Oolite Bulletins

matt634 wrote:

Excellent ideas... would it be possible to change a station's "price factor" using a script. If so this would be ideal as the discount could very with how many bonds you purchase.

I'm sure you are aware of the equipment_price_factor-key in shipdata.

As you want have cheap equipment only in a fraction of all cases, you can't define a general value, however. So you need two clones of the station, exactly the same except for the equipment_price_factor. Then you need a condition in the script where the station is spawned. If the player has a sufficient number of war-bonds, clone1 with the cheap prices is spawned, if not, it's clone2 with normal or high prices (equipment on Behemoths is for instance more expensive than in main stations).

But these discounts should be role-related, only available at military stations and carriers (if possible working on all OXPs), right?

I am indeed aware of the price factor key. I currently have my stations setup like behemoths with a price factor of 2. I'd like to have things shake out like this:

Buy 25 Victory Bonds (25,000 credits) - price factor drops to 1.5
Buy 50 Victory Bonds - price factor of 1 (now SecComs are on par with main stations)
Buy 100 and the factor drops to 0.5 - this would be a big draw to the SecCom as they have the best equipment at the best prices!


Sounds like its going to require changes in my planetinfo list then . Its so long I don't even like opening it.

Maybe I shouldn't complain... now that I'm Dangerous!

Cmdr. Maegil wrote:

But these discounts should be role-related,

No, they are shipdata-entry-related. But Matt already has got the idea. And it requires indeed a lot of work to his planetinfo.plist, basically each single entry has to be replaced by three conditions!

I'd say a 2% of the ship's value for hull and drive maintenance, only available at the proper TL for the ship; the equipment also would repaired individually following the same rules.
Docking fees? How about the Cr5,0 already suggested for using the auto docking system, to which we could add a (government*TL)/5 berthing fee?
Want to carry passengers or freight? Sorry, but you need insurance... But your escape capsule's insurance just became 5% of your ship's trade-in cost - twice a year...
Some suggested the fuel should be more expensive, I agree. How about (cargo capacity*energy banks)/10 per light year?

Cmdr. Maegil wrote:

I'd say a 2% of the ship's value for hull and drive maintenance, only available at the proper TL for the ship; the equipment also would repaired individually following the same rules.

The current maintenance costs are 1% of the ship's value (that's calculated by the resell-value, so includes also every equipment installed), so 2% would be a mere doubling. I'm not sure about the proper TL, whether that's already reality. If not, it could definitively be added. The equipment is already repaired following the same rules (50% of its value, only at proper TL (to be precise: TL-1, as a mechanic who might not be able to manufacture the part in the first place may well be able to fix it)).

Docking fees? How about the Cr5,0 already suggested for using the auto docking system, to which we could add a (government*TL)/5 berthing fee?

Could be done, but not a must for me.

Want to carry passengers or freight? Sorry, but you need insurance... But your escape capsule's insurance just became 5% of your ship's trade-in cost - twice a year...

Not sure about these. Passenger contracts already pay so poorly that I never bothered even installing a berth (except when I had to for a mission; I made sure to get rid of it immediatly after finishing the mission). Usually I've strongly advised everybody who was asking against passenger transports. An insurance fee would make them yet less worthwhile.

For freight, okay, especially if it comes to the more valuable freight (which again is the only point when taking freight starts making sense at all).

Escape capsule? Who needs an escape capsule anyway? I have none. Never had one.

Some suggested the fuel should be more expensive, I agree. How about (cargo capacity*energy banks)/10 per light year?

Yes, fuel could be more expensive. Much more expensive. At least factor ten to now. As it is now it's just negligible. I've never understood why anyone should bother sundiving, when fuel costs next to nothing (14 cr for a full tank! Come on!).

Commander McLane wrote:

Yes, fuel could be more expensive. Much more expensive. At least factor ten to now. As it is now it's just negligible. I've never understood why anyone should bother sundiving, when fuel costs next to nothing (14 cr for a full tank! Come on!).

It is true that fuel could be more expensive, but I would argue against making it too expensive. Remember that a new player starts with 100Cr and no equipment, so there must be a chance for him to actually profit from trading, instead of becoming broke within 3-4 jumps. The 14 credits that seem so insiginficant after some time in the game, are of great importance at the very beginning.

another_commander wrote:

Commander McLane wrote:

Yes, fuel could be more expensive. Much more expensive. At least factor ten to now. As it is now it's just negligible. I've never understood why anyone should bother sundiving, when fuel costs next to nothing (14 cr for a full tank! Come on!).

It is true that fuel could be more expensive, but I would argue against making it too expensive. Remember that a new player starts with 100Cr and no equipment, so there must be a chance for him to actually profit from trading, instead of becoming broke within 3-4 jumps. The 14 credits that seem so insiginficant after some time in the game, are of great importance at the very beginning.

All the more reason to be prudent about where you jump to? In systems with average TL and government type, make the price more or less Cr2/ly of Quirium, but as the player gets more adventurous (or desperate) a quick sortie into a low TL Anarchy for a good cheap top-up becomes more appealing.

In real life, car drivers only fuel up at petrol (gas) stations with the cheaper prices, only using the more expensive stations (as found on motorways) in dire need.

Having the average prices in average TL/average government systems encourages the new player to stick to Milk Runs until they feel that they are capable of handling combat in TL1 Anarchies or affluent enough to afford TL 15 Corporate system fuel taxes.

Captain Hesperus

I agree with this, that is why I am not against increasing the fuel price at the first place, just need to be cautious as to how much it will be increased, in order to avoid making the game impossible.

I do like the idea of fuel prices varying with cargo capacity and/or energy - you'd need to make use of both or throw in some constants to cover those high energy ships with zero cargo capacity.

I powered up Excel and played around with some figures. It's possible to create quite a range of prices but you'd need to make sure the Cobra MkIII still stays around the 14cr per 7ly mark, otherwise that would wreck the game for new starters. This makes it rather difficult to really ramp up the prices for other ships, as the Cobra is still pretty big. Some figures I've come up with are ~6cr/ly for a Josher, 3.5cr/ly for an Asp and 12cr/ly for a Boa, which would cost 86cr for a full refill. At the other end of the scale, filling up a Naga would st you back 410cr a time, and an Anaconda just over 2000!

Ramirez wrote:

I do like the idea of fuel prices varying with cargo capacity and/or energy - you'd need to make use of both or throw in some constants to cover those high energy ships with zero cargo capacity.

I powered up Excel and played around with some figures. It's possible to create quite a range of prices but you'd need to make sure the Cobra MkIII still stays around the 14cr per 7ly mark, otherwise that would wreck the game for new starters. This makes it rather difficult to really ramp up the prices for other ships, as the Cobra is still pretty big. Some figures I've come up with are ~6cr/ly for a Josher, 3.5cr/ly for an Asp and 12cr/ly for a Boa, which would cost 86cr for a full refill. At the other end of the scale, filling up a Naga would st you back 410cr a time, and an Anaconda just over 2000!

That sounds pretty interesting... it would certainly make sunskimming a much more attractive option for Annies, at least. Could total energy be made more of a factor, though? Keeping the Cobra III's 4 banks as a baseline. Maybe speed could be a factor, too -- again with the CIII's 0.35 as standard?