Interstellar help 2.0

Commander McLane · Post by **Commander McLane** » Tue Jul 14, 2009 11:17 am

As a collateral damage to the wiki problems I wasn't able to update the download link for Interstellar help.oxp for a long time, therefore many, many of you have still downloaded version 1.1.

But in fact there is version 2.0, it was just buried here on the board.

Everybody who enjoys Interstellar help.oxp should upgrade to version 2.0, which is a huge improvement. Not only does it add an alternative way of helping a fellow commander who got stuck in witchspace. It also offers help to you, should you ever end up floating in the middle of nowhere...

Here's an excerpt from the ReadMe:

Introduction
Interstellar space is a treacherous territory, and misjumps are dangerous. It's not only what you may meet out there, it's the sheer fact that you may get stranded in the vast voids of interstellar space forever. Initiating a witchjump and creating the tunnel through witchspace consumes fuel. So if—for whatever reason—the tunnel collapses halfway on your journey to the next planet, you are thrown out somewhere in the middle of nowhere, in the vast realms of ghastly, pale green half-light, your fuel tanks nearly depleted, possibly with not enough fuel left to create another tunnel to the closest system.

Many pilots have just vanished without a trace in the boundless void. Some ships have said to be found drifting into the outer zones of an adjacent system—but only decades after their life support systems ran out of energy.

So the family of space-farers gets even closer together in the uncanny zone of interstellar space, where everybody is far away from home, and everybody may find himself at the mercy of fellow captains, or be lost in space forever. One for all, and all for one—although for anybody in the dire straits of need for fuel help comes with a price.

Overview
This OXP introduces some interaction with fellow commanders in interstellar space. You may meet another trader who got stuck in interstellar space who sends distress calls and asks for your help. He is willing to pay a good price for some fuel from your tanks, or for a ride in your wake. If you are in the mood to help him, just answer his call by flying towards him. You will have to get closer than 1000 meters in order to make clear that you are there for him.

He then will either be wanting to buy some fuel from you, or request to follow through your wormhole, after you have jumped to your destination. If you agree to sell him some of your fuel reserves, you just have to get very close to him. So close that he can scoop any of the fuel you are venting from your tanks. The process starts automatically, monitored by your ship's computer, as soon as you have approached him closely enough. If you want to end the transaction you just have to turn your nose away from his scoops. If you do not do so, he will take all the fuel you have until his tanks are completely filled. The usual price for a fuel transfer so far away from the next supplier is ten times what you would pay at a main station.

If he asks you for a witchspace ride, all you have to do is jump to your current destination. After you have jumped to any system within your reach, he will follow you through your wormhole (note that he will not jump out at the exact same location as you; wormhole ends are a tiny little bit fuzzy, which means that ships leaving the same wormhole will all be somewhere in the vicinity of the witchpoint, but not at the exact same place). You will have earned the eternal gratitude of a fellow trader, and a financial reward, which will always be enough to cover your fuel costs for the jump.

But what if you are stuck in interstellar space yourself? Do not despair, if you are known to help fellow commanders in need, others will be willing to do the same for you. Just wait a little, there may be a ship approaching you with the offer to help you. Again you have to close in to him in order to accept the offer. Depending on his mood he may offer you to buy some of his fuel reserves, or to take a ride through his wormhole. This time it is you, of course, who has to pay the price.

Again, if you agreed on a fuel transaction, you have to get close enough to scoop the fuel he is going to vent from his tanks, and again your ship's computer takes care of monitoring the transaction. You can end the transfer anytime, by pointing your ship's nose (and therefore your fuel scoops) away from your donor. The transaction will also end if you run out of money. And your benefactor will not sell all his fuel—he is going to need some for his own journey, after all.

If the offer is to take a ride in his wormhole, he will initiate his jump and invite you to follow him. In that case you are supposed to pay him on the other side. Oh, in order to allow him to initiate the jump sequence it may be necessary that you get out of his way first.

In any case it would be considered very rude to shoot at your benefactor or try to extract his fuel otherwise. The attempt won't be successful.

Download
Interstellar help 2.0 can be downloaded via its newly updated wiki-page.

Commander Learner · Post by **Commander Learner** » Thu Sep 24, 2009 10:33 am

But I must say, no ship ever asked for helped after I installed the OXP .....

Not just this one, but Globe Stations also didn't work.

Commander McLane · Post by **Commander McLane** » Thu Sep 24, 2009 12:16 pm

Have you been in interstellar space a lot? On every misjump of yours there is a certain chance that you will be asked for help. (And if you lose your fuel in interstellar space there is a chance that you will be offered help.)

But the OXP does nothing at all in normal space. So, if you don't misjump, you won't see anything.

Oh, and interstellar space tends to be a little busy, of course. So it might be that your customer is killed by thargoids before any transaction can take place. Or, maybe, you get killed by thargoids, before you can help him. That's life.

phonebook · Post by **phonebook** » Thu Sep 24, 2009 12:34 pm

you can always force a misjump!

Killer Wolf · Post by **Killer Wolf** » Fri Sep 25, 2009 6:44 am

" he will take all the fuel you have until his tanks are completely filled"

ALL the fuel? what if he takes so much you don't have enough to jump yourself?

Commander McLane · Post by **Commander McLane** » Fri Sep 25, 2009 8:07 am

Killer Wolf wrote:
" he will take all the fuel you have until his tanks are completely filled"

ALL the fuel? what if he takes so much you don't have enough to jump yourself?

Hi, old buddy!

Well, then you're stuck, I'd say.

Probably you could ask another helpful commander for some fuel? Or you could of course follow the guy whom you just helped. Now that he has got enough fuel, he may be jumping out, and offering a nice blue wormhole to you?

But the main thing is to watch your fuel gauge during the transaction. And as I wrote in the sentence just before your quote:

Commander McLane wrote:
If you want to end the transaction you just have to turn your nose away from his scoops. If you do not do so, ...

By the way: If you sell him too little fuel for him to get to the nearest system, he will start asking for help all over again.