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Intro

It all started with the Budget Crisis of 3119, when the Co-operative finally realised the scale of the overspend on the project to upgrade the old Faraway wormhole navigation system to the new Witchspace Beacon network. Gross financial mismanagement is hardly new to the Co-operative, or even (sadly) uncommon, but the Faraway fiasco was of an entirely different order of magnitude. This hole wasn't going to be filled with some budgetary offset and a bit of creative accountancy; somehow, the Witchspace Beacon network would have to start generating income.

The idea of charging a levy on all ships using Witchspace was briefly considered, then discarded as a) unpopular and, sadly, b) impossible. Fortunately, a solution was found: the Ad-X Corporation was prepared to pay handsomely for the right to station giant TeraScreen advertisements at the Witchpoint (and, in some larger systems, outside the main station itself).

It seemed like the problem had been solved. Unfortunately, the only systems prepared to accept unrestricted TeraScreen advertising were the Corporate States, the Democracies and the Confederacies. Dictatorships wanted to use the screens for their own purposes (usually, giant pictures of one Glorious Leader or another); the Communist worlds would have nothing but propaganda (and, indeed, have been working on a system of propaganda screens of their own); and the Multi-Government, Feudal and Anarchy worlds wanted a slice of the pie for themselves – one far bigger than their downmarket demographic warranted.

In desperation, the Co-operative cast around for other possible revenue streams. The various member worlds of the wealthy Corporate State voting bloc had always bridled at Co-op restrictions on the classes and quantities of commodities exchanged at main system stations, demanding "Free Trade" instead. Other planets in the Co-operative, fearful that their own domestic economies would be overwhelmed by an arrangement that inherently favoured the rich and powerful, had always resisted such demands. But faced with the possible bankruptcy of the entire stellar trading network, a compromise was reached: in return for a regular rent on the local Witchpoint volume, the Co-operative would allow a number of independent trading posts to be set up in systems with sufficiently high levels of economic, cultural and political cohesion – or, as some cynics have suggested, those systems with a big enough population to make the venture worthwhile.

Thus the Convenience Stores were born: franchise stations, based near the Witchpoint, offering goods and services to passing ships. Exempt from Co-op trade regulations, the Convenience Stores set about making money from every possible source. They are encrusted with advertising, and even the stations' defence craft – cheap ex-Navy Sidewinders – are plastered with logos and corporate sponsorship. Most controversially, controlled commodities – slaves, narcotics and firearms – are offered freely, and legally, for sale.

Within a Convenience Store, commerce moves at a rapid pace, and prices of even the most basic goods can fluctuate wildly. Some merchants, for commercial or ideological reasons, have abandoned the main system stations altogether; but cannier Commanders, balancing the reliable price index of the Co-operative against speculative capitalist bubble-blowing, can often exploit the feverish atmosphere of a Convenience Store to obtain impressive profits on relatively small quantities of goods.

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Overview

Do you want spam with that?

This OXP adds a lot of variety to the Universe. Witch-point and navigation beacons are replaced with giant bill boards displaying adverts. Every set features 50 different adverts and also adds a different type of constore to the universe (Set A introduces the Pi-42 constore, Set B the Tescoo Ooxpress constore ect). A constore is a dockable commercial base which is added to the space lanes of most systems with a large population. Also from version 4 and above of this oxp each constore has its own security force, the ships of which are skinned in the colours of the store they protect, and billboards will occasionally appear in asteroid fields of Corporate Systems.

All ads made by different Oolite players for a more varied visual experience. You can contribute with your own ads on the Oolite BB. Note that your ads must be relevant to the world of Oolite and submitted as 256x128 pixel images. Also for ver 4 and above all the artwork on the constores is a contribution of different oolite players

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Main Features

Terascreen - 44,017" monster screens used as witchpoint buoys in highly policed systems.

Terascreen Junior - The 17k" Terascreen which works as navigational buoy in highly policed systems.

Constores - convenience stations that sell a little of everything present only in non Anarchy highly populatated systems

Constore defenters - Constores security force (From ver 4 and above)

Asteroid rolling terascreen Junior - Ad terascreens inside asteroid fields only in corporate systems (From ver 4 and above)

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Difficulty Rating

No difficulty. It only adds ads and innocent constores to the universe.

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Installing and Playing

To play the OXP, unzip the download file. This will create a forlder "YOUR_AD_HERE.oxp" and also several folders named "YOUR_AD_HERE_SET_X.oxp". In order to have a functional installation of your ad here you need the primary folder ("YOUR_AD_HERE.oxp") and at least one set ("YOUR_AD_HERE_SET_A.oxp" for examble). The more folder sets you chose to install the more the variety of the ads, constores ect you introduce to the universe. Move the folders you want under the AddOns folder inside your oolite installation

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Update Notes

Changes in version 4:

1.All the native constores have been replaced with variants of Griff’s Trade outpost (The original one with the ads).

2.Every station has its own dedicated defenders (Pi-42 security, Tescoo security etc) and every defender ship is deferent for each station.

3.Increase the maximum energy and maximum defenders of the constores.

4.Replace the buggy AI of the constores with the one Eric gave me. It is not so wise to attack a constore anymore!

5.Improve and translate (into JS) the script of the oxp. Now the script has a second contition (if the player is launched from the station) and also checks before placing a constore if there is already one in the system.

6.Increase the appearance of billboard buoys in systems with government above 4.Now the billboard buoys almost always replace the original buoys in confederacies, democracies and corporate states and not half of the times like in the previous version.

7.Integrate Ahrumans shady billboards as a very rare encounter inside the asteroid fields of corporate states. Every set has only one asteroid billboard and it would be easily maintained for future sets with just the replacement of the png (with the same logic as the common billboards in every set)

Credits for version 4

1.All Constore brand name ads are made by DaddyHoggy and Pangloss.

2.All Constore Billboard ads are made by Griff, DaddyHoggy, Pangloos and Disembodied.

3.All Constore Adrings are made by Pangloss and Griff.

4.All Constore roof billboards are made by Griff and Pangloss.

5.All Constore GlowAds are made by Pangloss and Griff.

6.The sidewinder defenders artwork is Pangloss and DaddyHoggy’s job.

7.Eric made the new AI for the constores and also the small JS for the correct facing of the constores.

8.The station itself is a creation of (well who else) Griff. Also Griff with the new improved shaders gave us the possibility to have deferent stations in deferent colors.

9.Special thanks to Ahruman for allowing us to integrate its shader billboard demo oxp.

10.Special thanks to another_commander for all his help and support in the translation of the script.

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Download Link

VERSION 3

Download Ver 3 (Basic package) Version for all oolite versions below 1.72.1. It includes sets A to D
Download Set E for Ver 3 You must first install the basic package of version 3
Download Set F for Ver 3 You must first install the basic package of version 3

VERSION 4

This version has significant improvements and bug fixes from version 3. The most profound of the improvements is that the original box-style convenience store dockable bases have been replaced with variants of the original Griff trade outpost,but due to the use of JS and shaders for the new constores it is only compatible from version 1.72.1 and above

Download Ver 4 Version for oolite 1.72.1 and above. It includes all sets from A to F