Oolite Bulletins

Posted: **Mon Jun 30, 2025 2:29 pm**

When I visit a Salvage Gang, I sometimes see "Energy Bomb (salvaged)" for sale. I don't remember adding an OXP that would add the E-bomb back to the game, and if I buy it nothing shows up on my equipment list. Is it a bug or are the salvagers scamming their clients?

Posted: **Mon Jun 30, 2025 3:05 pm**

Do you have

Weapon Laws installed?

I recall that there was a condition for it to occur in anarchies but can't remember if it was included in the last version.

Posted: **Mon Jun 30, 2025 3:20 pm**

It is the way the game works. The salvaged equipment needs individual entries - and this OXP was composed back when Energy Bombs were part of the vanilla game. There was then a massive argument (Keep them! They are classic Elite! <> Junk them! They are unfair to NPCs and are player-centric). The fracas was resolved in typical Oolite fashion with the Energy Bomb OXP!

If you had the OXP loaded, the salvaged bomb might work!

Posted: **Mon Jun 30, 2025 3:34 pm**

Cholmondely wrote: ↑Mon Jun 30, 2025 3:20 pm
It is the way the game works. The salvaged equipment needs individual entries - and this OXP was composed back when Energy Bombs were part of the vanilla game. There was then a massive argument (Keep them! They are classic Elite! <> Junk them! They are unfair to NPCs and are player-centric). The fracas was resolved in typical Oolite fashion with the Energy Bomb OXP!

If you had the OXP loaded, the salvaged bomb might work!

Ah, I see. So it doesn't check if the bomb is actually in game because it wasn't an OXP item when it was originally written.

Posted: **Mon Jun 30, 2025 3:59 pm**

Bicorn wrote: ↑Mon Jun 30, 2025 3:34 pm

Cholmondely wrote: ↑Mon Jun 30, 2025 3:20 pm
It is the way the game works. The salvaged equipment needs individual entries - and this OXP was composed back when Energy Bombs were part of the vanilla game. There was then a massive argument (Keep them! They are classic Elite! <> Junk them! They are unfair to NPCs and are player-centric). The fracas was resolved in typical Oolite fashion with the Energy Bomb OXP!

If you had the OXP loaded, the salvaged bomb might work!
Ah, I see. So it doesn't check if the bomb is actually in game because it wasn't an OXP item when it was originally written.

I presume so. And I would also guess that Condition Scripts did not then exist - or were rarely used.

There were a number of massive changes in Oolite which transpired with v.1.80 & v.1.82. A number of our more distinguished OXP authors allegedly threw up their hands in disgust and fled into the waiting mandibles of the Witchspace Lobster, to be engulfed. One or two managed to escape torment after years of suffering, but they are now broken men, mere shadows of their former selves. Just ask Wildeblood! Commander McLane who who started writing Anarchies back in 2007 seems to have been one of them.

There is more on the Energy Bomb debate (if you can stomach it) at

Cheating (gives the background) and

Energy Bomb

Posted: **Mon Jun 30, 2025 4:10 pm**

Cholmondely wrote: ↑Mon Jun 30, 2025 3:59 pm
There is more on the Energy Bomb debate (if you can stomach it) at Cheating (gives the background) and Energy Bomb

I'm familiar with the E-bomb controversy, hence why I was so confused to see it appearing for sale.

Posted: **Mon Jun 30, 2025 5:23 pm**

Cholmondely wrote: ↑Mon Jun 30, 2025 3:59 pm
There were a number of massive changes in Oolite which transpired with v.1.80 & v.1.82. A number of our more distinguished OXP authors allegedly threw up their hands in disgust and fled into the waiting mandibles of the Witchspace Lobster, to be engulfed. One or two managed to escape torment after years of suffering, but they are now broken men, mere shadows of their former selves. Just ask Wildeblood!

You needn't bother asking him. Just read this: viewtopic.php?t=21884

Posted: **Mon Jun 30, 2025 7:12 pm**

Cholmondely wrote: ↑Mon Jun 30, 2025 5:23 pm

Cholmondely wrote: ↑Mon Jun 30, 2025 3:59 pm
There were a number of massive changes in Oolite which transpired with v.1.80 & v.1.82. A number of our more distinguished OXP authors allegedly threw up their hands in disgust and fled into the waiting mandibles of the Witchspace Lobster, to be engulfed. One or two managed to escape torment after years of suffering, but they are now broken men, mere shadows of their former selves. Just ask Wildeblood!
You needn't bother asking him. Just read this: viewtopic.php?t=21884

GFY, m8.

I can't stop laughing.

Posted: **Tue Jul 01, 2025 12:10 am**

Bicorn wrote: ↑Mon Jun 30, 2025 3:34 pm
Ah, I see. So it doesn't check if the bomb is actually in game because it wasn't an OXP item when it was originally written.

If you want to fix the issue (until I get around to publishing a new version), do the following:
Open the "anarchies_conditions.js" file.
At line 41, change this:

Code: Select all

        case "EQ_ENERGY_BOMB_SALVAGED":
            if (_dockedStation && _dockedStation.name === "Salvage Gang" && missionVariables.salvaged_energy_bomb_chance > 75) return true;

To this:

Code: Select all

        case "EQ_ENERGY_BOMB_SALVAGED":
            if (!EquipmentInfo.infoForKey("EQ_ENERGY_BOMB")) return false; // if the energy bomb OXP is not installed, don't offer a salvaged one
            if (_dockedStation && _dockedStation.name === "Salvage Gang" && missionVariables.salvaged_energy_bomb_chance > 75) return true;

Posted: **Tue Jul 01, 2025 12:21 am**

phkb wrote: ↑Tue Jul 01, 2025 12:10 am
If you want to fix the issue (until I get around to publishing a new version), do the following:

Out of curiosity, how does a salvaged energy bomb differ from a regular one? I know most salvaged equipment has a chance of spontaneously breaking; does a salvaged E-bomb have a chance of being a dud?

Posted: **Tue Jul 01, 2025 12:44 am**

Bicorn wrote: ↑Tue Jul 01, 2025 12:21 am
Out of curiosity, how does a salvaged energy bomb differ from a regular one? I know most salvaged equipment has a chance of spontaneously breaking; does a salvaged E-bomb have a chance of being a dud?

From the ReadMe inside the OXP:

In some Anarchies, and even in non-Anarchy-systems, usually in the medium-range tech level, you can't miss the local Salvage Gang. Again this is a huge, hollowed-out asteroid, which is home to a gang of salvagers. You will find them wherever there is something to salvage, i.e. usually in the middle of the main corridor. Most of their business is legal, or at least not illegal enough to draw too much of GalCop's attention towards them. A clever commander will find many a bargain on the asteroid's market, especially as far as used alloys and machinery are concerned.

A visit to the Salvager's equipment store can perhaps be even more rewarding. Don't bother with the original, first-hand equipment. If they have any, it will be more expensive than in the system's main station. But quite often they manage to recover complete and (almost) unharmed equipment items from stranded shipwrecks. They refurbish and sell these items, and this is where you are in for some real bargains, if you feel the urge to fully equip your ship. The only question is: Can you trust the Salvager's advertising slogans? And what exactly is the One-Gunfight-Guarantee™? But anyway, it's cheap; so you can probably even afford to fix it, if it breaks.

Finally for the not-quite-so-legal part of their business: If GalCop for some odd reason doesn't seem to like you, there will be a special piece of equipment, which you will be able to obtain in the more shady Salvage Gangs in Anarchy-systems; sort of under the counter, so-to-speak. It may or may not be helpful to you; you will find out.

Posted: **Tue Jul 01, 2025 1:55 am**

Bicorn wrote: ↑Tue Jul 01, 2025 12:21 am
Out of curiosity, how does a salvaged energy bomb differ from a regular one? I know most salvaged equipment has a chance of spontaneously breaking; does a salvaged E-bomb have a chance of being a dud?

There is a 1% chance it will spontaneously fail at a random moment while flying around. You'll get a message in your console saying it failed.

Posted: **Tue Jul 01, 2025 7:19 am**

phkb wrote: ↑Tue Jul 01, 2025 12:10 am
... (until I get around to publishing a new version) ...

I'd leave it! Seriously. Caveat Emptor and all that. If people are that desperate to buy a dud, let them! They should in any case be suspicious (due to the Anarchy OXP warnings + lack of EB's in-game), and half-expecting it to fail.

In any case, our other 2,500+ pieces of equipment don't have "salvaged" versions, so the amount of work involved in properly fixing this OXP up for modern OXP'd Oolite would be a Herculean task of Augean proportions - unless Wildeblood can bamboozle Qwen into doing it for us.

... Perhaps we should add some more bogus equipment? A salvaged reversible Galactic Hyperdrive? A salvaged coffee-maker? A salvaged bubble-bath? Salvaged Naval Shields? Salvaged Naval Lasers?

... And there is also stuff in earlier threads which McLane said that he'd love to include but couldn't because the game engine would not allow it (but it would now...)

Posted: **Tue Jul 01, 2025 9:43 am**

phkb wrote: ↑Tue Jul 01, 2025 1:55 am

Bicorn wrote: ↑Tue Jul 01, 2025 12:21 am
Out of curiosity, how does a salvaged energy bomb differ from a regular one? I know most salvaged equipment has a chance of spontaneously breaking; does a salvaged E-bomb have a chance of being a dud?
There is a 1% chance it will spontaneously fail at a random moment while flying around. You'll get a message in your console saying it failed.

Ah, so basically same as the other equipment. I think it'd be neater if it seemed fine until the point you try to use it, at which point there's a <some percentage> chance that it fails to do anything or even fries your own energy banks.

Posted: **Tue Jul 01, 2025 9:46 am**

Cholmondely wrote: ↑Tue Jul 01, 2025 7:19 am

phkb wrote: ↑Tue Jul 01, 2025 12:10 am
... (until I get around to publishing a new version) ...
... Perhaps we should add some more bogus equipment? A salvaged reversible Galactic Hyperdrive? A salvaged coffee-maker? A salvaged bubble-bath? Salvaged Naval Shields? Salvaged Naval Lasers?

How about equipment that only mostly works? Akin to my previous suggestion with the salvaged E-bomb, perhaps a salvaged galactic hyperdrive would have <some percentage> chance of working as intened, <some percentage> chance of misjump, and <some percentage> chance of sending you to a random system in the same galaxy.

Oolite Bulletins

Anarchies 2.8 now available

Re: Anarchies 2.8 now available

Re: Anarchies 2.8 now available

Re: Anarchies 2.8 now available

Re: Anarchies 2.8 now available

Re: Anarchies 2.8 now available

Re: Anarchies 2.8 now available

Re: Anarchies 2.8 now available

Re: Anarchies 2.8 now available

Re: Anarchies 2.8 now available

Re: Anarchies 2.8 now available

Re: Anarchies 2.8 now available

Re: Anarchies 2.8 now available

Re: Anarchies 2.8 now available

Re: Anarchies 2.8 now available

Re: Anarchies 2.8 now available