OXP howto - Revision history

Cholmondely: Added links specifically for OXP categories (Ships, HUDs, Missions, etc).

2026-07-28T13:49:10Z

Added links specifically for OXP categories (Ships, HUDs, Missions, etc).

Cholmondely: /* Helpful OXPs for your OXP */ Added in to GalCop Missions note

2026-07-28T11:30:17Z

‎Helpful OXPs for your OXP: Added in to GalCop Missions note

Wildeblood: /* Asking AI to write a script for you */ Now hopelessly out of date.

2026-06-19T01:57:30Z

‎Asking AI to write a script for you: Now hopelessly out of date.

Cholmondely: /* Structure */ Added context, updated for keyconfig2.plist

2026-05-17T07:48:57Z

‎Structure: Added context, updated for keyconfig2.plist

Cholmondely: Added pretty picture, fixed link, added note, minor tweaks

2025-12-28T18:57:27Z

Added pretty picture, fixed link, added note, minor tweaks

Cholmondely: /* Structure */ Added note

2025-12-28T18:12:23Z

‎Structure: Added note

Cholmondely: Tweaks, links, added notes.

2025-07-27T09:15:14Z

Tweaks, links, added notes.

Wildeblood: /* Config */ Moved items describing deprecated plists to under the "deprecated" heading. (Der.)

2025-04-19T05:29:01Z

‎Config: Moved items describing deprecated plists to under the "deprecated" heading. (Der.)

Cholmondely: /* OXP Verifier */ Added note

2025-04-10T08:57:44Z

‎OXP Verifier: Added note

Cholmondely: Death to typos! Even the Hiranic vesions!!

2024-08-09T13:33:26Z

Death to typos! Even the Hiranic vesions!!

@@ Line 228: / Line 228: @@
 *[https://bb.oolite.space/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=20937 MasterClass: How to OXP (updating SoThisTC)] by [[User:Spara|Spara]] who teaches computing in Helsinki! (2021)
 *[https://archive.org/details/GettingStartedWithOoliteOXZDevelopment Getting started with OXZ Development] ''An .odt for Open Office'': By Bugbear (2012). 2 example OXPs: a pirate-ridden solar systems warning tool & Witchspace Blockades [https://bb.oolite.space/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=17731 BB Thread (2015)]
 *[https://bb.oolite.space/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=18837 OXP Performance] BB thread (mostly 2017-8): improving your OXP (speed, ''etc'')
+==== Tutorials: Ships, Retextures & Dockables OXPs ====
 *[https://bb.oolite.space/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=18284 The bare minimum for a game-recognizable ship OXP] (thread: 2016)
 *[https://bb.oolite.space/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=14135 How to make a simple OXP?] (thread: 2013) 3 OXPs - pop-up message at docking, set only Pythons for sale at Lave shipyard, create a new ship.
 *[[Escape Pod Locator OXP]] has notes on programming on the bottom of the page regarding beacon transmission & location

@@ Line 246: / Line 246: @@
 :*It allows in-game configuration of an oxp by the player.
 :*Add-on modules allows inspection of models and materials for creation of ship & station oxps.
-*[[GalCop Missions]] introduces many new pieces of equipment with wide varieties of use (Cargo Stoppers, Ejection Dampers, Range Finders, Solar Radiation Disrupter Missiles, Seismic Resonance Scanners, Patient Transport Modules ''etc''). It can also help with managing missions.
+*[[GalCop Missions]] introduces many new pieces of equipment with wide varieties of use (Cargo Stoppers, Ejection Dampers, Range Finders, Solar Radiation Disrupter Missiles, Seismic Resonance Scanners, Patient Transport Modules ''etc''). It can also help with creating missions (it contains over 80 varieties - see the spoiler button on that wiki page).
 *[[Diplomancy]] can be used to make states of war impact personally on the player
 *[[System Data Config]] helps re-organise the F7 screen to squeeze more information onto it

@@ Line 129: / Line 129: @@
 * [[Scripting_Oolite_with_JavaScript|Scripting Oolite with Javascript]]
 * [[Oolite_JavaScript_object_model|Scripting reference]]
 ===Textures folder===

@@ Line 62: / Line 62: @@
 *[https://bb.oolite.space/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=13134 Nested OXPs in AddOns folder] (2012) - some OXZ's do this (Station spotter oxp inside [[Stations for Extra Planets]])
-===AIs===
+===AIs folder===
 The folder named AIs contains any AI.plist additions the OXP might use.
@@ Line 72: / Line 72: @@
 * [[Oolite PriorityAI Tutorial]]
-===Config===
+===Config folder===
 All plist files except for those introducing new AIs, ''[[requires.plist]]'', ''[[manifest.plist]]'' or ''[[Misc plists|info.plist]]'', belong in Config.
@@ Line 92: / Line 92: @@
 * ''[[gui-settings.plist]]'' settings for reformatting the GUI screens (v1.81)
 * ''[[hud.plist]]'' and ''[[hud.plist|hud-small.plist]]'' that allows for changes or a radically new ''Head-Up Display''.
-* ''[[Oolite_Keyboard_Controls|keyconfig.plist]]'' that allows for changes of the keymapping.
+* ''[[Oolite_Keyboard_Controls|keyconfig2.plist]]'' that allows for changes of the keymapping.
 * ''[[missiontext.plist]]'' contains texts for the mission screens.
 * ''[[OXPMessages.plist]]'' adds warnings to testversions of an oxp.
@@ Line 113: / Line 113: @@
 * ''[[demoships.plist]]'' that selects demoships to show on startup (replaced - approximately - by shiplibrary.plist in 1.79 and later)
 * ''[[illegal_goods.plist]]'' that contains a list of banned/forbidden items in 1.80 or earlier. GalCop has an eye on that.
 * ''[[pirate-victim-roles.plist]]'' that defines which roles should act as traders. (deprecated in v1.79)
 * ''[[script.plist]]'' to handle conditional ''script actions''. (deprecated)
 * ''[[script.oos]]'' was briefly introduced during 1.70 development but is now deprecated in favour of JS.)
-=== Models===
+=== Models folder===
 Oolite models need to be in an Oolite specific format using the the '''.dat''' file extension. There are utilities available that convert models made in Wings 3D (.obj) and Meshwork (.mesh) into this. A .dat file can be opened in a plain text editor to view the object's assigned texture names and see that they correspond with the actual file names in the Textures folder. The .dat file must be named exactly as it is referenced in the shipdata ''model'' entry - case sensitive!!!
@@ Line 124: / Line 125: @@
 * Video: [https://bb.oolite.space/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=16123 From scratch to Mamba in under an hour] ([[Dertien]], 2013)
-===Scripts===
+===Scripts folder===
 Scripts are in text format. In this folder you can put both JavaScript scripts as well as legacy scripts. New OXPs should only use JavaScript here.
 * [[Scripting_Oolite_with_JavaScript|Scripting Oolite with Javascript]]
@@ Line 132: / Line 133: @@
 * [[User:Wildeblood|Wildeblood]] has been good enough to provide a "feed" for Google's GeminiAI/Deepmind with information about the version of Javascript which Oolite uses. See [[Gemini AI Prompt]] - instructions at bottom of the wiki page.
-===Textures===
+===Textures folder===
 Oolite's textures are in the '''.png''' format, usually at a standard 512x512 size, and must be named exactly as they are named in the .dat file.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 :''Shortcut: EW:OXP and EW:HOWDS redirect here''</br>
-[[Image:oolite-oxp-icon.png|100px|right|OXP icon]]
+[[Image:oolite-oxp-icon.png|100px|thumb|right|OXP icon]]
 ==Overview==
-An '''Oolite Expansion Pack''' can cause many big changes or additions to Oolite's gameplay, or it may represent just a small, subtle alteration. By first appearances, there is no way to tell what is inside, as it's merely a folder with the added extension '''.oxp'''.
+An '''Oolite Expansion Pack''' can cause many big changes or additions to Oolite's gameplay, or it may represent just a small, subtle alteration. By first appearances, there is no way to tell what is inside, as it's merely a ''folder'' with the added extension '''.oxp'''.
 Oolite Version 1.79 onwards supports also compressed files in ZIP format with extension '''.oxz'''.
@@ Line 54: / Line 55: @@
   --> [[manifest.plist]] (file)
       ''the following might also be found in here:''
-  --> [[Misc plists|info.plist]] (file, seems unnecessary)
+  --> [[Misc plists|info.plist]] (file, seems to be a poor duplicate of the Manifest.plist)
   --> [[Requires.plist]] (file: deprecated - replaced by Manifest.plist)
@@ Line 72: / Line 73: @@
 ===Config===
-All plist files except for those introducing new AIs, ''[[requires.plist]]'', ''[[manifest.plist]]'' or ''[[info.plist]]'', belong in Config.
+All plist files except for those introducing new AIs, ''[[requires.plist]]'', ''[[manifest.plist]]'' or ''[[Misc plists|info.plist]]'', belong in Config.
 In its simplest form, an OXP could contain only a Config with an altering ''script.plist'' or ''planetinfo.plist''.  An OXP that adds a new ship needs a ''shipdata.plist'' entry, and unless it is based entirely on existing Oolite data, would include a model and texture.
@@ Line 95: / Line 96: @@
 * ''[[OXPMessages.plist]]'' adds warnings to testversions of an oxp.
 * ''[[planetinfo.plist]]'' that plots system specific changes from the default. May also contain ''script actions''.
-* ''[[role-categories.plist]]'' for specifying groups of roles with similar properties (v1.79)
+* ''[[role-categories.plist]]'' for specifying groups of roles (''eg''.: trader, Miner, pirate ''etc''.) with similar properties (v1.79)
 * ''[[scenarios.plist]]'' lists the starting scenarios in the Scenarios folder (v1.79).
 * ''[[screenbackgrounds.plist]]'' that contains references to background images (v1.74).
@@ Line 146: / Line 147: @@
 * [[Viewing a Texture or Model]]
-==OXP Verifier==
+==Tool: OXP Verifier==
 Oolite has what amounts to a spell checker for shipdata.plist and some other plists, called the OXP verifier.
@@ Line 180: / Line 181: @@
 Since a very small mistake is enough to stop a .plist from being accepted, it's important to be exact about every letter and sign. The Mac Terminal utility has a very practical tool for catching parser errors. After opening Terminal, simply type plutil, add one space, and drag and drop the plist in question onto the Terminal window. This will cause the 'address' of the plist to be shown. Hit return, and Terminal will reveal whether or not the plist is OK. If it's not, you might be given a clue to what is wrong, and the line number of the error - or just a general note that "Unexpected character { at line 1"!
-==Unique names==
+==Need for unique names==
 On loading the oxps, Oolite will add all files in the AIs, Models, Sound and Scripts folders in one big folder for its own use. That means that all files need unique names or one file will overwrite another with the same name. Files in Textures are not pre-loaded, but when looking for a specific texture Oolite looks in all Texture folders until it finds a texture file with a matching name. If another oxp contains a texture with identical name, Oolite could use that texture.

@@ Line 40: / Line 40: @@
 The structure for OXPs:
   AddOns (folder)
-  ~.oxp (folder) - Holds manifest.plist and the other folders:
+  ~.oxp (really just another folder!) - Holds manifest.plist and the other folders:
   --> AIs (folder) - Holds AI plists

@@ Line 40: / Line 40: @@
 The structure for OXPs:
   AddOns (folder)
-  -.oxp (folder) - Holds requires.plist, manifest.plist and the other folders
+  ~.oxp (folder) - Holds manifest.plist and the other folders:
   --> AIs (folder) - Holds AI plists
-  --> Config (folder) - Holds all other plists
+  --> Config (folder) - Holds all other plists (and possibly an anonymous "Script.js")
   --> Images (folder) - Holds background images
-  --> Models (folder) - Holds the .dat files
+  --> Models (folder) - Holds the .dat files (special Oolite format)
-  --> Music (folder) - Surprise - holds music files
+  --> Music (folder) - Surprise - holds .ogg music files
   --> Scenarios (folder) - Holds new game scenarios (v1.79)
   --> Scripts (folder) - Holds scripts (worldScripts and shipScripts)
   --> Shaders (folder) - Holds Vertex and Fragment shaders (v1.69)
   --> Sounds (folder) - Holds sound files
-  --> Textures (folder) - Holds models textures
+  --> Textures (folder) - Holds models textures (can be planets, too!)
   --> [[manifest.plist]] (file)
 *If the OXP is in the uncompressed OXP folder format, the .oxp folder must contain a [[requires.plist]] file. If it is in the compressed OXZ single-file format, it must contain a [[manifest.plist]] file.
@@ Line 124: / Line 127: @@
 * [[Scripting_Oolite_with_JavaScript|Scripting Oolite with Javascript]]
 * [[Oolite_JavaScript_object_model|Scripting reference]]
 ===Textures===

@@ Line 142: / Line 142: @@
 ==OXP Verifier==
-Oolite has what amounts to a spell checker for shipdata.plist and some other plists, called the OXP verifier. It does not work with OXZ's. The verifier detects unknown keys or wrong use of keys ''etc''. It can currently only be invoked from the command line.
+Oolite has what amounts to a spell checker for shipdata.plist and some other plists, called the OXP verifier.
 On Windows or Linux:

@@ Line 98: / Line 98: @@
 * ''[[scenarios.plist]]'' lists the starting scenarios in the Scenarios folder (v1.79).
 * ''[[screenbackgrounds.plist]]'' that contains references to background images (v1.74).
-* ''[[Scripting Oolite with JavaScript|script.js]]'' is the successor of [[script.plist]] in JavaScript.It will be loaded in preference to script.plist if both exist. The JavaScript vesion offers improved possibilities and is easier to use.
+* ''[[Scripting Oolite with JavaScript|script.js]]'' is the successor of [[script.plist]] in JavaScript.It will be loaded in preference to script.plist if both exist. The JavaScript version offers improved possibilities and is easier to use.
 * ''[[shipdata.plist]]'' that introduces any new entity (ships, stations, objects etc.) to Oolite.
 * ''[[shipdata-overrides.plist]]'' that selectively can replace shipentries in other shipdata.plists