Cheating - Revision history

Cholmondely: Added more, added Phkb's Yaw Boosters, tweaks

2025-07-20T08:58:47Z

Added more, added Phkb's Yaw Boosters, tweaks

Wildeblood: /* "Cheating" OXPs */

2025-05-17T09:01:38Z

‎"Cheating" OXPs

Cholmondely: /* "Cheating" OXPs */ Added SEX Drive OXP

2024-06-06T05:19:43Z

‎"Cheating" OXPs: Added SEX Drive OXP

Phkb: Updating BB links

2024-03-18T04:19:11Z

Updating BB links

Phkb: Updating BB links

2024-02-29T01:24:37Z

Updating BB links

Cholmondely: /* Player-centric OXPs */ Oops!

2024-01-26T16:07:36Z

‎Player-centric OXPs: Oops!

Cholmondely: Added player-centric OXPs

2024-01-12T10:32:39Z

Added player-centric OXPs

Cholmondely: /* Anti-cheating OXPs */ Added TimeSlip, structured the list, added some notes

2023-06-11T13:05:31Z

‎Anti-cheating OXPs: Added TimeSlip, structured the list, added some notes

Cholmondely: Added another picture

2023-04-26T14:28:12Z

Added another picture

Cholmondely: Added picture!

2023-04-26T14:21:20Z

Added picture!

@@ Line 2: / Line 2: @@
 [[File:Caduceus.jpg|thumb|400px|right|The Caduceus über-ship: 8 energy banks, front & rear lasers, 6 broadside mounted plasma cannons, 8 missile slots ...]]
 Is it possible to cheat at Oolite? Does the term actually mean anything?
+== Definitions ==
 <blockquote>
 '''Cheat:''' definition (from www.thefreedictionary.com)
@@ Line 28: / Line 28: @@
 </blockquote>
-) So. I'm not playing Oolite with anybody else, so I can't cheat ''them''!
+) So!
-) Can I cheat "Oolite" itself? Oolite is not "fixed", like the rules of Chess or Cricket (although they are changed every once in a while). And, I can rewrite Oolite (if I have the skills) to do what I like, with the rules that I like - it is "Open Code". Or, I can use OoCheat OXP to give myself oodles of dosh, or even just write the extra dosh into my Oolite save file. But is any of this cheating?
+) But! Can I cheat "Oolite" itself?
-) Can I cheat the NPC's?
+) And! Can I cheat the NPC's?
 There has been much discussion on this subject, needless to say!
 == Player-centric gaming ==
-The one area regarded by many as cheating is to have some advantage which the NPCs cannot get - category (3) above: that the playing field is unfairly tipped towards the player. This is tied in with the doctrine of player-centrism which it is felt that Oolite eschews (see [[User:Diziet Sma|Diziet Sma]] more recently - and [[User:Winston|Winston]] back at the start). Compared to [[Classic Elite]], Oolite is indeed far less player-centric: it's not ''just'' that your ship moves inside the Ooniverse (rather than the universe moving around your ship - as in the game coding in Elite). The debates about the [[Energy Bomb]] (see there) show the importance of this - and how many people felt it was a cheat (the people who wanted to keep it, wanted to keep faith with Classic Elite where it was one of the five weapons in the original game). Oolite being Oolite, it was eventually removed but preserved as an OXP option. Also see the debates over Norby's Telescope OXP in the 2013 thread below, and the discussion half way through the 2012 thread.
+The one area regarded by many as cheating is to have some advantage which the NPCs cannot get - category (3) above: that the playing field is unfairly tipped towards the player. This is tied in with the doctrine of player-centrism which it is felt that Oolite eschews (see [[User:Diziet Sma|Diziet Sma]] more recently - and [[User:Winston|Winston]] back in 2005 - all linked at the bottom of this page). Compared to [[Classic Elite]], Oolite is indeed far less player-centric: it's not ''just'' that your ship moves inside the Ooniverse (rather than the universe moving around your ship - as in the game coding in Elite).
-But there are still at least three areas where Oolite retains some of Elite's player centrism: the [[Torus Drive]] (NPCs don't have it), the existence of Shields (NPCs just have [[Energy banks]]), and a 14% speed bonus for the player's Cobra vs NPC Cobra Mk IIIs.
+The debates about the [[Energy Bomb]] (see link - the player gets it, the NPC's don't) show the importance of this. They also showed how many people felt it was a cheat. While the people who wanted to keep the EB, wanted to keep faith with Classic Elite: it was one of the five weapons in the original game. Oolite being Oolite, it was eventually removed but preserved as an OXP option. Also see the debates over Norby's Telescope OXP in the 2013 thread below, and the discussion half way through the 2012 thread.
-There was some reasoning behind this. The lack of shields for NPCs was seen as a compensation for their lack of damageable equipment. The player's speed bonus enabled an easier escape from the dreaded [[masslock]].
+But there are still at least four areas where Oolite retains some of Elite's player centrism:
 And again, Oolite being Oolite, people such as Cim, Ngalo ("equal rights for NPC's"), Rustem & Dybal started writing OXPs to try and even the playing field, fighting against cheating in category (3) above.
 :[[User:Svengali|Svengali]] was very much against 'cheating' (whatever he meant by it), and tried to create a set of icons in the 2013 thread to let people know what the effects of an OXP would be on game balance. He had already in 2010 developed the [[OXP Levelindicators]] to indicate what sort of [[Elite Rating]] one would need to tackle the OXP (if a ship or a mission for example).
 :[[User:Smivs|Smivs]] seemed to feel that cheating was adding an OXP which made the modified Oolite easier than the [[Vanilla game]] - category (2) above. He devised the [[Gameplay and Balance Indicator]] to show this (in July 2014). Switech seems to have had a [https://bb.oolite.space/viewtopic.php?p=224081#p224081 similar perspective] but focused on upsetting the game balance rather than deviations from the vanilla game. Commander McLane (2012) felt that even tampering with the 7ly jump limit [https://bb.oolite.space/viewtopic.php?p=175594#p175594 breaks the game].
 It is probably worth while taking a close look at Okti's collection in the Guide to Unlisted OXPs and their reception by the community on the BB. Some of the relevant threads seem to have been deleted, but he seems to have responded to the criticisms, taking them on board - see his description of [https://bb.oolite.space/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=9472 SunSkimmerPod.oxp]. It may be possible that the friendly nature of the Oolite community has exerted a social constraint on "cheating" activities - at least where it comes to public activities such as publishing .oxp's.
-There are other matters which used to be regarded as cheating. For example, [https://bb.oolite.space/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=18919 turning away from the space lanes] to avoid mass-locks and piracy.
+There are other matters which used to be regarded as cheating. For example, [https://bb.oolite.space/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=18919 turning away from the space lanes] to avoid mass-locks and piracy. Might this have been a hangover from classic Elite's playercentrism where other ships were spawned directly in the player's path - thus evading the similarity to classic Elite is a cheat even though that aspect of classic Elite was itself a cheat! Is the logic there convoluted enough for you?
 {{QuoteText|Text=What is a cheat?
@@ Line 59: / Line 76: @@
 And this can lead to a stupid 'arms-race' where the player feels they have to start using 'cheat' OXPs to counter the changes they have made to their Ooniverse.<br>
 If you install OXPs that add all sorts of fancy missiles, and tougher ships, and more 'baddies' you should be confident that you can live in that Ooniverse. Just adding more OXPs that 'cheat' in your favour is not the solution. The solution is to remove the problem, not add to it.<br>
-With regard to (Okti's) LongRangeScanner and JumpPlanner, yes of course these are cheats. They were originally designed as aids to OXP developers, not for the normal game, and using them in the normal game is frankly ridiculous. It devalues the game to the point where you might as well not bother! It's like playing Football (or any ball game) where the ball has a magnet in it which carries it into the goal whatever you do!<br>
+With regard to (Okti's) LongRangeScanner/LRS and JumpPlanner, yes of course these are cheats. They were originally designed as aids to OXP developers, not for the normal game, and using them in the normal game is frankly ridiculous. It devalues the game to the point where you might as well not bother! It's like playing Football (or any ball game) where the ball has a magnet in it which carries it into the goal whatever you do!<br>
 LRS removes all the 'fun' of never quite knowing what you will meet next and the extra information it gives will affect the decisions the player makes about how they will handle a new System, to the detriment of the game. JP is a mega-cheat! Multiple system jumps without using fuel! Come on, for goodness sake, this completely destroys one of the cornerstones of the game.<br>
 Great tools for developers, but they really don't have a place in playing the game, and surely that's what it is all about, isn't it? Playing the Game.|Source=([https://bb.oolite.space/viewtopic.php?p=170713#p170713 Smivs (2012)])}}
@@ Line 92: / Line 109: @@
 :'''Torus Drive'''
 *[[TimeSlip]] by [[User:Norby|Norby]] (2013) removes the Torus Drive and replaces it with Time Acceleration thus keeping the "speed" of the game, but not the advantage over NPCs.<br><br>
 :'''Weapons'''

@@ Line 74: / Line 74: @@
 *[[Telescope]] Extender & Gravity Scanner - ''Telescope was split after much debate into non-cheating & cheating portions!''
 *[[Long Range Scanner]] - see ''everything'' in the entire system - and jump to them!
-*[[SEX Drive OXP]] - jump to the station
+*[[SE-X Drive]] - jump to the station
 *[[Illicit Unlock OXP]] - still seen as a cheat? (see below)
 *[[Ubership]] - for a collection of these

@@ Line 73: / Line 73: @@
 *[[Target Tracker]] - super-Target Lock which obviates the need for any combat skill
 *[[Telescope]] Extender & Gravity Scanner - ''Telescope was split after much debate into non-cheating & cheating portions!''
-*[[Long Range Scanner]] - see everything in the entire system
+*[[Long Range Scanner]] - see ''everything'' in the entire system - and jump to them!
 *[[Illicit Unlock OXP]] - still seen as a cheat? (see below)
 *[[Ubership]] - for a collection of these

@@ Line 118: / Line 118: @@
 *BB thread [https://bb.oolite.space/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=18526 2017] rather short - but recent
-*[http://bb.aegidian.org/viewtopic.php?t=10115 The subtle art of cheating] - soliloquy on altering an .oxp (2011)
+*[https://bb.oolite.space/viewtopic.php?t=10115 The subtle art of cheating] - soliloquy on altering an .oxp (2011)
 [[Ubership]]
 [[Category:Oolite]][[Category:Help pages]]

@@ Line 46: / Line 46: @@
 :[[User:Svengali|Svengali]] was very much against 'cheating' (whatever he meant by it), and tried to create a set of icons in the 2013 thread to let people know what the effects of an OXP would be on game balance. He had already in 2010 developed the [[OXP Levelindicators]] to indicate what sort of [[Elite Rating]] one would need to tackle the OXP (if a ship or a mission for example).
-:[[User:Smivs|Smivs]] seemed to feel that cheating was adding an OXP which made the modified Oolite easier than the [[Vanilla game]] - category (2) above. He devised the [[Gameplay and Balance Indicator]] to show this (in July 2014). Switech seems to have had a [http://www.aegidian.org/bb/viewtopic.php?p=224081#p224081 similar perspective] but focused on upsetting the game balance rather than deviations from the vanilla game. Commander McLane (2012) felt that even tampering with the 7ly jump limit [http://www.aegidian.org/bb/viewtopic.php?p=175594#p175594 breaks the game].
+:[[User:Smivs|Smivs]] seemed to feel that cheating was adding an OXP which made the modified Oolite easier than the [[Vanilla game]] - category (2) above. He devised the [[Gameplay and Balance Indicator]] to show this (in July 2014). Switech seems to have had a [https://bb.oolite.space/viewtopic.php?p=224081#p224081 similar perspective] but focused on upsetting the game balance rather than deviations from the vanilla game. Commander McLane (2012) felt that even tampering with the 7ly jump limit [https://bb.oolite.space/viewtopic.php?p=175594#p175594 breaks the game].
-It is probably worth while taking a close look at Okti's collection in the Guide to Unlisted OXPs and their reception by the community on the BB. Some of the relevant threads seem to have been deleted, but he seems to have responded to the criticisms, taking them on board - see his description of [http://www.aegidian.org/bb/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=9472 SunSkimmerPod.oxp]. It may be possible that the friendly nature of the Oolite community has exerted a social constraint on "cheating" activities - at least where it comes to public activities such as publishing .oxp's.
+It is probably worth while taking a close look at Okti's collection in the Guide to Unlisted OXPs and their reception by the community on the BB. Some of the relevant threads seem to have been deleted, but he seems to have responded to the criticisms, taking them on board - see his description of [https://bb.oolite.space/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=9472 SunSkimmerPod.oxp]. It may be possible that the friendly nature of the Oolite community has exerted a social constraint on "cheating" activities - at least where it comes to public activities such as publishing .oxp's.
-There are other matters which used to be regarded as cheating. For example, [http://aegidian.org/bb/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=18919 turning away from the space lanes] to avoid mass-locks and piracy.
+There are other matters which used to be regarded as cheating. For example, [https://bb.oolite.space/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=18919 turning away from the space lanes] to avoid mass-locks and piracy.
 {{QuoteText|Text=What is a cheat?
@@ Line 61: / Line 61: @@
 With regard to (Okti's) LongRangeScanner and JumpPlanner, yes of course these are cheats. They were originally designed as aids to OXP developers, not for the normal game, and using them in the normal game is frankly ridiculous. It devalues the game to the point where you might as well not bother! It's like playing Football (or any ball game) where the ball has a magnet in it which carries it into the goal whatever you do!<br>
 LRS removes all the 'fun' of never quite knowing what you will meet next and the extra information it gives will affect the decisions the player makes about how they will handle a new System, to the detriment of the game. JP is a mega-cheat! Multiple system jumps without using fuel! Come on, for goodness sake, this completely destroys one of the cornerstones of the game.<br>
-Great tools for developers, but they really don't have a place in playing the game, and surely that's what it is all about, isn't it? Playing the Game.|Source=([http://www.aegidian.org/bb/viewtopic.php?p=170713#p170713 Smivs (2012)])}}
+Great tools for developers, but they really don't have a place in playing the game, and surely that's what it is all about, isn't it? Playing the Game.|Source=([https://bb.oolite.space/viewtopic.php?p=170713#p170713 Smivs (2012)])}}
 == OXPs ==
@@ Line 77: / Line 77: @@
 *[[Ubership]] - for a collection of these
 *[[How to tweak OXZ's]] - tweak stuff to make it uber
-*[http://www.aegidian.org/bb/viewtopic.php?p=284994#p284994 Invulnerability to lasers]
+*[https://bb.oolite.space/viewtopic.php?p=284994#p284994 Invulnerability to lasers]
 === Anti-cheating OXPs ===
@@ Line 97: / Line 97: @@
 :'''Death'''
-* [http://aegidian.org/bb/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=12439 Penalize Death.oxp]: 3 OXPs making death hurt in various ways (2012). By [[User:Spara|Spara]].
+* [https://bb.oolite.space/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=12439 Penalize Death.oxp]: 3 OXPs making death hurt in various ways (2012). By [[User:Spara|Spara]].
@@ Line 106: / Line 106: @@
 == Links ==
-*BB thread [http://www.aegidian.org/bb/viewtopic.php?p=8956#p8956 Winston] on player-centrism (2005)
+*BB thread [https://bb.oolite.space/viewtopic.php?p=8956#p8956 Winston] on player-centrism (2005)
-*BB thread [http://www.aegidian.org/bb/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=738 2005/6] when flying an NPC ship was felt to be a cheat (even though [[Illicit Unlock OXP]] came out in 2005). This taboo did not last. See [http://www.aegidian.org/bb/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=10448&start=15 here] (2011 - the feeling was already a minority feeling). And notice the Category at the bottom of this page which excludes Illicit Unlock (created by Jaz in 2013).
+*BB thread [https://bb.oolite.space/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=738 2005/6] when flying an NPC ship was felt to be a cheat (even though [[Illicit Unlock OXP]] came out in 2005). This taboo did not last. See [https://bb.oolite.space/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=10448&start=15 here] (2011 - the feeling was already a minority feeling). And notice the Category at the bottom of this page which excludes Illicit Unlock (created by Jaz in 2013).
-*BB thread [http://www.aegidian.org/bb/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=8561 2010] altering your save file (see 2021 comments by Tsoj & Stranger).
+*BB thread [https://bb.oolite.space/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=8561 2010] altering your save file (see 2021 comments by Tsoj & Stranger).
-*BB thread [http://www.aegidian.org/bb/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=11927 2012] discussion in middle is based on player-centrist assumptions
+*BB thread [https://bb.oolite.space/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=11927 2012] discussion in middle is based on player-centrist assumptions
-*BB thread [http://www.aegidian.org/bb/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=11569 Confessions of a cheater - WARNING: contains spoilers] (2012)
+*BB thread [https://bb.oolite.space/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=11569 Confessions of a cheater - WARNING: contains spoilers] (2012)
-*BB thread [http://www.aegidian.org/bb/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=15443 2013] more focused on cheating OXPs (and with links to other relevant threads)
+*BB thread [https://bb.oolite.space/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=15443 2013] more focused on cheating OXPs (and with links to other relevant threads)
-*BB thread [http://www.aegidian.org/bb/viewtopic.php?p=243615#p243615 2015] Diziet Sma on using Cheat OXP
+*BB thread [https://bb.oolite.space/viewtopic.php?p=243615#p243615 2015] Diziet Sma on using Cheat OXP
-*BB thread [http://aegidian.org/bb/viewtopic.php?p=240355#p240355 2015] Smivs on why Laser Coolers would constitute a "cheat"
+*BB thread [https://bb.oolite.space/viewtopic.php?p=240355#p240355 2015] Smivs on why Laser Coolers would constitute a "cheat"
-*BB thread [http://www.aegidian.org/bb/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=17428 2015] Tweaking your ship to make it [[Über]]
+*BB thread [https://bb.oolite.space/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=17428 2015] Tweaking your ship to make it [[Über]]
-*BB thread [http://www.aegidian.org/bb/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=17178 2015] COMPETITION: unbalanced oxp-uber-mega-weapons!
+*BB thread [https://bb.oolite.space/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=17178 2015] COMPETITION: unbalanced oxp-uber-mega-weapons!
-*BB thread [http://www.aegidian.org/bb/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=18526 2017] rather short - but recent
+*BB thread [https://bb.oolite.space/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=18526 2017] rather short - but recent
 *[http://bb.aegidian.org/viewtopic.php?t=10115 The subtle art of cheating] - soliloquy on altering an .oxp (2011)

@@ Line 103: / Line 103: @@
 These are not cheating per se - but create stuff depending on the actions of the player.
 *[[Deep Space Pirates]] creates pirates only along the path the player is travelling in deep space - nowhere else.
-*[[Deep Space Dredgers]] does the same for Dredgers (but [[BigShips OXP]] adds yet other dredgers independent of the player)
+*[[Deep Space Dredger]] does the same for Dredgers (but [[BigShips OXP]] adds yet other dredgers independent of the player)
 == Links ==

@@ Line 79: / Line 79: @@
 === Anti-cheating OXPs ===
-*[[Fair Cobra III]] by [[User:Cim|Cim]] (2012) upgrades the speed, energy and energy recharge rate of NPC Cobra IIIs to match the player's.
+:'''Ships''': ''Note that Aegidian originally improved the player's speed to allow escape from Masslocking!''
-*[[N-Shields]] by Ngalo (2016) - see [[User:Ngalo|Ngalo]] for some more
+*[[Fair Cobra III]] by [[User:Cim|Cim]] (2012) upgrades the speed, energy and energy recharge rate of NPC Cobra IIIs to match the player's.
-*[[Military Shields Ships]] OXP by [[User:Rustem|Rustem]] (2018)
+*[[Jane's Galactic Shipset]] by [[User:Redspear|Redspear]] (2021) includes a reduction of the player's speed to that of NPCs <br><br>
 *[[NPC Energy Units OXP]] by [[User:Dybal|Dybal]] (2020)
-* [http://aegidian.org/bb/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=12439 Penalize Death.oxp] Making death hurt (2012). By Spara.
+:'''Shields''': ''Note that Aegidian originally removed NPC shields to compensate for their lack of breakable equipment.''
-*[[Q-bomb AI modification]] by [[User:Rustem|Rustem]] (2017) allows NPCs to use their Q-bombs too
+*[[N-Shields]] by Ngalo (2016) - see [[User:Ngalo|Ngalo]]. Includes a "fair emulation" of the player's shields
-*[[Skilled NPCs OXP]] by [[User:Cim|Cim]] (2013) allows NPCs to be much more skilled than in the [[Vanilla game]]
+*[[Military Shields Ships]] OXP by [[User:Rustem|Rustem]] (2018). Grants equivalent military style shields to some NPCs.
 == Links ==

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:28, 26 April 2023
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		+	[[File:Oocheat F4 menu.png\|thumb\|400px\|right\|Oocheat OXZ]]
	[[File:Caduceus.jpg\|thumb\|400px\|right\|The Caduceus über-ship: 8 energy banks, front & rear lasers, 6 broadside mounted plasma cannons, 8 missile slots ...]]		[[File:Caduceus.jpg\|thumb\|400px\|right\|The Caduceus über-ship: 8 energy banks, front & rear lasers, 6 broadside mounted plasma cannons, 8 missile slots ...]]
	Is it possible to cheat at Oolite? Does the term actually mean anything?		Is it possible to cheat at Oolite? Does the term actually mean anything?

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:21, 26 April 2023
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		+	[[File:Caduceus.jpg\|thumb\|400px\|right\|The Caduceus über-ship: 8 energy banks, front & rear lasers, 6 broadside mounted plasma cannons, 8 missile slots ...]]
	Is it possible to cheat at Oolite? Does the term actually mean anything?		Is it possible to cheat at Oolite? Does the term actually mean anything?