[X3AP Bonus Plugin] Trade MK3 Blacklist Manager

[jlehtone]

Trade MK3 Blacklist Manager

Version: 0.9
Scripter: SymTec ltd.
Thread for development version
Bonuspack index



Overview

Blacklisting function for Trade Command Software MK3

Default MK3 Blacklisting

Mk3 traders are able to maintain a blacklist of sectors that they won't pick as destinations for any flights. With this blacklist, they also avoid having two or more ships fly to a station for the same deal (as only one ship ever makes that deal). All sectors and stations are only locked temporarily, and will unlock again after a few minutes.

Blacklist Manager

The Blacklist Manager is an plugin to the blacklisting system, that gives you the power to add your own sectors and stations to a permanent blacklist. Stations in the blacklist, and stations in blacklisted sectors, will not be picked as targets for trade runs.



Usage

Opening the Manager
The manager can be started from every MK3-trader's ship command console. First open the command console and scroll down to Additional Ship Commands. Then, select 'Start MK3 Blacklist Manager'. The Manager offers the options to add sectors and stations to the list, remove them again, and to view the automatic blacklist that is managed by the MK3 trading software.

Adding sectors and stations
To add an item to the blacklist, select the corresponding menu entry and choose a sector/station from the map that opens then.

Removing sectors and stations After selecting Remove Item, you can choose the item to be removed from the current list. Note that you cannot remove items from the automatic list, as those entries are being managed internally by the vanilla MK3 software.

Automatic blacklist
You can only view, but not edit the automatic blacklist. If you select a station or sector from the menu, you get the chance to look at the sector map, to get an idea of where the sector/station is and if you can spot enemies nearby.

[Donziboy2]

Very nice!!!

But um will this stop MK3 traders from flying into hostile sectors?
Like when they take shortcuts thru xenon space and die.....

[Cycrow]

it will only prevent sectors/stations from being used as thier destination.

[aquatica]

I had a funny issue just now. My UT decided to fly to Omicron Lyrae, which is on my blacklist. Should the command remain as a special command or give any sort of message that it actually is OK? Automatic blacklist does work (at least it shows sectors in it). And no, it was not just flying through; it was headed to sell stuff in there!

[Megalos]

Hey all.

Just downloaded the BP, and installed. Accessed the universal Blacklist manager, via the "other commands" menu, where I set the sectors I wish my UT's not to visit.

When I set it, there doesn't appear to be anything in the "other commands" slot on the UI (it's gone back to the default "none"), is this supposed to happen, as I'm not sure if it has been acknowleged? Is it now something that will go on behind the scenes, so I don't have to set it for all my UT's?


Thanks in advance

[aquatica]

^
Apparently, yes. However I figured out several bad issues...

1) Ships seem to want to do these stupid "coffee break" stops at Trading Stations / Stock Exchanges on a blacklisted sector (??) and when its in enemy territory or warzone... well that doesn't really end up well

2) With the blacklist (note, WITHOUT it no problem?!) my ST's, CAG's and UT's all fail to use Jump beacons properly in certain areas; like in Terran space. I got couple factories up at Pluto, and when the guys want to go shopping in Saturn 2, they go by Asteroid belt. Not through Uranus, which happens to have Jump beacon but... in the case that they want to go to Saturn, they *sometimes* use the Beacon, sometimes fly (try to fly...) through Asteroid Belt and Jupiter.

Now, I understand it doesn't affect that from where it goes around, but I find it quite curious that just unblacklisting sectors change the behavior of the CAG's Jumpdrive usage?

[Moizo]

I believe it would be a welcome addition if this software made a player's traders not use that system at all, find a way around or see the destination as inaccesible and choose another, then a sector can be blacklisted, like heretics end and all the terran sectors (looking from argon's perspective) become inaccesible for traders with suicide tendencies...

Either way i think your software allready saved like all my current ships and replacement ships i didnt have to get because of it, so i thank you sir!

[X2-Illuminatus]

[aquatica]

[modo77]

Doesn't seem to be working for me either, I've added all the war sectors to the list. And my UT's are jumping into those sectors.
They have fight command mk1 and 2 installed

[aquatica]

Do take note that they can "fly through" the sectors, like from Asteroid Belt to Jupiter, since there's no actual gate. However as I stated before, my UT's _are_ taking "coffee breaks" at (especially) Trading Stations in Warzones - meaning that after a trade run they decide, for some odd reason, to dock at Warzone-trading station. Helps if you ban the trading stations manually, but it's annoying + it doesn't explain the odd pathfinding behavior I've observed, ofcourse I can't confirm it, since it seems to be somewhat random.

PS.
Isn't the panthfinding supposed to go through the Fastest/Shortest route? meaning if there IS a shorter route to a place, it will use that (i.e take Jump Beacon to Uranus and fly through the East gate and be where he wants to, rather than jumping to Asteroid Belt and moving through Asteroid Belt, Jupiter and Uranus? Because either CAG fails with Jump Beacons half the time or something... or it really is this that makes it fail? I don't know, really)

[Moizo]

I also have a bunch of Ut's getting attacked in those red areas even though their on the blacklist, with fight 12.

They also all have JD's and are pretty much all lvl 25 so should be making full use of it, Omycron lyreacomes up alot, so i also blacklisted the nearby sectors that arent red, but they still go trough there.

A script that lets us set a homebase for the coffeebreaks/e-cell topoff for the MK3 UT's would be great, but i guess thats unrelated to this script.

I believe though they are all travelling trough, when they should be using their JD's that makes me wonder, but nonetheless i have only lost 1 UT in that area out of 25 thanks to your script.

It could be improved, but is allready very useful. Thanks!

EDIT: I just flew into Omycron lyrea and after a couple seconds one of my Universe Traders jumped in after me, trying to sell silicon wafers to a station In system, even though omycron and 4 systems in every direction is blacklisted...
Is it because i was in system or is there actually a Start MK3 blacklist option i havent found?

[Neferdias]

Someone looking at this? cause it's a problem for me to... I've left exploring the war sectors and terran space to last (I have them blacklisted anyways) and trying to explore them now for the achievement is not going so well... so far I've had 6 UT's try to jump into these sectors in the matter of about 10 minutes.

The black list is not working.

[infy dev]

in my case, I think it was because they were trying to pick up energy cells not as cargo, but because they were low on jump fuel - I manually added the solar plants I could see and the problem seems to be fixed... for now.

it's also possible the add sector functionality just doesn't work but add station does.

[Darkhan]