This sounds prett-damned hardcore, Symtec, and certainly a lot easier than using Shovinus's Shipyards.
Though I confess I still will, 'cos I like 'em.
May I make a small suggestion or two?
1) Would it be possible to ensure that the "Convert Station to Shipyard" command, or whatever the command that sets up this thing, is an option that only appears on ONE type of station?
I don't really care which station that is, but it seems to me that this fauture ought to be something quite exclusive to a particular station - not really suitable for EVERY station type. My idea, you see, is that I'd clone a factory in my TFactories file, then assign it to use a custom model, and then only that TYPE could ever perform these tasks. Altering the relevant line in the script would ensure that it referenced the correct factory entry.
Now, I appreciate this would mean that you can't cater for different mods - as every mod has a different TFactories file, and all the reference IDs are different as a result...
...but would you at least be willing to help me(and potentially anyone else who wanted to make this feature more exclusive) understand how one could ensure that this particular command were to show up for only one particular station type? Just as Shovinus' SY Manager only shows up on SYs.
Would that be ok?
2) Do think you might ever give any thought to the idea of creating a way in which the player could run a commercial SY like the AI does?
Ie. factories and ships produced by the station are created as WARES or products inside it, rather than as stuff you can use. Well, you
could load the factories aboard your TLs I suppose, but ships are just useless wares(class Tiny) that don't function.
It'd need an AL Plugin, but my thought was this:
Your Station keeps on producing these products indefinitely for as long as it has the resources. These ships(which are wares), serve no purpose because you can't launch them,
BUT periodically(the better your notoriety, the more frequently this happens), those wares vanish and are replaced by AI-owned ships spawned just outside the station - your notoriety determines which Race owns 'em - and you are given the credits for this.
Effectively, you've just produced, say, a Nova at your factory, and the AI has just bought it and is flying away with it.
This means that you, the player, can do precisely what the AI has always done, but in reverse - ie. ships you produce are sold at point of production, rather than you having to fly them to the point of sale(ie. an AI shipyard).
The AI already does it - YOU buy ships from THEIR SYs, but even with a PHQ or Shovinus' SY it's never been possible to simulate that transaction in reverse.
What do you think?
Just an idea or two for you there.
As it stands though, it looks like a great script already, and I look forward to testing it out.
Thanks.
Adam.
_ 
, ill test it with XTM as soon as im finished tweeking my TP naming system 
