Oolite Bulletins

I'm in the process of finalising a major update to the OoliteRS document, incorporating all the keyboard changes I outlined in other threads, as well as the extra page for MFDs and primable equipment. Other things I'm updating

• Website address URL
• Copyright date
• Ship specs to match what's in the game
• Adding the Moray Medical Boat to the "Observer's guide"
• Game options to match what's in the game now
• Joystick options to match what's in the game now

In the process of doing that last one, though, the joystick options have gone from 1 and a bit columns, to 2 and a half columns. With some other re-jigging, it's left me with one page that is 3/4 empty. I've tried a couple of ways to compress the info but it just becomes unreadable.

So, rather than continue down that path, I though it might be worthwhile including some other info in this doc.

Here's a PDF (OoliteRS.pdf) of how the doc is arranged at the moment. Page 5 now only contains the "Career Choices" column, leaving three columns free for other information. And rather than extend other threads, I thought it might be useful to pull all the info/suggestions into a new thread for easy reading.

So, what do you think? What other info can we cover in the guide? And if you spy anything that needs a tweak in the rest of the doc, feel free to post your thoughts here as well.

If space is available, how about a brief list of equipment?
Surely not all thousands of equipment added via OXPs.
But that from the core game plus a hint to look at the index of artifacts.

If still space is left some combat tactics could get added.

hiran wrote: ↑Wed Jun 28, 2023 4:57 am

If space is available, how about a brief list of equipment?

Page 3 already has a list of core equipment. Or did you mean adding descriptions of what each equipment item does?

The game options section is missing the two options available in HDR mode only:


Apart from that, great work.

Important: An explanation of how to unpause/pause a game would be good (especially for those who do not realise that their game is paused).

•Maybe a short introduction to how the oxp's work - oxps vs oxzs, AddOns folder vs Managed AddOns folder, config folder, manifest.plist, issues with converting .dat files, how to set up a config folder inside your AddOns folder, that sort of thing. This could help meet Aegidian's critique of the oxz's.

•Or how to use the in-game Expansions Manager and the guide to the colour codes and how to unzip a file for modification.

•Or a table of contents for the in-game Tutorial with details of skipping between lessons.

Most of all this is now on the wiki so you can just cut-and-paste

Again, well done, Sir!

another_commander wrote: ↑Wed Jun 28, 2023 6:13 am

The game options section is missing the two options available in HDR mode only:

Ah, nice catch. Thanks.

Cholmondely wrote: ↑Wed Jun 28, 2023 6:50 am

Important: An explanation of how to unpause/pause a game would be good (especially for those who do not realise that their game is paused).

•Maybe a short introduction to how the oxp's work - oxps vs oxzs, AddOns folder vs Managed AddOns folder, config folder, manifest.plist, issues with converting .dat files, how to set up a config folder inside your AddOns folder, that sort of thing.

•Or how to use the in-game Expansions Manager and the guide to the colour codes and how to unzip a file for modification.

•Or a table of contents for the in-game Tutorial with details of skipping between lessons.

Most of all this is now on the wiki so you can just cut-and-paste

ok, I’ll see how I go distilling it down.

Pause/unpause, really? Have players had issues with that? What sort of issues have come up? (I might have missed a few things recently…)

Descriptions of the core optional equipment is another. It took me a year to work out what the EEU really does!

Another possible addition might be tactics.

Personally, I'd go down the mini-introduction to oxp'ing route.

I think most of the suggestions put forth here would be more apt for inclusion in a readme file rather than in the Reference Sheet.

The RS should be kept as straightforward and brief as possible. It is not meant to be an operations manual.

phkb wrote: ↑Wed Jun 28, 2023 5:44 am

hiran wrote: ↑Wed Jun 28, 2023 4:57 am

If space is available, how about a brief list of equipment?

Page 3 already has a list of core equipment. Or did you mean adding descriptions of what each equipment item does?

You are right, it is there. Techlevel and price are good to know.
Then I'd like to extend each with one sentence to say what it does, and one sentence as a recommendation when to use it.

another_commander wrote: ↑Wed Jun 28, 2023 7:54 am

I think most of the suggestions put forth here would be more apt for inclusion in a readme file rather than in the Reference Sheet.

The RS should be kept as straightforward and brief as possible. It is not meant to be an operations manual.

True. It should be a one-pager that you simply keep on your desk or besides the montior while playing.
The manual can go into the drawer next to your desk - or be at hand via a web browser showing the wiki.

Which brings me to... context-sensitive online help.
Could it bring value if I have an item in Oolite and want to know more about it, and with a simple keypress a browser opens up showing the relevant url (e.g. wiki page)? Any targeted ship, any equipment, any function...

Just pondering and postulating, O quondam quaffer of pink gins,

the section on the Compass (p2, #16):

might it make it more obvious if we instead of the bottom paragraph

† In order for stations to become manually selectable the Advanced Space Compass equipment is required to be installed.

there was a thin rule between the first row showing the planet and the remaining rows showing the rest with this immediately underneath the thin rule:

Additional ASC targets (selectable with the "\", "#", "shift \" buttons)

Government Guide (p3)
a) Maybe replace "Risk" with "Piracy"? And add a note underneath about the likelihood of infestation of safer systems from local pirate-ridden ones?

b) Any chance of using the colours from the F6 screen (as on your XenonUI.oxp)?


Commodities Guide (p3)
Maybe squeeze in the filter and sort options for the F8 screen underneath (if there is space)?
Filter ("?"): all 17>goods in station or ship>in station>in ship>legal>illegal
Sort ("/"): default (Classic Elite)>alphabetic>cost>station quantity>ship quantity>unit mass


Economy Guide (p3)
a) Is there any relationship whatsoever between these descriptions and what we actually find in the vanilla game?
ie:
"Basic technology and Advance (d?) Materials" - are these really more common in the poorer industrial economies? (Alloys? Machinery? Luxuries?)
"Advanced organics and Refined Materials" - are these really more common in the richer agricultural economies? (Narcotics?)

b) Any chance of using the (bland) colours from the F6 screen (as on your XenonUI.oxp)?


Blank space under Govt/Economy Guides (p3)
How about a note on the psychedelic cycling options for the F6 screen (Sun Colour>Economy type>Govt Type>Tech level)?


Anchorage pictures (p8)
Shrink the Rock Hermit a little? Unlike for the ships, no dimensions are given...


Other Objects pictures (p8)
If you think the Witchcloud is looking lonely, you might also add a snapshot of the Witchspace tunnel...


Credits Box (p8)
This work is not easy (I know... I tried!) ... you really ought to include yourself in the box! And on the line beneath each page.

Oolite Reference Sheet by the Admiral of the White, Sir Nick of the Navigable Nightmares/Phkb etc. Based on KZ9999's original.

Or some such.

OK, new version of the OoliteRS.pdf can be viewed here: OoliteRS.pdf

Added info about the Expansion Pack Manager to page 5, along with a super-cut-down FAQ, with the general idea being to answer the most common questions pilots have (even if it's brief) and then pointing them on to the wiki for more details.

For completeness, I have also taken a pass at the OoliteReadMe.pdf.

Cholmondely wrote: ↑Wed Jun 28, 2023 9:02 am

Maybe replace "Risk" with "Piracy"

Is Risk completely synonymous with Piracy? Not sure.

Cholmondely wrote: ↑Wed Jun 28, 2023 9:02 am

Any chance of using the colours from the F6 screen

Done.

Cholmondely wrote: ↑Wed Jun 28, 2023 9:02 am

Is there any relationship whatsoever between these descriptions and what we actually find in the vanilla game?

Not sure without a lot of debugging/testing.

Cholmondely wrote: ↑Wed Jun 28, 2023 9:02 am

Any chance of using the (bland) colours from the F6 screen

Done.

Cholmondely wrote: ↑Wed Jun 28, 2023 9:02 am

How about a note on the psychedelic cycling options for the F6 screen (Sun Colour>Economy type>Govt Type>Tech level)?

Forgot this one. Will include in next version.

Cholmondely wrote: ↑Wed Jun 28, 2023 9:02 am

Shrink the Rock Hermit a little? Unlike for the ships, no dimensions are given...

Meant to be a visual reference only, so better to have the item as large as the box allows. Dimension of stations doesn't come into play at all, so not really required here.

Cholmondely wrote: ↑Wed Jun 28, 2023 9:02 am

the section on the Compass (p2, #16):

Still considering the best way to do this. Not sure if there is one without a significant redesign.

Just noticed I'd messed up the Observer's guide. New version uploaded with that page fixed, and added the info about highlight mode to page 3. Same link as before.

Well done, Sir!

Will read through and nit-pick.

Meanwhile, I'm ordering you your pink gin at the Admiralty Bar!

When you finally add your changes to the repo just add the LibreOffice files. PDF versions are autogenerated on GitHub.

That's why I added red markers 'outdated' into the existing pdfs. Actually I wanted to remove them but that broke the standalone build process crucial for developers so we stick with the dummies.

Edit: maybe we should add PDF to .gitignore...