[SCR] [X3:TC/AP] [v1.9.8.12] [03/23/14] Galaxy Explorer

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DrBullwinkle
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Post by DrBullwinkle » Mon, 30. Jan 12, 22:00

gnasirator wrote:I tried to implement the command as a menu from where the traders can be started, but I failed.
Interesting. What did not work? Issuing the "Explore Galaxy" command? Or putting the config menu on the Special tab?
At least I changed the command id to a special command slot. Should be better to find there.
Yes, I like that better. Although it would be even better on the Navigation menu where the Vanilla Explorer commands are... :)

Also, for ease of use, it may be better to use consistent naming. It is a small detail, but after installing "Galaxy Explorers", the eye tends to look for menus labeled "Galaxy Explorer". "Explore Galaxy" is not the same (although not hard to figure out, of course!)
And as a little bonus, I added changeable default configurations for your explorers.
Nice! Yes, that's all that needs to be done for that feature.
Ah and auto naming now is only active WHILE explorers are working. They rename back after they stopped.
So no more confusion about when they are running and when not.
Bonus!

Nice improvements. We'll have to keep working at that menu thing. It is not at all intuitive as an Additional Command. If you think that it will be a long-term challenge, how about sending the user a msg that the configuration menu is in an "Additional Commands" slot? That could be done either when the Explore Galaxy command is issued, or when the setup script is run the first time.

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Post by gnasirator » Mon, 30. Jan 12, 22:32

DrBullwinkle wrote:Interesting. What did not work?
Putting the menu in the config tab was no problem. But betty always said "Command accepted" when I opened the menu. And when I chose the menu option to start the explorer, it just hang and won't do anything. It worked when accessing the menu from advanced ship commands, though. But still betty didn't say command accepted then. So I left it as it is...

DrBullwinkle wrote:Also, for ease of use, it may be better to use consistent naming.
You are totally right.
But I am not very talented in usability design.

If you like, feel free to suggest some changes in the english language file:

Code: Select all

<page id="2008" title="scipt objects commands" descr="0">
	<t id="558">EXPLORE_GALAXY</t>  <- This is the internal command name when accessing it via scripts
	<t id="1260">EXPLORE_GALAXY_CONFIG</t> <- This is the internal command name when accessing it via scripts
 </page>
 <page id="2010" title="commands" descr="Long version of commandos. These are the commandos assigned to ships using the commandconsole. Page 2010 and 2011 belong together and hold short and long versions of the same commands"> 
	<t id="558">Explore Galaxy</t>  <- This is the command name as it shows up in the menu and in property overview.
	<t id="1260">Configure Galaxy Explorer...</t>
 </page>
 <page id="2011" title="commands" descr="Short version of commandos. These are the commandos assigned to ships using the commandconsole. Page 2010 and 2011 belong together and hold short and long versions of the same commands"> 
	<t id="558">Exp.Gal.</t>
	<t id="1260">Gal.Ex.Cfg</t>
 </page>
 <page id="2022" title="command info" descr=" ">
	<t id="558">This command makes the ship explore the whole x-universe.</t>
	<t id="1260">Settings menu for Galaxy Explorer.</t>
 </page>
 <page id="7600" title="Command Overview" descr=" ">

	<!--Explorer text bits mostly from menu -->
	<t id="1000">Scout</t> <- ship name
	<!-- <t id="2000">Start Galaxy Explorer...</t> --> <- wanted to use this in the menu start version
    
	<t id="3100">Galaxy Explorer Settings</t>
	<t id="3150">Drop sat type</t>
	<t id="3220">Drop navSats</t>
	<t id="3230">Drop adv. navSats</t>
	<t id="3235">Drop sats at gates</t>
	<t id="3240">Autobuy satellites</t>
	<t id="3300">Scan asteroids</t>
	<t id="3310">Error: Need mineral scanner to scan asteroids.</t>
	<t id="3400">Scan sectors</t>
	<t id="3520">Range of inner sector scan</t>
	<t id="3600">Automatically rename Explorers</t>
	<t id="3700">Explore hostile sectors</t>
	<t id="3800">Explore unknown sectors</t>
	<t id="4000">Save Setup as Defaults</t>
	<t id="5000">Load Setup from Defaults</t>
	<t id="8000">Yes</t>
	<t id="8500">Adv.</t>
	<t id="9000">No</t>
	<t id="9500">Std.</t>
	<t id="9600">None</t>

  </page>
I'll gladly change them.
Problem is, that I don't want to change the "Explore Galaxy" command. Because in assets view the current command is supposed to be "Explore Galaxy" and not "Galaxy Explorer".


edit: new bugfixed version :)
forgot to change the associated script command and there was a bug preventing the explorer from loading the correct value for "explore unknown sectors".

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Post by DrBullwinkle » Mon, 30. Jan 12, 23:59

gnasirator wrote:when I chose the menu option to start the explorer, it just hang and won't do anything. It worked when accessing the menu from advanced ship commands, though. But still betty didn't say command accepted then. So I left it as it is...
OK. Other people do it, so it is just a matter of figuring out how. :) We can both work on that as a background task (unless some lurker has a tip).
Problem is, that I don't want to change the "Explore Galaxy" command. Because in assets view the current command is supposed to be "Explore Galaxy" and not "Galaxy Explorer".
What is "assets view"? And why do you want it to say "Explore Galaxy" there?

BTW, you keep saying "Advanced Commands" but it is "Additional Commands". At least in English. :)

I will be happy to update your t file for you.

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Post by gnasirator » Tue, 31. Jan 12, 00:05

Oh great, additional commands then. Will change that :)
I can only guess how the english texts are - I only play in german language.

Assets view ..... You know, press 'R' and see all stuff that belongs to you and their current tasks.

There, I want the galaxy explorers to show 'Explore Galaxy' as their current task. And not 'Galaxy Explorer' ... At least while the explorers aren't busy otherwise.
and it seems, the text shown there and the text in the command menu option are the same.

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Post by DrBullwinkle » Tue, 31. Jan 12, 01:48

OK, I understand now. I thought that you might have been referring to the "Property" view, but I could not figure out what that had to do with the name, Galaxy Explorers. Thanks for the explanation. :)

Personally, I would rather see Galaxy Explorer there, too... but it is your choice. It will work just fine either way, and people will understand it.

Your English is excellent, btw. I have met people from Germany who speak with perfect accents (British, Australian, or American -- it seems to vary!). The only tipoff that English is not their first language is that they mis-pronounce some common words. That leads me to believe that Betty is German. Her accent is perfect, but she does not know how to pronounce "rapier" or "CEO". Even "Ceo" could be a joke, but no native English-speaker would get "rapier" wrong like that. It's cute, because her pronunciation is, otherwise, flawless.

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Post by Probe1 » Tue, 31. Jan 12, 04:37

You know the thing about enemy sectors is.. when they enter a sector that is not known they will deploy sats and scan asteroids regardless of whether it is found to be hostile or not.

Let's say an explorer discovered Eighteen Billion and maps it completely. He finds Xenon Sector 472 and since he is not build in to know any sectors allegiance before hand he will execute explore sector. He will continue to explore the hostile sector until he leaves it.

I've lost some galaxy explorers that way. Discover a hostile sector-try to deploy sats-die.

But you know.. it's okay it doesn't happen that often and it's hard enough for them to die already :)

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Post by DrBullwinkle » Tue, 31. Jan 12, 04:58

Probe1 wrote:when they enter a sector that is not known they will deploy sats and scan asteroids regardless of whether it is found to be hostile or not.
Do you have "Explore enemy sectors" on or off?

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Post by gnasirator » Tue, 31. Jan 12, 10:25

Probe1 wrote:when they enter a sector that is not known they will deploy sats and scan asteroids regardless of whether it is found to be hostile or not. )
will look into that.

DrBullwinkle wrote:Your English is excellent, btw.
THANK you :)
I'm miserable at pronouncing, though ... no accent, except that of a german, trying to sound english ;)
Interesting fact about betty. I will listen to her "rapier" and "ceo" closely now.

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Erenar
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Post by Erenar » Tue, 31. Jan 12, 12:29

I've installed 1.5.2, then when i had an issue I installed 1.5.3... same issue.

In the config menu I see a lot of Readtext ####-#### commands instead of the command it's supposed to be.

7600-:
3150
3235
3800
4000
5000

Looking at the T file I see no entries for these in either English or German file.

Maybe wrong version of language file dropped in the package?

Also 2010/2011-558 when i have 760 in the language file. Anyone know how to change an xml to pck file so i can just copy the xml above and re-create my own file?

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Post by DrBullwinkle » Tue, 31. Jan 12, 13:26

gnasirator wrote:Interesting fact about betty. I will listen to her "rapier" and "ceo" closely now.
"Rapier" is pronounced with a hard "A" sound (both by Brits and Americans). RAY-pee-er. It is a common word, used in the phrase, "rapier wit" (makes quick word-jokes, like Shakespeare).

"Chairman, CEO" is pronounced "Chairman and C. E. O.". That one could be a joke.

I think there is one other common word that she gets completely wrong, but I cannot think of it off the top of my head. Everything else she pronounces perfectly, like a professional speaker. Her accent is mostly neutral, with a slight hint of British. That is about as sophisticated as english accents can be. So she's great... just not a native english-speaker. :)

Further in the Trivia Department, you probably know why she is called "Betty"? It's derived from "Bitchin' Betty", which is what fighter pilots called the original voice alarms in F-15s forty or fifty years ago. As in, "Yes, yes, I *know* that one of my ships is under attack -- my fighters and I are in the middle of a furball! Bitchin' Betty!"

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Erenar
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Post by Erenar » Tue, 31. Jan 12, 14:06

For anyone having the same issue I have updated the english version of the language file to reflect the xml above.

https://rapidshare.com/files/2127885199/7600-L044.pck

Hope you don't mind me posting this Gnas :)

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Post by gnasirator » Tue, 31. Jan 12, 20:30

okay that might be because I changed the command id!
it's not id 760 anymore, but 558!
I'll reup a version 1.5.4 with my current t files!
edit: nevermind, misread that. an empty t-file is NOT supposed to be there.
edit 2: should work now!
DrBullwinkle wrote: Bitchin' Betty!
Nice story :) You could give that advice to egosoft, maybe they can improve their betty sounds!

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Post by DrBullwinkle » Tue, 31. Jan 12, 21:04

I am sure that they know. *Somebody* nicknamed her "Betty" a long time ago.

Besides, EgoSoft has enough on their plate right now; building a new game engine is a Very Big Deal.

Plus, my guess is that at least one EgoSoft person has followed this thread. Maybe more. :) The thread has had quite a few readers. Do you have a way to see how many downloads there have been?

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Post by gnasirator » Tue, 31. Jan 12, 22:15

DrBullwinkle wrote:Do you have a way to see how many downloads there have been?
Nope, I'm afraid not. I just used the first best hoster I found.

I submitted this and my MK3 improvement to get signed. And cycrow told me they might be interested in the explorers for their bonus pack.
But actually I'm more proud of the mk3 improvement ....
The new MK3s work SO perfectly well now. Can't even think of anything for them to do better now :)
But sadly they don't want to replace files with their bp, so no perfect mk3s in the next bp.

Well, at least the galaxy explorers slowly grow mature. So having them in would be nice, too!

and about the many readers: I bet, I alone am responsible for at least 20% of them, editing, checking, posting ... :D

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Post by Erenar » Tue, 31. Jan 12, 22:31

FYI, Rapidshare monitors how many downloads have been done of each file.

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Post by gnasirator » Tue, 31. Jan 12, 22:57

ah okay.

btw, I couldn't download your RS file. Always had a 5 min timer and after it was finished, my session was lost.

So would you mind, pasting the content of your t file here? If you have changed any command names to better fitting ones I'll gladly update them.

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Post by DrBullwinkle » Tue, 31. Jan 12, 23:38

gnasirator wrote:I submitted this and my MK3 improvement to get signed. And cycrow told me they might be interested in the explorers for their bonus pack.
Nice!

Cycrow can probably help you with your menu, too. He seems to enjoy helping (cryptically, sometimes, but he will hep).

(Don't let him trick you into needing a hotkey to launch, like the otherwise excellent Community Configuration Menu. Hotkeys suck.) ;)

To my eye, the job is not completely done until the user interface is clear to newbies. (Which would include yet another move to the Navigation menu... sorry!)

Also, the Earth sector may need special handling. It is not enemy territory, but any attempt to drop a satellite there will get the Explorer blasted out of the sky (it just happened to mine). It will be some time before testing is 100% complete. :)
But actually I'm more proud of the mk3 improvement ....
I looked at your description for the Mk3 Optimization. Twice. But I don't think that I understand what problem they solve? The number of times that my Mk3's have problems with fuel or enemies is a very low percentage of their trips. I do not find them annoying (except when they die, because they are a pain to train). So maybe you can tell me more about the script?
The new MK3s work SO perfectly well now. Can't even think of anything for them to do better now :)
One obvious thing would be a separate script to integrate pilots with the rest of the game. There are too many different kinds of pilots (CLS/CAG, pilot union, Mk3) and they do not work together seamlessly. Worse, pilots in cargo holds lose all of their pilot skill and experience.

There is some support built into the engine for pilots, although it only has one value for skill and experience. It would be a nice enough improvement if you could preserve that one setting throughout a pilot's lifetime. (Bonus points for integrating pilot union pilots better.)

I am thinking that there might be a way to store the various kinds of skills and experience settings -- perhaps based on the pilot's name? (I know that the names are not guaranteed to be unique, but they are more often than not).

Or maybe a script could be run on the pilot himself, that would track and coordinate his experience? This might have some problems, because some scripts destroy-then-recreate an object (like Apricot's CBeam/ABeam). Performance could be an issue as well. That is why I thought of tracking the pilot by his name.

If you could link the various kinds of pilots, and preserve their settings when they become passengers (as in rescuing ejected pilots), then you would have one fine addition to the game. It could make pilots almost fun. :)

Then, in your Mk3 script, if you went on to add a better info screen, and better in-game explanation (like a menu choice that sends a msg with the Help documentation!!!), then you might make pilots a real winner, rather than the tangled mess that they are now. :)

(It would be easier to fix the offending scripts, but that brings us back to the problem of it being a "mod" rather than a "script". So an external process would be better for compatibility, even if it is more difficult to code.)
But sadly they don't want to replace files with their bp, so no perfect mk3s in the next bp.
Would they mind if you simply renamed your script? You could call them Galaxy Traders, and put them right below Universal Trader on the Trade Menu. You could let them use the same ware (Mk3) -- just add a new option for the player.

I imagine that would involve copying a lot of EgoSoft code, but maybe they would not mind? You would have to get permission, obviously.

Nice work on the Galaxy Traders so far. Are you giving up on improving the menu? And I assume that you also submitted your command slot for the public list?
about the many readers: I bet, I alone am responsible for at least 20%
Of course. I might be responsible for another 20% because I edit a lot. But that still leaves over a thousand hits from others. In just a few days... that is quite a lot of attention. Clearly people are interested.

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Post by Erenar » Tue, 31. Jan 12, 23:52

Check your pms Gnas :)

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Post by gnasirator » Wed, 1. Feb 12, 00:59

@DrBullwinkle:

About the MK3 -> I know I'm not good at writing intuitive texts. The descriptons add up over time when I add and change all the features.

The basic idea behind the mk3 optimization is more profit per trade run. Main improvements are:
- better fuel management (no fix 20% of cargo hold wasted but fuel reserve dependand on trade range, experience AND cargo hold)
- proper rest ware selling. traders can even clear up their cargo space after being freshly started
- better fleeing routine after being attacked -> trader always jumps and then just restarts and goes on. no more waiting forever at stations
- and MANY MANY small detail improvements like proper fuelling calculations, merging of scripts, fight drone MKII support, moskito defense support, better status displays, improved delivery service, and so on

So I recommend: try it out. You won't notice any difference at first but if you know the exact behaviour of the original MK3s you will definitely see the improvement in all those little details.


about the galaxy explorers:
I haven't given up, no. But I'm taking a rest right now and concentrate on playing the game. The script is good enough for now.

and the idea about changing the MK3 traders to galaxy traders is not the worst ;)
I will think about that!

good night!

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Post by DrBullwinkle » Wed, 1. Feb 12, 06:24

You are good enough about explaining most things. It takes repeated practice, over a long period of time, to become really excellent at it.

The secret to good interface design is understanding your user's Point of View (POV) or perspective.

POV Quiz:
Two observers view the same object from a great distance. They see the object through a telescope.

The first observer views the object from directly above. He reports seeing a square.

The second observer views the object from the side. He reports seeing a triangle.

1) Which observer(s) is/are correct?
2) What is the object?


Re: Mk3
I will try your script. Clearly, you and I have different concerns about Mk3 ships. :) But I am sure that I will appreciate not *ever* having to restart a UT.
about the galaxy explorers:
I haven't given up, no. But I'm taking a rest right now and concentrate on playing the game. The script is good enough for now.
Yes! I completely agree. I only asked because of your submissions... it had an air of finality about it. By all means, enjoy your work!

When you get back to it again, I replaced the explorer that was destroyed at Earth with 10 Discoverers in Legend's Home. I set them up and started them to Explore Galaxy. They proceeded to follow each other around the same system. Ten cute little explorers, all doing exactly the same thing at the same time.

Then they did exactly the same thing in the next system. All doing the same thing at the same time. *sigh*

So I think the multi-ship logic needs a bit more testing. :)



New List:

- (Background task; long term): Figure out how to put the entire interface under one command (on the Navigation) menu.

- Make sure that multiple Explorers do not all do the same thing at the same time.

- Automatic rename does not number the Explorers. (Isn't that the main purpose for automatically renaming them?)

- Special handling for Earth sector (avoid it). Earth may be "friendly" but they are phobic about satellites (and Explorers). There is no value in an Explorer entering Earth sector at all.

- Try to reproduce Probe1's report about dropping satellites in hostile sectors. It is unclear whether he used the config menu to turn off hostile sectors, but we should try to reproduce it.

- Fine-tune the t file, if necessary. I did it once, but you got a new one before I could finish testing mine. :) So I will take another look at it.

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