Oolite Bulletins

Hi, I'm new to Oolite (it's great!).

I was wondering, do you think it would be technically possible to create an OXP to introduce a Bulletin Board (Frontier-style) pressing F4 while docked in stations? I don't mean it should be exactly like in Frontier, but it could improve the interactivity with the Oolite world. There could be:

1. A public area for messages like in Frontier, with requests for wanted goods, scripted (legal) missions (ship escort, scouting, tracking down pirates)...
2. Access to Guilds if present in the system (a bit like in WC Privateer), depending on the type of government and economy, like Merchants' or Mercenary Guild, or the Amy/Police for a military career.
3. A private login area, to access protected BBS for illegal trade, assassination requests, Pirate Guild (infos about palatable targets, requests of help in fighting police forces, requests for illegal goods shipping..) or other criminal organizations. You'd have to obtain the login from other sources (missions, or you could be contacted by an organization after having committed some crime, etc).
4. Alternative stock market (more system-specific) for more variety of goods.
5. A newspaper area where you could read news of things happening in the Oolite universe.

Also I'd be interested in a way to communicate with other ships/docking stations.

Welcome to the friendliest board this side of Riedquat, Ross154!

Ross154 wrote:

I was wondering, do you think it would be technically possible to create an OXP to introduce a Bulletin Board (Frontier-style) pressing F4 while docked in stations? I don't mean it should be exactly like in Frontier, but it could improve the interactivity with the Oolite world. There could be:

OXPs can't bind entirely new keys, so no, not as such. However, there are OXPs for some of these features already - but through a different interface and not all in one place.

Ross154 wrote:

1. A public area for messages like in Frontier, with requests for wanted goods, scripted (legal) missions (ship escort, scouting, tracking down pirates)...

The Escort Contracts OXP will give you the escort contracts bit. Random Hits OXP will give you tracking down pirates, other criminals, and people who were in the wrong place at the wrong time (but not at the main station - you'll have to go elsewhere)

No-one, as far as I know, has done a scouting OXP yet. Nice idea, though.

Ross154 wrote:

2. Access to Guilds if present in the system (a bit like in WC Privateer), depending on the type of government and economy, like Merchants' or Mercenary Guild, or the Amy/Police for a military career.

Galactic Navy OXP will give you some military career options (again, not at the main station).

F8 F8 at the main station will give you the built-in shipping and passenger contracts for the merchant side of things.

And Random Hits as mentioned above you might consider to be mercenaries.

Ross154 wrote:

3. A private login area, to access protected BBS for illegal trade, assassination requests, Pirate Guild (infos about palatable targets, requests of help in fighting police forces, requests for illegal goods shipping..) or other criminal organizations. You'd have to obtain the login from other sources (missions, or you could be contacted by an organization after having committed some crime, etc).

Anarchies OXP does a bit of this, in a "we'll call you when we need you" fashion.

Ross154 wrote:

4. Alternative stock market (more system-specific) for more variety of goods.

I'm working on this one at the moment with my prototype New Cargoes OXP. It's not finished yet, but it's getting there, and there's enough done if you want to test it.

BlOomberg Markets does a bit of this as well.

Ross154 wrote:

5. A newspaper area where you could read news of things happening in the Oolite universe.

Snoopers OXP for this. Some other OXPs use Snoopers to put their own general and plot-related news in to the game, so it's worth having.

Hope some of these OXP suggestions are useful for you.

Ross154 wrote:

2. Access to Guilds if present in the system (a bit like in WC Privateer), depending on the type of government and economy, like Merchants' or Mercenary Guild, or the Amy/Police for a military career.

Hi Ross154, and welcome!

In addition to what cim already suggested, there are also [wiki]Feudal States[/wiki], and to some extent the [wiki]Factions OXP[/wiki] gives something like guilds (well, factions).

hej Ross154

There is also Planetfall + extensions to it, like Planetfall Taxi (uses F5-F5 screen)