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Some Short Random Questions

Posted: Sun Oct 25, 2015 10:51 am
by my ammo crate
I have a couple quick questions I hope you guys can answer.

-In the planet information page (F7), what does the species in brackets under the population number mean? Most dominant species? Native species?
-Are any of the people you interact with in-game (pilots, station crew, planet population) non-humans? And if so, are they humanoid?
-How does this work? (from [EliteWiki] Comms Pack A)

Code: Select all

"commsPackA_codename" = ("[commsPackA_codename_greek]","[commsPackA_codename_nato]","[commsPackA_codename_constellation]","[commsPackA_codename_colour]");
	"commsPackA_codename_greek" = ("Alpha","Beta","Gamma","Delta","Epsilon",...);
	"commsPackA_codename_nato" = ("Alpha","Bravo","Charlie","Delta",...);
	"commsPackA_codename_constellation" = ("Andromeda","Antlia","Apus","Aquarius","Aquila",...);
	"commsPackA_codename_colour" = ("White","Black","Red","Green","Blue",...);
Does it pick one from each list (example: Beta Delta Apus Red) to generate a code name? Does it pick one from a few random lists (example: Charlie Blue)? Or something else entirely?

Re: Some Short Random Questions

Posted: Sun Oct 25, 2015 11:16 am
by spara
my ammo crate wrote:
-How does this work? (from [EliteWiki] Comms Pack A)

Code: Select all

"commsPackA_codename" = ("[commsPackA_codename_greek]","[commsPackA_codename_nato]","[commsPackA_codename_constellation]","[commsPackA_codename_colour]");
	"commsPackA_codename_greek" = ("Alpha","Beta","Gamma","Delta","Epsilon",...);
	"commsPackA_codename_nato" = ("Alpha","Bravo","Charlie","Delta",...);
	"commsPackA_codename_constellation" = ("Andromeda","Antlia","Apus","Aquarius","Aquila",...);
	"commsPackA_codename_colour" = ("White","Black","Red","Green","Blue",...);
Does it pick one from each list (example: Beta Delta Apus Red) to generate a code name? Does it pick one from a few random lists (example: Charlie Blue)? Or something else entirely?
The commsPackA_codename is an array and upon being called, one array element is selected, which again points to another array, from which one random element is selected. So the result would be Gamma or Aquarius or Red or... .

Re: Some Short Random Questions

Posted: Sun Oct 25, 2015 11:32 am
by Disembodied
my ammo crate wrote:
I have a couple quick questions I hope you guys can answer.

-In the planet information page (F7), what does the species in brackets under the population number mean? Most dominant species? Native species?
With the caveat that Your Conception of the Universe May Vary, I've always assumed it to be the dominant sentient species. Human colonists might be regarded as non-native, but - in my mind - many of those colonies have been there for centuries, at least, and Earth is just a distant legend.
my ammo crate wrote:
-Are any of the people you interact with in-game (pilots, station crew, planet population) non-humans? And if so, are they humanoid?
Again, YCotUMV, but for me, it's a definite yes to the first. As to whether they're humanoid would depend on your definition of the term. I imagine that most of them will conform to a roughly humanoid body plan, size and stance - i.e. between, say, 1m and 3m tall, and standing upright enough to allow for at least one set of specialised tool-making and -using limbs. An individual from a mammalian species might be a lot more "humanoid" in body plan than, say, a crustacean or an insect, but if there is trade between members of intelligent, technological species, then there needs to be at least some degree of overlap. Given the ability to share e.g. food, I believe most if not all of the species will share a significant amount of commonality in physiology - i.e. carbon-based, oxygen-breathing (whether in gaseous form or via gills), a common DNA chirality, etc.

If you want supporting canon, the original Elite manual (available on Ian Bell's website) says:
ALIEN RACES
Of the 2040 officially registered planets in the GalCop, all but 45 support human colonies only, that is to say, human presence elsewhere is restricted to settlements in under-populated parts of the land surface.

Trading at such worlds depends, for its success, very much upon the extant state of co-operation between human and alien. Human control the Coriolis stations in orbit, but the availability of items for trade, and their relative expense, can be affected by the controlling life forms.

Most alien life forms are either too primitive, or too glad of off-World trade, to interfere. Some, such as the Reptiloid life form of Esanbe or the Amphibioids of Anbeen, can make a trader's life very difficult, by haggling at the point of a laser.

The available planetary information on all worlds will indicate the nature of the inhabiting life form.

BIRD-FORMS. Dealing in alien artifacts on such worlds often involves forming a close liaison with Flight Elders, or Nest Elders, and this is very much a job for the specialist. Bird-forms are, on the whole, a delight to trade with, and the highest form of honor (fairly universally) that an off-worlder can receive is an invitation to "keep the eggs warm for a moment."

AMPHIBIOIDS are usually a lot sharper than their wet, sluggish appearance would suggest. They are usually keen to trade in narcotics, or exotic foodstuffs. Skin creams are always well received. Technologically they tend to be backward, but will pay high prices for such middle-range items as automated ponds, croak metres, spawn freezers and swamp purifiers.

FELINES are dangerous in the extreme. No matter what sort of political structures the world may have, feline aliens are pack orientated, and feudal, and very unpredictable. All traders are advised to wear body suits, to prevent secretions of sweat from triggering a feeding response among these hostile and enigmatic life forms.

To win the confidence of a feline alien is almost invariably to be invited to mate, so a certain aloofness is recommended.

INSECTOIDS. The most dangerous insectoidal life form is the Thargoid, which is mentioned in the Combat section. Insectoidals are usually highly intelligent, often existing as a group mind. There is rarely any individuality among insectoids, and the trader must beware making deals in such a way. One life form builds earth cities up to four miles high, and over four million drones live in the middle levels. According to legend, any trader who voluntarily ascends the earth passageway from ground to upper surface of these immense mounds is honored with the rare title Ascender of the Scent City. And then consumed alive. But trading with insectoids can be immensely profitable, as there are so many of them (to trade in wrist watches, for example, means two to four watches per individual in a clone-group of perhaps ten thousand).

In dealing with any alien life-form, for the purposes of trade, there are three cardinal rules:
  • Learn the body language of the alien race.
  • Cover up your body scent.
  • Beware of Carapace concealed weapons.
All this has no effect on the original game, or on the unmodified Oolite, except in the important area of "the game in the head". But for me, personally, in my game, the alien species are out there. Humanity might be all over the place like a rash - and many of those colonies will be old enough to have produced some startlingly unusual societies of their own - but there's plenty of potential for running across the truly exotic.

Re: Some Short Random Questions

Posted: Sun Oct 25, 2015 4:27 pm
by my ammo crate
spara wrote:
The commsPackA_codename is an array and upon being called, one array element is selected, which again points to another array, from which one random element is selected. So the result would be Gamma or Aquarius or Red or... .
Could you give me some examples of some names it might create? (Sorry, coding isn't really my strong suit :oops: )

@Disembodied
Thanks for all that. Yeah, I know its all 'in the head' and you're never actually going to see them, but it's nice to know.

Re: Some Short Random Questions

Posted: Sun Oct 25, 2015 4:36 pm
by spara
my ammo crate wrote:
spara wrote:
The commsPackA_codename is an array and upon being called, one array element is selected, which again points to another array, from which one random element is selected. So the result would be Gamma or Aquarius or Red or... .
Could you give me some examples of some names it might create? (Sorry, coding isn't really my strong suit :oops: )
That particular part you are asking about picks a single word from nested random arrays. As a result you get for example "Aquarius". I don't know if the OXP is doing something else in addition as I haven't looked at the actual code.

Re: Some Short Random Questions

Posted: Sun Oct 25, 2015 5:03 pm
by Svengali
my ammo crate wrote:
Could you give me some examples of some names it might create? (Sorry, coding isn't really my strong suit :oops: )
CCL_PhraseGen may help to develop/test/ combinations -> https://app.box.com/s/m0jieqvcpop7zyviz98qu7mo38gv5uhp