Oolite Bulletins

All versions have now been updated to remove the spurious 'script=null;' line from the Adder Scavenger's shipdata entry. As it is such a minor update I haven't changed the version number so we are still on v4.1.2.

Over 360 downloads to date, which is pleasing.
It would be nice to get some feedback...how are you finding the new features and are you enjoying them?

Smivs wrote:

As it is such a minor update I haven't changed the version number so we are still on v4.1.2.

Oooooh, Smiiiiivs. Please do. At least 4 times I have been tripped up by there being more than one release of an OXP kicking about with different functionality but at the same version number.

Go on. Please. Change the version number. Pretty please. I did spend ages diagnosing it and it would be a shame for someone else to repeat that effort unnecessarily. And your work is so good it is a shame to spoil it for ha'pworth of tar.

I'll even buy you a beer, if you do.

Smivs wrote:

As it is such a minor update I haven't changed the version number so we are still on v4.1.2.

I would fully and wholehartedly recommend that every time a change in an OXP takes place, no matter how small, the version numbers are bumped for a new release. Not doing so is asking for version control related troubles.

Edit: Ninja'd by SandJ and glad about it, because it reinforces the message.

<Smivs trudges back to the OXP workshop to change the version numbers (twice) on four readmes, and four main scripts, then re-upload all four versions.....moans a lot>

Guy's you are right I know, but....

Edit:-
OK, v4.1.3 is now available for download and the wiki has been updated to reflect this.

I've just downloaded the "replace" version of the hires shipset and have noticed a problem with the Anaconda model - only the right/starboard exhaust (viewed from the rear) is displayed properly. The left/port exhaust appears to be positioned a kilometre behind the ship when using "Aft View".

It looks like the problem is in line 323 in the shipdata plist: Changing line 323 to the below fixes the problem.

Hi Ranthe, thanks for the report. I bet that looks weird!
It's obviously a typo - how does somthing like that happen?! - so I'll check the 'addition' version in case that is the same and issue an update later today.
Smivs.

Edited to add:-
It seems that all editions were affected so the whole lot have now been corrected and re-uploaded.
Version number is now v4.1.4. Smivsonline and the Wiki have been updated to reflect this re-issue.
As this only affected Player Anacondas there is no real need for most users to update, only those flying or likely to buy an Anaconda will see any benefit.

I just got a CTD a minute or so after launching from a Taxi station. My Latest.log contained mainly a lot of station.launchShip.failed (according to the log the docking port of the station is too small to even accommodate a Cobra Mark III, which I would disagree with), but the only real error message I found was about this OXP, as follows: No idea if it's related to the crash (I more of suspect something wonky in my netbook graphics hardware's handling of OpenGL, as a moment before the crash most of the screen was overlaid with multi-coloured triangles), but I figured a JS exception deserves a bug report.

Thanks for the report BuggyBY. I have seen this a couple of times recently as well but discounted it as I was swapping shipsets in and out for testing purposes and assumed it related to dependencies my 'personal' ship OXPs have. As you have also seen it it does look like a 'real' problem and not one unique to my testing.
I have no idea what is causing it (or even exactly what the problem is) but it has only happened in the last few weeks - might it be a v1.77 issue as I never saw this error before. I wonder if it is related to the other weird sub-ent problems reported elsewhere?

Most likely the ship has been destroyed between the escape pod launch and the engine texture timer activating. Then this.ship.subEntities would be null.

Either check in this.shipDied if the timers are running, and stop them if so; or check at the start of the timer functions if this.ship.isValid is true, and return if not.

Thanks cim, that sounds likely. I'll have a look at it when I get a moment.

v4.2 Released 25th April, 2013.

The only visual change in this update release are improvements to the Thargoids, which in fact have remained unchanged since v1.0 of this OXP. This change is to bring them into line with the description in the Wiki.

The Wiki wrote:

The alternating red/green colour scheme is thought to indicate the ship's flight.

The new-look 'flashing' Thargoids can be seen here on YouTube.
The Robot Fighters also now have emission_maps.

There have also been several under-the-hood changes and bugfixes to the shipdata.plist.
Firstly, these have been made fully alphabetical to comply with good practice.
All flashers now use the new-style subentity definition.
All the ships now have 'weapon_facings' specified in shipdata, as mentioned here.
Also a typo has been identified and corrected. This previously meant that the 'fiery wreckage' was not as fiery as it should have been. This has now been fixed.

A minor bug in the script controlling the death effects has also been addressed - the bug-report can be found here.
This was not causing problems in-game but under certain conditions was generating log errors. This has now been fixed.

Thanks Smivs. The new Thargoids look good. The 'flashing' looks almost as if they're a living organism.

Haven't installed the update yet, but I noticed in v4.1.4 that while I have an unobstructed rear view in my Boa 2 using Oolite v1.77, in trunk (build 5674) the protruding exhaust parts block the lower corners of the screen. Not sure if that sort of thing will be an issue in the next stable version, but I figure pointing it out won't do any harm.

That's odd isn't it? I've just checked with a BoaCC using 1.77 and all is fine as you state. I don't normally run trunk so can't easily check that but it looks from your screenshot that the view position has somehow moved, and I have no idea why or how that might be as it is set in shipdata.
Something to keep an eye on, but not an immediate problem I think. Thanks for the heads-up

Smivs wrote:

I don't normally run trunk...

You really should, you know.