[SCRIPT] Camera Drone Spy v1.01 by Nividium 9/22/2007 UPDATED

[Nividium]

Nividium Camera Drone Spy for X3 Reunion, Script Package.

Name of Script Package Camera Drone Spy
Version Number 1.01
Date Released 9/22/2007
Last Updated today
Script Created For X3 Reunion v 2.0.02
File Package Available X3 Script Installer "SPK"

Download the "SPK" file format package here: Camera Drone Spy

Description:

Camera Drone Spy adds a new ship command called [Pirate]-[Spy On Station]. This commands a Player owned Camera Drone ship to spy on a target Station. Intercepted Station communication data is sifted with key word matches by the Camera Drone Spy. An email is then sent to you with the findings of any intercepted data. This Camera Drone Spy has been developed by the Teladi to give them an edge over the competition and as a result are only offered for sale in Teladi Shipyards. The drone itself is harmless and legal. In order to turn it into a Spy though, you need to place a "Computer Component" into it's cargo bay (which is programmed by you to be able to intercept Station communication fragments. The authorities can't tell the dif between a normal Camera Drone and your special one making it ideal for spy activities. The Teladi Shipyards offer 3 models of Camera Drones, but buy the cheap one for 8,000 - 10,000 credits, as it only comes with 1 each 1 MJ shield, which will leave room for the required "Computer Component".

Useage:

- Place a "Computer Component" into the drone's cargo bay to enable spying command.
- Move your Camera Drone Spy into a desired Sector (can also dock with TL,Carrier,Destroyer).
- Select the Camera Drone Spy's ship Command [Piracy]-[Spy On Station].
- The drone will now fly to Station and begin spying.
- When it is finished, Camera Drone Spy will send you an email of the results.
- You can only spy one time on an individual Station, then it adjusts it's security.
- There is a 20 percent chance that the drone will get caught spying. Station will get angry, make you and your drone a FOE and call for Fighter support. Plus you will lose Notoriety.
- Can spy on Friend or Foes.
- Intercepted data is sifted and drone will report on 3 main types of data. It is up to you to do with that data as you see fit.

-NOTE: the following races are "hands off". You cannot spy on them:
- Player
- Xenon
- Kha'ak
- Goner
- Neutral Race
- Unknown
- Terran
- Yaki
- Goner Dock
- Kha'ak Dock
- Any Shipyard
- Wreck

- The Command ends after a scan and places the drone in Standy mode.

Required Equipment:

- Camera Drone
- Computer Component

Installation: Use the X3 Script Manager/Installer.

Uninstall: Use the X3 Script Manager/Installer. There is an uninstall script included, which will automatically remove the Camera Drone ship from Teladi Shipyards. After you use the X3 Script Plugin Manager/Installer to uninstall the script package. Start the X3 game and load your save game. Wait a second or two. Check to see if Camera Drones have been removed from a Teladi Shipyard then save your game. Exit X3 game. Start X3 Plugin Manager again. It will ask if you want to remove uninstall scripts. Answer yes. Close X3 Plugin Manager. Go for lunch.

Version History:

Version 1.01 Fixed a Navigation issue when drone selected oos station
Version 1.00 Initial Release.

Command Slots Used: "<t id="655">COMMAND_TYPE_PIRACY_55</t>"

Text File Used: 448080.txt

[dostillevi]

... I'm not quite sure what this does? Do I get something from spying on the stations? What kinds of data does the drone provide? Its fine for me to not be told exactly what to do with the information, but realistically I'd never attempt such a rash action (IRL) if I wasn't reasonably sure of the type of information I might get.

i.e. some sketchy fellow might try to pawn the software off on me and tell me it would give me the locations of un-escorted ships, or something like that. I'd at least have an idea what I was getting into. Can you at least give this to me ??

[Pogi]

I concur with the above....What use does this thing have?...Spy? What's there that I don't already know about?..The price of soybeans?

[Nividium]

I suppose you guys also want to know what's inside your X-mas presents before you open them too.

[defiant1]

try it and find out....

[Pogi]

I don't have 8-10k Pesos yet..That darn Preacher keeps updating his ship.....

[Nividium]

I don't have 8-10k Pesos yet..That darn Preacher keeps updating his ship.....

Holy. Maybe you should find some of the abandone Rangers out there and sell them for 800k each, but first go to ===== sector and mine some Nividium rocks, then have one of your TS collect the rocks, then sell the TS full of Nividium at Argon Shipyard (Argon Prime) for 3 million.

Now do the Camera Drone Spy. Believe me, you want this. You will be very happy you got it trust me, have I ever let you down before.

[Pogi]

That was a joke Nividium.. ..I found a couple of places today with Nividium rocks using your scanner. One is covered up with pirates all the time that harrass the H%$L out of me when I try and get it!..I'm playing "Enemy of the State" and I'm trying to get my rep back, so your spy cam kind of scares me...I bought one today and pointed it to a Split EQ Dock to test it out, but the darn thing started for the closest Teladi station in the sector I was in! I immediatly stopped it before I lost rep and could not dock at that station any longer.

Frustrated, I stripped off its shield and now I have it hauling slaves "one at a time" to Company Pride from my HQ...

I renamed it: Little Rebel Slaver...At 54 ms it will have delivered 13 by the end of next week...

[defiant1]

might want to consider building a fleet of them if u want that to be profitible...hehehe...im haveing a bit of trouble getting it to deploy to allow it to be fitted with computer components...

[Nividium]

might want to consider building a fleet of them if u want that to be profitible...hehehe...im haveing a bit of trouble getting it to deploy to allow it to be fitted with computer components...

If you bought the more expensive Camera Drone, then it comes with 2 each 1mj shields. You need to sell or drop one in order to install the Computer Component. The cargo bay of a Camera Drone is only 2

[Nividium]

I'm trying to get my rep back, so your spy cam kind of scares me...I bought one today and pointed it to a Split EQ Dock to test it out, but the darn thing started for the closest Teladi station in the sector I was in! I immediatly stopped it before I lost rep and could not dock at that station any longer.

Frustrated, I stripped off its shield and now I have it hauling slaves "one at a time" to Company Pride from my HQ...

It can only go to the station you select from the "Station Selection" input pop-up screen. Put the Camera Drone in the Sector you want it to work in, then select a Station from within the sector it is in. It uses regular Navigation commands to move from one sector to another. I will look at what happens if you select a Station that is not where it currently resides and if it does what you say, I will re-write that part of the code to fix it. Thanks for bringing this to my attention.

EDIT: Ok, yes you were correct Pogi. There was a Navigational mis sight when drone selected a Station that was not within it's current Sector. It tried to move to the coordinates of the OOS station while being in the wrong Sector.

Anyhow, I have fixed this error with 2 lines of extra code. Anyone who d/l and installed v1.00, please uninstall and d/l install v1.01. I am sorry for this error and any sadness it may have caused you. I hope this new version brings you lots of credits, I mean joy.

[defiant1]

If you bought the more expensive Camera Drone, then it comes with 2 each 1mj shields. You need to sell or drop one in order to install the Computer Component. The cargo bay of a Camera Drone is only 2

Not really what I ment...I tryed to spawn one in the cargo bay of my current ship (already had the computer components) and all id get is a crate...altho I am gonna go buy one to see if the same things happens...

[Nividium]

Hello, defiant1, please uninstall the Camera Drone Spy v1.00 and d/l install the new v1.01 as it fixes a MAJOR problem with the little guy. They sure are cute those Camera Drones, don't you think.

[Pogi]

Installed...Will test later today...Sure wish that little guy could hold 1 squash mine, would be great to run with "Suicide Command" by Symtec...

[Nividium]

Installed...Will test later today...Sure wish that little guy could hold 1 squash mine, would be great to run with "Suicide Command" by Symtec...

Funny you should mention that. I was writing a script to do just that. I was going to call it "Kamakazi Kamera"

[Pogi]

Oh Yeah!..Bring it on!...

[Nividium]

Oh Yeah!..Bring it on!...

Yes, well one script at a time, well maybe 3. Yes, it worked ok, but I had to make it a sort of radius bomb, because the built in anti-collision code would prevent the Kamakazi Kamera from actually running into the target. But, the little guy kept trying despite this. I am also playing with a really cool script I just made called "Remote Capture" where you send a special ship (not to be devowed yet) after a target and it: attacks the target so it's shields are zero, then it carefully shoots until the victoms hull is 79-80% and then sucks the air out of the victoms cockpit, leaving him no choice but to bail. Then the special ship actually claims the now abandoned ship. Further, it then transports over a Jumpdrive and some Energy Cells and instructs the ship to Jump out of sector to a safety Sector. Very cool. Just testing and more testing right now.

[Pogi]

.....................

Ok well I tested the Camera Drone today.

My report:

I don't think I will use the little guy in his current form, for the following reasons:

1. The first place I went to (a Paranid trading dock) turned hostile on me.
2. The fourth place I went to in that sector turned hostile on me as well.

The second place did give me a very nice "collision reward", but the reward in my opinion did not outweigh the cost of the lost of rep -1 at each station as well as the loss of the drone.

I took a look inside the plugin and would recommend the following changes:

1. Station remains neutral.
2. Rep set at zero loss or gain


At 54ms, there is no way he can escape if caught. So if caught and fighter support is called in (which should remain), he is lost. I recommend "not" informing the player that the drone has been discovered. When he gets blown away, thats information enough. Dealing with a hostile fighter is in itself an issue that could result in a loss of rep if handled wrong by the player when next in that sector. I think I would look at this more as a corporate crime/white collar crime issue and handle it as such.

Lower the size of the reward or raise the cost of the drone a tremendous amount.

Cost/Reward needs to balance better in my opinion.

You mentioned a new drone you are working on..Maybe you can have a station that catches the player drone launch one of their own and "take control" of the players drone. Again Cost/Reward..Cheers

[Nividium]

Yes thanks alot for your input Pogi. There seems to be some contradiction though. First you say it costs too much in terms of lost rep, then you say the rewards are too high.

What if you did this, only send your Camera Drone Spy to stations that are already your enemy. Who cares if you lose rep then. Especially when you can intercept a 500,000 credit bit of info on one of their delivery ships carrying Crystals etc. Yes, there are some high risks involved, but there are more then enough high rewards to offset it though, plus the intrege, what about intercepting info about abandon ships too and other things. I think you cut yourself off of a cool script by not using this Camera Drone Spy, but hey, to each his own right Pogi.

Thanks again for your input.

[Pogi]

Well I tried sending him first to a hostile station..All I got was a "beep" and him in standby mode. I first sent him to that Yaki station in Senators Badlands..He wouldn't go near it.

If I had your scripting skills what I would do is this:

1. Instead of losing rep at the station and race at a 20% chance..Have a 20% chance that on investigation and claiming of the prize the player is jumped by "everyones" enemy Xenon or Kha'ak fighter group.

2. Upon discovery of the spying attempt, the fighter summoned by the station to deal with the drone remains hostile to the player. This creates another situation (possible loss of rep with the race if dealt with incorrectly) that the player must deal with when in friendly territory. If the player is running any "race response" stuff that situation gets even harder to deal with or costly to "buy" your way out. (corporate crime slap on the wrist, pay a big fine stuff).

My previous suggestion to raise the price of the drone or lower the reward was based on "if" you were to make the changes to the rep loss.

Cheers