Oolite Bulletins

Redspear wrote:

Mining laser: the Anderson ITC 'Belter' Sp.(1999) hits with such a hard radioactive blast that it's amazing any of the rock survives. Can be used under duress to do similar to ships. Exhibits a strange technology ahead of its years. Colour: azure (I'm struggling here).

You made me smile.

Wildeblood wrote:

Redspear wrote:

Mining laser: the Anderson ITC 'Belter' Sp.(1999) hits with such a hard radioactive blast that it's amazing any of the rock survives. Can be used under duress to do similar to ships. Exhibits a strange technology ahead of its years. Colour: azure (I'm struggling here).

You made me smile.

You've just returned the favour

Redspear wrote:

we need/want "New Lasers Uber Edition"?

Simply add a requires_equipment="EQ_I_WANT_UBER_LASERS" to must buy an "Enable Uber Lasers" equipment first to show these, and offer a remove also to hide ubers from the list.

But my thoughts are different normally scaled weapons, so after Duggan's similar request I decided to create Laser Cannons. I adjusted a lot to tune to the stock lasers, I hope the result is equally interesting and acceptable. Well, the last twin cannon is questionable but was too fun to left out.

Regardless of this you can make your extension, I like your names.

Norby wrote:

Redspear wrote:

we need/want "New Lasers Uber Edition"?

Simply add a requires_equipment="EQ_I_WANT_UBER_LASERS" to must buy an "Enable Uber Lasers" equipment first to show these, and offer a remove also to hide ubers from the list.

Ooh, simple. I like

Norby wrote:

I like your names.

Thanks They're pretty silly but changing them is easy enough for anyone who takes their 'uber' seriously.

Some of the 'non-uber' ones might be given an 'incompatible with' for those using 'equipment by ship class' but much less strict than before.

Edit: In light of Norby's 'Laser Cannons', I will likely change the category of 'cannon lasers'. Having trouble coming up with a similar term that I like, so current favourite is 'bolt lasers'. We'll see...

Redspear wrote:

given an 'incompatible with'

You can rename my lasercannons-conditions.js and set any conditions within, then use condition_script = "newlaser-conditions.js"; in your equipment.plist.

If you like my way to limit the strong lasers based on ship mass (as a compensation for the larger target area or a big laser simply does not looking good on a small escort) then after I read the laser table I suggest to attach my condition script to these:

- Volt Variscan (longer range than stock Beam, high damage/shot and cooling),
- Hassoni-Kruger HK1-GCW (high damage/shot need large barrel),
- ColtMaster CM4 (the strongest both in damage/sec and cooling),
- Hassoni HiRad (highest damage/shot, a cannon),
- ColtMaster CM2 Star Laser (cannon and large heatsink),
- Ergon A28 (so many coolers need large space).

Redspear wrote:

'bolt lasers'

Sometimes in RL more company give similar names to different products so I have no problem with your cannons, but maybe better if we use it as a category name of my very slow lasers. Renaming your heaviest lasers to 'Bolt' mean a new category name which is a good solution, thank you.

Norby wrote:

Redspear wrote:

given an 'incompatible with'

You can rename my lasercannons-conditions.js and set any conditions within, then use condition_script = "newlaser-conditions.js"; in your equipment.plist.

If you like my way to limit the strong lasers based on ship mass (as a compensation for the larger target area or a big laser simply does not looking good on a small escort) then after I read the laser table I suggest to attach my condition script to these:

- Volt Variscan (longer range than stock Beam, high damage/shot and cooling),
- Hassoni-Kruger HK1-GCW (high damage/shot need large barrel),
- ColtMaster CM4 (the strongest both in damage/sec and cooling),
- Hassoni HiRad (highest damage/shot, a cannon),
- ColtMaster CM2 Star Laser (cannon and large heatsink),
- Ergon A28 (so many coolers need large space).

Thanks for the suggestions. I normally don't like to use mass as a factor however, on account of my working with the rescaling experiment where the variation in ship sizes is much bigger (I tweaked my version of your variable masslock).

Norby wrote:

Redspear wrote:

'bolt lasers'

Sometimes in RL more company give similar names to different products so I have no problem with your cannons, but maybe better if we use it as a category name of my very slow lasers. Renaming your heaviest lasers to 'Bolt' mean a new category name which is a good solution, thank you.

It's probably clearer for people this way as the two types of lasers do perform differently. Due to a suspension of imagination they've been renamed to 'bolt lasers' for the upcoming version.

Redspear wrote:

Due to a suspension of imagination they've been renamed to 'bolt lasers' for the upcoming version.

If you want some variety of names stop calling them all lasers. I had a bash at this last year when the capability was first added to Oolite 1.81, but instead of yet more "lasers" I added a graser, a xaser, a maser and a phlogistonic disruptor.

P.S. If you accept the existence of phlogiston, you could also use "phaser" instead of/as well as phlogistonic disruptor.

Wildeblood wrote:

If you want some variety of names stop calling them all lasers.

Damn fine point.

I suppose I'm being mostly faithful to the elite manual where it was all lasers; so no 'ion cannons', 'particle disruptors' or 'atom ticklers' (although such names are often more evocative). The manual was, in some ways at least, more inspiring to me than the game and certainly boosted my appreciation of the latter. My oxp meddling has thus far really been to try to get closer to the game I imagined as a kid.

If I decide to add more choices then I may well go down that road but as I said earlier, I really don't want the choice to be bewildering.

I think that something is not right in the equipment.plist. I can see 2 ingram beam lasers available for purchase at the same time.
other than that everything looks great.
An other strange thing that I encountered was that my starboard side coltmaster CM4 laser makes a muffled sound when hitting the target, while it does normal sound when missing
Port side, same laser, the sound is in normal volume.
Could it be my system? It never happened before I install the coldmaster!

also I came across a kamikaze drone, and my combat MFT reported it having laser : "remove laser"
I think the kamikaze drone has a forward_weapon_type = WEAPON_NONE . and it has a custom laser in it's shipdata.plist
maybe the problem is in the combat MFD, but the remove laser option was introduced by new lasers oxp

that is what I had to report.
along with the fact that it gave me hours of fun

edit: also the coltmaster CM4 is supposed to be green colour? it seems magenta to me.

hey guys about what makes a weapon a "cannon", or a "blaster", or "bolt"
maybe there could also be a column "total damage", or "damage until cut/off" in the new lasers table.

maybe this could help determine and reach to a consensus about the terminology

my opinion for example is that a "cannon" should kill an average ship before heat cutoff. (or maybe a ship with shield boosters, we could agree to a number here) ------------> note: assuming that custom shields is installed, otherwise I think many will fit this criterion
others may have other opinion

love them cannons!

mohawk wrote:

I think that something is not right in the equipment.plist. I can see 2 ingram beam lasers available for purchase at the same time.
other than that everything looks great.

That sounds like a bug and I think I might know what it is. Thanks.

mohawk wrote:

An other strange thing that I encountered was that my starboard side coltmaster CM4 laser makes a muffled sound when hitting the target, while it does normal sound when missing
Port side, same laser, the sound is in normal volume.
Could it be my system? It never happened before I install the coldmaster!

That has me flummoxed. I hope to be testing in a few hours so I'll see if I can replicate it.

mohawk wrote:

also I came across a kamikaze drone, and my combat MFT reported it having laser : "remove laser"
I think the kamikaze drone has a forward_weapon_type = WEAPON_NONE . and it has a custom laser in it's shipdata.plist
maybe the problem is in the combat MFD, but the removQe laser option was introduced by new lasers oxp

Was it? I really don't remember adding a 'remove laser' feature... 'Kamkazi drone', do you mean a Tharglet/Thargon. I don't think I touched their lasers...

mohawk wrote:

that is what I had to report.
along with the fact that it gave me hours of fun

Awesome

mohawk wrote:

edit: also the coltmaster CM4 is supposed to be green colour? it seems magenta to me.

Er, it should be a sort of cyan I think. I'll investigate...

mohawk wrote:

hey guys about what makes a weapon a "cannon", or a "blaster", or "bolt"
maybe there could also be a column "total damage", or "damage until cut/off" in the new lasers table.

And then there's range and fire-rate and colour, don"t forget colour

Seriously though, for my part I'm still tweaking the stats to find out what I think works best, so maybe later there can be a numerical classification. In terms of a descriptive one, I did have a (very brief) go at that further up thread. I want defence lasers to feel as well as look different to beam lasers for example. I'd like people to tell from using them, 'tgis must be a burst laser' etc. Meanwhile I'll have another go at a descriptive categorisation.

Was it? I really don't remember adding a 'remove laser' feature... 'Kamkazi drone', do you mean a Tharglet/Thargon. I don't think I touched their lasers...

no it is the Kamikaze drone from armoury oxp. never mind it probably has nothing to do with the new lasers

but There is a remove laser option available. Is it from some other oxp that I installed and don't remember? I must investigate

Meanwhile I'll have another go at a descriptive categorisation.

I propose
total damage until temp cut-off / time of continuous firing until temp cut-off
we could call it "devastation factor" or something

mohawk wrote:

There is a remove laser option available.

There is a 'remove laser' option in vanilla 1.82 - is that what you're thinking of?

After some testing...

mohawk wrote:

I think that something is not right in the equipment.plist. I can see 2 ingram beam lasers available for purchase at the same time.
other than that everything looks great.

Couldn't find this one, sorry. Let me know if it still appears when I release the new version...

mohawk wrote:

also the coltmaster CM4 is supposed to be green colour? it seems magenta to me.

You're right, it should be green and will be fixed for the next version. Thanks for the report.

Meanwhile...

Implemented Norby's EQ uber choice idea and added all of the 'uber' lasers described up thread.

Examples of what I mean by descriptive classifications:

Alongside the 4 laser types that are familiar to oolite players (pulse, beam, military and mining), this oxp adds 4 new types, listed below with colour, character and gameplay role.

• Defence Lasers -
  • Orange, medium fire rate lasers, designed to be very forgiving of careless or desperate fire. Low heating and energy costs.
    Recommended for: anyone new to combat.
  VariScan Lasers -
  • Brown, 'Variable Scan' lasers that can be used for both mining and combat. Improved profiles over the pulse laser but at high energy costs.
    Recommended for: anyone who wants a versatile laser on one laser mounting.
  Burst Lasers -
  • Green (a little different than the Thargoid lasers), rapid fire with a distinct 'stutter' to the beam. Although slower than the beam laser it hits harder and heats faster.
    Recommended for: dogfighters or those who likes a quick kill once you have them in your sights.
  Bolt Lasers -
  • Cyan, long range, high power, low fire rate. Ideal for less mobile vessels to engage targets quickly and decisively.
    Recommended for: sniping, whether holding your ground or fleeing and using the rear laser.

I hope that helps.

0.4 is coming...

Edit: just to fix a botched quote box...

there is a 'remove laser' option in vanilla 1.82 - is that what you're thinking of?

well what do you know. I hadn't noticed it before

Couldn't find this one, sorry. Let me know if it still appears when I release the new version...

It happens to me in every station. I would upload a screenshot if I could. Could it be just my system?
I mean the sound problem in my starboard laser is spooky enough
anyway let's see if that changes in the new version

edit: seriously is my system haunted ? now I see 2 "ingram M1928A2 beam lasers" available