Oolite Shipyards Extension V1.0 Development

[Shade]

Any thoughts on stripping out the Star Trek, Star Wars, and Eve (Kestrel) 'tribute' ships? I find they kind of dillute the OOexperience... (and they may have 'other' issues.)

It is possable to remove them. I'm not sure how, tho, you will have to ask the emperor.


Don't Panic: FSOneblin

Well yes... But...

[Lestradae]

Hi Shade, welcome!

OK, here`s how you can take out specific ships atm:

1. You make a list of the in-game names of the ships you want to remove from the game.

2. You open the Realistic Shipyard`s shipdata.plist and search via search function after those names.

3. At each name, you write down the plist name: It´s at the beginning of each shipdata & shipyard.plist entry and says "<key>shipname</key>". Write down those plist names also.

4. Delete the entries of the ships you don`t want in the shipdata.plist. Keep in mind that many ships have different versions, some player and some NPC, and if you want them completely gone, you have to take all of them out. You should already have found them all in step 2. Don`t forget to erase their subentities, too!

5. After editing (and saving) the shipdata.plist, open the shipyard.plist.

6. Search for the plist names of the player versions of the ships you want to remove (you won`t find their in-game names here).

7. Remove the entries corresponding to the ships you don`t want.

8. Save your new shipyard.plist.

9. Next time you start the game, remember to press SHIFT while starting so that the game recognises the changes you have made. After that, at every game start you have the oxp without the ships you don`t want.

At the moment, there is no installer/deinstaller for specific ships. Some people said they would create something like that, and while I`m looking forward to that, it has not yet happened, and I can`t (and, frankly, don`t want to) do it myself.

So, only way to remove specific ships, is to do it manually the way described above.

Anyways, have fun with Oolite, cheers

L

[Cmdr James]

I dont think he was asking how to do it, I think he was suggesting that you remove them from RS in general.

[Lestradae]

I dont think he was asking how to do it, I think he was suggesting that you remove them from RS in general.

Just in case you understood correctly what he was asking, the answer would be: No.

[ClymAngus]

You see this is what I like about this game. If you want to fingerprint your oolite experience then all ya got to do is ask the bod who made it and do it yourself.

The player learns something, and the maker gets to pass on some knowledge which is indeed, in it's own way quite cool.

There is very little hand holding, just quiet encouragement to pick up the tools and give it a go yourself. Gaming by the people for the people. Woot!

[Lestradae]

Hi ClymAngus!

You see this is what I like about this game. If you want to fingerprint your oolite experience then all ya got to do is ask the bod who made it and do it yourself.

You don`t even have to ask - it`s all freeware. I have repeatedly said that if someone did a "Realistic Shipyards without Star Wars ships in" version I`d happily link it from the RS Homepage, hell, I`d even host it myself with my paid account ... I just don`t want to do it myself.

My oxp happened that way - I found that I wanted this and that in my game, found out how to do it (very slowly) and put it in, published it in case anyone else wanted it and yes, quite a few people do.

If someone wants a different version, go ahead and do it, just don`t ask (or even attempt to tell) ME to do it

The player learns something, and the maker gets to pass on some knowledge which is indeed, in it's own way quite cool.

Well, I think that the above How-To is quite easy to realise and should give a little impression about the more simple structures of Oolite I have used and utilised for this oxp.

There is very little hand holding, just quiet encouragement to pick up the tools and give it a go yourself. Gaming by the people for the people. Woot!

I did some scripting here for the first and only time in twenty years - in my RL I`m anything but a programmer or scripter

So, it has inspired me to be more than just a consumer, and that`s one of the things I really like about this game.

Have fun

L

[Shade]

I dont think he was asking how to do it, I think he was suggesting that you remove them from RS in general.

Just in case you understood correctly what he was asking, the answer would be: No.

Yes, that's what I was asking... And fair enough.

Edit: I was thinking more of splitting the OXP. Removing things manually is easy enough. (Albeit, the write up is nice to have on the public record.)

[polyh]

Eve (Kestrel) 'tribute' ships?

The Kestrel is a tribute to Eve? That's quite interesting. Braben can see the future! Or is there any other explanation for the Kestrel in FE2 and FFE?

[ClymAngus]

Hi ClymAngus!

Lo!

Well exactly, as more of a graphics dude than a programmer I have my self given back to the community with a Hud. Not quite your level of effort but still. The opportunity is there, and as you so rightly put, people should be encouraged to grasp that opportunity. There is very little in life which compares with the joy of making something utilitarian, as it can be used, and appreciated by many.

That said I can see where your coming from with this mod, by giving people a complete pallette and also giving them the tools to alter it, it enables a spectrum of possible mods, individually tailored to peoples wants.

You don't screw up the pallette to paint a picture.

[Lestradae]

Avete, ClymAngus!

Well exactly, as more of a graphics dude than a programmer I have my self given back to the community with a Hud. Not quite your level of effort but still.

Well, not sure concerning the effort difference - actually, I united the work of about fifty different people, and gave it a consistent framework plus a bit of repairs ... while you created something entirely original.

The opportunity is there, and as you so rightly put, people should be encouraged to grasp that opportunity. There is very little in life which compares with the joy of making something utilitarian, as it can be used, and appreciated by many.

It`s a great possibility to get rid of a consumer`s stance towards a game, methinks.

I like this a lot about Oolite - everyone active enough can make their own custom version of the game and share it with others, who can choose if they also want it or not.

That said I can see where your coming from with this mod, by giving people a complete pallette and also giving them the tools to alter it, it enables a spectrum of possible mods, individually tailored to peoples wants.

You don't screw up the pallette to paint a picture.

Exactly! I feel understood for the first time in this respect

The next version of RS will go under the name of "Oolite Ships Expansion". I don`t quite understand why not more paltettes like this are done, to enable the next "generation" of oxp`ers to build on already established material - why not create/merge an "Oolite Equipment Expansion" with all already available equipment in it, an "Oolite Stations Expansion" etc. ... and then individually tailor it to each and every players wants?

I was thinking about doing something like that myself, but am already enough occupied by patching and upgrading this one oxp, so won`t do it ...

The palette idea could well be the next step in upgrading beyond Giles` ingenious idea of a completely moddable game, Oolite itself, every modder building onto the former steps - but most people creative here don`t want that, and the RS idea has as yet not been repeated.

The potential of creativity possible via freeware like this has not even scratched its own surface yet, imo.

Right On!

L

[DaddyHoggy]

@ClymAngus - I can't script for toffee and I really, really don't have the time to learn to model (even though I would love to) but I hear what you say - so my contributions will continue to be adverts* to YAH and hopefully some racing team colours and if I do get some time (as I'm a writer in my spare time (of which I have none)) I will write up some Team profiles for the wiki...

Like you say - there's no reason not to contribute to the Ooniverse - even the suggestion for an OXP can lead to some wonderful creations that make a huge difference to the way the game is/can be played i.e. Ore processor, bounty tracking computer, etc.

* Some of which inspired the Oo-hauler ship/missions and the Tescoo Oxpress to compliment the Pi-42 stores (come to think of it I did skin the Tescco Oxpress - although 'twas Doc who added it to the oxp...)

[Shade]

Eve (Kestrel) 'tribute' ships?

The Kestrel is a tribute to Eve? That's quite interesting. Braben can see the future! Or is there any other explanation for the Kestrel in FE2 and FFE?

Umm, sorry I suppose. Oh, wait, not really. :p You learn something new every day...

Hey, I came, I asked, I got a response. I'm happy.

[CmdrLUke]

Any thoughts on stripping out the Star Trek, Star Wars, and Eve (Kestrel) 'tribute' ships? I find they kind of dillute the OOexperience... (and they may have 'other' issues.)

I was on the verge of installing RS to try it out for the pricing model, but I really don't want Star Wars/Trek ships, so for now I think I'll pass and just add in individual OXP ships by hand that fit the oolite theme. But I'm pretty sure I will try RS out eventually I also have my hands full with bunches of pirates with existing native ships, so I don't want massively-impossibly-difficult "regular" pirate gangs yet.

I really like that RS gives early game choices, and makes getting into, e.g., a life of trading possible without having to play for a long time before you can afford a decent capacity freight hauler. This choice should be part of the core game I think.

I think the programmable pricing model should be part of core oolite, and ideally would be separated from the installed list of ships.

[Lestradae]

Welcome, CmdrLUke!

I was on the verge of installing RS to try it out for the pricing model, but I really don't want Star Wars/Trek ships

You know, there is a How-To for taking out specific ships if you don`t want them in this very thread? It`s a bit of work, but you also have a bit of work if you hand-pick 50 different ship oxps. Just saying.

I'm pretty sure I will try RS out eventually

Cool, I hope you will have fun with it!

I don't want massively-impossibly-difficult "regular" pirate gangs yet.

Well, they are no game-breakers for the noob, because there is a workable option then: Run!

And gives those scanner upgrade thingies good usage before you get down with the pirates.

I really like that RS gives early game choices, and makes getting into, e.g., a life of trading possible without having to play for a long time before you can afford a decent capacity freight hauler. This choice should be part of the core game I think.

That`s something you have to ask Ahruman, another_commander etc. about, but I think chances for that are not so good ... but, it doesn`t hurt to ask.

I think the programmable pricing model should be part of core oolite, and ideally would be separated from the installed list of ships.

Again, you have to ask the script wizards to do that if, but it was already debated some time ago and was decided against by Ahruman at the time.

I have started very preliminary work on the next RS version, which will actually

* separate the pricing model from the ships, and

* have a new (reworked, much simpler) pricing model,

* and (when 1.72 comes out) should put a new plist option to use in a way that it could even become possible to install ship oxps that have been altered since the next RS came out on top of it and still work in conjunction with it while still using the RS pricing model ...

That may be something some people might like. But, it`s probably still a few months off in the future.

Good gaming

L

[Cmdr James]

I really like that RS gives early game choices, and makes getting into, e.g., a life of trading possible without having to play for a long time before you can afford a decent capacity freight hauler. This choice should be part of the core game I think.

I think the programmable pricing model should be part of core oolite, and ideally would be separated from the installed list of ships.

Im not sure what advantage RS gives to you early in the game, all it does is aggregate together a whole lot of ships (almost all available in other OXPs I think) and standardise pricing. It is just as easy to install a single specific OXP for a low cost ship, or even just open an OXP for a ship you would like and set its price manually (it is really easy).

Im not sure what you mean about having a programmable pricing model in oolite -- the base prices are dictated by the OXP (including RS), and are modified by the game according to tech level, and fitted equipment, and I think some randomness. If we were to replace this with a fixed algorithmic charging, there would be no way for an OXP to charge more for sexier ships, or those better cross section (harder to shoot), or custom paintjobs etc.
I dislike calculated charging, for the simple reason that a Ferarri would always cost more than a similar performance Volvo/Lada -- you have to take into account brand value, styling etc. which are just not well represented in a calculation. Look at the VW Golf/Audi TT/Skoda Octavia that are all essentially the same car but are not priced the same.