Starting in a different galaxy

[Cholmondely]

We always start at G1 Lave (or Zaonce if we wish for an easier life, without Disembodied's bricks).

I never seem to get too far with my Jamesons (just G2 on my own) and thus like many - I suspect - pootle around G1 merrily until I get the call from Captain Curruthers to go on the hunt.

What about starting my game in G3? Or G7?



How do I do this?

Vanilla game: If I want to use my debug console, what do I write in it?

OXP: see next post below



Reference:
Most games have some sort of paddling-pool-and-water-wings beginning to ease you in: Oolite takes the rather more Darwinian approach of heaving you straight into the ocean, often with a brick or two in your pockets for luck. ~ Disembodied (via Diziet Sma)

[Cholmondely]

The only OXP I've come across which allow this is Phkb's Hermitage. You can start in G1 Rexebe, G2 Israza or G6 Enorar.

This dumb pilot picked through the entrails of the oxp and noticed that there seemed to be 2 relevant sets of files.
1) A scenarios.plist which reads as follows

Code: Select all

(
	/*{
		"file" = "hermitage-std1.oolite-save";
		"name" = "[hermitage-std1-name]";
		"description" = "[hermitage-std1-description]";
		"model" = "rock-hermit";
	},*/
	{
		"file" = "hermitage-easy.oolite-save";
		"name" = "[hermitage-easy-name]";
		"description" = "[hermitage-easy-description]";
		"model" = "rock-hermit";
	},
	{
		"file" = "hermitage-medium.oolite-save";
		"name" = "[hermitage-medium-name]";
		"description" = "[hermitage-medium-description]";
		"model" = "rock-hermit";
	},
	/*{
		"file" = "hermitage-std3.oolite-save";
		"name" = "[hermitage-std3-name]";
		"description" = "[hermitage-std3-description]";
		"model" = "rock-hermit";
	},
	{
		"file" = "hermitage-std5.oolite-save";
		"name" = "[hermitage-std5-name]";
		"description" = "[hermitage-std5-description]";
		"model" = "rock-hermit";
	},*/
	{
		"file" = "hermitage-hard.oolite-save";
		"name" = "[hermitage-hard-name]";
		"description" = "[hermitage-hard-description]";
		"model" = "rock-hermit";
	},
	/*{
		"file" = "hermitage-std7.oolite-save";
		"name" = "[hermitage-std7-name]";
		"description" = "[hermitage-std7-description]";
		"model" = "rock-hermit";
	},
	{
		"file" = "hermitage-std8.oolite-save";
		"name" = "[hermitage-std8-name]";
		"description" = "[hermitage-std8-description]";
		"model" = "rock-hermit";
	},*/
)

So there are 8 entries for 3 start choices. Why? 5 unused ones for 5 unused galaxies?
2) A massive save file for each of the 3 start choices (Easy/Medium/Hard) with everything spelled out (markets, station position etc).

This is also true for Spara's Start Choices (no choices of different start systems, and 6 save files for 6 scenario.plist decriptions). Stranger's Start Choices Addenda omits the scenarios.plist.

Q1) Does one really need a stonking massive start file for each option?
Q2) How does one create such a thing easily?
Q3) How does one ensure that the checksum is appropriate for the save file?
Q4) are there any other pitfalls which I'm unaware of?

[Wildeblood]

Q1) Does one really need a stonking massive start file for each option?
Q2) How does one create such a thing easily?

No. Start a new game. Do nothing before saving the game. Now you have the smallest possible save-game file. Edit that file, setting the details of the system you want to start in: galaxy number, system ID, galactic co-ordinates, system name. There might be others, but I can't think what they would be.

Q3) How does one ensure that the checksum is appropriate for the save file?

You don't. You load the edited save-game, it leaves a note about the checksum mismatch in your latest.log, you save it again, delete the first one, restart the game using the new save-game, check if it's still leaving rude notes. Computers are weak. You will win.

Q4) are there any other pitfalls which I'm unaware of?

Of which you're unaware, surely?

[Cholmondely]

Q1) Does one really need a stonking massive start file for each option?
Q2) How does one create such a thing easily?

No. Start a new game. Do nothing before saving the game. Now you have the smallest possible save-game file. Edit that file, setting the details of the system you want to start in: galaxy number, system ID, galactic co-ordinates, system name. There might be others, but I can't think what they would be.

Q3) How does one ensure that the checksum is appropriate for the save file?

You don't. You load the edited save-game, it leaves a note about the checksum mismatch in your latest.log, you save it again, delete the first one, restart the game using the new save-game, check if it's still leaving rude notes. Computers are weak. You will win.

Q4) are there any other pitfalls which I'm unaware of?

Of which you're unaware, surely?

Brilliant! Thank you!

[Wildeblood]

Thank you!

Looking through a save file made in Reenus, Chart 2, these are the entries I found:

Code: Select all

    <key>current_system_economy</key>
    <integer>6</integer>
    <key>current_system_government</key>
    <integer>1</integer>
    <key>current_system_name</key>
    <string>Reenus</string>
    <key>current_system_techlevel</key>
    <integer>5</integer>

I thought there should be others called something like galactic_coords, but I can't find them.

Code: Select all

    <key>galaxy_id</key>
    <string>1</string>
    <key>galaxy_number</key>
    <integer>1</integer>

Code: Select all

    <key>system_id</key>
    <string>171</string>
    <key>target_id</key>
    <string>171</string>

[Cholmondely]

Experiment Results.

1) The checksums for a strict game "unflown Jameson" and for a full game "unflown Jameson" are different.

This seems to determine whether you end up in a strict game - the <key>scenario_restriction</key>
key seems irrelevant here (at least when set to neutral but with the checksum taken from the strict game).



2) Much of the information given in the save file about the system you are in also seems irrelevant (name, economy, government type etc.).



I've yet to try bamboozling the game into fixing the validity of the check sum, but that's all for now.

[Wildeblood]

Much of the information given in the save file about the system you are in also seems irrelevant (name, economy, government type etc.).

They're displayed on the loading screen, where you select which save-file you want to load.

[Cholmondely]

Much of the information given in the save file about the system you are in also seems irrelevant (name, economy, government type etc.).

They're displayed on the loading screen, where you select which save-file you want to load.

That is all inexistent in the AppleMac version! I only get the save file name, the file size and the time and date of saving (unless I use the Oolite Starter - but the AppleMac anyway prevents that from opening the selected game).

[Cholmondely]

I suspect that the only time that the checksum is checked for validity is when one hits **** Elite **** - I saw nothing in my next saved save file or in my latest.log.

[phkb]

I suspect that the only time that the checksum is checked for validity is when one hits **** Elite **** - I saw nothing in my next saved save file or in my latest.log.

The checksum is only checked when loading a save game, at least as far as I've been able to check so far. And the main purpose is to try to defeat attempts by players to get rid of trumbles, in which case it puts them back. For other things, like changing your credit amount, it might produce a "possible cheat" message in the log, but nothing will be done about it, and once you save the game and reload it, all the checksums are reset and you shouldn't get any further messages in the log.

If you're creating a save file for use as a starting scenario, the best idea would be to start with no OXP's loaded at all. A lot of mods, including many of my own, will write loads of stuff to mission variables, which are stored in the save game file. Start with no mods, get to the main station of whatever system you want to start the scenario in, and save the game. That file is now the basis for your starting scenario.

The sort of things you might want to change in that file are things like "ship_clock" (to reset it back to the normal start time of a normal new game), "credits" (well, because reasons), and "comm_log" (emptying the array it so it doesn't look like a game in progress).

After making any changes to the file, save the file again to fix the checksum, and that's it. You now have a save file you can use for a scenario.

[Cholmondely]

Gentlemen,

thank you for your help.


Next Question: which systems?

Our G1 start, Lave is mildly dangerous but one can easily move to the Isinor<>Tionisla/Qutiri/Ensoreus milkrun or to the Diso<>Leesti psuedo-milkrun once one starts to grasp the fundamentals.

How about Atius for G2? (Veenar<>Isbeus almost milk run)

And Esorra in G3 (Esorra/Usarisa <> Rainle milk run)

[Wildeblood]

Next Question: which systems?

Start in the Prodigal Suns, with the economies of those two worlds fiddled to make them a really good trading pair, and a Galactic(tm) long-range drive already fitted to the ship. Choose an appropriate starting point in chart 3, and pre-set the Galactic drive to arrive there.