Oolite Bulletins

to reduce the number of spawned ships in the ooniverse. I dont necessarily mean the number of encounters, but the numbers of ships when the encounter takes place.

I know that other players love this crowded ooniverse, but i miss my old c64 version of elite, where i'd hyperspace into Isinor meet maybe a fer de lance, then a cluster of two or three pirates and perhaps a python or anaconda (without 7 sodding escorts), and perhaps less than that. Moreover I seem to remember dispatching that solo fer de lance regularly- if only to speed the game up without there suddenly emerging a whole squadron of vipers .

I suppose I just want an emptier ooniverse. perhaps that python should have an escort- but AN escort, perhaps a couple or three of pirates.

Is there a not tooooo involved way I might turn these things down?

According to Arquebus, dumping your ship.oxp's will have that effect. Compare his "strict series" with his first and second series of Oolite videos.

Try Wading Pool OXZ, I think it reduces ships in a system at least near the starting system of Lave.

Switeck wrote: ↑Thu Jan 27, 2022 5:20 pm

Try Wading Pool OXZ, I think it reduces ships in a system at least near the starting system of Lave.

yes, I've been doing the paddling pool leesti diso thing to get my money.

Switeck wrote: ↑Thu Jan 27, 2022 5:20 pm

Try Wading Pool OXZ, I think it reduces ships in a system at least near the starting system of Lave.

If you mean Paddling Pool OXZ then it only makes nearby systems safer (thereby neutering incoming pirate traffic).

phonebook wrote: ↑Thu Jan 27, 2022 4:44 pm

I dont necessarily mean the number of encounters, but the numbers of ships when the encounter takes place.

Paddling Pool should do that with regard to pirates but not traders etc and only for the Diso - Leesti milk run.

phkb's population control has similar effect in safer systems everywhere but also adds more police IIRC.

Cholmondely wrote: ↑Thu Jan 27, 2022 5:15 pm

According to Arquebus, dumping your ship.oxp's will have that effect

Depends on whether they 'add' or 'spawn' ships (and how many escorts they might have).

phonebook wrote: ↑Thu Jan 27, 2022 4:44 pm

...if only to speed the game up...

This however I can help you with...

 Masslock Compensator
 Power To Engines
 Traffic Redistributer

Effect of all three is to reduce the time spent in masslock.

• The first one is the most noticeable
  The second is the most seamless - turn weapons ofline ("_'") for boost
  The third is the least 'player-centric'

thanks for that, these are intriguing options, and offer an insight into how the game populates the systems.

I like the idea of the Masslock Compenasator, but am also wondering if configurable populator might help

phonebook wrote: ↑Fri Jan 28, 2022 3:41 pm

thanks for that, these are intriguing options, and offer an insight into how the game populates the systems.

I like the idea of the Masslock Compenasator, but am also wondering if configurable populator might help

If you can offer any insights into either (once you've had a chance to familiarise yourself with the oxp's), I can incorporate them into the relevant wiki pages.

Cholmondely wrote: ↑Fri Jan 28, 2022 4:12 pm

If you can offer any insights into either...

Given that MC is one you've previously confessed to not understanding (as expressed on the wiki page) I'll try to put it in nut-shell...

• Player ship is faster (approx. x2) when status is yellow (i.e. masslocked but not in combat)

That's essentially it.


The rest is checks for exceptions like sun-skimming and entering the station aegis.

Cholmondely wrote: ↑Fri Jan 28, 2022 4:12 pm

phonebook wrote: ↑Fri Jan 28, 2022 3:41 pm

thanks for that, these are intriguing options, and offer an insight into how the game populates the systems.

I like the idea of the Masslock Compenasator, but am also wondering if configurable populator might help

If you can offer any insights into either (once you've had a chance to familiarise yourself with the oxp's), I can incorporate them into the relevant wiki pages.

well ok not those wiki pages in themselves. but it got me reading about the populator and such stuffs- i find it interesting even if a little unintelligible.

Redspear wrote: ↑Thu Jan 27, 2022 6:46 pm

Switeck wrote: ↑Thu Jan 27, 2022 5:20 pm

Try Wading Pool OXZ, I think it reduces ships in a system at least near the starting system of Lave.

If you mean Paddling Pool OXZ then it only makes nearby systems safer (thereby neutering incoming pirate traffic).

Yeah, that one instead!

And by "Try" that one, I also mean it's a good place to start to make your own OXP/OXZ to reduce ship traffic.

the thing about paddling pool, is that rather than reduce traffic by telling the populator to reduce traffic, it makes the surrounding planets safer and therefore less likely to spawn nasties in Leesti and Diso.

Or thats how it says it works

I mean thats a problem for using it as a template for making the ooniverse emptier.

phonebook wrote: ↑Sat Jan 29, 2022 10:38 am

Or thats how it says it works

It's certainly how I think it works

The aforementioned population contrrol however might be a better place to look as it actually deals directly with the spawnng of ships.
IIRC it replaces the populator script within oolite's resources file so you could always just have a poke around in there.*

*Making a backup version being a smart idea in case any of your changes didn't work out for you.

the populator scripts are exactly what i've been looking for!

phonebook wrote: ↑Sat Jan 29, 2022 5:45 pm

the populator scripts are exactly what i've been looking for!

Let me know how you get on please.

The way I normally adjust it for myself is by widening the spacelane in my personal version of the rescaling experiment; but that affects encounter frequency, not encounter numbers. Would be interesting to hear of any experiments re the latter.

Will do