[RELEASE] Telescope OXP v1.15

[pagroove]

I tried your OXP and it's excellent. However I have a few suggestions:

- I want a simple on/off button of the whole telescope system.
- Right now it is a bit of a cheat to see all things in system so fast. Maybe to balance it you can do a few things

Suggestion to overcome this:

To perform a 'far' scan the ship must be stationary. Then the system stores that in memory and holds it for a while (one minute) but the far data is not updated when you are on the move.

Or make the 'data gathering' slower than it is.

You enter a system and the telescope says: Data Gathering
After 2 minutes you get data up to half the system and after 4 the whole (just an example)

You can then buy new processor cores for the central telescope computer to upgrade the speed. So that only a bounty hunter or contract killer finds it worth to update to the most expensive core.

- I could shoot missiles at targets outside my scanner range that hit the target.

[Diziet Sma]

- I could shoot missiles at targets outside my scanner range that hit the target.

I'm not entirely sure I'd regard that as a problem.. or as unrealistic.. there are plenty of missiles and torpedos already in existence which can be fired without a lock, and subsequently acquire and attack the target themselves.

[DaddyHoggy]

Quite a lot of investment by various military Primes to build BVR (Beyond Visual Range) systems both Air to Air and Air to Ground. So one would hope/presume that 1000 years from now, weapon systems would be at least as capable as we are now...

[pagroove]

Well if we go that route in Oolite then the enemy also must be able to lock on you with their periscope and launch BVR- Missiles.
I played Falcon 4.0. for a while and that was fun.

But back to Oolite.

I find everything acceptable if the same technique is also in the hands of the ai.

[Duggan]

I find everything acceptable if the same technique is also in the hands of the ai.

To be fair , some of those Pirates do turn up out of nowhere quiet often giving the impression that one's boat showed up on a long range scanner or telescope ,so that bit is handled by the AI, Giving the Pirates and Thargoids long range missiles for us (presuming evasion and out running are off the table) to shoot down sounds fun but may alter the game too much if there are many in system long range enemy automatic targeting e.c.m resistant warheads to deal with in a system.

The telescope oxp thankfully also has a number of other applications . For example , I have Zygo's excellent realistic stars and found that cargo and splinters were in many cases very difficult, if not impossible to see , so the way in which this oxp places a white glow around scoopables is really useful, as an aside the Telescope is also useful for peaceful traders or indeed Purveyors of Contraband who may have an interest in avoiding the attention of other ships

[Cody]

... the Telescope is also useful for peaceful traders or indeed Purveyors of Contraband who may have an interest in avoiding the attention of other ships

That would take most of the fun out of running contraband, that much I know!

[Norby]

I made full use of version 0.9 today in a wide variety of scenarios. This equipment seems to be in good working order and I experienced no issues with it.

Thank you for the test, it is a good news!

You can test another equipment what I published today: Detectors OXP.

[Norby]

- I want a simple on/off button of the whole telescope system.

Thank you for the request, it is possible but please discuss it.

First problem is the button itself: it seems to be we can not get another dedicated button.
When I asked cim said that too few remaining to give another to the equipments.
I suggested the ctrl+n and ctrl+b due to these are less valuable but I do not get an answer yet.

So must be thinking on a combination of events what can catch in js, or make another "Telescope config" equipment and prime before can turn it off. But making sub-equipments to reach more buttons is not a good idea in my eyes due to need steps in the prime list to choose.

Second, Telescope has more function and I guess the next request will be from somebody to can switch all of them independently which is a bit hard due to the few buttons. So please think a bit on your preferences and tell me what parts do you think to turn off surely and what can be stay on, maybe give me ideas if you describe when and why want you turn of a part of it.

To perform a 'far' scan the ship must be stationary.
Or make the 'data gathering' slower than it is.

Great idea, thank you!
Can be combined into one: gravity scan progress faster when not moving.
The full scan time cannot be too long due to if it is longer than the travel time with injectors then almost nobody will use it instead of flying into visible rage (visible scan remain instant).

I think 1 minute is acceptable if a partial result arrive sooner and a costly fast computer equipment (another good idea, thank you!) can shorten it.

- I could shoot missiles at targets outside my scanner range that hit the target.

Surely?
I can not reproduce it. There are a theoretical problem with this: you can not lock targets over 25600m in any way due to the core game deny it. You can see something similar with Telescope, but it is an illusion: I placed and locked a very small ship to 25400m lined up with the far target, so the missile will fly to this markership and not to the real target. Moreover my missiles destroyed instantly after launch, I think I unwittingly made a markership which can not tracked by missiles.

[pagroove]

Thank you for the request, it is possible but please discuss it.

First problem is the button itself: it seems to be we can not get another dedicated button.
When I asked cim said that too few remaining to give another to the equipments.
I suggested the ctrl+n and ctrl+b due to these are less valuable but I do not get an answer yet.

So must be thinking on a combination of events what can catch in js, or make another "Telescope config" equipment and prime before can turn it off. But making sub-equipments to reach more buttons is not a good idea in my eyes due to need steps in the prime list to choose.

Second, Telescope has more function and I guess the next request will be from somebody to can switch all of them independently which is a bit hard due to the few buttons. So please think a bit on your preferences and tell me what parts do you think to turn off surely and what can be stay on, maybe give me ideas if you describe when and why want you turn of a part of it.

Hi Norby

I mean primarily the lightbulbs by 'off'. For screenshot and atmospheric reasons. Sometimes you want to take a screenshot without the light bubbles. Now to do that in my current game I had to refund the telescope. But then of course I don't have the system onboard anymore.

I think with the 'computer core' idea for scanning speed this OXP can be perfectly balanced.

Will look into the missile issue again in the nearby future. Other members tell me that it is possible also without the telescope. Sorry for blaming the oxp as the cause.

Oh and EDIT: A clever piece of programming this is!

[Norby]

I mean primarily the lightbulbs by 'off'. For screenshot and atmospheric reasons.

Try set $TelescopeLightBalls = false; in Sripts/telescope.js and restart with Shift pressed.
Buoys and non-ship balls will be remain as with the Cargo Spotter OXP, but I think it will help.

All others will be working, so you can use the most centered target locking to search one in the stardust or simply turn around in gravity scanner mode and you will see all detected ships within the jumping target box.

Currently no lollipops without lightballs, but next time can be made.

Oh and EDIT: A clever piece of programming this is!

Thank you very much!

[Norby]

That would take most of the fun out of running contraband, that much I know!

I think the question is to show or not show the legal status of the target to the player.

Within scanner range the  Scanner Targeting Enhancement already show it in the second line and over visual range the Gravity Scanner can not show it, so the questionable range is over the normal scanner but visible (about 50km with small ships, 100km with larger ones).

I can made a $TelescopeFarStatus variable which mark all ship with yellow ball over scanner range if false, but the question is the default setting: should be true or false? I think the most wanted will be the default and the smaller group of players can set it to the opposite, so please tell me your preference.

[Tricky]

- I want a simple on/off button of the whole telescope system.

Thank you for the request, it is possible but please discuss it.

First problem is the button itself: it seems to be we can not get another dedicated button.
When I asked cim said that too few remaining to give another to the equipments.
I suggested the ctrl+n and ctrl+b due to these are less valuable but I do not get an answer yet.

So must be thinking on a combination of events what can catch in js, or make another "Telescope config" equipment and prime before can turn it off. But making sub-equipments to reach more buttons is not a good idea in my eyes due to need steps in the prime list to choose.

Second, Telescope has more function and I guess the next request will be from somebody to can switch all of them independently which is a bit hard due to the few buttons. So please think a bit on your preferences and tell me what parts do you think to turn off surely and what can be stay on, maybe give me ideas if you describe when and why want you turn of a part of it.

Cycle through the different modes/options with the 'b' key and then use the 'n' key to activate that mode/option.

[Norby]

Cycle through the different modes/options with the 'b' key and then use the 'n' key to activate that mode/option.

Yes, this way can reach more than two function but it cost speed which is a bit uneasy and unacceptable with combat-related functions. Telescope has two already which designed to use in combat (lock and steer to the nearest and to the most centered target) so need another primable equipment to do others which costs longer primable list what I do not like also.

The best I can do currently is to change the Gravity Scanner keys to cycle mode and add some configuration after the current functions.
But if we can get the Ctrl+n and Ctrl+b then the situation will be much better, so core developers: please allocate these to the equipments.

[Norby]

Tada! [wiki]Telescope[/wiki] v1.0 is out.

All primable commands and settings merged into the main equipment to reduce the list of the primable equipments.
The new small lightball size give more natural visual feeling due to covered early when the target ship is enough large.
All other requests done also includung the Gravity Scanner-related changes.
Thanks to Svengali for the great speed improvements!

[Duggan]

Thank you for version 1.0 , I am enjoying the improvements