Oolite Bulletins

Right on, Katana!

DaddyHoggy wrote:

Apologies - but I waved my katana at something other than spam and changed "hinting" to "hunting" as I suspect was your original intent!

Come to think of it: which ship would you recommend for bounty hinting?

The 'Killmeandgetsevencredits Mk1' would be a good choice.

RyanHoots wrote:

Just bought a Caduceus Omega!
Great ship. Can't wait to try it out. I had to go to a tech level 14 planet (Xexedi) to find one. Thanks for the help!

Nice choice.

Assuming that you have completed the "built-in" missions, remember that firing your laser will automatically switch the cloaking device off.

Grey Area wrote:

RyanHoots wrote:

Just bought a Caduceus Omega!

Nice choice.

Impressive ship, but doesn't it have turrets? The reason I dis-approve of player ships with turrets is that they make life far too easy in close combat, and you'll never develop the combat skills needed to really become an Ace!
Anyone can sit in the middle of a dogfight and let the automatic kit kill the bad guys for you. Learning to do it properly is just so much more satisfying

Smivs wrote:

Impressive ship, but doesn't it have turrets? The reason I dis-approve of player ships with turrets is that they make life far too easy in close combat, and you'll never develop the combat skills needed to really become an Ace!
Anyone can sit in the middle of a dogfight and let the automatic kit kill the bad guys for you. Learning to do it properly is just so much more satisfying

The turrets are located on the side, and they aren't as effective as people seem to think. If you sat in the middle of a dogfight, you'd be shredded in no time! They also only fire at the targeted ship (although they will damage anything that gets in their way, so be mindful of Vipers and stations!), so don't expect them to just decimate a battlefield. I've developed a flying technique that's useful when you have a ship that is more manoeuvrable than yours (which is quite a few when compared to a Caddy...), so that if you're nose to tail chasing an enemy, you can angle yourself so that the turrets fire diagonally forwards, and take the ship out that way. If I had a more nippy ship, the use of turrets wouldn't make a difference, or at least not to me, as your ship would turn fast enough to keep up with the opponent. My turrets rarely take out ships any other way, unless I'm using the cloaking device to sneak up on someone. To me, the cloaking device is more of a game changer than turrets!

I did find that I learnt how to use my side lasers in close combat through trying to learn how to use turrets. I'd never been able to get the hang of them until I'd changed my flying style to adjust to turret use. Then something seemed to click and side lasers made sense.

The reason I disapprove of player ships with turrets is that they don't use up energy, which doesn't seem fair or make sense to me. If that is implemented then I'd be a very happy squirrel! But it doesn't bother me enough to change my ship... I'd also appreciate a way to turn turrets off independently from lasers. It doesn't make sense to me that in the future ship designers would install a system that cannot be controlled. But again, it doesn't bother me enough to change ships...

I've had quite a long period of being grounded at the moment - too many things going on in real life. But once they're over, and I reach Elite (which shouldn't take long - I'm only about 300 away!), I'm tempted to trade in my beloved Taliesin for something much less spectacular, just to see what I can do...

Good post Mauiby. It's a good point you make about the side lasers and that these things need technique and practice. They do, and as you've hinted they make the turrets a bit pointless.
Your other point is even better. It is ridiculous that these things don't draw any power. They should, and lots of it, which would both make them acceptable in some ways, but also pointless as a small ship (and all player ships are 'small') simple couldn't power them.

Smivs wrote:

Impressive ship, but doesn't it have turrets? The reason I dis-approve of player ships with turrets is that they make life far too easy in close combat, and you'll never develop the combat skills needed to really become an Ace!

That's a perfectly valid opinion.
However, they were my credits I bought it with, and I earned them the hard way with a Cobra MkIII.

Smivs wrote:

Learning to do it properly is just so much more satisfying

Well, I was under the impression that I'd learned to do it "properly" on a BBC Micro back in the day - but apparently not.

However, the next time I'm up to my afterburners in Thargons with an over-heated laser, low fuel, battered shields and not enough energy to activate the cloaking device, I'll be sure to remember that I should be doing it properly.....

Sorry, no personal slight intended. I was just making a general point.
I just worry sometimes that some people come to this game, Uber everything up to the eyeballs and never learn how to really enjoy it.

Smivs wrote:

Sorry, no personal slight intended.

And none taken, I assure you.

ah, the simple joys of a good broadside. Mr Mate? You may fire when ready.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXcLybhbChQ&

Smivs wrote:

I just worry sometimes that some people come to this game, Uber everything up to the eyeballs and never learn how to really enjoy it.

I just realize how the situation in my current project impacts my empathy: I couldn't care less about people who mess up their game and thusly don't enjoy it. May they and their families be crushed by Thargoids.

I feel that this is the joy of the game however, there is no one way to play. It is natural for people to find worth in their own uniquely crafted gaming experience. The projection of that perfectly acceptable personal situation however is generally difficult to justify.

See it as a natural extension of the resistance against PvP. Just as we are not forced to play against other humans (and enter into all the negativity that it brings) so too oxp's we find errant are not forced into our game world.

The bottom line is we must trust people to craft and recraft their ooniverse experience as they see fit. Sure if someone says "it's too easy" suggestions can of course be made (as suggestions and nothing more). The more difficult pill to swallow is realising that their solutions are neither better or worse than any other, merely different.

In the same vein any oxp (which isn't a trojan) is a good oxp, because it reinforces and expands the tenement of choice. Anything but everything. Happy are they that come to this table, for a cornucopia of possibilities await them.

Smivs wrote:

It is ridiculous that these things don't draw any power. They should, and lots of it, which would both make them acceptable in some ways, but also pointless as a small ship (and all player ships are 'small') simple couldn't power them.

This isn't the real issue though is it?

Smivs wrote:

I just worry sometimes that some people come to this game, Uber everything up to the eyeballs and never learn how to really enjoy it.

You have to trust people to find their own enjoyment. People get pleasure out of lots of different things (only some of them I understand, the odd one I outright don't).
I applaud the game balance metre used on the wiki. I would like to see that rolled out and assessed for all oxps. Simply because people can better gauge the game they wish to play. I would like to see this go further with a paragraph on each oxp on how it effects game play specifically. Inform, but do not limit.

I would say however "never learn how to really enjoy it." is a fairly limiting statement and a surprising one. It is possible some people find little to no merit in the way you or I enjoy oolite. By making it as many things to as many people as possible; we enable more people to explore and adapt how they personally engage with it.

Smivs wrote:

The 'Killmeandgetsevencredits Mk1' would be a good choice.

Hmmm, I have blown two ships out of space, in as many days, that were cloaked, and they didn't even harm me. I thought they kind of stuck out like a sore thumb, so what's the advantage? I mean no insult by this question.

Smivs wrote:

I just worry sometimes that some people come to this game, Uber everything up to the eyeballs and never learn how to really enjoy it.

Err, mmm, You can't actually 'learn' to enjoy something. you do or don't.
Ubering is a way of life for some, so is rock hermitting.
Me, I take a different path. Random hits with cargo and if some ship on my way has a bounty or Python size and up. OOPS!
does that count as "Pirating"?

My Gertrude Oblitz a Caddy OMG, slightly tweeked, made the pitch rate slower, was just too twitchy. Is the ultimate in bounty ships. Yes she has turrets, mine has 3 more on the tail, but as mentioned they only fire at what is targeted.
Never have mastered the impossible skill of shooting the ML out the back!