Oolite Bulletins

Gamepad pilot here.

I would love an auto-escape-pod. Preferably as an upgrade to normal escape pod.

As it is now, I can't really use an escape pod in emergency situation at all.

I am flying and fighting on a gamepad that has 10 useable buttons only.
I can not sacrifice another button for the escape pod, and if in emergency I need to start looking for a keyboard button -> DEAD already.
To me this kind of alters (reduces) gameplay - well, I can't help it.

Commander McLane wrote:

I think every commander would have to install an automatic escape pod at his own risk.

On the one hand side it may get stalled in the last moment and—BANG! Press Space Commander!

On the other hand side it may happen that your very last opponent manages to land a hit on you the very moment you blast him to oblivion. So you could enjoy your victory and let your ship slowly recover—but instead you find yourself ejected and can only wave your ship goodbye, fully knowing that now your cargo belongs to the next salvager coming along.

I have no idea if this is possible - could the game check if there is any threat within scanner distance first and if not, then do not auto-escapepod ?

snork wrote:

could the game check if there is any threat within scanner distance first and if not, then do not auto-escapepod ?

Good idea..

Okay, it's done. I think the smallest OXP I've ever done (and I've done quite some small OXPs).

Thanks, Eric, for the formula used by NPCs. I went for a more simple approach: It shall fire when your last energy bar is below one third, so: As everybody can see here, the functionality indeed comes with an equipment upgrade, the Auto Eject Module. Costs 500 cr and is only available for purchase if you've got an escape pod in the first place. Also, as it is actually a modification of your escape pod, and has to connect to your ship's energy bars in order to measure the remaining energy, it is only available starting from TL 8 (instead of TL 6 like the escape pod itself). As it's a technical approach, it needs more sophistication in the equipment department.

And it is not 100% reliable, because several things can go wrong in a fight.

I did six consecutive tests by spawning a renegade pirate next to my ship and letting him blow me to pieces.

The first time the auto-eject worked (or rather it would have worked if I was on trunk; the actual ejecting command doesn't exist yet in 1.73.4; but I got an error in my log that player.ship.abandonShip(); is not a legal method, so I know that Oolite tried to execute it).

Two other times I was hit and destroyed by broadsides of plasma turrets, which vaporized the last one-and-a-half energy banks in an instant. So there was no moment when I was below one third of my last energy bank. It was: fine-with-one-and-a-half-banks -> Press Space, Commander. So, if your ship is swallowing broadsides of multiple plasma turrets, RUN! Don't rely on your auto eject!

The remaining three times either the escape pod itself (twice) or the auto eject module (once) got damaged during the fight before I was on my last energy bank. So when it came to the final showdown -> Press Space, Commander.

Bottom line: even if it becomes available with Oolite 1.74, don't entrust your life to your Auto Eject Module. Sometimes it is a better idea to eject yourself early, because you never know what will happen once you're down to only two energy banks. And chances are that in the heat of the fight the small message on your screen, Escape Pod damaged, escapes your attention.

Commander McLane wrote:

Okay, it's done. I think the smallest OXP I've ever done (and I've done quite some small OXPs).

Thanks, Eric, for the formula used by NPCs. I went for a more simple approach: It shall fire when your last energy bar is below one third, so:

Code: Select all

    if(player.ship.energy < 22 && player.ship.hasEquipment("EQ_ESCAPE_POD") && player.ship.hasEquipment("EQ_AUTO_EJECT"))

As everybody can see here, the functionality indeed comes with an equipment upgrade, the Auto Eject Module. Costs 500 cr and is only available for purchase if you've got an escape pod in the first place. Also, as it is actually a modification of your escape pod, and has to connect to your ship's energy bars in order to measure the remaining energy, it is only available starting from TL 8 (instead of TL 6 like the escape pod itself). As it's a technical approach, it needs more sophistication in the equipment department.

And it is not 100% reliable, because several things can go wrong in a fight.

I did six consecutive tests by spawning a renegade pirate next to my ship and letting him blow me to pieces.

The first time the auto-eject worked (or rather it would have worked if I was on trunk; the actual ejecting command doesn't exist yet in 1.73.4; but I got an error in my log that player.ship.abandonShip(); is not a legal method, so I know that Oolite tried to execute it).

Two other times I was hit and destroyed by broadsides of plasma turrets, which vaporized the last one-and-a-half energy banks in an instant. So there was no moment when I was below one third of my last energy bank. It was: fine-with-one-and-a-half-banks -> Press Space, Commander. So, if your ship is swallowing broadsides of multiple plasma turrets, RUN! Don't rely on your auto eject!

The remaining three times either the escape pod itself (twice) or the auto eject module (once) got damaged during the fight before I was on my last energy bank. So when it came to the final showdown -> Press Space, Commander.

Bottom line: even if it becomes available with Oolite 1.74, don't entrust your life to your Auto Eject Module. Sometimes it is a better idea to eject yourself early, because you never know what will happen once you're down to only two energy banks. And chances are that in the heat of the fight the small message on your screen, Escape Pod damaged, escapes your attention.

Well done - and I really like the idea that it might not work - game imitating life! (perhaps it's built by a futuristic version of Tooyoota? )

should build in a misfire too, chance that you're flying happily and for no reason your escape capsule triggers and you lose your cargo etc.

premature ejection. we've all been there...