[Script][V1.0] "Sector-Mother" - Trading-Fleet-Supply

[SymTec ltd.]

Sector-Mother V1.0 (final)
What would a kindergarden-trip be without the grown-ups feeding the children, wiping off the mess they made, helping them on their way to the toilet?
What would a school be without a caretaker, fixing all the broken sinks and windows after the kids played football outside?
What would a logistics company be without the secretary watching after the boys keeping their trucks in order, so that they don't drive with flat tires and dirty hoods?
Correct: Nothing.

It doesn't matter where, as soon as there is a bunch of half-qualified idiots living on one spot, everything will grind to a halt sooner or later. If, in your trading fleet, one half of the ships already have their high-quality 25MJ-shields, the other half still runs on one MJ per ship back from the time when money was short. Again and again, ships get little scratches during small collisions - but not enough to completely replace the ship, still too much speed loss for a continuous running. If you'd send all those ship to the next shipyard for repair, you'd most likely forget about them for hours, until you notice the fabs flashing in that area. And for changing the shields, you could employ a robot - still, pilots are too stupid for that.

[ external image ] [ external image ]

The "Sector-Mother" - mostly male though - looks after the player's trading fleet. If a ship is damaged in any way, she will take this freighter out of normal traffic, meet with it in the next free station and tell the pilot the way to the next shipyard for repair. If however the Mother's homebase trades with every resource necessary for a complete ship repair - Ore,
Teladianium, Microchips, Computer Components, Cloth Rhimes and Energy Cells -, she will be able to repair the ship on her own. The Sector Mother will also try to equip the ships with the best equipment she can find in her home's cargo bays:

• Some energy for any ship that has a jumpdrive installed
• Mass Driver Ammunition for ships with Mass Drivers
• Fight Drones for any UT
• 1MJ, 5MJ, 25MJ and 125MJ-Shields if an upgrade is possible

The Sector Mother will also take

• Ore,
• Teladianium,
• Microchips,
• Computer Components,
• Cloth Rhimes and
• Energy Cells

with her for repairing ships if ALL of these wares are to be found in her homebase.


As it turns out, the "Sector-Mother" is being started by the command "Supply Trading Fleet" in the trade menu of every TS. The pilot then selects ships at random in his jump radius and meets with them at a station. Then, they transfer ware and information: The supplier hands over the necessary supply for Jumpdrive, Mass Driver etc., they exchange shields. If the hull is damagerd, the selected ship will then be sent to the next shipyard from there to be repaired at the expense of the Sector-Mother's homebase.. The running command will be continued as soon as the repair is done.
The following extensions change the behaviour of the ship:

• Triplex-Scanner: Ship will only move to sectors a Satellite or Advanced Satellite has been found
• Duplex- AND Triplex-Scanner: Ship will search the whole universe, not only the sectors that are within jump range of the homebase
• Fight Command Software MK1 AND Fight Command Software MK2: Ship avoids every sector an enemy is to be found in

Download V1.0
[ external image ]


Resources
Textpage 8763, PageID 8763
Cmd 453

[LtDeath100]

Cool, so this Sector-Mother is basically a manager for your station? If so, all you need to do is give them money and they'll automatically buy ships or will you have to provide the ships for them?

[russbo]

Very ingenious. Can the Sector Mother be based out of a player HQ? That station tends to have all of the wares that you list. And does this interfere with the UT's standard programing that is built into the game, ie, with respect to combat avoidance, etc?

[SymTec ltd.]

Cool, so this Sector-Mother is basically a manager for your station? If so, all you need to do is give them money and they'll automatically buy ships or will you have to provide the ships for them?

No, it is not a station manager. It is a fleet manager. The ship moves around and repairs ships, gives them energy and better shielding. It will not buy anything, it will not change ships around or do any fancy stuff, just transfer better equipment to them and have them repaired.
I really got annoyed by all my ships still using 1MJ oder 5MJ-shields, while my 25MJ-shield-plant was not producing because of its full cargo bay.

Very ingenious. Can the Sector Mother be based out of a player HQ? That station tends to have all of the wares that you list. And does this interfere with the UT's standard programing that is built into the game, ie, with respect to combat avoidance, etc?

I guess there should not be any problems with using the PHQ for this. I initially even planned to add certain abilities to Sector-Mothers at PHQ, but couldn't get into the PHQ-Script^^
This script avoids combat zones as well, and it only affects UT's behaviour during the few minutes it takes control to send them to shipyard/station. So, only really few problems could arise out of enemies being around - e.g. when the shipyard is placed in a sector where there is a battle going on.

@all:
The ship will always use a Jumpdrive when installed, and have other ships use JD as well

[halo112358]

This is very cool - the only feature I want that I don't see is the ability to homebase the sector mother with a big ship (TL, M2, etc..) if they can A: dock at the big ship (ie: you've installed the mods that allow external docking on a TL, M1, etc.) or have a transporter device installed.

I spend a lot of time in my games playing mobile hit and run (Arrrr matey) and I don't buy a trading or equipment dock for a long time. Homebasing mutter at a "mobile base" (TL, other carrier) would be really cool.

[Lancefighter]

How do i make the ship NOT take the materials to repair ships? I want the materials i have to be kept at my HQ, and that is where i would plan to base my "sector-Mother". What changes would have to be made to the script to allow me to do this?

[SymTec ltd.]

You could just take out the

Code: Select all

162     gosub LoadRepairKit

That would do the job...

[Lancefighter]

Ah thank you much. Shall your name be an eternal blessing among the believers....
Don't ask

[Hieronymos]

SymTec,
So if the Sector-Mother TS meets with a damaged UT or Station Trader, after topping off E-cells, etc. it'll either:
a) repair them on the spot (in situ) if its' HB carries all the necessary wares, or
b) send damaged ship to nearest SY for repair
..after which repaired ship will automatically resume its' earlier function???

Cheers,

Hieronymos

[halo112358]

I see in the German thread that people are asking for an "ignore this ship" feature. If you add that in the way you mentioned (shipname starts with IT) can you also make mutter ignore ship names that end with IT?

I start the names of a lot of my ships with their task (UT, ST, UPS, Arrrr)

[SymTec ltd.]

@Hieronymus: yes, that's the way it's meant to be

@halo112358: What is IT? I planned on making it ignore all ships that start with "Ihr ", "Ihre" and "Your". But IT is, after all, feasible as well

[halo112358]

@Hieronymus: yes, that's the way it's meant to be

@halo112358: What is IT? I planned on making it ignore all ships that start with "Ihr ", "Ihre" and "Your". But IT is, after all, feasible as well

Ah, I read "Ignore This" or IT in the german thread

[jackleonfraust]

tunings, though missliles should be on there as well

i like the IT idea.

[Shadowbourne]

does the sector mother have to have a home base? or can she operate alone? purchasing the wares she needs, and then kitting out trade ships accordingly?

[SymTec ltd.]

Needs home base - how should she throw around with shields and ammu without shields and ammu?

(This is a command for advanced players, who already have their own supplies )

[Draygor69]

I think this is an excellent script. A few points and questions though.

Will this Sector mother only operate in her homebase sector?
Will she only work on fleet that are attached to her homebase?
Will she 'help out' any transporters that enter her sector space?

I have downloaded this script, and am already impressed. I did notice last night though that one of my M3's safely tucked away in my Orca, suddenly left the safety of her docking bay, rapidly moved to the Sector mother, where they had a 'liaison', at which point he shot off to Argon Prime (nearest shipyard), and dutifully returned to the orca and docked. I didn't notice any damage to him initially, or any repair done!

Amazing, but should this have happened? It would be great if she could do it all for the M5's that the Fleet Commander has bought with my money, because the Fleet Tender is doing a crappy job - 4 hours after buying the M5's, and 75% still haven't got weapons or shields!!

TJ