Classic X-ships

Overview

This OXZ updates some of Aegidian's early OXP ships from the 'Aegidian's X_Ships' expansion.

They now have updated high resolution graphics and will look best with shaders enabled although this is not essential.

The spec's have largely been carried over from the earlier OXP, although some re-balancing of the Cobra2 has been carried out. This expansion is intended for Oolite v1.80 or above.

The Ships

Some 25 years ago Her Imperial Majesty's Space Navy decided to sponsor a design competition to stimulate development and to give shipyards a platform to showcase what they could do.

Known as the 'X-ships Challenge', the brief was to design either a light, medium or heavy Interceptor. The winning entry in each class would then be realised and prototyped by The Naval Shipyards. Unsurprisingly the winners were all based upon current or prototype models.

In the belief that a well-armed civilian population was the best defence against the Thargoids, HIMSN offered the plans on an open licence to any shipyard that wanted to build these ships for general sale. GalCop was initially very concerned about this, having serious misgivings about military ships being made available on the civilian market, but as similar ships to these already existed, and these X-ships did not use any classified equipment, they decided to agree to the release of the plans.

Although quite rare due to their niche nature, civilian X-ships will be seen from time to time, often piloted by Bounty Hunters and Assassins, with the Cobra2-C variant being quite popular with couriers and taxi pilots. A few of these vessels have also fallen into pirate hands.

Asp-X

A strong and powerful heavy interceptor, based on the design of the first generation of the Asp Mark II Special. Substantially larger than the standard Asp Mark II, with a higher maximum speed, more energy banks and 2 pylons. It is purely a fighting ship, having no cargo capacity.

The Asp-X was licensed for civilian use and, although a rare sight, these ships could be encountered occasionally. They are favored by hunters and assassins and, inevitably, also by pirates and brigands.

Cobra2

Developed as a light Interceptor for Her Imperial Majesty's Space Navy the Cobra2-X is a development of the (later abandoned) Cobra Mk II prototype. It is an effective light fighter/interceptor popular with Assassins and Hunters. The Cobra2-C derivative is intended as a courier ship (hence the 'C' designation) and its small hold also allows fitment of a Passenger Berth making it ideal for use as a taxi. The Cobra2-C is slower than the X-ship version but has up-graded equipment options and a Hyperdrive.

Sidewinder-X

Developed as a medium Interceptor for Her Imperial Majesty's Space Navy the Sidewinder-X is an evolution of the Sidewinder Scout Ship and is similar in specification and performance. However it is much larger and the increase in size means that it has slightly increased maximum speed and maneuverability over the Scoutship. The Sidewinder-X also has up-graded equipment options and a Hyperdrive.

Features

The Classic X-ships share all the same features as the other expansions in the Classic Ships suite.

Enhanced graphics with improved detailing and normal, emission and specular mapping. The designs and colours are based on Aegidian's original work.

If an NPC is severely damaged in battle and the pilot ejects the ship will progressively become derelict. The ship loses power and the navigation strobes will stop, the lights fade, followed by the engine glow, and finally the derelict is left gently tumbling in space.

Compatibility

Although a part of the Classic Ships suite of expansions this OXP is fully self-contained, and is compatible with and should work well with the default ships and all other shipsets/ship OXPs.

Author

OXP by Smivs

Credits

Aegidian, for the models, design specifications and the original textures from which I took my inspiration. Also Paradox, whose updated Cobra Mk II model is used here.

Licence

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, 171 Second Street, Suite 300, San Francisco, California, 94105, USA.

Version History

Version 1.0 Released 29th September, 2015.

Download and Installation

The Classic X-ships is available via the in-game expansions manager, or an be downloaded from the link below. Download Classic X-ships OXZ (downloaded 1774 times).

To install the OXP version, unzip the download and place the .oxp folder in your Oolite AddOns folder.

Oolite Forum thread

Any questions, problems or bug reports should be posted on this OXP's BB thread here

Gameplay and Balance indicator

NPCs are robust, but in keeping with the default ships.