Oolite Bulletins

Just took down a bandit, scooped the escape capsule, and headed on in-system. Found a rock hermit along the way, docked there and got payed a bounty/insurance by the rock hermit for the occupant.
Should this be so? I presume that it’s unavoidable, but it doesn’t feel right.

El Viejo wrote:

Just took down a bandit, scooped the escape capsule, and headed on in-system. Found a rock hermit along the way, docked there and got payed a bounty/insurance by the rock hermit for the occupant.
Should this be so? I presume that it’s unavoidable, but it doesn’t feel right.

I've had that as well. I thought it was a bit odd.

It's even weirder if you have Pirate Coves installed -- they're pirate bases that are identical in appearance to Rock Hermits. They spit out multiple pirate ships, so it's quite likely some will bail when you kill them.

Dock with the Pirate Cove...and *IT* pays the bounty!
...I guess it's really happy to get its pirate pilots back.

Bounties (or insurance rewards) were always paid out the next time you docked, regardless where you dock. I agree that for some dockable entities it doesn't make sense.

An alternative would be to limit the whole bounty and insurance business to main stations only. There would of course be some drawbacks to it: all scooped escape pods would stay in your hold until you get to the main station, which would take up cargo space.

Any opinions on this?

Commander McLane wrote:

Bounties (or insurance rewards) were always paid out the next time you docked, regardless where you dock. I agree that for some dockable entities it doesn't make sense.

It is also the same when launching your pod. You'll end up in the nearest station. Even when you did fight a slave station you certainly don't want to end up
I made use of this in the slave mission of ups. When you launch your pod near that station, you are turned into a slave and kept at the station forever. (There is a solid object in front of the dock making a launch without being killed impossible)

Eric Walch wrote:

you are turned into a slave and kept at the station forever. (There is a solid object in front of the dock making a launch without being killed impossible)

You're a seriously twisted mind, sir.

I bow in respect.

Commander McLane wrote:

Bounties (or insurance rewards) were always paid out the next time you docked, regardless where you dock. I agree that for some dockable entities it doesn't make sense.

An alternative would be to limit the whole bounty and insurance business to main stations only. There would of course be some drawbacks to it: all scooped escape pods would stay in your hold until you get to the main station, which would take up cargo space.

Any opinions on this?

For logical consistency I think I'd favour limiting bounty and insurance payouts to main stations only. They're never going to take up a huge amount of cargo space: you'd have to really be going some in order to accumulate more than half-a-dozen scooped escape pods in any one run. Even then, it's a straight choice for the player whether or not to scoop a capsule: if people know in advance that they won't be able to get rid of them until they dock with a main station, then there shouldn't be a problem.

Disembodied wrote:

For logical consistency I think I'd favour limiting bounty and insurance payouts to main stations only.

Probably true, I remember playing lovecats and had to drop Romero at a certain system. But I docked at a hermit first, resulting in a bit wrong messages generated by the pilot script.

I think the main reason why it happens at every station is how cargo is handled. On docking all cargo pods are unloaded, including the escapepods. In that process any reference to a pilot aboard gets lost. Therefor Oolite has to handle the pods with pilots always before docking is finished, meaning on every docking.
Pilots are in the list of saves. Just by looking at your F8 screen you can't tell which slave is a true slave and which is a pilot

Wait, are we 'building a consensus' towards "pilots inside pods should only be rescued at the main station"?

It does seem a bit inconsitent with last week's "it should be possible to save from any station"!

Kaks wrote:

Wait, are we 'building a consensus' towards "pilots inside pods should only be rescued at the main station"?

It does seem a bit inconsitent with last week's "it should be possible to save from any station"!

I don't think it is...we're looking at very different things.
Saving a game can be a real pain if you're a Fugitive, or for any reason really where you don't have to/want to go to the main station. If you've 'parked' somewhere you should be able to Save.
Rescued pilots on the other hand do need to be returned safely, and this implies returned to GalCop controlled stations. Surely only GalCop can pay a Bounty, and I suspect the Insurance Companies would also be reluctant to deal with anyone other than GalCop.

Smivs wrote:

Saving a game can be a real pain if you're a Fugitive,

Were is the problem? The docking computer does not work for any station when you are a fugitive. And docking manually works the same for the main station as for an abandoned station. Just don't try at a confederacy with its strong police presence as those vipers will force you to dock at injector speed

I think unfortunately the correct behaviour depends on the type of escape pod.

Criminals would probably have bounty paid out at main stations and any police or military installations, but I dont see Pirate Coves paying for them. Perhaps an equal payment might be made as "ransome" or thanks for release.

Innocent pilots with insurance, would be happy to be dropped anywhere legal but probably not communist space prisons.

Maybe we could make it so stations with a bounty do not accept escape pods...
Im not sure this is all worth the effort though, its only a game

Shock! Horror! Commodore reveals that Oolite is ‘only a game’. Questions to be asked in Parliament!

Disembodied wrote:

...They're never going to take up a huge amount of cargo space...

Try shooting a bulk hauler and then 'rescuing' the dozens of escape pods for a tidy profit.

Newt_Othis wrote:

Try shooting a bulk hauler and then 'rescuing' the dozens of escape pods for a tidy profit.

I don't shoot people who don't shoot me, but I'll take your word for it! Still, though, if people knew up front that pods could only be cashed in for bounty at certain stations, they can choose whether or not to take them on board.

Eric Walch wrote:

I think the main reason why it happens at every station is how cargo is handled. On docking all cargo pods are unloaded, including the escapepods. In that process any reference to a pilot aboard gets lost. Therefor Oolite has to handle the pods with pilots always before docking is finished, meaning on every docking.
Pilots are in the list of saves. Just by looking at your F8 screen you can't tell which slave is a true slave and which is a pilot

This is maybe a more serious obstacle, especially if we want a method of liberating slaves: unless we restrict that too to the main station (which wouldn't be so bad: it's only the main stations that slap a bounty on you for leaving them with slaves in your hold).

But ultimately, if it's anything other than the trivial work of moments to do, I'd leave it alone!