(AP) Safety Measures - Station Building

[Virtualaughing]

Okay. We have experienced players and newbies aswell. I won't mind if the "secure placing" will be gone with the new AP update. Or it has to be optional. I HATE the randomly placed Complex Hub, flashing SPP holograms with ever changing location.... Colision Detection off option in gameplay then I will "walk in heaven" !

In complex building there was an excellent feature in X3 Reunion. We was able to target ANY of the connected factories in complexes. Then we was able to use outside view of that factory. That was the perfect aid to build a well organised factory complex with nice aligment of factories within.

On screen transparency option on the map because we barely can see through of the map.

Another thing which have to be optional is http://forum.egosoft.com/viewtopic.php?t=316745

Going ***modified*** is not an option

[Winter Dragon]

I would like to have the complex hub appear exactly where I put it as well, it is my least liked thing about complex building but I have OCD on such things. The sector map is dark, it's very hard to see through. The advanced satellite camera ('k' shortcut') does help considerably though.

[Smart_Bomb]

Even better to be able to do the whole station at once in real time.

The screen would have to switch to a 'build mode' where you can freely move the camera around in space to see whatever angle you would like and then move all the pieces out of the TL ship one by one using drag and drop with the mouse. This space will be void of all objects other then your own stations ready for placement. This space should be colored white to make it easy to see your stations and where you are putting them.

The stations will auto snap to certain grid location that you can manually set on a sliding bar, i.e. stations almost touching to maximum distance from each other. (the stations placed will move as a whole closer or further apart depending on hw you move the sliding scale bar)

Once you get the stations where you want them click 'create connections' and the stations will auto rotate so that the stations connecters lines up as best as possible and connect together the pipe lines.

Once you’re satisfied with how it looks, you can save and exit. Then back into regular game mode you will have the entire complex you just created that you can move around the map as a whole. If there is any intersecting objects like asteroids, stations, m1-2's and TL ships the entire complex will have a red outline. Once clear of all obstructions it will be green and you can place the whole complex at once.

Also make sure to highlight in yellow where the hub will be and the direction the dock lanes are pointing.

Additionally you can re-enter build mode with new stations you would like to add and the pipe line will auto disconnect and set itself off to the side. The complex will auto-move to new grid locations to accommodate the new stations.

With this all in mind I would say it would be easier to get rid of buying CCK all together and just let the "build mode" charge you for each connection you would like to make and when adding new stations you would only need to purchase the new connections.

If you wanted to get a bit more complicated for the sake of art, then in Build mode in addition to the sliding bar that determines how close or how far away the stations are, another button would change the way stations are placed in the grid ranging from cube, sphere, pyramid, (I'm really resisting to say Hyper-Cube ) etc for some really cool looking complexes in space.


I don’t know if that’s hard to program but it seems alot easier then the current hurky-jerky system it takes to make a great looking complex one by one, then connect them together one by one.

[TTD]

Yes

I do like that idea.

Don't know if it can be added to the current game engine though

For now ,the Heph.. Corp is the way to go in AP.
I am getting fairly neat complexes.

[Smart_Bomb]

X is one of the most indepth awesome games I've ever played however they do have alot of 'rough edges' that need smoothing out. One of the major areas is complex building to me, the game has much I dont know if they can do much more then it is already for fear of RAM overload or choppyness.

I dont care if the game wants to take up 30+gigs on my hard drive if its got everything, then why use the extra space for games that get old In a couple months? Ive been playing X3 for more then 4 years and still love it!

[Legionos]

Even better to be able to do the whole station at once in real time.

The screen would have to switch to a 'build mode' where you can freely move the camera around in space to see whatever angle you would like and then move all the pieces out of the TL ship one by one using drag and drop with the mouse. This space will be void of all objects other then your own stations ready for placement. This space should be colored white to make it easy to see your stations and where you are putting them.

The stations will auto snap to certain grid location that you can manually set, i.e. stations almost touching to maximum distance from each other.

Once you get the stations where you want them click 'create connections' and the stations will auto rotate so that the pipe line, lines up as best as possible and connect together.

Once you’re satisfied with how it looks, you can save and exit. Then back into regular game mode you will have the entire complex you just created that you can move around the map as a whole. If there is any intersecting objects like asteroids, stations, m1-2's and TL ships the entire complex will have a red outline. Once clear of all obstructions it will be green and you can place the whole complex at once.

Also make sure to highlight in yellow where the hub will be and the direction the dock lanes are pointing.


I don’t know if that’s hard to program but it seems alot easier then the current hurky-jerky system it takes to make a great looking complex one by one, then connect them together one by one.

someone give this man a cookie, thats one of the best ideas i have seen ever

[willyshop]

someone give this man a cookie, thats one of the best ideas i have seen ever

Here here.

Well, i can think of one way to implement it. It would be quite a bit of work and is pretty hacky but it in principle it's doable (maybe someone else has a better way).

Take all the model files and export simplified versions to something free and simple like sketch up. All you need is some indication of the station's size, and some lines sticking out from the complex nodes.

The user then designs their complex by dragging and rotating the skeletons in the 3d modeler.

Finally, write a little script that will output that data to something the x3 scripting engine can read, maybe a script file (hard to implement) or a text file and use the scripting engine's read text and string functions to parse it into an array of position and rotation coordinates, then build the stations accordingly.

I could do the last part, but would need help with the first step.

There's my stupid idea for the day.

[Virtualaughing]

500 meter stepping is the perfect number. The length of a single tube.

btw i have noticed that if any of your ship stuck in a tubeframe then it wont take damage so that is a progress regarding of complexes.... You can use jumpdrive to free it from.

Factory propulsion system
who cares if the maximum speed is only 10m/s or so. I think that will be less cheat than the tractor beam.

[Legionos]

500 meter stepping is the perfect number. The length of a single tube.

btw i have noticed that if any of your ship stuck in a tubeframe then it wont take damage so that is a progress regarding of complexes.... You can use jumpdrive to free it from.

Factory propulsion system
who cares if the maximum speed is only 10m/s or so. I think that will be less cheat than the tractor beam.

i guess stations would in reality need manoeuvring thrusters to retain their orbit so a factory propulsion system isnt that far fetched

[Virtualaughing]

Next step is a decent base defense turret then im done with the wishes

[Legionos]

start learning to mod

[Silverblade The Enchanter]

Next step is a decent base defense turret then im done with the wishes

30 laser towers,spread out in groups of 3 or 4 etc, from my dedicated laser tower fab, works for me

[ddeflyer]

Next step is a decent base defense turret then im done with the wishes

30 laser towers,spread out in groups of 3 or 4 etc, from my dedicated laser tower fab, works for me

The problem with then is your list of ships in sector gets huge (assuming this is a very well guarded, large complex) and it becomes difficult to deal with any major events.

[Smart_Bomb]

Next step is a decent base defense turret then im done with the wishes

Station equitable hard points

[Smart_Bomb]

someone give this man a cookie, thats one of the best ideas i have seen ever

Thank you very much, I got the idea from using TrueSpace back in my multimedia days

I did update the post with some more good stuff imo

[Bobucles]

i guess stations would in reality need manoeuvring thrusters to retain their orbit so a factory propulsion system isnt that far fetched

Perhaps it could be a requirement for building in the safety of a planet's orbit? It would be a nice tradeoff for players to consider.

Enterprising people might prefer the deep void, where legal lines, reactor outputs, and armament restrictions are more... lenient.

[Legionos]

we need this in game now smart bomb!

[Smart_Bomb]

As soon as they reopen the suggestion topic Ill add it in