Oolite Bulletins

Bimbling about, fighting off a few pirates and trying to find a home for 50t of narcotics that I'd bought for 10cr (would you believe, the next planet along had a price of 1.2cr/t on them?!), when suddenly a witchfuel-guzzling Outrider comes tearing towards me firing FOUR orange lasers. And I thought my SuperCobra was virtually invulnerable (the illegal trading is so I can get a military shield)...
I've just put on v 1.68 in order to get the nav array - can I expect more of this nastiness from now on - previously the worst I got was hardened missiles and, as long as there was fuel in the tank and the injectors hadn't been trashed, I was out of there.
- *cat
PS: big respect to everyone writing code and oxps.

A Rattle Cutter?

It's a Hydra - it has either 6 or more lazers which fry you rapidly wether you have a military shield or not. There are two obvious escape routes - either have a cloak (sorry LB somethings just need to be shot in the dark) or plan B - run like hell.

What kind of obnoxious moron would come up with THAT?!

@KI: I have to agree with your sig, also think that that kind of ship really goes under the line. Rattle cutter, Hydra... Stupidity, really. Instant demise, game over, press space.

Cmdr. Maegil wrote:

that kind of ship really goes under the line. Rattle cutter, Hydra... Stupidity, really. Instant demise, game over, press space.

True, it's a bit of a shock first time you meet one, but like in all things Oolite, you need to develop a strategy, and sometimes it's a runner, you can always leave a Q mine as a calling card, or get the Galcops onto him!

Cmdr. Maegil wrote:

What kind of obnoxious moron would come up with THAT?!

@KI: I have to agree with your sig, also think that that kind of ship really goes under the line. Rattle cutter, Hydra... Stupidity, really. Instant demise, game over, press space.

Think of them as a challenge for commanders getting complacent in their superiority. But yeah, those OXPs should come with big fat warning labels.

Cmdr. Maegil wrote:

What kind of obnoxious moron would come up with THAT?!

Sort a like the Adder mk II, which almost out spec the ASP MK II

7 ton cargo
.400 speed
3 missiles..
3 energy banks.
Price 115.000

Now who wants a moray when you can get that...

Stupid IMO... but thats life...

Well hold on! They are very very rare! And are stolen Military tech! If you play with Military.oxp installed, then (really once in a blue moon) you'll get hit by a monster like this. Keeps you honest I say!

Ahruman wrote:

Cmdr. Maegil wrote:

What kind of obnoxious moron would come up with THAT?!

@KI: I have to agree with your sig, also think that that kind of ship really goes under the line. Rattle cutter, Hydra... Stupidity, really. Instant demise, game over, press space.

Think of them as a challenge for commanders getting complacent in their superiority. But yeah, those OXPs should come with big fat warning labels.

Well I did suggest categorising OXP's that way

Warning - installing this OXP can seriously damage your ships' health!

I guess I was lucky to be hit by only 4 then!
By the way (this deserves an "RTFM" reply...) what's with the colour of the lasers? Can you tell the power from the colour (haven't often seen those yellowy orange ones), or do different kinds of ships have different colours, regardless of laser power?
And (I still call them Tribbles - is that an old BBC computer memory, or has the name changed?) I seemed to acquire a "trumble", though I distinctly remember refusing the offer of one. Off trip to the sun to fry that thing...

Tribbles are the original Star Trek creatures which the trumbles are a, ah, homage to.

*cat wrote:

By the way (this deserves an "RTFM" reply...) what's with the colour of the lasers? Can you tell the power from the colour (haven't often seen those yellowy orange ones), or do different kinds of ships have different colours, regardless of laser power?

Laser colours are set arbitrarily by the ship definition (in shipdata.plist in the OXP). Well, somewhat arbitrarily. The next release will allow a higher degree of arbitrariness.

*cat wrote:

And (I still call them Tribbles - is that an old BBC computer memory, or has the name changed?) I seemed to acquire a "trumble", though I distinctly remember refusing the offer of one. Off trip to the sun to fry that thing...

no no, you got to Guard the whead, and beam it over to the evil invisibel lobstoid leader...

See also this thread.