Oolite Bulletins

Commander McLane wrote:

What about incorporating my formula for the spawning of big ships from bigtrader.oxp?

Just as an offer from OXPer to OXPers.

One can make many choices for addition. But currently I am happy with the current settings.

More chance on addition in systems:
- with a high productivity.
- with a bigger main planet.

Thargoid wrote:

Your shuttle concept is one I did think about before (for the Hammerhead in Aquatics), and it might give some interesting variations.

Feel free. Although myself I am not really satisfied with it for two reasons:

(1) Collision detection: even if I stop right next to the action—and the collision detection is therefore more precise—way too many of the shuttles explode while still a good deal away from the bigtrader, way before actually making contact. OTOH, the treshold distance, where they ought to stop and load/unload, is already too far away from the bigtrader to look realistic. Moving it still further away is simply not an option.

(2) The shuttles are waiting far too long in the station's launch queue. Probably there is still something wrong with the stations' handling of docking and launching ships. Many times I arrive at a main station with a bigtrader waiting for its shuttles and an otherwise completely empty aegis. Nothing detectable moving toward the station and maybe requesting to dock. Still no shuttles launch. Just a silent station and a waiting bigtrader. If I dock and launch again, the shuttles will eventually get launched. It seems that my docking and re-launching is resetting something which made the station stall before. Although I have no idea what that could be.

These are the imperfections which I personally like least. There may (and will) be others as well.

Commander McLane wrote:

Many times I arrive at a main station with a bigtrader waiting for its shuttles and an otherwise completely empty aegis. Nothing detectable moving toward the station and maybe requesting to dock. ......

If I dock and launch again, the shuttles will eventually get launched. It seems that my docking and re-launching is resetting something which made the station stall before. Although I have no idea what that could be.

When a trader with escorts enter the station aegis (50 000 km from station) he already sends the escorts in docking mode. They are still beyond scanner range but already on the docking list.

Whenever a player launches, the clock is set 10 minutes forward and all ships in a docking queue are docked on player launch. (simulating they docked in those 10 minutes)

[size=120]adcks_bulk_haulers_v1.4.oxp.zip[/size] contains within it a file [size=120]Bigships_1.0.2.zip[/size]

There is also a [size=120]bigships_1.02.zip[/size] (note the slight difference).

That would not appear to matter as both contain a directory called [size=120]BigShips 1.02.oxp[/size]

BUT

One contains a file [size=120]BigShips v1.02 Readme.txt[/size] dated 12/09/2009
"1.0.2 - Added check for nova systems."

The other contains [size=120]BigShips v1.02 Readme & License.txt[/size] dated 24/11/2009 containing
"1.0.2 - Amended script to stop spawning in systems going or gone nova."

The two differ in one file: the code in [size=120]bigShips_populator.js[/size] yet both of them say:
this.version = "1.0.2";

The Big Ships page on the Wiki says the current version is 1.02, not 1.0.2, which is the number ADCK has used in the name for his copy of the ZiP file!

If I have rummaged through this mess properly, I think:
a) the BigShips in the Bulk Haulers file is the older one;
b) the Bulk Haulers zip file [size=120]adcks_bulk_haulers_v1.4.oxp.zip[/size] should have the BigShips zip file within it removed and be re-issued as a new version without BigShips;
c) the Wiki page for Bulk Haulers be changed to say install Big Ships first
d) possibly: whichever is the correct Big_Ships be re-issued as 1.0.3 or 1.1 or even 1.3 to save future confusion
e) people with Bulk Haulers installed should check they have the correct Big_Ships installed
f) OXP distribution files should not contain other OXP distribution files
g) version control!!! Always change the version number when issuing a new version.

Meanwhile, I have put a warning on the Bulk Haulers wiki page to say "Install Big Ships from the Big Ships page".