Bullwinkle's List

[Osiris454]

In my experience, crystal-free SPP's don't really work properly anyway (seems to be hard-coded into the game), so you have not lost much. You can, however, make crystal factories that require no food -- that works great (and they crunch fine, too). Also, in my experience, hotkeys and lag are more serious problems than your descriptions.

What about Anarkis Crystal Free SPP? It's activated by a script and you have to actually pay for the ability. Does that work with CC?

Also, how do you make a no food crystal factory? I've never heard of that one before.

[DrBullwinkle]

[What about Anarkis Crystal Free SPP?

I could not get Anarkis Crystal Free SPP to work at all. Even if you can get it to work, I assume that is one of the scripts to which Gazz refers when he says that CC will not crunch them.

My experiments with crystal-free SPP's produced at a much smaller rate than SPP's which require crystals. That is why I say that it appears to be in the game engine; because other resources in other types of factories do not behave that way.

Also, how do you make a no food crystal factory? I've never heard of that one before.

Sometimes I get tired of the grind of creating huge loops. I am talking about late in the game; when money is irrelevant. If money does not matter, then what is the point of making extra trips, with multiple TL's, just to buy a lot of bio and food factories that I don't care about anyway?

Under those, specific, conditions, I feel justified in skipping some of the grind by using the Cheat Package to remove food resources from factories. I do this after I crunch but before I connect the factory modules to the complex hub.

The result is that an XL SPP requires a couple of Crystal Fabs, and maybe a Silicon Mine, but nothing else. It dramatically simplifies the loop. Also, because there are no food and bio factories sucking up energy, I don't need as many SPP's to power the rest of my complex.

This is an individual choice that I make late in the game. Obviously, it is not for everyone. I started doing it near the end of the Hub Plot in TC. That plot forces action-oriented players to become "creative". (However, some players enjoy doing the same task over and over again... they find it relaxing, I suppose.)

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[Osiris454]

That's strange about Anarkis. I've not had one single issue with it at all. Maybe because it uses the cheat scripts (or the way the cheat scripts do it) to remove the crystals from the SPP? Not sure. I could be something else as I believe NPC SPP's don't need crystals to function.

Interesting about the food. I just usually sell the stuff to anyone else who needs it when I overproduce. The only problem is control. The interface for what and how you can trade goods is severely limited.

Being able to trade only specific items to NPC's on your station while keeping others. Setting specific limits for goods (Only trade when storage is about 40% full, etc), and a trade-lock for individual items instead of the 'all or nothing' approach. I've looked all over these forums for a mod or script that can do this, but so far no one has ever made it. I don't even know if it's possible.

[DrBullwinkle]

That's strange about Anarkis.

Could be just cockpit error; I tried it when I was quite new to the game. Have you compared the production rate to normal SPP's to be sure that it is working as well as you think?

Maybe because it uses the cheat scripts (or the way the cheat scripts do it) to remove the crystals from the SPP?

In my tests, doing that resulted in an SPP with absurdly low output rate.

I believe NPC SPP's don't need crystals to function.

NPC's have a completely different factory, IIRC.

Setting specific limits for goods (Only trade when storage is about 40% full, etc), and a trade-lock for individual items instead of the 'all or nothing' approach.

Yes, that would be very popular. The way that Dockware Manager works depends on the traders to use it correctly. It is my understanding that only CAG's use Dockware Manager correctly.

In order to make a dock that could work with all traders, it would have to use some tricks, such as changing available amounts on the fly (shuttling the rest into virtual storage of some type). Also, docking might have to be limited in order to enforce the correct limits on the correct types of ship.

You could talk to Logain Abler about it. The job would be heavy on user interface, and he is excellent at that. Also, he likes doing very complex stuff, which a new trade interface would be.

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[The Cuban Nightmare]

[What about Anarkis Crystal Free SPP?

I could not get Anarkis Crystal Free SPP to work at all. Even if you can get it to work, I assume that is one of the scripts to which Gazz refers when he says that CC will not crunch them.

My experiments with crystal-free SPP's produced at a much smaller rate than SPP's which require crystals. That is why I say that it appears to be in the game engine; because other resources in other types of factories do not behave that way.

Also, how do you make a no food crystal factory? I've never heard of that one before.

Sometimes I get tired of the grind of creating huge loops. I am talking about late in the game; when money is irrelevant. If money does not matter, then what is the point of making extra trips, with multiple TL's, just to buy a lot of bio and food factories that I don't care about anyway?

Under those, specific, conditions, I feel justified in skipping some of the grind by using the Cheat Package to remove food resources from factories. I do this after I crunch but before I connect the factory modules to the complex hub.

The result is that an XL SPP requires a couple of Crystal Fabs, and maybe a Silicon Mine, but nothing else. It dramatically simplifies the loop. Also, because there are no food and bio factories sucking up energy, I don't need as many SPP's to power the rest of my complex.

This is an individual choice that I make late in the game. Obviously, it is not for everyone. I started doing it near the end of the Hub Plot in TC. That plot forces action-oriented players to become "creative". (However, some players enjoy doing the same task over and over again... they find it relaxing, I suppose.)

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Huh, that's odd. I'm running Crystal Free SPP's no problem with terran stations. I always use that script because it actually costs more than a loop would so I see it as fair and it doesn't kill my FPS. Works well when in combination with FDN 2.0 or 8.1 or whatever it is now.

Anyway, I looked at this script and I have to say, I like what you're doing and I have a few suggestions/requests.

1. Make it work on player carriers/ships

2. Make a limit to how many drones the ship can deploy at once to prevent super overpoweredness. Maybe limit by class and have an option so the player can set how many they deploy?

3. Look at this script by LV: http://forum.egosoft.com/viewtopic.php?t=237731 It is pretty much the ultimate in carrier software when it comes to producing drones, but of a ship class. What I suggest is you meld your script with that one so that you can create actual "drones" that are fighter classes (IE M3-m5). His work is really nice, but has the limitation that you still need to gather materials and what not. If you can bridge that gap and make what I'm going to call "drone fighters," you'll have created something that could be combined with more elaborate carrier scripts to make carrier fights viable. I currently use this script to buy fighters en masse, so you could find inspiration there: http://forum.egosoft.com/viewtopic.php?t=311048

4. The ability to control the drones from your ship, like to give attack orders etc or return to ship. I currently use MARS for this, but if you want to create a comprehensive drone carrier script, its a good place to look.



Anyway, I know that's a lot, but I thought I'd share with you because it seems like you're in a really good place right now and could really create something that isn't completely overpowered and would really put all the carrier fighter production in one place. Those scripts I linked aren't being worked on actively right now, and I'm sure their authors would be more than happy to let you dissect them and integrate them into something grand. I hope you find something useful in these ramblings and keep up the good work.

[DrBullwinkle]

I like what you're doing and I have a few suggestions/requests.

If you are referring to Drone Carrier Software (DCS), then most of your requests are already planned.

DCS already works on all player carriers (as long as the player is not currently piloting the ship). This is intentional; DCS is designed for OOS patrol and sector defense.

It is possible that the planned "balanced mode" may work well on the player ship.

4. The ability to control the drones from your ship

That may be possible if a future version is made to run on the player ship. It depends on how some of the other features work out. I will keep your request in mind.

It is sometimes easier to write new code from scratch than it is to try to merge pieces from other code, especially when the other scripts are not well documented. In any case, the plan for DCS is different from ACS, Yalamandi's, and MARS, so it is unlikely that code from those will be useful. Some of the concepts, of course, are already in the plan.

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[The Cuban Nightmare]

Oh, I know it works on player carriers, I meant on player ships. I am just a bit leery of the idea of taking a M7, putting it in a Xenon sector and instantly seeing it being wiped out. I just think the power needs to be limited to something that gives you an incentive to use multiple drone carriers and I think that a system that limits the amount you can deploy to being tied to the number of docking ports is good idea so that a carrier would actually have an advantage over a TL as a drone carrier.

Similarly, I brought up the idea of "drone fighters" because it really just seems to be an evolution of drone carriers, except the drones are larger and do more damage. What I am proposing is basically limiting the power of these drone carriers and having a system that can actually be employed OOS, IS, and on a current player ship. If you have a ratio for the deployment of fighter drones, you can really make them alluring as opposed to just another M7M "i win button." For example, if you choose to integrate the "drone fighters" idea, you could choose what class of drone to make which would limit the number the carrier could deploy. If they are small drones, say MK I, you could deploy 3 or something for each docking port the carrier has. This ratio would decrease as the size of the fighter drone increases and the price of the drone would increase but your drones would be more durable and do more damage. It would also reduce lag and increase the viability as a tool IS.

I'm not knocking your idea or anything, I love it; except there is a difference between having something that is convenient/useful and something that is too easy to be fun. No ship should be able to destroy an entire sector by itself and that's what the balance version should avoid. However, if you've got something like 10 drone carriers that are M1's, you should be able to, but not if you're using TLs. A freighters should not be able to put up the same fight a carrier could and limiting the deployment numbers and adding a restocking cost would allow you to run carriers as viable OOS/IS tools and give them a purpose in the game again. I really am interested in what you're doing and just wanted to offer my two cents as inspiration for ideas that could help make your script appeal to a broader audience and apply to more areas than just OOS.

[Ranom]

Unrelated, but I have to ask. As you always recommend interesting mods, what sort of mod list do you typically play with?

[DrBullwinkle]

As you always recommend interesting mods, what sort of mod list do you typically play with?

I'm glad you asked, Ranom! Your question is on-topic, since it is a list of things that I use in my own game.

Here you go:

Scripts and Mods that I use in my own game
Scripts and Mods that I use in my own game

[TheEarl]

Hi !

I'm interessted in your "Signal_Targeted for TC/AP 1.5".
But only the 1.4 version download seems to work.
Can you please have a look on this ?
Thank you !

[DrBullwinkle]

I'm interessted in your "Signal_Targeted for TC/AP 1.05".
But only the 1.04 version download seems to work.

What does not work about version 1.05? The link appears to work correctly.

Please describe the problem that you experience.

[TheEarl]

Strange thing, here all is ok.
I check the browser settings at home later.
Sorry !

[lich83]

[What about Anarkis Crystal Free SPP?

I could not get Anarkis Crystal Free SPP to work at all. Even if you can get it to work, I assume that is one of the scripts to which Gazz refers when he says that CC will not crunch them.

My experiments with crystal-free SPP's produced at a much smaller rate than SPP's which require crystals. That is why I say that it appears to be in the game engine; because other resources in other types of factories do not behave that way.

I use it without problems, but it is necessary to first crunch, then use the ACF SPP, or the energy production is minimal

[DrBullwinkle]

No problem, Earl.

I hope you like Signal_Targeted. I know that I do!

[Ranom]

First, just to get it out of the way, CC and crystal free definitely work fine together, but you -must- do the scripts in a certain order for it to work. A sharp decrease in SPP output occurs if done incorrectly. Something about the quantity/price of the ingredients determining the quantity, as price is preset, of the product. Instructions can be found at the main post below.
http://forum.egosoft.com/viewtopic.php? ... sc&start=0

ANYWAY, it's a bit delayed (life got busy) but thanks for the list of mods. If you have the time, I'd be interested in your tweaked version of Imp. Boarding, as those all sound like fair changes, but curious if you play TC or AP. From what I've heard, the changes Cycrow got into AP have made boarding a lot more user friendly. Do you still find Imp. Boarding to be useful in AP?

[DrBullwinkle]

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Improved Boarding
DrBullwinkle's Hacked Version

Download: Improved Boarding (Version 1.24a)

Download: Improved Boarding (Bullwinkle's Hacked Version 1.23.04c) <== Older (Classic) Version

• Version 1.24a includes:
• New ware: Lower cost to match typical usage.
• If installation of the ware fails, then the script will use the vanilla Transporter Device.
• Improved Spacewalk Boarding. Marines are teleported close to the target ship before they begin boarding.
• Thank you to mystermask for the FRENCH language file.

[ external image ]

For X3TC or X3AP.

Thanks to Cycrow for his famous script, with a few additions of my own. Original Thread (Cycrow)



Original Features

• Hotkey(s) to launch marines (instead of cumbersome menus).
• More reliable spacewalking.
• Optional Boarding Transporter is more reliable than spacewalking. Requires you to remain near the target, which can be a challenge in itself.
• Optional NPC boarding parties (can board your ships!). Capture them to get pre-trained marines.

My Hacks

• Improved spacewalking reliability by teleporting marines near the target.
• Improved spacewalking speed.
• Lowered cost of custom ware.
• If the custom ware does not install properly then script will use the vanilla Transporter Device for boarding.
• Doubled Transporter distance because some ships are too large for the original values.
• Improved spacewalk reliability by transporting marines near to target ship. (Fixes some collision-avoidance problems).
• Spacewalk launch hotkeys now send only the correct number of marines for the target. Use multiple launches for more marines.
• Added configurable options to t file, including use of standard Transporter Device instead of expensive Boarding Transporter.

Requires

• Ware Manager (included, by default, with the Plugin Manager)

History

• v1.24 (2013-05-29)
  - Changed custom ware. Now easier to purchase earlier in the game.
  - Changed default to require the Boarding Transporter in order to use it (because it is now less expensive).
  - Improved spacewalk boarding.
  - Replaced maths libs with single script .bw.fwd.project (called by .dropspeed).
  - Thank you to mystermask for the FRENCH language file!
  
  v1.23.04 (2012-12-23)
  - Added missing t files. (Friznit)
  
  v1.23.03 (2012-12-19)
  - Fixed a bug that caused jet pack speed to be (permanently) too slow.
  - Improved Spacewalking reliability by partially compensating for collision avoidance problems.
  (Uses standard Transporter Device to beam marines near the target ship.)
  - Added adjustable values to t file.
  - Increased default values for transporter range and spacewalk launch distances to deal with large target ship sizes (TL+).
  
  v1.23.02 (2012-10-02)
  - Increase boarding transporter range to 3 km (Scion Drakhar)
  
  v1.23
  - Cycrow's original version: Improved Boarding (Cycrow).

[Ranom]

Thanks a ton, I'll check it out.

[joelR]

Hey, where do you buy the upgrade kits?

[DrBullwinkle]

Hey, where do you buy the upgrade kits?

At the Upgrade Kit Foundry in Getsu Fune.

It is a Goner station, and the name changes every few seconds, but it should be there.

You can also buy them at TerraCorp HQ in Home of Light.

[joelR]

Great thanks. Havent explored much of the universe yet. Ill go plant some satellites there.