Oolite Bulletins

Moderator: Split from Tax OXP thread

Gimi wrote:

El Viejo wrote:

HIMSN OXP!

Her Imperial Majesty's Space Navy

Fixed that for you.

Gimi wrote:

So HQ would be in a feudal system then?

Well, yes, it's in Lave of course, isn't it?

Commander McLane wrote:

Well, yes, it's in Lave of course, isn't it?

No. It should be a constitutional monarchy based in a democracy... somewhere like Zaeredre in G5.

El Viejo wrote:

Commander McLane wrote:

Well, yes, it's in Lave of course, isn't it?

No. It should be a constitutional monarchy based in a democracy... somewhere like Zaeredre in G5.

I was referring to the fact that for all we know "Her Imperial Majesty" most probably means the leader of Lave. At least that's the only sensible explanation that I've ever come across. I don't recall at the moment whether it's on Selezen's website, in the Wiki, or buried somewhere on the boards.

If on the Wiki, one maybe would have to look back to page revisions previous to the release of Galactic Navy.oxp. The creator of the OXP changed the Elite backstory (and the Wiki) considerably in order to accommodate the massive military he created. I see that as a deviation from Elite canon, but because not many people are aware of that, and the OXP is one of the most recommended for newbies, this deviation from canon has (for many players) turned into canon. For me personally, one of the central points of canon, and in fact one of the defining characteristics of GalCop as an organisation is that it doesn't have a considerable naval force. The whacky and oddly-named "Her Imperial Majesty's Space Navy" that you encounter in the two native missions is really all there is. It's mostly invisible, simply because there doesn't exist much to show. 16 capital ships (I'm in favour of Behemoth.oxp), an unspecified number of small fighters, and every licensed pilot as a reserve, that's it.

Commander McLane wrote:

The creator of the OXP changed the Elite backstory (and the Wiki) considerably in order to accommodate the massive military he created. I see that as a deviation from Elite canon, but because not many people are aware of that, and the OXP is one of the most recommended for newbies, this deviation from canon has (for many players) turned into canon.

This is my main gripe with the GN OXP!

El Viejo wrote:

Commander McLane wrote:

The creator of the OXP changed the Elite backstory (and the Wiki) considerably in order to accommodate the massive military he created. I see that as a deviation from Elite canon, but because not many people are aware of that, and the OXP is one of the most recommended for newbies, this deviation from canon has (for many players) turned into canon.

This is my main gripe with the GN OXP!

Great minds think alike, don't they?

Might be a lot of work.. but could the backstory/Wiki damage be undone.. and Galactic Navy be clearly ID'd as non-canon?

I see nothing wrong with making HIMSN a little more visible than just the Behemoths. I imagine the following scenario.

One HIMSN HQ (Big station, somewhere in the 8 )
One sector HQ pr galaxy. Something slightly bigger than the Existing SEC-COM stations.

Small surveillance stations or Navy outposts placed strategically in choke points. Max 8 pr Galaxy.
Normal placement for all stations would be on the WP-Sun route, about 1/3 of the distance from the WP.
This makes sense to me. Supplies are always an issue for the Military, so the WP sun route makes sense to secure fuel, and it allows monitoring of the WP, but stays clear of the regular trade route. Less interference in internal system politics.

As for ships. I think the Behemoths should be extremely rear. I would suggest Navy Anacondas (Corvettes) with a 2-ship Asp escort to be the main bulk of the Navy, but still a pretty rear sight, even if there is a Navy station there.

An in-between size ship (Frigate and/or Destroyer) with two Anacondas and 4 Asps as an escort could be a rear encounter of a fleet on a mission (Task Force).

As for the Behemoths, I would give them two Task Forces as escorts. It would be a very rear sight indeed. The only way to make sure you see them would be to visit a tech level 14 system on the 26th of June when the fleet arrives to show the flag on Armed Forces Day. (Have to secure that funding for next year.) Apart from that, they should be encountered only as a part of a mission.
Would it be possible to shoe-horn something like this into canon.

My 2 cents worth.

Edit: Or just use Boas as Corvettes and Anacondas as Frigates. (Navy versions of course, NOT available to the player)

Gimi wrote:

26th of June when the fleet arrives to show the flag on Armed Forces Day.

Make that the 20th of September (Elite's original release date)?

I like those ideas, Gimi.

El Viejo wrote:

Make that the 20th of September (Elite's original release date)?

Even better. A date we all can relate to.

El Viejo wrote:

I like those ideas, Gimi.

Thank you. Maybe I should try writing some of this down and make a scenario out of it?

I also think this idea is worth pursueing.
HIMSN is an integral part of 'core' Oolite and should feature in more than just a couple of in-built missions, and this sounds like a project that will sit much more comfortably in the game than the current GN does.
If anyone else is interested in working on this, let me know as I would be keen to develop this idea further but would prefer to be part of a team, not necessarily as leader.
Also I can bring a Heavy Cruiser for the fleet...the Thunder Class cruiser already exists.

I'll have a go at jotting down my ideas and see where it goes. I'm really useless at coding, so my role would be consultant only.

Thanks for the thread split, a_c!

El Viejo wrote:

Thanks for the thread split, a_c!

Another successful derailment comes of age

As this seems to be moving forward, we could think about where it is going. Is the idea just to add a proportionate Naval presence around the Eight, or would this go further to include missions etc with HIMSN?

Include some carefully crafted missions, I reckon. But get the bones of HIMSN done first?

This project gets a big thumbs up from me. Galactic Navy didn't last very long in my Add Ons for a variety of reasons (including some cited by McClane, El Viejo and Gimi), so an alternative would be welcome (especially with a graphical overhaul). Happy to help with script if needed ( edit - did I really just type that...doh! Only if really really needed, because I've got a lot of other things on my to do list as it is).