Oolite Bulletins

There seems to be an OXP (and not one of mine, and so not, among others, the Interstellar Tweaks OXP) that sometimes adds (various, seemingly random) pirates (ships with bounties and the standard pirate AI) to interstellar space. I am not sure which OXP it is (I have many installed . .) and I'd like to know which one it is - and, indeed, the rationale for adding those pirates. It might simply be an oversight within the OXP that is causing it. Cheers.

You could view it as some pirates that follow you in your tube. But due to the weird way witchspace works sometimes they arrive before you.

Fatleaf wrote:

You could view it as some pirates that follow you in your tube.

<nods> Yeah, Oolite itself will do that... and they may not even be red on your scanner as you hyperspace out.

Cody wrote:

Fatleaf wrote:

You could view it as some pirates that follow you in your tube.

<nods> Yeah, Oolite itself will do that... and they may not even be red on your scanner as you hyperspace out.

The latter is unlikely, because they'll only follow you if they are already in attack mode against you, which means that they'll be red when inside their weapon range. Outside of their weapon range they'll probably not make it to your wormhole in time, thus they won't be following.

And still, this will only explain pirates jumping in after you, not pirates already being present when you've jumped in.

UK_Eliter, what about a list of your OXPs? It would be easier to examine them than to freely speculate. A possible OXP-related reason for unexpected pirates in interstellar space could be an OXP that spawns additional pirates when you exit witchspace, and doesn't check whether you're in normal space or interstellar space. This is quite a common scripting bug, and one that OXP authors tend to overlook even when testing.

Commander McLane wrote:

UK_Eliter, what about a list of your OXPs? It would be easier to examine them than to freely speculate. A possible OXP-related reason for unexpected pirates in interstellar space could be an OXP that spawns additional pirates when you exit witchspace, and doesn't check whether you're in normal space or interstellar space. This is quite a common scripting bug, and one that OXP authors tend to overlook even when testing.

Right. Thanks. Here's the list. I have looked through these OXPs to try to find code that works on the lives you specify, but I didn't find anything.

adcks_ffe_ships.oxp
aegidian-special.oxp
Aliens_v1.0.oxp
Anarchies2.8.oxp
anarchies_facelift_0.4.oxp
Armoury 1.10.oxp
AsteroidStorm 4.03.oxp
Auto-ECM 0.2.oxp
auto_eject.oxp
Basic-debug.oxp
behemoth 2.6.oxp
BehemothSpacewar 1.3.oxp
BehemothSpacewar 1.3.oxp/Z-ships_v2.0.oxp
BigShips 1.02.oxp
BountyScannerv2.0.oxp
BountyStatus 1.00.oxp
Breakable_Engines_1.1_2012.05.05.oxp
Breakable_TorusDrive_1.1_2012.05.05.oxp
Breakable_WitchDrive_1.3_2012.06.30.oxp
Bullet Drive 1.0.3.oxp
buoyRepair1.3.2.oxp
Cabal_Common_Library1.7.oxp
Cargo Spotter 1.00.oxp
Cargo_wrecks_teaser 1.7.1.oxp
Check For Likely Witchspace Jump Failure 1.1.oxp
cobra3njx.oxp
CobraIV.oxp
Commies.oxp
contractorMkII_v1.2.oxp
Copperhead v0.75.oxp
Cup_of_Tea-v1.1.oxp
DeepSpacePirates 1.3.oxp
diamondback.oxp
Dominatrix.oxp
dragon.oxp
eagle2.oxp
Energy Equipment 1.11.oxp
EnhancedMisjump_1.1.oxp
Escape_Capsule_Locator_1.4.1_2012-06-05.oxp
Escort_Contracts_1.5.7_2013-04-28.oxp
Escort_Formations_1.1.oxp
ettBeaconLauncher 1.02.oxp
Extra Thargoids.oxp
Fair_Cobra_III_1.0.oxp
ferdelance_3G.oxp
ferdelance_ng.oxp
Flight Log 1.06.oxp
Friend_or_Foe_1.2.oxp
Fuel Station 1.35.oxp
Fuel Tank v2.2.oxp
FuelCollectorV0.07.oxp
Furball-1.7.oxp
Galactic Hyperdrive 1.1.3.oxp
Galactic_Misjump_0.4.oxp
Galactic_Navy 5.4.3.oxp
GalaxyInfo.oxp
galcops.oxp
Gates 1.13.oxp
Generation Ships.oxp
globestation2.0.oxp
griff_boa_prototype_normalmapped.oxp
griff_shipset_player_flyable_NPC_ships.oxp
Griff_Shipset_Replace_v1.34.oxp
Griff_Shipset_Resources_v1.2.25.oxp
griff_thargoids_organic_normalmapped.oxp
Hawksound.oxp
Hired Guns 1.26.oxp
HUD Vanisher 1.1.oxp
Illegal_goods_tweak_1.7.3_2012.05.30.oxp
impcourier2.oxp
ImprobabilityUnit.oxp [this is one of mine (though unreleased as yet), and I am pretty sure it is not responsible for the problem]
imptrader.oxp
InterstellarTweaks.oxp
interstellar_help.oxp
IronHide 2.00.oxp
Kestrel&Falcon.oxp
kirin.oxp
LongRangeScanner v0.2.oxp
MilHUD 4000 ver 1.1.2.oxp
military Fiasco 2.5.2.oxp
Missile Analyser 1.2 (mod NJ).oxp
Missiles and Bombs v2.5.oxp
missile_spoof.oxp
Missionaries.oxp
more-core-player-ships-v1.0.oxp
mPakRedux.oxp
Naval Grid 1.00.oxp
Naval Torpedo.oxp
neocaduceus.oxp
newships.oxp
nexus missile.oxp
NPC-shields.oxp
nuvipers.oxp
offender_traders.oxp
orbits.oxp
OXPConfig2.3.oxp
phoenix.oxp
Pirate_coves 1.4.2.oxp
PlanetFall 1.51.oxp
Pods 1.35.oxp
Police_Scanner_Upgrade_1.3.1_2011-12-18.oxp
Povray_Planets_1.0.oxp
Povray_Planets_Galaxy1_Textures.oxp
Povray_Planets_Galaxy2_Textures.oxp
Povray_Planets_Galaxy3_Textures.oxp
Povray_Planets_Galaxy4_Textures.oxp
Povray_Planets_Galaxy5_Textures.oxp
Povray_Planets_Galaxy6_Textures.oxp
Povray_Planets_Galaxy7_Textures.oxp
Povray_Planets_Galaxy8_Textures.oxp
PTI.oxp
Q-Bomb_Detector_1.2.oxp
RandomHits1.4.18.oxp
randomshipnames1.3.oxp
Reduxed Vampires.oxp
RepairBots 2.04.oxp
Retro Rockets 1.00.oxp
RoC2.1.oxp
Rock_Hermit_Locator1.3.3.oxp
SecondWave 1.34.oxp
sell_equipment.oxp
Sensible Lasers.oxp
Sensible Sun.oxp
ShieldEqualizer+Capacitors(v1.2).oxp
Skilled_NPCs_1.1.oxp
Snoopers2.4.oxp
Spectre.oxp
starsoarer.oxp
Status_Quo_Q-bomb.oxp
Ste3cV1.4.oxp
sunskimmers.oxp
supercobra 1.4.2.oxp
SuperSidewinder.oxp
Switeck's Shipping v0.5.oxp
System_Features_Rings_1.1.oxp
Target Autolock Plus 1.12.oxp
TCAT 1.11.oxp
thargoid_carrier2.0.oxp
thargoid_wars 4.5.4.oxp
Thargorn_Threat 1.5.2.oxp
tiger.oxp
Transports 2.52.oxp
UPS-courier v1.8.4.oxp
UrutuMKIII.oxp
urutu_IV.oxp
Venom.oxp
Welcome Mat 1.13.oxp
werewolf.oxp
wolfmk2.oxp
wolfwoods_variants.oxp
WPB1.1.oxp
xarik.oxp
YOUR_AD_HERE.oxp
YOUR_AD_HERE_set_A.oxp
YOUR_AD_HERE_set_B.oxp
YOUR_AD_HERE_set_C.oxp
YOUR_AD_HERE_set_D.oxp
YOUR_AD_HERE_set_E.oxp
YOUR_AD_HERE_set_F.oxp
YOUR_AD_HERE_set_G.oxp
ZekeMiningTransporter_1.0.oxp
ZygoRoids v1.2.5.oxp
ZygoTraffic.oxp

Commander McLane wrote:

The latter is unlikely, because they'll only follow you if they are already in attack mode against you

(emphasis added) I'm fairly sure that's how it's supposed to work, but as it happens so long as the pirates are attacking someone they'll try to come after you if you jump out.

I agree that seems unlikely to be the case here - it might take a few seconds after witchspace exit for your scanner to boot back up, but unless the pirates were right on top of you when you jumped out, they won't have arrived by then.

From your list, I would guess its Deep Space Pirates.

Further to this, the script for DSP.OXP does claim it doesn't add pirates in interstellar, but I don't know if it does or not. I've not had this OXP installed for some time, and I also avoid interstellar as much as I can.

JazHaz wrote:

From your list, I would guess its Deep Space Pirates.

Further to this, the script for DSP.OXP does claim it doesn't add pirates in interstellar, but I don't know if it does or not. I've not had this OXP installed for some time, and I also avoid interstellar as much as I can.

Thanks JazHaz. However, examination of the script in question seems to show it doesn't add pirates to interstellar space. Moreover, the pirates from that OXP get given custom AIs - and the pirates I've encountered in interstellar space (aside from the ones that my InterstellarTweaks OXP very occasionally, and normally en masse, adds) have normal AIs.

There's always the "take out half of the OXPs and see if it stops" approach.

Some of those ship OXPs you have installed also add pirate variants too. I wouldn't be surprised if one or more of them also add pirates to interstellar space.

Do you remember what ship types the pirates were?

This won't be athe cause of the interstellar pirates problem, but you don't need to have this oxp griff_thargoids_organic_normalmapped.oxp installed as they're included in the Griff_Shipset_Replace_v1.34.oxp, not much help but it saves you a bit of hard disk space at least

I think the culprit might be ZygoTraffic.oxp, although it looks intended not to spawn ships in interstellar space . .

@JazHaz: By memory, the ship types are, or have included, fer-de-lances, eagles, superwinders, and perhaps a Gecko. I can't really recall, I am afraid. I'll edit this post once I've played a bit and seen what turns up.

@Griff: ah, thanks. (That saves 4MB.)

Are they real pirates (with escorts) or just offender traders?

Tricky wrote:

Are they real pirates (with escorts) or just offender traders?

As I've said, they have a pirate AI. And - hence - they do attack.

cim wrote:

There's always the "take out half of the OXPs and see if it stops" approach.

Yes, I think I'll have to try that. It will take a while, though, as these pirates only show up sometimes (although, if I remove my InterstellarTweaks OXP, I think they'll turn up somewhat more often - so I'll do that). I'll report back.