Bullwinkle's List

[Vayde]

I tend to take a bit to long to get to the point Dr B.

Also speaking of points you missed mine completely I was not suggesting paying marines with rocks and junk but making them use them when repairing ships, like the PHQ does

[DrBullwinkle]

If you bring me sufficient quantities of actually valuable resources, such as nividium, then I might be vaguely interested.

I could actually do something with that idea... such as slowly convert nividium to, say, energy cells.

Like 1,000 energy cells (size = 1,000) from 1 nividium (size = 8 ). Maximum = half of cargo bay. Cycle time of... what? 10 minutes? 30 minutes? Or when the player toggles a menu choice?

It could be like a compact source of emergency jump fuel. Expensive, but compact. Not suitable for a trader, but could be golden for your Drone Carriers on extended patrol.

And it would give you something useful to do with all of that nividium you have mined.

* - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Other than nividium, if you bring me rocks and junk, then I'm going to punch you.

[DrBullwinkle]

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Marine Repairs v2
Marine Repairs v2 Full Description and Download

Your marines will repair the ship that they are on, any ship docked to the ship that they are on, or any station or complex that they are docked to.

Version 1.12 adds the following features:

• - Fight training is optional in the t file. Default is 'no' fight training. (kurush, Aegyen)

Version 1.11:

• - Improved cost calculation for repairing very heavy-hull ships (M1, M2, M0). Max cost for 100% repair now about 40% of purchase price.
  - Improved cost calculation for Station repairs. Cost calculation uses new Station Repair Cost Percentage (in t file).
  - Increased default station effectiveness multiplier from 20 to 50 (in t file). Means: Faster repairs for stations.
  - Fixed bug in training cost calculator -- should now approximate vanilla training costs.
  - Now repairs more station types.

Version 1.10:

• - Now repairs complex hubs (and stations connected to complex hubs).
  - Effectiveness improved for AP's stronger hulls (no change for TC).
  - Marines can gain small amount of training with each repair. Cost is similar to vanilla training.
  - Added Time and Materials charges for repairs.
  - Costs for training and repairs are configurable in the t file.

(Thanks to kurush for the ideas for complex repair and T&M charges).












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[Aegyen]

Little interesting tidbit for you to chew on..

Re: ASD I saw some more interesting behavior out of this during an insomnia session.

I get into a sector and my pinger starts. I haven't been to this sector before, so I am limited by scanner range for the moment , and am just following the pings. Well, I should say ticks, at this point. I get about to the center, and change course, and the ping rate isn't changing that I can tell, so I go for a while in that direction, and am not getting any difference. Change course again, and all the sudden the tick turns into a ping... Keep going that way, and the ping rate increases a bit, but not picking up much tempo. Then, all the sudden it returns to the tick. I'm like, wait a sec, I point my nose in another direction, and there is my ping again! Was able to home right in on it, using that method.

Intended behavior, or not?

[DrBullwinkle]

Yes, that is intended behavior for the Abandoned Ship Detector (ASD).

When you are greater than 100km from the ship, then there will be no difference in the rate of the ticks. The ticks increase in frequency as you get closer.

When you are pointed in approximately the correct direction, then the ticks change to a "blip".

If the blips increase in frequency, then change to a tick, it means that you have gone past the abandoned ship. Remember, the blip does not mean that you are pointed *exactly* at the ship... just *approximately*. When you get close, the angle between your direction and the abandoned ship increases. When you fly past the ship, the angle is very large.

So, yes, when you have flown past the ship, you will have to change your direction in order to get the blips again. It happens, typically, when you are near the abandoned ship.

[kurush]

Wow! You even added training to the marine repair script. I was thinking to do it but couldn't find time. Totally awesome, downloading to replace my homebrew version Do you provide links to your scripts in this thread? I almost missed it.

[DrBullwinkle]

Wow! You even added training to the marine repair script.

Yep. Currently, the training only happens during repairs... I figured that the marines deserved some credit for their hard work!

I have been thinking about adding more general training, so that your on-board marines will always receive a certain amount of training. That way, you would not have to choose between training your marines and putting them to work at repairing and protecting your ships. What do you think?

Do you provide links to your scripts in this thread? I almost missed it.

The links are maintained in the first post, just like any other script thread. I also add a link to my update announcements. Probably.

Suggestions welcome (including changes in organizing the thread).

[kurush]

I have been thinking about adding more general training, so that your on-board marines will always receive a certain amount of training.

Not sure if training without actually doing something would be realistic. I actually thought of adding a cost of keeping marines on retainer. After all, you as an employer should be responsible for their utilization Let me try it, but from the description it looks perfect.

[DrBullwinkle]

from the description it looks perfect.

Excellent!

I actually thought of adding a cost of keeping marines on retainer.

Marines are already the most expensive and rare of player resources. If you use your marines, then some are going to die. That, in turn, means that you must always have some marines in training. It seems to me that the costs of maintaining an effective marine force are already very high. Maybe "extremely high".

However, one thing that I wondered about for a very long time was feeding marines. The manual clearly states that you have to feed them. Before I read the forum, I could not figure out why training took so long... I was afraid that I was not feeding them enough MRE's and C-Rations.

[Aegyen]

Not sure if training without actually doing something would be realistic. I actually thought of adding a cost of keeping marines on retainer. After all, you as an employer should be responsible for their utilization Let me try it, but from the description it looks perfect.

I use almost all of Lucike's scripts, and parts of the Personnel Transport and the Pilot Union scripts cover exactly that. If you transfer all your marines into the lounge, and then reassign them back to the marine section, they all end up on the payroll.

And Doc... about feeding your marines. But it does make sense, doesn't it?

By the way, ASD is becoming a part of my personal collection, I prefer that way of finding ships. I was about half asleep while all that was happening, and had to LoL at myself, it was such a 'eureka' moment.

[StarCrack]

just installed (Free Jump for AI's: v1.4.03 Bullwinkle 2012-05-21)
and am getting spammed with messages about a buster that cant jump because i don't have the Creds, I don't own a buster....

uninstall and it stops the spam but then nothing auto jumps

[DrBullwinkle]

am getting spammed with messages about a buster that cant jump because i don't have the Creds, I don't own a buster....

Wow, that is almost alarming. Thanks for the report, Starcrack.

EDIT: While double-checking the v1.4.03 that you tested, I see that it is missing a file. So that means that 30 people downloaded it over the past couple of weeks, and you are the first to report something wrong!

+1 to Starcrack for the report.
-1 to the rest of you for not telling me that the version has problems!

[DrBullwinkle]

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Free Jump for AI's
Free Jump for AI's (Less Cheatery Edition) BETA
Free Jump for AI's v1.4.04 (Always Free Jump Edition)
[ external image ]

About the BETA Version 1.4.10 (Less Cheatery Edition):

• For some players, Free Jump for AI's was too much of a good thing. So version 1.4.10 tones it down a notch. Most AI jumps will be vanilla jumps, unless one of your ships has been targeted by an enemy, or has run low on jump fuel*. Then the ship will get a Free Jump (which improves its safety).
  
  This is actually the originally intended behavior. I will keep version 1.4.04 available in case you want to have the economy-boosting side effects of always free-jumping.
  
  *BETA Known/Suspected Bug: Version 1.4.10 can sometimes fail to free jump when low on energy cells. In that case, the ship should follow vanilla behavior.

Optional Uninstallers:

• These optional uninstallers allow you to remove the "for AI's" part of "Free Jump for AI's". The result should be vanilla jumping for your AI's (but the hotkey and menu choice will remain in case you want to Free Jump yourself).
  
  You do not need these files (unless you want to uninstall Free Jump for AI's).
  
  Uninstall Free Jump for AI's (for AP 2.0)
  Uninstall Free Jump for AI's (for TC 3.2)

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[Aegyen]

Abandoned Ship Detector:

May as well finalize this one, it does exactly what the tin says. It's going on my backup system, I'll never be without this one..

Free Jump:

Captured my first couple of freighters today, so it won't be long before I'll be dealing with this one regularly again. With the way this universe is, the AI's will be using it a lot. Let you know if my game blows up.

[DrBullwinkle]

Abandoned Ship Detector: [snip]... I'll never be without this one.

Nice! Thanks, for the report, Aegyen! I have to say that I like it, too... it adds a little bit of extra fun to finding abandoned ships.

Free Jump:Let you know if my game blows up.

Yes, Free Jump for AI's is the one that I need the most test information about. There are so many different ways and reasons for ships to jump. It is hard to watch all of them, and I never know when I have missed one until I get a report.

Out of 30+ downloaders, I have received only one report, and that was so dramatically bad that it was alarming. However, after further examination, I don't see how it could happen. That doesn't mean that Free Jump cannot have a major bug -- it only means that I have not yet seen one myself.

So, yes, I will appreciate reports on Free Jump for AI's... from anyone who uses it. Good or bad (or just your opinion about how you would like to see it work in the future)... I want to know how it is working for you.

[StarCrack]

thanks doc that fixed the buster and messeges

[DrBullwinkle]

thanks doc that fixed the buster and messeges

Awesome. I was hoping to hear that report, StarCrack!

[Vayde]

Hi Dr B.

I think this statement needs changing "Marines can gain small amount of training with each repair. Cost is similar to vanilla training" either that or the training code for marines needs looking at

Example: I buy 1 Argon marine cost 42k, skills are :-

F - 0
E - 6
M - 0
H - 0

He repairs a bog standard Nova from 71% hull to full in about 30 mins. His skills are then:

F - 79
E - 22
M - 34
H - 22

I believe if he repaired a big or huge ship he would be 5 in all skills after just 2-3 hours. This might be the desired performance for the script I don't know but it feels just a bit to easy for me.

[DrBullwinkle]

He repairs a bog standard Nova from 71% hull to full in about 30 mins. His skills are then: [snip]

Yes, that is too fast (especially for fight training) and no, that is not intended.

Also, he should receive the same amount of training in each category. I don't know why he would receive more fight training. Are you certain it was the same marine? If so, then that is a separate issue.

Regarding training time, I did not test the case where there was only a single marine doing the repairs. Normally, training is divided among the squad. So, if you had a squad of 20 marines doing the repairs, then each marine would receive 1/20 (or 5%) of the training on any given cycle. With only one marine, he receives ALL of the training.

I will have to re-work the training calculation in a future version.

In the meantime, you have discovered an exploit. Use it or not; at your own discretion.

And thank you for the report!

[Vayde]

I'll not be using it as an exploit, if you remember I was suggesting making it harder for the marines to repair ships not easier