Oolite Bulletins

Anyone else baffled by the rear view of the Python? I can't see what I am shooting due to my central jet. This is a bit frustrating, no?

It's far from ideal, certainly... all ships have their pros and cons, though! Would you by any chance be interested in writing a pilot's review of the PCC for inclusion in the proposed Rough Guide? It wouldn't have to be wholly factual, of course: you could include information on crew quarters, interior features, control layout etc. Reviews of other ships, perhaps in a Jeremy Clarkson style, would be welcome too, from anyone who wants to write them...

I'd be happy to write a review of the PCC. That sounds like a great idea. Is the rough guide already a document in progress or just an idea? I wouldn't mind taking a look at some other reviews. Does this need to contain any technical info, or just a more general, tongue-in-cheek, every-commander's commentary?

It's sort of an idea in progress.

There aren't any reviews yet... at the moment there's nothing down except for Mr Gimlet's advice to young pilots. There are a bunch of notions floating around, though, and the intent is to put together a PDF containing (some) background information and general game atmosphere. I think the whole Rough Guide should really be written as it were from within the game, with technical specifications kept to a minimum. Ship reviews would be from the point of view of a pilot, rather than a player. There can be a mixture of real information (the engine positioning makes aiming the rear laser a pain; you have to dock at 90 degrees from true, etc.) and complete fiction (there's some unpleasant vibration near the outer hull when jumping through Witchspace; the command couches can be easily configured for a range of anatomies, but with the usual bias towards vertebrates, etc.). Ship elements would be better described as "good", "lousy", "idiosyncratic" and so on, rather than "3.5" or "2.0" or whatever.

The wiki has some background information already on a lot of ships, including the PCC, and is a good place to find fictional backgrounds. There is, of course, no need to make your review match the wiki in every detail.

This would be the first ship review, so you'd be something of a pioneer!

give me a few hours, I'll see how this shapes up - I think I get the concept. Where could I send it?

The best thing to do would be to post it up in the Rough Guide thread. I'm happy to compile the text into a PDF as we go.