[SCRIPT] Gateless Jump Hotkey/Command Updated: 12/02/08

[PaulP]

This script allows you to jump to a specified location, without need for a gate. It uses all the effects of regular jumping, only gateless. It has both a hotkey (which works about the same as the J key, except you specify a location rather than a gate) and a command.

Either option will ask you if you wish to bring followers if you have ships that are currently following you. Your ship and all followers must have a jumpdrive, navigation command, and the required energy cells. If a ship does not have one of these things, you will be sent a message.

Gateless jumps cost twice as much as regular jumps, so carry extra cells. It is more efficient to jump long distances to a gate, and then jump the remaining distance with the gateless jump.

Using this you can jump to otherwise difficult to access sectors, like the Terran sectors or a specific location inside Aldrin. Jumping directly onto a station by targeting it is perfectly safe - if you do, the game automatically moves you to a position near it.

Installation: Copy the folders in this zip file (t and scripts) into your X3TC directory. Alternatively, copy the t file and the 5 scripts over manually.

Uninstallation: Since this script creates a hotkey, I have included an uninstall script. Run a.a.paulp.gatelessjump.uninstall using the script editor and the hotkey will be removed.

Instructions for use:
After the files are installed, a hotkey and a command will be created on game load. To use the hotkey you must go into controls, interface, and find the Gateless Jump hotkey. Set it to whatever key you like. The command is in the Navigation section of your command console, labeled as Jump to Position.

Simply press the key or pick the command, select a sector, then select a position. If you have followers you will be prompted whether or not they should follow you. After this the standard jump countdown will start, and once it reaches 100% you will jump as normal. As soon as you jump, the script moves you to the specified coordinates. You will likely see the initial entry view for a second or so before you get moved - this is normal, and I believe it is unavoidable. After you're in, your followers should start popping in within a couple seconds. There is a small randomness to the timing, so the ships won't all pop in at once.

v.2 adds Jump to Dock. This jumps the ship near the station or carrier the same as if you had selected it as the position for Jump to Position, and then it attempts to dock. Their are also now wing command versions of both of these, which simply tell the entire wing to jump. These wing versions automatically have all followers jump with them, since I assumed if you were jumping wings you would want all the ships to jump.

Notes:
I have tested this script extensively, and I think I've tracked down most of the bugs. I even tested things like issuing an order to a lead ship to jump a chain of followers out with the player following the ship at the end, and it all worked fine. However, if you find a bug please tell me in this thread so I can correct it.

Version History:
v.2: Added Jump to Dock command, wing commands, corrected the replace function in messages to not replace the Y in ship names (now its pattern YZ).
v.1: Initial Release.

Download (old):
[ external image ] (old v.1.zip)

Download:
[ external image ] (v.2.zip)

I get the distinct feeling that some people don't like the 2x energy cell requirement, so heres a version with that part removed:
[ external image ] (1x ecells v.2.zip) This one uses the same as a standard jump.

NOTE: Apparently, filefront is dieing. All my links were thus broken. I moved all my X3TC files to drop.io - they have a 1 year expiration date on files, so it should stay a while.

[bounty_hunter66]

You are my hero!

Also, can you make it play sounds when it jumps out and in?(im talking about a ship that is jumping without the player in it -ordered- so that when it does the jump effect it plays a sound.

Something like this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RiMS1bDYUQo&fmt=18

[PaulP]

I COULD, but it seems like that would get really annoying. Hearing ZbtZzbtZZZZbtZZbtZbt when you're jumping in with a bunch of fighters just doesn't seem appealing to me...

The standard jumpdrive doesn't play a sound. This script uses the same command (use jump drive: target=) as the regular jumpdrive does, that's actually where I got it from - digging around in the !move.jump file. It plays the sound when you jump, but everyone else it just has the little flash upon entering and exiting.

When I first decided to make this script I thought I would have to devise a big script to do everything the standard ones do, but the standard ones just use that command - it does everything from playing the sounds to jumping you between sectors to making the flash to using up the initial energy cells without any more input than "= [THIS] -> use jump drive: target = sector"

The only real differences between the base functionality of this and the way the standard jumpdrive functions is this one moves you to a position as soon as you're in the sector and eats extra energy cells. That and it doesn't use gates at all - it just targets sectors, the same way the standard one does if you jump to somewhere like Aldrin.

[bounty_hunter66]

Not necesarly the sounds in the video....it could be other cutom added sounds

[Malakie]

Not necesarly the sounds in the video....it could be other cutom added sounds

How about when you initiate the jump play a sound then after ALL ships you have jumping have completed their jumps, play another sound to signify all ships have jumped.

[DeBernd]

Yeessss!! finally someone Did it.

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!

I always thought that this gate-jumping is lame, gateless jumps at least for the bigger ships is really needed.
....especially as the AI can do it anyways, so i don't consider it a cheat.

Thanks again... installing right now.

Bernd.

[PaulP]

It has sound when you jump (the same as the standard jump, since it uses the same command), it just doesn't use one when other ships jump in/out.

I just don't really feel the need to add sounds when ships jump in/out of places. If the regular jumpdrive had sounds for that, I would want to add them - but it just doesn't seem right to have this one use sounds when the standard one doesn't.

And a sound to signify all ships have jumped doesn't really seem necessary either - what would it be? A ding, or something? They all jump in pretty quick, and you get a message if one failed to jump for some reason - so there isn't really a chance of leaving ships behind. It would just seem out of place to hear some kind of sound effect when the last ship jumps in, when you didn't hear it for all the others.

It's just my opinion, but any extra sound just seems like it would be extra bloat and accomplish nothing more than getting annoying after extended use.

[bounty_hunter66]

I think its wrong when it DOESNT have any sounds. Seeing the effect and the ship silently dissapear just isnt right! You should hear a wormhole/hyperspace sound when other ships jump in/out

[PaulP]

Update v.2
Added Jump to Dock command, wing commands, corrected the replace function in messages to not replace the Y in ship names (now its pattern YZ).

[PaulP]

Added an alternate v.2 which uses only the standard energy cells, since some people apparently dislike this feature. I personally feel the extra ecell req helps balance an innately unbalanced feature, but to each their own.

[Rivo]

I've been trying out your mod. The problem i have is the distance I'm placed in my M6, about 30k on average. With this SLOW monster I'm flying the extra distance is a problem. Is there anyway to change the distance?

[PaulP]

It's the collision detection that's probably getting you. It tries to jump you at the exact spot you specify (which you notice if you jump in ships while OOS), but the game automatically moves you to prevent collisions. This is especially noticeable with big stations, specifically Terran stations.

I don't think theres a reliable way to move you closer. I tried the force to position command and it just warped you to the spot for a split second, did shield damage, and warped you away.

It MIGHT be a bit better if you select a spot a few km away from the station - but it still might just warp you way away, since the collision detection on those big stations is so huge.

[altaar]

Hello

@ PaulP : I'm going to make a mix of all the "Free Jump" script available, may i use your code plz ?

[spacefueladdict]

Hi Paulp, graet script,

I am currently working on a mod which is altering the look and sizes of sector's, and i've had a few requests to add a point to point jump drive, and this script seems to fit the bill.

Should i need to, could i have your permission to include this script into the mod? with full credit to yourself of course.

[lastebil]

Just a stupid question here:

Will your UTs be able to use this fuction (benefiting from terran sectors)?

[apricotslice]

Once again, filefront totally defeats me. Any chance you could email me the normal ecell v2 ?

[TERRAN-CONFLICTOR]

I've just ported the XTM Valhalla into my X3 TC game, will this mod help with the Gate crashing shunting i'm experiencing?

[PaulP]

Hey, sorry for the late reply. I've been inactive for a while doing other things.

altaar & spacefueladdict,

Sure, you can use it. Modify as needed, just credit me


lastebil,

Any script could use it, but you would have to edit the part that makes them jump so that it references the script from this mod. I actually made the change to UTs once, I think I had to edit one of the default moveto or goto or something scripts - that was 2 months ago and I forget the specifics. I didn't keep the change because it was so horribly overpowered though, haha. The ships were popping in and out of sectors like crazy. When you're OOS the ship will literally jump directly on top of the station and dock instantly. The only thing slowing it down was finding the next deal, the second it found something it would jump, buy, jump, sell. One UT like that could probably handle trading over the whole universe. You could modify it to not move them to position if you wanted to balance it, though - that way they could jump to terran sectors without instant docking.

All this script really does is use the standard jump system with the sector as a target instead of the gate, then move you to the x,y,z of the target as soon as you're there. The same way it works when you jump to systems outside the gate network like Khaak sectors.

apricotslice,

-edit- Nevermind, I'll email it to you now. I forgot this forum had an email button haha.

TERRAN-CONFLICTOR,

The way it works is it jumps you to the center of the area (the same way jumping to Aldrin works) then moves you to the location targeted. It shouldn't cause any gate collisions - since you won't be warping to gates at all when using it. Such a big ship may have problems with the in-sector collision prevention thing that the move command uses, though. It won't kill you or anything, but I've noticed it to be a bit too sensitive when it comes to big stations and possibly big ships - so it might dump you a long way from your target position, which can be a PITA on a slow ship.

[F.A.B.]

hi paul,

hope you're still active.

i translated your script into german - at first just for own use, but decided then to share it. so feel free to add it!

[Draesk]

Hi there,

I'm wondering if you could help me with a little modification to this script (the 1x version). It would appear that NPC ships have the ability to jump around pretty much instantly. Having to wait for the thing to charge to 100% when they can pop about as they please is incredibly frustrating. I would like a way of removing this delay completely. A "jump to target" hotkey would be nice too. I'm not asking you to cater to my every whim here, I'd be quite happy with just some pointers on how to achieve this on my own - though my programming abilities are somewhat limited (systems/networking guy itt).

Thanks.