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Offer more plausible contracts
Posted: Sat Mar 18, 2006 6:23 pm
by frankie
I'm guessing this is a carryover from OgElite, but having straight random destinations means that most of the choices will be 10+ hops away. Those are absurdly long hauls for very little pay (especially after subtracting fuel costs). BTW, does anyone here honestly consider them worthwhile?
First is to preferentially offer shorter trips. There are many possible methods, but the simplest I've pondered is to generate 2 (or more) randoms per slot and use the closer one (measured in light years). You'll still get a fair number of galaxy-crossers, but low-hop choices should come up often enough to be useful.
Second is to offer usable cargo loads. It seems like most of you fly Cobras or the like, 40ish tons at most. I took a Boa Cruiser, which is about the biggest player ship that can still dogfight, and usually 1-3 of the choices are still too large. Does anyone really choose Anaconda? In any case, a similar method should work here: 2(+) randoms, use the one that best fits the player's hold.
Fink is installing SVN right now, and I plan to twiddle Oolite for personal enjoyment in any case, but I'd like to hear other folk's thoughts.
Posted: Sat Mar 18, 2006 7:23 pm
by winston
If you have a Cobra or the like, then the standard Elite flea-market will fill your hold. The carrier contracts are specifically for large ships.
The passenger contracts can also be done in tandem with cargo - take a passenger a few hops but also trade along the way - so you make all the money you would have made from trading PLUS the money from the passenger contract.
Re: Offer more plausible contracts
Posted: Sat Mar 18, 2006 8:33 pm
by aegidian
frankie wrote:I'm guessing this is a carryover from OgElite, but having straight random destinations means that most of the choices will be 10+ hops away. Those are absurdly long hauls for very little pay (especially after subtracting fuel costs). BTW, does anyone here honestly consider them worthwhile?
Well, er, yes.
The profit on a cargo haulage contract can sometimes seem small, but you can always get your fuel for free.
Also, while your reputation as a hauler is poor you won't be offered the really high value contracts. There are big bucks to be made if you work at it and are willing to take the risks (my Commaner Raigammer made 60000Cr on one run last week).
Posted: Sun Mar 19, 2006 5:59 pm
by rbird
I brought this up just a short time ago. I decided to try doing the contracts, just for kicks. I found that they really add a lot to the game. And like Giles says, eventually you get much better offers. I haven't reached the 60000cr level yet, but I did make a 17000cr profit delivering some gold recently. Speaking of which, shouldn't 1250kg of gold take up a ton of cargo space? There's a limit to how much you can shove in the glove compartment.
Also, you can do what I do, and just take the contracts whenever they offer the shorter distances or smaller loads. It means you only take them every once in a while, but it still adds to the game I think. Also, finding multiple contracts headed in the same galactic direction is a way to "double up" your profits.
The cargo contracts were easier when I flew a Python, but now that I have a SuperCobra (55t capacity w/ LCB) the number I can accept is much fewer. One of these days I'm going to buy an Anaconda so I can accept those 400+ ton contracts. I think those are the only way you're going to fill up your hold with one of those ships, anyway.
Bob
Posted: Sun Mar 19, 2006 6:19 pm
by jonnycuba
oops
Posted: Sun Mar 19, 2006 6:23 pm
by jonnycuba
rbird wrote: There's a limit to how much you can shove in the glove compartment.
Well My glove compartment is a bottomless pit of
Kipple 
Posted: Sun Mar 19, 2006 8:21 pm
by frankie
Thanks for the replies. Yes, I see value in cargo runs, which is why I want them more likely to be taken. I pulled the SVN from berlios, spent a couple hours scratching my head about Cocoa syntax (never done it before), then added the following:
Code: Select all
// determine the destination
int contract_destination = contract_seed.d; // system number 0..255
// ADDED CODE FOR ALTERNATE DESTINATION, CHOOSE THE CLOSER OF THE TWO
int contract_alternadest = (contract_destination + 32) % 256; // no magic, 32 shift just happens to work fairly well
if (start == contract_alternadest) contract_alternadest = (contract_alternadest + 1) % 256;
double length1 = distanceBetweenPlanetPositions(systems[start].d, systems[start].b, systems[contract_destination].d, systems[contract_destination].b);
double length2 = distanceBetweenPlanetPositions(systems[start].d, systems[start].b, systems[contract_alternadest].d, systems[contract_alternadest].b);
contract_destination = (length1 <= length2) ? contract_destination : contract_alternadest;
// END FRANKIE CODE
Random_Seed destination_seed = systems[contract_destination];
As I expected, galaxy-crossers are still the majority, but a couple contracts with 4 or fewer hops also come up most of the time.
Your cargo size algorithm looks really convoluted, haven't tinkered with that yet. Looks like lots of fun to be had after that too.
p.s. I also ought to figure out how to use this new multi-targeting system I bought, but that's offtopic. ObTopic: will an official 1.65 build be released soon?
Posted: Sun Mar 19, 2006 11:16 pm
by rbird
If you are using Windows. I don't think the Target Memory was working properly. Dajt released a new build today which is supposed to fix it (off to try it now).
Bob