Terradine Scripts Concepts

[AdmiralTigerclaw]

For script ideas that will work in terradine.


First item
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Strategic Starfighter package.

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EMF: electromagnetic Flares.

EMFs require the Flare Launcher Item at equipment docks.

Assign a key or joystick control.

Each use of the EMF requires one energy cell. Upon firing, six flares are launched fired in pairs in about a second at the back of the fighter. These flares can be an object or just an effect. They last five seconds before they fade away, and travel about three meters outwards from the Z axis of the fighter.


Script would handle it by spawning selected item or effect and have it stationary. Upon use, script uses energy cell, fires flares, and then checks to see what missiles are following player. Tracking missiles get a dice roll that is more favorable to the player if the flare more dirrectly comes between the missile and the player fighter. If player's roll is won, missile target is reset to the nearest flare and missile attacks the flare.

If failed, well, I hope the player can dodge.

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Track While Scan (TWS) Multitarget Designation Computer.

WARE: TWS Computer

The TWS is a fighter threat assignment and assist computer. Must be bought at EQ docks.

two Key selections used. And player selects a target.

With target selected, player hits the designated key and the TWS checks if the target is a wing or wing lead. It will then get all his buddies and add them to an array, then it will 'scan' these targets, assign threat priorities based on M class, weapons equipped, and number of missiles. Highest threat priority will then be reselected as the player's target.

If no initial target is selected, the TWS will just locate the nearest enemy craft and go from there.

If player chooses, a second key can be assigned to engage TWS targets in the array. TWS will cycle the targets from highest threat, to lowest threat, firing a missile at each one until it runs out of targets or missiles. It does not select missile type, so players can manage payload and ordinance themselves.

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SWR: Sensor Warning Reciever.

WARE: SWR sensor

The Sensor Warning Reciever works like a Radar Warning Reciever. The passive sensor detects if the player is being targeted. by other crafts and gives an advanced warning alarm so the player can plan further ahead for combat.

The SWR will play two single beeps if the player is being targeted by a fighter. Two double beeps if it's an M6, and two triple beeps if its a capital ship (M1 M2).


This would be usefull on more than just fighters. Equipped in a trading ship, the player could get advanced warning before the alert klaxon goes off of impending attack, and take evaisive action with more time to spare. Or if the player is a smuggler, know in advance if a scanning ship is on the way.
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'Afterburner'

Ware: Engine Afterburn Overdriver

One Key assignment.

If possible, when player depresses the key, the burner is activated for the duration of the key hold. The burner acts as a temporary overtune of the ship. The script will calculate the number of tunings needed to increase any given ship's top speed by twenty percent. The overdriver pipes energy from the weapons systems. Allowing the player temporary boosts of speed during the length of their laser energy supply.

Burner requires ten seconds to build up to top speed. This can be done by adding the 'tunings' in increments totalling the ten seconds. Once at top speed, the burner will remain active until the key is either released, or energy in the weapons runs out. At which point the spacecraft will return to its normal flight speed.

Energy management is critical with the Overdrive unit, as weapons are sacrificed for speed. It was deemed too risky to shunt shield energy into the booster, and considered too much logistics to manage extra energy cells for a device which may be used completely unplanned.


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(Note: Idea repository)
AL: Jake's & Martin's

Jake's Fuel Stop, a nice respit in the trade lanes for weary travelers. Jake's is known for its wide variety of drinks. Jake's steady supply of space fuel is provided by its wealthy owner, Jake Stars Space fuel

Jake's fuel stop has a fine assortment of wares. Space Jewelry, ship upgrades, and it always carries a few BBS missions.

Stations:
Jakes Fuel Stops (Three or four, located in non-race sectors across the galaxy.)
Jake's Space Fuel (Located in an Argon Sector

BBS: Jake's Run. (Jake's Space Fuel) As a cargo transporter on hire, you need to make delivery runs to all the Jake's Fuel Stops. Demand is high, time is short, and the police can always scan you, so MOVE IT! But hey, the pay is good.

*More BBS Missions here*

Martin's Munitions: Your one stop shop for all your missile and weapon needs. Well, most of them.
Martin's Munitions stocks all types of missiles, fighter drones, and sattelites.

*BBS Missions here*

[Serial Kicked]

EMF is a nice idea but if you want it to move it will have to be created as a ship. It will be spawned behind the playership. I never tried to change the direction of a missile, so i'm not sure it works.

The TWS is great, and not that hard to write. I could also use the same concept in my ACC script to launch fighters from my carrier.


About the Afterburner, i'm not 100% sure, but i'm pretty sure there's no "set weapon enery to X" in the script editor. There's only a get. It's still doable by totally disabling the weapons in the ship when the device is activated.

About the SWR, the script command to select something in the "player tracking aim" will automatically say the ship name in the radio. So there's no real need to the beep.


About the Custom God Engine. Afaik this part of the god engine can be disbabled by altering one of the official scripts. i'm pretty sure the whole building thing is hardcoded, so the new god engine will have to be written from scratch. Replacing destroyed stations is easy, but making something able to "intelligently" build stations in the correct sector, not really. I could make a custom al plugin, but getting something good will take some times.

[eladan]

About the Custom God Engine. Afaik this part of the god can be disbabled by altering one of the official scripts. i'm pretty sure the whole building thing is hardcoded, so the new god engine will have to be written from scratch. Replacing destroyed stations is easy, but making something able to "intelligently" build stations in the correct sector, not really. I could make a custom al plugin, but getting something good will take some times.

Not 100% sure about what's being discussed here, but it looks to me like the God decision to build a factory is hardcoded, but the placement of the factory is scripted. Anything related to factory removal appears to be hardcoded.

[Serial Kicked]

yes, the only 'god' script related to station placement is the script that's run on TL ships when they are asked to deliver a station. So to disable the building process, we have to modify "!god.tl.deliver.factory.xml" and ask the TL to stay idle. And removals (that don't happen "in sector", afaik) can be "sort-of" disabled by automatically replacing destroyed stations.

edit// oh, and ATC, as the map is kinda big, i was wondering if you'd be interested in allowing npc trading ships to use the jumpdrive when they have one equiped and the destination sector is far enough (or to skip hostile sectors) ?

[eladan]

IIRC, a return at the start of the TL script would do the job. I can't think of anything else in the script which needed to be run.

[Serial Kicked]

that's right

[Cycrow]

Just a few problems with the afterburner.

You can have it work when you hold a key down, scripts cant detect that your holding down the hotkey, only when you press it. The afterburner script i made works so you press it once to start and press it again to stop it.

also, as Serial Kicked mentioned, you cant adjust the weapon energy via scripts. However, you can temporray remove the weapons, thats what i did for the Slipstream drive in firelance.

And also, about setting the speed for the afterburner, you cant really set the ships speed, so adding tunings just incrase the max speed, but doesn't effect the speed the ship is currently traveling at. For that, you have to use the Attack run command to set a speed to accelerate too

[AdmiralTigerclaw]

I was hoping it could detect a held key, I guess not.

Anywho, with the SWR, it's not a target selector, it detects if someone else has YOU as a target. After all, if anyone is coming to attack or scan you, they target you, yes?

[Serial Kicked]

Yes, i just thought you wanted it to automatically target the guy who is targeting you. But if you want it to be passive (no automatic selection on player's screen) it's also doable.

[Schultski]

[=] Something like SSPs
I've found a way to change missile-targetting software aboard each missiles... however...
I use scripts, lotta scripts, that may activate if there are missiles targetting you and change it with... Firefly Missile...
The side effect is, your 'missile also changed into Firefly Missile...

[=] Something like TWS Computer
Nothing happened so far , just like Anarkis Fighter Command and Fighter Base Commander script, nothing special...

[=] Something like SWR Sensor
Same concept of Early Warning Radar Network, but suing somewhat 'personal' and the main problem, can't find script that detect yourself is targetted.

[=] Something like Afterburner
Using same concept of Cycrow's Afterburner [both Mk.1 and Mk.2] but cannot find scripts that detect yourself is targetted.

Those are the first initial scratch from my experience I have, and I still don't get to know with 'how to place pictures and command lines in the thread. Sorry...

Hope this'll help...
Schultski Rheindland

[Serial Kicked]

i've made a kind of test version of TWS here:


http://anarkis.jexiste.fr/files/anarkis.tws.rar

The script will create three new keyboard shortcuts:

- TWS: Target Threat
If something is already selected in the tracking aim it will switch the aim to the strongest ship of the formation (if exists). If nothing is selected, it will use the nearest enemy ship.

- TWS: Target Next
Will switch between the ships in the currently selected formation

- TWS: Missile Assault
Will launch a missile against each ship of the current formation

[AdmiralTigerclaw]

That was quick... though the link doesn't work.

[Serial Kicked]

That was quick... though the link doesn't work.

Sorry,

http://anarkis.jexiste.fr/files/anarkis.tws.rar

[AdmiralTigerclaw]

Here's an idea....


Onboard Rapid Adaptation Control Logic Environment

O.R.A.C.L.E. : Tactical Combat and Avionics Control Computer.

ORACLE provides real time voice information updates to fighter pilots. The ORACLE AI unit in the computer assesses situation continuously, monitors scans, and provides the most critical pieces of information as the pilot requests them. The voice or manual command input allows the pilot to engage freely while collecting information back VIA the Oracle Voice Unit.
ORACLE VOICE UNIT is a commanding deep voice that almost seems excited to relay its information to the pilot.

ORACLE comments on navigation information and craft speed during this sequence.

WARE: ORACLE Computer


Secondary Shipcommands Using the secondary shipcommands slot on a fighter the player owns... he can set to listen to different types of oracle voice message alerts.

ORACLE Critical Only: Oracle will use SWR style of enemy detection to note if you are being targetted, and will then comment on the number and type of enemies attacking.

EX: "WARNING: You are being tracked by- 3 - M4s."
or if more three enemies select you as a target and are within combat range...

"DANGER: You have been engaged by _______ enemy _____s!"

ORACLE Will warn exclusively if any enemy capital craft (M1-2) come within fiteen K reguarless of target.

Oracle will also warn if mines are detected within six kilometers of player ship. (Won't tell you where...)

ex: "DANGER! MINES DETECTED!"

ORACLE Standard:

Oracle Computer will comment automatically on enemies that come within forty K of player, number, and type. It will also comment on all 'CRITICAL' messages. It will also comment on autopilot courses, calculate your speed and distance to targets, and respond.

Ex: "COURSE ADJUSTED, ETA ______ minutes ______ seconds."

Oracle WINGMAN: Oracle will give you critical updates about wingmen in your group. It will alert you if their shields are dropped below fifty percent, and alert you if they are being outnumbered three to one.

Ex: "WARNING! Wing ____ (2,3,4,5 etc...) IN DANGER!"

Ex2: "WARNING WING _______ OUTNUMBERED!"

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Hotkey Commands:

Oracle Tactical Scan:: Instead of flashing through several menus to get information on a target. ORACLE will scan the target and report back number and type of shields, installed weapons, and top speed of selected target.

Ex: "Target equipped with SIX, Five-MJ Shields, armed with 4, BETA, PACs, and three HORNET class missiles. MAX SPEED IS: Six, Hundred, Eighty... Meters Per Second."

Oracle Strategic Scan::

Used to assess groups rather than loadouts. The Strategic Scan identifies the target type, who he flies with, their number, and their type.

Ex: "Target Is, M3 Class with, 4, M4class wingmen, and 2, M6 Class Wingmen"


I can create all the needed voice lines that will be needed by various combinations.


BONUS: Oracle could be designed to work with the TWS, Flare Launcher, and SWR system to intelligently check fighter payload, equip the best available weapons and even attack and defend when capable of doing so. For example, it could automatically monitor any missile and intelligently launch flares to intercept any that get inside X distance... and Attack fighter groups that target you with TWS missile attacks...

This would fall under the Oracle secondary shipboard command "Automatic combat controls."

[Serial Kicked]

TWS is available here now (called group targeting system atm):
http://forum2.egosoft.com/viewtopic.php?t=157131

I could also write Oracle, the concept isn't bad at all.
But i can't really work on it without a basic mod including the proper voicefiles.

BONUS: Oracle could be designed to work with the TWS, Flare Launcher, and SWR system to intelligently check fighter payload, equip the best available weapons and even attack and defend when capable of doing so. For example, it could automatically monitor any missile and intelligently launch flares to intercept any that get inside X distance... and Attack fighter groups that target you with TWS missile attacks...

Could be theorically done. But i'll need some (lot?) of time to write something like this, and the whole thing will be very far from being perfect (mainly the "equip best weapon according to threat" part). This kind of script isn't my speciality, in fact, weapon handling is more likely RedSpot's domain. But i could still give it a go.

btw, do not expect to be able to run the full ORACLE "bonus" pack on too many ships at a time. This kind of script needs the scripter to play with multiple loops, array, signals, local & global variables, and can be very agressive for the CPU. No idea how much, though.

__

(not so) Out of topic, you've got good ideas for Terradine. But, sadly, i probably won't have the time to build every plugin/script you want to include myself. Finishing PG is a hell lot of work, same for the custom GOD engine, or for Oracle+bonus thingy. So one day or another i'll have to choose {and you'll need an additional scripter}.

[AdmiralTigerclaw]

I'm not worried. I'm using this more as a repository of ideas. Any scripter who comes in and likes what he sees will have ideas to work with.

[AdmiralTigerclaw]

Okay, I know what we can use for 'flares'.

Spaceflies. If spacefly models themselves don't do anything, they're the perfect size and color... plus they glow.

[Serial Kicked]

Okay, I know what we can use for 'flares'.

Spaceflies. If spacefly models themselves don't do anything, they're the perfect size and color... plus they glow.

hehe, spaceflies as flare ammunitions
Could be used with cycrow's spacefly hunting software.

Still unsure if it's possible to change direction of missiles, though.

[AdmiralTigerclaw]

Here's a demo set of Oracle voices all in one MP3...
http://www.muyo.org/atc/ORACLE.mp3

[Serial Kicked]

Looks good. Race names could be added (Pirates, Boron, Yakis, Xenon, ...). I didn't noticed the "percent" word either.

Some other words i could use (some of them may already included):
- Oracle
- activated
- disabled
- captured
- bailed