OXPs - Strategic thinking!

[Cholmondely]

Thanks much for setting me straight

It's a sad fact that most of the things I - and I'm sure many others - would like to see in their 'ideal Oolite' are just those that would require modifying the core code. The ability to vary the hyperjump radius in JS, for example, so one's ships could have different ranges a la Frontier/FFE or OXPs to alter the range at will. Would definitely like to make longer single jumps and have an assortment of hyperdrives available with different ranges.

Have you seen Hyperdrives (5-7ly)? And take a look at the arguments here.

I'd like the ability to look 'long range' at other systems, to determine which ones to exploit as future milk-runs. I mean the ability to view their market prices. Is this already possible in JS? If so, I'd want to try making an OXP that could let you do that.

I understand that the prices are only determined when you arrive in the system. So you would need to create the prices there first and make sure that they were the same when you arrived. But if you are arriving hours/days later, is this realistic? Presumably the information takes as many hours to reach you as you then take to reach the system...
And if you are using Phasted's Real Life Economics which (though buggy) is much more realistic, then the prices (but not quantities) change while you are still in the system! See also In System Trader which is less radical but does a similar thing.

But on the whole I've been more than satisfied for years with what there is already, and I hardly ever catch myself thinking 'oh if only we had...', because nearly everything one could wish for now is already there in the form of OXPs. That's really quite amazing. I know of very few, if any, other space-centric games that give as much to do and explore, and in so many varied ways, as Oolite. I don't hanker for improved graphics, because the graphics are already superb and immersive. Since I am not--and never have been--into multiplayer, I don't think we need that either.

Freedom is all - and Oolite as we have it now is freedom.

I'll come back to edit this if I think of anything else.

Edit: oh, documentation to include with or within the game, of course. What newcomers really need, I imagine, is a guide, or walkthrough (several different walkthroughs) of what to do step by step after Lave, firstly as a trader. So that should include recommendations of nearby poor Ag/ rich Ind systems, say following Spaceway 1. A deeper explanation of the rationale behind the map icons, IOW. That could be put in an OXP (and probably already has been!)

Out of game
OoliteRS with (some of this) & Mr Gimlet (with the rest) come with the Oolite game download
In-game
I hope that Hints also does this. Map icons are explained by XenonUI Cim's Ship's Manual also gives all this.

'Meta-OXPs' are indeed a great idea and, if I can work out how, I shall be putting all my humble efforts into one.

XenonUI F6 & F6F6 screen - as one toggles through the 4 "?"-key possibilities, the explanation of each comes up on the screen
The "?" key toggles the display of the colour of each system between four possibilities:
Sun Colour (important for OXPs such as Hard Way & Star Fuel where the star category impacts on the game)
Economic system (from deep green for poor agricultural to deep yellow for rich industrial)
Political system (white: corporate state; grey: democracy; blue: confederate; red: communist; yellow: dictatorship; green: multi-gov; brown: Feudal System; purple: anarchy)
TL/Technology Level (from red for low TL to blue-white for high TL)

[Reval]

ooh that's interesting - thanks for filling me in on what actually is available already. I had no idea, for example, that XenonUI was so comprehensive (though I'd be loath now to leave behind my BGS). Will definitely give it a try for a while, though, along with some of your other useful suggestions.

My problem with the map, however, is quite unrelated: I'm perforce using a hispanic keyboard, and I just haven't been able to get '?' to work at all on that page. Many other key combinations for other normal functions don't register either.

We still haven't broken the 7 LY limit yet, have we? - only OXP 'kludges' to work around it.

I guess we never will. But I'm not really complaining.

[Cholmondely]

ooh that's interesting - thanks for filling me in on what actually is available already. I had no idea, for example, that XenonUI was so comprehensive (though I'd be loath now to leave behind my BGS). Will definitely give it a try for a while, though, along with some of your other useful suggestions.

My problem with the map, however, is quite unrelated: I'm perforce using a hispanic keyboard, and I just haven't been able to get '?' to work at all on that page. Many other key combinations for other normal functions don't register either.

We still haven't broken the 7 LY limit yet, have we? - only OXP 'kludges' to work around it.

I guess we never will. But I'm not really complaining.

1) XenonUI is brilliant! And vital for a new player, in my humble estimation.

2) There is another thread here: Increasing fuel limit and jump range

3) If you have the skills, you can "build from source" the newest nightly for 1.91 which should fix the "?" issue. Or try here (unsure if it is Windows or Linux, sorry!).

You want the new Keyboard Configuration option which Phkb introduced back in June (the preformatted Nightly download is older).

[Reval]

1) XenonUI is brilliant! And vital for a new player, in my humble estimation.

How can I resist? - I shall definitely give it a go.

2) There is another thread here: Increasing fuel limit and jump range

Actually, ET does (almost) resolve the 'long jump' problem with its Witchpoint Fuelling service (available to all Brothers above the probationary Grades.) You jump in to an intermediate and then straight out again out to your next waypoint.

3) If you have the skills, you can "build from source" the newest nightly for 1.91 which should fix the "?" issue. Or try here (unsure if it is Windows or Linux, sorry!).

Ahh yes, I've long been mulling over taking the plunge. The only thing stopping me till now was the fact that I lost my 10-year-old 'programming computer', and have only just recently invested in a decent gaming laptop. This regrettably is not yet set up for the things the other was used for (apart from Oolite, Second Life, and Flight Simulators). I really should stop finding excuses and jump in again, I know.

But I'm starting slowly with some E.T. updates!

[another_commander]

If you are on Windows, the latest nightly has already been built for you: https://github.com/OoliteProject/oolite ... tag/latest

[Reval]

Oh, yes, I am on Windows - that's great! I'll download it post-haste. Thanks!

[Cholmondely]

Oh, yes, I am on Windows - that's great! I'll download it post-haste. Thanks!

Well?

Can you now "?" with aplomb and apposition, just like the rest of us do?

[Reval]

Oh yes, no problem there - thanks for asking! 1.91 Dev is looking good

My only gripe: I was unable to shunt over my 1.90 keyconfig.plist to the new version. Or rather, I tried, but my old key bindings were ignored. Seems there is a keyconfig2.plist in 1.91. Do I really have to define ALL my keys again? (because I changed so many of them for 1.90).

[Cody]

See here.

[Reval]

Thanks for the pointer, Cody, but I'm still confused. Has 1.91 actually cancelled the keyconfig.plist? Can I delete keyconfig2.plist? - and will Oolite then heed my substituted keyconfig.plist?

It's no big thing really; I'm quite happy to redefine all my keys again, if I have to. I was simply wondering if there is any way to have my old keyconfig.plist recognised in the new version, and 'written out' again to the new config format.

[another_commander]

keyconfig.plist is no longer used. keyconfig2.plist is the one we are working with now.

You can either edit it manually, or via the in-game interface in game options. If you chose to edit it manually, make sure you edit the correct keyboard configuration section. If you are using a spansish keyboard configuration, edit the "esp" section of keyconfig2.plist.

[Reval]

Ok, mostly all clear now - many thanks.

For simple alpanumeric keys, do I have to write, say, "w" with Shift=true, or "W" with ditto? Or are they equivalent?

[another_commander]

Just tried it here because I wasn't sure myself and this is what I found: To set a key with Shift, you must set it like this (example with the "F" key for showing fps):

Code: Select all

key_show_fps = ({
            key = "F";
            shift = true;
        });

The key must be set as captial F and shift = true; must be present. Alternatively, you just do it via the in-game interface and you will not have to worry about any of this.

[Reval]

Thanks again. Actually I found, when redefining arrowLeft and arrowRight for Yaw left/right, that I got a mixture of yaw and roll when leaving the station. It appears that Oolite is interpreting both the new definition and the former definition.

[Reval]

Sorry, what I meant to ask there was: is there a way to 'nullify' functions that you don't want to use (like roll) with "" or some other code?