Oolite Bulletins

I see that the munificent one is resurrecting this 2005 oxp (still downloadable) - even if merely as a part of an upcoming future volume of Iron Ass.

The wiki page says this: The Martin Xpat modifications are possible to implement at enthusiast mechanic level, although there have been deadly accidents with Xpats before they ever got off the ground. The hull is extended threefold, and the engine is moved and reshaped into a spinning drive, simply called the Martin, which manages to produce enough power for planetary exit with the added weight, and maintain witchjump capability as long as the workmanship is solid. Often it isn't, as the second most common Xpat fatality is hull shredding upon entering Witchspace.

What does this mean? Would one see shredded refugee adders emerging from the witchspace tunnel at the beacon? Or would one encounter them in the witchspace tunnel (if one followed one in)? Or would one find one in witchspace?

And to what extent is any of this replicable in Oolite coding?

And how much do these modifications cost to do?

Edited to add:
And if the refugee adder does meet with misfortune, is there any way to save some of these poor benighted souls?

Re-edited to further add:
Do Trumbloids = Trumbles = Trumbles™ - or is there more to it?

Cholmondely wrote: ↑Fri Apr 08, 2022 7:45 am

.. as the second most common Xpat fatality is hull shredding upon entering Witchspace.

What does this mean? Would one see shredded refugee adders emerging from the witchspace tunnel at the beacon? Or would one encounter them in the witchspace tunnel (if one followed one in)? Or would one find one in witchspace?

And to what extent is any of this replicable in Oolite coding?

And how much do these modifications cost to do?

Edited to add:
And if the refugee adder does meet with misfortune, is there any way to save some of these poor benighted souls?

Some of the things I want to do with the Xpat are a bit codependent on the results of the scripting that Montana is helping me out with on the RustyAss project, appearance conditions and such.

It should be within my capacity to give them their customary broadcast, and have sparks coming out of the ships, but the actual shredding from metal fatigue (and no external cause) I don't see happening. I think the odds of ever witnessing this tiny moment are too small to be worth the effort (though I suppose if one stalked them into a witch-hole and kept eyes on them constantly it isn't too far-fetched, but who would do that?)

..but finding an Xpat post-shredding, –both in witchspace and normalspace– is something I had in mind. I figure this would leave a small school of inert slave-capsules near the wreckage.

Cholmondely wrote: ↑Fri Apr 08, 2022 7:45 am

Re-edited to further add:
Do Trumbloids = Trumbles = Trumbles™ - or is there more to it?

Here there is some confusion, Arexack was inspired to create Trumbloids with some plan in mind, but I'm not sure what that was. To me, Trumbles are the feral root species of the GenFun cultivated Trumbles™.

Old Murgh wrote: ↑Fri Apr 08, 2022 3:26 pm

Some of the things I want to do with the Xpat are a bit codependent on the results of the scripting that Montana is helping me out with on the RustyAss project, appearance conditions and such.

It should be within my capacity to give them their customary broadcast, and have sparks coming out of the ships, but the actual shredding from metal fatigue (and no external cause) I don't see happening. I think the odds of ever witnessing this tiny moment are too small to be worth the effort (though I suppose if one stalked them into a witch-hole and kept eyes on them constantly it isn't too far-fetched, but who would do that?)

..but finding an Xpat post-shredding, –both in witchspace and normalspace– is something I had in mind. I figure this would leave a small school of inert slave-capsules near the wreckage.

So, just musing about this a bit more.

1a) Life support on the Cobra Mk.III is supposed to support some 10 people:
Life Support

Life Support systems comprise of the atmospheric processing systems, the waste management systems and the recycling plant. These systems are all tied together through a central core system containing a molecular resequencer that purifies and cleans the matter that is passed through it.

The atmospheric system is the most advanced part of the system, including complex monitoring and control routines that constantly sample the air quality. It immediately isolates foreign bodies, including viruses, bacteria and other non-standard particles, then filters them out to the resequencer.

Likewise, waste matter is passed to the resequencer and recycled through the system to wherever it is needed. It is this system that powers the food processors onboard the ship.

The life support system fitted to Cobras, and indeed most other ships, operates at a tenth of its maximum capacity. This allows for power outages and permits the addition of additional passenger berths without the need to upgrade the life support systems.

So what happens if one rescues more people than the system can support? What are the effects?

1b) How many RemLock masks are there - and how long do the effects last?

remLock masks
The last line of defence against pirates is often the remLock mask. When one of these is worn, in the event of the wearer being cast into the vacuum of space, the mask shoots a polyfibre cocoon around the wearer and begins a life support cycle. The latest version, upgraded after a decade, contains memnSomn software, placing the wearer into a state of suspended awareness to avoid the discomforting experience of being exposed to vacuum.

And do you need to service your life-support system afterwards, or buy new remLock masks? I don't think that the remLock masks were ever worked into the game.

1c) Escape Pods: how many can you squeeze into an escape pod, and how long is it good for?

1d) Passenger Berths: how may can you squeeze into a passenger berth? Would a paying passenger consent to having one or two refugees sharing his/her/its berth? I understand that these feed off the Life Support System.

1e) Cargo Hold: one presumes that the Cargo Hold is incapable of supporting life without passenger berths.

2a) How do you get treated by the GalCops who seem to scan you all the jolly time? And how does it differ for system police (Imperial Lictors, or Commie Rays)?

2b) What then happens when you later arrive at a station? The Illegal Goods Tweak OXP has you met in on arrival and offered the chance to free any slaves, a small amount for doing so, and a possible later reward involving travelling to a distant system. (Wiki page description is not scientifically analytic but rather impressionistic).
At a GalCop station the refugees are possibly just taken off your hands and dealt with according to the current dictates of GalCop. But if you land on a planet or a system station (SLAPU, say, or an Imperial Astrofactory), it could be very different. And different again for a Rock Hermit or a commercial station.


Reference: Life Support Systems

From Montanas Resource Pack 01 (Escape suit, slaves container)

Cholmondely wrote: ↑Fri Apr 08, 2022 5:01 pm

So, just musing about this a bit more..

Many points to take into account, but spitballing here on the premise that in this case safety standards and regulations have been neglected and thrown out the window, motivated by desperate desire to maximise the number of bodies.

• RemLok™ masks are most likely the least expensive survival equipment, taking up the least amount of space. So, the wearer is in a coma to prolong a resource-effective life support.. Used/expired masks are more risky but who is picky in a pinch?

• Capsules must be a bit more expensive, take up considerable space. It seems unreasonable that any small crew ship would have more than 1-3 installed. Even if a pod is designed for 1 person, in desperation 2-3 people might squeeze into one. Though reducing the longevity of life support, that's a worry for later.

• Cargo canisters (fitted for slave transport by the tonnage) must have some life support to last some period. Probably, stacked, reclined bodies in comatose stasis is optimal.

• The passenger berth is off the table, none of those accommodations are viable and no paying passenger would accept the intrusion. A berth might be converted into a slave canister.

Cholmondely wrote: ↑Fri Apr 08, 2022 5:01 pm

2a) How do you get treated by the GalCops who seem to scan you all the jolly time? And how does it differ for system police (Imperial Lictors, or Commie Rays)?

2b) What then happens when you later arrive at a station? The Illegal Goods Tweak OXP has you met in on arrival and offered the chance to free any slaves, a small amount for doing so, and a possible later reward involving travelling to a distant system. (Wiki page description is not scientifically analytic but rather impressionistic).
At a GalCop station the refugees are possibly just taken off your hands and dealt with according to the current dictates of GalCop. But if you land on a planet or a system station (SLAPU, say, or an Imperial Astrofactory), it could be very different. And different again for a Rock Hermit or a commercial station.

This was a can of worms. By default when you pick up an escape capsule, is this not translated to the manifest as a slave? And are you then not at first GalCop scan clocked as an offender? Tempted to stay out of trouble and leave the retrieval to the SAR.

Old Murgh wrote: ↑Fri Apr 08, 2022 6:03 pm

And are you then not at first GalCop scan clocked as an offender?

If clean, docking with slaves, firearms, or narcotics, is fine. It's launching with such cargo that gets one offender status.

Cody wrote: ↑Fri Apr 08, 2022 6:09 pm

Docking with slaves, firearms, or narcotics, is fine. It's launching with such cargo that gets one offender status.

And no form of in-flight scanning can raise an issue with police?

Old Murgh wrote: ↑Fri Apr 08, 2022 6:14 pm

And no form of in-flight scanning can raise an issue with police?

Not in the vanilla game, no. If you're clean, you can have a holdful of megaweed and Vipers will ignore you (or even defend you).

Cody wrote: ↑Fri Apr 08, 2022 6:16 pm

Not in the vanilla game, no. If you're clean, you can have a holdful of megaweed and Vipers will ignore you (or even defend you).

So it's the potential wrench of some OXPs that can let cops scan my cargo and allow stations to scrutinise my manifest that would cause problems here..

Feels like the right move would be to leave it to the conscience of the acting commander, whether release the refugees into freedom at next port or coldly offload them as slaves. This calls for scripting skillz.. Unless there is already an OXP that does that?

I believe there is an OXP which allows you to free slaves.

Cody wrote: ↑Fri Apr 08, 2022 6:50 pm

I believe there is an OXP which allows you to free slaves.

What foresight! But what is it called?

<grins> I think that was just made up, but Illegal Goods Tweak does something similar (I think).

Cody wrote: ↑Fri Apr 08, 2022 7:25 pm

<grins> I think that was just made up, but Illegal Goods Tweak does something similar (I think).

A mockup eh, shame.
Again this OXP. Then I should familiarise myself with it.

Illegal Goods Tweak pays 5 ₢ for each Slave Cargo Pod and 1 ₢ for each Narcotics and/or Firearms Cargo Pod. There is a randomness to it as well. Some GalCop Stations will detect the Illegal Goods and others will not. If the Illegal goods are detected you then have a set of options. If they are not detected you then have a different set of options. Non GalCop Stations will never bother with any of this.

You may also want to have a look at the ESCAPE POD SLAVE FIX by phkb. It will take any Escape Pod that does not have a Designated Passenger and a Bounty or Insurance Amount assigned to it and then gives these to that Escape Pod. Without this OXP such an "Unoccupied" Escape Pod would be treated as a Slave Cargo Pod.

Nite Owl wrote: ↑Sat Apr 09, 2022 8:54 pm

You may also want to have a look at the ESCAPE POD SLAVE FIX by phkb. It will take any Escape Pod that does not have a Designated Passenger and a Bounty or Insurance Amount assigned to it and then gives these to that Escape Pod. Without this OXP such an "Unoccupied" Escape Pod would be treated as a Slave Cargo Pod.

Thanks, that looks interesting. I'll have a go at understanding it.

Old Murgh wrote: ↑Fri Apr 08, 2022 6:03 pm

Cholmondely wrote: ↑Fri Apr 08, 2022 5:01 pm

So, just musing about this a bit more..

Many points to take into account, but spitballing here on the premise that in this case safety standards and regulations have been neglected and thrown out the window, motivated by desperate desire to maximise the number of bodies.

• RemLok™ masks are most likely the least expensive survival equipment, taking up the least amount of space. So, the wearer is in a coma to prolong a resource-effective life support.. Used/expired masks are more risky but who is picky in a pinch?

• Capsules must be a bit more expensive, take up considerable space. It seems unreasonable that any small crew ship would have more than 1-3 installed. Even if a pod is designed for 1 person, in desperation 2-3 people might squeeze into one. Though reducing the longevity of life support, that's a worry for later.

• Cargo canisters (fitted for slave transport by the tonnage) must have some life support to last some period. Probably, stacked, reclined bodies in comatose stasis is optimal.

• The passenger berth is off the table, none of those accommodations are viable and no paying passenger would accept the intrusion. A berth might be converted into a slave canister.

Apologies... not my point. My point is me! I'm in a cobra MkIII with some or all of the goodies outlined above. How many of these poor chaps can I save? How many can I keep remLocked in my cargo hold? How many come with masks already? Can I just provide masks for 2? How many can I keep alive and breathing in my living quarters? Is there a chance my passenger will be willing to share his/her berth... etc., etc., etc.

What is the absolute maximum I can take - and for how long..., and what are the effects when the limits are exceeded (what effect does less oxygen have on my piloting capabilities, etc.)

By the way, just downloaded your 2005 OXP and am trying it out. Is this the first ever space-ship with a revolving backside? Using Long Range Scanner, spotted it in Corporate Riredi and scooted over, just in time to follow it through the witchspace tunnel to anarchic Eninre where it has just spent some 20 minutes waltzing around the witchspace beacon in a seeming state of febrile funque. After another hour it had made its way over to the Aegis. But it then overshot it by 150km and is now heading towards the sun!

More ideas for the base oxp:
*Restrict the ships to certain systems or routes, rather than appearing indiscriminately.
*GNN messages about refugees, heralding a massive move of refugee ships from say Laenin to Xexedi, or some such.
*Does the AI need tweaking? Cim rejigged the AI's available back in v.1.80 & 1.82... there is now rather more choice...
It might now be possible to get it to sunskim or refuel at Rock Hermits in dangerous systems and only land at the safer ones...
*Interraction with Broadcast.comms - asking for help/protection, or offering help/protection

And also get the pirate slave-trader versions to act as such too...