Introducing the HDS (hub distrbution system)

[Ishark]

The first test version of my script pack is now available for download. It's aimed at empire-building fans who build many stations and want to reduce the micormanagement.

You can download it here: http://ishark.free.fr/x2/hds-v02b.zip
(last version v02b, updated 05 June 2005)

A full description is in the readme file coming with the zip file (the beginning is copied below). It's not a final version and not yet localized (only English is available), but I've been running it in my current game for quite some time (i.e. weeks) without any problem. Some testing results and general feedback would be useful. Install as usual and enjoy


DESCRIPTION
-----------

This script kit implements a centralized hub distribution system (HDS)
to be used with transporter ships to gather and deliver wares from/to
player stations. Optionally, it can also buy and sell from/to AI
stations.
The basic idea is to have a big fat space station which stores a large
amount of a specific ware, with ships going from/to it to grab the
ware from those who produce it and distribute the ware to anyone
needing it.

The HDS adds 3 new commands:
- HDS: buy new hub
This command is available on any ship equipped with a Trading System
Extension, in the "Special..." menu of the command console.
It asks you to select a specific ware (select a station using it and
select the ware) and then asks for a sector position to place the
Hub station. The cost is 2,500,000 Cr and the command will refuse
to build anything if you don't have enough money.
PROBLEM: for some reason you can't select a ware which does not fit
in your cargo hold.... so you need to use a TS/TL to issue the command
to build Hubs for XL-sized wares.
PROBLEM 2: in order to store a large amount of ware, the HDS uses a
workaround which consists in making the hub a factory producing
GPPCs using 125MW shields. This may interfere with BPH or
sector/universe traders if you start playing with the prices (by
default the HDS sets sell at highest and buy at lowest, effectively
disabling buy/sell).

- HDS: gather ware...
- HDS: distribute ware...
These commands are available on all TS/TP ships equipped with Trade
Software MK1 (gather) or Trade Software MK2 (distribute). They only
work if the ship has its homebase set to a Hub station.
They ask for a sector and a price. The sector must be near the Hub
station (maximum distance is 3 sectors away).

For gathering: the sector is where to look for factories producing
the Hub station ware, the price is the maximum price which will be
used to buy from AI factories if no useful player factory is found.
If you don't want the ship to ever buy from the AI just enter "0",
which will disable buying. The ship will move to the sector, load
up the ware from the factories producing it and return it to he Hub
station.

For distributing: the sector is where to look for stations requiring
the Hub station ware as primary (or secondary) resource, the price
is the minimum price at which to sell the ware to AI stations if no
player station needing it is found.
If you don't want the ship to ever sell to the AI just enter "0",
which will disable selling. The ship will move to the Hub station,
load up and the move to the sector in order to supply the factories
placed there.

[Mattrog]

anyone else using this?

was thinking about using it for my new set of closed weapon fab loops (60 ish facts)

[Ishark]

Well, I am using it, of course But I'd like someone else to try it and give me suggesions for improvements. Post any impressions or questions in the thread and I'll be happy to read/answer them.
I was thinking about providing my savegame as example, but no-one of the script writers seems to do this, is there a particular reason?

[milling_hordesman]

hmm... one suggestion, and i don't know if it's implemented or not, is to help out getting m6s to transport goods to and from EQ docks. they can't actually use the ;pad/unload commands, so you need to check the ship class and do an add/remove pair of commands to create the transfew effect. admiraltigerclaw asked me to do something similar to this, and that's one problem i found that stumped me for almost a day.

[Ishark]

hmm... one suggestion, and i don't know if it's implemented or not, is to help out getting m6s to transport goods to and from EQ docks.

The HDS only uses transport ships (TS/TP and maybe one day TL), so there is no problem. Thanks for the info anyway, there are a lot of quirks with the scripting which you don't discover unless you stumble on them or someone points them out....

BTW I've just uploaded v02 which fixes some error reporting and uses a more paranoid approach to station docking. A ChangLog is in the file describing the changes (all internal, no changes to usage).