Among the seven trillion people who are - at least officially - Cooperative citizens, you are nobody. So far, anyway. You've got a ship, some weapons, and enough spare cash to get started - and one day, you might get the fame, wealth or glory you want. Perhaps one day, everyone might know your name. If, that is, you can survive that long.
The two thousand star systems of the Cooperative once enjoyed a golden age of peace and prosperity, and perhaps the wealthiest of them can still pretend to. The trade ships that once safely travelled between planets now have to be well armed and escorted to fend off pirate attacks, from small-time criminals desperate for their next meal, to powerful robber barons extracting tithes from everyone who passes through their space.
The Cooperative's police force, concentrated near a few influential planets, can no longer maintain order. The mercenaries they hire for a few credits a kill are too few, too unreliable to do so either. And in the darkness between the stars, an old enemy lurks, fearless, perhaps waiting for order to collapse entirely.
Good luck, Commander.
I understand that Disembodied wrote it. I read it before first downloading v.1.88 back in 2019. And again in 2020 as I started playing.
I understand that Disembodied wrote it. I read it before first downloading v.1.88 back in 2019. And again in 2020 as I started playing.
Is there anything actually in-game to support the assertion that it's an empire in decline? Maybe pirates haven't appeared, as the rot sets in, maybe pirates have always been, since the earliest days. Maybe we're still on the upswing, and pirates are fewer, and farther between, with every passing year?
In any case, you've illustrated that we can consider two related processes here: a random walk around a trend, and the gradient of the trend itself. I am only interested in the first, which should be simple to actually implement, but you seem only interested in the more difficult task.
Good day, sir!
"There are large, white swans, and there are small, black swans," he explained, "But there are no medium-sized swans, and there are no grey swans. The non-existence of grey swans mitigates against belief in Mr Darwin's theory."
I understand that Disembodied wrote it. I read it before first downloading v.1.88 back in 2019. And again in 2020 as I started playing.
Is there anything actually in-game to support the assertion that it's an empire in decline? Maybe pirates haven't appeared, as the rot sets in, maybe pirates have always been, since the earliest days. Maybe we're still on the upswing, and pirates are fewer, and farther between, with every passing year?
In any case, you've illustrated that we can consider two related processes here: a random walk around a trend, and the gradient of the trend itself. I am only interested in the first, which should be simple to actually implement, but you seem only interested in the more difficult task.
Good day, sir!
I'm unaware of anything in the game itself which supports Disembodied's Lore (but do note the general feeling that the game is tough and that that is at it should be). I understand that our other lore generally supports the text on our website (cim's history, Selezen's history etc.).
But I would not expect a game based on Classic Elite (26,138 bytes) to introduce this when it was not in the original.
As regards this major conceptual difference between the two of us, don't be misled. I'm happy for whatever I can get. An oxp along your lines is a darn sight better than the nothing which I understand we have at the moment (unless eg. Xeptatl's Sword does something in this regard). And what is out there can always be improved later.
I've been refreshing the ToughGuys wiki page. It seems that Smivs tried something vaguely similar (GalCop collapse) - this text is from a Dec 2011 version of the page:
This OXP affects the level of equipment fitted to NPC ships. It can be used in two ways.
1) As an experienced Commander, you might feel that the 'enemy' are getting too easy to deal with, so you can use this OXP to re-balance the game, giving you tougher adversaries more suited to your combat skills. The first level (ToughGuys:Anarchy) would be suitable for this. The enemy will have a range of weapons upgrades and extra equipment, giving you a wide variety of abilities to deal with. Some enemies will still be quite weak while others will be noticably stronger than in standard Oolite. While making life much harder, an experienced Commander shouldn't find themselves overwhelmed. Only ships with the role 'Pirate' are effected, so Police ships and Traders will remain un-changed. A brave Commander might consider installing level 2 as the default. Level three would not normally be suitable for regular use, except by the Bravest of the Brave.
2) Using your imagination and degree of immersion in the game this OXP will also allow you to witness and participate in a descent into total lawlessness across the Ooniverse where Pirates and Criminals are in the ascendancy and GalCop forces are overwhelmed. There are no specific missions and it's entirely up to you and your imagination to flesh-out the scenarios. This OXP will give you the environment you need to do this. This fall towards Armageddon occurs in three phases, and you can work through this as you see fit, quickly if you want to, or perhaps over many weeks or even months. When you think it's time for things to get worse remove the current level from your AddOns folder and install the next level. Of course if you want the situation to improve, you can re-install a lesser level at any time.
A possible time-line might look like this-
ToughGuys:Anarchy - Law and Order is collapsing across the Eight Galaxies. Criminals and Pirate Gangs are growing stronger and more bold, and the threat to innocent citizens is causing great concern. The spacelanes are becoming very dangerous places, but you should still be safe in an Iron-Ass ship with a good Commander at the helm.
ToughGuys:Apocalypse - As time passes, the situation becomes critical. Civilian and Merchant shipping is becoming ever more heavily armed to deal with the criminal insurgency. With the Navy fully occupied dealing with the Thargoid threat GalCop forces are out-gunned and struggling to contain the menace. The Pirate marauders continue to re-arm and strengthen, adding bigger stronger ships to their fleets, while the civilian population cowers. Open warfare is commonplace throughout the spacelanes.
ToughGuys:Armageddon - Out-gunned and out-numbered, GalCop forces can no longer maintain Law and Order, and the Pirate Alliances become the dominant force in the Ooniverse, their heavily-armed ships destroying all in their path. Anarchy rules the spaceways and no ship is left to pass in peace. In a last-ditch attempt to restore Order, GalCop takes the expensive step of up-grading the weaponry on it's vast fleets of Vipers, and learning that the Navy is about to take delivery of several hundred of their much-delayed new super-fighter the Constrictor, GalCop controversially requisitions these and adds them to their Police Fleet. In a bid to gain total supremacy, the Pirate Alliance forces begin to blockade the industrial worlds across the Eight Galaxies in a bid to cripple trade and force GalCop into capitulating. Even with their new-found fire-power, the GalCop forces struggle to make any impact. And yet against all the odds, a few brave souls, known only as 'The Commanders' still fight back. These pilots are the finest warriors the Ooniverse has, and they will not concede defeat. They continue the fight to rid the spacelanes of danger in the full knowledge that the odds are against them, their cause is hopeless, and their death lies but a Jump away.
