GalDrivePod

GalDrivePod
Name	Portable Galactic Hyperdrive Unit
Cost	7,500₢
TL Availability	12

Portable Galactic Hyperdrive Unit (GalDrivePod v1.3)

Overview

The portable Galactic Hyperdrive unit can be pylon mounted for use when a standard drive is not available. It is activated the same way as missiles and mines, and once activated/installed works the same way as a regular Galactic Hyperdrive.
The Portable Galactic Hyperdrive Unit is available from Tech Level 12 and above, and costs 7,500 Credits. You can have as many of them as you have spare Pylons, and they can be dismounted and sold.
The Portable Galactic Hyperdrive Unit cannot be accidentally activated when a standard Galactic Hyperdrive is already installed, and a console warning will remind you that you already have a standard Galactic Hyperdrive fitted should this be attempted.
This OXP will allow you to jump to the 'unreachable systems' normally not accessible due to the risk of getting stuck there. To avoid citizens accidentally getting stranded in these systems, GalCop have placed Wormhole Suppressors at these Worlds which prevent a wormhole from being opened to them. The GalDrivePod has an over-ride circuit which cancels the effects of the Wormhole Suppressor, thus allowing you to use a normal Galactic Hyperdrive to reach these systems, and the GalDrivePod can then be used to leave again. You will only be able to reach them if you have a GalDrivePod installed.

Below are a couple of fun things you can do with it.

Record attempt

You can attempt to set a record time for a 'round-trip' through all the galaxies. Included with this OXP is a save file which will give you an Anaconda equipped with a Galactic Hyperdrive and seven GalDrivePods, docked at Lave in Galaxy One.
The idea is to launch and immediately GalJump to G2, then arm and deploy a GalDrivePod and jump to G3 and keep repeating this process until you are back at Lave in G1. Take a screenshot just before you launch, then take a screenshot of the 'Galaxy Map' screen (F6/F6) as you emerge in each galaxy. As soon as you dock back at Lave take another. By comparing the time (on the HUD) between the first and last screenshots you will see how quickly you did the whole round trip. The intermediate screenshots are your photographic verification that you did the whole trip.
The Benchmark time is 35 minutes 29 seconds (game-time). You can register your record attempt on the GalDrivePod thread on the Oolite Forum.

Capt Solo's chart of Galaxy 7 (Jaftra) showing the Great Rift - with his routes

Lost Worlds Grand Tour

The tour starts in Galaxy 6. Before you set off, buy a GalDrivePod, then starting at Adien in the bottom-left corner of galaxy 6, jump to the systems on the 'wrong side' of the Great Rift in Galaxy 7, where you can experience planets that you would not otherwise ever see. There are a wide variety of Government types and Tech levels from a nice TL 1 Anarchy, up to some stable, Industrial worlds.
You must buy a new Galactic Hyperdrive and GalDrivePod in this region, then by going down to Onteised in the very bottom-left corner, Galactic jump to the near-mythical World of Oresrati in Galaxy 8. Oresrati is remote and isolated, and with a tech Level so low you cannot buy a Galactic Hyperdrive unit there.
Previously this has made any trip to Oresrati a dead-end one-way trip, but no more! Now you can return to Galaxy 1 using the portable Galactic Hyperdrive unit.

Licence/Author

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

Version History

v1.4 Released 2015/03/07 Script update for compatibility with Oolite v1.81.

v1.3 Released 2011/07/15 Updated main script to allow GalDrivePod to work nicely with other OXPs.

v1.2 Released 2011/03/24 Revision to avoid chance of getting stuck in unreachable systems. Save_file included for 'Record Attempt'

v1.1 Released 2011/03/03 Updated readme file included.

v1.0 Released 2011/02/19

Download

Download GalDrivePod OXZ (downloaded 3436 times) or use the Expansions Manager.

Oolite Forum thread

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

Gameplay and Balance indicator