Arcen Games

Other => Off Topic => : Spikey00 March 22, 2010, 02:54:29 PM

: X3 - Terran Conflict - Questions for Intermediates
: Spikey00 March 22, 2010, 02:54:29 PM
I've played this game in the past, only to have utterly uninstalled it at first sight, despite the forewarnings that this game would have a huge curve in the difficulty level on both gameplay and learning with regards to the basics of the universe.  I've again, with a huge wall of resistance to hopelessness, decided to give the game another chance (after being utterly destroyed a couple of times by my autopilot and sudden warps of several capital ships with many fighter escorts...).

I've come here to ask if anyone has played this game, and to receive answers on the following select questions:

a) I'm confused on how to control freighters automatically--I already have three and a hundred thousand in credits, and I want to know how do you automate freighters so that they trade without your need of macro?  I have tried using the manual trade run; however, the ship stops when it delivers its cargo once, unlike what the dialog for "indefinite" run says.  Is this the correct way to do it, or do I have to buy some other component for my freighter (I've heard MK3 software does this).

i) As another side question, what should I outfit my freighters?  For the moment, I've equipped them with all the trade/etc. components that I have, but so far I have not found the best buy/best sell module, that of which I assume automates trade?  While I wait for an answer, I'm at the moment manually doing all the trading interactions, and having the trade software allows me to see the prices when I'm not in the same sector as my freighters (does this matter?  Should I equip my ship only, and will it show prices then?)

b) When a module has different MK, is it to any benefit that I purchase lower tiers?  ie. Trade Command MK2, should I also purchase MK1?

c) How do you "upgrade" shields?  Do you just buy more, and where do you see what shields are compatible with what?

This will suffice for now--thank you in advance.
: Re: X3 - Terran Conflict - Questions for Intermediates
: Lancefighter March 22, 2010, 04:22:46 PM
a) pick up a 'trade command mk3' from home of light (terracorp), or teladi equipment docks, run 'solarsystem trader' till level 10, then 'universe trader'
ai) As many 25mj shields as possible(more later), NO GUNS, trade 1+2+3, trading system extension, fight 1+2, nav 1, jumpdrive. Only the playership needs a trading system extension (unless! you are using CLS/CAG, in which they need it to level up)

b) each item actually has its own set of commands it gives - yes, you need them all, excepting some cases (for instance, you only /need/ trade 3 in the above scenario... )

c) shields are mentioned in the ships info page (click i with a ship selected, even in Shipyards). Down near the guns (i think right above), it says 'max shields: 3x 25mj' or similar. The ship will fit any shield 25mj or smaller, (including 1mj, 5mj, 25mj, in the example).
: Re: X3 - Terran Conflict - Questions for Intermediates
: Rod Serling March 22, 2010, 05:53:03 PM
I never personally use best buy/best sell, it just tells you the lowest prices to buy stuff, and the highest prices to sell stuff in a given sector.

I usually find a profitable route, and exploit that with manually commanded (Dock at...) freighters while I scout/find another good route to exploit, until I have enough money to upgrade my freighters to TCS Mark 3

I usually get 3 Regular Mercury Freighters fully fitted with 75 MJ Shields, and all the software works, and a gun (though, the guns can often cause alot more trouble than they are worth, at best, they can kill a few weaker pirates while the jump drive charges up, but sometimes that's the difference between replacing a level 10 CAG + ship/works, and simply a large repair bill)

Look into some of the extra trade software suites in the official community.

Economy Supply Trader - It's barred from the official game because in conjuncture with a player, it can unbalance the economy.
http://forum.egosoft.com/viewtopic.php?t=222408

(It unbalances the economy, because it's so efficient, that eventually, nobody will really be able to compete with you)
: Re: X3 - Terran Conflict - Questions for Intermediates
: Spikey00 March 23, 2010, 11:30:25 AM
Thanks Lancefighter and Rod for your help.

So I now have 500K of credits (after two days, in comparison to instant rage via death) along with some M4 escorts--what would be the best move now?  I'm thinking about a factory, but would that be an effective decision?  I currently only have explored some Terran space and Argon, as I started as a Argon Patriot quickstart--so if I should go for a factory, what should it be, and where should I construct it (and how)?

Are factories automagic, ie. little player management? 


Thanks again.
: Re: X3 - Terran Conflict - Questions for Intermediates
: Lancefighter March 23, 2010, 12:14:51 PM
it depends - are you a trader or a fighter? In my games, I almost always spend my beginning money upgrading my personal ship to a m3 and proper guns before I do most anything else.

A trader might prefer to pick up some trade software mk3 (each one is 500k!) and set it working someplace.

as for a builder.. eh well, 500k isnt really much in the grand scheme of things.. i mean you might be able to pick up a silicon mine..

as for the how of station building - you need something with a ton of cargo space.. A TL. Usually you can find 'supply' TLs in core systems sitting around.. comm one and be like 'oh hai. Wanna haul shit for me?' and he will be like 'yeah but it will cost you' and then you can kinda order it around similar to any other asset.

and um lastly, you mention escorts.. Uh I am going to assume here you havent met the autopillok very much. Yousee. Autopilot is stupid. Incredibly so. Wingmen tend to die .. ... .. by crashing into things.

Oh yeah, and about factories - its fairly simple. They have their own wallet, and they buy resources and sell products. If the price is lucrative enough, npcs will travel to your factory to buy/sell stuff. If its not, youll need your own traders to do it for you..(this is where CAGs come in). Well, its not really micromanageyy, but it requires a bit of setup and then usually works fine.
: Re: X3 - Terran Conflict - Questions for Intermediates
: Spikey00 March 23, 2010, 10:16:29 PM
I decided to purchase a wheat farm and constructed it within Omicron Lyrae--however, I still have a few issues that I have yet to understand:

a)  How do I have my freighters provide and transport for my factory automatically?  I've attempted to assign them it as their home, and I've done manual trade runs (and the loop stops whenever they "lose" a profit when selling it back to the wheat farm).  I'm therefore confused on what the "maximum jumps" in the wheat farm info parameter is for.
b)  Lowest and highest selling points for input and output materials--can this be elaborated as in what is a effective threshold, ie. should I have the prices set to the average of what it tells me?
c)  Should I worry for my factory, as in protection against enemies, or do I need not worry about that early in the game (and since Omicron is a "core" world)?
d)  Any other tips you can offer me with regards to factories.

--

Luckily I haven't experienced any problems with wingmen following/protecting me--perhaps it's due to my small size of escort (only two ships now) or sheer luck.

--

As a side question, is there any other method to repair ships for free, besides doing the strenuous "jump out, repair ray, jump in" loop, or some way to upgrade the repair speed?  Anything?


Thanks a lot for the information you've provided so far.
: Re: X3 - Terran Conflict - Questions for Intermediates
: Lancefighter March 23, 2010, 11:59:28 PM
Wheat farm? Eh not horrible. Wheat isnt a primary foodstuff for the argon.. >.>
a)uh. trade command 1+2, trade -> buy ware for best price will work
b)With a single factory, on the page where you play with the prices it shows you how much the final product costs to make. As you move the e-cell price around, the wheat price (in [ ] below the price you set i think) shows how much one unit costs to make. Generally you can buy e-cells around 14ish relatively easily, (12 being the min), and then sell flowers around median price

c) omicron lyrae is 'safe' as far as pirates go, you can generally ignore it and it will make money if you have it setup right
d) sure, dont make space fuel in argon sectors :p

As for the wingmen, you are INCREDIBLY lucky, or you just dont use seta (it helps, but decreases the luck youll need)

Yeah, sure, if you just write a script to repair ships for you.. :rolleyes: do it the long way or pay a shipyard to do it. Be lucky you CAN repair ships. Every other game has a pretty harsh repair cost at a SY, and no free method.
: Re: X3 - Terran Conflict - Questions for Intermediates
: Spikey00 March 24, 2010, 04:17:11 PM
Well, my rationale was that there were two Cahoona Bakeries that were low in supply of wheat, so I assumed it would be a decent investment because the wheat farm itself wasn't too expensive.  I'll try the "buy ware for best price" option--thanks!

Oh, I always use SETA, rofl.  The wingmen seem to be spread out from one another, and don't come too close to my ship to crash into it.  When I move towards a structure, they seem to stay a safe distance away from actual collision, and dock safely. 

Say, is there a 100% defense against missiles?  Most of the time I can shoot them down, but for instance when I was engaging a Xenon corvette, it turned to face me from a couple hundred meters away while I was dogfighting and of course it launched a missile, and I was cuddly hugged .  I understand that turrets complete this sort of task, but I'm finding it ineffective (or at least since I installed a PAC on my only back turret that I assume does not have a firing arc at the front) and I doubt it would have destroyed it anyways since the missile pretty much insta-killed me from that distance.

--

So... Xenon ships "bail"?  I had one M do so before I was destroyed by the aforementioned corvette.  Seems interesting.
: Re: X3 - Terran Conflict - Questions for Intermediates
: Lancefighter March 24, 2010, 05:29:23 PM
Damn you have been lucky. I usually find it about a 50/50 chance if a wingman of mine will crash and burn.. on a stationary object.


As for missile defense, there is ... in one of the bonus packs somewhere, there is an addon by the name of missile defense mosquito. Basically, your ship will automagically shoot mosquitoes at any inbound missile.

Of course, that requires you carry dozens of mosquitoes on board at all times.. which is less than ideal once you invent the jumpdrive.

Otherwise, theres always a rear turret, the elite should have one.. put an ire in it (if you can stand their noise.. i HATE the ire with a passion. Too loud) and set it to missiles only.
Also, get some 25mj shields on the elite, I'm fairly sure you only start with 5mj's.
: Re: X3 - Terran Conflict - Questions for Intermediates
: Spikey00 March 25, 2010, 03:34:04 PM
I now only have a single wingman, but two M3s stocked away because I have yet to find enough weapons for them to use--I have them equipped with shields already.  However, I haven't seen another equipment dock/etc. that sells PACs--is there a particular race or sector that has an abundance of weapons production near Omicron Lyrae (I'm in Teladi space for the moment though)?

Thanks again.
: Re: X3 - Terran Conflict - Questions for Intermediates
: Lancefighter March 25, 2010, 07:18:47 PM
If i remember properly, teladi space is a great place to pick up EBC's (energy bolt chainguns), which are awesome because they run off ammo and use less space than hept (hept=6, ebc=1, ammo=1... for 8 guns, you carry 8 ebc and 40 ammo and break even) over by that xenon sector east and a bit south of Omycron lyrae is where I usually pick up mine. There should be some up in Siezewell as well.

If your looking for PACs, then argon small weapons forges should stock them (along with ire and prg.. prg being superior for more cost) If you go to your encyclopedia, (hit enter, the top icon, then other at the bottom, encyclopedia should be the first entry there) you can pick a weapon and see all stations that trade in that weapon
: Re: X3 - Terran Conflict - Questions for Intermediates
: Spikey00 March 25, 2010, 10:04:37 PM
Ah, I found a small weapon forge at Wasteland--my only question now regards the AI with multiple types of weapons--are they efficient with varying weapon ranges and velocities, or is it best to equip them with only one type of weapon?  This is for fighters.
: Re: X3 - Terran Conflict - Questions for Intermediates
: Lancefighter March 25, 2010, 10:49:17 PM
generally you want to give your wingmen with something fast (they arent great at knowing /when/ to shoot, for them as long as they are pointed at their target they will shoot), and not too energy-eating. Like i said above, Phased repeater guns are good for that, and are about superior to most other fighter weapons
finally..
never give wingmen missiles unless they are small and low yield. If you have ever used missiles, youll know that half the time it just blows up in your face. I really have yet to see a wingman of mine use missiles properly.. Just leave them with wasp or dragonflies..
: Re: X3 - Terran Conflict - Questions for Intermediates
: Spikey00 March 26, 2010, 11:53:00 AM
I seem to miss more frequently myself with PRGs [than weapons such as PACs since I burst fire], but I'm assuming the AI can consistently hit enemies with it.  However, how many should I equip each fighter?  I have a Xenon L with only two PRGs, so should I provide it with more?

Yes... I've noticed in several occasions where my wingman would destroy themselves with missiles [and thus me having to reload the save], as I had them previously pick up wares.  I'm assuming there's no way to have them default at zero percent for firing missiles?

--

Great--some more new questions (sorry):
1)  If I deploy a new type of factory in a local area that doesn't already have a market for it, ie. something that isn't seen being sold at a trading station, will it be of any use, or can I still sell products that it makes to the trading station/etc. for profit?  Does it work similar to the way when you sell a ship to a shipyard that doesn't sell that type of ship, or is it different for goods?

2)  I see that you mention "jump drives"--I can assume they instantly teleport you to where you want to be--where are they sold?  Actually, doesn't Terran space sell them?  How many ecells do I need on an average distance, and does it only transport my ship, or ships that have a jump drive (if not, then would the AI automatically jump to my location, or would it manually travel to my area)? 

3)  I occasionally see the communication option for "help, I'm under attack/etc" when my ship receives damage for a short duration.  Does this actually do anything, or is it impractical/useless?

4)  Is it safe to have fighter escorts for trading convoys (because I have a Falcon that's a bit too slow after tweaking and thinking about equipping a Pelican with MK3 TC)?  Do they make a mess of themselves, or should I just have it travel alone?  Should I position the Pelican to trade in Omicron Lyrae, and for future reference, what's the rationale behind equipping it with no weapons (not even an IRE for missile defense)?  Does it change the AI logic?

5)  How does the complex construction work--if I don't have a TL and I buy this from a shipyard, will it only be available for me when I use that TL?

6)  I'm caught in a confusion at the moment:  fighters whom I assigned to protect me don't seem to be doing their job very well.  A lot of the time they seem to sit around--but if I order them to "attack all enemies", they often rush to their destruction without backup/bait, but do more combat-wise (or so I believe).  What's the best stance for AI wingmen?

--

Thanks again Lancefighter for all the help you've provided so far--I hope it hasn't been of too much inconvenience.
: Re: X3 - Terran Conflict - Questions for Intermediates
: Velox March 26, 2010, 02:26:35 PM

     This sounds like a fascinating game that I would absolutely love to play... except that about half of the discussion has been about mitigating the worse-than-useless AI.  It's tragic, really.
: Re: X3 - Terran Conflict - Questions for Intermediates
: Spikey00 March 26, 2010, 04:13:42 PM
I've had only a few major problems with the AI (I now have a few M3 fighters), and even so, some are avoidable.  The game itself is quite a masterful, complexed sandbox that I still find enjoyable after being destroyed nearly a hundred times--if you have an interest in it, it's only $20 on Steam, and the TAGES DRM was removed in the latest patch.

--

Say, why can't I see the turret missile defense for my wingmen?  Do they need a module for it, and does the turret do anything [useful] when set in "none" mode?



EDIT:  Where can astronauts be 'sold'?
: Re: X3 - Terran Conflict - Questions for Intermediates
: eRe4s3r March 26, 2010, 04:34:02 PM
If you have mars defense system installed you just need the mars package and set the turrets to missile/defense (it will still shoot at stuff, but when missiles are there it'll shoot at those with priority)

But the game does have a lot other problems i stopped at 120.000.000 credits in a argon battlecruiser fully equipped with a huge complex, at that point you have to fight with the fleet ai which is atrocious (part of the reason you as player always win is that the ai uses the same ai your wingmen use) . which is fine in dogfights as long as you are the one dogfighting, but if you sit in a battlecruiser its quite depressing seeing how good fighters aren't exactly cheap...
: Re: X3 - Terran Conflict - Questions for Intermediates
: Lancefighter March 26, 2010, 10:03:30 PM

sorry was a tad late answering, lets get to it:

Guns - eh Full rack of PRG is usually the idea. If you are rolling in enough money by now, and the ships can fit them, pulsed beam emitters are awesome for ai - virtually no flight time on the projectile means it hits rather often. If your computer is having staggering issues in combat (slideshow stuff) then its performance degrades however.

Factories - If nobody is buying a ware, nobody buys it.. end of :p Equipment docks act as a 'sink' for weapons, shields, and missiles however - you can always SELL any type of those to an equipment dock, where it dissapears forever.

Jumpdrives - its a ship extension sold at home of light (terracorp, again), or in .. legends home (otas), or at.. One of those boron systems in the south east (another hq building). Terrans sell them, but only after you finish their plot.
It jumps you to any *gate* that you have enough e-cells to get to, cost being 5/sector for fighter, 10/sector for freighter(i think) and 20/sector anything bigger. Any units following you with a jumpdrive and enough e-cells will make the jump as well. Yay micromanagment.

'help' I believe if you convo a carrier of some sort or other military craft and ask for help *and if they have no other orders* they might help you. Maybe.
I'm usually too busy blowing stuff up..

convoy escorts - ... uh. Pelican is a TM, right? It has hangars.. If a unit is set to protect, it will launch and pewpew stuff that attacks the leader. I would .. er ... Ignore this option - generally out of sector fighting gets your ships killed.

Complex construction.. heh. If you have two factories, you can connect them with a 3rd factory 'complex construction kit'. Basically you build it the same way, but you select your two factories and then place a 'hub', where stuff docks at. They essentially become the same factory with multiple production lines..

Wingmen - The best stance for AI wingmen is 'dock at nearest station'. (maybe youve noticed,..) If Protect me only works AFTER you get HIT. Otherwise, attack my target might work better. Protect me works once you have a carrier of some sort that is both incredibly slow and crappy at dodging shots..

@velox: Yeah, its an awesome game.. If you get past the fact that the autopilot is suicidal... *sigh* its as good as can be expected really. Anything better and it becomed hellova cpu drag.. More than it already is..

Missile defense? huh? oh.. Believe it or not, usually the focus of a hostile attack, even with multiple ships, is you. You are the aggressor, and they focus on you.. Your wingmen usually are busy shooting stuff and colliding with stations to be annoying really. Anyway - The hostiles are shooting you, not your wingmen. So thye dont have a problem with missiles.. And when the turret is set to 'none', that literally means 'sit there uselessly'.  You need fight 1&2 for missile defense i believe

Astronauts.. heh. Bring them to your local pirate station. GO to your command console, under piracy? and select enslave passengers or something. THen sell them as slaves.

MARS is nice and all, and I quite swear by it, but its annoying as hell when your trying to pod-board hostile ships. missiles are COMPLETELY USELESS against a target with mars+goblins. Its annoying as hell. Thus, I had to turn it off for the ai.. poor things...

Yeah, a lot of the game is balanced around the stage from fighter -> m7. Largely a player in an m7 is 'the endgame', as .. well, strafe... *sigh* Unfortunately, the strafe drive is also the only thing that lets the player compete beyond his level - I once, mistakenly, let the AI have beam weapons. Instant-hit, beam weapons. Thus, ... ... ... strafe drive was useless suddenly. So.. well.. it wasnt worth it. It was balanced so that fighters could still work fine..ish, but capship engagements were quite literally 'who had the bigger stick'.... Generally not fun. Ever since then, I have campaigned against beam weapons in any form in the AI's hands...
Anyway, minor tangent.

Its an awesome game, sure its got a flaw or 5, but the scripting and modding team really make up for it. <3 them
: Re: X3 - Terran Conflict - Questions for Intermediates
: Spikey00 March 27, 2010, 06:43:41 PM
Is that all you can do with captured astronauts?  I heard that you could turn them into some other stations, though that may have been a mod/etc.

--

Wingmen just became a nightmare to handle recently--they are frequently destroyed by enemies in stupid ways--all five of them with 75MJ shields/many weapons... 

...why do some of my ships keep undocking from structures automatically?  Is it the station that is kicking them off, or...
: Re: X3 - Terran Conflict - Questions for Intermediates
: Lancefighter March 27, 2010, 09:19:07 PM
eh i think so? I usually leave them alone...
I know there aer a number of stations that buy slaves, but .. you cant really do anything else than sell them

YOu finally noticed? :p wingmen are great and all.. eh.. not really.

As for undocking - if the ship has no order and is docked, the station will decide it wants the docking room for an npc ship, and kick you out
: Re: X3 - Terran Conflict - Questions for Intermediates
: Spikey00 March 28, 2010, 11:04:11 PM
Uh... today was quite interesting.  Finally have a simple complex, totaling my structure count to five (AMAZING).

Q jumped in to Black Hole Sun, I had to go and seek revenge for one of my freighters in a slight-cheating way, docking my fighter escorts, knowing that an invincible Argon Elite following me from the main mission would become very nice bait.  When the two magnets joined up, I launched my escort and destroyed it happily (after reloading once because of the blast radius).

Then at Omnicon Lyrae, a carrier appeared and the military/Xenon were having fun, while I looted/took the last shot at the carrier and earned only 20,000 (does this increase?) for it.  Now I am essentially ready with corvette/frigate weapons from the battle, but the fourty-some Xenon fighters began to come from a gate, so I'll have to deal/wait that one out tomorrow.


Aside from that, you gain bounty money when your own ships destroy enemy objects, right?  I don't hear the usual harassment speaker informing me that I have earned X credits when they do so, nor do I see the notification of credits at the bottom of the screen (which I rarely see even if I destroy enemies). 

Another issue is that I still have not found a vendor of jump drives--where is one location roughly on the map? 
: Re: X3 - Terran Conflict - Questions for Intermediates
: Lancefighter March 29, 2010, 02:21:20 AM
Shooting carriers? more money? Eh no. Not unless its a mission spawned target..

Same goes for getting money off them - you have a police license that gives you money, but your wingmen dont.. unless its a mission target.


Jump drives are at..
west side of map
west-middle
north (heh good luck)
and south-east

If the boron like you, head far east from OL, the south
If the argon like you, head west from OL until you hit argon space again.. then look around
If the terrans.. heh who am i kidding
: Re: X3 - Terran Conflict - Questions for Intermediates
: Spikey00 March 29, 2010, 02:55:46 PM
Looks like one of my Novas have glitched--listed on the map list and I can target the "vacuum" where it apparently is, but no ship is there.  I can apparently do a freight transfer, so I guess I'll need to salvage what I can from it since I can't reload backward.  Attempting to control the ship results in the game crashing.

Thanks again for the help and info, Lance.
: Re: X3 - Terran Conflict - Questions for Intermediates
: Lancefighter March 29, 2010, 04:04:14 PM
Looks like one of my Novas have glitched--listed on the map list and I can target the "vacuum" where it apparently is, but no ship is there.  I can apparently do a freight transfer, so I guess I'll need to salvage what I can from it since I can't reload backward.  Attempting to control the ship results in the game crashing.

Thanks again for the help and info, Lance.
thats odd - can you order it to dock up? can you shoot it? >.>
Jump in and out of system usually fixes stuff like that (ships dont exist in the same sense out of system..)

And yeah its no problem, helping get others addicted to one of the more awesome games out there is something I'm happy to do  ;D
: Re: X3 - Terran Conflict - Questions for Intermediates
: Spikey00 March 29, 2010, 04:15:59 PM
Jumping out of the system did the trick (but now I'm out of 25MJ shields because of another capped L), while my "Hired Argon Mammoth was destroyed by Argon Shipyard".  Ironic.

=\

I'll be back if I have any more questions--for now, it seems I'm sustaining the interest.  Having my wingmen "attack closest target/targetted" works far better than "protect me".

--

I was also expecting enemy ships to always focus on the player ship, but it usually isn't the case--which is why I've stuck to my M4 Elite in opposed to switching to an M3.  Seems that the enemy AI doesn't attack unless aggro'd if they already have a target.

: Re: X3 - Terran Conflict - Questions for Intermediates
: Spikey00 March 30, 2010, 05:35:17 PM
Would you have tips on avoiding the "wingmen crashing into gates" syndrome, other than having less of them?  Is there a formation that eliminates this behavior, or am I doomed if I have seven wingmen or more?

Consequently, my wingmen are exhibiting the "appear in the middle of the map but not exist"; I can assume this is another consequence of having 'many' escorts...


Is there anything I can do?
: Re: X3 - Terran Conflict - Questions for Intermediates
: Lancefighter March 30, 2010, 06:16:45 PM
at your point, start selling them and pick yourself up a carrier of some sort. Early game I like to.. acquire...  a panther for this purpose - 32 docking ports means a whole lot of hurt can be placed exactly where you want it. Of course.. yarr micromanaged crap that comes with vanilla commands \o/

(i recommend CODEA. Seriously... Or, i mean, if you want to 'stay pure' or 'stick it to the man(egosoft)', i suppose that is ok. I still recommend CODEA. its a tad annoying to figure out at first, but it makes for a hell of a lightshow.. most of the time :p Of course, there is the minor problem that fighters will engage any hostile within range of the Carrier, but I mean.. Eh your the one whos supposed to have a huge fighter escort.. I'm sure you can spare a few to pewpew everything nearby. Just pretend you left your carrier on FRD...)

Or, i guess vanilla wing commands will work, they have certainly come a far way from the wingmen of x2/3r. Still a tad micro-yy...
: Re: X3 - Terran Conflict - Questions for Intermediates
: Spikey00 March 30, 2010, 10:42:32 PM
I believe I have found the cause for the more-than-average stupidity of my wingmen:  since I have recently been using "Attack Target of Player" instead of "Protect the Player", I incidentally switched back to it; everything seems much better with their navigation.

I don't see a reason why the unit behavior would be different since they appear to be in a similar mindset (following the player until X happens), but I'm glad gate humping isn't an issue.  Though of course I won't be using it when actual combat happens, and it's less of a convenience to macro them back into a more suitable stance in contrast with having to reload a save.

--

I've browsed through some mods over at Egosoft, and I've found what you mentioned, and some other mods (race enhancement/etc., patrol optimization for NPCs etc.), so I thank you for your call, as I will now obtain even more profitsss.
: Re: X3 - Terran Conflict - Questions for Intermediates
: Lancefighter March 30, 2010, 10:50:27 PM
Just.. be careful!
Some things were meant to be played out as egosoft made them, and really I would recommend not installing any major mods until you start a new game!

And.. for the record: A 'mod' involves the use of packed game files (a cat/dat pair... its always a pair) that modify a ship or other game asset. Because of how the engine handles things, there can be some .. minor problems .. in changed assets after a save/load (a changed ship will only affect newly spawned ships in some cases. Its best not to install these without a new game)

A 'script' will have .xml or .pck, or .. some others, but can only change behaviors.. it will never add a new ship or change an old ship, and as such is generally compatible with any save.


Again! Be careful, there are a good deal of scripts or mods out there that will ruin the game for you! (I lost myself in x2 this way.. I learned how to open the script editor and do as i wish.. I lost all will to play when I could just 'write' myself whatever i wanted.) As a word of advice, Never learn how to write your own scripts. Never.
: Re: X3 - Terran Conflict - Questions for Intermediates
: Spikey00 April 01, 2010, 06:45:38 PM
Thanks for the advice and information on scripts/mods--I usually refuse to cheat in most games, since it ruins the fun, but some of the scripts sound intriguing (until Xenon/Khakk are everywhere) enough.

I'm trying to load a engine + trails mod, but I have no clue where one would load a script in the "Thereshallbewings" menu.  How would you load a script from this menu (since I couldn't find a elaborated guide)?

Lastly, why is it, on my Centaur, the second weapon bank is disabled/greyed?  All the seven others are operational except for that one.
: Re: X3 - Terran Conflict - Questions for Intermediates
: Lancefighter April 01, 2010, 07:30:00 PM
o.0

uh..

you.. ... ... Wait, huh? link the mod you cant get to work?


and its because you have it set to a different weapon group.. open up the weapons menu (g i think? if not, enter, your ship (the triangle one) advanced, weapons..) i think. Then, click on weapon slot two, it should have 'add to group 1' or something as an option.
the number keys (1-4) allow you to have different groups of weapons setup, like say, 6 hept and 2 prg, and only fire one group at a time (say all of them for bashing something big, just the hepts for somethingoranother, and just the prgs for swatting flies)
incredibly useful for area of effect weapons (ion-d, psg, flamer) as those have friendly fire issues.. leave them in their own special group..
: Re: X3 - Terran Conflict - Questions for Intermediates
: Spikey00 April 01, 2010, 10:42:45 PM
http://forum.egosoft.com/viewtopic.php?t=249690
and
http://forum.egosoft.com/viewtopic.php?t=229178

Those are two of the three that I have tried--from the posts, I think that a mod is using the tships/whichever, but I should only have a few.  Any way to check if this is true?

--

I'll have a check on that tomorrow when I have a chance at it.  Thanks for the information (I didn't realize it could have been the weapon group).
: Re: X3 - Terran Conflict - Questions for Intermediates
: Lancefighter April 01, 2010, 11:56:46 PM
http://forum.egosoft.com/viewtopic.php?t=249690
and
http://forum.egosoft.com/viewtopic.php?t=229178

Those are two of the three that I have tried--from the posts, I think that a mod is using the tships/whichever, but I should only have a few.  Any way to check if this is true?

--

I'll have a check on that tomorrow when I have a chance at it.  Thanks for the information (I didn't realize it could have been the weapon group).
are those even compatible?
Also, on the splash screen when you launch the game there is a 'mods' button, click on that and select one of them?
: Re: X3 - Terran Conflict - Questions for Intermediates
: Spikey00 April 02, 2010, 02:17:22 PM
I tried those individually, deleting the files after before trying another.

...I must be blind, missing the splash screen's mod section.  Seems [one of] the mods are working now--thanks a lot once again.
: Re: X3 - Terran Conflict - Questions for Intermediates
: Lancefighter April 02, 2010, 02:30:43 PM
Yeah, the button isnt very visible, and tends to not be noticed.. the first time you see the splash screen its not there (no mods in the mods folder), and thats really the only time people examine the splash screen..
: Re: X3 - Terran Conflict - Questions for Intermediates
: eRe4s3r April 06, 2010, 11:41:10 PM
rather than using that you should use the x³ mod manager, the actual mod application not the start menu thingy. Reason is that this mod installer can manage mods much better and "cleaner" than x³'s integrated mod system.

Though if you use only scripts theres no problem.
: Re: X3 - Terran Conflict - Questions for Intermediates
: Lancefighter April 07, 2010, 02:48:10 PM
rather than using that you should use the x³ mod manager, the actual mod application not the start menu thingy. Reason is that this mod installer can manage mods much better and "cleaner" than x³'s integrated mod system.

Though if you use only scripts theres no problem.
lies and deception.

for scripts, its like taking all your favorite toys, and throwing them into a toybox. they are all there when you need them, but horrible disorganized. (just putting scripts in the scripts folder)

With the mod manager, you are taking all your toys and neatly organizing them so you know where they are all the time, and if you no longer like it, you dont have to go digging aruond to find it to throw it out.


Also, I am a huge modding guy. I routinely ran 6+ 'false patches', manually taking care of each one. I put hard work and love into my tc folder..  ;)
and the inevitable conflicts.. yay manual resolutions. I wanted the mod manager as far away from my cat/dats as possible.
: Re: X3 - Terran Conflict - Questions for Intermediates
: Spikey00 April 07, 2010, 05:42:58 PM
Heh, sounds like you've been at X3TC since the release with all that experience and familiarity!  Unfortunate that Egosoft isn't going to base another game on X3.

Oh, and you mean the manager that handles SPK files?
: Re: X3 - Terran Conflict - Questions for Intermediates
: Lancefighter April 07, 2010, 06:01:44 PM
Heh, sounds like you've been at X3TC since the release with all that experience and familiarity!  Unfortunate that Egosoft isn't going to base another game on X3.

Oh, and you mean the manager that handles SPK files?
yes, and yes  ;D

been an x-er since x2.. didn't do much modding though back then. x3 got really mod-heavy, but.. theres nothing like watching the community grow like it did for x3.. (I've had tc since the release).. just watching the modders rediscover evertything, and find the new stuff..
*sigh* the good times.
: Re: X3 - Terran Conflict - Questions for Intermediates
: Spikey00 April 11, 2010, 10:01:09 PM
I am finally back, and I'm wondering about larger ships such as TLs and Frigates/etc. since I am soon to make the choice of purchasing either a TL to build stations, or a Panther to spank everyone with. 

If I choose to purchase either:  how would you load items into these vessels, as if I'm not mistaken, they cannot dock at most stations beyond shipyards and other similars.  I assume you use your peon ships to do the work, but I'm wondering what's the most efficient way, instead of having to actually command those ships manually.

If I decide for the Panther:  what's best to equip it with, weapon-wise and such?  I heard that IBLs (or something similar) were amongst the best you could give a capital ship, but I haven't seen many being sold around [at all].  For the meanwhile, whilst I hunt down more weaponry, what's the best temporary weapon that I can fit the turrets with (PRGs, and after I could equip new fighters with)?  Lastly, I assume corvettes can't dock with this vessel, but I heard that it was associated with their cargo space being XL and thus being restricted--then would most transporters be included?

If TL:  how do I minimize that horrible complex lag?  Aren't there any mods to remove the horrifying, eye-burning monstrosity, tubes extruding from all ends!?


Side question:  how does the abundance of sunlight (ie. 100%/150% etc.) affect the production of energy cells with a power generator?  Is it simply a 1 + (1 * 0.X_)?
: Re: X3 - Terran Conflict - Questions for Intermediates
: Lancefighter April 12, 2010, 12:12:53 AM
loading items - a TS, preferably a large one (dolphin SF, around 10k cargo... OTAS OP, around OMFGk cargo ::) ) + Transport device(on your ship). Best way really.. Others like falcon haulers, as they hold around 1,000 XL cargo and can dock with your bigship. I prefer a TS. Generally, tell the TS to buy what you need through regular commands, and then have it follow you, and then use the transporter to magic it over.

panther - IBLs are great, but hard to find. If you cant find IBL, fit it full FAA with CIGs in the main gun (attack my target). CIGs are ok ish when it comes to shooting other bigships, but without IBLs its your only option..
As for finding IBL - Yaki territory sells them if you have the rep, alternatively blow up hostile m7s until they drop some..

For either - Only m5, m4, and m3 can dock.

TL - there is a mod to remove the tubes (make them invisible), turn off complex collision (lowers cpu use), a mod to 'crunch' complexs into a single item (does a combination of both..) and a mod that allows you to put factories inside stations.. erm what kind of mod were you looking for again?
I personally use FDN, it lets me place stations out of sector and never have to visit them - it teleports stuff between the stations and a 'node', (for a cost, of course), up to a few sectors away. This means, as said, my stations can be in a totally different system, that i never have to go in except to place a mine (its special, you cant remotely build mines, scripts cant set mine yield).

Sunlight directly influences e-cells. a 400% sun system (ill let you find it) will produce 4 times as many e-cells. standard seems to be 150% though.. one or two 200% and 300% systems
: Re: X3 - Terran Conflict - Questions for Intermediates
: Spikey00 April 12, 2010, 06:50:08 PM
Thanks again for all the help--I'll hopefully have some progress on the frigate, then.  Though I do have CODEA as you suggested it [though I haven't had the opportunity to use it yet], but is that only useful on offensive-side?

Anyhow, I'll see what works best when I jump on into the game here.


Oh, I can't believe I haven't remember to ask this yet:  is there any working mod to reduce the volume of weapons such as the CIGs...?  I think I'll go crazy if I'm hearing that all the time in a capital ship.
: Re: X3 - Terran Conflict - Questions for Intermediates
: Lancefighter April 12, 2010, 07:36:42 PM
Thankfully, sound volume is.. er inversely proportional to the distance? ie: if they arent near the cockpit, you dont hear them. Guns in capital ships are a good deal away from the cockpit..

And.. Not so thankfully. Flak.

Yep. (WTS: earplugs)
(i use cmod3, so i cant really comment on the vanilla noise level of flak/cig, they seem bearable...)
CODEA is awesome if you have the money to throw at fighter wings.. and well, I suppose a wing of solanos or nova's is 'only' 1.2m or so per, but they are expensive to replace, and for most things, just having the panther on the field is enough :p

its useful in a defense role, as in, you want to go on the offensive so the enemy doesnt have any resources to make you need a defense  ;D jk, itll do well as a sector patrol - pretty much anything within 30km of the carrier gets blown up.
: Re: X3 - Terran Conflict - Questions for Intermediates
: Spikey00 April 12, 2010, 08:04:17 PM
I'm mainly looking forward to relaxing and sitting back (though bitting nails and hoping fighters aren't destroyed) to watch everything asplode, heh.

--

I'm a bit lost looking at CODEA in-game--it appears to be, from the Egosoft topic, that you can do a lot with this mod including supplying and etc., but I don't know exactly where to start.  The main issue at the moment is in:  a) making use of my fighters that I already have docked that it doesn't seem to recognize in the hanger menu, b) having my Mistrals and such work automagically for me to refuel/etc. everything (including the attached ships).

Since they can't dock, is it [un]safe to say that they will need fuel to jump (and somewhere to hide)?

EDIT:  Okay, I have found out how to assign the fighters (hopefully), but now I'm having trouble with the TS ships (I have pilots in them)--I'll re-read the topic and see if I find an answer.
: Re: X3 - Terran Conflict - Questions for Intermediates
: Lancefighter April 12, 2010, 08:56:42 PM
I'm mainly looking forward to relaxing and sitting back (though bitting nails and hoping fighters aren't destroyed) to watch everything asplode, heh.
Easily done, for the most part...


A: Take panther. Goto military base. Open CODEA screen, goto.. er.. pilot management? youll want to buy pilots for all fighters. ... forget how to do this. Being docked at a military base is a requirement.
Muck in the menus till you find that button.. Then assign them to a hangar - there are 3 different types.. er.. i think they mainly correspond to threat level and range - the shortest one sends more to deal with a threat, but only to a shorter distance.. I leave mine in the attack hangar?

b... er...

Eh.
Pilots need to be a certain level before you can give them to a TS.. really that stuff is for fleet management - the 'carrier' can have other carriers/destroyers attached as escorts.. er.. i never got past a panther tbh >.<
I managed refueling myself mostly - its fairly easy when fighters only use one type of missile (wasps), and only the one ship needs fuel..
Might cheat up game and mess around if we cant figure that part out.

Also, ifyou installed MEFOS (something about personal.. lol) i think they can dock, otherwise I'm fairly sure they keep themselves safe. Like i said, i managed it all personally, I just let codea throw fighters at things.

As a note - keep 4 kestrals or small m5s set in the recon hangar - it greatly extends your view range :p (make sure they have a triplex)
: Re: X3 - Terran Conflict - Questions for Intermediates
: Spikey00 April 14, 2010, 07:18:01 PM
I've been thinking about:
a) M3 Nova Vanguards (too late, already bought four of them and outfitted; Sentinels don't seem to be any better...),
b) M3 Falcon Haulers (though I missed their shield part apparently?),
c) M4 Solanos (apparently near equiv. of many M3 fighters, and cheap too).

For my carrier--I don't have very much to spend, and I'm leaning towards a few Solanos to be put into the carrier, at least temporarily.  I'm not really one to use missiles (I haven't yet actually), so would they be the best choice for me?  I don't want to be replacing craft too often, and their 75MJ shielding is quite adequate for both survivability and the entertaining aspect.  I'll see them in-game today, and see if that's where I want to go for.  Do they also work well OOS (ie. does the game for some reason take into account that it's an M4, or does it only calculate the ship stats, not class)?  Let's say pirates have been trolling me recently, and I've lost four TS ships at my complex...


For the Kestrals, I heard ships often crash into objects when their speeds are over 500m/s--I'm assuming it's wise to obide by these words of wisdom? 

--

Seems that I was freezing very hard in Cloudbase [Southeast?] where there was red "fog/dust" (though may not be the cause of it).  Is there anything that I can do to remedy this (I have all details set to low excluding AA/AF; 2x/8x respectively)?
: Re: X3 - Terran Conflict - Questions for Intermediates
: Lancefighter April 14, 2010, 07:40:32 PM
Fighters -
a) nova v. Good ship, easier to get en mass then the solano, except more expensive (iirc). again, L version has all you need in a fighter. Slower and less maneuverable, but much bigger guns to make up for it. Better missile selection if you need those
b) falcon haulers make excellent cargo ships.. XL cargo and a good deal of it. Not sure why you would use them in combat over the falcon sentinel. Sentinel has 1x 200mj shield...
c) solanos are easy to buy and fit (the L version contains PRGs, otherwise hard to get off the market). They have m4 maneuverability and speed with m3 shields, rather survivable. Pain in the ass to upgrade rudder and engines.

novas and solanos are both good choices, with the main difference being prg vs hept, (although some prg fit novas anyway).. The rear turret makes a small difference if missiles are being thrown around, and of course the lack of proper eq-dock in legends home. This makes sense later when you 'get' to fit 30 solanos with engine/rudder.. one by one..

OOS: Combat takes into account guns and shields, and to a slightly different extent, turrets.. Solanos will do fine.

A codea carrier with a wing of a dozen or so solanos could probably easily take care of minor pirate problems in a single system. Of course, be sure they dont decide to suicide themselves into a galleon or something..

Kestrals are fine OOS (no collisions), and generally as long as they are set in the recon hangar they stay out of the way of things. Its nice to have the extended view range when you are trying to find stations in a system like er.. the teladi one that has 'vault' in it? egh cant remember

Crashing issues I cant particularly help with. All i can say is avoid the system - cloudbase southeast, while being a weapons hub... has no clouds.
Southwest, over by the paranids, i think has clouds.. no real point being in that system imo. 
: Re: X3 - Terran Conflict - Questions for Intermediates
: Spikey00 April 14, 2010, 10:26:53 PM
What triggers shipyards to produce M/L ships?  I never figured it out beyond waiting it out; funny how questions like these always slip my mind while posting here...

Actually, what and when do the recon Kestrals do?  I've assigned them to the hanger, and so far they've been in staying there through multiple sectors.  I'm assuming they will pop out when I don't have information in a [new?] sector, but I want to be sure about the circumstances.

I'm also a bit scared about my frigate crashing into my craft--when the ship makes physical contact with one of mine, do they instantly dock/magic itself, or is it destroyed?  Heh, I know that enemy ships don't, since I've developed the blatant tactic of ramming into every other ship that has less shields.


Thanks for all the help again!
: Re: X3 - Terran Conflict - Questions for Intermediates
: Lancefighter April 14, 2010, 10:39:33 PM
m/l ships are purely a random event - just gotta be lucky and check back often. Of note, I've never seen a shipyard switch between sizes available while your in sector..

if you have them setup right, the kestrals should be flying at about 40k away from your carrier, keeping distance n/s/e/w.. you sure they have pilots and are clear for launch?

also, i havent had any problems with the fighters hitting my panther.. CODEA has a combat landing teleport feature of some sort that i /think/ comes into play somewhere on the docking run (basically just teleports the fighter back inside the hangar if you have the right equip)
if it does actually crash, which again, I havent seen on docking runs, then yeah itd blow up (unless CODEA turns off collision detection for docking, again i havent a clue)

where is the panthers docking bays? front? back? i forgot >.<

carriers with rear-docking work best, the carrier can be moving forward and it works a lot better... side- and front-docking work okish just because the carrier is moving tangentially to the fighters.. think about a modern carrier - fighters are deployed and recovered along the same axis of movement.
In x3, I like side-deployment, as it kicks the fighter away from the movement the carrier is doing, but i still like the rear-docking..
: Re: X3 - Terran Conflict - Questions for Intermediates
: Spikey00 April 15, 2010, 01:31:18 PM
I'm quite certain that I provided the Kestrals with pilots/equipment (else I couldn't assign them to the hanger), though I'll check again to see if there is anything else that might be the problem.  

I believe the docking bay is at the back, though the craft sometimes emerge from the top/front bays when you launch them.  The situation I had in mind was not during normal docking procedures (though I have provided all the craft with transporter/docking modules) but when I'm using the Panther to ram enemy ships [and/or stations apparently].  I don't think I have had a fighter crash into me yet, but I was hoping for something to prevent it from occurring.

--

On capping fighters (since I'm in queue still of training 30+ marines and very later using an M7M for the boarding pods), I was planning on using an Eclipse with Ion Disruptors on station defense missions, but I wish to understand what elements affect what the game spawns at you besides the mission difficulty (ie. your fighting rank, ship you're in, etc.)?

Actually, I understand that depending on the mission difficulty, that the game may or may not consider your owned ships within that sector/distance around you.  If I had the Panther with me, while I was in the Eclipse, would it be of any difference if I was in my Panther instead (ie. will it spam destroyers at me instead of fighters and occasional M6s)?  

--

EDIT:

I forgot to ask this:  how do pilots actually gain experience for CODEA?  It indicates here that:
The promotion of a pilot depends on his overall time of duty, his kills and the class of ship he is flying. On ships of class M3, M4, M5 an M8 a pilot can be promoted up to the rank of a Lieutenant. On ships of class TS, TP, TM and M6 up to the rank of a Commander and on ships of class M7 up to Captain.

I've put pilots in my Mithral TS ships, so do they automatically gain experience when they are in there, or how would I have them gaining experience?

Uh... actually, I notice that in the new thread version for CODEA that there's an option to train pilots.  I'll have a look into that.
: Re: X3 - Terran Conflict - Questions for Intermediates
: Lancefighter April 15, 2010, 03:44:25 PM
gah codea requires a good bit of fiddling with really, never could get it to do some things right (my fighters insisted on shooting a bigship i was trying to capture in one instance.. i had it set to ignore them.. egh)

eclipse with iond? are you trying to capture various pirate m6s? (iirc thats all you get from station defense)
Other than that, it depends on the mission difficulty. easy missions only care about fight rank, medium are influenced by your ship, hard by any ship in sector, and very hard are all player owned ships. I think. Gazz... i think.. wrote up an excellent article on how the MD spawns ships. Id find it if i had any clue where to begin looking. (no maybe not gazz, he hasnt it linked on his website..)
anyway, it basically goes over the 'tokens' a mission gets to spawn ships and how they can be affected by the difficulty and player's ships.

I dont think it would make a difference as you say 'spamming destroyers', but it would influence the number of m6s on the field.. (then again, parking a panther in front of a gate is a good way to kill pretty much any m6..)

the pilots and all, yeah i usually just recruit them at recruit.. er whatever the lowest level is.. I've never actually gotten a large enough fleet to move anyone out of fighters.
: Re: X3 - Terran Conflict - Questions for Intermediates
: eRe4s3r April 15, 2010, 04:40:00 PM
To be honest, Codea is like solving 1 leak in the roof with a hammer and a bulldozer - and then wondering why you can't find the building nor the roof you tried to repair in the debris.

If you want to simplify your fleet management CODEA is the wrong script. It does exactly the opposite, makes you manage more, for less gain.
: Re: X3 - Terran Conflict - Questions for Intermediates
: Lancefighter April 15, 2010, 09:11:37 PM
 ;D
 codea solves the issue of giving orders to a fleet to make them patrol. Excellent at saturating the air with fighters that are shooting all the other fighters.

Of course.

Not everyone like fighter saturation at max :p
: Re: X3 - Terran Conflict - Questions for Intermediates
: Spikey00 April 18, 2010, 10:58:52 PM
Would any of you know of any mods or scripts that can automate trading significantly (mostly for player-owned factories)?  Precisely, but not necessary (but should include many of these):
- Traders are automatically bought when necessary,
- They auto-assign themselves work,
- Trade efficiently,
- Obtain necessary upgrades by themselves (ie. engine/drones/jump drives) safely,
OR
- Any factory scripts that automagically works with some of the features above.

I'm slightly getting tired of having to buy a whole bunch of new traders and factory peons, equip them all, ensure they have all the necessary equipment, set homebase or MK3, and later receive a message about their timely demise.  I would like it if there was something that could automate most of this, because it's discouraging me from having a large trading fleet (too much macro).


Thanks!
: Re: X3 - Terran Conflict - Questions for Intermediates
: Lancefighter April 18, 2010, 11:04:36 PM
uh well.. someone wrote a 'headquarters' management script that did that stuff.

But er

CAG, commercial agents, will do everything else. EST, economy supply traders might work for your mk3s..

uh actually, I'm not sure if CAGs buy their own JD (universe traders will at level 12)
for the record, this is why I absolutely hate a) stations that require ships to sell stuff, and b)universe traders.

My first station is ALWAYS a self-sufficient one of some sort, if only a SSP loop. A booze/weedplex would be best, as they are fairly easy to make self-sufficient, and make pure profits. just dont build it in a race sector..
: Re: X3 - Terran Conflict - Questions for Intermediates
: Spikey00 April 19, 2010, 01:12:28 PM
I'm assuming CAG refers to this script (http://www.egosoft.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=224352)?

I've been taking a look at that for a while, but I'm having trouble in understanding what advantage does it really have over ST/UT vanilla traders, and the homebased "sell/buy wares at best price".  Does it offer more automation, or...
: Re: X3 - Terran Conflict - Questions for Intermediates
: Lancefighter April 19, 2010, 09:25:16 PM
yeah, that one
it ismore automated, it will buy/sell wares depending on what the station needs, and uses jumpdrive.. Its a replacement for best buy/sell commands really.
It should be coming to the bonus pack soon..
: Re: X3 - Terran Conflict - Questions for Intermediates
: Spikey00 April 19, 2010, 10:46:55 PM
I'll try both EST and CAG--wasn't exactly sure if they were a *significant change from vanilla traders, though it is bothersome in fitting them with MK3 trade and everything.

Thanks again.

: Re: X3 - Terran Conflict - Questions for Intermediates
: Spikey00 July 18, 2010, 01:41:32 AM
Boy, has it been quite a while since my last reply here...  I've been a bit busy here, though still have some time for X3 here and there. 

I have a question about the convenience about building complexes:  at the moment, I'm doing this manually OOS with the assistance of a script by the name of "Complex Cleaner" with a Mammoth, but it's been a hassle because I still have to a) bring up command for jump to, b) scroll the galaxy map, c) dock at shipyard, c) exit menu, d) select shipyard, e) bring up the trade menu, etc etc.  I'm at the desire for something less demanding of the macro--is there such a plugin which will perhaps handle the purpose for easing my fingers?  :P

Lastly, "Complex Cleaner" unfortunately does not automatically join factories together with construction kits (it consolidates them together into bunches), and from my knowledge you cannot join them OOS to prevent the camera from providing a beautiful revolving viewpoint at your wonderful, new creation.  Would you happen to know of any script that can join factories non-painfully?


Thanks Lancefighter (and I hope you're well)!
: Re: X3 - Terran Conflict - Questions for Intermediates
: Lancefighter July 18, 2010, 04:03:40 PM
hey whats up :p

there was a script in x3r that you could tell it what factories you wanted and it would build them for you, but I've long since forgotten what it was, and i havent played x3tc in forever >.<

your best option, in my opinion, is just to use the freight distribution nodes (FDN). Those wont actually connect your factories with CCKs (its impossible via script), but it will 'fake' that kindaish. It basically just transports wares between all station in the sector. removes a very good deal of micromanagement, but requires slightly more resources to start up it all (because resources arent directly shared, it keeps each factory pretty full)

the problem with the beautiful stationcam is that the station is actually created dring that scene. You need to play that scene for the game engine to link the stations or make a mine.. annoying as hell.
: Re: X3 - Terran Conflict - Questions for Intermediates
: Spikey00 July 18, 2010, 09:37:23 PM
Dang; I was hoping that there was a direct solution to the macro management (sigh Egosoft), but I suppose there isn't a full solution to this issue.  I'll have to stick with CC since it saves some FPS in the way it works, and reduces the amount of connectors I need, but thanks for the advice. 

I'm currently at the point of owning a Boreas but I'm having issues with M7Ms and their lame missile spamming--MARS and Mosquito Missile Defense are not working again large quantities of barrages, whether that be my CPU lacking the power to process all the info (I see 0 m/s at times without SETA, and MMD seems to be firing the missiles when they're around 9KM instead of 20KM range of the Mosquito) or something else.  I have been thinking about obtaining IBLs or PPCs to set on the right and left, then set PRGs to missile defense at the front (unless flak is better) because MARS seems to enjoy shooting PPCs at missiles, or not at all, and the drones don't seem to be targeting the missiles.  Any advice here?


Thanks again!
: Re: X3 - Terran Conflict - Questions for Intermediates
: Lancefighter July 19, 2010, 09:05:06 PM
eh macro.. try managing a fighter group without codea or similar..

boreas is a rather.. ... op destroyer, but ill forgive you for now...
m7m missile spams is a result of the AI ammo cheat (by gazz, naturally). Fortunately for you, mars will stop every single hammer missile sent you way.
the MOMENT they start throwing fails around, your screwed. Only real answer? getting the hell out. Honestly mars, even with ppcs, will take down every hammer missile shot your way. Yousee - there are a few fixed things when it comes to interception of a missile - velocity, range, and interception speed.
the only thing that matters is that the ppc is fired in the right direction at the right time.
However, against massed flail swarms, hit shift j and hope you can select a destination in time. Nothing else is gonna save your ass.

leave mars to switch weapons as it pleases, itll use the right gun at the right time.

if you are lucky and have psg onboard, that might save you, if your lucky.