[BONUS Plug-In] Gunnery Crew turret plugin - Version 3.02

[Vaylon]

Okay I've been testing this on an m6 and it works a charm for khaak swarms. I've not had the time to try it on a XI mission yet, which is my aim but I can't anything wrong with it so far.

The only nag I can think of is that I'm now going to have to set up some Mosquito missile loops to restock my ships. I'm not 100% sure if the Missile defence system is working as it should, I've only noticed this OOS but my M6 in PE keeps running out of missiles at a very fast rate. 3x125mw shields at 60-99% most of the time so should the anti missile system kick in?

-NJ

[Reven]

Turret scripts do not run when the ship is out of sector. This is part of the optimization system. This means that the gunnery crews are useless for OoS combat. Sorry - I should make this clearer in the readme.

Also, now that you mention M6's, though, I have thought of a weakness in the missile defense script. It will only engage missiles that are more than 2.5km from you. I need to shorten that range in M6's and in ships that don't have 6 turrets. My thinking was that I wasn't going to bother launching a counter missile when my turrets would almost certainly take out the incoming missile before my anti-missile did. But in ships without 360 degree turret coverage, this is a bad assumption. I keep thinking M1/M2 and forgetting the M6. This change will be in 2.1.

If you want to tell how your ship is doing with anti-missiles, there is a sound effect played every time the current player ship launches one. It's a mechanical noise that takes about 2 seconds, sounds like a light clunk followed by a pneumatic "air" sound of something recycling.

Also in 2.1, by the way, are two new commands: Gunnery Crews: Maximize Captures (uses PSGs more and any "lighter" weapons you have in order to try and get more captures rather than kills), and Gunnery Crews: Wasp Missile Assault (launches one or two wasps at every M5 within 23km - not a hugely useful command, but boy is it fun to take out large khaak swarm with 20 wasps).

[Vaylon]

Thanks Raven but I worked out that the turrets don't work in OOS. But the Mosquito missile defence system DOES and it eats up quite a lot of missiles, more than I expected. Maybe it's just me but 70 mosquito's in 1 hour with SETA not running seems a lot to me I'm not sure how many swarms and pirates it took on but I don't think it was many.

Speaking of OOS it seems odd that the gunnery crews go on holiday when you leave the sector. Is there no way that a ship with crews installed could get a combat bonus to compensate that it does not work in OOS?

I like the Gunnery Crews: Maximize Captures idea sounds good.

Also Raven do you have any plans to have these commands for fighters and non turret ships. I would like to see my fighters and wingmen swapping weapons depending on damage to shields and hull.

-NJ

[Pinger]

well I've been testing it solidly for about 3 hours of gaming time and can say its what the M2's are missing. I can finally take on 2 Khaak M2's together and Survive, before I'd be mince before I'd killed the firsts shields.

So can live with the modified tag now as I'm not uninstalling it, keep up with the good work.

[Reven]

But the Mosquito missile defence system DOES and it eats up quite a lot of missiles, more than I expected.

I hadn't thought of that. This actually surprises me. Before you said that, I would have insisted that missiles were optimized out in OoS combat. By that I mean I know they were launched, but I wouldn't have thought they were treated as actual independent objects.

From what I know of OoS combat, especially when it's not being observed, is that the updates occur slowly. On the order of once per second or less. This would make a missile kill extremely unlikely. For now, I'm going to put in a check to turn off missile defense when the ship isn't in-sector. But I'll also put this on my list of "needs research".

Speaking of OOS it seems odd that the gunnery crews go on holiday when you leave the sector. Is there no way that a ship with crews installed could get a combat bonus to compensate that it does not work in OOS?

I don't think that this is possible. There is just so little that attack scripts actually do in OoS combat. Mostly what happens is you set your ship's attack target, and the game hardcode handles all the rest. I'll look into this some more too.

Also Raven do you have any plans to have these commands for fighters and non turret ships.

Yep.

I would like to see my fighters and wingmen swapping weapons depending on damage to shields and hull.

One problem is that fighters very rarely operate alone, so PSG/IonD usage will be very problematic. Makes things tricky. I'm experimenting now with having coordinated strikes where all the ships make an attack run in a row, the first one fires PSG/IonD, breaks off, then the second one, and so on until the shields are down then comes the hull weapons.

This is very tricky to handle, though, especially when fighting a faster ship. I may have to abandon this in favour of accepting some "friendly fire" of one player-owned ship on another, and have them be intelligent about checking their wingmen's shields along with the target's.

I can finally take on 2 Khaak M2's together and Survive, before I'd be mince before I'd killed the firsts shields.

Wow, you're doing better than I am. In my Titan I can take two Khaak M2's in fairly close succession, but not two at the same time, not even with these turret scripts.

[Reven]

Version 2.1 is now released. Can download from ftp://ftp.excelcia.org/x2/scripts/GunneryCrews210.zip. From the README's changelog:

• The "Bridge Control" command has been uncommented. An upgrade in the JoyScript utility allows the system to detect when it's running. When you are running JoyScript and it is configured properly, then the "Gunnery Crews: Bridge Control" command will be available. When JoyScript is not running, then you will not be able to access that command. You must have JoyScript version 1.04 or later for this to work.
• The "Minimum Safe Distance" that you must be from a non-enemy is now dependent on what Weapon of Mass Destruction you are using. If you are using a Gamma PSG, then the distance is 7km, otherwise it is 5.
• The minimum engagement distance (the distance that you must be away from a missile fired at your ship) that you must be before an anti-missile is launched is now dependent on the class of ship you are in. If you are in an M1/M2, the distance is 2.5km. If you are in an M6, the distance is 750m. If you are in an M3 (Argon Nova only) then the distance is 500m.
• New turret command, "Gunnery Crews: Maximize Captures". With this command, smaller weapons are favoured over larger ones, and WMDs will be used regardless of the shield status of the enemy (but not regardless of whether or not friendlies are in the area). This is an attempt to maximize the number of captures over kills.
• New "Additional Ship Command" command, "Gunnery Crews: M5 Wasp Assault". This command launches one or two wasp missiles at every M5 within 23km of your ship. While this probably isn't terrible useful, it is a whole lot of fun to take out a 20 ship Khaak cluster this way.

As always, comments are welcome.

[Nemomuc]

Version 2.1 is now released. Can download from ftp://ftp.excelcia.org/x2/scripts/GunneryCrews210.zip. From the README's changelog:
....

As always, comments are welcome.

First the improved german lang file:


<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" ?>
<language id="49">

<page id="17" title="Boardcomp. objects" descr="Quad line groups for ware factory pairs or twins (spoken by Boardcomputer)">
<t id="5863">Geschützpersonal</t>
<t id="5864">Sie können hoch trainierte und gut ausgebildetes Geschützpersonal anwerben, um Geschütztürme Ihres Schiffs zu bemannen. Diese erfahrenen Mannschaften sind im allgemeinen viel wirkungsvoller als die derzeit verwendete Standardkampfsoftware.</t>
</page>

<page id="2010" title="Commands" descr=" ">
<t id="925">\033RGeschützpersonal:\033X Greife Feind an</t>
<t id="926">\033RGeschützpersonal:\033X Kein Vernichtungsfeuer</t>
<t id="927">\033RGeschützpersonal:\033X Manuelle Steuerung</t>
<t id="1218">\033RGeschützpersonal:\033X Raketenabwehr</t>
<t id="1219">\033RGeschützpersonal:\033X Raketenangriff auf M5</t>
</page>

<page id="2011" title="Commands" descr=" ">
<t id="925">\033RGP\033X.A.F.</t>
<t id="926">\033RGP\033X.M.N.</t>
<t id="927">\033RGP\033X.S.M.</t>
<t id="1218">\033RGP\033X.R.V.</t>
<t id="1219">\033RGP\033X.R.A.</t>
</page>

<page id="2498" title="Text" descr="Text for Reven's scripts">
<t id="1000">\033RGeschützpersonal:\033X Raketenabwehr unmöglich\033Y%s\033X, keine Moskitoraketen im Laderaum mehr vorhanden.</t>
<t id="1001">\033RGeschützpersonal:\033X Ihr Geschützpersonal hat ein weiteres Training absolviert und erreichte den militärischen Leistungsstandard \033YGP-%s\033X.</t>
</page>
</language>

The german google one is really amusing . Hey if you want, send me the english lang file of a new version before releasing it and i`ll write you a german language file .



Second: some ideas about the price for this script.

What about using Slot 5903 = 188 Million Credits or higher priced slot ?.

The ware would be a "Licence" to hire crews and transfer some Personal to other player ships. This License can be transported to a TL by any other ship.

Hire 120 Peeps (like a full Academy training Group) one time with this License and distribute them lets say 25 times or until all personel has been distributed via transporter to other ships, creating the Gunnery crew
equipment while removing the military personel from cargo bayand the rest is the ware military personel waiting in your TL`s cargo ? The License can only be activated in a TL . After beeing activated only one time a TP from the Trading dock transports this 120 Peeps , the ware "military personel" from the trading station into your TL as long the TL has the life support equipment for Cargo bays. After the personel is in the cargo bay the command disappears and will be replaced by the transfer personel command in the TL. For example 4 Peeps can be transported via transporter to any other player ship per Turret until all peeps of the training group are transfered.

This price will make the script available only for advanced players after a long playing time and you can easily calculate the price via the number of military personal and times to distribute them.

And you can use any unused cheap ware slot for the gunnery crew equipment,you want because this ware won`t appear at any dock and will only be created in the ship itself using the gunnery crew. So more common used ware slots are not affected.

An other advantage: Buy one time instead of running several times to a trading dock flying to the ship transfering the crew and so on.

[Pinger]

Wow, you're doing better than I am. In my Titan I can take two Khaak M2's in fairly close succession, but not two at the same time, not even with these turret scripts.

It just needs planning but is possible, I halve the fire power of the M2 by firing a few missles from about 20-15km out, I fire 3 usually while strafing. So the M2's turrets attack the missles that are well out of range so once I get within 4km it only has half the turrets firing at me. Then just a matter of time before the first dies, while I strafe around the 1st blocking the 2nds fire with it.

[ticaki]

a better version

Code: Select all

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" ?> 
<language id="49"> 

	<page id="17" title="Boardcomp. objects" descr="Quad line groups for ware factory pairs or twins (spoken by Boardcomputer)"> 
		<t id="5863">Geschützpersonal</t> 
		<t id="5864">Sie können hoch trainierte und gut ausgebildetes Geschützpersonal anwerben, um Geschütztürme Ihres Schiffs zu bemannen. Diese erfahrenen Mannschaften sind im allgemeinen viel wirkungsvoller als die derzeit verwendete Standardkampfsoftware.</t> 
	</page> 

	<page id="2010" title="Commands" descr=" "> 
		<t id="925">\033RGeschützpersonal:\033X Greife Feind an</t> 
		<t id="926">\033RGeschützpersonal:\033X Kein Vernichtungsfeuer</t> 
		<t id="927">\033RGeschützpersonal:\033X Manuelle Steuerung</t> 
		<t id="1218">\033RGeschützpersonal:\033X Raketenabwehr</t> 
		<t id="1219">\033RGeschützpersonal:\033X Raketenangriff auf M5</t> 
	</page> 

	<page id="2011" title="Commands" descr=" "> 
		<t id="925">\033RGP\033X.A.F.</t> 
		<t id="926">\033RGP\033X.M.N.</t> 
		<t id="927">\033RGP\033X.S.M.</t> 
		<t id="1218">\033RGP\033X.R.V.</t> 
		<t id="1219">\033RGP\033X.R.A.</t> 
	</page> 

	<page id="2498" title="Text" descr="Text for Reven's scripts"> 
		<t id="1000">\033RGeschützpersonal:\033X Raketenabwehr unmöglich\033Y%s\033X, keine Moskitoraketen im Laderaum mehr vorhanden.</t> 
		<t id="1001">\033RGeschützpersonal:\033X Ihr Geschützpersonal hat ein weiteres Training absolviert und erreichte den militärischen Leistungsstandard \033YGP-%s\033X.</t> 
	</page> 
</language> 

Greets ticaki

[Reven]

Ticaki, thank-you VERY kindly for the translation.

I apologize very much any foreign language users who have been assaulted by the poor language files I made. I've been using computer translations, which are usually quite poor. My assumption was that something is better than nothing, though this might not be the case.

I'd like to float an idea past people for a change to the script's behavior. At times when the shields of your ship drop below a certain point, I am thinking of enabling use of IonD/PSGs regardless of who might be in the area.

The thinking is, if it's a choice between upsetting some locals and dying, my choice would usually be to upset people.

I'd like people's opinion on this before I implement the change though.

[Pinger]

if I do get caught short with shields I strafe away, would prefer it not to use Ion/PSG's no matter the results. I have too many traders going about to worry about a sudden hostile Faction or Station and Fighter wings.

Only time this might help me is if you have a captured ship near by thats stopping you from firing Ion/PSG's, but then its just a matter of straffing away.

[Nemomuc]

Grrr..

Updated the system from 2.0 beta 4 according to the read me.

None of the new commands and none of the old ones appear on the comand console after beeing selected. Engine says command accepted ..

But nothing happened .


Downgrade my gunnery crews back to 2.0 Beta 4 now until this weird reaction has been cleared.

[stella]

2 things.

1) re anti missile system oos. I know that oos ships use missiles based on missile fire %. Perhaps if turrets are set to "missile defence", missiles will be used for the same purpose. That would explain it.

2) As for using PSGs/Ions when shields are low, why not make it a choice? That way, everyone is happy.

[The Great Stonk]

when refering to the missile laucnhes, does this mean it will fire missiles from a ship that i am flying ? or does this only take effect when the ship is completly AI controlled ? or are the turrets doing the missile firing or somthing freaky ? hehe

sounds good, as soon as ive got the cash to get into m6 territory in my current game ill give it a go for sure.

[Pinger]

minor bug I never noticed before as I usually avoid Populated area's in my Odysseus, Factories/Stations aren't triggering the Safety of not using PSG/Ion's.

On a minor note the Capture option works, I just captured a K with 72% hull. Had a resononable mixture of weapons the script could choose from: Beta/GPSG and Beta/GPPC and Gamma Hepts, all I had to do was stay on the K's tail.

[Vaylon]

1) re anti missile system oos. I know that oos ships use missiles based on missile fire %. Perhaps if turrets are set to "missile defence", missiles will be used for the same purpose. That would explain it.

Not sure on that, my m6 was set at 5% and it still fired all 70, I think I prefer it not to use missiles while I'm not in the sector. I know it was the anti missile command that was using the missiles as it plays an odd sound each time a missile is fired and warns you when it has run out of missiles to waste

2) As for using PSGs/Ions when shields are low, why not make it a choice? That way, everyone is happy.

I like Stella’s idea here better, I get in to my zone when my shields are low so I don't get killed, but I sometimes do take a little hull damage, nothing I cant get out of using some class piloting skills or the good old strafe drive. I would find it useful to have an option when I have captured a ship near by. Perhaps you could just enable it on the "Gunnery Crews: Maximize Captures" command only which will be what I'm using for that task

The ware would be a "Licence" to hire crews and transfer some Personal to other player ships. This License can be transported to a TL by any other ship.

Hire 120 Peeps (like a full Academy training Group) one time with this License and distribute them lets say 25 times or until all personel has been distributed via transporter to other ships, creating the Gunnery crew
equipment while removing the military personel from cargo bayand the rest is the ware military personel waiting in your TL`s cargo ? The License can only be activated in a TL . After beeing activated only one time a TP from the Trading dock transports this 120 Peeps , the ware "military personel" from the trading station into your TL as long the TL has the life support equipment for Cargo bays. After the personel is in the cargo bay the command disappears and will be replaced by the transfer personel command in the TL. For example 4 Peeps can be transported via transporter to any other player ship per Turret until all peeps of the training group are transfered.

This price will make the script available only for advanced players after a long playing time and you can easily calculate the price via the number of military personal and times to distribute them.

And you can use any unused cheap ware slot for the gunnery crew equipment,you want because this ware won`t appear at any dock and will only be created in the ship itself using the gunnery crew. So more common used ware slots are not affected.

An other advantage: Buy one time instead of running several times to a trading dock flying to the ship transfering the crew and so on.

Sorry Nemomuc, you lost me on most of that. I don't think I like that idea, it would make it far to complex for my liking. But I was thinking today that the software is a little too cheap right now, it can turn a ship in to a major killing machine and 1.8mil is a little cheap for the power it gives you. As Pinger pointed out, he capped a K with 72% hull and the money you can get back from selling a m2 more than out weighs this cost of the Crews ten fold. Perhaps a monthly fee on ships using it would be an idea?

-NJ

[frymaster]

to be honest, if you are not wanting the ship to use the missile command you shouldn't order it to!

as this script affects in-sector calculations only it is a waste to equip it on OOSD ships, unless it is being installed on a battlefleet ship or on a defence ship in a sector where you spend a lot of time, I'd save your cash

[nuclear_eclipse]

But I was thinking today that the software is a little too cheap right now, it can turn a ship in to a major killing machine and 1.8mil is a little cheap for the power it gives you. As Pinger pointed out, he capped a K with 72% hull and the money you can get back from selling a m2 more than out weighs this cost of the Crews ten fold. Perhaps a monthly fee on ships using it would be an idea?

I think it would be better to pay out the initial price as normal, but then pay a small "reward"/"bonus" for each kill made by your turrets (assuming you can track that) depending on the class of the ship, and maybe on whether you have a license (if so, pay more, etc)

just food for thought...

[Vaylon]

unless it is being installed on a battlefleet ship or on a defence ship in a sector where you spend a lot of time

You got it in one

I have my TL as my main base of operations and swap to one of my 3 preferred m6's when taking on missions depending on the task, all of them are now armed with Gunnery Crews.

Most of my time is spent in PE where I have 4 loops plus support fabs but like everyone I have to leave the sector to do the odd shopping run. I don't want my ships to waste large numbers of missiles when I have to pop out of sector.

-NJ

[Reven]

Plan for version 3:

I'm going to change the theory of this script a little bit. So far, it's been just "trained people". Looking at what the script does, I think I may be exceeding in certain cases what a normal ship's hardware should be able to do. So, there are going to be some changes.

1. The "Gunnery Crews: Attack Enemies", and "Maximize Captures" commands will be available (with limitations) without the purchase of an upgrade, but will have a cost for using it. I consider that this isn't just a person or two per turret. Think that there is an officer in charge of each "turret" (Port weapons officer, etc), a junior officer and a bunch of ratings in each turret's gun (gunnery control room) to handle weapon switching, local targeting, firing, etc. Sensory, tactical, missile control... on and on. Think upwards of a couple hundred people by the time all the inrastructure, support personel, and maintennance is factored in. The costs will be:
   • 500,000 credits per hour of game play that one or more gunnery crew commands are used on your ship.
   • Prize money given to the crew for each ship captured, based on the class of the ship and its hull damage (a captured ship will be considered to be a ship that remains "green" for 30 seconds).
   • Extra costs when the ship takes hull damage (people die when things like that happen)
2. The rest of the gunnery crew commands will be greyed out unless you purchase an "Aegis Weapon System" upgrade for your ship, which will be around the 30 mil mark and will only be available for M1/M2/TL ships. It will give the following benefits:
   • Rapid weapon switching (without it, switching weapons in the middle of an engagement will take 2 seconds)
   • Target prioritization (M2/M1/M6/TL/M3/M4/M5 in that order).
   • Missile targeting in the middle of an engagement (without the upgrade, missiles targeting will only occur each time a new target is sought).
   • The extra "Missile Defense", and "M5 Wasp Assault" commands.
   • More stuff I haven't thought of yet, but which will be infathomably clever, devastatingly cool, and make your ship not just the baddest ship on the block, but a sexy chick magnet too.