Indestructible buoys

[Ark]

A lot of times something hits or bumps into those buoys bringing havoc to the system (and also to low end machines) especially in combination with Dr Nils advertisements. It seems that a lot of stutters that I have are caused by this.

I am wondering if it would be a good idea to make those buoys indestructible (like the main stations)

[Captain Hesperus]

A lot of times something hits or bumps into those buoys bringing havoc to the system (and also to low end machines) especially in combination with Dr Nils advertisements. It seems that a lot of stutters that I have are caused by this.

I am wondering if it would be a good idea to make those buoys indestructible (like the main stations)

It'd be a simple matter to raise their energy level to 9999999999 and have an energy recharge rate fo 10000.

Captain Hesperus

[Cmdr James]

It would be better to look at what exactly the problem is, and fix that. I guess there is more to it than simply destroying ships and having their bits floating about?

I dont like immortal objects, they dont make much sense to me, anything should die if you kick it hard enough. Ideally Id like to see stations killable, but I know there are too many things which depend on them being always there (except for nova)


Do you have any more detail on exactly why buoys are a problem?

[Ark]

I have noticed that every time I have a stutter for about 0.5 to 1 minute the nav buoy is missing after that (check it with the compass).

I had a similar (but worse) experience with the initial version of commies solar factories. That was the reason why Dr Nill gave them a higher energy and energy recharge rate in the following versions.

Unfortunately when this happens I am too far away to see what really happens so I have to assume that something destroys it. Since the Buoys are there for a specific reason I think is a good idea to be indestructible.

[Captain Hesperus]

I have noticed that every time I have a stutter for about 0.5 to 1 minute the nav buoy is missing after that (check it with the compass).

I had a similar (but worse) experience with the initial version of commies solar factories. That was the reason why Dr Nill gave them a higher energy and energy recharge rate in the following versions.

Unfortunately when this happens I am too far away to see what really happens so I have to assume that something destroys it. Since the Buoys are there for a specific reason I think is a good idea to be indestructible.

An alternative might be an option to 'turn off' the Nav-beacons, so that they are not generated with the station when the player enters a system. This would make docking as 'fun' (read: difficult) as Original Elite.

Captain Hesperus

[Hoopy]

I don't find the nav buoys even remotely useful (except as something for the compass to lock onto) the planet does the same job in terms of orientating you for the docking port.

[nijineko]

but, then how will i get the easy cargo pods from the idjits who fly right into the buoy from the docking bay of the station? (this seems to happen every so often every time i'm playing. ^^)

[Rxke]

An alternative might be an option to 'turn off' the Nav-beacons, so that they are not generated with the station when the player enters a system. This would make docking as 'fun' (read: difficult) as Original Elite.

Captain Hesperus

IIRC Giles was quite fond of the beacons, because it was the first real object that he had functional when he started coding Oolite. Be a pity to see it go, no?

[Captain Hesperus]

IIRC Giles was quite fond of the beacons, because it was the first real object that he had functional when he started coding Oolite. Be a pity to see it go, no?

It would be a shame to see them go, which is why I suggest a 'Really Strict Mode' that literally echoes Elite with no WS or Nav Beacons at all which is an option alongside 'Full Oolite' and 'Strict Mode'.

Captain Hesperus

[Svengali]

Losing the witchpoint beacon seems to be caused by GALCOP itself. I just jumped to a system and two vipers are passing by. I've stopped to identify the other ships nearby and the vipers are passing the beacon, turning by 180 degree and going straight into the beacon. Haha. Over and out for them and the beacon.

[Eric Walch]

It would be better to look at what exactly the problem is, and fix that. I guess there is more to it than simply destroying ships and having their bits floating about?

In my opinion one of the reasons that the buoy gets destroyed it that the launching escorts are not always able to lock on to their mother. It's a bug that started in version 1.69. I have seen occasions were the escorts were piled up in a line in front of the beacon. The AI tells them to fly straight on for 8000 meters until they find a mother to follow. They used to find their mother always in version 1.65. The beacon is just a little further away than the point were the escorts should stop if no mother was found, but if one escorts hits the other from behind it can bump the first in line into the buoy.

Some months ago, before 1.70 was released, I changed the launching part of the escort AI on my computer into:

Code: Select all

    "CLEAR_STATION" = {
		ENTER = (getWitchspaceEntryCoordinates, setDestinationFromCoordinates, "setDesiredRangeTo: 2000.0", "setSpeedFactorTo: 0.50", performFlyToRangeFromDestination);
		"DESIRED_RANGE_ACHIEVED" = ("setStateTo: LOOK_FOR_BUSINESS");
        UPDATE = (scanForFormationLeader, "pauseAI: 15.0"); 
        "TARGET_FOUND" = (setTargetToFoundTarget, suggestEscort); 
  		ESCORTING = ("setDesiredRangeTo: 0.0", "setStateTo: FLYING_ESCORT");
		EXIT = ();
    }; 

This makes them to make a 90 degree turn after launch before they start looking for a mother. Since this change, a missing buoy became much more rare with me. But this is just a fix and not the solution for the underlying bug. And maybe it is already fixed in 1.70

[Ace Garp]

Losing the witchpoint beacon seems to be caused by GALCOP itself. I just jumped to a system and two vipers are passing by. I've stopped to identify the other ships nearby and the vipers are passing the beacon, turning by 180 degree and going straight into the beacon. Haha. Over and out for them and the beacon.

I just noticed this the other day.
A stream of about 5 or 6 GalCop vipers were flying towards the witchpoint beacon, with a few of them just happily ploughing into the thing!

I figured, if the cops are this stupid, why not go in for a life of crime?
So - I started just blasting anything around that was weaker than me.
Ha ha ha!

1. The next system I jumped into had a Space Bar in it.
2. I passed by the Space Bar.
3. "Press Space Commander" . . .

[Svengali]

I figured, if the cops are this stupid, why not go in for a life of crime?
...

I'll give you a reason. Even after using an energy_bomb there are at least hundreds of them left

So could we have an option to store more energy_bombs???

[TGHC]

Inadvisable, you could become Elite very quickly, without really earning the status.

[Svengali]

Inadvisable, you could become Elite very quickly, without really earning the status.

Hehe TGHC. But the big bangs would be very nice.
And btw: if I really would need such a 'stupid' option, I could do this by awarding the bomb again and again. It would destroy Oolites play-feel and wouldn't be much fun. :-(

** mumbling ** but sometimes...