Here's another bonus script for your enjoyment, available in the bonus package.
This script has been beta tested by the community for some time, so a link to the beta discussion is provided here
Scripter: Moggy2
from the readme:
readme wrote: Description:
The Manual Trade Commands(MTC), by Xai Corporation, provides 3 trade commands to facilitate easier control of remote trading ships.
The Commands are provided by the Trading System Extension and Trade Software MK1, so each ship you want to run the commands on requires one of these. In addition the best sell and best buy commands require the Best Selling Price Locator and Best Price Locator respectively.
The MTC is similar to the Trade Command Software Mk3 in that it does not operate out of a Homebase, however, the MTC has no "brains" of it's own. It relies on you to make any decisions on what to trade.
The Commands:
1. Manual Trade Run
- Select the ware and station to purchase at, then select the station to sell at.
- The ship will complete the run once.
- The ship will not complete the sale if it cannot make a profit.
- requires the Trading System Extension
2. Best Buy
- Select a ware from a station's list, and enter the maximum number of sectors to travel.
- The ship will buy that ware for the best price found in range.
- requires the ship have a Trading System Extension and Best Buys Locator
3. Best Sell
- Select a ware from the ship's cargohold, and enter the maximum number of sectors to travel.
- The ship will sell the ware for the best price possible in range.
- requires the ship have a Trading System Extension and Best Selling Price Locator
Error Handling:
If an MTC command encounters a problem it will contact you, then land the ship at the nearest possible station and wait for you to sort out the problem.
Unlike many more advanced scripts, it has no ability to correct for a problem, indeed it has very little brains aside from what it requires to perform the commands. That is left for you to provide.
Friend/Foe Settings:
The MTC commands are sensitive to the ship's Friend/Foe settings. It will refuse to trade at Argon stations if the ship has the Argon set as an Enemy, for example.
Tips:
1. Provide the ship with a jumpdrive and enough energy cells and the ship will use the jumpdrive for journeys over 2 sector.
2. Navigation Relay Satellites in sectors will allow the ship to check prices in remote sectors, that have no other player property, when using the Best Buy and Best Sell Commands
3. The keywords for this script are "no brains". It does next to no thinking, just does what you tell it. If it has a problem, it will tell you and set the ship down at the nearest station to wait for help.
Inspiration:
The spotlights illuminating the docking tubes glinted off the mercury's hull as it travelled on autopilot towards the docking bays. The dock workers at the cattle ranch put down their cards and readied themselves for loading duties as the mercury slowed to a stop in it's allotted bay. They waited as the docking clamps engaged, and waited...and waited... Slowly the dock workers drifted back to what they were doing before, and waited.
Hours passed, the mercury stayed, immobile in it's docking bay. No signs of life aboard. The dock workers waited.
The spotlights brightened the mottled skin of the dolphin as it passed through the docking tubes, legs waving in the nothingness, quite literally a fish out of water. The dock workers busied themselves loading the dolphin with all their stock, as the mercury sat lifeless in the next bay. The dolphin departed, the cattle ranch devoid of stock.
Not long after the mercury left it's moorings and drifted silently out of the station. "Bet that pilot feels stupid, missing an opportunity like that." muttered Ban Gardner. "Probably not the first time he's forgotten one of his ships." commented another worker, "More money than brains some of those freighter pilots. What they need is some kind of automatic purchase system."
![[ external image ]](http://xai-corp.net/files/xai-corp.jpg){kind=link}