directory). After that you have parameters. One of them is --verify-oxp, which tells oolite you want to verify an oxp, and after that you need the full path to the OXP that shall be verified.

Noone but you knows where oolite is installed on your computer, and noone but you knows where that OXP resides...

[Cholmondely]

Something only you can find out: Does the directory you specified really exist? If not, is there a similar directory that you actually wanted to specify?
From that difference figure out what needs to change in the command so the computer will actually understand.

Good point. I never use the word "app". I have no idea where 1.90.appoolite.app/oolite came from.

...but you are the one who placed the purple line in the terminal window? So either you typed it, or you used drag and drop to construct it. In the end you hit the enter key, which indicated to the computer you want that command executed. So what would be the correct command to put there?

So accountname@Fulls-Air ~ % is just the prompt with which the computer is indicating it will listen for a new command.
The next part is the command or binary you want to execute, and to me it looks like the full path to oolite (the executable file, not just the installation directory). After that you have parameters. One of them is --verify-oxp, which tells oolite you want to verify an oxp, and after that you need the full path to the OXP that shall be verified.

Noone but you knows where oolite is installed on your computer, and noone but you knows where that OXP resides...

So, yes, I used drag and drop.

But I presume that 1.90.appoolite.app/oolite should really be 1.90.app oolite.app/oolite.

Nevermind. I never use the term app. I've not named anything app. Not 1.90.app nor oolite.app. And I am unaware of having downloaded anything called 1.90.app or oolite.app. Since I dislike the term, I'm sure that I would have remembered - and probably changed it, too!

Edited to add. Just when back to my copy of the Oolite game and "command-i"-d it. It seems that it's real name is "Oolite 1.90.app". So maybe there should be a gap or some punctuation between 1.90.app <-> oolite.app/oolite ?

Leaving a gap is no good:
accountname@Fulls-Air ~ % /Users/accountname/Desktop/Oolite/Oolite\ 1.90.app oolite.app/oolite --verify-oxp /Users/accountname/Library/Application\ Support/Oolite/Managed\ AddOns/GalacticAlmanacBeta1.oxp
zsh: permission denied: /Users/accountname/Desktop/Oolite/Oolite 1.90.app