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

[Vaylon]

Also, how about having the Aegis shield available WITHOUT the crew. Have it just give you access to the automated missile defense system command at no running cost (other than the missiles and the upgrade).

who would push the button to turn it on?

You, the player maybe?

Could be wrong but the system is not designed to work OOS so it would be on a player controlled ship......

[Reven]

Prices: Currently the plan is to make the basic command available without having to buy any upgrade, although the command will be disabled unless you have enough crew on board to carry out the orders. There will be no more "Hired Gunnery Crews" ware (the script's upgrade routines reimburse you your purchase cost for any ship that has one). You will have to actually get the crew to do it. How that will work is a surprise, but I think you'll like it. The number of crew needed is variable, depending on the class (and sometimes the model) of ship. There will be ongoing costs for your crew that will also vary depending on how many crew you have.

Aegis & Missile Defense: One of the main abilities (and why I chose the name) that the actual US navy Aegis weapon system gave the frigates and cruisers that it was mounted on, was multi-targetting capacity. The ability to engage multiple targets effectively. In a ship, while the stock AI in turrets gives you the ability to engage multiple targets to an extent, I have to admit that the capabilities given to ships by the gunnery commands exceeds the ability that I read into their hardware. From what I can do in a stock ship that I purchase, I gather that multi-target engagement is only available in a very rudamentary form. This is the reason for the Aegis upgrade I am implementing. It's purpose is to give a ship a much more robust multi-targetting ability. The ability to effectively track large numbers of targets, and to evaluate the most efficient way to engage them with the ship's limited resources. I'm sorry, but counter-missiles are part of that. Imagine putting automatic countermissiles on a Nova. Try this with the current script... arm a Nova with a pair of IonD's in addition to HEPTs, and give it 30 mosquitos to use. With the virtual missile immunity that the system gives it, you can take out an M2 with it. I will need a lot of convincing before I'll make the counter-missile command available without an Aegis upgrade. Sorry.

Progress: Work on 3.0 is going well. Here's a progress report:

• Upgrade code for those who have earlier versions.
  Done.
• Overseer code that ensures the corrent number of crew are aboard for the jobs that they are asked to do:
  Done.
• Credit charging code:
  80% - code to pay the crew "prize money" for captured ships is pending.
• Dumbing down of script when lacking Aegis:
  20% - I've played with several ideas, but this is one of the areas of biggest concern for me, so I'm spending a lot of time on it. I want the Aegis upgrade to be worth the money, but I don't want to dumb down the script in arbitrary ways. The extras that Aegis will give you need to balance game play, immersiveness, and realism.
• Mechanism for providing crew
  5% - This is still in the planning stage. The plans so far are exciting, and I 'm pretty sure™ it's all possible, but I still have research to do to ensure it's all doable, and then to make it balanced, etc etc. You'll all forgive me, but I don't want to let the cat out of the bag here yet.
• Miscelaneous cool things (Sound FX, voice, other Cool Things™)
  50% - this is just a guess, though, because a lot of this stuff just sort of comes at me spur of the moment.

[Shanjaq]

That sounds brilliant! Two thumbs up!

[Reven]

Ok, just as an update, I've just submitted some code to members of the scripting team for evaluation and testing. The mechanism for providing crew that I wasn't quite sure on last post worked - I received the ok for my plan, and it's been implemented. It's nothing really incredible, but hopefully better than just another upgrade you buy.

Of course things right now depend on the kind of feedback I get from the others, but it's looking like we're close to getting this signed.

[Maximum476]

Another signed script. Tasty

[HCFC]

Hello Reven

Good sounding script. Downloaded the latest one and got it to work but only in a new game. I have a rich mans game with 6 m2s but the script doesnt seem to work in the saved game. I also have one I have just restarted but have reached 2million and my first M3s so I would like to keep going with it - same problem no gunnery hire script. I started a new Xuniverse game to check and low and behold there it was in the trading dock at Argon Prime right where it was supposed to be. I am sorry if this has already been answer but I had a quick skim through the previous posts and couldnt find anything - can the script be made to work in established saved games?

Any help would be appreciated.

[Shanjaq]

did you check the Goner Temple? I don't think I started a new game with this and it appeared there(I too do not see it at the Argon Equipment Dock)

[HCFC]

No I didnt but I will try when I get home. Thanks.

[rfoote]

Reven-

I just came across a "possible" conflict....don'tt know what else to call it.

I had the engine tuning V3 installed WITH your earliar Guncrew script; Everything worked great. Now, some time after I installed the Guncrews 2.11 script I went back to use the Engine Tuning and it is not displayed in the Command-special menu. ( I like using over-whelming force ) :')

Anyway, Pirate stations sell it, I've bought it, I've installed it in ships and used it before....now with the latest GC v2.11 it won't show up in the special menu...it can be brought up in one or the other of the "additional command slots........along with missile defense and wasp assault, but EngineTuning is not active.

I re-installed the Tuning...scripts to scripts and "t" to "t", but no joy.

Could there be a conflict, or am I doing something "dumb"!!

rfoote

[HCFC]

No joy - I tried the goner temple but its not there. I would really like to try this on one of my established games because of the time it takes to get the money together for a cap ship. I am using the UK version of the game on 1.4 if that is of any relevance.

[rfoote]

No joy - I tried the goner temple but its not there. I would really like to try this on one of my established games because of the time it takes to get the money together for a cap ship. I am using the UK version of the game on 1.4 if that is of any relevance.

After installation the "guncrew" upgrade is for sale at the Argon Prime and Omicron Lyrae Trading docks...........

Enjoy. it's great!!!!!!!

rfoote

[HCFC]

Yeah - but if you read my original post you will see that in my saved games it does not appear there or the EDs or the goner temple the only time I have seen it is when I start a new game, which I would rather not do as I have 1.1 billion, 6 M2s and a stash of weapons for a load more.

[D_Zorro]

Yeah - but if you read my original post you will see that in my saved games it does not appear there or the EDs or the goner temple the only time I have seen it is when I start a new game, which I would rather not do as I have 1.1 billion, 6 M2s and a stash of weapons for a load more.

The way to try it is, load a save game then press shit+c then s and click on reinitscript and it should reinitialise the scripts then try to see if the new upgrades appear at the equipmentdocks. hopes this helps.


DZorro,

[Stonerkrieg]

Downloaded,installed,ran.Put in My Titan,then added to normal PPC compliment.Added IonD's,GHEPT's,GPAC's,APSWG's(people forget that you can add these to a Titan).Combat tested.WOW!!!I love it!Now I'm a happy little homicidal despot! Only problem is that I had to build another Wasp Fact to keep up supply. Also put in gunners on all my other M2's,M6's and Mammoth.An Excellent script.I give it a double thumbs up,four stars and a knife and spoon!

[Reven]

Yeah - but if you read my original post you will see that in my saved games it does not appear there or the EDs or the goner temple the only time I have seen it is when I start a new game, which I would rather not do as I have 1.1 billion, 6 M2s and a stash of weapons for a load more.

It shouldn't ever appear in the Goner Temple. If it appears there, then there is a problem. Most likely there is another script installed that is using the same ware that mine uses.

There are two known scripts that conflict with mine. One is the Hull Repair System script. I can't remember the other one, and Xai's handbook site is down right now so I can't check.

Version 2.11 of the turret script looks in the sectors Argon Prime and Omicron Lyrae for an Argon Equipment Dock owned by the Argon. If the ware doesn't exist on those EQ docks, then it adds the ware to them.

If there is another script that has added a ware that uses the same ware slot as mine, then there will be problems.

At this point, my suggestion would be to wait just a little bit. Version 3 of the script is being tested right now. It eliminates the single "Hired Gunnery Crews" ware, and uses a different approach. This is going to be a signed script, and the one ware it does use is not listed on any list as being used in any other script. So, I don't think there will be any compatibility issues with version 3.

[HCFC]

Thanks for the info.

This is the only unsigned script I have on, I have SDS, BHP, MK3 Trader and Engine tuning. Tried a new story game and it did not appear. The only place it works is in the Xuniverse game. Ah well I shall have to wait for the next version. Do you need to remove any bits of the previous scripts (dont laugh if this sounds stupid - I dont know much about scripts and such ) or will the new ones just take over.

[Reven]

If you don't already have any other unsigned scripts, then I don't know why it's not working as it is. In case this is an issue with non-storyline games in general, I would appreciate it if you could help me to debug this.

What I need from you is a zip file containing:

• <X²>/scripts
• <X²>/t
• The save game

If you could do this it would help me out a lot as I can't reproduce the issue on my end.

Can email to kfitzner@excelcia.org

Thanks.

[HCFC]

OK I try and get this to you this weekend.

Ive got two different story games and it doesnt show up in either - do you want both save files

[alevel17]

I'm going to try this script tonight thanks

One thing i've been finding lately manually and i'm not sure if the script will do the same.

I have 1 of the front Turrets on my Collosus as an IonD and to attack Enemy
The problem i get with this is when i get jumped by Khak or anyone for that matter the first thing i usually do is single out any bigger ships and soften them up with a few wasps leaving the turrets to deal with the fighters and remaining ships.
Problem is when an enemy fighter or missile gets in range my IonD goes off and chain destroys all the missiles i've thrown out which is a bit annoying!!!
I've started manually switching out the IonD when i have a milssile chain still outbound.
Will the script have something in it to stop it doing a Wasp Storm and setting off an IonD at the same time, i mean i'm sure it will be very pretty to see 100 odd Wasps leave the ship and blow up instantly but not very useful

[Reven]

Unfortunately, this is very very difficult. In case anyone is interested in the technical reasons why, here it is (feel free to just skip this next part):

There is not scripting command that can easily do a search for missiles in flight. There are only three commands that can ever return a missile object:

• find nearest missile aiming at me
• get player targeting aim
• get object from sector object

In the first case, it only does what it says - gives the nearest missile that is targeting you. The second one gives you whatever object your ship is targeting - it will return a missile only if you're targeting a missile. Hardly useful. The third one is a possibility...

A Sector Object is simply an integer that represents an object that is actually modelled - an object in the sector the player is in. When you first load a game, this starts at 1 for the first object rendered in the sector you are in and increments by one for every object rendered thereafter. It doesn't reset when you go to a new sector either, just keeps incrementing.

Theoretically it's possible to have a scripting process sitting and monitoring all the new sector objects that get created. Every time it sees one that is a missile, add it to an array of missiles that it tracks. Every so often it will check the array and remove the missiles that don't exist any more.

Then, any script that wanted to take advantage of this information would simply grab the global variable with the missiles in it, and then use that information any way it wanted.

I say this is theoretically possible, but it might not be feasable. There is no way to get a list of sector objects. So, the script would have to sort of intelligently guess. Look at an object in the sector, get it's sector object number, then scan up from there trying to figure out where the current "end" of the list is.

This will be a complicated thing and I'm not sure I want to bother. The Return will have better scripting commands that will give lists of missiles. I can guarantee it - even if I have to beat up the developers to get it.