Why does station builder place modules BEHIND the camera?

[LameFox]

Is it a bug? It comes up a lot when copying and pasting, maybe from specific directions but I'm not really sure.

I can't think of a single time I have ever found this useful.

[vvvvvvvv]

Is it a bug? It comes up a lot when copying and pasting, maybe from specific directions but I'm not really sure.

I can't think of a single time I have ever found this useful.

It is a bug. Long standing and unaddressed.

[LameFox]

Well, that's annoying but not surprising. I'd report it but all I could really say is "build a station for a while and it will happen", since the station builder is not really conducive to reproduction in saves.

[vvvvvvvv]

Well, that's annoying but not surprising. I'd report it but all I could really say is "build a station for a while and it will happen", since the station builder is not really conducive to reproduction in saves.

You could record a video and upload a station blueprint. Also, when you duplicate a module it spawns at camera position, which becomes visible when you press Ctrl. Also extremely annoying. You could also upload save game for architect mode.

[LameFox]

Maybe, but I'm not sure how reliably it replicates if you just open a station plan where it happened before. I'll have to keep a lookout for any particular pattern that causes it.

[vvvvvvvv]

Maybe, but I'm not sure how reliably it replicates if you just open a station plan where it happened before. I'll have to keep a lookout for any particular pattern that causes it.

Things tend to spawn behind camera when you look at the station from above, zoomed in, and often when there is something above/behind the camera.

[alt3rn1ty]

Yeah I always get this when I have zoomed in a couple of times with the mouse wheel, right click a module and choose copy .. The copy now following the mouse position is behind the camera. If I now use the mouse wheel at this time to zoom out further than I zoomed in, the module comes up in front of the camera to place, but having zoomed out further, I cant really place it as its out of bounds of the buildable area. So you then have to figure out how to move the camera to a position where the module is back in bounds again before placing it and then further moving it into position where you want it.

Pain in the butt, I usually choose custom Loadout for station turrets. Set one defence module in place, then right click and edit all the turrets I want, then need to copy and place the configured defence module .. Which is then really awkward because of this bug .. but its better than reconfiguring individually multiple defence modules.

Wish they would fix it.

Does anyone know if there were any bug reports made in either beta forum or the Tech forum regarding this?

[LameFox]

I haven't seen it come up recently, although as old as it is maybe at some point.

[vvvvvvvv]

Yeah I always get this when I have zoomed in a couple of times with the mouse wheel, right click a module and choose copy .. The copy now following the mouse position is behind the camera. If I now use the mouse wheel at this time to zoom out further than I zoomed in, the module comes up in front of the camera to place, but having zoomed out further, I cant really place it as its out of bounds of the buildable area. So you then have to figure out how to move the camera to a position where the module is back in bounds again before placing it and then further moving it into position where you want it.

Pain in the butt, I usually choose custom Loadout for station turrets. Set one defence module in place, then right click and edit all the turrets I want, then need to copy and place the configured defence module .. Which is then really awkward because of this bug .. but its better than reconfiguring individually multiple defence modules.

Wish they would fix it.

Does anyone know if there were any bug reports made in either beta forum or the Tech forum regarding this?

I don't recall anything regarding builder in beta. I'd expect i to be unchanged. Basically I gave up on this being fixed at some point an began building in a way where I'm less likely to experience this problem.

[Baconnaise]

Is it a bug? It comes up a lot when copying and pasting, maybe from specific directions but I'm not really sure.

I can't think of a single time I have ever found this useful.

It is a bug. Long standing and unaddressed.

Yea still happens all the time.

[alt3rn1ty]

I'll put a report together later when I get home, see if it gets acknowledged or at least "yeah we know".
Its bugged me far too long

[vvvvvvvv]

I'll put a report together later when I get home, see if it gets acknowledged or at least "yeah we know".
Its bugged me far too long

Reports tend to be processed in silent fashion unless save file expires.

I recommend to make a save in architect mode. They should be fairly lightweight too.

Also...

Here's a decent testbed for builder bugs.

https://pastebin.com/JY3e9RRT

[alt3rn1ty]

Oh, thanks many v's, but I already used my station and steps to repro before seeing your post.

Report is here viewtopic.php?p=5270285#p5270285

[Caedes91]

If you aske me, it seems very clear, that Egosoft doesn't care at all about station building in X4. This shows in their negligence for it since release. So I guess, that your report will amount to nothing or even get a response.
It saddens me, that they put so no effort at all into this mode, especially, since it is of this game's unique selling point. Whenever I start the game, I do nothing, but creating new complexes, while my empire is running in the background. Unfortunately, this is why I also get frustrated most of my playtime. Year for year I wait for patches or DLC and then comb the patch-notes for any mention of the station planner. Every year I get disappointed again. Yeah, back in 5.0 they changed the color for the transparent modules in station planner, but that's hardly worth anything. It doesn't improve anything, just looks a bit different, that's all.
Especially, when they take so long for patches in the first place. This also applies to other grievous bugs, which they just hold back on fixing until the release of their yearly major patch, instead of releasing a quick hotfix.

Maybe they just assume, that most of the players never seriously deal with station building outside of very basic or at most, only build stations for plots and missions and then never touch it again. Or they think, that the players are content with just the shuffle button instead.

The indifference also shows in the copy-paste production modules for all races, among other issues of course. This could have been fixed already in the 5+ years of DLC and major patches since this games release. What we got instead was 2 or three new modules and that's it. The one for one reused assets especially look out of place for the Boron DLC.
They pretend, that you can't cross equip Boron ship modules on other ships because of the Borons' "radically" different water-based tech, but the Boron somehow use basegame Commonwealth production modules on their stations just fine.

I myself have asked at least two times for simple Qol improvements for the station planner: viewtopic.php?p=5263945#p5263945
Never got any response from them. The radio silence in combination with the complete lack of any mention for this mode in their roadmap for the following years, leave me with no hope.

[alt3rn1ty]

If you aske me, it seems very clear, that Egosoft doesn't care at all about station building in X4. This shows in their negligence for it since release. So I guess, that your report will amount to nothing or even get a response.~

I have faith in them.

So long as you stick by the rules in bug reports (ie dont present a list of issues, just one issue, and provide all the steps to repro that individual problem, and provide files they need to see it happen in your machine spec case). They sometimes take ages but eventually get round to looking at them.

It could also be a priorities thing, that the station UI is taking a back seat for a while, and the small team of devs are concentrating on other aspects. But yes, waiting years for Egosoft to get round to some issues is par for the course. Its very rare they miss something in my experience, but also a new factor is the overwhelming amount of reports/feedback they get these days as a result of increased popularity.

With past X series games they have always come through with the polish to everything in the closing stages of development, and then gone one step further by allowing the community to add to it (X2 had the best of the Modding communities scripts signed in a Bonus download, X3TC/AP became X3 Farnhams Legacy).

X4 is far more complex than all previous games in the series from the Devs pov, and so it stands to reason the development period is much longer. Before they produced the new Roadmap I thought they would be getting close to finishing about now, but that extended roadmap really surprised me. So I now expect the winding down maybe to be next year sometime, could be later. I think we have at least 2-3 more beta stages to go through, and if you have a look at the now closed Beta forum, you will see many issues still being worked on with the Devs wrapping them up, which will all be in the next beta.

[Virtualaughing]

Is it a bug? It comes up a lot when copying and pasting, maybe from specific directions but I'm not really sure.

I can't think of a single time I have ever found this useful.

We not supposed to have a huge mega complex. I see this type of highly annoying "bug" happening if you are too close/zoomed in or the copied piece has too many place to go at once. You can still change your POV and retry form the copy part.

[LameFox]

I don't build megastations tbh. QUE have some that are bigger than what I build. It just manages to pop up and bug me anyway.

[alt3rn1ty]

We not supposed to have a huge mega complex.~

I agree with Lamefox, you dont need a mega complex for this to happen, I see the problem a lot no matter what I am editing, the station editor is where I spend around 30% of my time when playing X4.

The game allows us to use the space in a Plot up to 10x10x10. Egosoft have given us that ability by design, and I dont use the allow overlaps setting. So we are "supposed" to be able to use that amount of space for a station build .. I never build anything too big because on my laptop it can easily be floored in performance by my actions.

[Virtualaughing]

We not supposed to have a huge mega complex.~

I agree with Lamefox, you dont need a mega complex for this to happen, I see the problem a lot no matter what I am editing, the station editor is where I spend around 30% of my time when playing X4.

Yeah I can see that but they had to re do the builder for example when all the points where you was able to attach things lighted up. Causing extreme drain. Some modules are totally crazy looking they not even look like actual "boxes" to place them on each other. OFC all of this is speculation. I can't begin to understand how hard can be to design this "semi" aid and not to aid too much approach. Distance for attachment settings and what not. How the game supposed to guess properly what are your intentions. That is why I mentioned different zoom levels and POVs. The game react very well if the viewing angle is well thoughtful from our side.

But I'm a megalomaniac in here and I also want to do compact factories. There are so many design choices which suggest a cityscape approach and not solely an efficient one. Even the newest modules seemingly support my point.
My PHQ is on the builder forum somewhere. Worth more than 1000 words.