Oolite Bulletins

Anyone remember Van Maanens star in Frontier?

Would be nice to set some systems to permit status. In this way we can have:

- permit systems (like Van Maanens star)
- Protected systems (systems who protect the planet from being visited)
- blockade systems (systems that block all traffic except certain fractions
- Civil war zones, Quarantine zones
ETC

Anyway I think this would generate a lot of new gameplay goodies.

Is it possible?

Yes I do remember. It was this that has got me working on a Visa OXP at the moment.

It will be written as a Visa engine and then an OXP can be written to add the Visa to the Ooniverse. It will support System Visas, Planet Visits Visas (will require a minor modification Planetfall) and Station/Ship Permits. Visas will appear as equipment. OXP developers will be able to specify the visa expiry, availability, eligibility criteria, sanctions and obviously purchase price (administrative charge ).

It is currently at the detailed planning stage at the moment.

There would have to be something really good on that planet in order to warrant paying to get there.

Conversely, you would want to be careful about which systems were permitted, since putting a few systems off limits to those who couldn't pay could throw off the game. I have noticed that going from one end of the galaxy to the other there are a few bottlenecks. Eusasti comes to mind immediately.

PhantorGorth wrote:

Visas will appear as equipment.

Won't it be possible in that case that a Visa is being destroyed during combat? That would sound a bit strange and could give unpleasant results when it happens while the ship is at the specific planet...

Screet

Chrisfs wrote:

There would have to be something really good on that planet in order to warrant paying to get there.

Conversely, you would want to be careful about which systems were permitted, since putting a few systems off limits to those who couldn't pay could throw off the game. I have noticed that going from one end of the galaxy to the other there are a few bottlenecks. Eusasti comes to mind immediately.

That's why I am going to do a few system visas in out the way places such as Leritean and Quorte. But you could have planet visit visas or station permits in such places as Esusti.

I am just writing the engine plus a few examples. It will be the responsibility of other OXP developers to make sure that such things are done sensibly.

Screet wrote:

Won't it be possible in that case that a Visa is being destroyed during combat? That would sound a bit strange and could give unpleasant results when it happens while the ship is at the specific planet...

Hadn't considered that. I may have to check that the visa still exists and award it again if it was removed unexpectedly. I'll also see if I can get indestructible equipment added to the trunk.

Doing visas as equipment is more of a fudge anyway as there is no way to do personal inventory.

Chrisfs wrote:

Conversely, you would want to be careful about which systems were permitted, since putting a few systems off limits to those who couldn't pay could throw off the game. I have noticed that going from one end of the galaxy to the other there are a few bottlenecks. Eusasti comes to mind immediately.

I think this could really add something to the flavour of galaxies, if Galcop places access to certain areas - such as the Citadels of Chaos in Galaxy 2, off limits to non-permit holders. Permit holders would have to meet certain criteria i.e. have a combat rating of competent, to qualify for a permit to enter those zones.

There needn't be anything extra special in those zones, having the Citadels of Chaos off limits to casual travellers is sensible as it is clearly a dangerous area, it just gives the galaxy a bit more flavour dependant (maybe) on what OXPs you have installed. For example if you have Ionics installed, then perhaps a pass is needed to enter their area of space up in the NE corner of Galaxy 2?

As well as GalCop blocking access to certain systems until you've reached a certain level (the permit designer will decide what level that is), you could also use this to restrict trade to certain worlds, e.g. some communist Rich Industrial worlds could have VERY cheap goods on offer but you would have to arrange a trading permit with the world first.

Hmmm. Isn't it somehow part of Elite's/Oolite's premises that you start out with a Cobra 3 and a trading license for all GalCop-stations? How would a visa system go together with that?

As far as visas for landing on planets are concerned, I like the idea more than for systems/stations, because it is my understanding of the backstory that planetfall is generally prohibited. You only have a license for trading on the GalCop-stations. (Otherwise there would be no reason for GalCop to set up stations everywhere in the first place.) Therefore a visa would be helpful in order to get access to selected planets sometimes.

Sendraks wrote:

I think this could really add something to the flavour of galaxies, if Galcop places access to certain areas - such as the Citadels of Chaos in Galaxy 2, off limits to non-permit holders. Permit holders would have to meet certain criteria i.e. have a combat rating of competent, to qualify for a permit to enter those zones.

My current design is based on a single permit for a system, planet or station/dockable ship. For that to work I would need to change the way my OXP behaves. I would have to have a visa registered with the engine and then have the "locations" added to it.

This seems a good idea. I will apply it to my design tonight.

Commander McLane wrote:

Hmmm. Isn't it somehow part of Elite's/Oolite's premises that you start out with a Cobra 3 and a trading license for all GalCop-stations? How would a visa system go together with that?

As far as visas for landing on planets are concerned, I like the idea more than for systems/stations, because it is my understanding of the backstory that planetfall is generally prohibited. You only have a license for trading on the GalCop-stations. (Otherwise there would be no reason for GalCop to set up stations everywhere in the first place.) Therefore a visa would be helpful in order to get access to selected planets sometimes.

You probably add a visa requirement to a special station rather than the main station. As for systems, may be the system is the special research system for GalCop similar to Russia's Star City that was off limits in the Soviet era. All this I leave up to other OXP developers.

Nice to see some of the old ideas coming back around again - this clearly means (perhaps) that some of my old ideas are perhaps good ideas.

A looooong time I asked if it would be possible to create an OXP that changed Teorge so that it matched its description found in DW and pilots had to get a special Galcop permit to trade with the system. It was doable then, but had some limitations. Much better now we have JS, but my OXP skills never caught up with my aspirations.

Here's a thought, as in real life, there are never enough people to cover the entire border,
so rather than have lack of a visa completely prevent entrance to a system (if that was your intent), have lack of a visa change your legal status to fugitive so you can't auto dock and vipers are dispatched.
It changes when you are sighted by a viper or come within the aegis of a Galcop station. This allows you to sneak into systems and visit the sun or the FTZ (great new rationale for the FTZ OXP), and rock hermits.
(and perhaps the con-store.?? that may make it too easy)

Chrisfs wrote:

Here's a thought, as in real life, there are never enough people to cover the entire border,
so rather than have lack of a visa completely prevent entrance to a system (if that was your intent), have lack of a visa change your legal status to fugitive so you can't auto dock and vipers are dispatched.
It changes when you are sighted by a viper or come within the aegis of a Galcop station. This allows you to sneak into systems and visit the sun or the FTZ (great new rationale for the FTZ OXP), and rock hermits.
(and perhaps the con-store.?? that may make it too easy)

That's actually how it will work. I am actually writing a visa engine so the level of sanction is down the OXP developer who creates the actual visa.