Oolite Bulletins

Hi guys,

Just discovered Oolite after playing Frontier & First Encounters. I can't believe I missed this project for so long.

I do have a couple of quick questions:

It seems to take an inordinate amount of time to get from the jump point to somewhere near the planet. Even using the "J" key and the witch-space drive thing ("I" key?). Am I missing something or is it just a case of being patient?

The other thing I noticed on looking around was that there appeared to options bolted on to some ships that weren't available at even high tech-level stations such as Naval Energy Units and so forth. Are these only obtainable when you buy a new ship or can you buy them anywhere?

Cheers

LtB

Hi, LeroyTheBadger! Welcome to the friendliest boards this side of Riedquat (as one of the regular visitors likes to put it) and of course to this really great game!

First of all: sorry that you missed out it for a long time, but on the other hand, glad that you finally found it!

To your questions:

Yes, it does take some time to get to the station from the witchpoint. (Hey, space is big, after all!) The usual shortcuts are of course the jumpdrive, activated by J and the fuel injectors, activated by I. Be however warned: the latter consumes fuel, and of course you need to buy it as an equipment. The jumpdrive doesn't need a piece of equipment, it can be activated all the time. But there is another drawback: It doesn't work close to other masses, like the sun, planets, stations or other ships. Therefore if you stay on the corridor (= the direct line between the witchpoint and the planet) you won't be able to use it a lot, as you meet other ships all the time. An easy way out of that is to stay away from the corridor: Turn away from the planet first, fly into any direction for a few seconds, and then turn to the planet again. Now it is unlikely you will meet other ships that will slow you down. This technique shortens the journey considerably.

As for the equipment: More advanced equipment will generally be available at higher techlevel planets. But there are also some pieces of equipment (the naval energy unit being one of them) that can't be bought at all. You have to find other ways to earn them. (Or better: sooner or later these ways will find you. )

Please feel free to ask more questions (or to browse the boards, there is hardly any question that hasn't been asked and answered before).

And of course, continue to enjoy this great game!