[MOD] Complex Cleaner v4.09 / Modular Complexes (TC 3.2 / AP 1.1)

[Gazz]

It's handled by a script so making it any kind of useful station could get messy.

[Vayde]

So if I create or design a station model to replace the scene and bod files you use, are there any particular naming concepts I would have to adhere to?

[TekDragon]

I feel like it was a mistake trying to use this mod before I learned the ins and outs of complex construction in vanilla.

Right now I've poured a lot (for me) of money into some stations in the unknown sector next to the OTAS HQ. I've got 2 L ore mines, 2 L silicon mines, 3 L beef, 3 L bakery, 1 XL SPP, 1 L crystal, and about 8 missile and shield stations.

I crunched all of these (in groups of 2-3 at a time) into a Factory Module.

At this point I don't really know what to do. I had thought once you crunch enough stations it would spawn another Factory Module which you could then connect by running the "hub" command so that your ship could dock. This doesn't seem to be happening and the lone Factory Module is just absorbing everything I throw at it.

I read a section about how if you don't have 2 Factory Modules you need to connect your 1 Factory Module to another station. I'd rather not do that because then I'd need to bread it apart, crunch, and re attach it every time I wanted to add stations.

What am I doing wrong?

[TekDragon]

Ok, I think I figured it out. I was confusing Factory Modules with Container Modules and not understanding the role of Complex Construction Kits. Thankfully DrBullWinkle's post on page 84 cleared up most of my confusion.

[TekDragon]

Ok, next question (I've been through pages 1-10 and 80-here and haven't seen it).

When I was first trying to figure out how to get a hub installed I kept adding more and more factories. These factories, when crunched, combined together which was really nice.

For example, 2 crunched cahoona bakery L's turned into:

Cahoona [10]

Problem is that after making a hub, when I add additional large cahoona factories and crunch them it turns into this:

Cahoona [10]
Cahoona [5]
Cahoona [5]
Cahoona [5]

Instead of:

Cahoona [25]

Is there a way to combine these together? Otherwise I have a feeling my complex information screen is going to get very messy, very fast.

[LarryBurstyn]

Ok, next question (I've been through pages 1-10 and 80-here and haven't seen it).

When I was first trying to figure out how to get a hub installed I kept adding more and more factories. These factories, when crunched, combined together which was really nice.

For example, 2 crunched cahoona bakery L's turned into:

Cahoona [10]

Problem is that after making a hub, when I add additional large cahoona factories and crunch them it turns into this:

Cahoona [10]
Cahoona [5]
Cahoona [5]
Cahoona [5]

Instead of:

Cahoona [25]

Is there a way to combine these together? Otherwise I have a feeling my complex information screen is going to get very messy, very fast.

Definately something wrong you should get
Cahoona [20]
Cahoona [5]

There is no 25, the sizes are 10, 20, 50, 100, 150, and 200.

You could have a bad install or the number of factories in the TFactory type file is wrong....if it says there are fewer than the real number of entries (types of factories) you'll get this result...This is not the number of lines but the number of types of factories. The number of factories in the file is the second number on the two number file...
the first id's the file as factory file the second tells the main program how many different factory types exist--not the number of lines. IF this is a mod that has other mods that affect the factory file you have to combine the Tfactory file into a new one and replace the one in the mod cat (or the highest number cat in the main file).

[DrBullwinkle]

I thought that connected factory modules would not re-crunch, which is what TekDragon reports?

The two solutions that I know of are:

1) Remove the complex hub when you want to re-crunch all of your factory modules. This does not have to be every time you crunch... just when things become really ugly.

Tip: There is a self-destruct for complex hubs in their Advanced menu.

2) Add factories in groups to reduce the effect.

Rather than adding a factory, crunching, adding another, and so on... Consider adding, for example, 10 factories at a time, *then* crunch. That way you will be connecting fewer factory modules.

[LarryBurstyn]

I thought that connected factory modules would not re-crunch, which is what TekDragon reports?

The two solutions that I know of are:

1) Remove the complex hub when you want to re-crunch all of your factory modules. This does not have to be every time you crunch... just when things become really ugly.

Tip: There is a self-destruct for complex hubs in their Advanced menu.

2) Add factories in groups to reduce the effect.

Rather than adding a factory, crunching, adding another, and so on... Consider adding, for example, 10 factories at a time, *then* crunch. That way you will be connecting fewer factory modules.

This is correct. I did not notice that he had already added the factories to the complex. The only way to reduce the number of factories INSIDE a complex is to destroy the hub and re-crunch like Bullwinkle said. My technic is that if I don't have enough to crunch effectively I just drop the factories and wait until I have enough to add them at the larger factory size....Sometimes all the way to 200...but remember the larger the factory the more resources it needs before it starts producing. Somewhere there was a calculating help that shows how many factories to add to make the complex produce at the most efficient manner....don't remember where it was tho...sorry.

Example having 5 Beef factories and 20 Cahoona factories in a complex means the Cahoona factory is going to be idle most of the time. I've found that 20 Beef, 20 Cahoona, 20 Silicon, 20 Crystal and 20 SPP is self-sufficient to a point--need more Crystal than SPP because of how they produce...the length of the SPP cycle is dependant upon the solar factor so it depends upon where you build it.

[TekDragon]

Thanks, guys. As Bullwinkle instructed I deleted the hub using the self destruct command and was then able to crunch everything back down again. Was a little dismayed at first that I was going to have to get all the Construction Kits again, but after crunching it turned it into an easily manageable project for 1 load from my TL.

Larry you had said there is no 25. This is correct. However, I found out that there is a 40. There may even be a 30, although I didn't personally see it.

For fellow newbs reading through this I also found a way to delete factories that are in a hub'd Complex Module. If you click on the hub and select Connected Stations you can use that menu to delete using the command section.

I also found a really neat chart that showed input (per unknown time unit) and output for each resource. It was color coded and allowed you to easily identify where your complex is running short before it actually runs short. Simply click on the hub, go to advanced, commands, pick any empty slot, click administration, then complex settings.

I'm sure 99% of you already know all this, but these are the two things that really made my day when I found them.

[Retiredman]

This question is for all who has use this mod..

Once you have completed a complex to your satification, have you ever tried to make a second megaplex using the same container but creating
a second connection hub?

Wondering if you could create a number of complexes using the same container mod?

[DrBullwinkle]

I don't think there is any way to connect a second complex hub to an existing complex.

That is true whether or not you use Complex Cleaner.

A Trading Station and CLS is the usual way to create multiple sales locations.

(There are other scripts that can also help, such as FDN.)

[Gazz]

Once you have completed a complex to your satification, have you ever tried to make a second megaplex using the same container but creating a second connection hub?

How you connect your factories (or factory modules) is up to you.
Since connected factories are ignored by the CC you can build as many "separate" complexes as you want.

That increases docking space and creates another batch of docking lanes far from the first, so "your" space is less dangerous. =)

[LarryBurstyn]

Once you have completed a complex to your satification, have you ever tried to make a second megaplex using the same container but creating a second connection hub?

How you connect your factories (or factory modules) is up to you.
Since connected factories are ignored by the CC you can build as many "separate" complexes as you want.

That increases docking space and creates another batch of docking lanes far from the first, so "your" space is less dangerous. =)

But can you use the same container to contain several complexes? Which is what I think he was asking...I've never tried to put several hubs connected to factories in ONE container.

[Retiredman]

Reason I asked is that when I was connecting the large fabs, I choose a Fact(200) and then missed the the hub and hit a second Fact (200).
This placed a second hub within a distance away from the main hub.

(Used the super tractor to tow the new hub so I could conect it to the main hub)
But it got me wondering
If I have a complete megaplex
could I start and make a second or even a third megaplex using the same containter. Each plex would have it's own connecting hub but all the megaplexes would be housed in the same contaiment unit in the same sector.

(Oh BTW I am using the advance hub mod also.. so many mods installed I can't keep track)

I did notice that by using the FCC or super tractor I could place the hub anywhere in the sector. Well beyond the 25k limit for hookup. But once your plex is complete you can place the particular hub to suit your traffic patterns.

[Rekalty]

Putting this plugin before XRM seems to mostly work, so far at least, nothing has blown up. Thank you for making complexes worthwhile

[Drache257]

Putting this plugin before XRM seems to mostly work...

Unfortunatly by me not.

I ve put the cat before the IEX and XRM, copied the scripts and t files in their appropriate locations but i dont see any command.
I ve loaded my game more than twice now, im sitting in my TL with a tractorbeam mounted but no command neither in command/special commands nor in hotkey configuration.

[Sorken]

@Drache257
Unmount your tractorbeam

@Gazz
Crunching is all fine and dandy if you have like 300M credits and can afford to buy all the stations you need. But if you want to slowly add additional stations to the complex, then it gets annoying when you get several FACT X (5) instead of them merging. I understand that its tricky to make changes to a running complex, but what about unhooking factories so that you can crunch them and then reattach them? (without blowing up the entire complex and loosing all products).

[LarryBurstyn]

@ Drache257
Probably XRM makes changes to the TFactory file that overrides the earlier cat/dat for complex cleaner....to use the complex cleaner you must merge it with the latest cat/dat file that modifies the TFactory file. I am not sure since I don't use the XRM mod. IF you are using AP than you need to put the T and scripts file contents in the addon folder's T and scripts folders not the main one as the main one data is overwritten by whatever is in the addon folders folders.

I've found that destroying the hub breaks up the factories and all the products/resources are distributed into the various factories. IF any is lost I did not notice it. You can crunch factories that have resources and products in them and again I did not notice any losses. But than my complexes tend to be HUGE--by HUGE I mean REALLY REALLY HUGE. I might start out with a 100 factory complex and end up with a 5000 factory or larger complex...of course by then I have enough M2's and M1's to take over the universe and enough money to buy the rest.

[Jamesgang]

I have an existing module and complex hub that functions. I wanted to expand it. I have an issue with the drop command. I drop 3 crystal fab large and get a message that 3 factories were built. I do not crunch. However, there are not 3 factories in the sector map or property screen. Manual placement works. Any ideas?

[Drache257]

@Sorken:

In ve unmounted the tractorbeam. It doesnt work.

@LarryBurstyn:

Maybe you re right. So i ve looked in the Tfactories from the addon and the last one from the XRM. (it seems, the tfactories of XRM overwrites the CCleaner s one.).
The CCleaner tfactories is included in the XRM tfactories. That s why the Ccleaner should be compatible to XRM but following the instructions of the XRM Thread, the Complex cleaner Cat should be a lower number than the XRM and his addons, what i did. The scripts and t files of the CCleaner put in the addon/scripts and addon/t.
I still dont find any traces of Complex Cleaner in the game, neither in commands nor in options.
Nowhere is noticed both tfactories should be merged. Well maybe you re right but i dont know exactly how to do that (maybe copy paste). Beside i font have any clearance how to solve my problem.
I ve asked few days ago in the XRM thread but no one replied until now.