Complex too big? FPS too low? Don't like italian food?
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- This is a complex I scripted in merely for the picture.
There are 20 Biogas L, 15 Crystal Fab M, 10 SPP M. - The same complex crunched. (Model by KilleRTidE)
Note that this is one station in the game. It's just a big one. =)
1 + 2 were taken from the exact same position and orientation.
The difference in FPS is quite noticable and they do not get much lower when the Module Complex grows. - The internal wiring is done exteremely efficiently, reducing the number of tubes to an absolute minimum.
- Not only does your complex become neater - it is easier to manage, too.
Imagine having 45 single factories in that list instead of 4.
Scripts for the complex builder: ComplexCleaner v2, Condense Asteroids, Super Tractor, A.R.E.S. Station Building
Usage
A Tractor Beam must be on board of the executing ship.
The script has 2 arguments.
- Command (text) : This is what the script is supposed to do.
Position (Position) : When things are moved or built somewhere, this is always where they are put.
Commands - crunch : All unconnected factories and mines in the sector are combined into as few as possible factory modules.
If this command is run for the first time, the Module Complex is built at the position you supplied.
Watch where you build it. This thing is huge.
On subsequent crunch runs the position argument is ignored and the Factory modules automatically added to an existing Module Complex.
Ships can not dock at a Factory Module. FM can only function as part of a complex.
You still need to connect the "crunched" Factory Modules. manually. However, it's a whole lot faster to connect 4 Factory Modules instead of 45 single factories. =)
Important:
You are allowed to connect the Module Complex to the hub but if you do so, it's very likely that the hub will be destroyed the next time you run the crunch command. Your decision.
The factory modules ( =real producing factories) are the ones you are supposed to connect.
Factories of every possible type or size will be assimilated into standardized Factory Modules with possible sizes of
1 (S), 2 (M), 5 (L), 10 (XL), 20, 40, 50, 100, 150, and 200.
Ore and silicon mines can not be crunched without a small loss. I have seen 1-4 %. This is due to the fact that mines have a variable production output resulting in a "half" factory, which can not be built. More info here.
You do not have to do any math. That's what the script is for. =)
Build 26 M-Fabs and the script transforms them into 1x 50, 1x 2.
2 factories instead of 26.
And they stay modular and upgradable.
Add another 9 of those M-Fabs and the script would transform the whole thing into 1x 50 and 1x 20.
2 factories instead of 35.
If you are using a Module Complex you do not have to position new factories within connection range of the hub any more.
Randomly drop them somewhere in the sector.
They are automagically assimilated into the Module Complex when you rerun the crunch command.
Expanding complexes becomes easier than ever before.
If your complex contains only completely identical factories then crunch can sometimes compress them into a single module. A single module can no longer be made into a complex...
That's what Ignore is for. Using that you can exclude a station or module from the crunch command and crunch will only compress the remaining stations/modules.
As a result you always hava a minimum of 2 modules and can rewire them into a complex.
Important note regarding Ashley's Factories:
You must not run the crunch command immediately after building one of Ashley's factories.
They are not completely constructed at this point. Give it 30-60 seconds to finish it's installation.
Regular factories are fully constructed right after your TL has built them. - hub : A Complex Hub is moved to the position you supply.
If there is more than one hub in the sector you must target the one you want from your own ship.
If there is only one hub, the script assumes that you want to move the hub.
If there is only 1 hub and there also is a Modular Complex in the sector, then special rules apply.
If you set the position extremely close to the MC then the hub is put in a relatively safe standard position below the MC instead.
If you set it too far, the hub is placed in the direction you set but still within 19 km of the MC. This way you can still connect more factory modules because the connection range of a complex tube is 20 km.
north : Complex Hub is rotated so the docking clamps point north (X3 standard)
south : ...
east : ...
west : ...
up : ...
down : ...
If there is more than 1 hub in the sector, the one you want is defined by the position you set. - fps : Show current FPS in a message window. A quick way to see how well this works. =)
- ver or version : Report script version to your logbook.
- check : CC will verify it's own mod at every version upgrade.
This command forces the check.
If you add any other mod (as a fake patch) on top of the CC mod, you can use this command to see if CC is still alive and happy with this installation. - ignore : Personally Target one of your stations and run this command on some properly equiped ship. (skip the "Position" argument).
CC will ignore this station or module on subsequent "crunches".
Repeat the command for this particular station to remove the ignore flag.
Regardless of what you had targeted, ignore will always tag all currently ignored stations in sector with a "[ i ]".
This is purely for your information and can be deleted/renamed at will.
So if you use ignore without a station targeted, all the script does is check all stations and add the text tag where needed.
Old Complex Cleaner v1.08 features:
They still work but don't play in the same league as far as FPS savings go.
They can run for several minutes on a larger complex. - clear : All connected Fabs are moved further out in the sector to a position you supply. If this position is within 100 km of the sector center (or inside a planet...) it is ignored and a safe position is found.
Note that the player ship must be in the same sector when the command is given but you are free to leave immediately afterwards. - restore : All unconnected Fabs are recalled.
This will be necessary when a hub is destroyed.
The destination is either a complex hub or if none is supplied, the position.
Only about 70 Fabs can be recalled at one time because huge safety margins are required to place objects like SPP XL or mines.
[ external image ] (ZIP / SPK)
The "script only" version 1.08 is still available as a separate download.
Installation
For v3 a mod has to be installed for the new features to work.
Unlike most scripts CC uses a delayed installation.
It will install not on the first but the second time you load a game.
Without that X3 would crash on installation in some cases.
There are 4 versions in the ZIP file:
Cat 30 : Vanilla X3
Cat 31 : Ashley's Factories
Cat 32 : XTM 0.7.2 / 0.7.3
Cat 33 : XTM ? + Ashley's Factories (untested)
The spk version script does not install the mod for you.
This mod does not require you to start a new game.
If you don't run any other mod, simply place all the CAT/DAT files into the MODS folder and activate the right one as "the" mod when you start X3.
If you do select mod package at the X3 launcher window, this mod overrides all fake patches.
Use this feature with caution.
To install them as a "fake patch":
The 2 "right" CAT/DAT files must be placed in your X3 folder and renamed so that their numbers seamlessly follow the existing CAT/DAT files in there and end up as the highest number.
Right: Cat/Dat 10, 11, 12, 13
Wrong: Cat/Dat 10, 11, 12, 30
If you do select mod package at the X3 launcher window, this mod overrides all fake patches.
Use this feature with caution.
CCLeaner will verify the installation on first install and every version upgrade, telling you which CC mod version you installed and if it thinks if that was a good idea.
Removing the pipes
The complete system of pipes is rebuilt every time a new factory is added. After that all pipes remain static.
This means that if you want to get rid of them you
. . . move the hub a good distance away
. . . build and connect a new fab to the complex
. . . . . . (all pipes have been built "far away" now)
. . . move the hub back to where you want it.
The result: The hub is the only thing you see of the whole complex.
Optional is : TCM Tubeless_Complex_Mod. This replaces the 3D model of the tubes with... nothing and I highly recommend it.
This was actually what gave me the idea for this script. Getting rid of the pipes was certainly a good plan but it did nothing about the bulk of the graphics load... which are the factories.
Tech Stuff
Limitations - on the old clear / recall commands:
A maximum of 1000 huge factories (SPP XL, Mines) plus 3000 other Fabs can so be cleared out of your sector.
If a complex hub should be destroyed you can recall a maximum of 72 factories to the sector center (for reconnecting) at one time.
Resources used:
Textfile: 7021
Task ID 7021 on the executing ship
Command slot: COMMAND_TYPE_CUSTOM_24
The only objects created are test dummies with automatic self destruction and there are no permanently running scripts.
If you do not like the text commands, feel free to edit them in t\**7021.xml.