Oolite Bulletins

I'm now confident enough to make a public release through the forum, but not yet through the manager. Who's holding the key to the manager by the way?

Changes:

Update (1.3) for Oolite 1.80 by CaptSolo & spara.
* New and retouched textures and flashy shader effects by CaptSolo. Shader by Griff, Neon sign model Arexic_Heretic. Docking bay by Griff.
* BGS docking tunnel texture by spara
* Sidewinder defenders updated to Griff's model.
* Script restructured and updated to spawn with 1.80 populator by spara.
* Station welcome screen is removed and games are moved to station interfaces (F4).
* Station AI tweaked to be more aggressive against attacking. Code borrowed from YAH.
* Two new gambling games: Smuggler's Run dice game and Video Poker. Scripting by spara. Card model and textures by CaptSolo. Sound effects are borrowed from Oolite. Dice game graphics by spara with two screenshots by Cody and Redspear.

Download: https://app.box.com/s/ym7gxdiz3wp3r1otih7w

Please report any oddities and they'll be fixed.

Big thanks to CaptSolo for making the initial update & making the cards. Scripting the new gambling games has been real fun.

spara wrote:

Who's holding the key to the manager by the way?

I was under the impression you already had the key..


That's great news, BTW..

Great job, chaps.
All it needs now are a few loaded dice and marked cards and all those mega-rich Commanders who complain about not having anything to do with their money could get fleeced to their hearts' content.

I see it says for Oolite 1.80 - does this work okay with trunk nightlies?

Cody wrote:

I see it says for Oolite 1.80 - does this work okay with trunk nightlies?

Apart from market it should be ok. To properly update it, the AIs should converted to javascript and market to new trunk definition. Although I'm not convinced it really needs the market at all as the stations are vety close to the main station and there's enough activities there already.

If it has a market at all, it's for gold/plat/gems (and almost none for sale) to suit the nature of the venue. Have to be the same price as the main station due to closeness, or it's just giving away free money to the player.

Switeck wrote:

If it has a market at all, it's for gold/plat/gems (and almost none for sale) to suit the nature of the venue. Have to be the same price as the main station due to closeness, or it's just giving away free money to the player.

And/Or perhaps 'sell only' food at say <1Cr/tonne premium and alcohol at say <2Cr/tonne premium, not enough to make a fortune out of given the there and back transit see a return.

There might be a good chance of a passenger trip/taxi fare for a few credits to the main station or perhaps a neighboring system.

And in keeping with the general theme, the occasional commodities contract of gold/plat/gems which is sure to attract unwelcome attention along route

It seems that it was the intent of the original author of this oxp to create an easily exploitable market. Conversation at the beginning of this thread and the flavor text in wiki imply that. Now the question is, should we keep it that way and let it break the game (to some degree) or should something be done with it? Now that there are three gambling games to play (and at least one more to come) making the role of the casino more clear, I feel that the lottery called "Commodity Markets" is no longer needed and should be removed all together.

spara wrote:

It seems that it was the intent of the original author of this oxp to create an easily exploitable market. Conversation at the beginning of this thread and the flavor text in wiki imply that. Now the question is, should we keep it that way and let it break the game (to some degree) or should something be done with it? Now that there are three gambling games to play (and at least one more to come) making the role of the casino more clear, I feel that the lottery called "Commodity Markets" is no longer needed and should be removed all together.

I think you're right. It's a casino, not a trading hub. There's even an argument, it it was possible, for not having them as separate stations: just make them available on the main system station (in some systems only, i.e. ones "famous for their hoopy casinos"?).

If they are kept separate, there's the question of where they should go: is the aegis the best place for them? Or could they become a kind of neutral ground, safe-ish from pirates, half-way along the lane? If they don't offer trading facilities or refuelling or repairs, then that wouldn't unbalance things too much. They could even be a source of some mini-missions, e.g. go to such-and-such and pick up a special consignment of Rizalaian lethal brandy ... missions could be paid in casino chips instead of cash, "to avoid complications".

Disclaimer:- I do not use this OXP (at the moment).

My 2Cr worth.
I am generally against any market exploits so would have to say no market if possible. Re-fuelling only, perhaps at a premium to main station prices.
As to location, well the fact they exist suggests that the main station is not a suitable place for a casino for whatever reason. Perhaps GalCop stations have punitive anti-gambling laws or something. However the Casino would need punters, so a position near the main station would seem sensible. That is where all the traffic is, and of course dirtsiders could also go 'offshore' to enjoy the facilities there as well.

I concur with both the above posts.. if that actually makes sense!

With regard to the position of the casinos, I'm less concerned with where they should be in business terms, and more where they could be for game terms. Having something to do on the space lane seems to me a good idea, in that it's an added encouragement to players to stay on the space lane. I remember the Astro Factories from the old Dictatorships OXP with some fondness, just because it made a nice break in the journey. There's also the issue of scale: if too much gets put into the station aegis, it can make the game feel a bit cramped and crowded.

There's a definite appeal, for me, in having a little neutral zone or two, where even in the more dangerous systems a player can find at least a chance of a respite from being attacked. No repairs, no trading, no refuelling: just somewhere to catch your breath, somewhere to break up a long journey, to play a few games, maybe win, maybe lose, before heading back out there and trying to make the final leg to the station.

There's also potential, I think, in having the casinos as almost part of a grey market, where criminals and merchantmen overlap without too much violence. Gambling has always been a popular method of money laundering, and pirates need a break as much as anyone. A mid-lane position would add more life to the lanes, with punters - some just regular joes, and some perhaps very definitely not - coming and going. I got a real kick a while back, launching from a Rock Hermit and finding myself followed by a veritable pirate fleet - who just ignored me, and sailed off to who knows where, to do I don't want to know what. Little touches like that, where you meet a bad guy and he doesn't do what you think he's programmed to do, makes things seem so much more real. Seriously, how many games are there where the player has the luxury of being ignored?

Disembodied wrote:

Having something to do on the space lane seems to me a good idea, in that it's an added encouragement to players to stay on the space lane.

Or stay away from them . For me I have no need to visit a Hoopy Casino, it not being my thing. However having them installed as some background would be nice - I do this with taxi stations. Having them get in my way however would be a turn off. Also having them as a respite station in difficult systems could make the system too easy - I found this to be the case with randon hits space bars making Reidquat a viable goal for a new start.

Venator Dha wrote:

Or stay away from them . For me I have no need to visit a Hoopy Casino, it not being my thing. However having them installed as some background would be nice - I do this with taxi stations. Having them get in my way however would be a turn off. Also having them as a respite station in difficult systems could make the system too easy - I found this to be the case with randon hits space bars making Reidquat a viable goal for a new start.

With broader lanes, they could be situated slightly off the direct route, so they could be avoided if you just wanted to have them for background colour ... and I agree that they shouldn't be respite stations. No refuelling, no repairs, no rearming. But somewhere to run to, if you're overwhelmed? That's OK, I think. It's less than you'd get with a Rock Hermit. If they're placed according to the F7 planet descriptions, then some will be in safe systems and some will be in dangerous ones - and most systems won't have them at all.

Disembodied wrote:

Venator Dha wrote:

Or stay away from them . For me I have no need to visit a Hoopy Casino, it not being my thing. However having them installed as some background would be nice - I do this with taxi stations. Having them get in my way however would be a turn off. Also having them as a respite station in difficult systems could make the system too easy - I found this to be the case with randon hits space bars making Reidquat a viable goal for a new start.

With broader lanes, they could be situated slightly off the direct route, so they could be avoided if you just wanted to have them for background colour ... and I agree that they shouldn't be respite stations. No refuelling, no repairs, no rearming. But somewhere to run to, if you're overwhelmed? That's OK, I think. It's less than you'd get with a Rock Hermit. If they're placed according to the F7 planet descriptions, then some will be in safe systems and some will be in dangerous ones - and most systems won't have them at all.

Yes I could see that working. Seeing one off to the side as I travel to the station would be good. And the rarity would also help, I sometimes feel that Rock hermits near / on the witchpoint-station route are too frequent.