Oolite Bulletins

Work resumes on the neolite OXPs
The old discussion thread has been ressurrected - but I figured that actual announcements should really go here.

The project stands at two OXPs right now:

1. Neolite - this is designed to replace all the core ships and key models.
... this oxp has entered beta development with every model now sporting effects-mapped shaders. Some have normalmaps. Tweaking is ongoing.

2. neolite companion - common addon ships ore here, currently replaces all the oldships.oxp, and adds the mussurana and python class cruiser.
... I need someone to convert the shipdata.plist to openstep - some of you have scripts to automate this: please please do <bambi eyes>.

Once that's done I can easily impliment the shaders for this set.



Coming:

3. Gunslingers (there are two similar oxps already) fighters for players, duels etc. enhancements for small ships.
4. Frontier - big ships with turrets, blockade runners. Enhancements for some low-tech isolated worlds.
5. Deviants: variations on the standard ships - suggestions for this. Holds those special add-ons you cannot do without but also custom skins and new customizations on the neolite models.
6. Galcops: enhancements for the police - more vipers, different livery etc.
7. Neolite Military - a modified navy oxp using neolite ships instead of the current ST-inspired set.

In development - for neolite.oxp: complete the essential models... In the pipeline are a thargoid fighter, escape pod, and an alloy model. Still experimenting with bouys and the stations.

Hello!

Yeah OK, I'm biting the bullet and doing a neolite caduceus. With spinny engines, a more bio texture, raised turrets, zeroed guns, rejigged stats possibly shields if I can get the code working. I am a convert, praise the neolite.

They grows on yer don't they...

Updated update - won't reach my website for a week or so but I've finished the normalmaps in neolite.oxp and I've started troubleshooting.

I've decided to add models for each of the previews and stop there - this month should see neolite come out of beta!

In the unlikely event anyone is working on their own normalmaps - I still want to see them.

The companion has had external views added to it - something not available to the classic ships it's based on.

Update - final beta of the oxps are online.
Only ships left are the fragment, escape pod, and missile.
All shaders are done adequately. If you can improve it - do it.

This is where I'm supposed to be talking about official releases.
Project Status

package: status
notes

Core: complete
last added: station textures, plist tweeks; to be added: transporter and bouy models. boulders and splinters to be reskinned.

Companion: complete
To be added: aegidean's barrel

Wolfies: complete
to be added - normal maps to some ships (under evaluation)
Aside: @Ark - when this finds its proper home, it can be added to the wiki. @Wolf: and the wolfwoods-varients entries could have a reference to the neolite page?

Concepts: alpha
this is a testing ground for new ships, scripts etc. Probably will evolve into a stable oxp for my personal craft. I've figured out a way to render the menger gasket and like it for an easter egg for asteroid hunters. I'll have them set to role boulder - which fragments to small scoopable versions - cargo-type "alien items") ... also a collection of corpses (role fragment?) which scoop to food (yuck!) - wolfie varients to be removed from this one.

Megaships: beta
outstanding questions - tipped to replace behemoths and join the behemoth/navy oxp

Behemoth/Navy: drawing board
outstanding questions

Random Hits Patch: proposal
RH already uses core ships, but clearly cannot use ships that did not exist when it was last updated. The proposed patch is supposed to update the shipdata.plist in RH to use models in other installed neolite oxps.
Aside: I'd like to propose RH as the proper home for the Viper Vigilante. Failing that, it should go under bounty hunters.

-----------------
Note: Stable releases appear in the wiki page.

@Simon,
I found a small bug in neolites.oxp.
Scooped escape pods were sellable as slaves, instead of rewarding bounties/insurance payouts. The reason was the presence of the <unpiloted> "true" key in the escape pod's entry in the shipdata.
I removed this key, and behavior returned to bounty/insurance rewards.

Thanks for that - there is an update to the neolite core coming up when I add the latest models and skins. So that version no should go up to 1.1

I'm bumping this, just because I found an Oolite group on Facebook and want to see nice ships.

That is all. Transmission ends.

Not sure if this is the right thread to post in (there are several Neolite threads but this was last used).

Anyway just thought I would post that in my Neolite.oxp installation there is a missing texture for the Mamba.

I copied the Mamba-escort texture and renamed it to match the missing texture. This seemed to work a treat. Stopped the all white Mambas from appearing in game LOL!

I just got the error in my log. Looking in the oxp, the texture for the plain mamba is indeed missing. Only the texture of the escort-mamba is present.
However, in simple or full shader mode this texture is not used but overwritten with other textures so there is no problem. But, when using no shaders at all, the neolite mamba is fully "untextured".

https://bb.oolite.space/viewtopic.php?t=5490&start=1170

Thats were most of Simon B's neolites discussion is being done,

I think the Mamba issue has already been brought up, I remember seeing it somewhere else.