(WIP) Hermitage

[Cholmondely]

Not my point: The improvement in Life Support from 74% to 79% was labelled as a drop.

What happened was there was an initial drop to 74%. Then, over time, it recovered somewhat to be over 79%. Then there was another issue and it dropped to 79%.

Would it help if the message said something like "Life support encountered an issue and has dropped from 100.0% to 74.0%"?

I'm unaware that it ever exceeded the 79% when it rebounded. What about Life support encountered an issue and has recovered to 79%? Or is that too complex (needing to programme awareness of increases instead of just decreases from 100%).

And what about the idea of keys/entrance codes from before?

[phkb]

And what about the idea of keys/entrance codes from before?

This with, were you imagining the station being kind of like one of spara's undockable abandoned RH's, but with which you can't dock at until the code is transmitted?

What about Life support encountered an issue and has recovered to 79%?

Well, by the time the second issue occurred, it was over 79%, so at the point in time where the issue happens, I have two numbers, the number it dropped from (which in this example was a number greater than 79%), and the number it dropped to. Not the previous drop.

Alternatively, I could put in some messages like "Life Support has recovered to 75%", "Life Support has recovered to 76%" etc, so the sequence makes more sense.

[Cholmondely]

And what about the idea of keys/entrance codes from before?

This with, were you imagining the station being kind of like one of spara's undockable abandoned RH's, but with which you can't dock at until the code is transmitted?

Exactly! What else are the red lights around the entrance supposed to betoken?

What about Life support encountered an issue and has recovered to 79%?

Well, by the time the second issue occurred, it was over 79%, so at the point in time where the issue happens, I have two numbers, the number it dropped from (which in this example was a number greater than 79%), and the number it dropped to. Not the previous drop.

That's fine if I'm being told that things got better, before they got worse again. I don't see how I would have known this...

Alternatively, I could put in some messages like "Life Support has recovered to 75%", "Life Support has recovered to 76%" etc, so the sequence makes more sense.

Yes.. that's one way of fixing it, thank you! But repeating the plaint above, if I'd had some way of knowing that things had gotten better before worsening again, this would not be needed.

My copy of Red Chaco was back at the orbital station, and my uncle's copy has coffee stains all over it. Why couldn't he drink tea instead? I couldn't even find an index!

[phkb]

Exactly! What else are the red lights around the entrance supposed to betoken?

Well, in the version you have, they are betoken of a failed attempt to adjust the station lighting! However, I can subsequently report that I have sorted this out, and can now make the little beacon lights on the edge of the entry port flash red, green, blue, yellow, orange, any color under the sun! Yay, right?

So, I can lock down the station, make the lights flash red, then you rock up, transmit the entry code, and the lights change to green. And if you try to dock before unlocking the station, your ship will be actively pushed back from the docking port. I have this working now.

Next question: I would normally use Broadcast Comms for this sort of ship-to-station interaction. At the moment, though, BCC is an optional inclusion. If I use BCC in this way, it would become a required OXP. It also complicates the starting scenario, because I potentially need to explain to the player that they need to prime the equipment, use the mode key to select a message to transmit, and then activate it to send it. Alternatively, I can craft a custom, one-time-use primable equipment item that does the same job. What do you think?

[Cholmondely]

Exactly! What else are the red lights around the entrance supposed to betoken?

Well, in the version you have, they are betoken of a failed attempt to adjust the station lighting! However, I can subsequently report that I have sorted this out, and can now make the little beacon lights on the edge of the entry port flash red, green, blue, yellow, orange, any color under the sun! Yay, right?

So, I can lock down the station, make the lights flash red, then you rock up, transmit the entry code, and the lights change to green. And if you try to dock before unlocking the station, your ship will be actively pushed back from the docking port. I have this working now.

Next question: I would normally use Broadcast Comms for this sort of ship-to-station interaction. At the moment, though, BCC is an optional inclusion. If I use BCC in this way, it would become a required OXP. It also complicates the starting scenario, because I potentially need to explain to the player that they need to prime the equipment, use the mode key to select a message to transmit, and then activate it to send it. Alternatively, I can craft a custom, one-time-use primable equipment item that does the same job. What do you think?

Ah, I'd not realised that the hermit lighting systems were on the blink too! Poor old uncle....

Your call. One time is fine as it does the job. I just like the possibility of being locked out and needing to call for a locksmith/codesmith - or being broken into and needing to call for a locksmith...

Twenty years ago, if I locked myself out of my car, I could just call the police and they would sort me out. Nowadays I need to call the RAC/AA and despite being a member they charge for the privilege. People call it progress!

[JiCeyCraft]

For the moment, nothing important to be reported.
Besides, Cholmondely is doing a great job, in that matter:

[Cholmondely]

For the moment, nothing important to be reported.

But what do you think? Are you enjoying Hermitage? Does it add to your game?

That, surely is what is really important - not my wittering on about red lights...

[JiCeyCraft]

For the moment, nothing important to be reported.

But what do you think? Are you enjoying Hermitage? Does it add to your game?

That, surely is what is really important - not my wittering on about red lights...

I wouldn't have installed Hermitage if I'd find it useless.
On the contrary, it adds a lot of potential to OOlite.
Sort of : you could have an Explorer/Trader Carreer and, then, after being so successful in this business, you could consider managing a Rock Hermit on your own as a "retirement".
I love Hermitage. Specially this version that gives me all satisfactions ... for now (maybe I woud find a 'bug' or 'whatever' to report, later?)

[Cholmondely]

I love Hermitage. Specially this version that gives me all satisfactions ... for now (maybe I would find a 'bug' or 'whatever' to report, later?)

I'm finding this one very tough going. Very complex, and I've too little idea as to what to do. JiCey, do you have any advice you can give me? My copy of Red Chaldo seems to have been written in Armenian! And uncle's computer won't do a translation for me!

[Cholmondely]

Changing the prices in my own market seems a tad clunky.

The prices changes are nested deep in the F4 interface (F4 page > RH Management (on my 3rd page) > Market Functions > Individual commodity price management).

But the quantities in my market and on my ship are on the F8 page. And the quantities in storage are elsewhere yet again.

Would it be better to have the 3 different quantities (ship, RH market & RH storage) listed on the same page (F4 or F8, not too fussed) with the Individual commodity price management? And perhaps the ability to juggle the cannisters between the 3 places there too?

I always seem to be losing dosh here!


And I would still like to have a session with you to start working on the The Hermit Almanac!

[Cholmondely]

I play with Diplomancy.

So with Corporate States, one needs a visa to dock there...

Is there any way of automatically getting citizenship for Rexebe, so that I can actually get back home and dock normally with the orbital station if I start travelling around a bit? I ended up using OoCheat to award myself 10,000₢ so that I could buy it...!

What do I need to add to the code, and where do I bung it?

[phkb]

Is there any way of automatically getting citizenship for Rexebe?

Automatically - tricky. Just because you own a RH doesn't necessarily mean you want anything to do with the local populous. The "Hermit" in the name kind of suggests someone wanting to step away from the trials of system involvement!

What do I need to add to the code, and where do I bung it?

Here's a snippet of code you can run (untested, though):

Code: Select all

"use strict";
this.name = "RexebeCitizen";
this.author = "phkb";
this.copyright  = "2021 phkb";
this.description = "Makes sure player has citizenship in Rexebe.";
this.licence = "CC BY-NC-SA 4.0";
this.startUpComplete = function() {
    if (worldScripts.DayDiplomacy_060_Citizenships) {
        let c = worldScripts.DayDiplomacy_060_Citizenships;
        if (!c.$hasPlayerCitizenship(0, 232)) {
            let s = System.infoForSystem(0, 232); // gal + id of Rexebe
            let price = c.$getCitizenshipPrice(s);
            // make sure we have enough credits to buy the citizenship
            player.credits += price;
            c._buyCitizenship(galaxyNumber, sys);
            player.consoleMessage("You have been awarded citizenship in " + System.systemNameForID(232), 5);
        }
    }
}

Put that into a "script.js" file in (for example) the "RexebeCitizen.oxp/Config" folder (inside the AddOns folder) and it should execute each time you load your game. If gifts the player the precise amount of credits required to purchase the citizenship, so you shouldn't see any drop in credits. If you already have citizenship, it shouldn't do anything.

[Cholmondely]

Is there any way of automatically getting citizenship for Rexebe?

Automatically - tricky. Just because you own a RH doesn't necessarily mean you want anything to do with the local populous. The "Hermit" in the name kind of suggests someone wanting to step away from the trials of system involvement!

What do I need to add to the code, and where do I bung it?

Here's a snippet of code you can run (untested, though):

Code: Select all

"use strict";
this.name = "RexebeCitizen";
this.author = "phkb";
this.copyright  = "2021 phkb";
this.description = "Makes sure player has citizenship in Rexebe.";
this.licence = "CC BY-NC-SA 4.0";
this.startUpComplete = function() {
    if (worldScripts.DayDiplomacy_060_Citizenships) {
        let c = worldScripts.DayDiplomacy_060_Citizenships;
        if (!c.$hasPlayerCitizenship(0, 232)) {
            let s = System.infoForSystem(0, 232); // gal + id of Rexebe
            let price = c.$getCitizenshipPrice(s);
            // make sure we have enough credits to buy the citizenship
            player.credits += price;
            c._buyCitizenship(galaxyNumber, sys);
            player.consoleMessage("You have been awarded citizenship in " + System.systemNameForID(232), 5);
        }
    }
}

Put that into a "script.js" file in (for example) the "RexebeCitizen.oxp/Config" folder (inside the AddOns folder) and it should execute each time you load your game. If gifts the player the precise amount of credits required to purchase the citizenship, so you shouldn't see any drop in credits. If you already have citizenship, it shouldn't do anything.

Thank you!

Corporate states being corporate states, one would expect some sort of visa waiver if one is working in, owning a business and paying taxes there. Diplomancy calls it "citiizenship".

[phkb]

Changing the prices in my own market seems a tad clunky.

Yes.

The prices changes are nested deep in the F4 interface (F4 page > RH Management (on my 3rd page) > Market Functions > Individual commodity price management).

I saw tweaking prices as something you wouldn't be doing all the time, or even that regularly. It takes some time for there to be any visible results from pricing tweaks, given how often the updating script runs, so having the options buried a little inside the management screen didn't seem so bad.

Would it be better to have

Yes.

...

Oh, you were looking for a more expansive answer? Ok...

Ideally, I would like to rewrite the entire F8 Market screen to allow the combination of a number of functions. At the present time, though, with the limitations mission screens have with keyboard input, I wouldn't be able to achieve a one-screen version of all that would need to be done. At best, it would be a multi-page screen, where all the commodities are listed (but without the ability to use the page up/down keys, because mission screens can't use those) and you would then have to select the commodity you want to work with, which would bring up another screen with all the sub-commands you might like to run (transfer to cargo/storage/market, change price) and each of these would need another screen where you enter the amounts.

I mean, if that sounds better than the current implementation, I could put it together, but my feeling is that it would be kind of jarring to have such a different F8 page in play. What do you think?

[phkb]

I should add that rewriting the market screen would mean that other OXP's which hook into the market screen, like Market Observer, wouldn't work.