[Bonus Plugin] Station Manager

[jlehtone]

Property list can show what commands ships are running and their homebase. Does it reveal those under Managers leach?

[Jakesnake5]

Property list can show what commands ships are running and their homebase. Does it reveal those under Managers leach?

Not directly. To tell if a station is runnng SM, look at the property info for ships assigned to it. They'll have 'Stataion Automate' (or some such) in the right pane.

If you're like me, and renamed a ship to reflect what station its working at, they don't have to be docked to be noticable.

You can filter the properties menu to show stations only. Then you select a station, hit 'enter', select Command Console and look at the Additional Tasks list, hit esc twice, and select the next.

If you find a SM station and want to rename it, just hit esc 1 time, then 'm' and change the name, THEN esc twice from there.

[ITM]

Ok, I didn't kown the station manager script was buggged in the first release of the bonus pack
However, the problem I hit made me use CAgents. And I must admit they are far more interesting for me

[Nick Cresswell]

I have a cattle ranch and cahoona bakery connected as a complex, and two traders on Station Manager. They don't buy or sell any resources, they just stay in the complex and load themselves with Agnu beef. Every minute or so they put the agnu back in the station, but take it back out a split second later. This means I can't make cahoonas because the agnu is taken away, meanwhile the cahoonas that I do have aren't being sold, and the energy that I don't have isn't being bought. The odd thing is I've told it to buy the intermediate agnu beef, not sell it, so I can't figure out why they should load up at all.
Can anybody help?

[moggy2]

your complex appears to be selling the beef for the best price in range.

[Nick Cresswell]

I've tried setting it to sell the intermediate, and that works, they go out and sell it when they can, but I want it to be bought, and all they do is load and unload it without leaving the station.

[Jakesnake5]

SM doesn't do intermediates well. This has to do with the script editor not having enough options to deal with complexes. Your best bet is to set the complext to 'buy', and not permit your own ships from trading the argnu.

You will, of course, make more credits from selling the cahoonas than from the argnu anyway.

[apogee]

Ok, so i am now using bonus pack 3.01.02, and the UT scripts have been regressed to the original versions, there were fingers of suspicion pointed at them for causing lock-ups. However only yesterday x3 locked up and the only script i have activated is Station Manager, so that is where my finger is currently pointing! The lockup occurs evey time i load the last 2 saves. I will look into disabling station manager on the stations/ships and see if the lockup wil go, but i've only got a couple of mins before this happens.

Must point out i never had x3 lock prior to using this.

[Jakesnake5]

1) your UT's don't automatically update the script their running when you install a new version. You have to STOP them (give None Command) in order for them to take the new scripts. Not doing so means their still running a 'cached' script.

2) I have never had SM cause any lockups, even in public release in the S&M forums. Only the UT did this before it was fixed.

Before you point a finger, make sure you don't have 4 pointing back.

Besides, you need to know the history before you have the facts.

[apogee]

1) your UT's don't automatically update the script their running when you install a new version. You have to STOP them (give None Command) in order for them to take the new scripts. Not doing so means their still running a 'cached' script.

2) I have never had SM cause any lockups, even in public release in the S&M forums. Only the UT did this before it was fixed.

Before you point a finger, make sure you don't have 4 pointing back.

Besides, you need to know the history before you have the facts.

Ok i'll point a thumb , Didnt realise you had to stop/start the ut's? When the new scripts were installed as part of the bonus pack they stopped giving me the JD out of range message, so i thought the script had been re-started!

[jlehtone]

Scripts have several subroutines. Some check the version, and others may not. Besides, we had "downgrade". The version check may be optimistic and check only '<'. If two versions are mixed, who knows the side-effects?

I asked in the BP thread about the need to restart and moggy2 suspected that the scripts should check and auto-upgrade. But downgrade of autotrade may not be one of them. The code of CAG and CLS definitely has version check, but I have not looked at the others.

[apogee]

your UT's don't automatically update the script their running when you install a new version. You have to STOP them (give None Command) in order for them to take the new scripts. Not doing so means their still running a 'cached' script.

Then maybe an entry in the OP for the bonus pack should indicate that after upgrading to 3.01.02 any ST/UT should be re-started. There are probably a lot of people who use the bonus pack that are not familiar with scripting (including me) that will be unaware of this!

[mcb0001]

First off let me say I'm an idiot when it comes to scripts. I can use some but I'm definately a low end user. If you want something idiot proofed use me to test it.

Anyway one script I use a lot is Station Manager 1.11. I see the bonus pack has Station Manager 1.16b which seems to have features for seperate crawlrange which I like and possibly some other fixes for minor flaws. The other scripts in the bonus pack hold little interest for me. I can't seem to find a link for SM 1.16b just the 1.11. Is there one or is it bonus pack only?

If so is there anything I have to do to remove the old version. Do I have to turn all my stations off, delete the ships and re-add them, dlete old files or what?

Thanks

[Jakesnake5]

1.11 had separate flight range settings for the ships.

To remove 1.11:

1) Undock any 'Managed' ships, and have their mother 'Station' remove them from control.
2) Shut down Station Manager at the station.
3) Wait 3-5 mins for the scripts to stop running.
4) Save Game and Quit X3
5) Uninstall 1.11
6) Use Bonus Pack to instal 1.16b
7) Start game, load save
Activate Station Manager
9) Have station manage ships

[mcb0001]

Thanks.

I'm assuming the bonus pack will let me choose what to install. I'm just afraid of getting some new surprise I wasn't expecting. Don't need another rampaging invasion.

I must have about 50 ships to stop and undock, thanks for the instructions though!

Never found a seperate distance setting in 1.11. Well I said I was an idiot.

Thanks again!!!

[Seismic_Edge]

In order for your traders to be able to see the ware prices within a sector, you must have a satellite, ship, or station in the sector to be scanned (this is shown by a green border around the sector in the galaxy map). Your ships will not visit sectors where they cannot see the ware prices. You can use this to your advantage. If you don't want traders to visit sectors because you think they might not be safe, do not put any satellites, ships, or stations in those sectors, and your traders will not look for stations to trade at within them.


I just found out the hard way that this does not work if your ships are parked/docked in that sector. The sector still shows green on the galaxy map, but the automated station needs a satellite or ship in the open to be able to scan the factories.

And here I thought I was being smart to buy light discos and have them all dock one in each sector. Thank goodness I only did that in 4 sectors where I was particularly concerned about haveing stupid pirates come and destroy them. Perhaps if I have the satellites dropped off high or low in the sector?

[Jakesnake5]

Adv Sats parked at +/- 40-50km in the system will do 2 things:

a) give SM an 'eye' on ware prices, and
b) keep up to date the sectors 'active' (read exhisting) stations.

Plus, at +/-50km, it would be rare that anything would attack the sat.

Separate jump distances are set for individual freighters in the 'Additional Command' console for each freighter, similar to prohibiting them from trading wares.

[Steve J.]

I can't get the Station Manager that came with the 1.3.02 Bonus Pack to work. I had no prior non-standard scripts running - just a vanilla game with the plot complete.

I can turn on Station Manager in the complex's script menu. Then when I try to add a ship, either by selecting a single ship or the complex to add all of them, nothing happens and the Station Manager: Automate line disappears from the command console list. At that point, all ships from the complex are set to do nothing.

I can reactivate the Station Manager, but no ships are automated (the Remove Ship line is grayed out and all the ships are still set to command "None").

Is there some way to turn on logging so I can figure out what the script doesn't like? It seems to be failing sillently.

I had a UT at the station, but halted it and ordered it to dock before trying the Station Manager, but no change.

Any suggestions?

[D_Zorro]

Have you first try to add the command automate factory in your console of your factory ?? After that use another console command, and use add ship to station and select the ship and you set to go.

[Jakesnake5]

Do not use the same station command slot to add a ship, it'll override the Station Automate command. Just choose an empty slot to use the 'Add Ship' command.