Oolite Bulletins

Selezen wrote:

Didn't Mr Braben OFFICIALLY say that this would / could not happen?

DB wrote:

We have the concept of “groups”. They can be private groups just of your friends or open groups (that form part of the game) based on the play styles people prefer, and the rules in each can be different. Players will begin in the group “All” but can change groups at will, though it will be possible to be banned from groups due to antisocial behaviour, and you will only meet others in that group.

Oooo small chink of hope there! Just got to watch out for shady tactics then.

A bit of fun...

My nostalgia fest for Elite... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIxLDFQP ... y6Ihx3me_A

Cheers,

Drew.

Awesome music, Drew. Who composed the music? It sounds like something by Two Steps From Hell.

Selezen wrote:

Awesome music, Drew. Who composed the music? It sounds like something by Two Steps From Hell.

Indeed it is.

Love the videos Drew; glad to see you got over your "FE2 in 1991" troubles

I actually meant to say awesome VIDEO, Drew. <slap>

I'd be interested to know what the licensing is for the music, as I thought people like TSFH and ES Posthumus required some sort of deal when their music is used...

I may be (probably am) wrong.

Just found this...

Elite Squad!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DamIuGXEk7w



Cheers,

Drew.

A Pioneer at SSC wrote:

The physics look like fighter planes in space to me. If you replaced the Anacondas with zeppelins and the Vipers with Sopwith Camels the action would seem just as plausible.

Yes! Just make it WWII instead and I could have a P-51 Mustang!

But. That's. Why. It's. Playable!!!

Fighter combat = action and fun.

Selezen wrote:

But. That's. Why. It's. Playable!!!

Fighter combat = action and fun.

Lucas' original footage of Star Wars had loads of WWII fighter movie scenes cut in to describe/show how the Death Star battle would "pan out" (pun intended). There's a reason for that - it works - it's what we expect/accept even if it's not physics correct.

DaddyHoggy wrote:

... it's what we expect/accept even if it's not physics correct.

On that subject, I found this to be quite interesting reading.

I've always wondered if the 'non-newtonian' physics way of combat in Elite (and therefore oolite) would actually come about as it's desirable to have as it's more intuitive (maybe because we evolved in Gravity). The magic of fly by wire could be extended to emulate any environment you wish. I realise that civilisations like the 'Culture' in Bank's novels having essentially unlimited technical expertise is really just a neat Narrative device for the Author, but that piece would surely be possible if you had powerful enough engines/forces?

One of the technological advances in MY Elite universe (the one that my fiction springs from) is that the ship's navigation computer handles all that tedious mucking about with relativistic velocities and so on and uses a complex system of thrusters to "simulate" an easy to use control system for the pilot. The justification for this is that any society that presents space travel to the general public would have to make it as simple as possible to ensure that safety is maintained.

You may call it handwavium or some such trope tag, but I think it's a solid concept. Look at how many more Frontier pilots creamed themselves with the relativistic flight model compared to Elite. Dumbing down the space flight controls would be an essential step in actually achieving a "personal starship" society.

Selezen wrote:

Who composed the music? It sounds like something by Two Steps From Hell.

It's "Freedom Fighters", from the Invincible album.

Didn't take long to find that, as TSFH is currently my work listening music.

Yes, need to replace the music with something royalty free, but it was too good to resist.

Having trouble finding something appropriate at the moment. IT. NEEDS. TO. BE... EPIC!

Cheers,

Drew.

NigelJK wrote:

I've always wondered if the 'non-newtonian' physics way of combat in Elite (and therefore oolite) would actually come about as it's desirable to have as it's more intuitive (maybe because we evolved in Gravity). The magic of fly by wire could be extended to emulate any environment you wish. I realise that civilisations like the 'Culture' in Bank's novels having essentially unlimited technical expertise is really just a neat Narrative device for the Author, but that piece would surely be possible if you had powerful enough engines/forces?

It's unlikely, I think: in any sort of reality, there would be no requirement for dogfighting in space. Space combat, even for small ships, would be conducted across huge distances (tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of kilometres at least), where one tiny dot would fire on another tiny dot before the other tiny dot knows what's going on. Death would usually come as a complete surprise. Speed would be the key: computers would be better and faster. There would be no real point in letting big, slow bags of mostly water sit in the pilot's seat, so no point in expending vast amounts of resources making them feel at home. Plus you still need the handwavium for how you deal with all the acceleration and inertia (and you can build a machine to withstand G forces that would turn a human into paté).

Personally, the huge lack of automation in Elite - ropey docking computers seem to be the best we can get - suggests to me that it's a universe with very little computing power indeed. You want intelligence? Then you have to use a brain made of meat, not an AI. Then there's the constant trade in "computers", and the total lack of any price difference between high-tech computers and low-tech computers ... I don't think Elite "computers" are the same as computers here and now. Personally, I think they're either clockwork or maybe biotech Babbage machines: fiddly, finicky, and limited. Presumably for a very good reason ...