Oolite Bulletins

The language used for moving between systems is currently rather inconsistent:

"Hyperspace System" (F5)
"Engage hyperdrive" (joystick config)
"Witchspace jump" (key settings display)
"Witchspace to Zaonce in 8 seconds" (countdown)
"Witchspace jump aborted" (and similar language for other jump-related console messages)
"Fuel for the witchspace engines." (equipment description)
"Wormhole" (target label)
"Wormhole Scanner - Destination computed: Leesti" (scan message)
"Wormhole Scanner" (equipment name)
"Galactic Hyperdrive" (equipment name)
"A one-shot overcharge for the witchspace engines, enabling inter-galactic travel." (equipment description)
"Witchdrive Fuel Injectors" (equipment name)
"Capable of massive destruction and triggering chain reactions in the witchdrives of ships caught in its blast range." (equipment description)
The tutorial also has various references to "witchspace"

It probably makes sense to standardise these to a single term, and most of them already use witchspace/witchdrive. Changing the equipment to be "Galactic Witchdrive" (and the joystick config label similarly) and the F5 label to "Witchspace System" seems the easiest way to do this - thoughts?

cim wrote:

It probably makes sense to standardise these to a single term, and most of them already use witchspace/witchdrive. Changing the equipment to be "Galactic Witchdrive" (and the joystick config label similarly) and the F5 label to "Witchspace System" seems the easiest way to do this - thoughts?

Makes sense to me: the witchdrive takes you into witchspace. I'm not really fussed about "wormhole": the witchdrive taking you into witchspace via a wormhole is better than taking you there via a witchhole (leaving aside the, um, implications, the double h is clumsy). There have been occasional references where the wormhole scanner is called a "witchcloud analyser", but I think "wormhole" is more obviously linked to interstellar travel. "Witchcloud" could just be the preferred term of pedants.

If we are going to change that, can we use Hyperspace instead of Witchspace, pretty please? I never liked Witchspace as a word and the originals had "Hyperspace -- Leesti" as their official "get ready for jump" message.

I vote for the Hyperspace also. I think "hyper" can replace all witches and hyperspace is good also in all places where wormhole is used.

I see 'Hyperspace' as the correct technical term, whilst 'Witchspace' is a colloquial term used by space pilots. If Hyperspace was standardised for the the core, 'Witchspace' could still be allowed to co-exist in many of the descriptions that are about, and that might never get changed.

I on the other hand find hyperspace to be very generic term and would prefer witchspace. In my book witchspace is a form of hyperspace that only exists is Elite/Oolite. Take it away and something is lost.

Disembodies summary of using witchdrive to open a wormhole to witchspace feels distinctive Oolitey.

Venator Dha wrote:

I see 'Hyperspace' as the correct technical term, whilst 'Witchspace' is a colloquial term used by space pilots.

That's always been my understanding. (Wormhole is the one that grates on me: it's just such a silly sounding term.)

If anyone really cares about this degree of terminological consistency they could just make two OXPs called Always Say Hyperspace OXP and Always Say Witchspace OXP, couldn't they? But no-one ever has, so could we reasonably conclude that people aren't that bothered?

If you're revising descriptions.plist put the missing comma into "Press Space, Commander". That's much more important.

"Hyperspace" is very generic, whereas "witchspace" has always been Elite's own unique term. I'd be sorry to see it go. (ninja'd by spara!)

Venator Dha wrote:

I see 'Hyperspace' as the correct technical term, whilst 'Witchspace' is a colloquial term used by space pilots. If Hyperspace was standardised for the the core, 'Witchspace' could still be allowed to co-exist in many of the descriptions that are about, and that might never get changed.

If "Hyperspace" is chosen as the default option for equipment, I'd go with Venator Dha and keep "witchspace" in the descriptions.

With that in mind - and also because it doesn't have anything to do with witch/hyperspace - maybe "Witchdrive Fuel Injectors" should just be "Fuel injectors"? I know that they're injecting witchspace/hyperspace fuel, but it might be confusing.

Having never really liked the term 'Witchspace', I'd much prefer Hyperspace.

I used to think of witchspace as the void that a failed hyperspace jump dropped you into, but Oolite uses interstellar space, with an actual location...

Mauiby de Fug wrote:

I used to think of witchspace as the void that a failed hyperspace jump dropped you into...

Witch-Space, a magic place, a place where the normal rules of the Universe don't necessarily work. And every few thousand parsecs along the Witch-Space tunnel there are monitoring satellites, and branch lines, and stop points, and rescue stations; and passing by all of these are perhaps a hundred channels, a hundred 'lines' for ships to travel, each one protected against the two big dangers of hyperspace travel: atomic reorganisation, and time displacement.

Jump on your own through hyperspace, across more than half a light year, and you'll be lucky to make the same Universe, let alone your destination. You might emerge from Witch-Space turned inside out (which is not a pretty sight). You might be stretched in all the wrong angles, and although the ship keeps travelling, that jelly mass of broken bone and flesh inside the cabin is you.

According to legend, you might come through okay and breathe a sigh of relief, only to go into Earth orbit and wonder why that big lizard, with the teeth and the long tail and the green scales is roaring up at you, and warning you off of his nice Jurassic patch of prehistoric desert. To go Faraway is a killer, unless you obey the rules.

<winces>

Cody wrote:

Mauiby de Fug wrote:

I used to think of witchspace as the void that a failed hyperspace jump dropped you into...

Witch-Space, a magic place, a place where the normal rules of the Universe don't necessarily work. And every few thousand parsecs along the Witch-Space tunnel there are monitoring satellites, and branch lines, and stop points, and rescue stations; and passing by all of these are perhaps a hundred channels, a hundred 'lines' for ships to travel, each one protected against the two big dangers of hyperspace travel: atomic reorganisation, and time displacement.

Jump on your own through hyperspace, across more than half a light year, and you'll be lucky to make the same Universe, let alone your destination. You might emerge from Witch-Space turned inside out (which is not a pretty sight). You might be stretched in all the wrong angles, and although the ship keeps travelling, that jelly mass of broken bone and flesh inside the cabin is you.

According to legend, you might come through okay and breathe a sigh of relief, only to go into Earth orbit and wonder why that big lizard, with the teeth and the long tail and the green scales is roaring up at you, and warning you off of his nice Jurassic patch of prehistoric desert. To go Faraway is a killer, unless you obey the rules.

<winces>

Is that a real quote, or your own work? I like it either way!

ffutures wrote:

... or your own work?

Good grief, no! It's from The Dark Wheel, the novella that was included with the original Elite.

Cody wrote:

ffutures wrote:

... or your own work?

Good grief, no! It's from The Dark Wheel, the novella that was included with the original Elite.

Not sure I ever read that, apart from looking up words to start the program...

Mauiby de Fug wrote:

I used to think of witchspace as the void that a failed hyperspace jump dropped you into, but Oolite uses interstellar space, with an actual location...

Yep, that's how I've always read it: hyperspace as the 'tunnel'; witchspace as what the tunnel passes through. Should there be a breach in the tunnel wall, then you find yourself in witchspace.

spara wrote:

I on the other hand find hyperspace to be very generic term and would prefer witchspace. In my book witchspace is a form of hyperspace that only exists is Elite/Oolite. Take it away and something is lost.

Disembodies summary of using witchdrive to open a wormhole to witchspace feels distinctive Oolitey.

It's true that 'witchspace' is more distinctive as a term but if it comes up every time you jump then it too becomes mundane.
If it were only mentioned on entering that "void" that Mauiby mentions then it would be more remarkable - perhaps even spooky. A near legendary place that old pilots speak of surviving only rarely and in hushed tones, and only after drinking just the right amount of evil-juice...

Venator Dha wrote:

I see 'Hyperspace' as the correct technical term, whilst 'Witchspace' is a colloquial term used by space pilots. If Hyperspace was standardised for the the core, 'Witchspace' could still be allowed to co-exist in many of the descriptions that are about, and that might never get changed.

Not really thought of it like that before but that would make sense (to me at least). It also relates to the old-pilots tales interpretation above.