Oolite Bulletins

Small update to address the issue with targeting wormholes. Should be really fixed this time.

This OXP seems to be the main method of (1) communicating with NPCs and then (2) getting the NPCs to react to those communications.


I'd like to be able to help NPCs (ie: rescue them!) but this depends on them reacting appropriately. I find that they tend to flee from me which defeats my purpose (especially the Refugee Adders and the Mining Pods).

Possible additions to the list of communications:


i) Let me help! (for establishing the relationship for rescuing the NPC)
"Follow Me!"/"Just tag along behind me"/"Let's get out of here - follow me!"/"Let's scram! Follow me!"/"What-ho old chap! Let's scarper, shall we?"

ii) Come on! (for NPC's having second thoughts: eg. if they doubt that they can trust me/more McNasties turn up etc.)
"Keep on following! Don't stop now!"/"Come on, only a little further"/"You need to keep on following me if you want to reach safety!"

iii) Escape this system! (Variants for "follow me when through" & "you keep on going when through, I'll stay behind and delay them" - or maybe better to combine that with iv/v)
"I'm going to open a wormhole. Dive in after me and keep on following"/"Let's get out of this system! I'll open a wormhole - you follow. And when you are through, keep on going."

iv) Scram! (alternative strategy - does not tell them where to run to)
"You scarper while I delay them! Go on - run!/"Get clear of them! I'll keep them busy."/"I'll take care of this little lot! You get out of here!"

v) Scram and go somewhere! (too many OXPs offer too many alternatives so I'm just sticking with the station and the sun - for sunskimming for the player)
"Head for the station! I'll head them off"/"You head for the sun! I'll take care of them"
This presumes no planet-landing capability on the part of the rescuee, and no ability to find a Rock Hermit etc.

vi) I need to sunskim! (for fuel for jumping or for injectors. With Stranger's World you don't sunskim, just scoop solar flux)
"I need to sunskim! Wait here if you have no shielding. I'll be watching for problems"

NB: In each case I've presumed a number of attackers rather than a solitary menace.



This might allow rescuing
•Refugee Adders,
•Mining Pods from the AstroGulags,
•and when I was raiding G7 Veanso, one of my fellow feudal Onarmalians seemed to get stuck in a blue funk in the middle of it all. Everyone else had fled. I wanted to rescue him, but couldn't work out how.

I realise that:

(i) the addessee might not wish to follow me (has no reason to trust me, or might have very good reasons for staying on the current course (heading for waiting help) etc.)
(ii) in reality, the following - especially if to a station or other dockable, would in reality probably lead to the establishment of a personal relationship, and how does one handle that in Oolite...

But it would still be nice to be able to do it!!



Possibly relevant coding in other OXPS
Both Norby's "Fighters" and Ramirez's "Resistance Commander" contain old AI.plists for NPCs following/protecting the player.
Escort Contracts has js. code for a ship (mother) which the player follows/protects. Less helpful for hyperjumps, especially for Mining Pods!

"Rescue Stations" might have something in Javascript, but I don't know the OXP. Ditto for "GalCop Missions" ("GalCopBB_Defend"?). Ditto for the various Mission OXPs ("Cataclysm"/"Lovecats" etc).


Edited to add another strategy and to explain what it is all for.