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TRACKER Minefields and SQUASH Catapult v2.35 by... Gazz
What the script does:
This script allows you to lay TRACKER minefields. These have Friend/Foe recognition and do NOT blow up half the minefield when a lone M4 tries to pass through.
Special Command Software is required.
So you think Beta Flak is a useless peashooter?
(Mis-)Using the Ore Collector, regular SQUASH Mines with a timed fuse can be accelerated towards enemy ships.
These actually deserve the title of "Flak Grenade". (See damage table below)
This does also work for stations. A SQUASH mine factory is quite effective at protecting your complex from... pests.
For the player ship this can be turned on and off with a hotkey as well as manually launching mines at the current target.
Minefields:
Your sector view is not cluttered with hundreds of mine objects. They are organized into minefields, represented by one marker each.
There are not hundreds or thousands of mines tracking for enemies at the same time since all is run by one script.
Targets: These mines only attack fighters, transporters, M6 and TL.
M1 and M2 are immune to mines for all practical purposes.
Assuming they could be hurt by mines - which does not happen due to a bug in the damage calculation - it would take 100k mines and more to crack the shields of such a ship.
All minefields keep a frag counter now. Never before has that term fit better.
This may not be 100 % accurate but space mines are not your surgical kinda weapon.
Usage and commands:
Laying TRACKER Mines uses 1 SQUASH Mine and 1 Microchip for the improved logic circuits.
Laying mines within 6km of an existing minefield will add mines to that one.
The diameter of a MF increases with the number of mines and there is no limit to that size. Except that space is a big place to be trying to fill with something.
All minefields can be remote detonated if you should wish that by using the Mine Laying button, selecting the minefield as the position and entering "X" for the number of mines.
You can see the actual size of a minefield in the sector view by selecting the minefield as the position and entering "size" for the number of mines. These Nav Beacons disappear after 5 min.
With "set displacement x" you tell the script to place all minefield markers x km above the minefields.
"set hide" hides all minefield markers of all minefields.
"set show" will display them again.
Detonating a minefield also works with a hotkey you can assign.
Using that hotkey will either detonate the minefield (marker) you have targeted or the closest one in the system.
There is a safety timer built into the hotkey so it should be very hard to accidentially blow up a minefield and/or yourself.
For those wanting to try this script: There is an option "set deinstall" to completely terminate the script, all it's actors, buttons, and whatnot without having to search through any scripts.
Of course, this will not remove the actual script files from the folders.
The number of mines deployed does not affect your game's speed.
The number of minefields deployed does not affect it, either. If you should deploy a whole lot of different minefields and they require more CPU time then the minefields will work slower and fewer ships will get hit by mines.
SQUASH Catapult
Hard working teladi engineers found that they could reverse the polarity of the gravity field used in the Ore Collector.
Overloading a device like that produces a catapult that can launch cargo at a target.
Now if that cargo happens to be a time fused SQUASH mine...
In addition to 1 SQUASH Mine, 1 Energy Cell is required to overload the Ore Collector.
For a station 1 SQUASH Mine and 50 Energy Cells are required.
There is a small chance of damaging the equipment with continous overloading.
This weapon system can be installed on stations, too.
A SQUASH Mine Factory turns into a rather deadly defensive installation.
The range of this catapult is 4km on a ship, 25km on a station.
Friendly fire is unlikely but your own M1/2 and TL are ignored.
Valid targets are all small ships, M6, mines and lasertowers.
If the current shields of a ship are <1 GJ then close targets are not engaged to prevent the ship from blowing itself to tiny bits.
Usage
To install the catapult on a station execute the script normally from a ship but select one of your stations as a position.
The station should be able to store mines, of course.
Installing this system on a station costs a one time charge of 1.000.000 Cr.
If none of your own factories are selected (within 200m), the catapult will be started on the ship that executed the command.
"on" Activates the catapult in full auto mode. It will continue to engage targets for as long as mines are available.
"off" Deactivates it.
"+" More power! Increases the range but also energy consumption and chance of burnout.
"-" Normal operation.
"ship" All catapult malfunctions will be logged. This setting causes an immediate notification as well.
"station" Same thing for station catapults.
For the player ship the catapult can be turned on and off with a hotkey.
Also the player can manually launch mines at the current target. There is no check for any friend/foe settings in thie case.
Your ship. Your orders.
Xtended Mod (optional)
The Tern Frigate is specialized mine laying ship.
It will lay TRACKER minefields faster than every other ship and without the need for extra Microchips.
Where other ships might use a rigged ore collector as a mine catapult the Tern uses it's own built in deployment catapult which is far more accurate and reliable.
Tech stuff
If you do not like the text commands: they are found in t\**7014.xml. Feel free to edit them.
This script uses T-File 7014
Cmd Button Piracy 27
Cmd slot 7014 on the ships running the catapult system.
Code: Select all
This is how much damage these things cause:
Range Damage / MJ
0 74.5
250 67.3
500 55.2
750 43.1
1000 31.0
1250 18.9
1500 6.8
1550 4.4
1609 1.5
1610 0.0
Some M3 can survive a single mine.