[SCRIPT] Dedicated Assistant Drones (DAD) V4.7 [03.05.2009]

[pelador]

Understood, sorry for the latent paranoia just didnt want anyone complicating their save games so to speak and thanks for the feedback.

[Dukoth]

Hi,

I installed this mod and EMP but the mod keeps telling me that EMP is not installed, wich cant be because I have other mods that depend on it too

help?

[pelador]

I would check you have included the text file and init script as a part of the EMP package to ensure the page 17 references are loaded. Rather than just the TwareT entry in the cat/dat files.

The EMP definitions in the expansion are the same as the old with regards to DAD and I have checked those settings.

The script for checking that EMP is loaded does a comparison with the Text file ware definitions to ensure that a significant threshold of EMP mod defintions exist to qualify that the mod is loaded.

[Dukoth]

ok, first of all, I cant believe I never noticed the folder called documentation in the x3 directory

but that still hasent fixed the problem, apparently I was wrong and none of the new wares are showing up

dont sapose EMP conflicts with any known mods?

[pelador]

Its potentially possible if you have other later cats/dats containing TwareT or have literals in the types folder that can override it. Same with mod files in the mods folder when applied as mods.

Some developments may orientate themselves to be EMP freindly or have an EMP freindly version as an alternate download or obviously use EMP themselves but those similar definitions should be accomodated accross all scripts using the EMP mod.

Otherwise it appears to be a problem with EMP, but there is very little to go wrong with its useage.

If its a case of having multiple mods utilising TwareT please see the merging TwareT guide I provided in the tutorials and resources thread.

[Dukoth]

ok, I double checked with the thread to make sure, I use Cykrows adv. jump drive and it requierse EMP to work, and it is working

so what ever the problem is, it's with this mod, I'm going to try the 1.4 version of emp, se if that works

*edit*

HUZAA! that did it, it works now
I wonder, it couldn't have been because the text files went in the documents folder this time, instead of documentation, could it?

[pelador]

The support .txt files loaded with EMP are readmes and have no real bearing on operation.

The text files associated with the ware definitions go into the t folder.

The only differences that have occured with this useage is the change that emp is now using a text file number below 1000 at 999 as opposed to 8899 which is what it was before in version 2 and 1.4 of EMP.

As a result I did a prelimenary test to see if loading a text file with that numbering would work.

Findings are that the text file in the new EMP expansion mod should be numbered 0999-L044 not 999-L044.

Also with a change to a new text file the EMP init script should also reload the new text file for people who have used previous version of EMP in their savegames so that the new text file is loaded. Though this wont have a bearing to DAD drones in exisitng savegames as the previous definitions in EMP 2 are the same in EMP-X. Currently this is being prevented by the previous global variable being set and this step therefore being missed. i.e. it doesnt load the new expansion definitions.

As a result I would continue to use version 2 of the EMP mod until this is resolved.

The reason why Cycrows Jump Manager worked is it appears he is using pre-EMP-X definitions as he is loading 8899 t file in his definitions and the previous TwareT file in his cat/dat.

I will report these issues in the EMP thread.

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Alternatively I have provided a hotfix to the EMP problems with DAD drones in the interim that can be used with the new EMP-X version as stands. Note this is only a fix in relation to DAD not the EMP mod overall.

EMP-X Hotfix for DAD drones

Note this hotfix wont be required to be removed on EMP-X being updated accordingly as all I'm doing is taking the EMP-X text file and re-numbering it and in the EMP-mod checking script ensuring I'm loading the approriate text files used by EMP as a result of them not being currently loaded.

[Troubleshooter11]

Hello Pelador, is there any way to change the resources needed to construct stations at the PHQ so it only requires massive amounts of Energy Cells, Silicon Wafers and Ore ?

[pelador]

Yes.

The two scripts involved are "plugin.pelador.fab.ref" and "plugin.pelador.fab.work.chk"

I'm currently doing work for DDTC beta and cannot engage in a review of prefered resources for everyone as what would be the "prefered" alternative even if balanced. Supporting custom versions tailored for individuals I'd love to be able to do but it would potentially open a service I cannot realistically support.

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Update, a future version will be forthcoming with some new features when I have more time.

So for the issue of balance tweaks if people want to put down suggestions with numbers/qualities they want to change I can consider it later if people want it. But for sanities sake I cannot let DAD become ruled by a commitee, but peer pressure will influence me aslong as its not made into a "cheat".

But I do not adjudge the above request to be one TroubleShooter. For balance considerations the resources used and their numbers need to equate approx. to 250k cr at avg price settings.

[Troubleshooter11]

Thats ok, thanks to your pointers i think i found it.

- changed resources to just needing ore,silicon,energy cells
- increased the need by a factor of 5

Im gonna try it out now

EDIT: ok, got it working now. Now both the production of ships and stations in my tweaked PHQ only requires huge amounts of energy, ore and silicon. I like keeping my infrastructure simple

Thanks again, wonderful script you got there.

[Gazz]

There could be a a pirate fighter drone Mk2.

Mounts 1 PBG. Deploy 30 of those and watch a sector go down... in flames.

[Hieronymos]

Not if defenders have decent flak-type weaponry. Oh, and a decent gunnery script wouldn't hurt either.

[Chris0132]

Or of course they could end up just barbequeing each other because there are thirty of them.

I really really like these things, they add so much, I wanted something to put OWPs down, I wanted something that lays minefields, I wanted something that lets the PHQ build stations and get blueprints easier, and I also wanted more reliance on player manufacturing ability and as most of these seem to be buildable out of components, it's perfect for me, and one of the most impressively polished and extensive mods available.

I still don't fully understand the advert and economic drones though, do they just basically deploy somewhere, generate money based on nearby factories, then dump it into your account?

Also is there a specific method of getting hold of things like promotional plates and cartography chips? I sometimes find one or two floating around the place and I guess I could try stealing them from trade missions but I'm not sure if that works. Did you have a method in mind when you added them as requirements?

[pelador]

Yes Chris the advert and economic drones are slow consitant income generators. You wont get rich quick through their use, but if they survive for long periods they will provide a greater return on the investment. Probably more applicable earlier in a game cycle.

The economic drones however, produce a sector report that allows you to see the productivity levels of fabs in a sector over time based on your sampling amount. This means you can potentially identify useful resource suppliers.

And yes for the custom versions (i.e. non-purchased) of the drones you have to be a bit creative sourcing the atmospheric items they use, but however sourced they should be applicable for use.

Thanks for the feedback and glad you like DAD. If you want to see them with a few new features you could drop by DDTC beta project (link available by clicking on the image in my sig) where they have also been incorporated into the economy also with player fabs and NPC production more apparent. Future additions to drone capabilities are also being considered further with DDTC which is my main focus atm.

[Danson615]

Hi pelador,

I was just wondering if you could tell me which script (in the SPK package) is responsible for spawning and regulating Drone fabs throughout the X-Universe. I have just installed the Transcended II mod, but I can't use your script because it attempts to spawn the factories in sectors which no longer exist (since this mod uses an entirely new universe map). The game crashes the moment it attempts to spawn the fabs. I am guessing that if I simply delete the spawn script, I can cheat some factories into the universe to produce the drones. Either that, or you can make a script variation that spawns factories randomly throughout race-owned (with the exception of Xenon, kha'ak and unknown) sectors.

Thanks,

Danson615

[pelador]

"plugin.pelador.drones.install" has the fabs spawning information on installation.

Here you change the sector X,Y co-ordinate definitions and seeded positional x,y,z values within the sector to how you like them. The scripts are written to accomodate variance but will only apply new ones at the install time and has a safe deployment mode in the creation process.

I wouldn't simply delete it however, as its used for install, resets and the uninstall process.

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Also I might expect that the Transcend II mod is using its own TwareT definitions so you may need to ask if EMP mod definitions are also supported, if they are you wont need to apply the EMP mod install as part of the DAD installation process. Otherwise depending on set-up you may have to merge TwareT definitions. I have supplied a guide in the Tutorials and Resources thread for such purposes.

[Troubleshooter11]

Analysis drones cannot scan in complex hubs for PHQ blueprints can they? Thats a real bummer.

[pelador]

Analysis drones cannot scan in complex hubs for PHQ blueprints can they? Thats a real bummer.

The Espionage/Analysis Drone has this limitation due to limitations in the script language.

Knowledge of Complex construction kits are given freely as part of the installation of the PHQ process, but you still have to construct them. But I think your talking about the complex as a whole.

The problem with scanning complex hub content is that the find factory functions only associate the complex hub itself and not the internal factories and due to being unable to distinguish the individual factories within.

You can get a list of player own property within a complex by selecting by player race and associate them with a sector, but if you have two complex hubs then within a sector you would have duplicity and so on.

As a result I havent found or dont think there is a way using the existing functions to individually associate one factory as belonging to one complex hub structure on its own, as even analysing by resources doesnt help due to the crossover in resource useage for other products. And geographically saying if its closer to one hub or another doesnt help all possibilities as its posible for one factory in an alternative complex to be closer to another complex hub depending on how the player sets them up. This in itself could help as a balancer to select individual factories with a complex relationship but would convey an unrealistic association in gameplay in some cases as a result.

And it would be unbalancing if you could get all factories in a hub rather than an individual one by one scan anyhow. As it would increase the value of the analysis use anyhow. However, considering the player has to invest in many ways to build a hub and is exclusive to the player you could to some extent think its viable. But I hope you can see here that with multiple complexes in a sector as a result you could end up with huge return from a single scan if I made it so.

So my hands are tied until I can find a way of positively confirming a single factory as directly linked with a complex.

[Troubleshooter11]

Knowledge of Complex construction kits are given freely as part of the installation of the PHQ process, but you still have to construct them.

Whoops my bad, must have missed that.

[Adalast]

big problem with the plugin.

i've been using it for a little mining operation and it has been working out great, but i went to buy some repair drones just now (a couple days after i bought the mining ones) and found that all of the entries have vanished. HELP. all i can buy are the construction equipments and they are only 4 credits. what happened? i really want some repair drones on my capitol ships... they would just be more useful and cheaper in the long run >< please help.