Oolite Bulletins

cim wrote:

Deep space Thargoids certainly makes sense and even one warship is pretty threatening until you have enough combat upgrades that the pirates shouldn't be making you lose that much sleep ... but it would also make a bounty hunter's profit much easier.

Deep-space Thargoids might have the ability to call in friends (cue cool shimmery "Thargoid warping in" effect ...). And/or bounties awarded outside the lanes could be reduced (or nonexistent): local GalCop sensors can't tell who blew up what way out there, and they're certainly not going to pay out large wadges of cash for some grainy gun-camera footage that could have been taken anywhere, oh no, do you think they just came in from Raale on the last vinegar shipment? Next!

Disembodied wrote:

cim wrote:

Deep space Thargoids certainly makes sense and even one warship is pretty threatening until you have enough combat upgrades that the pirates shouldn't be making you lose that much sleep ... but it would also make a bounty hunter's profit much easier.

Deep-space Thargoids might have the ability to call in friends (cue cool shimmery "Thargoid warping in" effect ...). And/or bounties awarded outside the lanes could be reduced (or nonexistent): local GalCop sensors can't tell who blew up what way out there, and they're certainly not going to pay out large wadges of cash for some grainy gun-camera footage that could have been taken anywhere, oh no, do you think they just came in from Raale on the last vinegar shipment? Next!

If I wanted to farm Thargoids, then forcing a missjump between two nearby stars is easier than going off lane hoping for an encounter - and there is a constantly renewing supply in witch space

Venator Dha wrote:

If I wanted to farm Thargoids...

What could possibly go wrong...

I can't help but mentioning that this has got to be one of the best thread derailments yet!

Venator Dha wrote:

'is there a way to stop going of lane being an easy win in a way that fits with Oolites Non-player centric philosophy?' - doesn't exist.

After all, the players behauviour is quite unique. Players have Torus. Players have an infinite number of reactions / behaviour available, while the NPC is restricted to the few programmed for his rule. Players go off the lane. Players single handedly attack large pirate fleets. To ask the game to answer in a general non centralized way to this unique behauviour is unnecessarily limiting in my eyes.


On thought to the Thargoids: Why would Thargoids show up more often in Anarchy / Feudal Systems?

ralph_hh wrote:

On thought to the Thargoids: Why would Thargoids show up more often in Anarchy / Feudal Systems?

It depends, I suppose: they might see the more fractious systems as weak points in the Co-operative structure, assuming this is a military tactic. If it's more akin to a trawling operation, perhaps they calculate that if a spacelane is potentially dangerous, then it's more likely that lone traders might try to avoid it. No point fishing where there aren't any fish ...

Disembodied wrote:

... they might see the more fractious systems as weak points in the Co-operative structure, assuming this is a military tactic.

Tactically, that might fit - they raid chokepoint systems for that very reason.

Venator Dha wrote:

If I wanted to farm Thargoids, then forcing a missjump between two nearby stars is easier than going off lane hoping for an encounter - and there is a constantly renewing supply in witch space

<nods> It'd be kinda nice if the game had different behaviour in interstellar space for normal and forced misjumps.

Smivs wrote:

Maybe when using Torus the clock should accelerate

My suggestion is similar and available for testing in [wiki]TimeSlip[/wiki] OXP. Torus speed here is equal with Injectors just without fuel usage and the additional 4x TAF give about the same time compression than the original Torus. In this way pirates with Injectors can keep pace with the player.

If we use time forward instead of TAF then the suggested "TimeSaver Mode" is a good name imho, but need to speed up other ships or at least the pursuers of the player - an OXP can do it by velocity or position updates or the core can implement a speed limited NPC Torus.

The AWACS-like pirate scouts or outposts (and a few Thargoids) with multiplied radar ranges and the cyan curve in cim's post are good ideas imho, I suggest to use in addition to the slower Torus to reduce the going off-line problem. Together fewer ships is needed to earn the same risk.

Fatleaf wrote:

I can't help but mentioning that this has got to be one of the best thread derailments yet!

<grins> Thread derailment? On this forum? Perish the thought! Anyway, does Ontilain have the longest WP/station run?

Ah.... I don't know.
Giving the NPCs a long range radar and the players not sounds like beating on unexplainable advantage with another, this time for the other side. If there is a long range radar allowing you to intercept, there should be a long range radar to allow to evade.

My vote goes for leaving space lane and Torus as is and kind of integrating the deep space pirates concept into Anarchy / Feudal systems.

Basically, what is the difference? In the eyes of a player suddenly there is a ship. If that came from outer space or if it has been aiming at you for the past 1000 miles or if it headed straight onwards from the Coriolis station, the effect for the player remains the same.

Fatleaf wrote:

I can't help but mentioning that this has got to be one of the best thread derailments yet!

Hush! I don't think anybody noticed

We spam a lot, so the Spam assassines can do some practice. Completely on topic!!

A thread split might be good with a properly named subject. Something like 'MNSR' Just so we can feel at home not talking about MNSR!



Also a throw back to another age!

The idea of giving torus to NPCs only to be used when fleeing or pursuing sounds like a good idea.