Oolite Bulletins

Hi everybody.

Some nice ideas floating around here. Who knows, maybe there will be another new version of the OXP one day?

However, I am not yet sure whether a Thargoid laser or turrets could be implemented in a meaningful (and safe) way. For a start, both need a target to fire, they don't fire randomly. We could try to put the pulsar entity (if it is a ship) into a permanent defense mode with ever switching targets, so that it would at least look randomly. Chances are, however, that it wouldn't look good.

The other big problem with making the pulsar a ship entity is visibility distance, of course. As we know, Oolite doesn't draw ships beyond a certain distance. However, the pulsar should be visible from the station, and not suddenly pop into being when you're almost there.

All of this needs some minimal testing before I can even say if its worthwhile. And I'm still on vacation and far away from my Oolite. So answers will have to wait till next week.

Commander McLane wrote:

However, I am not yet sure whether a Thargoid laser or turrets could be implemented in a meaningful (and safe) way. For a start, both need a target to fire, they don't fire randomly. We could try to put the pulsar entity (if it is a ship) into a permanent defense mode with ever switching targets, so that it would at least look randomly. Chances are, however, that it wouldn't look good.

Not good. The pulsar should have fixed rays in sync with the "hot spots", not "aiming" at ships in random directions. The rays of a pulsar are among the most un-random events in the universe.

Commander McLane wrote:

The other big problem with making the pulsar a ship entity is visibility distance, of course. As we know, Oolite doesn't draw ships beyond a certain distance. However, the pulsar should be visible from the station, and not suddenly pop into being when you're almost there.

So make it a (cloaked) ship object located inside a moon object. The problem would be to get and keep them in sync.
OR: Make the pulsar "ship object" spherical and a little bit bigger than the pulsar "moon object". From a distance you can see the moon object, and from the vincinity you can see the ship object (which would be in sync with its laser beam or whatever one designes to hit the careless). You might get a short sync gap when you cross the visibilty border, but that should be all.

As usual, take my ideas with a ton of minerals (i.e. salt), as I've never ever programmed a single line of OXP or Oolite engine. I'm just mixing wild ideas with educated guesses...

And now that I got the shaders finally working on my machine, I'd say the P.A.Groove should give the monitoring station a workover.

Yours, Christian

treczoks wrote:

So make it a (cloaked) ship object located inside a moon object. The problem would be to get and keep them in sync.
OR: Make the pulsar "ship object" spherical and a little bit bigger than the pulsar "moon object".

Slight problem that moon objects tend to be quite solid, which would tend to make ship object located inside them go bang, with or without cloaking

treczoks wrote:

OR: Make the pulsar "ship object" spherical and a little bit bigger than the pulsar "moon object".

That was the actual idea behind getting a Griff-ified version of the pulsar, and the reason why Eric mentioned the use of

scan_class = CLASS_NO_DRAW

Ahruman's test 'planets', as used by Griff with the earth with night lights are actually spherical ships, not extra planets. They're the only way to get a pulsar with shaders - at least in 1.73.4. Maybe for 1.74 we might have more options!

I think work arounds like using invisible ships are generaly bad ideas. If you use a ship then you can get weird effects, such as if someone uses a q-mine close to it.

The way to do it would be to create it as a ship with huge energy, and a custom AI. The main problem I can see is that it will have low mass, and it might be possible to move it around by crashing into it.

There might be a density setting, so in theory the mass won't be a problem... you can also have a ship script that uses the proximity event to destroy any incoming ships: if they explode before touching you, they definitely won't be able to push you!

Thargoid wrote:

Slight problem that moon objects tend to be quite solid, which would tend to make ship object located inside them go bang, with or without cloaking

OK, so its not passing the surface that bangs but being inside the radius.
Maybe the engine allows for a bodyless ship?
Or a hollow ship wrapping around the moon object for my second suggestion?

I'm sure there is a way around to make it right. All we have to do is find it...

Yours, Christian

Cmdr James wrote:

I think work arounds like using invisible ships are generaly bad ideas. If you use a ship then you can get weird effects, such as if someone uses a q-mine close to it.

The way to do it would be to create it as a ship with huge energy, and a custom AI. The main problem I can see is that it will have low mass, and it might be possible to move it around by crashing into it.

You can have whatever energy and recharge rate you like, a q-mine (or any other energy-blast inducing ordinance) will still kill you. The only thing invulnerable to them are system main stations.

The only way around that would be mine-sweeping, and that's neither fool-proof or future-proof.

Ah, but once planetary missile defenses have been perfected, surely a slight modification would be all we need for the pulsar, no?

Thargoid wrote:

You can have whatever energy and recharge rate you like, a q-mine (or any other energy-blast inducing ordinance) will still kill you.

Not quite right (see Thargoid hives). There is an energy recharge rate treshold, above which no energy damage will have any effect whatsoever. But as I said, I am not convinced that making the pulsar a ship entity is the way forward to begin with. I think I'm just going to play with it over Christmas, and of course Drew is the one to decide what to do anyway.

Off the top of my head I'd say, have a look at the Flying Dutchman's shipdata, and try to nuke him with a couple of qbombs. He should be above the treshold, at least that's where I've firmly placed him. The basic idea is after all that nothing can harm a ghost.

I finally found it - my protest sign to place on the Tianve traffic lanes:

"Why do they call it 'tourist season' if we can't shoot them?"

Or can I apply for a hunting license at the Tianve main station?

Yours, Christian

Rebecca wrote:

out of interest why did you choose rebecca for the heroine in your book? should she have been called some zara or tempestua or barberalla something a bit more spacey?

B

Well, I *can* answer that one. I was always a fan of Daphne De Maurier's book 'Rebecca' so had the name at the back of my mind for a heroine for a long time. However, 'Rebecca' in SQ and M is largely based on 'Rebecca' (Or Major Bech) from 'The Core' - played by Hilary Swank). A daft, but fun sci-fi flick.



'Bech' in 'The Core' is a tough no nonsense type who has never had to deal with failure before the events of the film. My Rebecca has a similar awakening as she looses her family and then realises what she's lost.

So, now you know

Cheers,

Drew.

Actually you just wanted to post a pic of the delectable Hilary Swank, didn't you?