Oolite Bulletins

I have a few Ideas for new equipment, but am not capable of implementing those in an oxp or so .... But maybe you like to hear my ideas:

Second Scanner Advancement:
-------------------------------------
Requires
----------
Multi-Targeting System and Target System Memory Expansion

Function
----------
With one keystroke you can scan all targets within scanner range in sight direction, so you can cycle through them by pressing + or -

Reason
---------
This would make the life of a pirate and a miner more easier, as you can shoot the asteroid or the ship an hit the scan all target button short after the explosion. Then you get directed by the pointer of you advanced scanner to the next splinter/cargopod.


Cargopod Scanner
----------------------

Function
-----------
Scans the targetted cargopod and tells the contents.

Reason
---------
If you are a pirate you normally have a fighting vessel with limited cargo space,
so you might want to avoid scooping food. This device should be available only in anarchy systems or renegade stations.

The first one would be a nice one to have, indeed. Loading all ships in scanner range in your target computer at once. And the target computer should by the time of Oolite be advanced enough to be able to do that.

One objection I can think of is that it would make probably too easy. Having to scan your surroundings yourself is part of the fun of the game, after all.

But it's certainly worth as thought or two.

What I'm not sure of is assining a key to it. Definitely not doable in the old scripting system. I have a vague recall that we once debated it might be possible with JavaScript, but I simply don't yet know enough about JS to answer yes or no. If not, this means it is not doable in an OXP, but the game itself had to be changed.

*****

Cargopod Scanner: A clear no by me. Would make things too easy, if you could choose the cargopods you want to scoop beforehand. Part of the thrill is that you don't know what you get.

And if you don't like the cargo you just scoop you can always jettison it. Scroll through your cargo inventory by SHIFT-R, jettison the cargo you want by D.

One objection I can think of is that it would make probably too easy.

Maybe, but I think everybody should be allowed to decide for him or herself, wether he wants an easy game or not

Cargopod Scanner: A clear no by me. Would make things too easy, if you could choose the cargopods you want to scoop beforehand. Part of the thrill is that you don't know what you get.

Same as above, I think everybody should be allowed for him or herself.

Because it makes the game to easy might be a reason not to include something in the core game, but it should be there as OXP with appropriate warning

Of course, I was just giving my opinion. Everybody else is encouraged to have a different opinion.

The first one might be quite nice.I dont think it changes the difficulty of the game too much, as targetting is not that hard.

Maybe it should be always on?

I dont think there is much need for a cargo pod scanner, a lot of the cargo pods are already identifiable with different skins (if you have the cargo pods OXP installed). I am mildly against this, as there are some cargopods with trumble infections etc, which are intended to be hard to identify. I guess these could be "mislabled" on the cargopod manifest, and so be dispayed as "food" or something.

The first one was a feature of Xelite, it was a multi targetting computer, you just had to toggle through the different objects with the b key, it was an excellent piece of kit.

What ever happened to X-Elite? I remember that when Oolite wasn't (or didn't appear to be) availble for the humble PC. X-Elite was ace, it was like The New Kind with go faster stripes!

It was based on TNK, and IMHO was easily the best version of classic elite untill Oolite came along.

It's still avavilable here and what a nostalgia page this is!