OXP

An OXP (Oolite eXpansion Pack) is an enhancement to the game Oolite. An OXP could be a new game object (such as a ship, space station or a moon), a mission, or a combination of several elements. OXPs can use all of the facilities of Oolite, including some that are not used in the standard, unexpanded game.

Finding OXPs

The OXP List provides a comprehensive list of Oolite expansion packs. Use this list to access the most recent versions.

For purely historical purposes (or a touch of nostalgia if you've been around Oolite for a long time) you might want to look at The Oolite Satellite Resource Site (Oosat2, quite broken but still accessible, 2006-11-04 until 2007-03-03) or the even older Captain Hack OoSat Site (Oosat1, beginning until 2006-10-14). For your curiosity and maybe one or the other odd find there is also the OXP Attic which houses derelict OXPs from times long past.

Help with OXPs

Information on OXPs can also be found on the Expansion Pack Forum, the friendliest Board this side of Riedquat. The helpful people there will be happy to assist you with any questions you have about OXPs.

Installing an OXP

Typically, an OXP is downloaded as a ZIP file. Unzip the OXP and place it in the folder named AddOns.

After unzipping the file, make sure that it is only the OXP folder that put into the AddOns directory - some zipped OXPs can contain a top level folder with a readMe file, and the actual OXP folder is a level further down. If this is the case, move the folder with the .oxp extension into the AddOns folder.

You might need to clear the cache to ensure a new or updated OXP works properly. To do this, hold down 'Shift' when starting the game until you see the spinning Cobra.

Sometimes the zipped files contain several folders, make sure you only copy the folder -or file for Macintoshes- ending with .oxp into the AddOns folder. This folder is found in different locations, depending on the platform.

Locating your AddOns folder

Mac OS X

Found in the folder that contains the Oolite application.

Alternatively you can also have the AddOns folder in your user area at ~/Library/Application Support/Oolite/AddOns/. When both places contain an AddOns folder, both contents are read with the content in the user libraries loading last.

Troubleshooting: If you get an error saying "The item could not be moved because "AddOns" cannot be modified", that can happen if you weren't the user that installed Oolite. The solution is to put the OXPs of your choice in ~/Library/Application Support/Oolite/AddOns/ instead (you may need to create this folder). The error could also be triggered because you’re running from the disk image, you’ll need to copy the game somewhere else. Having done so, if you still get the error, use the Get Info command on the AddOns folder, open the Ownership & Permissions pane and check that it says You Can: Read & Write.

Linux

The OXP directory can be found in $HOME/.Oolite/AddOns. for all current versions of OOlite

Windows

The AddOns folder should be in the top level of the Oolite install directory (at the same level as the oolite.app folder). Historical: if you are using the GNUStep dedicated versions (pre-Jan 2006), then the AddOns folder must be created inside the oolite.app folder.

Caveats

If you purchase a ship that is an OXP ship and save the game, you will only be able to load that commander as long as this OXP is installed in AddOns. If it's not, Oolite will give you an error instead of trying to load the commander.

Creating an OXP

It is intended to be easy to create expansion packs. Take a look at the How to make OXPs page for more information.