Little idea: SpaceZoo

[pagroove]

Hi,

I am enjoying this game since version 1.62 ( I believe) I've played Elite on the Acorn Electron back in the 80's, then on the PC in the 90's. I must say I enjoy Oolite very much and especially the expansions makes it very addicting. So compliments to all oxp-programmers and of course Gilles.

As I am no programmer and I cannot at the moment program OXP's for myself here is an idea of me. So feel free to use this idea or not

Spacezoo.oxp---> Orbiting Zoo's around high-tech agricultural worlds. They export zoo-animals to low-tech agricultural worlds to do the hard work. These animals are not needed on the rich agri-worlds because they use machines.

Ships that could be made for this OXP are:

-- Zoo shuttle (for transporting the animals from the planet surface to the zoo)
-- Zoo transport normal (Intra-system transport)
-- Zoo transport Aqua (Intra-system transport for marina animals)
-- Zoo-Station
-- Animal container normal
-- Animal container Aqua
-- Trumble transport (for safe transport of trumbles)

- If a player docks you could get a mission to transport certain animals to another planet.
- Is it possible to have an animal market?



What do you think of it?

[*cat]

It's a great game isn't it!
Interesting idea... makes me wonder if it's possible to have different kinds of stations with an entirely different set of trading items.
I'm sure someone can tell me whether the trading stuff is part of the core code, or whether OXPs can alter it.
All the stations I've seen have the full set of standard trade items listed.
I guess a zoo could use the "alien items" category for the animals.
Or it could work a bit like the oo-haul oxp.

*cat

[Helvellyn]

Some variety in the market would certainly be interesting, especially if it gives a reason to visit a vast number of planets that are just pointless to visit at the moment.

[nijineko]

rare wood / botanicals might make a nice new catagory. medicinals or actual medicinal value. have two new catagories, one flora, the other fauna. ^^ low tech worlds would likely have both in abundance.

[Commander McLane]

Hi, pagroove, and welcome to the boards and of course to this great game!

That's a nice idea of yours. One more flavour-OXP. When one of the ship-designers feels up to it, it surely will look nice. I think with the new shaders there could be very nice effects to that aquatic transports...

Anyway, the stations' market will always be the same. This is just part of the legacy of Elite. There have been suggestions to exchange some of the items or to alter the trading system completely, but because of the Elite-legacy they haven't been agreed to.

It is however possible to invent special items as part of a mission. That would not be done on the market screen, but on a mission screen that would be called whenever the player docks at a zoo. He could be offered a range of missions on a random choice: Transporting animals to another planet or getting them from there: "For its special breeding branch the Spacezoo is in need of two pairs of Laveian Tree Grubs. You are asked to go to Lave and meet a local hunter to get them."

For other ideas of special items to trade have a look at the SpecialEvents.oxp thread.

[pagroove]

Indeed that is what I mean. The Zoo stations should be a sort of hub for thes markets. In the same manner there could be also industrial stations.

Just to add more variety. But as I said i am no programmer

[Arexack_Heretic]

as McLane said, market items are fixed.

however a cargohold filling mission item is possible.

(using j-script, possibly also mission EQs that take only x TC)

This reminds me a bit of one of those early startrek movies, where they go back to the seventies in order to grab a whale.

welcome P, nice idea keep 'em coming.

[JensAyton]

(using j-script, possibly also mission EQs that take only x TC)

Not yet. Probably not for the next stable release.