Missions from Navy and Bars: distances / difficulty

[Screet]

Hi,

since I've got all the money I need, I am just playing around...and a good way to do that seems to be doing missions from the navy and from the bars.

However, BOTH do have something annoying: The distances/jump numbers are not given, as is when observing the common trade/transportation offers. This makes the decision whether to do such a misison very difficult: one has to remember all those strange names and which of those are close enough.

Anyway, it would make sense to me if the missions would not be as far away as half the galaxy width: there are both bars and navy sector commands that are much closer - and in case of the navy missions they often read in a way as if time could run out (it doesn't, though?!?). Maybe the navy should even ask reservists on systems just one jump away for "urgent help" instead of having a pilot fly to a navy station and then be sent through half the galaxy?

Concerning the missions: So far the only danger was that I could be rammed in my tiny little Merlin (it has 25TC cargo hold, but is roughly the size of a cargo canister). That could mean less navy, more fierce pirates, and especially much more (and more fierce) bodyguards for those to be exterminated. Currently, it's often more "dangerous" to leave the lanes with Deep Space Pirates (and I do leave the lanes for the pirates!).

Screet

[LittleBear]

Unfortunatley its not possible for an OXP to gain access to the variables necessary to calculate the distance between two systems. The 1.3 beta version of Random Hits does do the next best thing by displaying the Sector of the Galaxy where the Mark's system is in the subject box with "North West", "North East" etc. If you always take a mission in the same sector as your current location then it'll never be more than 3 or 4 jumps away. The beta test only does this for Galaxys 1 and 2 as I'm still working on the code to do it in all Galaxies (currently up to G5). The full 1.4 version will do it for all, as well as adding special missions and random events and makes the ships and stations smarter by getting them to ignore friendly fire. The bug which causes way too many hunters to be launched by bars after a fire-fight is also fixed.

Try a level three mission on 1.3 of Random Hits, the bodyguards (should) now fight much more effectively with their boss. There ships are generlly fully speced, but they may have difficulting hitting you in such a small ship! The Random Hits mission are not really meant to be super difficult, although a level 3 should be a fair challenge. As you can do missions from Average onwards, it was really ment as an alternative to trading for middle Jamesons to earn money. The next version though uses your reputation with the Bounty Hunters Guild and your Elite rating to generate Random Events so you may well find that if you keep doing hits on a regular basis criminal organisations and pirates start taking an interest in you. You could try Assassins if you want a really dangerous life!

[matt634]

Navy missions are not "optional" commander - they're assignments. Unfortunately, we're unable to coordinate Thargoid attacks across the galaxy with your schedule

Edit - and although it does seem that you always show up just in time - it is possible to be late. Glad you're playing.

[Screet]

Navy missions are not "optional" commander - they're assignments. Unfortunately, we're unable to coordinate Thargoid attacks across the galaxy with your schedule

Edit - and although it does seem that you always show up just in time - it is possible to be late. Glad you're playing.

Hmmmm...how about in-flight emergency calls to defend nearby systems? Is that possible? I guess that would really enhance things.

Concerning the defense of space lanes, I've had some strange stuff:
- the mission is no longer reported, once I show up and join the other reserve vessels
- the reserve vessels do have different speeds and thus do not patrol together
- the combat typically is right at the planet, while all those reservists fly very slowly down the lane....should I use my injectors and head for the planet alone?
- I even had (obviously) Thargoids speak perfectly! They talked about destroying all bases, then there was a countdown followed by a MASSIVE amount of explosions (Q-Bombs?). The nearby rock hermit complained about navbuoy vandalism, however, it was not his NB, but the main stations.

Concerning Thargoids...I just had another strange encounter, I think I remember reading reports that they are made surgically fearless...but that warship did attempt to fly away from me, was not firing at me, but repeatedly firing at some point in space where there was nothing at all. It did not look like random fire, but as if the ship had found a target that was more important than it's survival. I even continued my path there on injectors, just to have a look...do they have a much bigger scanner and weapons range, so that I might have missed that warships target?

Screet

[Thargoid]

Some of the Second Wave (.oxp) of Thargoid invaders behave differently to those that most humans bump into in the space lanes. You can tell them from their normal bretheren by the colouration of their ships.

One or two of them do have characteristics which could appear to be running away, although in some cases it isn't quite what they're doing Oh and one of their newer tharglets variants could easily be mistaken for a Q-bomb (and they've heard a line which translated as "We boom all your bases poet" somewhere too.)

I would say you just met a Command Thargoid ship, with his little companion the Thargmine variant tharglet, which triggered and made a few nice kabooms as he said...

[matt634]

Hmmmm...how about in-flight emergency calls to defend nearby systems? Is that possible? I guess that would really enhance things.

I've thought about adding something like this but haven't yet for two reasons. One, it's sort of already covered by the thargoid wars oxp, and two, I wanted to limit the "reserve experience" to the conscious choice of the commander. Not everybody who installs galactic navy wants to fight the thargoids. I actually enjoy pirating/smuggling for a living and like to have the Navy around just as a nemesis factor

the combat typically is right at the planet, while all those reservists fly very slowly down the lane....should I use my injectors and head for the planet alone?

Your reserve wingman are pretty useless... mostly just there to give the feeling your part of something bigger. The thargoids should be spread all throughout the space lanes though, not just at the planet. But, they all head towards the planet so if you cruise slow with your wingman, yeah, I guess they would all converge at the planet before you get there... I look into switching up their AI.

I even had (obviously) Thargoids speak perfectly! They talked about destroying all bases, then there was a countdown followed by a MASSIVE amount of explosions (Q-Bombs?). The nearby rock hermit complained about navbuoy vandalism, however, it was not his NB, but the main stations.

Not the work of my oxp.

Thanks for the feedback. I put dozens of hours into this oxp and really want others to enjoy it. Look for your suggestions to make into the next release. I've already added a couple new missions types and might throw in some random happenings since your not the only one to make the request.

[Screet]

I've thought about adding something like this but haven't yet for two reasons. One, it's sort of already covered by the thargoid wars oxp, and two, I wanted to limit the "reserve experience" to the conscious choice of the commander. Not everybody who installs galactic navy wants to fight the thargoids. I actually enjoy pirating/smuggling for a living and like to have the Navy around just as a nemesis factor

On C64 Elite I had once found an anarchy planet where a LOT of vipers would await me after jumping into the system and then fly with me towards the planet. I was playing a fugitive drug dealer - and they just kept sure that no pirate would prevent me from delivering my cargo

Thanks for the feedback. I put dozens of hours into this oxp and really want others to enjoy it. Look for your suggestions to make into the next release. I've already added a couple new missions types and might throw in some random happenings since your not the only one to make the request.

...and thanks for the Addon, I'm really looking forward for that update that you mention! Really...this game is great...and I just find something new all the time.

Few hours ago I approached a space bar, but could not land...a constant convoy of hunters vessels were launching and flying into the same Witchspace entry. I had to fuel somewhere else, and decided that the planet should be it.

After launching, I engaged the Witchspace drive....as soon as I was in the new system, the whole scanner went yellow. Before I could find out more, about half of it went flashing-blue....and the sky was filled with entry bubbles. I managed to get an ID on a few ships, all Bounty Hunters. The sight on the scanner was much more impressive than during the early stages of navy vs. thargoid fleet action, the scanner practically was useless!

Screet, always attacked by hacker vipers few seconds after their advertisement?!?

[matt634]

Yeah, my last Oolife ended due to a drug run gone bad. I was cruising galaxy 2 in a rusty cobra III and ran across narcotics selling for 4 credits a pop. Of course, always the opportunist, I loaded up my hold and launched in search of huge profits. Right away a viper starts lighting up my tail, so I scramble to select a system and hyper out. Well, in my haste to leave I didn't notice the system I jumped in to was a Sector Command. Immediately, the frigate picketing the witchpoint starts to cut up my shields, so I hit the injectors and burn towards the planet but there's a navy viper on my tail. I switch over to my aft laser and cooked his hull just long enough to shake him, but that bastard launched a hardhead at me while streaking on injectors. I didn't even have enough to time to curse.

BOOM

Now I'm back at Lave with a 100 credits and 0 kills. Gotta love this game.

[Ensa]

Now I'm back at Lave with a 100 credits and 0 kills. Gotta love this game.

Ditto, it is nice in a way to have to manually dock again for a while, although I long ago ran out of cool names for my new commanders, partly naming them after star systems has not run out of milage yet.
Absolutely love this game, and the addons. Cheers guys!

[Commander McLane]

Few hours ago I approached a space bar, but could not land...a constant convoy of hunters vessels were launching and flying into the same Witchspace entry. I had to fuel somewhere else, and decided that the planet should be it.

After launching, I engaged the Witchspace drive....as soon as I was in the new system, the whole scanner went yellow. Before I could find out more, about half of it went flashing-blue....and the sky was filled with entry bubbles. I managed to get an ID on a few ships, all Bounty Hunters. The sight on the scanner was much more impressive than during the early stages of navy vs. thargoid fleet action, the scanner practically was useless!

This is a bug that, according to LittleBear, is fixed in the latest version of Random Hits.oxp.

Screet, always attacked by hacker vipers few seconds after their advertisement?!?

They may advertise the Outpost, but they are still pirates. So what do you expect?

[LittleBear]

Thats the version on my machine that I haven't released yet though!