Installing multiple retexture OXPs
Introduction
This short article provides guidance to end-users who want to install more than one retexture pack/OXP to maximise the variety of ships seen in game. There are currently 5 main retexture packs that retexture and/or remodel the native Oolite ships. They can be formatted so that they replace the native Oolite ships entirely once installed (I refer to these as 'replacement' packs), or to add the revamped ships in addition to the native Oolite ships (I refer to these as 'addition' packs).
Basics
The first rule for setting up multiple retexture packs is that you can only install one 'replacement' pack at a time. Attempting to install more than one 'replacement' pack will result in conflicts, and the general result is that you will only actually see ships in game from one of the packs.
However you can install a single 'replacement' pack along with as many 'addition' packs as you like, and all the ships should appear in game. You could also install just 'addition' packs if you wanted to keep the original native Oolite ships in the game. In general the starting ship for a new Jameson will be the Cobra Mk3 from the 'replacement' retexture pack. If no 'replacement' pack is installed it is the native Oolite Cobra Mk3. This may influence your choice of which of the packs to use as a 'replacement' pack.
Specifics for current retexture packs
Several of the existing retexture packs come in both 'addition' and 'replacement' versions to facilitate installing multiple retexture packs. The information below is correct as of 30/01/12.
Smivs'_ShipSet v.3 is currently only available as a 'replacement' version. Version 4.0 will be released in both 'replacement' and 'addition' versions.
Neolite_Ships Core 1.1 is available in both 'replacement' and 'addition' versions. Download and install the version you want following the instructions on the wiki page.
Deepspace_Ships includes both 'replacement' and 'addition' versions in the same download. If you install the OXP as normal you are installing the 'replacement' version. The 'addition' version files are included in an zip file embedded inside the main download called 'non override config.zip'. To install this version you will need to extract the Config folder from this zip file and use it to replace the standard 'replacement' Config folder that comes with the OXP.
Shady_Sungs is available in both 'replacement' and 'addition' versions (the addition version download is called 'Add-On'). Download and install the version you want.
Griff_Industries 'all_in_one' (called 'starter pack' on its wiki page) is technically an 'addition' version only, but includes Config files that suppress the native Oolite ships or any 'replacement' texture pack in game, so it acts like a 'replacement' pack. However it does require an additional OXP download to make the starting ship for a new Jameson the Griff Cobra.
If you want Griff's 'all in one' to act as if it is a 'replacement' pack, install the OXP along with one of the 'default_Jameson_is_griff_cobra' OXPs (which can be found on the Griff_Industries wiki page). Any other installed retexture packs will have to be 'addition' versions to avoid conflicts. You will notice some anomalies, for example the native Oolite ships will still be shown on the demoships parade (the ships shown when you first launch Oolite). However they won't appear in game, unless invoked by another OXP.
If you want Griff's to work as an 'addition' pack so you can have another 'replacement' pack installed, install Griff's as normal, navigate to its Config folder, and delete the files 'shipdata-overrides.plist' and 'shipyard-overrides.plist'. The starting Jameson ship will be the Cobra from the other 'replacement' pack, and ships from both packs (and any other 'addition' packs installed) will be seen in game.
