[SCRIPT] Dedicated Assistant Drones (DAD) V4.7 [03.05.2009]

[pelador]

Thanks Bertone. Glad you enjoy them. Some credit needs to go to Idea, he helps alot with brainstorming and is part of the quality assurance process.

I use a number of X3TC specific functions so it isn't at the present moment in time readily compatible. I'd have to look at how much time it would take to do an X3R version, not only for conversion but also support and testing implications. I haven't as yet found time to do a translation to other languages for X3TC, primarily due to a lack of language skills needed and that I need to translate the script content to text file support to aid the process.

Maybe in the future, but I still have quite a bit left to do still for X3TC.

[pelador]

Regarding Sniper Drone and Assasination missions:

Missions, hmm, I need to test this. In the case of a successfull strike it ejects the pilot and subsequently kills him instantaneously. I should have considered these scenarios. Return mission I think likley not much of a concern due to the ship object being the same and Assasination might just have to continue on to kill the ship to complete the mission or not dependant on value (ship or mission?) which might be the way of registering the kill as its how and where the target is identified (by his/her ship). Be interesting to know in the Vanilla game what happens if you attempt to board an assasination mission ship and not kill it. And although they are different class range of ship as far as the sniper drone is concerned it might have handling in it as a result. But it is something I have overlooked. Hopefully ES have such checks in their MD files but I have no excuses, apologies for this and thanks for pointing it out. Watch this space.

Conformation from Xenon_Slayer, ES is that the mission is cued by the ship. So you may be left with a choice to either claim the ship as a prize or continue to destroy the ship for the mission reward. Though he did say that the conditions being watched where object destroyed, object claimed and object captured in relation to the ship. So if the ship is claimed it may trigger the mission completion. He also said that he will be considering adding in a future update to the cues so that a pilot ejection and subsequent destruction of the actor will trigger the mission completion.

(XS was recently on holiday, else he would have confirmed sooner, so apologies for any delay).

[pelador]

V4.6 Upgrade available.

Improved balancing to mining drones. The mother ships now require an equivalent number of energy cells to the volume of the mineral being mined. A new instruction in the orders allows you to set a "keep variable" to retain a certain number of e-cells (if needed for jump drive etc.).

It is suggested you complete any outstanding drone mining operations before applying this upgrade.

Also please dont add "extra" energy during mining operations above the keep value, as this will likley end up with excess resources being dumped in space. Keep values can be adjusted if you have multiple mining orders, but this will effect all mining operations. Likewise they use the same pool of energy. This is to avoid "overfilling" the mothership.

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In the near future I hope to apply Drone cargo values as extra balancing details as previously described above in relation to the current limitations of the EMP mod with regards to TwareT files. If it turns out that EMP mod cant provide these much needed script freindly details as a community resource, I'll be making my own mod with accomodation for EMP and other notable EMP freindly developments like AHD, aswell as a version without EMP.

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Also considering adding in the user definable configuration values in the near future, this is dependant on the side expansion of drone ships and their ongoing scripting details.

[spacefueladdict]

Hi pel,

tried this script last night, Excellent!!! however ... I noticd in the specialized drone thingy that there were no primary/secdondary resources, is this normal or on the to-do list?
Cheers

SFA

[pelador]

Thanks SFA and It's normal.

The specialised research drone facilities use a pseudo restocking script similar to how boarding pods work in vanilla. There is a trend to increase stock over time but can go up or down, and different drones have different production cycles, also they may contain different stock/types based on the race owner and is one of the reasons for the limited stock numbers. The normal AI trading proccesses used on fabs have been switch off as a result.

[Bertone]

I use a number of X3TC specific functions so it isn't at the present moment in time readily compatible. I'd have to look at how much time it would take to do an X3R version, not only for conversion but also support and testing implications.

I like X3R more than X3TC, but it's not important.
I always read X3R forum, and some people will certainly appreciate your ideas and works, and obviously Idea's ideas!

I haven't as yet found time to do a translation to other languages for X3TC, primarily due to a lack of language skills needed and that I need to translate the script content to text file support to aid the process.

If you need it I can translate in Italian, just let me know.

[spacefueladdict]

Thanks SFA and It's normal.

The specialised research drone facilities use a pseudo restocking script similar to how boarding pods work in vanilla. There is a trend to increase stock over time but can go up or down, and different drones have different production cycles, also they may contain different stock/types based on the race owner and is one of the reasons for the limited stock numbers. The normal AI trading proccesses used on fabs have been switch off as a result.

Ok, was just wondering, if it's normal then thats sweet.

[Hieronymos]

P.,
have you given more consideration as to which races you might want to give different drone types to? Some, like Constructor or Repair could be universal, with others more restricted or even exclusive.

EMP Drone: could either be Boron (logical considering their dominance in anti-shield tech); OR as counterweapon to Boron, by Paranid or Split. Or considering it requires Disruptor missles, it could be a Yaki weapon.

Advert Drone: Teladi immediately come to mind..

Hacking Drone: Pirates would be logical..Yaki less logical (as they don't care if everybody hates them). Teladi, even Terran, could make sense.

Analysis Drone: could be anybody..but for some reason Split come to mind first, as having a hungry naval intelligence service. Teladi come second, Pirates 3rd..wanting something for (almost) nothing.

Blitz: Split come first, Argon second, followed closely by Yaki. Yaki see the capp as primo.

Sniper: Yaki come up first..but could be Split.

Shadow: seems more like a more peaceful, wait-and-see approach, like with Boron.

Collection: while it could be anybody, it is loot collection; Pirates and Yaki. Or Teladi.

Repair: could also be everybody, but it's more practical and defense-oriented somehow: Boron, Argon, Teladi..?

Jamming: using tech defensively. Smells fishy (Boron).

Mining: Argon and Teladi come to mind..

Geology: Paranid?

Constructor: investing in passive defenses..could be any of the 5 major races. Except Split, who like offense so much, they don't seem likely to invest much in defense. Argon? Teladi? Boron?

Minelayer: minefields are especially for underdogs: Pirates, Yaki.

Spy: could be anyone.. Or everyone.
.................

By limiting specific drones to specific races, or to limited groups of races, said drones become more valuable and thus more desirable. It also simplifies the number of custom fabs you need to create and place, and make available in various shipyards (and troubleshoot!). And adds a bit more racial flavour to game, emphasizing the races different technical areas of expertise, and their very differing priorities.

Certain drone types (or even all of them) would also make great wares for sale by the Pirate Fence
.................

Brainflash! A Yaki/Pirate 'piratocentric' idea.

The Industrial Espionage Drone! Big clunky drone (modded cargo drone?), that player sends to dock with a fab/forge whose product he wishes to be able to manufacture himself. Once docked, IED hacks into fab/forge data network, copying schematics. Also releases mini-analysis drones that scan all parts of the manufacturing and assembly process. If successful, player recieves "blueprint" of target fab/forge that he can either:

a) Buy said fab/forge, adding it to list of buyable fabs/forges, at player-owned SY? Or at a Player Friendly Shipyard (as per Voxol's 3R script);

b) Hack the PHQ script to enable construction of 'stolen' fab schematics.

c) Commission his Industrial Espionage Workshop (a custom TL or M1) to build a fab/forge copy [requiring xxxxx resources PLUS Cr. equal to normal sale value of said facility].

(alternatively, the IEW could be a massive ware: e.g. 26,000 ST, that can be bought and carried aboard a TL, effectively making it a dedicated fab forging ship..)

[pelador]

P.,
have you given more consideration as to which races you might want to give different drone types to?

Yes. (Excel Spreadsheet of settings: Availability )

Certain drone types (or even all of them) would also make great wares for sale by the Pirate Fence

I could add them in based on wether DAD Drones is installed. As they would be need to have the scripts installed for use. Similarly I could add other custom wares in similar collaboration if they arent upgrades. (Though some may be possible, just want to avoid overtuning but I can get clever with duplication avoidance if needs).

Brainflash! A Yaki/Pirate 'piratocentric' idea.

The Industrial Espionage Drone!

I'll need to do some research into this to see what's realistically feasable for generating fab wares. It's not a scripting limitation (though I have to check useage of fabs as wares) it's the logistical limitations for balance.

Simple example: E.g. A Mammoth cargo full of ore only equates to 1 million credits whereas fabs go into the millions. So without building more wares into the infracstructure and not using fab wares as it goes against purpose of fab ware availability for pirates etc. I need to do some checking into how to balance resources effectively and realistically both within prices and cargo restrictions, though tech wares will definatley help here.

I also ideally would like to write it based on value of fab, orientating the resource ware requirements accordingly, this would allow me to generically look at any fab including custom without the need for a lookup table. Though I'll likley use steps than a linear relation (e.g. fabs < 1mil cr use X resources, fabs 1 to 1.5 mil, use X + y wares and so on).

It'll take me a bit to get the design right I think, so I wouldnt expect it soon assuming it can be sensibly done without introducing a new layer to the economy to support it. Though credits might help, but I dont like to create things out of thin air if avoidable unless its buying. Though a simple solution to the building process could be to break it into stages.

[Hieronymos]

My Excel 2000 wouldn't recognize your availability file.

Regarding a way of turning a "fab/forge blueprint" into an actual fab/forge..expediency is key. Whatever works. The PHQ might be the ideal platform as the blueprint--->ship coding could be used as template for fab/forge blueprint--->fab/forge.

Alternately, Teladidrone's Marauder Shipyard plugin could serve as template..wherein all the vanilla SY's are already added to an npc SY's wares list, but only become visible when triggered.

I was surfing the forums looking into the 4 experimental beam weapons (Split Phased Array Laser Cannon, etc.), and found in most of the threads a fairly universal lust among players to be able to get more of these babies...Problem is, vanilla game delivers only a tiny few (a few PALC's and PBC's to be exact), and there are no forges.

DDTC will be featuring both the 4 experimental beam forges, as well as Split and Yaki A/B-kyon forges, and a few others not present in vanilla game [M & L Nividium mines; Paranid Wildfire missle plant; plus about 6-8 more]. But these forges will only be NPC-owned, and not for sale. Furthermore the weapons fabs will all have Nividium as a resource to complicate/prevent production.

Having a way to reproduce such exotic manufacturies, could open up some pretty cool avenues of gameplay.

Regarding nationality(s) of the IED: Teladi, Pirate, Yaki & Split all come to mind..

[Hieronymos]

It just occurred that because of a fair amount of overlap in some drones' functions that a relatively few basic models could be constructed that would then have specialized components added to create final operational form.

Example A: "Express Freight Chassis": Collection, Turret and Minelayer could also be same base model..as both functions require grabbing and moving heavy objects rapidly from point A to B. Powerful engines with grappling arms, that need to be fast but not manueverable.
Example B: "Heavy Utility Chassis": Repair & Construction both need to handle, shape & weld heavy Taladianium panels, lay power and data conduits, etc.
Example C: "Combat Stealth Chassis": Sniper mk2 (stealth), Shadow mk2 (stealth), Analysis (stealth) might use the same Stealth drone chassis (small, fast, manueverable, and with stealth rig)
Example D: "Small Combat Chassis" Sniper mk1, Blitz, EMP, Jamming..would all need an extremely manuevable (to evade enemy fire), armored (to survive light enemy fire), and fast (to get in and out) combat chassis.
Example E: "Utility Chassis": Hacking & Geology could use a lighter 'civilian' model of Analysis drone chassis..as neither needs extreme speed, etc.

Thus, "Small Combat Chassis" could be customized: add M.D.=Sniper mk1; add 6 Disruptor missles=EMP; and so on..

Standardizing Drone chassis would make a lot of sense from many angles; especially from amufacturing.

[pelador]

My Excel 2000 wouldn't recognize your availability file.

I use MS Office 2007. But you can get a free viewer from MS.

Thanks for the feedback, but I'm coding with custom fabs in mind aswell as vanilla.

Interesting view about the chassis, I'll speak with Idea about it, but due to the nature and price variance of various drones it may be more specific.

[pelador]

Constructing Stations

All Drones: [ external image ]

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Overview:

A new command is attached to the PHQ for use and also as a hotkey. To initiate constructing stations you have to use either the station command or the hotkey to select your PHQ. Once set it will automatically configure itself ready for use. This is required before you start using Espionage Drones (see below) to analyse stations but the PHQ is set-up with Complex Construction kits for each of the main races as default.

Once set you can then add a single station into the production que at any one time. Production works in cycles per factory and the value of the station determines the number of cycles (each $250,000 increment + 1). The PHQ will then commence building based on if sufficient resources are available for that cycle as follows:



Teladianium x 160
Ore x 80
Silicon x 50
Chips x 10
Quantum Tubes x 6
Computer components x 26


(This roughly equates to the value of 250K credits based on average values, cargo 2416)


The main menu's in the construction interface will show the current stock levels as follows ( % : PHQ Amount / Needed Amount ) and you will see a warning if stocks go below a single cycle amount. Note if this happens the current construction que will simply wait until required wares are added.

The menu also allows you to monitor the production of the station showing cycles and % completed of current cycle. Here you can also Pause, Restart and Delete the production by select the station in the production monitoring area. Note Deleting simply removes the production and doesn't return any wares.

Once completed the PHQ will send the player a message and allow the player to move completed stations into the PHQ cargo bay ready for ships to collect.

Note: Stations are organised into maker race categories on selection to add to the production que, to help better organise the lists.


Below are images of the menus:

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[pelador]

Deploy Espionage Drone

All Drones: [ external image ]


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Overview:

With any ship equipped with:

Explorer Command Software
Special Command Software

and has the following equipment:

Analysis Drone.

Other associated requirements:

Headquarters


IMPORTANT you must first set-up your PHQ to be ready to accept station blueprints. See Constructing Stations above.

The ship can launch a drone (on menu in special commands interface menu) at a station in the same sector as the launching ship that will move to the "target" scanning it to then analyse and make schematic blueprints to be transfered to your HQ. However, if it loses scanning lock periodicaly it will cause anomolies in the scanning result causing potential errors, this usually happens when the distance goes beyond it's scanning range. On losing contact it will attempt to re-establish contact with the target station and continue scans. Once a successful scan of a station is completed the drone will attempt to fly back to the player HQ and transfer the schematic.

Only certain classes of station can be scanned (Equipment Dock, Trading Station and Factories) and it is limited to player orientated factories so certain types are currently not set as valid, also alien technology such as Xenon, Khaak and some others is not compatible for the scanning process.

The station must have a hull intergrity above 87% in order to get a reliable scan.

Messages will be relayed for any aborted scan commands due to restrictions. (Note: Plot stations cannot be scanned).

A SINGLE scanning time is normally 6.4s but this is multiplied by 4 or 5 dependant on the type of station. But it takes multiple scans to complete an analysis. There are ways to reduce overall scanning periods on Espionage drones but I will let you discover those secrets yourself.

As blueprints are involved you obviously require a Headquarters to return them to, the drone will abort the launch without one.

As much as freindly/neutral stations may only be a simple challenge to these drones, dont expect the drones to last long in enemy territory.

Espionage drones can be viewed as "bothersome" to stations and especially moreso to races who require licences for scanning ability as a result any single scan attempt will now naturally incur a 1% chance of provoking a hostile reaction from the target station. This changes if sector ownerships and legal conditions are as follows (note this is dependant on the sector the drone is in at the time of the scan, not the target station):

Race - Bothersome %

Terran - 2%
ATF - 5%
Main Race without licence 10%

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See Analysis Drones for how to custom engineer them otherwise they can be bought.

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(Possible Lore/History/flavouring to follow)

[pelador]

V4.7 Upgrade Available

Implementation of Espionage Drone and Constructing Stations at the PHQ. Details above.

Few tweaks, nothing noteable.

[pelador]

If you need it I can translate in Italian, just let me know.

Thanks for that, it'll be a help, I'll try remember when I get to that stage "Ciao for now"

[Troubleshooter11]

Constructing Stations

All Drones: [ external image ]

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Overview:

A new command is attached to the PHQ for use and also as a hotkey. To initiate constructing stations you have to use either the station command or the hotkey to select your PHQ. Once set it will automatically configure itself ready for use. This is required before you start using Espionage Drones (see below) to analyse stations but the PHQ is set-up with Complex Construction kits for each of the main races as default.

Once set you can then add a single station into the production que at any one time. Production works in cycles per factory and the value of the station determines the number of cycles (each $250,000 increment + 1). The PHQ will then commence building based on if sufficient resources are available for that cycle as follows:



Teladianium x 160
Ore x 80
Silicon x 50
Chips x 10
Quantum Tubes x 6
Computer components x 26


(This roughly equates to the value of 250K credits based on average values, cargo 2416)


The main menu's in the construction interface will show the current stock levels as follows ( % : PHQ Amount / Needed Amount ) and you will see a warning if stocks go below a single cycle amount. Note if this happens the current construction que will simply wait until required wares are added.

The menu also allows you to monitor the production of the station showing cycles and % completed of current cycle. Here you can also Pause, Restart and Delete the production by select the station in the production monitoring area. Note Deleting simply removes the production and doesn't return any wares.

Once completed the PHQ will send the player a message and allow the player to move completed stations into the PHQ cargo bay ready for ships to collect.

Note: Stations are organised into maker race categories on selection to add to the production que, to help better organise the lists.


Below are images of the menus:

[ external image ]

[ external image ]

[ external image ]

[ external image ]

I love you, have my babies!

[pelador]

I love you, have my babies!

Thanks, I think

[Frostynso]

Have you submitted the jump drones for the bonus pack?

[Geneoce]

I'm curious about how you get your hands on all the specialized resources, such as hacker and cartography chips, to build the drones yourself?

I cant seem to find a location in my universe that sells them.