To many undocumented features

[Miravlix]

Trade Loop cargo Reservations (Command setting, on and off)

Color of long range scan objects

Most of the ship roles.

Automatic Resupply

Found ship Mark - no tooltip or anything explaining how to make a ship "mark" a found claimable ship.

You could put laser towers on your ships and they would drop them when attacked and fleeing, but I can't get that to work anymore.

Opening the claim plot interface still remain the BEST way to find large sector objects, but again undocumented.

I've played since release and I'm fairly sure you could write bible sized documents on the number of features that I don't know how work or guess I know how work and none of it seems to be something I can search for to find on the net.

What search term would you use for finding the colour code of long range scan expanding circles, because typing that doesn't work.

[chew-ie]

I've played since release and I'm fairly sure you could write bible sized documents on the number of features that I don't know how work or guess I know how work and none of it seems to be something I can search for to find on the net.

In general you are right - some things are missing a simple & clear explanation. A context-sensitive held would go long ways (they started adding tooltips in.. 5.0 if I remember correctly)

As for the bible thing - there is one. And I tried to map some of your questions with the available documentation:

Trade Loop cargo Reservations (Command setting, on and off)

No clue Interested in an answer as well

Color of long range scan objects

Found here: X4 Wiki: Ships And The Player Ship - Long range scanning

Most of the ship roles.

There is a list about the ship sizes and their typical roles. Might answer your question: X4 Wiki: Ships

Automatic Resupply

There is a whole page dedicated to the resupply ships - it also mentions the global setting "automatic resupply". The context given there might answer your question: X4 Wiki: Resupply Ships - activating automatic supply and repair

Found ship Mark - no tooltip or anything explaining how to make a ship "mark" a found claimable ship.

No clue Interested in an answer as well

What search term would you use for finding the colour code of long range scan expanding circles, because typing that doesn't work.

As an example: for the long range scanner I started off with "scanner" and made sure to search only in the X4 manual. The content in the Confluence system could need some additional tags though. (I'm tagging a lot of stuff @work already so don't count me in there )
Setting categories for the sections could also help separate the real manual from all the other stuff (changelogs etc.) and improve the search

[dtpsprt]

.........

Found ship Mark - no tooltip or anything explaining how to make a ship "mark" a found claimable ship.
........

I can answer that (from experience not documentation). If the ship that found the abandoned one has Navigation Beacons, it will drop one close to it...

.........
You could put laser towers on your ships and they would drop them when attacked and fleeing, but I can't get that to work anymore.
.........

If I'm not mistaken this "behaviour" changed between V3.00 and V3.20.

Don't know the reason why, probably as an "unwanted consequence" of the change in the piloting AI that allowed NPC to dock facing the other way... Only Egosoft can give a correct answer, I only speculate on this...

[Rei Ayanami]

Opening the claim plot interface still remain the BEST way to find large sector objects, but again undocumented.

I'm fairly certain this is undocumented because using the "create plot" menu is probably not really supposed to just let you know where undiscovered objects are. Using it as a cheap cheat tool to find objects is certainly not an intended usage, but just a byproduct by the necessity to let the player know where they can't put any plots.

I wish there was a better solution where the create plot tool wouldn't be able to spoil locations of objects, but I can't think if any way. If they simply make it so the plot tool turns red when it overlaps with an undiscovered object, players would still be able to "scan" the map with the plot tool and find out where something is, we just wouldn't have any visual icon.

[KextV8]

I wish there was a better solution where the create plot tool wouldn't be able to spoil locations of objects, but I can't think if any way.

Easy fix, can't place a plot where you currently don't have vision via ship or satellite.

[Rei Ayanami]

I wish there was a better solution where the create plot tool wouldn't be able to spoil locations of objects, but I can't think if any way.

Easy fix, can't place a plot where you currently don't have vision via ship or satellite.

Oh yea, didn't think about that. That could work.

[Nanook]

...
Opening the claim plot interface still remain the BEST way to find large sector objects, but again undocumented....

This is already basically in the game. You can't place a build plot anywhere you haven't discovered yet. The build plot is only green where you've previously explored. So presumably, unless something was placed there after you'd explored that area, you would've already found it.

[Alan Phipps]

The exploit is not just during actual placement of a player plot, but also in misusing the plot tool to discover already occupied plots when not intending to place a plot of your own. Basically, through just using the tool for that exploit and then escaping from the build plot selection once unintended access to information has been achieved.

Further, previously explored is not quite the same as currently under player surveillance, the latter of which was the new suggestion. Xenon are pretty good at sneaking in new construction sites into even previously explored but currently untended volumes!

[Nanook]

The exploit is not just during actual placement of a player plot, but also in misusing the plot tool to discover already occupied plots when not intending to place a plot of your own. Basically, through just using the tool for that exploit and then escaping from the build plot selection once unintended access to information has been achieved.

I'm aware of all that. Sorry I wasn't wordy enough to explain it better.

Further, previously explored is not quite the same as currently under player surveillance, the latter of which was the new suggestion. Xenon are pretty good at sneaking in new construction sites into even previously explored but currently untended volumes!

And that's about the only 'exploit' you get, finding new Xenon or Kha'ak stations. My point was you can't use it to explore a sector or find hidden ships, as some may think. The only real use is to discover new stations in previously explored areas, which to me isn't a big deal.

[ZeroAffex]

Has anyone figured out what "Default Setting for Cargo Reservations" in Global Orders does exactly? I've been trying to figure this one out for a while and am mystified. I've dug around the wiki and things like that and so far, haven't found anything concrete. Was hoping maybe someone turned something up ha. Thanks!

[ZeroAffex]

Guys!! I finally figured out what Default Setting for Cargo Reservations does! I was setting up a trade loop with Repeat Orders and when I clicked on the station to buy, it dawned on me that the Default Cargo Reservations is right at the top of the list where you select to buy from or sell to the wares to the station. loool This whole time I never paid attention to that, I am so embarrassed now. Even better, if you hover over it, it tells you exactly what it does! I took a screenshot for those of you curious as Egosoft's explanation is probably better than mine anyways but this is what you can toggle on or off by default in Global Orders. The enigma has been solved

[delerium76]

Guys!! I finally figured out what Default Setting for Cargo Reservations does! I was setting up a trade loop with Repeat Orders and when I clicked on the station to buy, it dawned on me that the Default Cargo Reservations is right at the top of the list where you select to buy from or sell to the wares to the station. loool This whole time I never paid attention to that, I am so embarrassed now. Even better, if you hover over it, it tells you exactly what it does! I took a screenshot for those of you curious as Egosoft's explanation is probably better than mine anyways but this is what you can toggle on or off by default in Global Orders. The enigma has been solved

Wanted to add to this, because while you are right in what it does, I wanted to mention what situations each mode is useful in.

Cargo Reservation on:
This is useful if you have a large stock of multiple items that you want sent to another station in even amounts, or more accurately, multiple items that you don't care about priority, but want each item to potentially get a portion of the cargo hold. To use, you create multiple buy orders and move the slider to set how much you want to commit to each cargo item. Unfortunately, if you have reserved that space and there are not enough items to fill that space, it never gets used. This can cause you to waste trips just transporting a tiny amount of items.

Cargo Reservation off:
This is useful if you want to prioritize certain cargo items over others or you want full cargo each trip. For this, you will want to create multiple buy orders, but set each buy order slider to the full cargo hold. The result is that it will fill the cargo with the first item until it is full or runs out of that item, and then fills the rest of the space with the second item, etc. The downside is if you try and sell to a station that will not take all of that cargo item, your cargo hold will get clogged with that item and eventually run out of room for the other items it is transporting. I mostly use this mode turned off on ships sending products to trade stations with large inventory space.

[Alan Phipps]

These discoveries and explanations here are great, but will soon be lost as the thread and forum moves on. Where these would be more useful, available, and lasting is as community contributions and updates in the X4 public Manual/Wiki.

[dtpsprt]

These discoveries and explanations here are great, but will soon be lost as the thread and forum moves on. Where these would be more useful, available, and lasting is as community contributions and updates in the X4 public Manual/Wiki.

They should have already been there along with many others, which would have made this thread nonexistent and the players informed... Such a thing is not "handholding" in any way you see it. Put the information where it can be found for those that want to find it. The ones that think they know everything or want to waste hours of gameplay to "discover" what each command does will do so anyway...

[Alan Phipps]

This thread sees about the same amount of effort to put advice here as it would to put it in the Wiki where it would be evident for far longer.

There is plenty of diverse opinion and healthy background discussion in several previous 'Why isn't there an X4 manual/user handbook?' threads (Example).

[ZeroAffex]

I was actually thinking of working on the wiki a couple weeks back but I have never been involved in one and have zero clue how to add content. I'd be interested in contributing, just need to learn how to do it first

[chew-ie]

Explanation of the new deployable-hotkeys, specifically idea behind the "repeat last deployment" keys by CBJ:

These options repeat the last deployment of a deployable, such as a mine or a satellite. The first one repeats whatever you did last, regardless of what type it was; the other repeat the last one of a particular type, military (e.g. a mine) or civilian (e.g. a satellite) respectively. As such, you use them when flying.

@source: viewtopic.php?f=192&t=451291