Oolite Bulletins

LittleBear wrote:

This is a bit of a workaround, but should work:-

Give the special_asteroid an AI that includes a scanforshipwithrole : asteroid, Target found = scriptactionontarget: landonPlanet.

That way, if special asteroids are added, they become the only asteroids in the game, as they remove the normal asteroids! So they player without the special scoop attachment encounters the normal non-profitable rocks, but the player with the scoop attachment only meets profitable rocks.

Griff wrote:

Hi Doc
Sorry, i should have checked my facts before posting!
A daft idea i know, but I wonder if another way of making mining profitable would be to add 'ore refinery' stations to some systems that pay out more credits for minerals/alloys etc than the main system stations do? pehaps the player would have to have an ore processor fitted to their ship before being allowed to dock at a refinery? if you do go the custom asteroid route (although i hope you can get your solution working as it's much more elegant) prehaps a benefit of having an ore processor on your ship would be that it would also modify the space compass to direct you to ore rich asteroids?

LittleBear wrote:

Hmm, tricky!

Perhaps a "scriptactionontarget: becomeSpecialAsteroid" to turn them into special asteroids. If the special asteroid had a hugh scanner range, like 999999999999 then it should find and convert all the rocks in the system.

Only trouble is, I don't know if this is a valid command. becomeUncontrolThargon works but I don't know if a custom role is allowed.

I think the adding in clumps is done by the game engine. PirateCove.oxp piggy backs this by calling the Cove by the same role as the native hermit.

Dr.-SPACE-Nil wrote:

LittleBear wrote:

Hmm, tricky!

Perhaps a "scriptactionontarget: becomeSpecialAsteroid" to turn them into special asteroids. If the special asteroid had a hugh scanner range, like 999999999999 then it should find and convert all the rocks in the system.

Only trouble is, I don't know if this is a valid command. becomeUncontrolThargon works but I don't know if a custom role is allowed.

I think the adding in clumps is done by the game engine. PirateCove.oxp piggy backs this by calling the Cove by the same role as the native hermit.

Another good idea there! Thanks.

Perhaps it could be done like this: Replacing all asteroids through a high role value, with something which has an AI which checks for the equipment and then either spawns an asteroid of one or another type according to the result, before performing a land on planet itself. What do you think?

(btw The Astromines piggy back on both Hermits and Coves to be close to asteroids without making new fields)

ArkanoiD wrote:

Well, i don't think converting all asteroids to useful ones is realistic; actually many of those are just worthless pieces of stone.

But - a good ore processor should come with explosion spectrum analyser, feeding data to scanner targeting system. So, after asteroid explodes, you should see if a splinter has something valuable inside or not, at least approximately.

LittleBear wrote:

As Griff suggests puting a beacon on the valuable ones would allow the player with the equipment installed to target the valuable ones. Could make the equipment be some sort of comined scanner and processing device that not only does the processing but detects the rocks worth mining!

Would be a good sales pitch for the Device:- "Commanders, sick of mining worthless rocks? Make that a thing of the past with Easy Mine (TM). Just drop out of witchspace, flick on your easy miner and all the valuable sites are shown on your instrument panel through your advanced space compase."

LittleBear wrote:

Giles splinters have the role "splinter". So if you did say 9 entries like the above with the role splinter and a differnt cargo entries, the OXP splinters would outnumber Giles's, 9 times out of 10 you'd scoop a valuable splinter. Trouble is, we really only want Oolite to read the entry and add it to the list with the equipment flag up. Not sure that can be done.

A special asteroid (just like_shiped to an asteroid) that spawned ships with the role "special_splinter" under death actions would always give a vaulable splinter. If the specail asteroids were scripted to always outnumber the normal ones, but only with the EQ installed, Mining would still be more worthwhile.

Perhaps it could be solved by giving the splinters scriptedItem as cargoType (as in the Fuel Pods oxp) and then make the script in the shipdata test for whether the ore Processor is present and decide the cargo awarded..?

<key>DRsplinter1</key>
<dict>
<key>ai_type</key> 
<string>dumbAI.plist</string> 
<key>model</key>
<string>splinter.dat</string>
<key>name</key>
<string>Splinter</string>
<key>roles</key>
<string>splinter</string>
<key>smooth</key> 
<true/>
<key>scanClass</key>
<string>CLASS_CARGO</string>
<key>cargo_type</key>
<string>CARGO_SCRIPTED_ITEM</string>
<key>script_actions</key>
<array>
<string>debugOn</string>
<string>testForEquipment: EQ_**** NAME OF MINING THING***</string>
<dict>
<key>conditions</key>
<array>
<string>foundEquipment_bool equal YES</string>
</array>
<key>do</key>
<array>
<string>awardCargo: Gold 1</string>
</array>

*** need to put an else awardCargo: minerals 1 here****

</dict>
<string>debugOff</string>
</array>
</dict>