Oolite Bulletins

Hi,

is there any "insight" on how those "standard" Passenger Berths are constructed in regards of accessibility during flight? Can the passenger leave the "room(s)" for a chat with other passengers?
And what's with the in-flight accessibility of the "standard" cockpit area? Can the passenger come to the cockpit because the TeaMaker is installed there?

Regards,
QCS

I don't think there is any 'accepted wisdom' on this. I sort of assume the passenger berth is just a bit nicer than the grubby crew quarters, but the passenger is free to leave it if they want to. No reason why they shouldn't visit the cockpit - the 'House Rules' as to which parts of the ship the pasenger is allowed access to are presumably down to the pilot.

Much depends, I suppose, on how long you imagine a voyage taking. If you go down the "jumps are instantaneous from the perspective of the ship" route, then even a long-distance voyage will only take a few hours - like a long-haul flight - and it might be easier and safer to keep the passengers in one place where they can't get hurt and/or disrupt the running of the ship. If you go down the "a 16-hour jump takes 16 hours" route, then long-range voyages will take days - like a sea crossing - and there will probably be more mingling and interaction between passengers and crewmembers.

I envisioned them as a comfortable 'pod' consisting of lifesupport, luxurious quarters, entertainment viewpanel and a large bed, that was pre-fabricated and quickly plumbed into the ship's cargo hold. If the hold is capable of being accessed from the cockpit and crew areas of the ship then, yes, the passengers can interact with the crew.

Thanks for your insight...

I am thinking about "enhancing" the standard passenger ferrying a bit... without really changing the missions. Here are some ideas (to get your input mostly)...

- Equipment which enhances the standard berths (entertainment systems; massage beds and similar things). May increase the fee via a pay-per-use system.
- Tips by passengers for a nice flight (no enemy encounters) or maybe for a good fight (keeping the passenger always in a safe state, that is) depending on the passenger. Passenger may or may not hint about preferences. Absolutely not meeting a passenger's needs may even decrease your passenger ferrying reputation a tiny bit.
- Passenger may use the TeaMaker and leave a tip (maybe also additional equipment) or get angry if there is no Tea available or (worst case) your TeaMaker is out of supplies.
- Additional equipment like Spa/Sauna, Medbay... which increases the fee significantly (pay-per-use, needs TCs)
- Passengers may interrupt you, maybe during uninteresting flights, for a quick chat.
- Passengers may have fun (or not - allergies?) with your Ship's cats, with Trumbles... or they may even forget a Trumble or two on your ship? Or they could by one...
- Passengers who need several berths (for butlers and own security staff).
- Passengers may meet and have fun or get into arguments, increasing/decreasing your tip. Maybe you even need to lock their berths
- Crew (you need to hire them, they cost per game time) for the people's entertainment/security in pay-per-use. Passenger may get angry if they can't get the massage they need NOW because your crew is just now working at someone else's back.

QCS wrote:

is there any "insight" on how those "standard" Passenger Berths are constructed in regards of accessibility during flight? Can the passenger leave the "room(s)" for a chat with other passengers?
And what's with the in-flight accessibility of the "standard" cockpit area? Can the passenger come to the cockpit because the TeaMaker is installed there?

There is, to the best of my knowledge, only one Oofic series which goes into much detail about ship interiors, passenger cabins, and so on.. that being The Adventures of Captain Morgan and Spitfire. Naturally, as Disembodied indicates above, this is, of course, only one person's view of how passenger transportation might work in Oolite.

Also, note that, although an excellent tale in its' own right (IMO), despite being tastefully done, it would probably earn a censor's rating somewhere between 'R' and 'XXX', so I'd advise not reading it if you're easily shocked/offended.

QCS wrote:

Thanks for your insight...

I am thinking about "enhancing" the standard passenger ferrying a bit... without really changing the missions. Here are some ideas (to get your input mostly)...

- Equipment which enhances the standard berths (entertainment systems; massage beds and similar things). May increase the fee via a pay-per-use system.
- Tips by passengers for a nice flight (no enemy encounters) or maybe for a good fight (keeping the passenger always in a safe state, that is) depending on the passenger. Passenger may or may not hint about preferences. Absolutely not meeting a passenger's needs may even decrease your passenger ferrying reputation a tiny bit.
- Passenger may use the TeaMaker and leave a tip (maybe also additional equipment) or get angry if there is no Tea available or (worst case) your TeaMaker is out of supplies.
- Additional equipment like Spa/Sauna, Medbay... which increases the fee significantly (pay-per-use, needs TCs)
- Passengers may interrupt you, maybe during uninteresting flights, for a quick chat.
- Passengers may have fun (or not - allergies?) with your Ship's cats, with Trumbles... or they may even forget a Trumble or two on your ship? Or they could by one...
- Passengers who need several berths (for butlers and own security staff).
- Passengers may meet and have fun or get into arguments, increasing/decreasing your tip. Maybe you even need to lock their berths
- Crew (you need to hire them, they cost per game time) for the people's entertainment/security in pay-per-use. Passenger may get angry if they can't get the massage they need NOW because your crew is just now working at someone else's back.

Quite a few interesting ideas there.. I like!

Passengers freaking out if we drop out of the space lanes and encounter a bunch of aliens. Imagine somebody screaming and running across your screen while in a dog fight.