[TC - Guide] An Idiots Guide to CLS

[MarvinTheMartian]

At last, a guide for CLS Thank you.
May I add a couple of comments...

First. There's no point in training your CLS pilot. At all. send your ship to the trading station in Heron's Nebula and fire the pilot (trader settings) until you get a Cargo Messenger. You then have a pilot who can use a jump drive etc. in all of two minutes.

Second. Turn training off. That way they don't cost anything while they're training (in case you want a Logistician) when you want them to train up a level, turn training on and they will (almost) instantly level up because it keeps track of experience even when training is off, this saves hundreds of credits sorry, that's the Teladi in me

[Kirlack]

Nice guide. You should submit it to Graphil for inclusion in the Ultimate Guides sticky.

Thanks Nanook, I might just do that

I spy the Goshawk IV... Is this from Peace(s) of Eight by any chance Kir?

Yeah, I couldn't be bothered switching to a different save just to pick up the screenies so I loaded Po8. Didn't save it though, so the DiD isn't affected

There's no point in training your CLS pilot. At all. send your ship to the trading station in Heron's Nebula and fire the pilot (trader settings) until you get a Cargo Messenger.

I did consider putting that in the guide, but the point was to make a guide for those who just don't understand CLS. I didn't want to over complicate it with consta-hiring/firing, which is kind of an exploit in my opinion.

When I posted the guide to Roguey's website I was more or less instantly asked if I'd do one on CAG, so I'll explore that at some point over the weekend

[ConCorDian]

CAG would be nice, ive got CLS more or less licked to the stage that i can use it for everything i need to use it for. but i have litterally spent 5-10 mins on CAG and said bugger it, i didnt need to due to the way i use traders... but if you could write a CAG system similar to your CLS tutorial i would probably give it a go...

[Snafu_X3]

CAG would be nice, ive got CLS more or less licked to the stage that i can use it for everything i need to use it for. but i have litterally spent 5-10 mins on CAG and said bugger it, i didnt need to due to the way i use traders...

CAG is pretty simple (but I would say that, wouldn't I?)

Assign your CAG to a station you own (ie homebase it)
If this station is self-supporting the new CAG will not do anything; assign it elsewhere
Select 'run CAG' or whatever from the command screen; given its rank limitations it should do what you want (ie supply & sell its homebase products)

It won't use a jumpdrive until trained to L5 (IIRC), after that it should use one automatically. It /won't/ buy itself a jumpdrive automatically at (or above) a certain level, unlike Mk3 traders (who will buy one at or about L11) - you have to do that bit. If supplied with the appropriate s/w it /will/ go & buy drones etc automatically (unless already carrying them)

More details best pursued in a separate thread, I think..

[I understand your frustration: CLS2 was easy, but I'm still yet to master CLS1.. it makes no sense to me]

[Ketraar]

X3TC Walkthrough Video Tutorial Series by CdrDave
19a-c are about CAG/CLS maybe add the link to this guide as visual aid? In any case its a pretty useful guide for both info and reference.

MFG

Ketraar

[Kirlack]

I'm intending to write both a CLS1 guide and one for CAG, but I need to do some research and play with the various settings involved first. I'm kinda busy with RL and writing my DiD lately though, so it'll be case of when I have time.

[prastagus2]

CLS is great for HQ ship construction.
CAG sounds great but often time it idles and only selling one product at a time when it does move.

I also have question. If filght time is needed for experience of CLS/CAG, then wouldn't slow ship be better as a trainer since it'll spend more time in flight? Also wouldn't it be better if it only fly to one station a few sectors away instead of 4 stations?

[Kirlack]

If filght time is needed for experience of CLS/CAG, then wouldn't slow ship be better as a trainer since it'll spend more time in flight? Also wouldn't it be better if it only fly to one station a few sectors away instead of 4 stations?

Yep, and that's something that Nanook and Morkonan both mentioned on the first page of the thread. I've never done it that way as I already know my method works, but you're all quite right, slower ships with longer flights will train your pilots faster.

Let's say you built a factory in Cloud Base South East. You could set your four waypoints as the Trading Stations in Antigone Memorial, Three Worlds, Cloud Base South West and your own station (or the FATS) in CBSE, and send a Mercury or something even slower. A couple of rotations of that route should be enough to get your pilot's level up, maybe even enough to reach Logistician.

[jelf]

Thank you very much. This is a great guide.

[Scion Drakhar]

Thanks Kirlack. I've been using CLS for some time now and this guide showed me several ways to get more out of it. Well done.

[GlassDeviant]

An 'Idiots' Illustrated Guide to CLS Training and Usage [TC]

So you want to set up some CLS pilots, but you're not quite sure how they work? Have no fear! This guide should cover everything you need to know.

No offense, but you fail in your purpose from the get-go.

1) CLS is jargon, therefore you must define CLS first thing.

2) Next you need to state what version of X3, and what mods (if any) and versions of them are needed.

[Nanook]

If you read beyond the first few lines, you see that CLS means Commodity Logistics Software. And if you read the thread title, you see 'TC'.

Oh, and if you need to know any more of the game's acronym's, check out the FAQ link in my signature.

Finally, being harsh towards someone who's contributed their free time to produce a useful guide like this isn't going to endear you to most of the forum members here.

[GlassDeviant]

If you read beyond the first few lines, you see that CLS means Commodity Logistics Software. And if you read the thread title, you see 'TC'.

Oh, and if you need to know any more of the game's acronym's, check out the FAQ link in my signature.

Finally, being harsh towards someone who's contributed their free time to produce a useful guide like this isn't going to endear you to most of the forum members here.

CLS equalling Commodity Logistics Software, though likely in the context, isn't a given, and for someone new to the game, i.e.: someone who really needs an "idiots guide", spelling things like this out is, if not mandatory, at least a good suggestion (which is why in the "idiots guide" book series this is done extensively).

As for "being harsh", you are entitled to your opinion. I took my time to provide constructive criticism to improve a good guide, and you were no more or less "harsh" towards me.

[Kirlack]

Thanks Nanook

The guide was originally written for a friend who needed some help with CLS, it was actually him that suggested I post it for everyone So I just copy/pasted the bulk of it and touched it up here and there. I'll admit, there are things that could be clearer, but I assume everyone has at least some experience with both the game and the CLS software in order to come looking here

[GlassDeviant]

TBH no, I personally have been playing for only a few days now and only just stumbled on this thread. Perhaps I am the only such person in the entire world, but I would not seriously think that.

[Nanook]

...
As for "being harsh", you are entitled to your opinion. I took my time to provide constructive criticism to improve a good guide, and you were no more or less "harsh" towards me.

When you tell someone "you fail in your purpose from the get-go", that isn't constructive criticism, it's being harsh. It creates the tone for the rest of your post. Note that my response was just the opposite, friendly advice and information in the first two lines, with a bit of a warning in the third. I'd hardly consider that 'harsh', more like trying to keep the peace, which is part of my job as a moderator.

[GlassDeviant]

You are entitled to your opinion of course, but the fact is that you start a primer with fundamentals, before launching into the meat of the article.

As it stands, it is more of an intermediate guide.

[JellybeanTiger]

An idiot's guide then you post 500 things and confuse the hell out of me for one lol.
Noone I guess knows how an idiot's brain works.

That's one thing an intelligent person will never know because they've never been there!

[Morkonan]

An idiot's guide then you post 500 things and confuse the hell out of me for one lol....

I know it all sounds very complicated. But, once you get the hang of it and get some practical experience with it, it gets much easier to understand. Weaving all the various commands together can really become a sort of art form. The beautiful thing is that with such a varied and flexible command set, you can invent many different ways to handle the same situation and in a well developed game, you might use them all. Or, you might just decide to use them in a highly convoluted way, just for fun, sort of like building a mousetrap out of battleships and bailing wire.

That being said, even experienced players come to the forums and end up learning something new, even after years of play. Though, "not knowing" the little new things they pick up didn't harm their enjoyment of the game, it just refreshes it.

[Nanook]

You are entitled to your opinion of course, but the fact is that you start a primer with fundamentals, before launching into the meat of the article.

As it stands, it is more of an intermediate guide.

An idiot's guide then you post 500 things and confuse the hell out of me for one lol.
Noone I guess knows how an idiot's brain works.

That's one thing an intelligent person will never know because they've never been there!

I think you're both missing the salient point here. This guide is NOT about the basics of using a CLS pilot. It's about a method used to train them ahead of time, rather than on the job, and then effective ways of using those trained pilots. And as such, the reader is assumed to have some familiarity with the workings of Commodity Logistics Software, assuming they've read the readme that comes with the Bonus Pack when they install it.

So give the OP a break, will ya'? Being overly critical of someone who gives up their free time to produce something useful to others tends to make them not want to bother anymore, and tends to discourage other players from sharing their knowledge.