[SCRIPT][V0.9] MK3 Blacklist Manager

[SymTec ltd.]

MK3 Blacklist Manager
Blacklisting function for Trade Command Software MK3
(for X3TC 2.5 and higher)


MK3 Blacklisting
As noted in the Technical Datasheet of the Trade Command Software MK3, traders are able to maintain a blacklist of sectors that they won't pick as destinations for any flights. With this blacklist, they also avoid having two or more ships fly to a station for the same deal (as only one ship ever makes that deal). All sectors and stations are only locked temporarily, and will unlock again after a few minutes.


Blacklist Manager
The Blacklist Manager is an inofficial plugin to the blacklisting system, that gives you the power to add your own sectors and stations to a permanent blacklist. Stations in the blacklist, and stations in blacklisted sectors, will not be picked as targets for trade runs.


Usage
Opening the Manager
The manager can be started from every MK3-trader's ship command console. First open the command console and scroll down to Additional Ship Commands:
[ external image ] [ external image ]

Then, select Start MK3 Blacklist Manager. The Manager offers the options to add sectors and stations to the list, remove them again, and to view the automatic blacklist that is managed by the MK3 trading software.

Adding sectors and stations
To add an item to the blacklist, select the corresponding menu entry and choose a sector/station from the map that opens then.
[ external image ] [ external image ]

Removing sectors and stations
After selecting Remove Item, you can choose the item to be removed from the current list. Note that you cannot remove items from the automatic list, as those entries are being managed internally by the vanilla MK3 software.
[ external image ] [ external image ]

Automatic blacklist
You can only view, but not edit the automatic blacklist. If you select a station or sector from the menu, you get the chance to look at the sector map, to get an idea of where the sector/station is and if you can spot enemies nearby.
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Download


Install

• In the .zip file, you find a /scripts/ folder and a /t/ folder. Move the content of those folders to the /scripts/ and /t/ folders of the X3TC game directory (C:/Program Files/EGOSOFT/X3 Terran Conflict/ or the like).
• In the game directory's /scripts/ folder, you find a file named "plugin.autotrade.blacklistsector.pck". To make the game use the modified file "plugin.autotrade.blacklistsector.xml" instead, rename or delete the .pck file. Be aware that this will make every savegame you load *modified* even without the scripteditor activated, because the vanilla MK3 scripts use that file as well.
• Start the game. If not active yet, activate the script editor.

Links

• Trade Command Software MK3 - Technical Datasheet
• MK3 Trading Log
• MK3 Blacklist Manager (German)

Technical
version: 0.9
language: 44/49
pageid: 8773
ship command: 1223
modified vanilla scripts: plugin.autotrade.blacklistsector

Known Issues

• Windows 7/Vista may not allow you to copy files to the /scripts/ or /t/ folder. You do need administrator privileges to modify any files under C:/Program Files/. Usually, you can obtain admin rights by choosing the corresponding option on the error menu that pops up.
• Replacing a vanilla script may result in every savegame from then on being marked with a *modified*-tag, even if you don't have the scripteditor activated. Also, new patches of the game may put the .pck files that you replaced back in position.
• The "Automatic blacklist" may contain numbers instead of station/sector names. In that case, you most likely did not update the "blacklistsector" script correctly, and this whole plugin will not work.
• Blacklisting a sector means that the trader does not pick that sector as destination. It says nothing about the trader flying through that sector on its way to another location. Blacklisting Xenon sectors is pointless.

[milytar]

Sounds good!And when we can hawe it?

[SymTec ltd.]

Sounds good!And when we can hawe it?

You can download it *now*.

[russbo]

So we can use this to blacklist our PHQ's?

Anyone have any idea how this will interact with ESTk, CAG, and the other trading scripts?

This is a great idea, thanks for bringing it to fruition.

[milytar]

thank you!

[SymTec ltd.]

So we can use this to blacklist our PHQ's?

Sure

Anyone have any idea how this will interact with ESTk, CAG, and the other trading scripts?

EST/CAG/etc. are not influenced by this blacklist, those use different systems and different variable names.

This is a great idea, thanks for bringing it to fruition.

Actually, the backend for this frontend has been there since X3TC v1.0. But apparently no scripter wanted to use it, so I did.

[apricotslice]

You can pack a script back up using modmanager.

Distributing the pck means you dont need to delete a pck to get the xml run, you just overwrite the existing one. Less problem for people to install.

[SymTec ltd.]

You can pack a script back up using modmanager.

Well, that is true, but the difference (in work) is really small. For the future, I'll probably come up with another solution anyway.


@all: Do you have any comments on this script? Did you test it and find room for improvement, or did it work as expected? I'd love some feedback

[noxiousg]

This script doesn't seem to be working. I kept losing UTs to the Family Zyrath sector so I installed this and blacklisted the sector. Still lost another. So I then blacklisted all the stations in Family Zyarth for good measure. Still lost another. Then I blacklisted every sector of that corner of the universe, but I just lost another to Ocean of Fantasy, and when that happened, observed a UT going to deliver some wares to a chip plant in Family Zyarth

Excellent script idea, but it doesn't seem to be working right, perhaps because of the 2.6 update.

[lordmuck]

So we can use this to blacklist our PHQ's?

Sure

Anyone have any idea how this will interact with ESTk, CAG, and the other trading scripts?

EST/CAG/etc. are not influenced by this blacklist, those use different systems and different variable names.

This is a great idea, thanks for bringing it to fruition.

Actually, the backend for this frontend has been there since X3TC v1.0. But apparently no scripter wanted to use it, so I did.

The above has answered my query's thanks for this script, you have saved the angels from falling upon my cursed head with the amounts of swearfested game-play !


EDIT: extracted as I always do, I did have 1 question why is it that some x2script.xsl are older than what we have from other scripts and can that cause a problem?

EDIT2: sorry to say your script does not work, I have set the 2 stations I dont want my UTS to trade at and yet they still do

[Dius Talon]

EDIT2: sorry to say your script does not work, I have set the 2 stations I dont want my UTS to trade at and yet they still do

Ug, I was just about to download this. . . Will wait and see if it gets sorted out. . . Would be a VERY usful script though, very annoying having your own UT doing silly crap as listed above.

[Carlo the Curious]

EDIT: extracted as I always do, I did have 1 question why is it that some x2script.xsl are older than what we have from other scripts and can that cause a problem?

The XSL is only used when displaying script files in a browser (i.e. no, it doesn't matter).

[bn]

Ug, I was just about to download this. . . :cry: Will wait and see if it gets sorted out. . . Would be a VERY usful script though, very annoying having your own UT doing silly crap as listed above.

I realize it's been a month, but seems a shame to leave things on a sour note. I downloaded this a couple of days ago, and though I had to edit the script engine version numbers (I'm stuck on 2.1), it works beautifully.

For those who had problems, if you're still listening, are you sure you installed properly? Specifically, if you forget (don't ask me how I know this) to rename or remove the original:

[*]In the game directory's /scripts/ folder, you find a file named "plugin.autotrade.blacklistsector.pck". To make the game use the modified file "plugin.autotrade.blacklistsector.xml" instead, rename or delete the .pck file. Be aware that this will make every savegame you load *modified* even without the scripteditor activated, because the vanilla MK3 scripts use that file as well.
...
[*] The "Automatic blacklist" may contain numbers instead of station/sector names. In that case, you most likely did not update the "blacklistsector" script correctly, and this whole plugin will not work.

then it can be quite misleading. In fact, the menus in the manager appear to work just fine, so you can add/remove permanent sectors, but ships will pay no attention to them.

There's nothing especially complicated here, and it's difficult to imagine why it would not work if installed properly.

(As an aside and somewhat OT, since it saved me the effort of writing this myself, I decided to use the time to extend it to buy/sell ware for best price. These guys have also been implicated in migrating wares between my hub, phq, and complexes at times, and what I really hated was when two or three handling the same ware from some complex would all go racing each other to the same destination - especially back in the weeks of supplying the hub. Now they don't. The MK3 traders continue to reserve an entire station, while best buy/sell reserve a specific ware at a station, though respect the fact that an entire station may already be reserved.)

Anyway, here's a vote of confidence for the permanent blacklist feature. Works for me.

[ShaBahNakk]

Too bad this ends up in **modified** even if it doesnt change the balance of the game. Like CAG and CLS it adds more intelligence to the trading system. Taking into calculation, what a fully trained UT costs in means of time and money and how dumb it still behaves, this would be a MUST HAVE. I kinda wonder, why they did improve CAG/CLS with a blacklist but didnt implement it for the UT.

Any chance this will be added in a non**modified* bonus pack ( like CAG/CLS ) as well ???

[dreiak]

This script DOES NOT WORK for me at all. I don't know if its patch related or not. I followed installation instructions and it still doesnt work. I am constantly loosing UT's in weaver's tempest. It is most infuriating that my traders keep going there just to get blasted by pirate M2's.

The only thing I can think to do at this point is cheat, blow up everything in yaki sector and see if THAT will stop the damn traders from going there....

To reiterate: Copied files, added systems to blacklist, (first) renamed old script files, (next) deleated old script files, (yet to try) renamed .xml to .pak, and yes I activated script editor (too bad i dont know any of the scripting crap otherwise I might be able to just fix this myself). And that is all I can think of.

PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD FIX THIS SCRIPT OR TELL ME WHAT I AM DOING WRONG!!!!!

[SymTec ltd.]

I'm sorry that the script seems not to work in some cases. Right now I'm very busy though, so I won't be able to write a fix for this. Some of the scripts were changed with the latest X3TC patches, I haven't completely tested this script package with that.

A further analysis of the situation (was fight command software installed on the ship? when it went to the forbidden sector, what was it trying to do there? what are the friend/foe-settings of the ship?) might lead to a solution, but I won't be able to publish a fix any time soon.

STL

[delray]

Can't you just allow us to add "ALL Pirate" "ALL Yaki" "ALL Xenon" "ALL War" sectors to simplify everything?

[gnasirator]

Hi SymTec,

I just wanted to ask if it is fine to include your script into my MK3 improvement package.

I'm trying to get all relevant MK3 stuff into one pack which I can support then.
So I can get rid of all the different setup and t files ...

[Mowen]

Does it work with TC v2.7.1 and later versions ?

[jack775544]

Yep. But if you are running AP then use the version from the bonus pack.