Guide to Ambience OXPs

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Revision as of 19:56, 2 January 2021 by Cholmondely (talk | contribs) (Stellar OXP comparisons)

This page is just started. Factual inaccuracies abound! The oxp's should eventually be listed in tables to enable comparison of features.

Oolite's collection of Ambience OXPs is a rather rum selection. Some aim at scientific realism in varying degrees. Others aim at spectacular eye-candy. Written by human beings rather than disembodied organic brainlets, some are stand-alones whilst some form part of suites. Some just twiddle with the one thing (eg distance to the sun) whilst others do many different things (distance to the sun, colour of the sun, grade of quirium scooped from the solar corona etc).

Hence Cholly's partial Guide to Ambience OXPS.


Suns (distances and varieties)

Tweaking of the distance between the planet and the sun started early. Here are 7 OXPs which do this.

  • Keeper1st’s KeeperSky (Ron O’Dell) inspired by Frontier/FFE (before 2016)
  • Wildeblood’s Sensible Sun before 2011
  • Kaks farsun Simple (March 2008) Just the one .oxp
  • Knotty’s Realistic Stars (Richard Knott; July 2012)
Affects look of galaxy, star colour, corona size and distances. Constant size for sun coronas.
Just the one .oxp. (RealisticStars & Realistic Stars SSC seem identical)
  • Wildeblood’s Distant Suns Simple (July 2014).
Keeps the same basic distance between the planet and sun but varies it according to sun colour/star type.
Just the one .oxp
  • Rustem’s Distant Stars Later (Oct 2017) Combines with cim’s Sunspots.oxp
As for Wildeblood, but adds variable corona flares, local economy correlated with star type and with observed reality etc.
Partly done in collaboration with Wildeblood, Stranger & cim.
  • Stranger’s Sun Gear Most recent (July 2020 - but started in 2013): part of the [Strangers World] suite of OXPs for more experienced players.
Requires Stranger’s Habitable Main Planets OXP which redefines planets radii.
You may need Stranger’s Hard Way OXP to allow refuel skimming from Solar Winds as sun-skimming may now be suicidal. And maybe his SW_HUD_CAI .oxp whose customised altimeter is more useful for landing without crashing on Habitable Planet surfaces than those HUDs with default altimeters.
Varies distances yet again according to star type. Star types correlated with observed reality.
Also varies star radius and luminosity. Includes solar flares and solar winds.
An Advanced (Solar) System Data MFD displays 2 pages with data on sun & planets (Lock Advanced Space Compass onto sun or planet and then cycle through your MFD modes).


Stellar OXP comparisons

FarSun Sensible Sun KeeperSky Realistic Stars Distant Suns Distant Stars Strangers World
Functionability Broken? Broken? Broken? Old Old Up-to-date Up-to-date
Increases distance to sun Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Changes appearance of sun No? No? No? Yes Yes Yes Yes

Planets (extra planets, moons and extra textures)

Tweaking of the Vanilla game's one moonless planet for each sun model. Here are 7 OXPs which do this.

Planetary OXP comparisons

System Redux System Demux DeepHorizon Povray Planets Additional Planets BPlanets Strangers World
Functionability Broken? Broken? Unfinished Old Recent Up-to-date Up-to-date

Links

  • BB discussion