[MOD] Slightly More Useful Plot Station (27.02.2015; 3.60 and Linux-compatible)

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Sparky Sparkycorp
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[MOD] Slightly More Useful Plot Station (27.02.2015; 3.60 and Linux-compatible)

Post by Sparky Sparkycorp » Tue, 14. Oct 14, 11:32

Slightly More Useful Plot Station (SMUPS)

Big thanks to w.evans for his kind help, nice iterations, and mod creation (!). Please see Nexus page for full credits :)

This LINUX-compatible mod does the following to the Integrative URV Forge only:
1. Changes Silicon Wafer production lines into slightly more useful "Reconfigurable Material Fabricators"*.
2. For saves containing Forge URV Wharfs built before X:R 3.50, drone production changed to multiple types**.
3. Manufacturing use DeVries resources (minerals, ECs, Food Rations and Forge-produced Refined Metals).

* These manufacture small amounts of Bio-Optic Wiring, Fusion Reactors and Reinforced Metal Plating.
** This mod was created in Rebirth 3.20 when the plot station only produced Interceptor MkIs. The mod changed drone production to be multiple drone types. This change was adopted by Egosoft in Rebirth 3.50 beta 2 and so as a result, the latest version of this mod does not adjust drones.

Please be aware that all production lines were designed to be extremely inefficient and wasteful. The changes were intended to make sense as something that will be useful to kick-start the rebuilding of DeVries, as the description of the Plot Station states. This will, however, never be very profitable.

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Latest SMUPS version (v0.22)

Use this if:
a) Your Integrative URV Forge is built, with or without module extensions, or,
b) Your Integrative URV Forge is not built, or if it was started in or after Rebirth 3.50 beta 2, or,
c) Integrative URV Forge construction was started before Rebirth 3.50 beta 2 but URV Wharf construction has not started.

After applying the mod, constructed Silicon Wafer modules will probably be missing but the Architect will probably only want new surface elements before building replacement Reconfigurable Materials Fabricators.

Updating from an X:R 3.20-era save containing v0.11 of this mod

This requires some fairly straightforward save editing due to the Forge improvements in X:R 3.50:

http://forum.egosoft.com/viewtopic.php? ... 15#4497915


Applying this mod to a save with Forge completed before X:R 3.50

This requires more complex save game editing. Please let us know if this works or not for you.

1. Backup your save(s) and install v0.11 of the mod.
2. Follow these instructions: http://forum.egosoft.com/viewtopic.php? ... 50#4494950
3. Save and close game.
4. Install v0.20 of the mod.
4. Follow these instructions: http://forum.egosoft.com/viewtopic.php? ... 15#4497915
5. Install v0.21 of the mod.
6. Install v0.22 of the mod.
7. Load game and test.

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w.evans wrote:URV Wharfs (2 can be built)

- Drones are produced using the vanilla X:R 3.50 onwards recipies.
- Interceptor Mk.1 (6 units / 30 mins)
- Cargolifter URV (7 units / 30 mins)
- Construction URV (4 units/30 mins)
- Scoop Collector Mk.1 (6 units / 30 mins)
- Surface Miner Mk.1 (7 units / 30 mins)


Reconfigurable Material Fabricators (2 can be built)

Bio-Optic Wiring (25 units / 30 mins)
- 920 Energy Cells
- 420 Food Rations
- 1040 Ore
- 560 Silicon

Fusion Reactors (10 units / 40 mins)
- 2400 Energy Cells
- 1220 Food Rations
- 640 Ore
- 960 Silicon
- 800 Nividium
- 280 Crystals
- 200 Refined Metals

Reinforced Metal Plating (15 units / 30 mins)
- 760 Energy Cells
- 480 Food Rations
- 640 Ore
- 560 Silicon
- 200 Nividium
- 1500 Refined Metals


Steel Refineries (2 can be built)

- Unchanged from vanilla.
- 200 units / 10 minutes.
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Nexus link:
http://www.nexusmods.com/xrebirth/mods/445/?

---------------------------------------------------

Assistance with spatially adjusting the model would be welcome:
http://forum.egosoft.com/viewtopic.php? ... 18#4494718

---------------------------------------------------

Page ID 97524 is used for what little text there is in this mod. If this page is already in use, please let me know.

---------------------------------------------------

Old info:
Sparky Sparkycorp wrote:Hi there,

charliebrownisgreat made an interesting suggestion earlier, which spawns this mod request/suggestion :)

http://forum.egosoft.com/viewtopic.php? ... f7#4443813

Could one or both of the plot URV Forge's Silicon Wafer extensions be replaced with a single Reinforced Metal Plate extension?

The URV Forge then goes from producing 2 intermediates needed for drone components (that both need stations built or trading in Albion to create drone components), to producing 1 drone component. The player still needs to supply stuff for drone production but extending the Forge is rewarded with a simplified production chain (hopefully?).

Thanks for your time,
Sparks
Last edited by Sparky Sparkycorp on Fri, 14. Aug 15, 23:11, edited 35 times in total.

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Post by XexrelFenix » Tue, 14. Oct 14, 12:22

Interesting idea, I always cringe when I look at my sometime useless URV Forge that only produce inferior goods. What a waste of station plot. :P :x

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Post by Sparky Sparkycorp » Fri, 6. Feb 15, 17:34

With the recent flurry of mod action, I thought I'd try my luck with a little thread bump :)

Is this anything a modder would have interest in creating?

Failing that, anyone know what parts of the game I would need to break in order to have a bash myself? Health warning: not modder before.

Ultimately, I plan to use WWX mod where Sucellus have drone bays so with a bit of luck, supplying drones in DV might actually make a bit of sense.

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Post by w.evans » Fri, 6. Feb 15, 20:06

Here you go.

http://www.nexusmods.com/xrebirth/mods/445/?

Can't test it, though, since I'm not at that part of the plot. Would strongly recommend saving and backing up your save before attempting to build the Plot Station with this mod.

Took it down for a bit. Forgot that it needed another file.

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Post by w.evans » Fri, 6. Feb 15, 20:41

It's up now.

Again, I would like to reiterate that this has not been tested.

Please back up your save before building the Plot Station with this mod.

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Post by Sparky Sparkycorp » Fri, 6. Feb 15, 21:36

Oh my, Christmas has come again! :)

Thanks so much. I shall work to get there ASAP, test and feed back.

Thank you very much.

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Post by w.evans » Fri, 6. Feb 15, 21:49

No problem. It bugged me the last time I was at that point in the Plot that the first station you build to help rebuild DeVries produces interceptor drones with two "supporting" production lines that aren't used in the production of those drones. Now, at least, it would produce things that would be plausibly useful for building industries.

Can't repeat this enough though, this has not been tested. Station might produce hybrid Boron/Teladi hybrid eggs, or nothing, or it might look like a mish-mash.

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Post by Rubini » Fri, 6. Feb 15, 22:33

@w.evans,

Sorry for the OT (just a bit! :) ), but i could not found a better place to post the below main plot early game problems, as some of them are also related to this URV Wharf:

1. Very early on the plot a lot of players have a hard day looking for food rations that are needed in DV, but you will only find it in a DV station itself!!??? A nonsense. If the Dv system needs it and it is already there what is the point??

2. Later, to build this URV Wharf in DV ( a main plot mission) you also could have some nightmare to find some wares - fusion reactors and/or reinforced metal plates. Fusion reactors in particular are produced somewhere in Albion, ok. But at least on 3.10/3.20 patch, these stations haven´t more fusion reactors. I know that you can board few PMC frighters to stole them. But the board is not easy for fresh players after patch 3.00 (well i use Marine Rebalance mod and can do it !! :wink: :wink: :wink:) . But i guess that you undestand my point.

I´m saying all this just to ask if someone can fix these. The fresh players becomes totally lost and go out from the game, because these nonsense bugs don´t allow you to go ahead in the plot.

My suggestion is that we put these basic wares in some amount somewhere in an Albion station trader´s hand (that remains out of PMC) to fix these main plot´s needed wares at early stage of the campaign. Is this possible? Can you point me how to do this?

Thanks in any advice!

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Post by w.evans » Fri, 6. Feb 15, 23:06

Hi Rubini,

Yeah, I agree that #1 doesn't make much sense. Not sure what I can do about that though. Changing the trade goal is possible, but asking for something that can only be acquired in Albion would make problem #2 worse. (Or more interesting, depending on how you look at it.)

#2: angel618 published a mod a while back here:

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/f ... =368533626

that he says gives you 3 builder ships (construction vessels? they're called builder ships in the code) filled with bio-optic wiring, reinforced metal plating, and fusion reactors plus 2 Boann mining ships. Should take care of that problem already. I haven't tried the mod myself though, so I can't say how well it works.

nidaren also published a mod here:

http://www.nexusmods.com/xrebirth/mods/384/?

a while back. That makes a Ledda station in Third Duke that sells Reinforced Metal Plating, but I don't know if it still works.

If I remember correctly, the only problem resource is Reinforced Metal Plating. Bio-optic wiring and Fusion Reactors are both available from Ledda or Berryl stations.

Let me know what it is you want to do though, and I'll see if I can help.

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Post by Rubini » Fri, 6. Feb 15, 23:44

w.evans wrote:Hi Rubini,

Yeah, I agree that #1 doesn't make much sense. Not sure what I can do about that though. Changing the trade goal is possible, but asking for something that can only be acquired in Albion would make problem #2 worse. (Or more interesting, depending on how you look at it.)

#2: angel618 published a mod a while back here:

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/f ... =368533626

that he says gives you 3 builder ships (construction vessels? they're called builder ships in the code) filled with bio-optic wiring, reinforced metal plating, and fusion reactors plus 2 Boann mining ships. Should take care of that problem already. I haven't tried the mod myself though, so I can't say how well it works.

nidaren also published a mod here:

http://www.nexusmods.com/xrebirth/mods/384/?

a while back. That makes a Ledda station in Third Duke that sells Reinforced Metal Plating, but I don't know if it still works.

If I remember correctly, the only problem resource is Reinforced Metal Plating. Bio-optic wiring and Fusion Reactors are both available from Ledda or Berryl stations.

Let me know what it is you want to do though, and I'll see if I can help.
Many thanks mate!

I will look to yours suggestions above and will let you know if these problemas are already "fixed" by them.

Anyhow, as I said, fusion reactors aren´t more disposable at the places that you point (Ledda or Berryl stations) at all (or at least for some players). I´m exactly at that point on main plot and obviously looked there and also many others places and no more fusion reactors to buy. I then read about this issue and stay waiting for a PMC freithger on Shady Vault which have the fusion reactors, boarded 3 of them and finally could go ahead. But this isnt a option for all new plyers as you know.
Here a link to this issue among others:
http://forum.egosoft.com/viewtopic.php?t=369595

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Post by Rubini » Sat, 7. Feb 15, 00:01

Me again!

Thanks again by the tips.
I just looked at that mods.

I guess that nidaren idea/implementation is the best one but it´s outdated (both are). Can you look at it and make it (or something like it) updated to 3.20? Also can you add to it some others wares like the Fusion reactors and even food rations? If so, this could finally fix all the annoying resources issue son the main plot for new players and will not hurt the game. The player yet need to find, buy and transport them to the right places on DV. I also suggest that this place could have only a small amount of these (main plot) wares among others that makes sense for a Ledda Industrial facility.

Could be also a good idea to be "easy" for users to add any other ware that could be problematic now or in the future for others players. Then, this will make this a must have mod for new players.

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Post by w.evans » Sat, 7. Feb 15, 00:17

I'll look into it. No promises though. I'm not sure it's a good idea to add a station that has these products in abundance because the game's balanced such that they're scarce, but needed in station building, hence valuable and rightly expensive. If a new source of these products were made with lots of the product, it would eat up demand and drive prices down. Notice that a lot of advice is also given to players to produce these wares themselves precisely because they're so scarce and so expensive. If they were made abundant, then this would no longer be so.

A way that could circumvent that would be to simply give the stuff to the player, which is what I thought angel618's mod does. Are you sure it's outdated? It was only released last January, so that's 3.10 at least. I don't think that it uses the sidebar, so it's quite likely still compatible with 3.20. I'll go check.

edit: angel618's Borman Adequate is current. It adds two albion CVs with bio-optic wiring, fusion reactors, and RMP, plus two Boann mining ships at around the same point in the plot where you get the plot CV. It also adds the three building resources to the plot CV.

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Post by Rubini » Sat, 7. Feb 15, 00:45

w.evans wrote:I'll look into it. No promises though. I'm not sure it's a good idea to add a station that has these products in abundance because the game's balanced such that they're scarce, but needed in station building, hence valuable and rightly expensive. If a new source of these products were made with lots of the product, it would eat up demand and drive prices down. Notice that a lot of advice is also given to players to produce these wares themselves precisely because they're so scarce and so expensive. If they were made abundant, then this would no longer be so.

A way that could circumvent that would be to simply give the stuff to the player, which is what I thought angel618's mod does. Are you sure it's outdated? It was only released last January, so that's 3.10 at least. I don't think that it uses the sidebar, so it's quite likely still compatible with 3.20. I'll go check.

edit: angel618's Borman Adequate is current. It adds two albion CVs with bio-optic wiring, fusion reactors, and RMP, plus two Boann mining ships at around the same point in the plot where you get the plot CV. It also adds the three building resources to the plot CV.
You are right, angel618's Borman Adequate is updated. Excuse me I saw it´s version (1.09 IIRC) and thinked that it was the game version. Ok, but will the new player knows what to do with these CV? It´s already that hard to follow (and understand) the main plot itself ... so i guess that to this be useful the players already needs some knowledge into the game and i guess that that point a lot of them yet not have it.

This is why i guess that the nidaren idea/implementation is far more easy for new players, imo - they will by a ware - very intuitive for the game plot. Anyhow the idea is to limit the amount of wares in this "new" station (in truth just a shop into the original station), making it just aside of the main Ledda industries. The important is that the player could find the necessary main plot wares at the necessary amount at first. Just until this point of the campaign. I don´t know if this is possible indeed. :?:

Edited: ok, now after 3 times carefully reading yours commnets i understood that angel618's Borman Adequate add that CV/Mining ships at that point of the plot. The problem here is that the players normally only will look for a fix after they already have start the URV Wharf using the unmodded plot/game. Then the angel618's Borman Adequate is "almost" useless.
Last edited by Rubini on Sat, 7. Feb 15, 01:08, edited 1 time in total.

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Post by w.evans » Sat, 7. Feb 15, 01:01

With respect, man, there's no helping them if they don't know what to do with angel618's CVs. I mean, it's three ships full of everything they need just handed to them. I don't think anyone can expect any more hand-holding than that. At least not in an X-game.

Nidaren's solution is doable, and I personally find it more elegant. It's nowhere easier though. Remember Third Duke is in the very last zone before you cross via superhighway into Far Out. That's deep in PMC territory relative to DeVries. It would actually be easier to get to Buried Treasure and the Ledda Ship Tech Fab there than it would be to get to Third Duke.

I guess it would be possible to put the station in DeVries itself. However, that wouldn't make any more sense than Borman saying that they urgently need food, which you can most conveniently get from their own stations.

What would be some serious hand-holding, and probably fool-proof, would be to give the player a Construction Shop and a Ship Tech Fab in Glaring Truth. I'm not interested in doing that, though. But I'll help you if you're game. :)

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Post by Rubini » Sat, 7. Feb 15, 01:17

Ok. I understood. But i guess that you didn´t have saw my "edit" on my last post. I have serious problems to read/understandd english...i need frequently to read 3 or 4 times to really understand everthing, so look at this please:
Edited: ok, now after 3 times carefully reading yours commnets i understood that angel618's Borman Adequate add that CV/Mining ships at that point of the plot. The problem here is that the players normally only will look for a fix after they already have start the URV Wharf using the unmodded plot/game. Then the angel618's Borman Adequate is "almost" useless.
And yes , i should like to fix his mod (more "plot" wares, another more sense place to put it) ... but is so difficult to me: I take a look on it´s files and even didn´t find where it adds the Reinforced metal plate" on them.. :shock: :shock: :shock:

Do you think that is better that i post a new thread about this, then i can stop to hijack your thread here? (many excuses about that :oops: :oops: :oops: )

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Post by w.evans » Sat, 7. Feb 15, 01:26

Rubini wrote:And yes , i should like to fix his mod
Now, you're talking!
Rubini wrote:Do you think that is better that i post a new thread about this, then i can stop to hijack your thread here? (many excuses about that :oops: :oops: :oops: )
I don't mind. It's Sparky's thread. :)

Best start a new thread, though. And best try and get permission from nidaren before you update his mod, unless you want to make a completely new one.

edit: I just quickly looked through nidaren's code, and I think it might still work. Getting late here, so I won't be able to test tonight, however.

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Post by Rubini » Sat, 7. Feb 15, 01:45

w.evans wrote:
Best start a new thread, though. And best try and get permission from nidaren before you update his mod, unless you want to make a completely new one.

edit: I just quickly looked through nidaren's code, and I think it might still work. Getting late here, so I won't be able to test tonight, however.
Great news! I will wait for you and then, if yet needed, i will open a new thread.
I will go in a trip this weekend and even though i probably will can read the forum (cell phone) i will have not the possibily to test anything obviously. Will stay here for some more hours anyway.

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Post by birdtable » Sat, 7. Feb 15, 11:12

@ w.evans ... With great respect I do have to take issue with your statements ..... "With respect, man, there's no helping them if they don't know what to do with angel618's CVs."
Any new player to X Rebirth does require some serious Heavy Hand Holding.
Force Strategy Gaming did a youtube on XRebirth Campaign Gameplay and considering the player base for Rebirth had over 180,000 hits.
This hand holding is a sadly overlooked but essential requirement for Rebirth and any modding in of this facility would help greatly in retaining players.

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Post by w.evans » Sat, 7. Feb 15, 11:31

@birdtable, Point taken, and my apologies. It was getting late.

I do agree that more in-game feedback in terms of how things are supposed to work and what you're supposed to do could be helpful, and I imagine, necessary to someone coming into X-Rebirth for the first time, even with experience from previous X-games. But at the same time, I am conscious that giving stuff to the player often entails taking away from gameplay. For example, with this problem with station-building materials: if these things were simply given to the player, then we wouldn't have to try and figure out how to find them. We wouldn't learn how trading works, that having trade agents in stations is very useful, and that stealing them from PMC can be useful. Making them abundant would change the economics such that building the stations that produce these products wouldn't make much money, especially in light of the fact that they cost so much to build in the first place.

A better solution might actually be to simply incorporate one of the excellent guides out there into a series of logbook entries or something like that, accessible in game -- to make the plot more of a tutorial with detailed instructions.

Testing Nidaren's Ledda Industrial Construction Shop now. So far, it looks like the jobs and characters patches are working, but the script that's supposed to build the actual station doesn't seem to be triggering. Will let it run a bit more and do some digging.

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Post by birdtable » Sat, 7. Feb 15, 11:58

@ w.evans ..... Totally agree with you ... Still there is a great difference between hand holding and being given a plateful of goodies as in the boarding of trade ships in release version of rebirth.
Logbook entries for guides (in game) would be a great step forward.....never under estimate the value of a good tutorial/guide...... :)

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