MD Mk2 is not compatible with X3: Albion Prelude.
That is probably because an improved version or it is already included in vanilla AP.
[ external image ]
Turret Missile Defense Mk2
- This script improves several Egosoft turret scripts.
Missile Defense (Player)
Missile Defense (AI)
Missile Defense Only (Player)
Attack Enemies (AI)
Attack Enemies (Player)
"Protect Ship" is not covered because it never shoots at missiles so there would not be any real advantage over the ES script. - All ships in the game will use those instead of the original versions.
On player owned ships you will have to restart the turret script if you used the original Egosoft scripts before. Version updates from MD Mk2 v2.00+ to the current version do not require a restart. - Obviously it uses more CPU power than the default scripts but the difference is very small. (for a change)
- The default missile defense scripts were painfully inadequate when more than one missile was incoming.
In fact, all MD turrets of a ship were concentrating on the closest missile even if it was on the other side of the ship.
They never attempted to target the second closest missile instead - the one they could have hit.
Especially the engagement of multiple incoming missiles is massively improved. - Target priorities
Missiles always and without exception take priority.
With "Missiles Only" the priorities stop right here.
The turret will fire back at ships it was attacked by.
The turret can also attack the current (script) target of it's ship if it's executing one of these orders:- Kill all enemies
- Kill all enemies and land
- Kill enemies in range
- This is the other default script that AI ships' turrets use and it aggressively targets anything... hostile.
- The target priorities have undergone slight tweaking as well.
(1, 5, and 6 are changes compared to the original Egosoft script)
- If the turret can fire capital ship lasers like PPC it at least attempts to find a worthy target instead of toying with the fighter drone that happens to be the closest target.
On player ships it does not check if the turret can load big guns but if there is one in the first slot of the turret. This check is repeated every 2 minutes and when the script is restarted. - the turret fires back at ships that have caused damage
- it fires at the target that it's ship is attacking (under autopilot control)
- it fires at any enemy within it's firing arc.
- If no enemy target is found, it does missile defense.
- Only if a massive missile attack is incoming, the turret assigns priority 1 to missile defense until the situation is under control.
No ship can afford to ignore an M7M's missile barrage and an M6 can't ignore even a single Firestorm Torpedo...
- If the turret can fire capital ship lasers like PPC it at least attempts to find a worthy target instead of toying with the fighter drone that happens to be the closest target.
- Egosoft Missile Defense generally fires all lasers at a low rate, other ES turret scripts at a mediocre rate.
- MD Mk2 always uses a low rate of fire when firing at missiles.
When firing at ships, it automatically adjusts it to the installed lasers.
PRG/PBE are fired at a high rate and even the ROF of heavy lasers like PPC can be slightly improved because the script tries to find the optimal "wait"... that is when all lasers have recycled.
It's actually a very simple system. If "fire" is successful, lower the delay. If not (lasers not ready, yet), it must have been too short so increase it. A "calculation" like that isn't costly.
This is very different to the approach of some other turret scripts, that just reduce the script's "wait" in general. The whole script would then always run at the fastest possible pace, whether that's useful or not.
- The script includes an "Artificial Life Plugin".
Using this you can adjust which ships should automatically switch lasers depending on the range / enemy. - Available modes:
- OFFLINE. Your ships as well as the AI will use vanilla scripts.
- Vanilla mode. Player ships never switch weapons. AI ships do.
- Player big ships. M6, M1, etc. will switch automatically.
- Player big ships + TL. Same + TL.
- All ships switch weapons automatically. Not recommended but it's your game. =)
- Changes will take effect after the next save / reload and then possibly after one more sector change.
Installation
Copy the contents of the zip into \TC\ so that the scripts end up in the \scripts\ folder.
Deinstallation
Delete setup.plugin.gz.missile.def.mk2.xml.
Tech Stuff
Scripts can detect if Missile Defense Mk2 is currently active in the game:
Code: Select all
$Dummy1 = last load time
$Msl.Def.Mk2 = get global variable: name='GZ.MSL.DEF.MK2'
skip if $Dummy1 == $Msl.Def.Mk2
|$Msl.Def.Mk2 = null
Added for scripters and personal laziness:
plugin.gz.missile.load.auto
This script can be started without any arguments on any turret and then automatically runs with "intelligent defaults", like doing Attack Enemies on PPC turrets but preferring Missile Defense on small laser turrets.
Incompatibilities
Roger's EES / Changeling.
MD Mk2 voluntarily ceases to function if these are detected.
Resources used:
none