Bug or just a very rare "feature"?

[BlackKnight]

While chasing down a light-fingered Boa pilot with a cargo of "misplaced" UPS cargo pods, I managed to catch him and get him to start dropping them.

Problem is, first one I collected blew up my fuel scoops!

Is there any way to prevent this, short of editing or removing the CargoPods oxp? And how does Cargopods generate the type of pod scooped - sometimes I can go for (Real Life) days without any exploding pods, then I get several within a few jumps... annoying to say the least, especially when I'm chasing halfways across the galaxy on the hunt for targets from RandomHits and have to divert to find somewhere to replace the scoops...

[Corny]

You could just install the Repair Bots OXP which gives you the ability to repair your scoops or any other piece of equipment (but not build new ones), but they cost 3000.
OR you could edit the included shipdata.plist (inside the Config folder of the Pods.oxp) and delete pods_breachbarrel, pods_explodingpod* and pods_jambarrel. If you want to decrease the chance of them to happen, just decrease the number in roles cargopod(0.x) of the regarding pod (if I'm not mistaken).

*That's the one which explodes and may make you to lose cargo, but not harm the scoops.

[Thargoid]

Correct on both counts.

Pods is designed as a balanced OXP, as for me all the scooping of cargo in space is rather too "nice", there's no chance of anything ever going wrong as a result of it. Whilst it does add some new and often quite lucrative pods to pick up, it balances that with some of the other ones mentioned above.

But if you don't want them, either remove them from the shipdata.plist or lower their roles probabilities, as described above. Or as noted use my Repair Bots to counter the damage done by my Pods

[Cmdr James]

Or, you could just remove cargopods. This is exactly the kind of thing it adds. If you dont want things like exploding pods, then why do you have the OXP installed.

[Corny]

Or, you could just remove cargopods. This is exactly the kind of thing it adds. If you dont want things like exploding pods, then why do you have the OXP installed.

Probably because he likes finding cargo pods with personal effects, fuel pods and unarmed missiles?
I'm also often annoyed by the fact that the scoops "always" jam or explode when I just shot a nicely-loaded Python and start looting its cargo, but since it doesn't collide with missions, I didn't alter or delete it. Adds some flavor to the game
I must admit, though, that the first thing I did with the repair droids was repairing my Military Shields I got salvaged and save a lot of money with that

[ADCK]

On my PC, I've edited pods_explodingpod.js & pods_jampod.js so that they don't damage/destroy the scoops, it happened far to often, instead now it just damages the ship, heres what i changed the too:

pods_explodingpod.js

Code: Select all

this.shipWasScooped = function(scooper)
	{
	if (scooper.isPlayer)
		{
		let damage = (Math.ceil(Math.random()*100));
		player.consoleMessage("Pod cracked and exploded during scooping. Pod destroyed!",6);
		player.ship.energy -= damage;
		}
	}

pods_jampod.js

Code: Select all

this.shipWasScooped = function(scooper)
	{
	if (scooper.isPlayer)
		{
		let damage = (Math.ceil(Math.random()*100));
		player.consoleMessage("Cargo pod jammed in fuel scoops. Auto-Repair activated.",6);
		player.ship.energy -= damage;
		}
	}

This was simply because they damaged the scoops far too often, 1 in 10 pods destroying the scoops is not balanced.

[Cmdr James]

Wouldnt it be better to just make then less common, rather than changing their behaviour?

[ADCK]

Wouldnt it be better to just make then less common, rather than changing their behaviour?

It's a video game, i like my video games to be fun, not frustrating.

Although, Notice that I didnt edit pods_breachpod.js, so it still does have a chance of badness, just no where near as often.

[Kaks]

Mind you, I simply hate it when I suddenly get given gem-stones for no reason at all. In the interests of balance (my own personal tastes, and I must be a balanced individual! ) I've removed all bonus pods from Thargoid's oxp!

Seriously, I personally agree with Thargoid's concept of 'if you get a lot of good stuff, the occasional inconvenience isn't such a big deal'.

Usually I get time to scoop stuff only after the battle is over, so having some shield damage at that point doesn't even register as inconvenience to me.
Having to go to a station / wait for the scoop to be repaired, leaving some loot alone and unclaimed does inconvenience me, though! And a 10% chance of things not going exactly the most wonderful way possible does add an element of realism to the game, for me.

Of course, whatever you do (or anybody else does, for that matter!) with OXPs after you've downloaded them is entirely your business!

I did find it amusing that your own personal preference was labelled 'balance', though!

In any case, as always:

Right on, Commander!

[Cmdr James]

Thinking more on the subject 1 in 10 is probably too high, but 1 in 50 should be fine, no?

[BlackKnight]

Or, you could just remove cargopods. This is exactly the kind of thing it adds. If you dont want things like exploding pods, then why do you have the OXP installed.

Life, as they say, can be one damp thing after another - so although I really, really hate the scoop-destroying pods, I don't want to get rid of them as they do enhance the "realism" of the game.
My grumble was the fact that I spent a few hours trying to find this gorram Boa, then getting my ship shot to boogers-and-bailing wire by his escort before I could splat the annoying little pests, then a small fortune repairing the half-a-dozen systems they'd damaged as they'd poked holes in my ship, then finding the Boa again and smacking him enough that he started dropping the stolen UPS pods... and the first, the first!, pod I scooped blew my scoops away - no more recovering UPS property until I can go get some more scoops.
So now I have to go back and do it all over again... which is what I was whining about.

I have no problem with UPS putting a few booby-trap pods out there to stop people misappropriating their property, but if they are going to ask me to retrieve it for them, they could at least have the decency to provide me with the disarm codes for the pods they want me to find!
Asking people for help then breaking their ships ain't likely to win you repeated offers of assistance

Here's a thought (and I apologise if anyone else had it first...) - could the chances of finding exploding pods be higher in the less secure, and therefore higher risk, systems than in the more secure systems? Or a higher chance of getting a "booby trap" when scooping from "innocent" traders but the chance is lower if scooping from pirates, since they've already scooped it and it didn't explode on them... do other people think this is a good idea since it adds to the flavour of the game, or is just something that should be forgotten along with the Cobra 2?
I see Thargoid has just released the latest update for Pods (to take out the random "gifts" from everybody's favourite barbeque treat and to lower the probability of scooping 'rogue' pods of any flavour) so if this is worth doing, it may as well wait 'til the next update.

[Eric Walch]

I've also adjusted the role probabilities on some of them, to keep people happy

Yes, it broke my equipment to often, so I never used it in the past. All pods role-chances added by your oxp added up to a value of 1.29 pods. When using no other pod adding oxp there is only Oolites own pod with a value of 1 pod. This means there was 2.29 chance value of pods.
The scoop destroying pod had a chance of 0.1. That was a little over 4% of the total. That means that one out of every 25 pods was a scoop destroying one. And when I pick up more than 25 pods on a average run, it means it always almost destroys on a normal run.

Even when the chances were diluted by other pod adding oxps it happened to much. In my opinion a player has to have a chance to avoid them by giving them a minimal difference with normal pods.

And a Happy New Year to everyone.