A Solar Systems OXP - @Frame

[Lestradae]

Resurrected thread - please look at last posting!

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Hi!

I have been thinking about giving Oolite solar systems, basically randomised but always the same for a given system, and played around with a test OXP.

But I think I would need some help and also input from the people here what you want/don`t want in, and am not sure if its possible at all to get around the kind of performance hit something like this does produce.

I have created a concept study that IS NOT YET AN OXP AND SHOULD NOT BE USED AS SUCH!!!

The concept study can be downloaded here:

http://www.box.net/shared/static/dcdfjsiu8c.zip

You NEED TO INSTALL also System Redux and Far Sun OXPs for the test thingy to work!

System Redux: http://download.marlinsoftware.co.uk/Oo ... _Redux.zip

Far Sun: http://wiki.alioth.net/images/c/c8/Farsun1.03.zip

ALSO, edit Far Sun as follows: Open the OXP, open the Config folder, open script.js and change line 7 to "this.multiple=5;".

To create it, I have borrowed a bit from the Far Sun, System Redux, Tianve, Biosphere and the older Plannets oxps.

It does:

* Shove the sun five times farther away from the main planet than in standard Oolite and about 1 2/3 times farther than with the Far Sun oxp.

* Add a mercurial, innermost planet close to the sun. (The sun is too small. But that`s due to the 1.71.1 bug in Oolite itself).

* The planet is far enough away that it and the main planet look like very small circles or stars from each other`s orbit - it takes about five to ten minutes to reach it on "J" - drive.

* It has one orbital test station, and two surface test stations - yes, you can land on planets already! (The stations on the planetary surface are termed "Planetary Solar Power Plant" and "Planetary Habitat `Ground Zero`". If test-landing, come in VERY slowly and exactly, and don`t even think about autopiloting ...

* There are a few traders, police and pirates in orbit around the new innermost planet.

There is a noticable performance hit already. Don`t know how to get around this.

What I would like an end version to do in addition to the above?

* Make each system have 4 to 7 or so planets.

* Each planetary orbit having a specific commodities.plist, for example the innermost planet having cheap raw materials like gold, gemstones, platinum, radioactives, perhaps alloys, while being really expensive (sell there) on food, textiles, computers ... as this has to be imported. And so on.

* Add a randomised, but always the same system to each and every solar system.

* Not collide with OXPs which already add something like that for certain systems - not sure how to "switch off" the whole thing for specific systems.

* Have traders start and land from its stations including the ground stations - wasn`t there a "has_traders" command once?

* Not have a performance hit that makes the whole thing unplayable.

Discuss!

L

[Frame]

I like the idea that they are Far away from each other, however...

currently in route to a planet....

How would you know what planet to goto ? ; Since you cant target them
you need to use the bouy system in some sort of way... BUT that only show you 1 letter, and some letters are allready taken by other OXPs... like my "R"ock hermit Locater ("shameless self promotion i know)...

Also, why would a player be "arsed" to take a 10 min journey where nothing happens when he can just hyper to another system, and have action or be able to dock shortly...

These are problems you need to Figure out, or else very few ppl will be using this future OXP..

Edit#1, i think i just wasted 7 mins, that blue dot is not getting larger..

Edit#2, 14 mins Think something is wrong... while oolite seems to be accpeting the Concept OXP

edit 3, while the OXP is loading, it seems no planets or moon are being generated...

[Lestradae]

Hi Frame,

I have thought about the two aspects you mention.

How would you know what planet to goto ? ; Since you cant target them
you need to use the bouy system in some sort of way...

One of the ground stations has the "planetary beacon" and shows the letter "P". In the test-OXP that I linked all three stations on the test planet have that beacon function.

If there is a maximum of say 6 additional planets per system, there is a maximum of 6 "P"`s - two of which are inside the main planet (which I thought of as always being Nr.3) and you can look at the inner planets for visual cues when turning in their direction.

Then there would be 1 to max. 4 further planets and "P"`s, and there you could guess from how "big" they appear visually which one is which. The outermost planetary beacon could be "I" - the interstellar beacon designating the system to non-hyperspacing explorers, beyonders, Generation ships???

So it should be possible to find them. If most worlds have an orbital and a ground station, you can find them by looking. Try out the test oxp, you`ll see it.

BUT that only show you 1 letter, and some letters are allready taken by other OXPs... like my "R"ock hermit Locater ("shameless self promotion i know)...

*g* Nothing wrong with that

Also, why would a player be "arsed" to take a 10 min journey where nothing happens when he can just hyper to another system, and have action or be able to dock shortly...

Yeah, sure, there must be some in-game benefit or why would you do the journey?

For once, there should be some police, pirates, traders in the inner system. In the outer reaches, also, but beyonders, dredgers, really desperate pirates and the odd thargoid invasion force could become prevalent.

The main idea I have is that there are economic benefits also, that certain goods have a powerful win-span if you, say, import raw materials from the innermost or outer frontier worlds of a system to a main planet, or if you transport goods they usually don`t have there from the main planet to those "provinces" - like food, textiles, wines, ... narcotics

To get back would be faster: Make a hyperjump somewhere else, and you are again in some 3rd planet`s backyard.

Hm, so far my thoughts about the matter - I`m wide open to further suggestions and ideas, though.

[Frame]

hmm no P in my Advanced Space Compas

oolite 1.71.1

[Lestradae]

hmm no P in my Advanced Space Compas

oolite 1.71.1

Looking into the matter straight away.

[Frame]

also no P in 1.70

Windows Vista 32 bit btw

[LittleBear]

Same here I'm afraid. The Sun has been moved far away (so looks like Oolite is reading the Java Script from the test OXP) but no planet or stations are being added. No P on Space Comp. Haven't had a poke around the code, but suspect a bug in shipyard or script file. (1.71.1 on Windows XP).

[Lestradae]

Grrr,

confirmed, also stopped working on my system.

Does work with my original version, though.

OK, re-uploaded the test file. Please also use System Redux and Far Sun and change the line 7 of Far Sun to "this.multiple=5;" - this should work.

Have a look at first posting again for quick download of System Redux & Far Sun.

No idea what mistake I hastily built-in, but as its just a concept study ... try again, sorry

Pfff ... anything new, guys?

EDIT: Working again on my system, at least, he way its supposed to ...

[Frame]

oright got it working.... i just needed to hyperspace first...

Then the space beacon was working... as the script dont take into account, when people are docked....

also when i undocked Without beacon, a planet far far away, was very large.. to large to be that far away... but i guees since this is concept... thats just a feature..

Hyperspace first, then this seems to be working...

testing atm

btw seems i got 3 beacons... labeled P

[Lestradae]

oright got it working.... i just needed to hyperspace first...

Then the space beacon was working... as the script dont take into account, when people are docked..

Yes, so it is (at the moment)

also when i undocked Without beacon, a planet far far away, was very large.. to large to be that far away... but i guees since this is concept... thats just a feature..

No, shouldn`t happen - you sure the planet wasn`t from System Redux?

btw seems i got 3 beacons... labeled P

Yes the orbital station for the inner planet and its two ground stations all have the beacon function for the moment - can be easier found when testing that way.

[Frame]

No, shouldn`t happen - you sure the planet wasn`t from System Redux?

Nope, not sure about anything, never had system redux installed before... but now that i think of it, since your script was not called beofer upon exiting hyperspace. Then it was System Redux..

hmm just mass locked from the far off mercury like planet... in the ditiza system, not like when the planet is taking up most of your screen like the standard planet...

its big though, 3 times the reticle

sry my mistake, pirates. they are dead

in the athmosphere... Tip dont fuel inject in an athmosphere... Was nearly dead... Friction...

ok i died, either from the Sun bug, or some unknown (to me)feature that you cant fuel inject in an athmosphere (which i think would be neat)...

The cabin temprature just suddenly skyrocketed while i was trying to find those bases, (found one, that was all white:missing texture perhaps).. shields drop energy got zapped... and boom...

[Lestradae]

Be VERY slow and VERY careful when attempting to land in one of the two ground stations ... and never, EVER use fuel inject in an atmosphere

[Frame]

Be VERY slow and VERY careful when attempting to land in one of the two ground stations ... and never, EVER use fuel inject in an atmosphere

Oright, pulling out my custom build adder.. the one in my avatar... and welding some engines on to it... speed 900 ;-P

[Svengali]

Hehe, some more stuff. Just tried it and I must say 10 minutes is hard work. I don't think that a lot of players will like to do this - even with a big and fat benefit profit.

So I would suggest to make some kind of secret worlds (maybe 8 per galaxy) where some special deals can be done (Thargoid Outpost with battlefleet, ...). This way you would avoid any most clashes with other oxps. And by leaving space for other oxps we'll get some nice community of oxps.

And you could make a contest. The first who has visited all worlds wins one of them (can name it).

Only suggestions. R'n'R

[Frame]

oright made it to the habitat Ground Zero and im in the docking slit... and this adder got no more protection than the standard adder... so it can be done... had hoped though to dock... offcourse that is out of scope for this test,....

Svengali is right... unless you pull a rabbit(read very fast ship), out of the hat ppl wouldnt want to do this...

I was thinking about jumpgates though, but i´m not sure if that even would be possible, maybe via some scripting but that would require the modification of the players ship´s speed... momentary...

Maybe a nice fat explosion in the rear of the ship activated by the player flying through a jump/boost gate, that triggers the explosion... and boosting the players speed momentary... while he must assure that the gate faces the planet in question... and one for the return...

i´m just speculating, im not sure what can be done ATM...