Oolite Bulletins

Cholmondely wrote: ↑Sun Jul 21, 2024 10:58 pm

Problems with the newest shipdata.plist on my AppleMac:

As discussed I've added player ship change and storage:




In the manifest.plist I've put ShipStorageHelper as an optional feature - any thoughts on whether it should be a requirement or an option?


license = "CC BY-NC-SA 3";
requires_oxps = (
{ identifier = "oolite.oxp.Thargoid.Planetfall"; },
{ identifier = "oolite.oxp.phkb.FeudalPlanetFall"; version = "1.2.1"; },
{ identifier = "oolite.oxp.dgill.Feudal_States_Images"; },
{ identifier = "oolite.oxp.littlebear.blackmonks"; },
{ identifier = "oolite.oxp.Svengali.Library"; },
);
optional_oxps = (
{ identifier = "oolite.oxp.Svengali.GNN"; },
{ identifier = "oolite.oxp.phkb.EmailSystem"; },
{ identifier = "oolite.oxp.phkb.TionislaOrbitalGraveyard"; },
{ identifier = "oolite.oxp.phkb.BroadcastCommsMFD"; },
{ identifier = "oolite.oxp.CaptMurphy.ShipStorageHelper"; },
);
}

DGill wrote: ↑Wed Aug 07, 2024 10:47 am

Cholmondely wrote: ↑Sun Jul 21, 2024 10:58 pm

Problems with the newest shipdata.plist on my AppleMac:

As discussed I've added player ship change and storage:




In the manifest.plist I've put ShipStorageHelper as an optional feature - any thoughts on whether it should be a requirement or an option?


license = "CC BY-NC-SA 3";
requires_oxps = (
{ identifier = "oolite.oxp.Thargoid.Planetfall"; },
{ identifier = "oolite.oxp.phkb.FeudalPlanetFall"; version = "1.2.1"; },
{ identifier = "oolite.oxp.dgill.Feudal_States_Images"; },
{ identifier = "oolite.oxp.littlebear.blackmonks"; },
{ identifier = "oolite.oxp.Svengali.Library"; },
);
optional_oxps = (
{ identifier = "oolite.oxp.Svengali.GNN"; },
{ identifier = "oolite.oxp.phkb.EmailSystem"; },
{ identifier = "oolite.oxp.phkb.TionislaOrbitalGraveyard"; },
{ identifier = "oolite.oxp.phkb.BroadcastCommsMFD"; },
{ identifier = "oolite.oxp.CaptMurphy.ShipStorageHelper"; },
);
}

Optional probably makes more sense in an ideal world, as one presumably has to stick for some time with the feudal state missions until one gets there.

But I don’t think that “optional” does anything apart from inform those cognoscenti who bother to unzip the OXZ and then read through the manifest.plist for some bizarre reason. Or look it up on Hiran’s database (less cumbersome, but you have to know that it exists).

I would guess that most players never read more than the one line summary on the Expansions Manager.

Cholmondely wrote: ↑Thu Aug 08, 2024 6:27 am

But I don’t think that “optional” does anything apart from inform those cognoscenti who bother to unzip the OXZ and then read through the manifest.plist for some bizarre reason. Or look it up on Hiran’s database (less cumbersome, but you have to know that it exists).

I would guess that most players never read more than the one line summary on the Expansions Manager.

One day, earlier this year, just for the exercise, not bothering to read the descriptions, I clicked through the whole list in the OXZ manager. It took seventy-five key presses - and a longer time than I anticipated - just to click through to the end. There is a reason many formerly "ship" OXZs have been re-categorized as "activities". I doubt that many new players, idly browsing the list, without prior knowledge of what any of them do, get as far as the "equipment" category, let alone "weapons". And, usefulness of the "filter" option... zero.

I will say it bluntly: the OXZ manager is no longer useful for finding add-ons. (It is still excellent for checking up-to-date-ness of installed add-ons, and downloading new versions.) This morning, I wanted to consult an old add-on. It never even occurred to me to attempt to get it with the OXZ-manager, I went straight to the website and downloaded it from the list.

To be useful, the list displayed in the OXZ manager needs to be a taxonomy, not an alphabetical list. It was ever thus.