Difference between revisions of "PT-BVRM Pteranodon OXZ"

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[[Image:Pteranodon 01.jpg|thumb|right|200px|'''Pteranodon''' - Mythical bird-precursor, Terran. (Artist's impression). Credit: Xexedi University, dept. of Mythography and pre-History.]]
 
== A Toothless Flying Terror ==
 
== A Toothless Flying Terror ==
  
−
This week, a Pteranodon is set to soar out of the hidden heart of Galcop's 'Black Labs', our faceless, voiceless '''inside informant''' told your favourite reporter earlier today. The name's meaning, in a now-forgotten Terran language, is 'Toothless flyer'. Appropriate for a '''standoff missile''' that purportedly will '''irradiate''' but won't kill.
+
This week, a Pteranodon is set to soar out of the hidden heart of Galcop's 'Black Labs', our faceless, voiceless '''inside informant''' told your favourite reporter earlier today. The name's meaning, in a now-forgotten Terran language, is 'Toothless Flyer'. Uncannily fitting for a '''standoff missile''' that purportedly will '''irradiate''' but won't kill.
  
−
On evidence gathered, Galcop is in the throes of a last bid to survive: economizing on manpower and vehicles, downsizing the arsenal drastically, then licensing all its new assets out to civilian contractors, ''our'' Vault Whisperer strongly intimates.
+
On evidence gathered, '''Galcop''' is in the throes of a last bid to '''survive''': economizing on manpower and vehicles, downsizing the arsenal drastically, then licensing all its new assets out to civilian contractors, ''our'' Vault Whisperer strongly intimates.
  
 
And their darkly innovative <u>PT-BVRM Pteranodon</u> is already <u>third</u> in a line - or suite - of '''licensable weapons'''.  
 
And their darkly innovative <u>PT-BVRM Pteranodon</u> is already <u>third</u> in a line - or suite - of '''licensable weapons'''.  
Line 9: Line 10:
 
But PT is unquestionably the most frightening. It scares the Giles out of ''us'' because it will never be seen, detected, or known about by its victims, whose '''vessels will silently fail''', ceasing to respond or function in an instant. That's ''no warning'' and no ''bang'', Tuners. Nothing, or very little, on a viewscreen, port, or scanner. Our Black Lab-Rat goes on:
 
But PT is unquestionably the most frightening. It scares the Giles out of ''us'' because it will never be seen, detected, or known about by its victims, whose '''vessels will silently fail''', ceasing to respond or function in an instant. That's ''no warning'' and no ''bang'', Tuners. Nothing, or very little, on a viewscreen, port, or scanner. Our Black Lab-Rat goes on:
  
−
"The PT-BVRM was an inevitable outgrowth of the [[NPB Neutralizer OXZ|'''NPB Neutralizer''']], in turn a child of a bout of intense brainstorming in the R&D think-tank, spurred by a need to curb the increasing and unnecessary slaughter of entities and vessels on the wrong side of legality in ever more lawless systems like Riedquat, Uszaa, Atriso, and a host of others with similar societal and governmental problems: Locales where Police personnel and outmoded vehicles are being spread ever more thinly. [[Defence Rider Drones OXZ#Civilian SDD|'''Licensing of Galcop assets''']] has come in the nick of time. We now have an experienced vigilante police force of growing confidence and unheard-of power to prevent the escalation of offences via fully autonomous [[Defence Rider Drones OXZ|'''Rider Drones (SDD)''']] and now the Pteranodon, which extends the enforcement circumference to the System as a whole."
+
"The PT-BVRM was an inevitable outgrowth of the [[NPB Neutralizer OXZ|'''NPB Neutralizer''']], in turn a child of a bout of intense brainstorming in the R&D think-tank, spurred by a need to curb the increasing and unnecessary slaughter of '''infracting entities and vessels''' in ever more lawless systems like Riedquat, Uszaa, Atriso, and a host of others with similar societal and governmental problems: Locales where Police personnel and outmoded vehicles are perpetually spread thinly. [[Defence Rider Drones OXZ#Civilian SDD|'''Licensing of Galcop assets''']] has come in the nick of time. We now have an experienced vigilante police force of growing confidence and unheard-of power to prevent the escalation of offences via fully autonomous [[Defence Rider Drones OXZ|'''Rider Drones (SDD)''']] and now the Pteranodon, which extends the enforcement circumference to the System as a whole."
  
 
We tell our Black Breather that we've grasped the essentials - not a lot of mystique to the term 'standoff weapon'... So PT houses an [[NPB Neutralizer OXZ#NPB in Depth (Real World)|'''NPB Accelerator''']] like those now being fitted in alarmingly greater numbers to the ''luckier'' Harvesters' mounts. And the bird's NPB, in split-second sequence, '''curdles the innards''' of all ships in its scanner environs (not just the 'primary'), stopping them in their tracks and making them instant towbar-fodder. 'Win-Win', right, nobody dies?
 
We tell our Black Breather that we've grasped the essentials - not a lot of mystique to the term 'standoff weapon'... So PT houses an [[NPB Neutralizer OXZ#NPB in Depth (Real World)|'''NPB Accelerator''']] like those now being fitted in alarmingly greater numbers to the ''luckier'' Harvesters' mounts. And the bird's NPB, in split-second sequence, '''curdles the innards''' of all ships in its scanner environs (not just the 'primary'), stopping them in their tracks and making them instant towbar-fodder. 'Win-Win', right, nobody dies?
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"Fatalities from a direct neutral particle beam's effects are rare, those that have, regrettably, occurred more often down to collateral interior energy-damage and fires, also small explosions inside critical systems; more rarely failure of life-support. The vessel as a whole - its hull - remains largely undamaged, but in need of comprehensive refit to become serviceable again - that's engines, laser weapons, computers, all electronic components."  
 
"Fatalities from a direct neutral particle beam's effects are rare, those that have, regrettably, occurred more often down to collateral interior energy-damage and fires, also small explosions inside critical systems; more rarely failure of life-support. The vessel as a whole - its hull - remains largely undamaged, but in need of comprehensive refit to become serviceable again - that's engines, laser weapons, computers, all electronic components."  
  
−
There's no stopping ''this one'' once it gets into its stride: "Our PT-BVRM outwardly resembles the ECM-hardened missile in every respect except size. Pteranodon's a lot bigger. Almost twice the mass of a conventional missile. It needs to be, in order to comfortably house the Particle Accelerator, state-of-the-art AI guidance systems, and a vastly more powerful drive. It easily attains speeds twice that of the ECM Hardened. It can cross a System in ten minutes."
+
There's no stopping ''this one'' once it gets into its stride: "Our PT-BVRM hull is biomimetically shaped, structurally profiled after the Pteranodon's beak itself, not merely for aesthetics, but to reduce frontal area for particle impacts at high velocity and for aiding in mass distribution for stable thrust alignment and agility. This design houses over three times the inertial mass of a conventional missile, a necessity to contain the Particle Accelerator, state-of-the-art AI guidance systems, and a vastly more powerful drive. The PT attains speeds more than twice that of the ECM Hardened, crossing a system in under ten minutes."
  
−
A picture starts to form of a Harvester 'standing off' near a Station or a Witchpoint marker, targetting, then launching a Ptera, and sauntering off for a snack while far out in the blackness a group of hapless ships become ghosts. On re-seating itself, our gallant commander yawns as the list of the '''incapacitated''' skitters greenly down the main display. It's 'mop up' time again. Charming image to lay us down to sleep on, is it not, Tuners?
+
A picture starts to form of a Harvester 'standing off' near a Station or a Witchpoint marker, targeting, then launching a Ptera, and sauntering off for a snack while far out in the blackness a group of hapless ships become ghosts. On re-seating itself, our gallant commander yawns as the list of the '''incapacitated''' skitters greenly down the main display. It's 'mop up' time again. Charming image to lay us down to sleep on, is it not, Tuners?
  
 
"So we'll choke on fumes of roasting circuitry, gasp for any breath in a cold system-less dark, or be slowly crisped by 'resultant fires' in the cabin?" we query, for nothing more than confirmation. Do we imagine a short nod from the shadow? Nothing else to add? - The murky smear flickers off the holo. And we're left with only our Tuners.
 
"So we'll choke on fumes of roasting circuitry, gasp for any breath in a cold system-less dark, or be slowly crisped by 'resultant fires' in the cabin?" we query, for nothing more than confirmation. Do we imagine a short nod from the shadow? Nothing else to add? - The murky smear flickers off the holo. And we're left with only our Tuners.
Line 25: Line 26:
  
 
'''--Tea Mereso, retained freelance, Xexedi Enquirer''' - <u>Telling you what you ''need'' to know ''when'' you need to know it.</u>
 
'''--Tea Mereso, retained freelance, Xexedi Enquirer''' - <u>Telling you what you ''need'' to know ''when'' you need to know it.</u>
 +
 +
 +
== Insider Technical ==
 +
 +
<small>[Included for those among ''our'' dear Tuners who aspire to be, or are already, Harvesters equipped with those ''oh so enviable'' Galcop credentials. For nay, the above snippets were '''far from all''' that our obliging source spilled to your devoted go-between... Notes are passed along exactly as received.]</small>
 +
 +
 +
'''ARMING''' of the Pteranodon's launcher is accomplished by accessing your onboard system's '''F5 screen''' and hitting '''[A]''' (shift+a).
 +
 +
'''LAUNCHING''' a PT-BVRM missile may be effectuated in different ways:
 +
 +
*1) '''Press [i]''' on the F5 status screen after arming.
 +
 +
*2) '''Press [i]''' in flight after arming. On PT-launch, this will briefly ignite your injectors, but on subsequent pressings, injectors will burn without hindrance.
 +
 +
*3) '''Prime the equipment''' in the normal way if your HUD is set up for using primable equipment. Viz. Press '''[N]''' then '''[n]''' after arming in the usual way.
 +
 +
 +
 +
== PT-BVRM Operations & Behaviour ==
 +
 +
Once the package is successfully launched, an operator need do '''nothing'''.
 +
 +
All '''targeting''' is handled by the '''Police SDD-Network'''. The nearest, highest Offender in system will be prioritized. Their group will be irradiated first.
 +
 +
On successful irradiation of the Primary, target will be switched to the next highest on the updated Offender List.
 +
 +
<u>Black Labs test pilots' tip</u>: Fit an [[Overdrive OXZ|'''Overdrive''']] and '''follow missile to target'''.
 +
 +
If there are no more Offenders in system range, the Pteranodon will loiter until your vessel comes into scanner range of its sensors, at which a request will be sent for confirmation of reattachment.
 +
 +
It must be emphasized that '''any deployed PT-BVRM is to be retrieved without fail''' before re-docking or exiting via Witchspace to a new system. Defaulting on this obligation brings with it '''grave Galcop penalties''' and said penalties shall not be limited to those of a pecuniary nature.
 +
 +
 +
== PT-BVRM Charges & Forfeits ==
 +
 +
The initial cost of a Galcop PT-BVRM Licence is 5000 credits, renewable every LY (Lave Year).
 +
 +
Every PT-BVRM launch carries an '''incremental''' tax. Though 'Incremental' is hidden in the Licence small-print, it is no less real. This launch-tax starts at 0.05 credits and increases by the same amount on each subsequent missile deployment.
 +
 +
'''Loss''' of a PT-BVRM missile through destruction or negligence incurs a Galcop '''penalty''' of 500 credits. In the case of the latter, a downgrade in legal status - possibly accompanied by revocation of an operator's Licence - will result.
 +
 +
There are no SDD-Network bounties, credits or bonuses for the use of a PT-BVRM. Your work as an '''operator''' is considered '''preparatory''' to subsequent operations using [[Defence Rider Drones OXZ|'''SDD Riders''']] or your own firepower.
 +
 +
 +
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== Recommended OXPs ==
 +
 +
Sound choices for those donning vigilante Harvester garb:
 +
 +
* [[Police IFF Scanner Upgrade|'''Police IFF Scanner Upgrade''']]
 +
 +
* [[Police Player OXZ|'''Police Player''']]
 +
 +
The most notable observed effect of this tiny tweak is that ships of class Pirate no longer openly threaten or attack the player's ship. You are essentially transformed into a police vigilante, or proxy copper. Best results with an Asp or Viper!
 +
 +
* [[NPB Neutralizer OXZ|'''NPB Neutralizer''']]
 +
 +
Galcop's '''Neutral Particle Beam''' weapon causes catastrophic '''internal damage''' - frying computers, disabling power, knocking out weapons and critical systems - while throwing off little energy as surface heat. A direct hit leaves the target a '''drifting derelict''' without triggering fatal explosions of fuel or ordinance.
 +
 +
* [[Small Ships OXZ|'''Small Ships''']]
 +
 +
Flyable and essentially unaltered versions of the '''Asp Mk II''', Constrictor, Fer-de-Lance, Gecko, Krait, Mamba, Sidewinder, '''Viper''', '''Viper Interceptor''', Worm, and Transporter. Those ships originally sans Hyperdrive now have one; those without cargo space remain without. Newly rationalized prices applied.
 +
 +
* [[Media:GETTER HUD 1.6.oxp.zip|'''GETter HUD v.1.6''' - available only here!]]
 +
 +
FE Shipyards' premier trader/vigilante HUD now '''integrates realtime tracking''' of this OXP's closest High Offender in-system. Unzip the file to your Oolite AddOns folder.
 +
 +
 +
== Versions ==
 +
 +
<pre>
 +
Version 0.0
 +
*Proof of concept - functional, launchable, trackable, integrates with SDD.
 +
 +
</pre>
 +
 +
 +
== Quick Facts ==
 +
{{IconOXP|ooVersion="1.92"|oxpCPU="Low"|oxpMEM="Average"|oxpGPU="Low"}}
 +
 +
[[File:Tag-colour-violet.png]]
 +
{{OXPLevel|1}}{{Infobox OXPb| title = PT-BVRM Pteranodon
 +
|version = 0.0
 +
|release = 2026-05-22
 +
|features = Enhances Combat
 +
|license = CC BY-NC-SA 4
 +
|category = Weapons OXPs
 +
|author = [[User:Reval|Reval]]
 +
}}

Latest revision as of 09:54, 24 May 2026

Pteranodon - Mythical bird-precursor, Terran. (Artist's impression). Credit: Xexedi University, dept. of Mythography and pre-History.

A Toothless Flying Terror

This week, a Pteranodon is set to soar out of the hidden heart of Galcop's 'Black Labs', our faceless, voiceless inside informant told your favourite reporter earlier today. The name's meaning, in a now-forgotten Terran language, is 'Toothless Flyer'. Uncannily fitting for a standoff missile that purportedly will irradiate but won't kill.

On evidence gathered, Galcop is in the throes of a last bid to survive: economizing on manpower and vehicles, downsizing the arsenal drastically, then licensing all its new assets out to civilian contractors, our Vault Whisperer strongly intimates.

And their darkly innovative PT-BVRM Pteranodon is already third in a line - or suite - of licensable weapons.

But PT is unquestionably the most frightening. It scares the Giles out of us because it will never be seen, detected, or known about by its victims, whose vessels will silently fail, ceasing to respond or function in an instant. That's no warning and no bang, Tuners. Nothing, or very little, on a viewscreen, port, or scanner. Our Black Lab-Rat goes on:

"The PT-BVRM was an inevitable outgrowth of the NPB Neutralizer, in turn a child of a bout of intense brainstorming in the R&D think-tank, spurred by a need to curb the increasing and unnecessary slaughter of infracting entities and vessels in ever more lawless systems like Riedquat, Uszaa, Atriso, and a host of others with similar societal and governmental problems: Locales where Police personnel and outmoded vehicles are perpetually spread thinly. Licensing of Galcop assets has come in the nick of time. We now have an experienced vigilante police force of growing confidence and unheard-of power to prevent the escalation of offences via fully autonomous Rider Drones (SDD) and now the Pteranodon, which extends the enforcement circumference to the System as a whole."

We tell our Black Breather that we've grasped the essentials - not a lot of mystique to the term 'standoff weapon'... So PT houses an NPB Accelerator like those now being fitted in alarmingly greater numbers to the luckier Harvesters' mounts. And the bird's NPB, in split-second sequence, curdles the innards of all ships in its scanner environs (not just the 'primary'), stopping them in their tracks and making them instant towbar-fodder. 'Win-Win', right, nobody dies?

"Fatalities from a direct neutral particle beam's effects are rare, those that have, regrettably, occurred more often down to collateral interior energy-damage and fires, also small explosions inside critical systems; more rarely failure of life-support. The vessel as a whole - its hull - remains largely undamaged, but in need of comprehensive refit to become serviceable again - that's engines, laser weapons, computers, all electronic components."

There's no stopping this one once it gets into its stride: "Our PT-BVRM hull is biomimetically shaped, structurally profiled after the Pteranodon's beak itself, not merely for aesthetics, but to reduce frontal area for particle impacts at high velocity and for aiding in mass distribution for stable thrust alignment and agility. This design houses over three times the inertial mass of a conventional missile, a necessity to contain the Particle Accelerator, state-of-the-art AI guidance systems, and a vastly more powerful drive. The PT attains speeds more than twice that of the ECM Hardened, crossing a system in under ten minutes."

A picture starts to form of a Harvester 'standing off' near a Station or a Witchpoint marker, targeting, then launching a Ptera, and sauntering off for a snack while far out in the blackness a group of hapless ships become ghosts. On re-seating itself, our gallant commander yawns as the list of the incapacitated skitters greenly down the main display. It's 'mop up' time again. Charming image to lay us down to sleep on, is it not, Tuners?

"So we'll choke on fumes of roasting circuitry, gasp for any breath in a cold system-less dark, or be slowly crisped by 'resultant fires' in the cabin?" we query, for nothing more than confirmation. Do we imagine a short nod from the shadow? Nothing else to add? - The murky smear flickers off the holo. And we're left with only our Tuners.

We suddenly know how we'd prefer to go: In a blaze of defiance under the beam lasers of some honest Jameson.


--Tea Mereso, retained freelance, Xexedi Enquirer - Telling you what you need to know when you need to know it.


Insider Technical

[Included for those among our dear Tuners who aspire to be, or are already, Harvesters equipped with those oh so enviable Galcop credentials. For nay, the above snippets were far from all that our obliging source spilled to your devoted go-between... Notes are passed along exactly as received.]


ARMING of the Pteranodon's launcher is accomplished by accessing your onboard system's F5 screen and hitting [A] (shift+a).

LAUNCHING a PT-BVRM missile may be effectuated in different ways:

  • 1) Press [i] on the F5 status screen after arming.
  • 2) Press [i] in flight after arming. On PT-launch, this will briefly ignite your injectors, but on subsequent pressings, injectors will burn without hindrance.
  • 3) Prime the equipment in the normal way if your HUD is set up for using primable equipment. Viz. Press [N] then [n] after arming in the usual way.


PT-BVRM Operations & Behaviour

Once the package is successfully launched, an operator need do nothing.

All targeting is handled by the Police SDD-Network. The nearest, highest Offender in system will be prioritized. Their group will be irradiated first.

On successful irradiation of the Primary, target will be switched to the next highest on the updated Offender List.

Black Labs test pilots' tip: Fit an Overdrive and follow missile to target.

If there are no more Offenders in system range, the Pteranodon will loiter until your vessel comes into scanner range of its sensors, at which a request will be sent for confirmation of reattachment.

It must be emphasized that any deployed PT-BVRM is to be retrieved without fail before re-docking or exiting via Witchspace to a new system. Defaulting on this obligation brings with it grave Galcop penalties and said penalties shall not be limited to those of a pecuniary nature.


PT-BVRM Charges & Forfeits

The initial cost of a Galcop PT-BVRM Licence is 5000 credits, renewable every LY (Lave Year).

Every PT-BVRM launch carries an incremental tax. Though 'Incremental' is hidden in the Licence small-print, it is no less real. This launch-tax starts at 0.05 credits and increases by the same amount on each subsequent missile deployment.

Loss of a PT-BVRM missile through destruction or negligence incurs a Galcop penalty of 500 credits. In the case of the latter, a downgrade in legal status - possibly accompanied by revocation of an operator's Licence - will result.

There are no SDD-Network bounties, credits or bonuses for the use of a PT-BVRM. Your work as an operator is considered preparatory to subsequent operations using SDD Riders or your own firepower.


Recommended OXPs

Sound choices for those donning vigilante Harvester garb:

The most notable observed effect of this tiny tweak is that ships of class Pirate no longer openly threaten or attack the player's ship. You are essentially transformed into a police vigilante, or proxy copper. Best results with an Asp or Viper!

Galcop's Neutral Particle Beam weapon causes catastrophic internal damage - frying computers, disabling power, knocking out weapons and critical systems - while throwing off little energy as surface heat. A direct hit leaves the target a drifting derelict without triggering fatal explosions of fuel or ordinance.

Flyable and essentially unaltered versions of the Asp Mk II, Constrictor, Fer-de-Lance, Gecko, Krait, Mamba, Sidewinder, Viper, Viper Interceptor, Worm, and Transporter. Those ships originally sans Hyperdrive now have one; those without cargo space remain without. Newly rationalized prices applied.

FE Shipyards' premier trader/vigilante HUD now integrates realtime tracking of this OXP's closest High Offender in-system. Unzip the file to your Oolite AddOns folder.


Versions

	Version 0.0
		*Proof of concept - functional, launchable, trackable, integrates with SDD.


Quick Facts

Minimum Oolite versionCPU usage lowMemory usage averageGPU usage low

Tag-colour-violet.png

Levelindicator1.png
1-{{{2}}}
Version Released License Features Category Author(s) Feedback
0.0 2026-05-22 CC BY-NC-SA 4 Enhances Combat Weapons OXPs Reval N/A
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