[MD]X3TC Menagerie Shipyard v2.3 Updated (04 June 2012)

[Fern Gally]

Thanks for the new Link @Storming

[manole]

of course megaupload was raided by the FBI

[Argonaught.]

I've re-uploaded the file and replaced the old link with a new one in first post on this thread.

Sorry I didn't get to this earlier.

Argo.

[greypanther]

Is this good to go with AP? It sounds good.

[Argonaught.]

As I don't have AP yet i don't know, the director files may be changed in AP but I won't know till I get hands on it and have a look.

Maybe someone familiar with the director and has AP can confirm if TC director files will work with AP or not.

EDIT, thinking on it if there are new ships in AP then it may mess up.

Argo.

[xTemon]

It seems you have a problem with the TDocks folder as a conflict in AP. I'm only guessing, but Yaki have Headquarters listed in the Encyclopedia instead of Shipyard for their Docks. Haven't looked at the others, but that's a pretty good indication of a conflict somewhere. Granted, you are doing this with MD, so I have no idea why.

My understanding of the MD is only marginally better than 80% of other forum users here, not including the modders I imagine. I can read it at least, and most of your MD file looks fine.

I did notice however, that you run the cleanup before the placement, which I though was a little odd. Shouldn't you do a setup first, spawn the shipyard in a disconnected secto maybe, then run the message and jump then cleanup and have the MD file in that order?

Like I said though, my understanding is limited. Also, there are new commands and such for the MD, but no changes that I know of aside from that. More an extension of functions and reduction of limitations than anything else.

edit:

P.S. If you don't mind, I'm going to play around with this a bit and see if I can figure it out. I'm a newship person myself and anything that isn't in the game is like gold.

I can Cheatscript it in of course, but I like features like this. I suppose I could also just add a dock, which is easy enough for me, or add to docks, or whatever, but this is interesting.

Also, the OWP.. do they just undock normally without scripting, (I suppose if I read a bit more of your script.. actually I did and it's not in there that I noticed); I find that hard to believe?

I was thinking of adding a ware entry for a ST ware and deploying them like satellites from a TL.. might work or might not.

I have my own idea for interesting new ship introduction, but I haven't got any interesting "new" ships, so uavailable ones are cool. Thinking of the Ozias actually, and Aran.. ..so cool

edit2: Ah.. yes, forgot to add: I did get the message, but I used the Cheatscript to update my Encyclopedia and checked some of the ships for sold at locations and didn't find anything. Pretty sure the Shipyard didn't spawn. Also dropped satellites in all sectors and looked through about ~25-30 of them before I thought of that.

Only about 10% of them, but I'm fairly certain the Encyclopedia would have istead them as-updated-it lists wares in stations spawned by the cheatscript in other sectors with unusual wares.

Of course, that doesn't account for it being destroyed by Xenon before I ran the Encyclopedia update and after it may have spawned. That accounts for about a minute, because of the timer for your message-I think-and a little bit.

edit3: Actually, I was flipping through sectors before that, so probably more than 5 minutes. I have no sense of time when I'm doing that sort of thing, except that it seems to take forever and every miss is like spending 4$ on a useless lottery ticket and waiting a week to find out.

[xTemon]

Looking at it a bit more, I noticed you have your cue /cue and cues /cues kind of odd. Just speaking from experience with xml in general, so I'm not sure if it applies here, but there is often a lack of a /cue which is usually just followed by a ques, and the end has a whole lot of /cue /cues in it.

Like I said, not exactly sure there is a problem there but I'd think it should be more like this:

Code: Select all

<cues>
   <cue>
      The cue
   </cue>
   <cue>
      The next cue
   </cue>
</cues>

opening and closing tags and all for each part of a cue and for each set of cues.

Also, isn't it queues? Obviously it works.. At least the first message ran and was received anyway. I suppose they just shortened it for ease of use

[Argonaught.]

I'm not as advanced with MD stuff as others, this was my first real attempt at creating something extra for the game.

RL stuff got in the way then and I've forgotten most of how i managed to create it lol

Anyway the cleanup bit was to assist in removing any leftover stations from older MD files that ran. If i didn't use that there would be multiple instances of the station being destroyed and recreated for each new version of the md file.

I first noticed the extra stations when i was using MarCon script menu to locate it and make sure it was being created and moving to different sectors as it should, during the testing i'd ran it a couple times and when I used MarCon script to locate it i found no less than five stations, I couldn't get the code to run correctly anywhere other than where it is now, probably due to my noobness with MD.

As for the cue/cues stuff I had some help from ketraar with how they work and it seemed the correct way to go, I got no errors anyway when creating it and it ran ok without any game messups or the like.

OWP's do undiock but they have no propulsion systems so they just sit at the dock, anything docking/undocking while they are undocked and sitting there will be destroyed.

For moving them you'd need to use a tractor beam to move them away from the station, or for sector moving you'd need the super tractor beam scripts.

When I have AP I'll take another stab at MD stuff and see what has changed and what more can be done, have it on order so hope to have it during the week or next week at latest.

Argo.

[xTemon]

..I see from the MD tutorials and threads I've read that the cue structure is somewhat like scripts in that it has subsections which cannot run until the parent has completed and cannot end until the parent is ready to end.

Ketraars posts were particularly helpful in this regard, (Thanks Ketraar).

Also, it seems-for what I am thinking of-I can't do it all in one MD file. The difference I see, is that the standard xml I'm used to does not 'run', but rather acts as an archive or data file to be accessed when called by other functions.

This actually runs like a script and requires some means of preventing everything from running at once. This is the reason for the cue structure of course, though I'd expected each cue --> end cue to run sequentially based on their opening and closing, and I suppose to some extent they do, but not the way I'd thought.

Anyway, thanks for your links and explanations here and elsewhere, along with everybody else who put some effort and thought into making this easier to understand.

..back to whatever I'm doing

edit: Just a thought, but I was thinking of either installing Jumpdrives to OWPs or having the option of installing Jumpdrives and adding E-Cells through the standard upgrade interface at the shipyard.

Obviously, you would have to add E-Cells and Jumpdrives to whichever same-race Equipment dock or HQ is in system to do that. In the case of your Menagerie shipyard, you'd have to have an EQ or HQ that travels with it.

[Argonaught.]

Never thought of trying to install jumpdrives on them to see if it'd work.

Can't wait to get AP and play around with the MD again, hopefully this time I can get something more advanced working

Argo.

[greypanther]

I must say I too cannot wait until you get your copy of AP!

When you do look at it again, could you look at rebalancing the prices please, much as I want to buy Khaak ships, the prices are not well balanced. Also, I assume the Khaak ships come without weapons, any chance that you could add rare weapons to things you can buy in station?

( Shame there is no ' rub hands together inanticipation ', emoticon! )

Whats more do you know if its compatable with XRM?

[Argonaught.]

Main Download link updated to V2.2 release


Changes in V2.2

--- The Shipyard is now easier to find and I've reduced it's random jump radius down to a 10 sector distance from Player as well as changing it's
------- cordinates to Y at 25km so when you jump into the sector you'll see it easily.

--- When the Shipyard jumps into a sector that the Player had an Advanced Satellite in the player will receive a message saying what sector.

--- Timer for the station to jump has been reduced from 2-5hr down to between 1-2hr cycle

--- The Shipyard is getting a tad ancient now so when it jumps there's a 50% chance it'll leave some bits behind:
------- Namely: 1x Engine Tuning or Rudder Optimisation or Repair Laser

--- There is also equipment available for you purchases, please visit <-- Menagerie Shipyard version 1.0 for X3AP --> to view image as the upgrades are the same.

Note
------- I didn't do anything to the list of ships but if someone can provide a rare ship list I can alter it easily.

Note
------- OWP's bought at the shipyard can load jumpdrives but they have no engines so tractor beam is needed to move into position


Many Thanks to all for the helping me to understand MD code usage


Have fun .


Argo.

[greypanther]

You are a star Argo!

[Argonaught.]

I uploaded the wrong file, have sorted it now so if you downloaded it before I posted here then please delete that and redownload the new one.

Sorry for the mess up there, need to take a break from MD and play some X3 I think lol.


Argo.

[CaptObvious]

I've got this installed now - the shipyard seems to be jumping every 5 minutes or so rather than every 1-2 hours.

[Argonaught.]

I've got this installed now - the shipyard seems to be jumping every 5 minutes or so rather than every 1-2 hours.

Thanks for the info Capt, in my rush to release it i forgot to reset the timing from when I was testing it.

Have update the link in first post with the correct code set in the files.

Anyone finding that the station only hangs around for a min or 2 should download the updated files and just overwrite the old ones.

Argo.

[Argonaught.]

Main Download link updated to V2.3 release


Changes in V2.3

• Only change is for the jump timer, due to an oversight I left my Test file in the zip which is set to a couple minutes instead of the 1-2h timer.
  
  please download the updated version 2.3version and overwrite the old files.

Apologies for the mess up there.

Have fun Smile .


Argo.

[ird1000]

What a great idea this is for people to try or want different ships in there game Well done on you first peace of codes... will give this a try soon...

[century]

no more download link ?

i guess no hyperion available ?

[X2-Illuminatus]

I fixed the download link in the opening post.