Oolite Bulletins

@ Lestradae: In case you haven't noticed: pleb87's comment was not about the picture, but about the previous post by pagroove.

I noticed ... but only after posting. Well ... just me, being absentminded

What was I talking about?

Nevermind

L

Matt634,

Thnx I want to know if it's on my comp only. Its version 1.70 and Galactiv Navy v4 because I see the requires plist.

BTW Good OXP. I love the Sec-com's as a sort of 'Hubs' .

For the next release I'm going increase the variety of Reserve Missions. Currently there's only 3 types of random missions that are assigned:

• Intercepting a Thargoid Fleet
  Clearing out an already invaded system of Thargoids
  Taking out a Pirate Fleet and its base

I'm looking to add up to 7 more mission types and welcome any suggestions. I have a few ideas already which include destroying communist blockades of corporate states, escorting ground forces to war-torn multigovernment worlds, intercepting supply convoys of non-galcop friendly factions, eliminating vocal pacifist representatives of democratic worlds or uncooperative leaders of dictatorships etc...

Any mission ideas need to be "randomizable" meaning they can happen multiple times in any galaxy.

Each of these 7 mission types sound like an internal system matter, which the Galactic Navy is probably not authorized to intervene. If our current system of international law is anything to go by...

I don't deny the possibilities for nice missions, but I have the impression that a new subversive OXP may be called for.

Best wishes,
Oscar

Each of these 7 mission types sound like an internal system matter, which the Galactic Navy is probably not authorized to intervene.

Agreed, but since the Thargoids only offer so much versatility as an enemy I had to stretch a bit. The missions will all be framed in such a way that they allow for Galcop intervention. In times of war certain measures must be taken to preserve the Co-Operative. So, popular rebellions in opposition to Galcop and the war are serious threats to all 8 galaxies and cannot be tolerated. Supply convoys supporting such rebellions must be destroyed and the current Galcop friendly government must be supported. Additionally, world leaders who advocate peace with our enemy or threaten withdrawal from the CoOp must be eliminated. The Communist blockades of Corporate Systems would not be tolerated even in times of peace.

These are stretches I know. I'm definitely like to hear some other ideas!

How about a mission or missions into some of the "islands", now that they're accessible? Subduing secessionist movements, rooting out Thargoid nests, and planting Sector Command Stations in these Disconnects? For the Greater Good, naturally...

Or even... maybe one of the Disconnects already has a SecCom in there, that's been cut off. Perhaps a little bit of civil war might be fun? Red-hot Navy-on-Navy action!

Edit: of course, this isn't randomisable or repeatable... still might be fun, though. Give us a minute and I'll try to come up with something else.

OK, how about these:

• Courier run from one SecCom to another
• Pick up/deliver Navy Operative from/to planet

Both pretty low-level, I know, but they could be open to players with a much lower combat rating, and help to draw them in to working with the Fleet, and familiarise them with the locations of the SecComs.

How about an idea incorporating a trade embargo, or sanctions, against a specific system(s)?

It could work either way:
a) You are a lone trader trying to break the trade ban for massive profits,
b) You are employed by the Navy to prevent such low-life scum as above from breaking the embargo.

Not sure if these would be possible within an OXP, but they'd certainly add further economic depth and political realism to the galaxies

matt634 wrote:

destroying communist blockades of corporate states
escorting ground forces to war-torn multigovernment worlds
intercepting supply convoys of non-galcop friendly factions
eliminating vocal pacifist representatives of democratic worlds or uncooperative leaders of dictatorships etc...

What is this, Black-Ops.OXP?

I agree with the military courier/passenger missions for starter levels, and you already have system-clearing missions, so how about a lone wolf mission to nuke a Thargoid version of a SecCom for near-Elite or Elite pilots?

What is this, Black-Ops.OXP?

Yeah, better suited to be Spec-Ops missions like the one in Galaxy 6 and not so much your average everyday reserve mission. Agreed.

I like the courier/passenger missions. Can I utilize the passenger berth from a script? I've looked through the wiki, but haven't seen a method for it. Probably some fancy javascript command. I feel like my grandma trying to play a dvd.

Mission ideas needed... How about, you have to be a spy for the navy, And spy on pirates. Or, a mutiny, you have to help over throw the crupted admiral . Or you have to take out thargoid Generals. Or maby even pirate missions to take out the darned navy, that might be anarchy's oxp, though.

Don't Panic: FSOneblin

Intelligence-gathering could be made randomisable. The Navy might sometimes deploy spy drones in volumes of particular interest: however, these passive, stealthed probes can't broadcast any information, and have to be physically collected. You get sent to a system, where your Advanced Space Compass locks onto the probe -- possibly well off the beaten track. You've got to go and scoop it up and return it to a SecCom. Depending on whim, there could be all manner of stuff in the vicinity of the probe, or (better) arriving there shortly after the player does: Thargoids, pirates, corrupt cops, slavers, etc. Could this be done if the probe finds the player as a target, triggering the arrival of other interested parties? Or there might be no-one else there at all. Possibly a slightly less introductory-level mission set.

Maybe the probe could be hidden inside an asteroid. Pop the asteroid to reveal the probe? Or they could be made black-body and really quite small, requiring careful manouevering and use of the scanner's zoom function to accurately locate and scoop. Could be entertaining if there are hostiles closing in at the same time...

Hi,

two ideas I tossed around.

Easy to extremely difficult:

1. Photography missions: Fly to a certain point (surface beacon?) 500m or less above the surface of a planet (which the game will then interpret as you having photographed the installation). The installation in question could be some structure stuck into the surface of the planet and the planet stopped rotating so that it looks remotely believable.

Resistance to the player descending upon the planet and/or photographing it could be more or less pronounced, scaling for more or less difficult missions would be easily possible.

An equipment item "Military Cameras" could be scripted, which`s only function would be to be a condition that the player has "photographed" the installation if he is close enough - and it could be a nice touch that the item stays on after installed and can be re-used for further missions.

Very difficult to Mission:Impossible:

2. Infiltrate/photograph, recon or attack something in a Thargoid Solar system! As far as I know, it is possible to script a solar system into a given interstellar space. Script a Thargoid system between any two solar system situated at the extreme far reaches of any given Galaxy map.

An equipment item "Hyperdrive Class 2" could be scripted. Condition for triggering the mission could then be

a) Getting the mission at a SecCom
b) Having the Hyperdrive Class 2 installed
c) Making a deliberate mis-jump between the two systems between ("beyond") which the Thargoid system is supposed to be.

The "Hyperdrive Class 2" could, as a nice touch, also stay on for further missions.

Both missions would be randomisable. Missions of that kind existed in Frontier and FFE, but I don`t see why they shouldn`t fit into Oolite as well - reconaissance, photographing something and attacking Thargoids will already be a Galactic Navy pasttime, and the extremely unstable "Hyperdrive Class 2" could be a foreshadowing of things to come.

And besides that, those are missions I would love to have in my game!

Just my 0.2 Cr

L

How about SAR missions?
Search and rescue downed navy pilots... find them by homing in on their distress beacon and scoop the escape pod before the enemy get there. If the enemy do get there first and capture the pod, it could continue its distress signal so you know which bugger to blast apart to rescue the poor sap! Then deliver them back to Secom, so they can be put on a fizzer for losing their craft.

That should be randomisable, al la Random Hits stylee.

The courier missions (probably to high ranking officers on Behemoths) are for sure in. I like the search and rescue mission idea as well as the recon ideas. The Thargoid hive world is intriguing. I've thought about it before but always been tripped up about where and how to locate one. Not sure the interstellar space idea would work, interstellar space being so "busy" with constant warfare and all.

I'm also adding a mine sweeping mission, but not Qmines like you're thinking. These will be newly created Tharg mines with a couple dozen spread out over a large area. They have limited scanner ranger, but they'll lock on to, seek, and explode near anything nonthargoid ship which comes too close.