[AL PLUGIN] Pirate Guild v1.20 [28/09/2005]

[neilparker68]

Holy crap LMAO i got it working ur a star thanks

[AdmiralTigerclaw]

I saw it coming from the last post in page two... I knew exactly what you were about to do.

"Oooo so u just exstarct all them scritps to that then i c ty "

In response to the:

"Usually it's located here :
"C:\Program Files\Enlight\X2 - The Threat"

Except if you installed it in a different location"


I put my hand on my face, shook my head, and went to finish mowing the lawn. And then came back and broke it down.

[neilparker68]

Lol Cheers m8 ty loads

[Serial Kicked]

Woot so many posts

Soooo here we go

@atc : Thanks for the help with neilparker68. Did you tried the plugin by the way ?

@Carl Sumner : I use both scripts in my main game. That's quite fun When pirates lanch a massive attack on a sector (about 50 fully equipped M3 from different race), Some M2 from Race Response are sent to fight the M3. It can be processor intensive if you're in the sector.


@Burianek : Yes code isn't perfect , but i think the plugin registration is correct.

@LV : No T in the current version, for 2 reasons :
1) I don't want to use an already used T file.
2) The only texts needed are used when verbose is set to ON (see readme). In a normal usage no texts are displayed. Pirates usually don't tell to everyone where they want to attack

Maybe i'll add later a 'galactic news'-style message during a big fight.

--

Anyway, maybe there's something i should add. It's not a "fast paced" plugin. Activating the plugin will not change the difficulty in a few seconds. But after let's say 1-2 hours of game, active PB can became a real threat, especially those protected by a fully loaded Teladi M6

[AdmiralTigerclaw]

No I haven't played with it yet... I haven't even played X2 in the last few days. Not even to test anything... I'm kind of waiting for Nuklear Eclipse to get back in the Saddle so we can get back to work on things.


It's not really difficulty I'm after in it... but more of interest.... Give me something to do besides shoot passing pirate ships on their way to sectors to attack random stations, as well as get me a little economic struggle for the universe as pirates raid things.

MH's variant would have had a whole plundering system going.

Pirate TSs would go out, escorted by fighters, and together they'd trash traffic with goods, and the TS would gather the stuff, then return to base to calculate the value of their loot and add it to their bank value.

And using that, they'd grow.

However the GP side would result in a balance as they'd get value for destroying the pirate vessels.

[Serial Kicked]

It's not really difficulty I'm after in it... but more of interest.... Give me something to do besides shoot passing pirate ships on their way to sectors to attack random stations, as well as get me a little economic struggle for the universe as pirates raid things.

That's a part of the next update (1.2).

As it works now, Pirates gain a random amout of money when they attack a TS and a much bigger amount when the raid a sector. This money is used only to buy more M3/M6 ships. In the next edition, it will be used to build new pirate bases, and buy wares. I want them also to choose their target TS/TP according to the value of their cargobay and not according to the distance to the ship.

Same for pirate TS. I've planned to add an M4/M5 escort fleet to each TS that the PB launch, but i've some difficulties to script correctly something like

If a TS owned by PB(x) take off from PB(x) Then
- - run command aaa.pirate.cmd.escort on 3 pirate ships owned by PB(x)

Maybe someone can help ?

I've also noticed something strange but i'm not 100% sure the more M3 ships are inside a PB, the more TS are owned by this PB.

[AdmiralTigerclaw]

One thing me & Milling worked out is that there has to be an upper limit.

If you keep growing the pirates, and the player doesn't have much of a foothold... the pirates become overbearing, and the game world will collapse, both economicly and then physically.

I would say, instead of building up to a master 'raid'... you simply increase the 'force' the pirates have. For example... the starting is TS and M5s.... But by the max level, have an M2 floating around with M6 escorts. And then at the max out point... You have a fleet clash. That is, a coalition of 'good guys' come out to put the stomp down.... this fleet clash can have one of two endings.

A: The pirates are defeated and start from scratch.
B: The pirates win and coninue to cruise about in their spaceships so good at being bad.

I'm not very familliar with the script code, but I have a year of C++ so my logical concept skills are honed. My specialties in the script editor are concept, logic, and balance.

If you want, I'll write out the whole logical rundown of the Crime Wars concept on each side of the LAW for you to look at.


Most of the MH scripts that are up to date as of early summer and late sping are a result of Milling and Myself and a good week on each chattering on AIM. I'm still surprised milling went with me on the Carrier Refit Upgrades scriptset, when one already existed. However the results and the sound effects that go with them work very well. I spent three nights testing a carrier armed with Novas and Mambas under various battle commands and conditions to debug it. One thing was the squadron recover command... When a collosus was steaming through a sector at full speed... the fighters, being weird, slowed to a crawl the same way they would when docking at a station... so they never reached the recovery point where they would be transfered back to the carrier. So the recovery distance was expanded a little so fighters could recover without behiavioral problems.

Another interesting bug with the early scripts was launch jitter.

Fighters launching would 'teleport' all over the place until they script released them from the launch loop. *The launch loop is merely a fast acting loop series of set position commands that relate to the carrier as the core refference point. It simulated the hurling of fighters from a catapult.* The jitter was occuring in close launch sets during the SCRAMBLE command... so the spacing of the launches had to be adjusted. So that the next set of fighters wasn't launched too soon after the first. There is a way to still get jitter, park your carrier near a gate and point at the gate, then start your alert klaxons and scramble your squadron.


But enough bug logs.

[Serial Kicked]

I've also a formation in programing (delphi, vb, php), so i also see the code needed The only issue is the translation in correct scripting.

Even if i think that a pirate owned M1/M2 is totally unrealistic, i see your point. Less ships, less processor killed. I used a different method. For the "AI" there's three kinds of PB.

- Small ones : (<20 ships) They patrol, raid TS, attack enemy M3 ships, and they buy ships.
- Big ones : (>20 ships) Same as before + suicidal mini raids on nearby sectors, and M6 destruction. They also sometime send M3 to the HQ. When they reach a max ship (50 i think) they stop buying M3.
- HQ (only one, change after raid or after destruction) : Building fleet. When M3 count reach about 50, it sends all ships against a big and near targeted sector. It also buy M6 when funds are high to protect other PB

So there's also a "max count" of pirate ships. Usually AI sector defenses are enough to handle the threat (except the whole Cutthroat Cluster and the nearby sectors).

(with all these posts i can rewrite the readme, good)

But by the max level, have an M2 floating around with M6 escorts. And then at the max out point

A M2 + some M6 by pirate base or total ?

B: The pirates win and coninue to cruise about in their spaceships so good at being bad.

by pirate base : i don't think it's possible to find a perfect balance between GP and Pirates. Two battles in a row won by a side and the other one can be overwhelmed.

total : IMO It could possibly replace the hq's massive raid. Instead of using 50 M3 (ineffective OOS against a lone M2), the HQ build / buy a fleet like this with a commande like cmd.pirate.RaidSectors.and.Repair.at.HQ.

I use both Race Response Fleet (rrf) and my script. It's very similar to the "Crime War" concept. It's true that some good ideas are missing (economy, player enrolment,...). Except from that, pirate owned sectors are dangerous ambush zones where you should not send a TS or TL without a proper escort. A lone M6 that stay near a PB (3 sectors i believe) is a dead M6. Most of the race owned systems are correctly protected by the RRF and big battles happen sometimes.

If you want, I'll write out the whole logical rundown of the Crime Wars concept on each side of the LAW for you to look at.

It can be interesting (btw i've already read more or less the whole terradine thread). But i can't promise i'll work on it, CrimeWar is a long term project, and X3 will be available soon, with a decent KC programming langage, and let's hope an external editor (ohhh please please please Egosoft. Don't say it can't be done, that's wrong and you know it ) .

I don't use those scripts from MH (but i've tested most of them, good work). I mostly use RS and XaiCorp scripts to handle my fleet. Btw, jumping ability could be a good thing to add to the pirates.

[NavaCorp]

I'm tired of unharmed pirates not behaving as pirates at all!

So I like your script and I hope it will be signed.

I only have two questions:

1) Can I install it before the end of the plot or I'd better to wait after I complete it (to avoid problems)?

2) I've a lot of stations but few defenses, just a corvette and some fighters escorting it in a pair of hot sectors (President's End and Mines of Fortune), no fighters based at stations at all. What kind of defenses should I have before to install your script?

Bye

[Serial Kicked]

@NavaCarp :

Thanks, but I don't think that new plugins will be signed for X² a day, and I'm not really interested in beeing signed anyway.

1) I never tested it with the plot. But it should works fine.

2) I can't remember if there's pirate bases in these sectors. If yes, the first thing to do is do destroy them. After that it depends on your luck, the quantity of TS you have, and where your assets are located.

With a so small military force, you'll have sometimes to manually protect your convoy, and to seek & destroy any nearby pirate base. Always keep an eye on your M6 (if it's not your main ship). And build your factories in already highly defended sectors.


Anyway you can desactivate the plugin anytime, so if it's too hard, setting the plugin to Off in AL Settings will stop the pirate invasion in a few minutes.

[grumman]

In AAA.lib.pirate.buyship:

Code: Select all

019   $retval = $newship -> install 2 units of Beta Particle Accelerator Cannon
020   $retval = $newship -> install 2 units of Beta High Energy Plasma Thrower

If this script only is used for Teladi Falcons and Argon Novas, it might be better to change this. If I understand the script correctly, a Nova would have its full complement of weapons, but a Falcon would only be using BPACs, since it cannot use BHEPTs.

In AAA.lib.pirate.HQ.AI:

Code: Select all

011   if $num > 50
...
018    resize array $wing to 50

Would these two lines be the only lines neccessary to change to make the warfleets smaller and more frequent or larger and rarer?

In AAA.lib.find.enemy.ship:
I personally would rename the pointer m6, just to improve readability (since it isn't used only to find M6s).

[Shog-goth]

Hi all,

there is no way I can get this interesting script working...

I've enabled the script editor and placed the right files in <script> directory but I've no trace of it in the AL setup (but I've the 'modified' tag on left corner).

Where I'm wrong? Someone can help me, please? Thanks...


EDIT: I've tried also the AL Race Response Fleets script and I've the same problem.

I'm doing the following:

1) Unzip the script in the X2 folder

2) Load a save game

3) enter in flight the code Thereshallbewings

4) Open the script editor

5) Reinit the script cache

6) Open the AL settings: always the same, nothing new added.

Really, I don't understand. The XAI automining script is working good so I can't see the point here.

[DrunkenPirate]

Unzipped into the X2 folder? or the X2/scripts folder?

[NavaCorp]

@NavaCarp :

Thanks, but I don't think that new plugins will be signed for X² a day, and I'm not really interested in beeing signed anyway.

1) I never tested it with the plot. But it should works fine.

2) I can't remember if there's pirate bases in these sectors. If yes, the first thing to do is do destroy them. After that it depends on your luck, the quantity of TS you have, and where your assets are located.

With a so small military force, you'll have sometimes to manually protect your convoy, and to seek & destroy any nearby pirate base. Always keep an eye on your M6 (if it's not your main ship). And build your factories in already highly defended sectors.


Anyway you can desactivate the plugin anytime, so if it's too hard, setting the plugin to Off in AL Settings will stop the pirate invasion in a few minutes.

Thanks, I'll wait to be strong enough (my PE headquarter it's surrounded by 5 pirate bases in few jumps and I sell to them...at the moment... )

[Serial Kicked]

@grumman : thanks for the interest in the script.

If this script only is used for Teladi Falcons and Argon Novas, it might be better to change this. If I understand the script correctly, a Nova would have its full complement of weapons, but a Falcon would only be using BPACs, since it cannot use BHEPTs.

I know this problem. In fact i don't find a way to code something what will be compatible with both normal and custom mods. So i load ships with a 'standard' set of equipment. I'll change this default weapon loadout.

Would these two lines be the only lines neccessary to change to make the warfleets smaller and more frequent or larger and rarer?

That's right. i'll probably change this to use global variables (like for money, hq, target, and others)

I personally would rename the pointer m6, just to improve readability (since it isn't used only to find M6s).

Right, also. Now that i better know scripting than when i started this project. I will probably need to rewrite, rename and optimize some of the scripts.


@Shog-goth : Strange. Uhhh... check in the "scripts" folder if a lot a files beginning with "AAA." are present. Also check for a file called "al.plugin.pirateguild.xml". If they are here, the plugin should be installed correctly. Else, you're not installing in the correct folder. Do you have v1.4 of X² ? With the AL Update installed ?

For sure, next time i'll add a nullsoft installer

@NavaCorp : eheh, ok.

[Shog-goth]

Unzipped into the X2 folder? or the X2/scripts folder?

Unzipped in X2 folder, the files are in the correct place (scripts sub-folder).

@Shog-goth : Strange. Uhhh... check in the "scripts" folder if a lot a files beginning with "AAA." are present. Also check for a file called "al.plugin.pirateguild.xml". If they are here, the plugin should be installed correctly. Else, you're not installing in the correct folder. Do you have v1.4 of X² ? With the AL Update installed ?

The files you named are all present in the scripts folder. I'm using 1.4 with AL update and, as I said for example, the Xai automing is working without problem. I've tried also your script without other unsigned scripts but nothing.

Really strange. There's something I miss somewhere...

[Serial Kicked]

And no "Pirate Guild..." in the AL Setting menu I'm puzzled.

There's absolutly no reason why it should not work ... If you have the same problem with LV's plugin, the issue is probably coming from your installation of X². It seems that Burianek already checked my plugin for any error in the plugin registration procedure. So the only thing i can tell you to try to do a fresh and clean install of X2 in another folder

[AdmiralTigerclaw]

Do the following first.

Run the save game.
Initialize the Script Editor
Reinit Script Caches
Save the game.
Restart from the new Save.

[Burianek]

Yup, shog-goth, you just needed to load a game.
Changes to the scripting folder are only noticed after a game (with the script editor active) is loaded.
Cheers.

[Shog-goth]

That's the problem!

Excuse me, because I didn't read carefully this part of the sticked guide:

If the set of scripts that you are installing contains a script that begins with the segment init. or setup. it is run automatically when the game is loaded or when you select 'reinit script caches' from the script editor window

Now It works perfectly.

Thanks a lot!