12-21-2023, 11:45 PM
Spacecraft Ops
Taking command of a spacecraft is a daunting task for a newbie. Several unobvious steps are needed.
When an avatar boards a new spacecraft a short tutorial lesson starts. It gives a brief set of instructions on how to take command of a spacecraft and how to command it.
Wormhole Name Unknown
Spacecraft can now go through unexplored wormholes with no human aboard. This results in wormholes called "Unknown".
These are the naming steps when a spacecraft goes through an unnamed wormhole.
1. If a human captain is found, the wormhole is named after them, using their wormhole sequence number.
2. If no captain is found, a human officer is found. The wormhole is named after them, using their wormhole sequence number.
3. If no human captain or officer is found, the wormhole is named after the ship, using the ship's wormhole sequence number.
Wormhole sequence number? What's that? That is the number of times an avatar or spacecraft has been credited with exploring an unexplored wormhole.
Fast Solar System Survey
NPCs take a huge amount of time to perform a solar system survey scan. Because of that there is an unobvious way for an avatar to make the survey happen instantly if they do it themself.
NPCs calculate the amount of time it might take to get every planet in sensor range and record the information. This time is reduced as rank increases. That might be somewhat realistic but it doesn't reconcile with the avatar's ability to perform the survey instantly.
NPCs were changed to calculate the amount of time differently. It is still based on their rank but the longest time at the lowest rank is only 12 seconds now.
A button was added to the sensor station that performs the solar system survey scan, without having to select anything on the screen.
Position Report Frequency
Spacecraft post position reports every 10 minutes. This is the information the star map uses to show the location and status of spacecraft. Can this time be reduced?
Spacecraft now post their position reports once per minute.
NPC Walks in Lava
During a story segment, an NPC departs the scene by walking off. This is always on an inferno world and the poor guy almost always ends up walking into a sea of lava, which is deadly.
NPCs now watch where they step. They will stop moving if they encounter lava or supercooled liquid.
Suffocating ParcX Guy
The Del Rey station said I had a ParcX package waiting. As soon as I got aboard, the ParcX guy showed up, dropped the package, and suffocated and died before I could get the station door closed. I tried this several times and it was a challenge to get the door closed fast enough to keep him alive. On one attempt, his body fell in the doorway and it was impossible to close the door without picking him up first.
ParcX guy now wears an EV suit if he is in an unbreathable atmosphere.
Comm Message Image
When I double-click a comm message with an attached image, the dialog that shows the image is pretty lame.
The image dialog now uses a different widget for displaying the image. It allows for pan and zoom. It also shows a caption under the picture when the story script calls for one.
Service Vehicle
Rocket training says I can press K to get my vehicle serviced. Most of the time this seems to do nothing.
Service request in a vehicle now provides a lot more feedback.
Taking command of a spacecraft is a daunting task for a newbie. Several unobvious steps are needed.
When an avatar boards a new spacecraft a short tutorial lesson starts. It gives a brief set of instructions on how to take command of a spacecraft and how to command it.
Wormhole Name Unknown
Spacecraft can now go through unexplored wormholes with no human aboard. This results in wormholes called "Unknown".
These are the naming steps when a spacecraft goes through an unnamed wormhole.
1. If a human captain is found, the wormhole is named after them, using their wormhole sequence number.
2. If no captain is found, a human officer is found. The wormhole is named after them, using their wormhole sequence number.
3. If no human captain or officer is found, the wormhole is named after the ship, using the ship's wormhole sequence number.
Wormhole sequence number? What's that? That is the number of times an avatar or spacecraft has been credited with exploring an unexplored wormhole.
Fast Solar System Survey
NPCs take a huge amount of time to perform a solar system survey scan. Because of that there is an unobvious way for an avatar to make the survey happen instantly if they do it themself.
NPCs calculate the amount of time it might take to get every planet in sensor range and record the information. This time is reduced as rank increases. That might be somewhat realistic but it doesn't reconcile with the avatar's ability to perform the survey instantly.
NPCs were changed to calculate the amount of time differently. It is still based on their rank but the longest time at the lowest rank is only 12 seconds now.
A button was added to the sensor station that performs the solar system survey scan, without having to select anything on the screen.
Position Report Frequency
Spacecraft post position reports every 10 minutes. This is the information the star map uses to show the location and status of spacecraft. Can this time be reduced?
Spacecraft now post their position reports once per minute.
NPC Walks in Lava
During a story segment, an NPC departs the scene by walking off. This is always on an inferno world and the poor guy almost always ends up walking into a sea of lava, which is deadly.
NPCs now watch where they step. They will stop moving if they encounter lava or supercooled liquid.
Suffocating ParcX Guy
The Del Rey station said I had a ParcX package waiting. As soon as I got aboard, the ParcX guy showed up, dropped the package, and suffocated and died before I could get the station door closed. I tried this several times and it was a challenge to get the door closed fast enough to keep him alive. On one attempt, his body fell in the doorway and it was impossible to close the door without picking him up first.
ParcX guy now wears an EV suit if he is in an unbreathable atmosphere.
Comm Message Image
When I double-click a comm message with an attached image, the dialog that shows the image is pretty lame.
The image dialog now uses a different widget for displaying the image. It allows for pan and zoom. It also shows a caption under the picture when the story script calls for one.
Service Vehicle
Rocket training says I can press K to get my vehicle serviced. Most of the time this seems to do nothing.
Service request in a vehicle now provides a lot more feedback.