Oolite Bulletins

Thanks cim for the new.dat file, will take a look and see if this works better than the shrunken cube I'm using in version 0.81. Appreciate it!

Smivs, thanks for the comments, cool to see the video available even though I coundn't actually watch it. Thanks!

Thargoid, thanks and will look at those oxps. When this is working well enough on 1.76(I don't expect perfection for 1.76) I will then use all the new techniques including visual effects to rock this oxp.

I've done extensive testing, modifying and tinkering. While the oxp works with no problems on 1.77trunk, I can't say the same for 1.76. Version 0.81 addresses most of these issues but I suspect a bug in 1.76 for either something related to the shipTakingDamage routine or perhaps the interaction when a ship collides with wreckage as an event is triggered where whom is null but I can't pinpoint this last source of this problem as all the other sources have been eliminated in the new version. Could also be related to the new models for the shield flashers colliding into the ships very rarely but I'm not certain as controlled tests for that have not revealed this to be the case, for instance when ships are under injector power and are taking frontal hits, I hear the occasional collision but there are no errors at the moment associated with it so my hunch is it has something to do with perhaps ships colliding and maybe colliding with the core game wreckage but not sure, I have lots of tests planned to try and narrow it down but that will take a while.

Until then, my next post introduces version 0.81, and thanks to all for testing, I really want to get this right for 1.76 but again I don't expect perfection with this but it would be nice.

CustomShieldsv081.oxp is now available for download.

Sept. 13, 2012
Changelog: version 0.81

-removed zero poly marker and replaced with a regular poly model
-script tweaks related to the regular model compatibility
-selectability for damage effects added
-selectability for missile and mine explosion effects added
-attempts to squash the whom is null error, mostly resolved, still a few errors

There is now total compatibility in 1.76 as the zero poly model is not used, so no ghosts or seeing through things or flying through things or unscoopable cargo. If those are happening to you, it is NOT caused by this version and if you have the old version 0.8, please discard it infavor of this new one, especially if you use 1.76. Whom is null errors happen occasionally and have no effect except to write a message in the log file. 1.77trunk seems not to have had any problem with version 0.8 in the first place, but it may still cause unseen problems as cim indicated. Also, it may run a smidge slower after replacing the zero poly model with a regular one, but I can't confirm this as it seems to have the same frame rate for my slow netbook as far as I can tell. There is selectability now for damage effects and missile/mine explosions so it is now fully tweakable and will probably become more so with each new version. Enjoy, thanks for trying this oxp, and it is really appreciated to have players report any errors and results of playtesting and comments. Thanks!

Download link:

https://www.box.com/s/mnc729196xnlqlz80ahr

I've just installed v0.81, and can report that I'm getting lots of single credit bounty reports. Not sure if I'm getting the credits but possible the wreckage/energy discharges as I'm hitting an enemy ship are being reported as I have the bounty scanner equipment installed.

EDIT: the issue seems to occur only when an offender or fugitive is being attacked.

EDIT2: Here's a screenshot. I just destroyed a Serpent pirate, and in the message box you can see a couple of the bounty reports that occurred before I destroyed the pirate. I did receive the credits.


Custom Shields bounty issue by JazHaz, on Flickr

CommonSenseOTB - I have just installed version V0.81 and received some heavy fire from local police after launching from a station with 52T of narcotics.

As I made a run for hyperspace my aft shields failed and I started to loose energy and received the first error report.

I then made a hyperspace jump and commenced attacking local traders. The second message below occurred while I was attacking a Cobra Mk1 (before it was destroyed).

The third message followed a missile impact.

The fourth message followed the successful scooping of a metal fragment

I don't know if any of these actually cause a problem. Other than the message in the Debug console I am not aware of a problem in game !

Debug Console displayed the following: -

JazHaz and Shipbuilder, thanks for the reports, I will take a look at the bounty issue as I was not aware of that one. The next post debuts CustomShieldsv082 which has gone through the ringer for bugfixing and these above issues may already be solved due to the amount of tweaks and fixes. In any case this version is a substantial improvement over 0.81. Thanks to all for the continued playtesting and reports.

Edit to add:

I was just thinking about JazHaz's 1.0 credit bounty issue and I think it could be due to shooting the scarred alloy panels as they occasionally fly off the hull. This might explain what your seeing JazHaz and is correct behaviour. I'll double check 0.82 later to be sure but I think that is what is happening.

CustomShieldsv082.oxp is now available for download.

Sept. 17, 2012
changelog: version 0.82

-one poly model now in use for the markers with a small black texture
-a few script tweaks to try to ensure most markers aren't destroyed prematurely
-changes on shipTakingDamage routines to eliminate whom is null and also the-->
-variable speedcollisionradiusadjustment added to prevent shield flashers from colliding with ship while under injector power
-transferred velocity to missile/mine explosion effects and adjusted effect size
-made standard one poly model really small to eliminate core game white explosion flare to restore sparks to just like it was before and added larger models for a white flare effect for blown panels and damage
-added velocity for blown panels and the accompanying sparks as they are blown off the hull in the direction of the impact


This one works really well for 1.76 and 1.77trunk. It is recommended that if you have version 0.8 or 0.81 to discard it in favor of this new version 0.82.

Download link:

https://www.box.com/s/mnc729196xnlqlz80ahr



Enjoy! I look forward to further playtest results and comments and barring any major bugfixes being needed, the next version will be 0.9 with the completed damage routines.

CommonSenseOTB wrote:

I was just thinking about JazHaz's 1.0 credit bounty issue and I think it could be due to shooting the scarred alloy panels as they occasionally fly off the hull. This might explain what your seeing JazHaz and is correct behaviour. I'll double check 0.82 later to be sure but I think that is what is happening.

Yes, I think you are right. But why do the panels have bounty?

JazHaz wrote:

But why do the panels have bounty?

I think the in-game handwavium is that it's for clearing the spacelanes of litter.

Smivs wrote:

JazHaz wrote:

But why do the panels have bounty?

I think the in-game handwavium is that it's for clearing the spacelanes of litter.

However, shooting a panel (alloy) in vanilla Oolite does not create a bounty consoleMessage.

Also, just like splinters, they only give 0.1Cr, not 1Cr. For script-created alloys, this must be dealt with in the script.

Alright guys, thanks for the heads up. It was as I suspected. The oxp has "counts_as_kill = no;" and "bounty = 0;" for all the markers but the panels are like-shipped to the core game scarred-alloy. To avoid a community kerfuffel over this I'll just set the bounty for the blown panels to zero in version 0.9 and all will be well.

Looking forward to version 0.82 playtest results and comments. I believe this version is "Rock Solid" now. If you can break it I need to know it and how you did it.

Break if you can.

And a thankyou to Shipbuilder who has provided me with a nice little damaged core game escape pod model to play with. It has given me some interesting ideas for 0.9.

And a thankyou to Shipbuilder who has provided me with a nice little damaged core game escape pod model to play with. It has given me some interesting ideas for 0.9.

No problems CommonSense glad I was able to help

With regard to play test results for version 0.82 I have been testing of approximately 2 hours, (Good excuse for a stint on Oolite really ), and have not come across any problems in game or received any error reports from the Debug Console.

I’ll carry out some further testing tomorrow but at the moment all seems to be working well

Great OXP by the way...........It is certainly one of my must haves now and I think that it will be the same for many others. It really does provide that extra level of immersion.

I especially like the occasional fuel leak that you can cause when you attack a ship and then cheekily scoop up their fuel before finishing them off

Also the effect of being blinded by laser fire hitting your shields head on excellent

I've also playtested the new version a bit, and can't report any issues so far.

Shipbuilder wrote:

I especially like the occasional fuel leak that you can cause when you attack a ship and then cheekily scoop up their fuel before finishing them off

Yeah that's good, although not been able to do that yet, as most of my kills are long to medium range. Not sure about this, but can all ships give the fuel leak, or is it just the hyperspace-capable ships?

Shipbuilder wrote:

Also the effect of being blinded by laser fire hitting your shields head on excellent

Yeah I like the effect, although being blinded is a bit of a bummer!

CommonSense - I have noticed a couple of minor issues.

The first is that I have noticed that sometimes when a ship at a long distance, say 20km, is destroyed, I get a flicker of flame shown on screen as if the ship was close by (I will try to capture a screenshot if I can).

The second issue is that after destroying a pirate my targeting system locked on to a named piece of wreckage (See below).

Maybe this metal fragment is the ship nameplate

I have not however had any issues with regard to scooping.

Shipbuilder wrote:

The second issue is that after destroying a pirate my targeting system locked on to a named piece of wreckage.

Maybe this metal fragment is the ship nameplate

I would think that this issue is better solved from the Random Shipnames OXP.