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. Please note that if you run Oolite in 'Strict Play' mode (set via pressing F2 when docked or paused and then selecting 'Reset to Strict play'), OXPs are not loaded.

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.

OXPs suitable for new players

It is suggested that players new to the game should be careful when choosing OXPs. The basic game is extremely well-balanced and has stood the test of time, but many OXPs change the balance and dynamics of the game.

To make an informed choice as to what OXPs you might want, you do need to understand the way the standard game works first, so it is recommended that new players should consider playing Oolite without game-changing OXPs for a while.

However, many OXPs will just enhance eye-candy and ambience - they make the game look better, or add features which make the Oolite experience more enjoyable without affecting the way the game plays.

To help, a list of suitable OXPs for newcomers has been compiled. These are OXPs that will not affect gameplay but are worthwhile additions for the new player who wants a diverse and visually exciting Ooniverse.

Everyone has their own idea of what OXPs should be in a starter pack, or which are just best. There are several threads on the Forum on this topic, perhaps the best-balanced and most useful for newcomers being this one.

Player recommendations

These commanders have put together lists of their personal favourites:

JazHaz

Cpt

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 or directory ('folder' and 'directory' are synonyms) 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.

If you have followed these instructions and OXPs are not being recognised by the game check you are not running Oolite in 'Strict Play' mode. Strict Play mode disables all OXPs. Strict Play mode can be enabled and disabled by pressing F2 (when docked or paused) and selecting 'Reset to Strict play' or 'Reset to Unrestricted Play' as required.

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 location of the AddOns folder will depend on whether you chose to install Oolite to 'Home' or 'System'.

If you chose the 'Home' installation, the AddOns directory is located in ~/GNUstep/Applications/Oolite/AddOns. The AddOns folder should be in the top level of the Oolite install directory (at the same level as the oolite.app folder) You may have to create it.

If you chose the 'System' installation, the AddOns directory will be ~/.Oolite/Add-ons. You may have to create it. Note that this is a 'hidden' directory, and so you may have to turn on 'Show hidden files' in your file manager before you can see it.

An alternative location for a 'System' installation is the /opt/Oolite/AddOns directory, but most users find this less convenient than ~/.Oolite/Add-ons.

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.

Diagnostics

With some OXPs installed, the directory structure will look something like this:

...\AddOns\Basic-debug.oxp

...\AddOns\Cabal_Common_Library1.5.1.oxp

...\AddOns\Explorers'_Club_1.3.1_2012-01-21.oxp

...\AddOns\halsis.oxp

...\AddOns\Material Test Suite v1.2.oxp

with other directories and files under each of the .oxp directories. You should only find .oxp directories immediately under a \AddOns directory.

If none of your OXPs are working, are you in Strict Mode?

If you edit the contents of one of your OXPs and cannot see the change, restart Oolite holding down <Shift> to force Oolite to re-read all the OXP files.

If an OXP you installed is not working or is misbehaving, check the Latest.log file - you should see a list of the OXPs you have installed. You should see a trend in the names which will tell you if you have installed an OXP within another OXP (move it) or two versions of an OXP (remove the older one) or it is absent suggesting you put it in the wrong place or did not get the .oxp directory extension correct (did you unzip the OXP?).

If you know how, a system-wide search for any directory ending in ".oxp" should pull up the OXPs you have installed and they should only appear immediately beneath a \AddOns directory and never inside another .oxp directory (this is an easily-done error when extracting a zip file).

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.