Towbar

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Towbar

Make money from derelict ships.

Pilots often eject when lost a fight and left behind an almost destroyed ship. If you approach the derelict ship in 100m or hurtle into then the towbar will lock it, see in the aft view (F2).

You can tow ships with maximum 1.6 times more mass than your ship. Can not use Injectors without a special equipment and pitch rate very low when towing. Pull into a dock in the current system to sell the hull as a large amount of alloys.

Ship		Mass	Alloys	Approximated credits
Adder   	11	3	100
Moray    	40	12	400
Cobra Mk I	47	14	500
Fer-de-Lance	51	15	500
Asp     	59	18	600
Cobra Mk III	186	56	1800
Boa     	192	58	1900
Python  	222	67	2200
Anaconda	430	100	3300

The cost calculated from the alloy price at the station where you sell it. Largest ships can give maximum 100t alloys only due to the inner space.

Alloys will added to the market up to 127t in total but you will be payed for the full delivered amount regardless from this limit.

You will get a few hundred credits for each saved equipments and weapons also.

Military Laser worth 1-2 thousands but probably the fight was harder to get it.

All saved cargo worth the current price at the station.

Some ships (with high version numbers in ShipVersion OXP so the durable ones) hold much more valuable cargo than others.

With HardShips OXP you can get more equipments as you can see in this image:

Compliments

You can get the following compliments:

• 1000 credits: Nice work.
• 3000 credits: Well done!
• 5000 credits: Excellent!

Usage

Be careful when attacking a ship: slow your fire when the exhaust plume changes (or throwing sparks with CustomShields OXP) to avoid blowing it and stop immediately when you see the Escape capsule. Then touch the derelict ship slowly to lock it to the towbar.

Reduce the pitch and yaw movements when towing due to there are a small but increasing chance to break the towbar or the towed ship, heavier ship break sooner. A few tips:

• Approach the derelict ship in the direction of your next movement, usually head to the Station to reduce turning with mass.
• Stop your ship before turn to cause less pressure to the towbar.

Do not go to a sightseeing tour: the status of the ship degrading over time when moving, so you can earn more credits if you deliver faster. You will be informed about flying parts to remember this. Losing less at low speeds but your haul are in safe only if your ship is stopped.

If the towbar is destroyed then you can buy another and go back to the ship, just find the "D" (derelict) beaconCode on your Advanced Space Compass. Telescope OXP show it also in the main scanner from any range.

If you are too slow then pirates will blow up the ship for the cargo, hunters for the bounty or Thargoids for sure.

Not all derelict ship in the system has beaconCode due to the signal transmitter placed when the towbar locked on.

You can change the towed ship if your ship touch another derelict ship.

If you initiate a hyperjump then the towbar will release the towed ship. This means that you must sell the ship in the same system where you get it.

The towed ship is vulnerable, suggested to avoid combat situations until delivered.

Largest towed ships facing into your aft weapon so you can not fire backward or you will destroy it. If you must then release it by double "h" keypress (start and stop a hyperjump) and pick up later. Before this you must set a target system and has enough fuel for the jump.

Do not engange fight when towing a ship to avoid too many steering which break the towbar. If you must then release the towed ship and pick up after the battle.

Build up your reputation by salvaging more ships, missions will require qualification.

Cost: 100.0 Cr.
Techlevel: 1

Towbar Stabilizer

Use when towbar being unstable to prevent damages and the possible explosion of the towed ship. Occupy an empty pylon, launch as a mine.

Buy more if you plan to tow heavy ships for long range.

Can not fix a broken or destroyed towbar, nor resurrect the towed ship after an explosion caused by the unstable towing, so use before these problems occurs.

Cost: 200.0 Cr.
Techlevel: 5

Towbar Repair Bot

Can fix a broken towbar, but one time only. Repair will start automatically when needed and take about a minute.

Can not repair a destroyed towbar which can happen almost as often as break so better if always apply Towbar Stabilizer and start repair in the last resort only.

Cost: 1000.0 Cr.
Techlevel: 5

Towbar Compatible Injectors

Enable Injectors when towing a ship. Costly due to need stronger towbar holders and new exhaust tubes to the gases evade the towed ship.

The towed ship losing more parts if the speed is higher so you can earn the same money only but can save time. Torus Drive is the only exception from the speed rule so suggested to use as soon as possible.

Do not steer your ship when injecting otherwise towbar will be unstable more times faster.

Cost: 20000.0 Cr.
Techlevel: 11

Salvager License

GalCop regulate ship salvaging at main stations: you must buy a license from your first incomes (deducted automatically).

You can get payments for the cargo only before you pooled the full 20000 credits for the yearly license.

After you got the Salvager License you must pay tax from the ship hull and equipments based on the government.

Government		Tax
Anarchy 		0 %
Feudal			5 %
Multi-Governmental	10 %
Dictatorship		15 %
Communist		20 %
Confederacy		25 %
Democracy		30 %
Corporate State 	35 %

Other places than the the main station works without licensing but charges 50% commission.

Cargo never taxed nor commissioned.

You must buy new license in every year.

Technical Informations

Depending on Oolite v1.77 and BGS OXP if you want to see nice background on the salvage screen.

Instructions

Unzip the file, and then move the folder named ".oxp" in the end to the AddOns directory of your Oolite installation. Hold down the Shift key when you start the game first time until the splash screen appear.

Settings in towbar.js

• $TowbarDebug = false; //will spawn a derelict ship right after undock
• $TowbarFixed = true; //show towbar if no towed ship also, false works as retractable
• $TowbarNPCMissile = true; //NPCs with enhanced IQ: fire a missile before eject as last resort
• $TowbarShow = true; //false change it to an invisible tractor beam

License

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike License version 3.0 If you are re-using any piece of this OXP, please let me know by sending an e-mail to norbylite at gmail.

Changelog

2013.08.21. v0.8  Chance to break the towbar or the towed ship (thanks to DaddyHoggy).
                  Towbar break sound included, source: bgs-c_hullbang.ogg in BGS OXP.
                  Towbar Stabilizer, Repair Bot and Towbar Compatible Injectors added.
                  Towed ship get "D" (derelict) beaconCode.
                  Build up reputation in missionVariables.
                  Salvager License and tax system added.
                  Flying alloys, cargo and equipments added.
                  Ship moved to right in the sell salvage screen (thanks to Svengali and cim).
2013.08.18. v0.7  Injectors offline and pitch rate very low when towing.
                  Payment lowered.
2013.08.17. v0.6  Lock on sound added. Source: bgs-m_fx_shipyard1.ogg in BGS OXP.
                  Some ships carry much more valuable cargo than others.
2013.08.16. v0.5  Give money for cargo also.
2013.08.15. v0.2  Give money for equipments.
2013.08.14. v0.1  First test files.

Download Towbar OXP from here.

Quick Facts

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Version	Released	License	Features	Category	Author(s)	Feedback
0.8	2013-08-21	CC-BY-SA 3	Tow a derelict ship into the dock	Equipment OXPs	Norby	BB-Link