Oolite Bulletins

So I’m thinking what’s needed is some extra “top of the line” toys to keep all us committed cobra pilots motivated to carry on earning the big money. Here’s my wish list, for what it’s worth (apologies if any of these have already been posted):

Twin laser mountings – two of the same kind where you’d normally have one. Would clearly have to be much more that double the price.

Smart Counter Measures (SCM) – reprograms inbound missiles to attack your attackers.

Shield directing technology – allows the shield strength to be partially or fully redirected fore and aft depending where you need it. (First used in Acorn’s Starship Command, I think.)

Laser intercoolers – making the lasers recover more quickly from over-heating

I'm thinking any of these toys, should you be lucky enough to find them, should cost an arm and a leg at least.

… And then all we’ll need is some tougher enemies to try all this stuff out on. Any thoughts?

expensive toys make it take longer to buy everything, but then youre in
the same situation again.

the only way to keep us motivated to make money is to make life more
expensive. especially the life of piracy. getting hit by laser, ecm hardened
missiles and mis scoopings should cause more of the kind of damage you
have to pay for to repair.

that way, trading and keeping out of trouble, tho it makes less money, also
costs less money.

cosmonaut wrote:

… And then all we’ll need is some tougher enemies to try all this stuff out on. Any thoughts?

...the kind of enemies that have access to the same toys you do.

Giles' policy is that every weapon available to playes, is also available to Non Player ships (with the exception of the energy-bomb, and quiridium cascade mine, I guess... I mean, I've never seen an opponent deploy one.)

The problem with expanding armamnent is that as a new player, it gets increasingly difficult to survive.

A simple solution would be to make higher-end stuff only available to higher-up galaxies, so galaxy 1 is still survivable to new players, seven definitely not, heehee

Oh, and re: expensive equipment, keep in mind that, when stuff gets damaged, it'll cost you dearly, about 23k cr. for a military shield enhancer repair (:shock:), makes you think twice about taking unnec. risks in battles.

hoqlinq wrote:

the only way to keep us motivated to make money is to make life more expensive

I would have to disagree. When starting out in the game, all the unaffordable toys and gizmos are a huge incentive to trade like fury, and as one gets better equipped the more expensive stuff seems just as apealing. Surely some exotic, hard to find and expensive high-end toys are a perfect extension to this central and very compelling tenet of the game. With the gradual expansion expansion of the Oolite universe, these kind of additions seem to me to be essential and extremely welcome - the introduction of the quirium cascade mines and ECM hardened missiles for example. The all serve to make the game that much more engrossing, and the experience more long-lived.

cosmonaut wrote:

the introduction of the quirium cascade mines and ECM hardened missiles for example. The all serve to make the game that much more engrossing, and the experience more long-lived.

bit of a contradiction there

After scooping a holdfull of goodies, I've just whipped the ass off half a dozen pirates, my shields are low I'm out of fuel for the witch injectors, no Q-bomb or missiles and I'm forced to take on the last one who bangs out a couple of ECM hardnuts, and it's goodnight! WAAAAAA

However, I fully agree that trading and saving for the high end equipment is a major incentive. To stand any sort of chance against the real bad boys you have to have the best kit, especially when you can't run from a fight!

Yeah, and missiles aren't quite as easy to shoot as back in the day, on the Acorn BBC micro. In fact is it even possible?

cosmonaut wrote:

Yeah, and missiles aren't quite as easy to shoot as back in the day, on the Acorn BBC micro. In fact is it even possible?

I hit one once. I think. It might just have run out of fuel and blown up at the instant I fired my rear-mounted mining laser...