:X3: Online Complex Calculator version 2.5.5

[em3e3]

Thank you !

Of my quoted(esteemed), it don't worked under IE8, but no problem under Opera.
A person tried it with Firefox and has of to download the plugin " Unmht ".

( I am French, I use www.reverso.net to translate my posts, I hope that it is understandable)

I'm not sure which version of the page you are talking about - the one on my site or yours, and which browsers work/don't work.

[Samoorai]

I don't mean to mess things up, but you don't seem to have the new large crystal fabs in there. I'm aiming for a massive complex (eventually) in the unknown sector east of zyarth's domain (3x 64 ore 'roids and 3x 30 silicon) and I figure I might as well go big, but without the crystal fab L in there I can't work it out right.

Of course, I could be wrong and it is there, I just can't find it. But I've just spent 2 days trolling through another forum to try and give my new iphone knock-off basic text message functionality, so I REALLY can't be bothered with yet more trolling. Thanks in advance.

[em3e3]

its almost there. Check back a little later today.

[em3e3]

Normally, I would just update my last post, but I've made a significant change to the Factory select box element. Feedback and test, please. Changes to the Yield column are coming soon...

[Marcin626]

Erm.. what about secondary resouces? They are not listed. Do I need factories that produce them for the complex? For example: heavy shields production complex has as a secondary resorce quantum tubes, and when I put it in the complex calculator, quantum tubes doesn't appear in the table.

[lurker]

Secondary resources are not needed, at all, ever. They are 'optional'; NPC stations will use them if they have them, but will not produce any extra products as a result and will produce just as well without, so long as they have their primary resource.

Really they are there to provide us players with an additional trade opportunity. Player fabs never have secondary resources, as such they don't come into the equation when designing a factory complex.

[Marcin626]

Thanks bro, now I can build my complex without any bad surprises

[Laden Swallow]

Superb tool, great for getting estimates on production values, enabling me to design a complex with slight over production of energy cells and crystals is very handy

Random suggestion if you are going to make another version, how about having a check box for 'resource provided by mobile mining' and essentially make it so the production matches the demand or the demand is set to 0?

[em3e3]

Interesting idea, but I still think it's helpful to know how much you need to collect. And mines aren't all that expensive...

Oh, btw, major new update. 2.5, with Terran factories, and a few cool features. Let me know what you think!

[akeelah]

@em3e3: Thanks for the update. The calculator is indispensable -- I use it all the time.

I have a question regarding SPP output and crystal consumption (X3TC, v2.5). The figures on your calculator are different from those on the calculator hosted by rohrbecka, and the differences appear to more than simple rounding discrepancies.

Using your calculator, I built this closed-loop Solar Power Complex in Akeela's Beacon (400% sun). Despite having initially seeded the Complex with plenty of e-cells, crystals, bofu, and biogas, it consistently stalled (albeit temporarily) due to insufficient crystals. All other intermediate resources were being produced/consumed as predicted, and none ran out. Only the crystals were a problem.

Using the calculator hosted by rohrbecka, the same complex is indeed predicted to produce insufficient crystals.

I eventually added an additional Crystal Fab L (along with the necessary food fabs). The complex is now self-sufficient, as expected, but it still doesn't seem to be producing as many excess crystals as is predicted by either calculator. Maybe I just need to give it more time…

Has anyone else encountered this?

[Laden Swallow]

It may be a case that these calculators are simple input/output calculators, and don't consider the simulation that is being run.

IIRC Solar power plants produce on a slightly shorter cycle length than the requisite crystal fabs.

Hence until the complex stabilises (i.e. sufficient cycles have occured that there is always a full cycle of crystals in storage), it will always appear to stall on crystals. If you check the number of crystals in the power plant each cycle for 40 cycles, it should, if there are sufficient crystal fabs stop blinking.

[akeelah]

IIRC Solar power plants produce on a slightly shorter cycle length than the requisite crystal fabs.

Indeed they do. But the calculator(s) appear to take this into account. For example, see here. Even at 100% sunlight, a single Crystal Fab L is just shy of being sufficient to supply a single SPP L. This was true in X3R as well, and probably all of the X series.

Hence until the complex stabilises (i.e. sufficient cycles have occured that there is always a full cycle of crystals in storage), it will always appear to stall on crystals. If you check the number of crystals in the power plant each cycle for 40 cycles, it should, if there are sufficient crystal fabs stop blinking.

True. And that's why I always buy one freighter-load of crystals (and e-cells) to "seed" the complex immediately after connecting the last factory. I generally even "seed" the intermediates (bofu and biogas), too. In the example I cited above, the complex would run fine for a while, but the crystals would eventually run out (or at least fall below the minimum required to start the next cycle for the SPP) causing the SPP to stall temporarily.

[em3e3]

Looks like he and I are using different numbers for the SPP cycle times. Mine are based on X2 figures:

Code: Select all

Sun  Cells Sec.
0%    276  152
100%  276  118
150%  276  106
300%  276  93
400%  276  91

But rohrbecka's are:

Code: Select all

Sun  Cells Sec.
0%    276  152
100%  276  119
150%  276  107
300%  276  83
400%  276  72

What are you in-game numbers, akeelah?

[akeelah]

What are you in-game numbers, akeelah?

I honestly don't know. I just threw in the extra Crystal Fab L (and food fabs), saw that it appeared to be working, and went on my way. I'm generally too lazy to do the math -- that's why I need your calculator.

I'll see if I can get some numbers when I can get back to my gaming computer. However, I've since enlarged the complex to 4x SPP XL and associated fabs, so it may be hard to do... Will advise.

[em3e3]

I'll see if I can get some numbers when I can get back to my gaming computer. However, I've since enlarged the complex to 4x SPP XL and associated fabs, so it may be hard to do... Will advise.

I'll load up one of my old savegames, and have a look. Not using any factories or complexes in my current game! Just a thought - are you sure the NPC aren't buying up the crystals?

[Laden Swallow]

Just a note, you can open up individual stations in a complex in 2.5 and look at their production details from there.

For instance in my currently under construction complex:

3 chip plants, 2 solar power plant XL, 2 crystal fab L, in cloudbase NW (no asteroids, but plenty of rocks for mobile mining), I opened up the complex and looked at the individual factories:

1*solar power plant XL produces 5530 cells, 40 crystals used in a cycle of 3:35 or 215 seconds. Suns factor is 150%.

[akeelah]

Just a thought - are you sure the NPC aren't buying up the crystals?

I'm pretty sure. I always set my SPP complexes to disallow trading with NPC ships AND to disallow trading intermediate resources. I'll double-check to make sure, though.

I appreciate you looking into it. I'd really liked to be sure of the numbers.

[akeelah]

1*solar power plant XL produces 5530 cells, 40 crystals used in a cycle of 3:35 or 215 seconds. Suns factor is 150%.

It actually gives you those numbers? Or are you calculating them from changes in stock levels after the SPP cycles?

[em3e3]

1*solar power plant XL produces 5530 cells, 40 crystals used in a cycle of 3:35 or 215 seconds. Suns factor is 150%.

Thanks! With that info, and using the calcs from rohrbecka, i get the following cycle times & production:

Code: Select all

Pct  E-cells  Xtal  Time
0%    553      4    305
100%  553      4    239
150%  553      4    215
300%  553      4    166
400%  553      4    145

So, it looks like the 2.0/2.1 update changed the production and cycle times slightly, and they gave different numbers to the 300% and 400% sun sectors. I'll adjust the calculator accordingly, unless anyone comes up with different figures.

[Laden Swallow]

http://img43.imageshack.us/img43/4909/x ... 00005p.jpg

Product related stuff at the top (number and time to produce) - [40] under the crystals is number of resources.

To get to said screen for a complex:

http://img163.imageshack.us/img163/7879 ... n00003.jpg
http://img194.imageshack.us/img194/1892 ... 00004q.jpg
EDIT: And as pointed out screen00004 also appears to show product related stuff in a window to the right. (and again for atrocious spelling)