[Script] A.R.E.S. Station Building Service [ V 0.33 Beta ]

[Terre]

Attention: Your Project is currently being built. You can not change the center of your complex!

Why I missed this; I don't know, 'current' to 'currently'.


Line 180 (Picked up by violently_happy)

Attention: Your project is current being built. You can not change the centre of your complex again!

to

Attention: Your Project is currently being built. You can not change the centre of your complex!


Line 372 (Picked up by Legionnaire)

sincerly

to

sincerely

[Toastysoul]

The only problem is that the TL which delivers the Mines/Construction kits has to be in the player's property, otherwise it would not be possible to access the build command. But now some "clever" players will have the idea to sell the TL as soon as it is in their property... I have to find a way to prevent this.

Perhaps you can do something like this (not actual script, but a suggestion of events):

1 Store player account balance as variable "$bal"
2 Transfer TL to player
3 Execute TL command 1
4 Call Sub TL Exist
5 Store player account balance as variable "$bal"
6 Execute Command 2
6 Call Sub TL Exist
7 Store player account balance as variable "$bal"
8 Execute Command 3
9 Transfer TL back to AI


Sub TL_Exist

1 Does TL still exist in player property = true/false = $TL
2 If $TL = false then
3 If $bal > $bal + 20,000,000 (value of TL with some margin lower) then
4 Player money = Player money - value of TL * 2
5 Notify Player "Contract with ARES is terminated, you impounded and sold our TL, you have been penalized for breaching our contract"
6 End
7 Else
8 Notify player "TL was destroyed while performing it's duty, insurance has replaced it"
9 Call Sub TL replacement
10 Else
11 End sub

This is an over simplified way to describe what I'm talking about, and in the example I give there still might be the case the player earned 20 million in between execution of build commands, and then the TL was destroyed, so the sub thinks the TL was sold. But at some point, you should just let the issue go. If someone wants to exploit the script to sell the TL, they can just as likely use the cheats to add 20m to buy their own.

Alternatively, you can make the script only work on player owned TL's. If you need the ARES service, chances are you already have a TL of your own, or could easily afford one otherwise. You can still apply the insurance, but you completely side-step the issue of TL impounding because the player owned the TL in the first place.



Also, I can't download DUCT. The website is always down.

[Kurt Shur'Tugal]

curiosity has me wondering whether or not it might be possible for u to make this script build ore/silicon/nvidium mines, and create large yeilds asteroids for the complexes for it to? do u think it might be possible?

[-Dusty-]

New Version released:


[ external image ]Changelog:


V 0.33 Beta:

• Fixed a bug (Station debris) and added a bugfix menu. *
• Corrected the text file and the manual again

*: When you have built a complex using ARES, there may appear station debris in the build sector at the
position 50/50/50. This may cause a loss of performance.

Bugfix Instructions: Go to the sector where you have built the complex. Then open the ARES main
Menu and go to [Advanced Settings]. Then select [Debug Menu]. Hit the button [Run Bugfix].

Perhaps you can do something like this (not actual script, but a suggestion of events): [...]

Well, it's not a problem to prevent the player from actually selling the TL - But there are other possibilites to do something with that TL... I would write some longer explanations, but I'm tired from work and don't want to translate more texts now...

Also, I can't download DUCT. The website is always down.

There are some problems with the DUCT Database. I have to re- write (well, re- translate it) it completely to get it to work, and that will take some time.

[Kregoth]

I ran across an interesting bug while i was playing last night. I was going to build a large complex in duke vision and i wanted to make sure when it was being built it wasn't going to get stuck on asteroids so I used the preview twice.

Heres what happened the two previews it did show me are still there and it made a third Complex hub when i finally decided to build. I own all three it not like it built a second hub because my complex was so big the first preview is 30km from my closest station and the second is about 12km.

I closed the previews once it showed them to me but they didn't seem to go away.

[-Dusty-]

Heres what happened the two previews it did show me are still there and it made a third Complex hub when i finally decided to build. I own all three it not like it built a second hub because my complex was so big the first preview is 30km from my closest station and the second is about 12km.

I closed the previews once it showed them to me but they didn't seem to go away.

Are you sure the hubs have been created by the preview? When you start building a complex, the hubs are not actually built, they are simply spawned. But they are not in Player's property until the complex is completed...
And about the distances between the hubs: Normally, they are ~16 km away from each other, if you have selected Raster build mode (Compact mode creates only one hub).

Anyway, I've never seen that before. Can you reproduce it?

[Kregoth]

Well it kind of weird my advanced satellite Factory XL is way far from the rest and it must have place a hub to connect them which is weird in its own.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a259/ ... n00004.jpg

The third hub which you cant see is actually way above the 2nd hub that the one that a good 30+ km out from the rest. I renamed a hub so I knew which one to use.

I guess i am going to have to use the factory complex constructor to move them where I want. I am guessing as it was building it could find a place for the XL satellite station to go because it would hit an asteroid. ill have to load up a save before this point and build it much higher.

Ill try and reproduce it as well.

[Hansaw]

So I have down loaded this plugin and the Dukt.

I am not new to the game but I am no scripter so I sometimes find it hard to get these things working. I cannot find any instructions on how A.R.E.S works at all.

1st off where should I put the Dukt? in the main x3 folder? ow do I import a stations list?

2nd how do I order a complex to be built for me? do I just go up to any factory carrier as normal but you get more options?

Any pointers would help.

Thanks!

Hansaw

[Legionnaire]

i havent used Duct so cant help with that one im afraid, but to use Ares you need to go into the game interface options and configure a hot key to be able to use ARES. once that is done use the hotkey and the rest is fairly self explanatory, also there is a nice pdf file with the script explaining it in depth

Legionnaire

[Hansaw]

Ahh Thanks Legionnaire.

I will check it out and fix me a hotkey

Stay safe!

Hansaw

[-Dusty-]

Well it kind of weird my advanced satellite Factory XL is way far from the rest and it must have place a hub to connect them which is weird in its own.

It's not a Bug, it's a feature!™

But seriously: ARES divides the stations into three categories, depending on their size. This enables a better arrangement of many stations. But this method is only suitable for large complexes, small ones will look strange, like yours - because stations of different categories can't be built in the same cube, this means, your Satellite Factory is built in an own cube far away from the rest.
... but you can still connect the stations, you don't have to build an additional hub

Maybe he next version will have another build mode, a standard raster, which is better for small complexes.

Anyway, I recommend to use compact build mode for such a small complex.

I am not new to the game but I am no scripter so I sometimes find it hard to get these things working. I cannot find any instructions on how A.R.E.S works at all.

There's a manual with 21 pages in the .zip file, which explains nearly everything about ARES - including how to install it and how to set up the hotkey

1st off where should I put the Dukt? in the main x3 folder? ow do I import a stations list?

You can put the DUKT anywhere you like. Just run DUKT.jar.

But you should download the new version first... there have been some major problems in version 3.41.

I have also added some short instructions for ARES export in the DUCT Thread. See the start post for details.


@all:If you have downloaded the DUCT version 3.41, I strictly recommend you to download the new version 3.42 due to there have been some major problems in 3.41.

[Kregoth]

So i been playing around figured out what my bug was it was just something i did. anyway is there a way you can make it so that you have an option to use Ashley's Extended Complex Hub and Hub Bazaar?

another thing would be to group by category instead of size. because when I built my 26 station complex I used compact mode to put them together because raster has some weird side affects with Ashley's factories.

like grouping them oddly i had 3 flower farm m's in the same group with 3 XXL crystal fabs. and my XXL solar power plants was way out on it own with no other XXL factories near it. but it grouped my XL solar plants just fine but all my other XL factories like my wheat farm and crystal fabs where now where near them.

I would show a screen shot but i cant open the save file the game just crashes which i don't really know why. probably because i replaced one of the hub ARES placed with a Extended Hub and connected them wrong.

going to be a pain to remake them all i had half my complex connected lol

[-Dusty-]

anyway is there a way you can make it so that you have an option to use Ashley's Extended Complex Hub and Hub Bazaar?

The extended hub would be possible. But what's that bazaar thing? If I remember correctly, this is some kind of cube with nodes for the complex tubes... (I don't really know Ashley's Mod)

another thing would be to group by category instead of size. because when I built my 26 station complex I used compact mode to put them together because raster has some weird side affects with Ashley's factories.

Do you mean the M, L, XL etc. categories? I' not so sure if this would be a better method than the current one. Anyway, there will be a new build mode, a standard raster, in the next version. It will be more suitable fot smaller complexes, hopefully

[Kregoth]

The extended hub would be possible. But what's that bazaar thing? If I remember correctly, this is some kind of cube with nodes for the complex tubes... (I don't really know Ashley's Mod)

Yes the Hub bazaar is a none dock able hub connector it's got 14 node connections. that way you can have 13 stations directly connected to the bazaar and then the bazaar connected to the Hub to make the tubes less cluttered.

Do you mean the M, L, XL etc. categories? I' not so sure if this would be a better method than the current one. Anyway, there will be a new build mode, a standard raster, in the next version. It will be more suitable fot smaller complexes, hopefully

Ya it be nice if my XXL station where not spread around so much and instead a bit closer.

BTW i got another bug I saved during the time the complex was being built and one of the Stations became mine and the other 25 where still under A.R.E.S. ownership but the build process was stuck at 96% it never got any further and i let it go for about an hour. tried to reload the save and it was the same thing. does A.R.E.S. not like saves during it build process?

[Kregoth]

Is there a way when using compact mode to have it build the complex hub outside the stations instead of the middle it makes it impossible for anything to dock to it. thanks

Sorry for double post

[Makita]

Hello Dusty,

Found a compatibility bug with Scorp map, apparently the naming on the hub that ARES creates is not compatible , the bug was found by Scorp himself when i sent him my log file.

Second, is it possible after you build a little complex to add to it after ward? I tried to and can't figure how .

http://www.suu-design.com/main.html

[-Dusty-]

Hi all,

I'm sorry for not answering your questions in the last few weeks. My Computer is broken since six or seven weeks - at first, my power supply went up in smoke, and two hours after I replaced it with a new one, the processor did the same. So I just had enough of computers for a while

Anyway, I'm going to repair that computer now, I hope it's going to work again in some weeks.

Thanks for your patience,
Dusty

[Nadrek]

I'm sorry about your computer problems - though off the top of my head, I'd say check and see if you can add another fan to your case (and clean/blow out with compressed air your current fans).

Thank you for creating this, and my one request would be a very simplified "Just buy the @#$@$@ factories and drop them in sector X, since I'm using Complex Cleaner v3.10 to turn all those factories into module complexes" mode.

[KG_AGCent]

I am in need of some clarification regarding the instructions in the manual referring to connecting stations, hubs and cubes.

First, you should connect all stations of a cube to its hub. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Select the construction kit in your ship's freight bay (or use command console/special/build station), and the sector map will appear.
2. Select the hub.
3. Select the station which you want to connect.

Do these instructions refer to the "Raster" mode of complex building? I believe so because you refer to "cubes" as ARES places the stations in cubes according to size whereas "Compact" mode does not.

Assuming you ARE in fact referring to "Raster" mode, when you connect the FIRST two stations in a cube, does it really matter which two you connect FIRST in that cube? Do you want to try to keep the hubs for the various cubes as close together as possible or have one hub stick way the hell out in order to accomodate trader traffic to your complex?

It is important to select the hub FIRST and the station afterwards! otherwise, a second, needless hub will be built.

I have never experienced this in my gawd-awful number of hours I have wasted on this damn game so i cannot even begin to know what it means.

When you have connected all stations in a cube to each hub, you can start connecting the hubs. You should choose first which hub will be the main complex hub.

Easy enough.

Now it gets a bit complicated. You have to connect the hub which is furthest away to the one which is the second furthest to the main hub. When connecting, select the one which is nearer to the main
hub FIRST and the one which is farther away SECOND. Continue doing this until you can connect all remaining hubs to the main hub – remember, select the main hub first, and then the hub you want to attach to. Page 15 of 21

So... If I have 3 cubes of stations A, B and C and since A is closest to the gate in the sector and I want it to have the hub everyone is going to connect to and C is the furthest away from the gate, I would then connect C hub to B hub by first selecting B hub then selecting C hub. I would then select A hub and then B hub and I should have a nice group of cubes connected together and the main hub close to the gate... right?

That covers my questions for Raster mode.

In Compact mode, do any of the above rules/suggestions apply?

I got 400 million burning a hole in my pocket and I want to get it on with the Boron.

[Elestat]

Hi, i am new to x3 and having a blast, but station and complex building its a real pain. So i decided to try this script, but my game crashes every time i activate it. I am using XTM so i think that could be the cause, is there any workaround for this ?