Feature requests for Oolite 2.0

[Staer9]

(this is a joke:) we could re-use banned spammer's names/handles

or use them in random-hits oxp

[Zireael]

First post updated: features grouped, links added, two new requests added to the list.

[Azured]

Financial options when purchasing a spacecraft.

Things like down payments, income deductions on account, monthly instalments, premiums, interest etc.

I know we now have the Black Monks, but it's an OXP and their methods are financially speaking rather unrefined. In the Ooniverse it would only make sense that there exists similar systems for purchasing spacecraft as we now have in the automobile market. This would help a new player to more easily switch their starter craft to something more to their liking.

[Commander McLane]

FAQ
There will not be Q-bombs

Do you mean energy bombs?

I stumbled over the same.

"There will not be Q-bombs" is very likely false, at least I haven't heard anything about removing them from the developers.

The Energy Bomb, on the other hand, will indeed be removed, if I understand the developers correctly.

So the sentence should read "There will be no energy bombs" or something of the like.

[aegidian]

FAQ
There will not be Q-bombs

Do you mean energy bombs?

I stumbled over the same.

"There will not be Q-bombs" is very likely false, at least I haven't heard anything about removing them from the developers.

The Energy Bomb, on the other hand, will indeed be removed, if I understand the developers correctly.

So the sentence should read "There will be no energy bombs" or something of the like.

What he said. K, you seem to be confusing two separate things here, Q-Bombs are not Energy Bombs.

Energy Bombs are a legacy from original elite, and a hark back to what David Braben describes as "3-lives" style gameplay. They were a 'get-out-of-jail-free' card and as such only the player used them (you never came across Energy-Bomb-using NPCs.)

The Q-Bomb (named from the movie 'The Mouse That Roared' - a favourite of mine) was my attempt to redress the imbalance between the player and other ships caused by the Energy Bomb - a big, flaming weapon that could occasionally be used by other ships, and which was survivable for the player (if you run fast enough).

Now I know Energy Bombs are not going to be in Oolite 2, for the very reason I outlined above - all items should be used (and be seen to be used) by the player and NPC alike. But I don't recall hearing anything about the Q-Bomb.


Incidentally I believe the Torus jump drive should be replaced or modified too, for the same reason - only the player gets it in Oolite. I'd personally prefer to see NPC's get to use it in Oolite 2, but lets see what Ahruman decides.

[JensAyton]

Wot they said: Q-bombs are in, energy bombs are out. (In fact, this has been implemented already; for a while, trunk builds would replace energy bombs with Q-bombs or the corresponding sum of money.)

Incidentally I believe the Torus jump drive should be replaced or modified too, for the same reason - only the player gets it in Oolite. I'd personally prefer to see NPC's get to use it in Oolite 2, but lets see what Ahruman decides.

I’ve thought about the issue, but not decided anything. Another option would be to use time acceleration instead, possibly with mass locking and slowed down controls to get a similar effect to the current torus drive with no “in-universe” imbalance.

[DaddyHoggy]

Financial options when purchasing a spacecraft.

Things like down payments, income deductions on account, monthly instalments, premiums, interest etc.

I know we now have the Black Monks, but it's an OXP and their methods are financially speaking rather unrefined. In the Ooniverse it would only make sense that there exists similar systems for purchasing spacecraft as we now have in the automobile market. This would help a new player to more easily switch their starter craft to something more to their liking.

The Black Monks was a very clever OXP for its time but pre-empted JS scripting by some considerable time, hence the crude calculations and repayment methodology.

Little Bear isn't around as much as he was - but I'm sure somebody could expand Black Monks - there was also a thread some time ago (years probably) where somebody wanted to introduce banking to Oolite - I remember because I created some of the banks and their back stories!

[DaddyHoggy]

Wot they said: Q-bombs are in, energy bombs are out. (In fact, this has been implemented already; for a while, trunk builds would replace energy bombs with Q-bombs or the corresponding sum of money.)

Incidentally I believe the Torus jump drive should be replaced or modified too, for the same reason - only the player gets it in Oolite. I'd personally prefer to see NPC's get to use it in Oolite 2, but lets see what Ahruman decides.

I’ve thought about the issue, but not decided anything. Another option would be to use time acceleration instead, possibly with mass locking and slowed down controls to get a similar effect to the current torus drive with no “in-universe” imbalance.

Gets my vote - the torus drive is another player-centric hang-up from the old days on slow 8-bit machines - Accelerated time is just that and if you need to explain it - then the old StarDreamer handwavium fallback will do very nicely.

[DaddyHoggy]

Financial options when purchasing a spacecraft.

Things like down payments, income deductions on account, monthly instalments, premiums, interest etc.

I know we now have the Black Monks, but it's an OXP and their methods are financially speaking rather unrefined. In the Ooniverse it would only make sense that there exists similar systems for purchasing spacecraft as we now have in the automobile market. This would help a new player to more easily switch their starter craft to something more to their liking.

The Black Monks was a very clever OXP for its time but pre-empted JS scripting by some considerable time, hence the crude calculations and repayment methodology.

Little Bear isn't around as much as he was - but I'm sure somebody could expand Black Monks - there was also a thread some time ago (years probably) where somebody wanted to introduce banking to Oolite - I remember because I created some of the banks and their back stories!

Turns out it was another Commander McLane undertaking which I guess has gone unfulfilled due to other interests...

https://bb.oolite.space/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=5681

[Cmdr Wyvern]

E-bombs vs Q-bombs, my .2cr worth.

If y'all intend to replace the E-bomb with the Q-bomb, then make it a total replacement. That is, same price, can carry only one, and it's a one-button launch from a hull mount as opposed to the select-arm-launch from a missile pylon method currently used.

Kind of like this: Pay your 900cr, find something to blow up, press the launch key, and 5 seconds later big blue balls o' death. Better light the injectors after launching of course, or be one of those balls o' death yourself.
No cargo left over to scoop tho; are you sure you really want to push that expensive button o' doom?

[Cmdr Wyvern]

(this is a joke:) we could re-use banned spammer's names/handles

or use them in random-hits oxp

"[SPAMMER_NAME]wanted dead or very dead, for flogging useless products on innocent GalNet nodes. Terminate with extreme laser surgery for the princely sum of 45,000cr."

[DaddyHoggy]

Problem is - most Spammer Names as easy to spot nonsense and therefore would be rather immersion breaking nonsense in game too (short of inserting random ' and the like into the name to indicate so kind of difficult to pronounce literal translation of a non-humanoid name/song/chirp/squeak/click etc.)

[Commander McLane]

Little Bear isn't around as much as he was - but I'm sure somebody could expand Black Monks - there was also a thread some time ago (years probably) where somebody wanted to introduce banking to Oolite - I remember because I created some of the banks and their back stories!

Turns out it was another Commander McLane undertaking which I guess has gone unfulfilled due to other interests...

https://bb.oolite.space/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=5681

Mainly due to my inability to decide whether it should turn out as a money sink or a get-rich scheme. Somehow I felt that on the one hand really huge loans would be too difficult to repay, and on the other hand receiving interest from huge savings would be too boring a way of making money. It felt un-Elitey. So at the end of the day the project lacked a clear direction. It seemed like a good idea in the beginning, but after thinking it through more thoroughly I wasn't so sure about its worth for the game anymore.

[Cmdr Wyvern]

Problem is - most Spammer Names as easy to spot nonsense and therefore would be rather immersion breaking nonsense in game too (short of inserting random ' and the like into the name to indicate so kind of difficult to pronounce literal translation of a non-humanoid name/song/chirp/squeak/click etc.)

True, but still...
..."Your fellow killers opine that this whacking would be very satisfying."

[Switeck]

Mainly due to my inability to decide whether it should turn out as a money sink or a get-rich scheme. Somehow I felt that on the one hand really huge loans would be too difficult to repay, and on the other hand receiving interest from huge savings would be too boring a way of making money. It felt un-Elitey. So at the end of the day the project lacked a clear direction. It seemed like a good idea in the beginning, but after thinking it through more thoroughly I wasn't so sure about its worth for the game anymore.

If the savings resembled current savings accounts:
1.Very slow interest (like 3.65% per year...or 0.01% compounded per day, rounded down).
2.ATM penalties (like 10 credits for withdraw, 100 credits for withdraw from another system, and 1000 credits for withdraw from another galaxy).
3.Large penalty fees for early withdraw (min. of 30 day account -- otherwise suffer an additional 1000 credit fee).
4.Account freezing or outright seizure for pirate/terrorist activities. (...also including attacking their ships.)
5.Minimum balance requirements of 10,000 credits...or suffer no interest and a 10 credit penalty a day till the money is all gone.
6.Opening/closing account costs, same as ATM penalties for withdraw depending on where it's done.
7.Interest Income Taxes -- 5% of the earned interest amount! For yet another thing to drag the account balance down. Paid monthly.

All said, I think that's hardly a fast way to make money...but it's about all you can do with credits after you have over 1 million.

As for loans, the standard loan it currently has is ridiculous. It'd be better if there was a 2000 credit short-term (15-30 day) starter loan with likewise smaller interest than the current 20000 credit loan. Like 100 credit/day "interest" rate till paid off. Defaulters are hit with a small bounty on their heads -- like maybe 5-20 credits, so Black Monk enforcers don't get one themselves attacking them.
To encourage paying off late loans, instead of killing you when you dock with the BM Monastery...just strip your ship of equipment and/or paying a huge penalty fee.
Maybe after paying off the starter loan, offer the 20000 credit loan (or the 2000 credit loan again) a day later that's like the original loan.
If that gets paid off, offer a 100000 credit loan with 1000 credit/day starting interest (1% compounded daily!) but is "good" for a year before you have to pay it all off.