Oolite Bulletins

This is for those of you who have tried to hit the comms key and managed to eject from their ship instead. Yes, that includes me.

In the next version of Oolite, the escape pod will require a double keypress to eject. This will ensure that no accidents happen any more. Be prepared and don't panic thinking that your keyboard is broken or something, when you find out that one press only doesn't do anything.

That’ll probably mean getting killed a few times, before I get used to it, as ejecting is usually a very last second action, taken when the energy banks are virtually zero. However, it’s probably a good idea… thanks a_c.

Questions: what’s the maximum time lag between the first and second key presses? I ask this, as ejecting is most often done when I know I’m beaten and am trying to evade my way out of trouble. Will I be able to press ‘Esc’ once in preparation, then, providing I hit no other keys, hover over ‘Esc’ in readiness? It can come down to a split second sometimes.

The second keypress must come within 0.2 seconds from the first, otherwise it is not registered. Consider it more like a mouse double-click event on the keyboard.

You don't have to press once, then wait with your hand suspended over the key just in case. Once you've made the decision to abandon ship, just tap quickly the escape pod key twice. That's all. You just need to make the decision and hit the key about 0.2 seconds earlier than before.

Make the decision a fifth of a second earlier… try telling that to a fighter pilot in RL.
I’ll get used to it soon enough, but I’ll probably curse like hell the first few times I get killed... hey-ho!

I would encourage a quick test with tomorrow's nightly. This is the good thing with the nightly builds. Users can test features and, if it is found out that these features are not good enough, we can always go back to the previous situation. From my own tests, I can tell you that you get used to double-tapping almost immediately.

Oh, and I am certain that RL fighters have similar fail-safe mechanisms to prevent accidental activation. But what RL has to do with Oolite anyway?

another_commander wrote:

I would encourage a quick test with tomorrow's nightly.

Cool... will do, I like a good reason to install trunk.

another_commander wrote:

Oh, and I am certain that RL fighters have similar fail-safe mechanisms to prevent accidental activation.

This is exactly what I was thinking of... a way to arm/safe the eject function.

has anyone considered the option that maybe you shouldn't HAVE to eject? What about if the capsule was like a "black box" in survivability - from canon we know it is fitted inplace of the cockpit, so what if it's armoured and designed to initially w/stand a ship explosion (this could be an armoured buffer plate that sits between the ship and the capsule, and if that gets destroyed it triggers explosive bolts that free the capsule fully and shove it away a bit) ~ the game engine could be that you fit the capsule and then don't have to worry about it as it'll activate itself when your ship's destroyed

Killer Wolf wrote:

has anyone considered the option that maybe you shouldn't HAVE to eject? What about if the capsule was like a "black box" in survivability - from canon we know it is fitted inplace of the cockpit, so what if it's armoured and designed to initially w/stand a ship explosion (this could be an armoured buffer plate that sits between the ship and the capsule, and if that gets destroyed it triggers explosive bolts that free the capsule fully and shove it away a bit) ~ the game engine could be that you fit the capsule and then don't have to worry about it as it'll activate itself when your ship's destroyed

Now that is an excellent idea.

I say this as someone who has never remembered the escape pod until it was too late! Always carry one, never used one, died loads of times

Interesting idea, KW... but wouldn't that mean you'd never get killed?
(Unless the escape pod gets damaged, of course).

Killer Wolf wrote:

has anyone considered the option that maybe you shouldn't HAVE to eject? What about if the capsule was like a "black box" in survivability - from canon we know it is fitted inplace of the cockpit, so what if it's armoured and designed to initially w/stand a ship explosion (this could be an armoured buffer plate that sits between the ship and the capsule, and if that gets destroyed it triggers explosive bolts that free the capsule fully and shove it away a bit) ~ the game engine could be that you fit the capsule and then don't have to worry about it as it'll activate itself when your ship's destroyed

Isn't that what the Auto eject oxp does?

The auto-eject oxp ejects you before your ship is destroyed... sometimes too soon.

El Viejo wrote:

Interesting idea, KW... but wouldn't that mean you'd never get killed?

I think that's the idea. Getting killed is a pain.
I suppose it is a pretty important element of the game though.
Perhaps there should be two types of escape pod, the normal ones and a really expensive 'AutoPod' as per KW's idea.

Smivs wrote:

I suppose it is a pretty important element of the game though.

That is probably the most important aspect of the game… the risk of getting killed. Without that, there’s no game, no immersion, as far as I’m concerned… risk-free Oolite… no thanks. One of Oolite’s/Elite’s best elements is that you are/were never invincible.

My personal copy of Oolite has had auto-eject escape capsules for a while now.
The way I see it buying (and using) an escape capsule should be a second-chance to continue playing. It costs some time & money so is not a completely free 'get out of jail' card.

IMHO, auto-ejecting capsules are way less immersion-breaking than the "Oops, I died, reload, continue" which is the case whenever you're too slow ejecting.

Is it cheating? Maybe. *shrug* Personally, I think it's ok.

another_commander wrote:

The second keypress must come within 0.2 seconds from the first, otherwise it is not registered. Consider it more like a mouse double-click event on the keyboard.

Depending on your keyboard settings, it could be enough to just keep the key down. With my usual settings of key repeat and repeat delay, my keyboard already generates the seconds key press within that 0.2 seconds.

So, on an emergency I can just keep it pressed.

Nice change A_C