Oolite Bulletins

I'm sure a few people will disagree with me since it's such a core part of the original game, but I can't help feeling there's too big a gap between some of the Elite ratings.

When you start your rating changes fairly quickly but it isn't long until you reach a plateau where you need to rack up thousands of kills to move up. I know this was originally down to the need to keep the amount of code to a minimum but modern systems aren't restricted in the same way.

Would anyone else like to see a few more ratings being added between Competent and Elite?

The intention of Oolite was to be a faithful recreation of Elite at hart, but with the ability to modify the game with OXP's. In this respect, I strongly oppose any change to the Elite rankings in the core game. However, if the developers want to expose the ranking system to OXP-makers, that's fine by me. Then I can choose whether that is what I want, or not. After all, that is really what Oolite is about, making your own Ooniverse.
On another thought, making a parallel ranking system to the current system is possible and has been done in several OXP's. Assassins, Ups and random hits come to mind. That is probably a better solution, and would also allow some brilliant mind to come up with an additional ranking system that also takes into account other achievements in addition to the number of kills. How about a combination of net worth, gross worth (includes ship value), kills and maybe even ranks achieved through other OXP's. (As long as it's all in an OXP)

Gimi wrote:

The intention of Oolite was to be a faithful recreation of Elite at hart, but with the ability to modify the game with OXP's. In this respect, I strongly oppose any change to the Elite rankings in the core game. However, if the developers want to expose the ranking system to OXP-makers, that's fine by me. Then I can choose whether that is what I want, or not. After all, that is really what Oolite is about, making your own Ooniverse.

Aye, I agree with Gimi... the core ranks should not change! But in ones own Ooniverse of course, one can be any rank imaginable!

I tend to agree this should not be changed. Gimi's point about the legacy of Elite is pertinant. Also, although the 'goal' of the game (in some ways) is to aspire to Elite status, to me at least that is not the most important element at all. Early on as a 'Jameson' it's nice to see that you're improving steadily, but as you get more experienced and settle in for the long haul, this becomes less important.
Also, of course, you'd have to add an awful lot of 'ranks' to make the progression more even, and you'd run out of 'sensible' rankings pretty soon. Not many people would want to be 'Not Bad' or 'OK-ish', would they?

And you have the "Right on, Commander!", to keep you entertained.

Though to me it usually got lost, because it tends to happen during battle.

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ElViejo wrote:

Poobear

Ever since I heard of it, my favourite rank ever is "Vice Auxiliary Replacement Janitor" *, but it won't cleanly fit as Oolite rank (too long).

(* Luciano De Crescenzo : Così parlò Bellavista/ Thus spoke Bellavista)

Gimi wrote:

How about a combination of net worth, gross worth (includes ship value), kills and maybe even ranks achieved through other OXP's. (As long as it's all in an OXP)

Brilliant idea... now just wait for someone who can actually do OXPs...

We have to remember that this game is of its time, actually it was a lot BETTER for its time.

If you want to understand proper gaming frustration; then try completing MANIC MINER or JETSET WILLY.

It is important to understand that although we can see the reasoning, our older view of such things is forever tainted by historical perspective.

In our day 1000, 2000 even 3000 more kills WAS preferable to "Never Ending Score Based Game of Hate & Pain"

ClymAngus wrote:

If you want to understand proper gaming frustration; then try completing MANIC MINER or JETSET WILLY.

In Jet Set Willy on the Spectrum, there was a screen where you go and hover in the top left or top right (I forget which) corner, and because of a platform beneath you, you could only be attacked along the line of your laser fire.

Put an object on the hover button, and an object on the fire button, then balance a book on the two, and you could get any score. I managed to leave it running for over two days in that state.

That was when I got an inkling that that kind of cheating-without-trying is actually a bit dull.

(Whereas spending all night reverse engineering the object code to deconstruct a saved-game encryption algorithm was loads of fun and two years later my career in IT formally began as a Junior Programmer...)

Anyway, to get back on topic, it is a long slog to get to Elite, but having become Deadly, I understand why.

Thargoid wrote:

That sounds more like Jet-Pac than Jet Set Willy...

You're right.

Just how many brain neurones are we wasting by knowing this stuff? How many birthdays and anniversaries and PIN numbers could we remember without all this head-clutter?

I used to hate Wet Set Jelly, there were a couple of screens I always seemed to get stuck on - The Banyan Tree springs to mind

SandJ wrote:

Put an object on the hover button, and an object on the fire button, then balance a book on the two, and you could get any score. I managed to leave it running for over two days in that state.

Great. You do know I'm going to have to go and try that now, don't you?

Cheers,

Drew.

drew wrote:

You do know I'm going to have to go and try that now, don't you?

I'm glad I could provide you with the motivation you so desperately sought.

as it stands, most of the ratings set in when the kills for the former rating is doubled.

Harmless - 0-7 kills

Mostly Harmless - 8-15 kills

Poor - 16-31 kills

Average - 32-63 kills

Above Average - 64-127 kills

Competent - 128-511 kills

Dangerous - 512-2559 kills

Deadly - 2560 - 6399 kills

Elite - 6400+ kills

obvious exceptions being "Dangerous" and "Deadly"

i don't think the ooniverse would fall apart if those two ratings would be devided into more ratings, as long as the overall sheme isn't changed.

for example:

Mildly Dangerous - 512-1023 kills
Merely Dangerous - 1024-2047 kills
Really Dangerous - 2048-2559 kills

Almost Deadly - 2560-4095 kills
Most Deadly - 4096-6399 kills

Commander Trigg wrote:

I used to hate Wet Set Jelly, there were a couple of screens I always seemed to get stuck on - The Banyan Tree springs to mind

It was JSW (or possibly Manic Miner) that due to a bug was impossible to finish - the programmers knew it but the game was released anyway - figuring that people would just either never get to that point or presume they were just being rubbish.

I concur that JSW and MM were incredibly frustrating games - I'd add (on the C64) "Booty" (by Mastertronic) to that list - which drove me absolutely potty - especially the random - open the door - flood the space with water - die trap that seemed to occur when you were doing well...