Oolite Bulletins

Just an idea that popped through my head:

In a "normal" (Naval) combat vessel, there would be a numbers of missiles stored on racks on board the ship, to replace those fired from their pylons. With only 4 pylons on my Cobra, I run out often enough if there are plenty of enemies harassing me, and it would be nice to be able to reload those tubes.

So the idea is: an Expansion Pack that for instance uses one cargo spot for a rack of 8(?), 9(?), 16(?) spares, with a Missile Reload interface that needs to be activated like other installed extras, the 'b' cycling through the rack and the 'n' loading the selected missile.

This would allow a player to have spare regular missiles for the close up work, and some specials (ECM-hardened, I-missile, Beacon, Tow-missile)) to load if and when required.

Just thought I'd fly it past you lot, see if someone shoots it out of the sky. I can't create it yet.

What you're requesting has, more or less, already been done, with Thargoid's Armoury OXP.

Amongst other things, it contains a Missile Rack, and (my personal favourite) a Missile Machine. The MM occupies one pylon, but lets you manufacture more missiles on-the-fly, from raw materials in your cargo hold. The 12TC capacity of Blackwidow, along with her 9 missile pylons (less one for the MM itself) lets me take 20 hardheads with me on bounty-hunting missions. The other nice thing about the MM is that manufacturing hardheads from raw materials reduces the cost-per-missile by anything up to 50%.

Since any missile the player can buy is also available to NPCs, if you don't like the idea of NPCs using the more exotic missiles and mines in the OXP against you, you'll need to comment them out (or delete them) from the OXPs equipment.plist file.


However, your particular concept of the missile rack also has merit. Why not consider trying to create the OXP yourself? I see you've already begun poking around inside OXPs and editing them.. If you decide to give it a shot, there's plenty of us here who could assist if you get stuck.

I think of the pylons as being like an internal missile rack anyway - when you select a missile it is moved into the missile tube and fired. I suppose this could be expanded (if internal space was available) but speaking as somebody who seldom even carries missiles let alone uses them.....

There's also  APRIL, again from Thargoid, which might be what you're looking for

cim wrote:

There's also  APRIL, again from Thargoid, which might be what you're looking for

Yes, that's more or less it, with the bonus of automatic reloading and the malus of small amount of extras. Without any extras and even with frew extras, one is less inclined to reserve a few slots for the more exotic options.

And I'm sure, Smips,that an Elite commander like yourself would be content with no more than a single Goosefeather quill to rid the Ooniverse of your enemies, but some of us hardworking commanders are still flying more vulnerable craft, and lack the necessary skills to emulate your grandeur.
And I would like a few specials to take out your Pirating counterpart, without having to lose a pylon to potentially accidentally fire a pricy missile at a standard Asp on my tail. (Sometimes I'm just not in the mood for a 5-to-1 lightsaber duel along the route to my destination. I'm weird that way.)

Mazur wrote:

And I'm sure, Smips,that an Elite commander like yourself would be content with no more than a single Goosefeather quill to rid the Ooniverse of your enemies...

You talking to me?
Goosefeathers are over-rated. Normally I find a withering glance does the trick.
Seriously though, and back on topic, I just don't think missiles are cost-effective. Every time you use one you should feel guilty for throwing money away. Standard missiles are all but pointless, and even a hardhead comes with no guarantee, so they are used more in hope than confidence, and always in desperation.
I normally do in fact carry one of each, for very specific purposes. The hardhead is for those times when you really need to get a single ship off your six - you've been beat-up and are limping away half dead and that pesky Asp is still behind you picking away at you. You are out of fuel and have little energy left. Then the hardhead might be your last chance to frighten it away.
The standard missile is for similar situations when you have a hardhead missile bearing down on you. Then you use the standard missile to take it out.
So this Deadly (not Elite - never have been) Commander, so-called dog-fighting Ace who actually spends most of the time getting the c**p beaten out of him, keeps a couple of missiles for situations where he can't even run away properly.

Onion sauce!

cim wrote:

There's also  APRIL, again from Thargoid, which might be what you're looking for

Ah yes.. I keep forgetting about that one..