Bullwinkle's List

[DrBullwinkle]

I was able to verify part of Vayde's report: A single marine, doing a full repair on a Nova, earns about 50 skill points over a half hour or so. While that is a lot of skill, he has also done a lot of work by himself!

A squad of 20 marines repairing the same Nova will have it done in a few minutes, and training will be more like 2-3 points per marine, which is what I intended.

I am not sure whether this is something that should be "fixed". Training points are related to the amount of work done; that seems "right" to me.

I am open to suggestions.

In the meantime, I changed the default Fight training to 'no':

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Update:

Marine Repairs
Full Description and Download: Marine Repairs

Your marines will repair the ship that they are on, any ship docked to the ship that they are on, or any station or complex that they are docked to. Training and configurable costs, too.

Version 1.12 adds the following features:

• - Fight training is optional in the t file. Default is 'no' fight training. (kurush, Aegyen)

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Update:

Abandoned Ship Detector / Nividium Rocks Detector (ASD/NRD)
Full Description and Download: ASD/NRD

Update: Now detects Nividium Rock Clusters, which is otherwise nearly impossible in the vanilla game.

[Aegyen]

Betty says.. "Downloading"..

Keep the other version of ASD around, would you? Just in case.. If it drives me nuts, because I am looking for a ship, and all I find is a pile of rocks, I may just stick with the Original.

Keep other version, as far as any future updates. (clarify)

[DrBullwinkle]

Keep the other version of ASD around, would you? Just in case.

I never actually delete versions (unless they are harmful or buggy). You can always find the older versions on the Google Code site by selecting "Deprecated downloads" or "All downloads" in the Search filter pull-down.

Here is Argonaught's request for "fixed" Mobile Mining (BETA):



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Mobile Mining Mk2
Mobile Mining Mk2
(formerly Mobile Mining for Nividium)

Enhances Mobile Mining in several ways:

• You can mine Nividium.
  Ships pause for shield recovery when necessary.
  Damaged ships go to shipyard or homebase for repairs.

[Charon_A]

Thanks, DrBullwinkle! Downloading Mobile Mining for Nividium.
This was the thing I wanted to script into my game myself this week but you beat me to it, well done! Must have script

[Vayde]

Testing Info Update 1.12

Just used 20 marines to repair an Ares from 47% to full.

Most of them only gained a max of 2 stars in any given skill (not fighting) Total cost was approx 17mil. When taking into consideration the actual price of repair at a shipyard this was not to bad. Also the cost and time of getting 20 marines up 2 stars in each skill, I found this to be much faster.

The only problem I had was forgetting that I had 20 new 2 star marines on board the Ares and also that I had an Ares I got a bit sidetracked with other things. Can you add a notification to say either hull repaired or marines completed training. I think the first would be the better option as having 20 messages all at once stating your marine is awaiting pick up could be a bit spamy

[DrBullwinkle]

20 marines to repair an Ares from 47% to full.

Total cost was approx 17mil.

20 marines x 2 stars x 20 points per star x 25k per point = $20 million

So you got your repair for free.

(Actually, the training amount was probably less than a full 2 stars. A "star" is about 20 points, but due to the way that MSCI does math, even 1 point can look like a star. In other words, your marines may have been trained as little as 21 points or as much as 40 points -- everything in that range could look like a star.)

Since a new Ares costs about $50.5 million, the maximum cost for your scenario should be approximately:

50.5 x 40% = $20.2 million + $20 million = $40.2 million

Minimum cost for same scenario would be approximately:

50.5 x 10% = $5.05M + $10M (if only really 21 points) = $15.05M

So $17M falls into the correct range.

A shipyard repair could have cost $20 million without the training. Overall, you got a bargain.

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Can you add a notification to say ... hull repaired [?]

I have thought about that. There are times when it would be convenient to know that the repair job is done. However, there are more cases where you would not want to be bothered. Mining and OOS patrol come immediately to mind... there can be many repairs involved with both.

Instead of that, how about if we speed up repairs a bit? The original version had only time to balance the fact that repairs were free. Now that we are charging a fair price for the repairs, there is less reason for the repairs to take a long time.

That would give you less time to forget that you have an Ares.

[Vayde]

Niv mining?

Set up a Merc SF and looked at the options in the special menu. Only rotates through the 3 normal of ore silicon and ice nothing there for nividium

Does the ship need to be in sector with a Niv roid to get the new option up?

[DrBullwinkle]

options in the special menu. Only rotates through the 3 normal of ore silicon and ice nothing there for nividium

You should always get a choice of Nividium (after Ice). If you do not, then it means that you have a bad install.

Did you use the Plugin Manager to do the installation (pre-1.42)? I was concerned about the possibility of a bad installation, but A) I thought I tested that and 2) Cycrow says that he fixed the problem with uninstall scripts in his newest version.

In any case, a manual install should work.

I am updating a new version of Mobile Mining as we speak. It is already on the X3 Google Code site.

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BTW, during testing, I found a lot of synergy between Mobile Mining Mk2, Nividium Rocks Detector, and Marine Repairs 1.12. The detector finds the rocks, the mining script mines them, the marines repair the ships that get damaged while mining, and the large number of repairs means that my marines are all trained up now! It was an expensive mining mission (over $30 Million in costs for repairs and training) but I will return with over 15,000 units of Nividium, so I am sure that it will result in great proitssss.

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Also, if you have not yet destroyed your Upgrade Kit factory, they will purchase a nearly unlimited amount of Nividium. No need to do anything special... your UT's should automatically transport and sell the stuff from your PHQ, Equipment Dock, or Trading Station.

Note to self: Slow down the purchase rate for Nividium in a future version of Upgrade Kits.

[Vayde]

Added it manually to start and no joy. Used Cycrow's 1.42 and installed as archive and all is fine.

[DrBullwinkle]

Used Cycrow's 1.42 and installed as archive and all is fine.

Excellent. That is what I was hoping.

Thanks for the report.

[LarryBurstyn]

I purchased an 10 Upgrade kits in Getsu F. and tried to install...but it did not install a JUMPDRIVE when it install some other stuff. I wanted the Jumpdrive and the other stuff but NONE of the options list a jumpdrive.

[DrBullwinkle]

I wanted the Jumpdrive and the other stuff but NONE of the options list a jumpdrive.

The first menu choice should be for a Jumpdrive kit. Is it not?

I have all kits set up to include Engine Tuning and Rudder Optimization. Also, Jumpdrives are installed with some energy cells.

Jumpdrives can only be installed on ships that are capable of installing a jump drive, of course. Some small ships (and all small ships in XRM) cannot install jump drives (due to ware size limitations of their cargo bays).

So, if you do not see Jumpdrive Kit on the menu, then something is wrong... tell me more.

If you see Jumpdrive Kit but it will not install a jumpdrive, then that is probably due to ware size limitations.

If you can install a Jumpdrive Kit successfully, but do not want Energy Cells or tuning, then modify plugin.deliver.jd.getlists to suit your taste.

Does that help?

[DrBullwinkle]

Updated:

Mobile Mining Mk2 (MM Mk2)
Mobile Mining Mk2
(formerly Mobile Mining for Nividium)

Enhances Mobile Mining in several ways:

• - You can mine Nividium.
  - Ships pause for shield recovery when necessary.
  - Damaged ships go to shipyard or homebase for repairs.

[LarryBurstyn]

I wanted the Jumpdrive and the other stuff but NONE of the options list a jumpdrive.

The first menu choice should be for a Jumpdrive kit. Is it not?

I have all kits set up to include Engine Tuning and Rudder Optimization. Also, Jumpdrives are installed with some energy cells.

Jumpdrives can only be installed on ships that are capable of installing a jump drive, of course. Some small ships (and all small ships in XRM) cannot install jump drives (due to ware size limitations of their cargo bays).

So, if you do not see Jumpdrive Kit on the menu, then something is wrong... tell me more.

If you see Jumpdrive Kit but it will not install a jumpdrive, then that is probably due to ware size limitations.

If you can install a Jumpdrive Kit successfully, but do not want Energy Cells or tuning, then modify plugin.deliver.jd.getlists to suit your taste.

Does that help?

OK, mistake I made...you have to transfer the Upgrade Kits to the ship you want to use them on and use that ships command menu...not my ship command menu with the upgrade kits on my ship (hits head with hand--ow--now I have a headache).

[DrBullwinkle]

[ external image ]


(Just kidding, Larry!)



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[jack775544]

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That usually solves the problem.

[Osiris454]

DrBullwinkle, how about updating Dusty's FCC (Factory Complex Creator)?
I think the 3.2 TC patch broke it somehow. It constantly sounds the collision warning when you un-fix a station and it destroys all 'L' and 'M' sized wares on all the ships in the sector too. Including your own. Even when in development it couldn't move OWPs, or lasertowers until Saetan made a patch for it. The Lasertower and satellite aspect of the mod addon works, but the OWP section does not. This script was a God-send when I was trying to make complexes and I suspect other people use it too.

Also, addon stations don't cause the problem, like the Advanced Complex Hub for instance. It only doesn't like vanilla stations.

Thanks.

[DrBullwinkle]

how about updating Dusty's FCC (Factory Complex Creator)?

Thanks for the suggestion, Osiris!

FCC -- That's the one where you have to map more hotkeys than are available in the game and, when done, leaves you with a complex that still drags down performance as much as a vanilla complex? Sorry. I just don't see it as a true solution to the problem of building complexes.

The best factory-complex solution is to use Complex Cleaner, Tubeless Complex Mod, Advanced Complex-Hub, and modify Globals to allow your Hub to be more than 25 km away from the module container.

That combination is simple, elegant, scalable, and highest-possible performance.

If there were anything that could be added to make the combination better, it would be to improve CC's user interface and package them all in a single installer. If others are interested in that, and if Gazz and Saetan don't want to do it (and give me permission to do it), then I might be persuaded to give it a go. Maybe.

However, CC is easy enough to use after you follow the instructions a couple of times. The other mods just instantly work; there is nothing to do other than install them. (And these are simple mods that do not conflict with anything else -- except for the change to Globals, which is more of a nice-to-have than a requirement.)



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Note to Gazz: Things that would make CC easier for new users:

• - Add a menu instead of making the player guess at, and type, commands.
  - Create helpful "info" explanations of the choices.
  - Add some popup messages to make first-time interactions with CC more clear.
  - Also, the module container looks really cool, but is it necessary? Couldn't another dockless model be used, such as an OWP? Installation and compatibility could be improved if a vanilla model could be used (as an option).

[Osiris454]

how about updating Dusty's FCC (Factory Complex Creator)?

Thanks for the suggestion, Osiris!

FCC -- That's the one where you have to map more hotkeys than are available in the game and, when done, leaves you with a complex that still drags down performance as much as a vanilla complex? Sorry. I just don't see it as a true solution to the problem of building complexes.

If you use the keymap chart that's in the manual, you won't have a problem with the hotkey's.

I use it in conjunction with the Tubeless Complex Mod, and the Advanced Complex-Hub. Most of the FPS issues people have is the complex tubes. The tubes themselves seem to have a negative impact on performance. It's not a true solution to complex's, it just allows you to arrange them in a specified pattern, down to the meter.

I've seen Gazz' Complex Cleaner before, but I didn't like that it condensed an entire complex into one 'box'. It also won't crunch crystal-less SPP's. For truly huge complex's then Gazz' is the way to go, but for small ones or single stations, this really helps. I've made 300+ complex's with this mod before and I've only lost like 1FPS.

[DrBullwinkle]

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I have no doubt that it is possible to make FCC work for some situations. I am just saying that it is not a complete solution, whereas Complex Cleaner is a complete solution. If I am going to spend the time and effort to work on something, I would like the results to be useful to as many people as possible.

The fact that Complex Cleaner puts all factories in a single module is a requirement for large complexes. It is not really something open to opinion or debate. The container module is huge and cool-looking, so think of it as a "feature" rather than as a "workaround for the engine's limitations".

Fly around the module container in a fighter... it is suitably impressive. (Think of it as Borg tech.)

In my experience, crystal-free SPP's don't really work properly anyway (seems to be hard-coded into the game), so you have not lost much. You can, however, make crystal factories that require no food -- that works great (and they crunch fine, too). Also, in my experience, hotkeys and lag are more serious problems than your descriptions.

So you have a choice between a currently-working-and-supported complete solution to the problem (CC), or an unsupported half-way tool that only does part of the job (if it works) but that is not working at all right now (FCC).

That seems like an easy choice to me.

.