[SCR] [X3:TC/AP] [v1.9.8.12] [03/23/14] Galaxy Explorer

[gnasirator]

I don't remember. But I didn't know the answer

btw, back to topic!

http://www.yourfilelink.com/get.php?fid=806842

could you please update the mk3 file with this?
I just did a hotfix. I have not noticed, that your change to the main script messes new traders up.
You forgot to change the datatype of the experience var from the t file to INTEGER ...

[DrBullwinkle]

could you please update the mk3 file with this?

Done.

Good catch on the data type. I am usually "the careful one", but you would never know that from my single post of suggested changes *groan*.

[Vayde]

Please see my post in the MK3 optimised thread.

[DrBullwinkle]

No need to double-post, Vayde. We are both watching both threads.

And thank you for your reports!

[gnasirator]

sooooo, no new posts means no new errors, hm?

[DrBullwinkle]

Means I have been doing other stuff and/or sleeping since all of yesterday's activity.

However, I have no new issues to report. And I can confirm that the intended improvements seem to be working so far.

Did I mention that thorough testing will take a few weeks?

[gnasirator]

yes you did.
But it's boring ... as I'm usually not playing, I only get in touch with the game while fixing bugs

is it 8 am right now at Boston?

[Aegyen]

You could always start a new project?..

[gnasirator]

or keep hunting bugs...

like I found something wrong right now. But it seems, it's not a bug in my explorer script but a bug in X3 itself:

If my explorers enter a new, undiscovered sector, the gate they entered through won't always be discovered. Only if I open the sector map it appears.
Problem: this leads to loop traps because explorers need the gates discovered to find their way through the universe.

This happens so far when using !move.movethroughgate and put into environment.
I'll do some more testing on this with normal ships and if it keeps happening, I'll report to egosoft ...

[DrBullwinkle]

yes you did.
But it's boring [waiting for thorough test results]

lol. Good point!

If you are bored, you could still make a junk truck. It would be very similar to your current UT's with only small changes:

• - Sell everything in cargo, then return "home". This is the main feature.
  - Selling missiles may require special handling, because the places that buy them do not list them. Strong Arms HQ is one and some Military Outposts. I don't even know the full list.
  - I don't know whether other wares behave similarly to missiles, but missiles are a common salvage item, so that is what I mostly have trouble selling.

Also if you are bored, you could consider a "patrol" option for Galaxy Explorers. I was not the only person who thought of using a Boreas as an Explorer... others have suggested similar. The basic idea is:

• - Use the Galaxy Explorer search system as a "Galaxy Patrol".
  - Jump drives are important for slow ships.
  - Obviously you would have to turn off the flee routine until there is low shields or hull damage. Then turn flee back on! (and email the player).
  - Maybe give the "Defend Sector" order for, say, five minutes per sector. If no enemies spotted, then continue to explore. ("Defend Sector" seems to work better than "Patrol Sector").

Also, a question: In autotrade.delivery, I mentioned that I think that "Player" would be a better default than "Goner" for the race of the delivery ships. You kept the code, but did you consider maybe changing the default? (Or add the option to the t file?) If you considered the idea and rejected it, that's fine... it was just a suggestion.

I would hate for these ideas to mess up your "feature freeze" for Mk3 Opt or Galaxy Explorers. Perhaps consider them for "Version 2.x" features?

is it 8 am right now at Boston?

Yes, more or less. GST -5. You must be +1 or +2?

@Aegyen: So far, Gnasirator's scripts have perfected simple roles that have not been thoroughly developed in the past. I imagine that he would need a very good idea for another project.

[gnasirator]

Good suggestions, but here comes the other problem:
I'm too lazy (and busy studying) for a new project

So I'd rather concentrate on finishing and polishing these two.

about the delivery service: It's called a goner delivery service, so I decided, the ships should still belong to the goners. Especially because if the delivery ships belong to the player, this makes an exploit possible. just stop them and then you have a new ship

about the found bug:
I just confirmed it. You can try yourself, if you want.
1. get a ship next to an undiscovered sector (I used a M5 Harpyie)
Btw: is it 'an M5' or 'a M5' ? It should be 'a M5' because the M is a consonant, but if I speak it out, I say "Em" so "An Em Five" would sound better. Which is correct?
2. make the ship fly through the gate into that undiscovered sector
3. do NOT watch the ship on the sector map, just wait until it is in the new sector
4. check in universe map that the line, connecting the new sector to the old one is missing.
5. open the sector map of the new sector. Gate is there and voila, the line is also there.

[DrBullwinkle]

If my explorers enter a new, undiscovered sector, the gate they entered through won't always be discovered. Only if I open the sector map it appears.
Problem: this leads to loop traps because explorers need the gates discovered to find their way through the universe.

If I understand your description, then this is intentional behavior for X3 (and a documentation point for Explorers).

When the player explores a new sector, there are several things that must be discovered individually:

• - The sector itself.
  - Both gates, to and from the sector.
  - The two gate-paths (to and from the sector).

Each of the above is discovered individually. Just because you went one way through a gate, that does not immediately reveal the return path.

This is as it should be. For example, it makes exploring Aldrin more interesting after the Aldrin gates are added (Aldrin Expansion Plot in TC).

Your explorers will find the return gate if they are set to "scan sector". Perhaps the options "Scan Sector" and "Discover Unknown Sectors" should be used together?

Btw: is it 'an M5' or 'a M5'?

Excellent question! Write it as it is pronounced. "An M5".

For some words, it is more ambiguous and depends on how you intend the word to be pronounced.

[Vayde]

Gnasirator, you want to hear the English news readers pronounce "a Hotel" It's long since became "an 'otel"

As for the ego bug, that been around for years mate and no body to my knowledge has tried to squish it.

[gnasirator]

Hmm but this is unlogical.

The ship has a scanner, revealing everything in its radius. Why not reveal the gate in the new sector which the explorer just flew through?
He pops out just next to it and the gate is way inside of the scanner range.

This would mean, that the player has to watch every(!) explorer every time he enters a new undiscovered sector. else the explorer would get stuck.

@vayde, thanks for the update
I'll have to try to find a workaround then ...

that means: there will be a new explorer version. but at least this time I'm not fixing MY bugs

[DrBullwinkle]

You ninja'ed me. Read my explanation a couple of posts up.

It is not a bug; it's a feature!

[gnasirator]

I read it and I answered with my post claiming that this is unlogical

I'm still of that opinion. Furthermore, it makes my explorers get stuck. So this would be a situation, where I'd support brute force methods to circumvent this (i.e. everything the scripting language offers is to use!)

[DrBullwinkle]

It is not illogical. It is fun! The Aldrin Expansion Plot would be boring without it.

EDIT: I could be wrong, but I believe that the gate-paths do not have to go between the same gates. It is not necessarily true that returning through a gate will take you to the sector that you just left.

And all you have to do is use the Explorers correctly. Hence it is a documentation issue, not a bug.

Always use "Scan Sector" when using "Discover Unknown Sectors".

[gnasirator]

As far as I know, you are right. A can lead to B and B to C.

To make my point clear, I just thought of this little story :

Imagine a tunnel from Boston to Germany. You know it leads to Germany, because there is a sign on it saying "Germany". And you can see inside and guess the direction.
Okay you enter the tunnel and once inside you can't see what's outside. Only when you come out in Germany, you suddenly can see your surroundings again. You look left and see a bank building. You look right and see a shop. You look behind you - wait, there is the tunnel you just came out of. And there is a sign on it. It says "Sweden". So you know that there is a tunnel leading to Sweden from where you are right now.
You take out your small pocket map and notice that you haven't been to Sweden either. You mark all your findings in your map and make a mental note that next time, you'll discover Sweden.

See what I want to say with this? Not discovering the gate is not logical.

If I set scan sector on, this would mean after exiting the tunnel, I first drive around 20 miles and when I come back I suddenly notice: Hey! There's a tunnel! Where might THAT come from ... never seen it before!

[DrBullwinkle]

Haven't you ever played an adventure game?

You are in a maze of twisty little passages; all different.

It makes exploring far more fun. I wish they did it in more places than just the Aldrin Expansion Plot!

Instead of your tunnel analogy, think of wormholes. Or jump gates.

[gnasirator]

But why am I not allowed to SEE? And why only after exiting a gate? What's the reason?



hmm I guess the discussion won't get us anywhere. fortunately, I'm the author and can decide that I want to fix this

And if it's a (persistent) wormhole, I can still see it from the other end ... simply because it's there and I'm right next to it.
Why first look away and look back at it to notice?