The pack:
http://www3.telus.net/NuclearWessels/sfc/downloads/EDWarpPatrols.exe [Last updated Jan. 15]
BUG FIXES IN PROGRESSThis is where I'll keep a short list of current bugs and revisions and their status.
Bugs/fixes still in progress:
- AI attacking tractorable asteroids
status: mitigated, but not eliminated (under further investigation) - some combat scenarios ending before the enemy is fully toasted
status: under investigation - need to add Wyn terrain
status: on the TTD list
Patrol Scenario OverviewOK, here's the candidate "Patrol Duty" scripts that try to reflect more typical patrol activities. (Note, this doesn't replace the standard combat patrol scripts, it's a pair of additional scripts if an admin wants to include them.)
This also now includes the Piracy and Privateering scenarios, which are invoked only if you're flying for one of the cartels.
http://www3.telus.net/NuclearWessels/sfc/downloads/EDWarpPatrols.exe [Last updated Nov. 22]
In a PvP situation they operate like the standard big-map/warp-disengagement combat script: 3v3 drafting, stripping AI, etc.
When you're flying against the AI (solo or with a wing or two) things work as follows: you're notified that there is a disturbance of some form in your sector of space, and you have to find it, investigate it, and (if possible) deal with it.
Find the problemFirst you have to find the source of the disturbance
(the ability of the 'nearest enemy' key to reveal enemies at any distance has been blocked
)
The range at which you can detect the enemy depends on a number of factors
- the number of scout channels your ship has (scouts will be MUCH better at quickly sweeping large regions of space)
- the number of labs and control stations your ship has
- whether or not you've got deep scanning turned on
- how long you've been scanning (as time progresses your computer is able to isolate and filter more and more of the region's background noise)
- whether or not the enemy is cloaked
- whether or not the enemy has a hull stealth bonus
- interference from terrain (nebula and ion storms in particular)
Identifying the problemYou'll often need to scan an entity or vessel from close range (sometimes 5 or less if your ship doesn't have a lot in the way of labs) to determine what to do.
Here's the scenario list, the numbers are scenario ids from your Battlelog.txt file
- An enemy warship[li] #34 immediate attack (shoot on sight) no scan necessary, an enemy vessel is in hot pursuit of you from the start. This is the same setup as a PvP encounter, and automatically generates appropriate planet/bases for assault/defense. Unlike the pure-combat mission script, you do NOT get AI help in assaulting planets/bases.[/li]
[li] #0 scan your opponent then engage in standard combat[/li]
[li] #1 an enemy spy/recon vessel, you need to investigate by scanning them, then planting a security team aboard, following which they may try to fight or flee[/li]
[li] #2 an enemy negotiator/envoy/diplomat on a legitimate mission - you must scan and release,
unless you can also jam their communications, in which case you might cause them to mysteriously disappear ...[/li]
[li] #36 outpost raid - destroy an enemy repair/resupply outpost (FRD, freighters, and cargo boxes) [/li]
[li] #37 eavesdropping - sneak into enemy space and listen in on their transmissions, WITHOUT getting detected (green alert, low speeds, no deep scanning) [/li]
- One of our own warships [li] #3 one of our ships has mutineed or been captured - you'll need to scan them then retake the ship[/li]
[li] #4 they may be in distress, and need medical or technical assistance [/li]
[li] #40 one of our cruisers has been badly damaged, you have to help it reach a shipyard and try to get enough repairs started to make it combat worthy before a marauding enemy comes down on all of you [/li]
- A derelict vessel creating a shipping hazard[li] #5 You need to send a salvage team aboard to get what you can, then destroy the vessel - there is a chance the vessel is booby-trapped if it belonged to a hostile race, there is also a chance the derelict is in a dangerous region of space (minefields, ion storms, etc)[/li]
[li] #29 For security reasons, the derelict might need to be disposed of in a black hole, to remove any traces of its existence [/li]
- Civillian vessels [li] #6: they are in distress of some form - after scanning you need to beam a rescue party, repair party, or medical supplies aboard. There may be minefields or terrain hazards about.[/li]
[li] #7 they are harmless but can't be bothered responding to hails - after scanning the vessel to ensure it isn't a threat you bawl them out and can go on your way. Pirate captains will have an opportunity to buy/sell contraband.[/li]
[li] #8 they need to be towed away from a hazardous region such as the edge of an ion storm or minefield [/li]
[li] #9 they are smuggling something - after scanning the vessel you'll need to capture it - they may turn and fight or they may try to run. Pirate captains can hang onto the captured contraband for later resale.[/li]
[li] #10 they are a wanted criminal - again, scan and kill or capture - they might fight or run[/li]
[li] #11 they may be outright hostile and turn to attack you once you close to scanning range - once in awhile they may have an agent planted on your ship to carry out an act of sabotage just before they turn to attack[/li]
[li] #12 they are a spy vessel, you need to scan them and place an investigation team on board, then they may still try and fight or flee[/li]
[li] #27 there are a pair of squabbling civillian vessels - you'll need to bring one of the captains aboard your vessel to talk some sense into them [/li]
[li] #30 there is important cargo/personnel on board a vessel, and you'll need to escort them to a nearby base or planet [/li]
[li] #31 a vessel transmits critical data to you, and you need to deliver the information to a nearby base or planet - there is also a chance the information turns out to be phone, and the base will instruct you to turn around and go after the other vessel again![/li]
- Pirate vessels [li] #13 an harmless pirate with a bad attitude (scan, scold, and release). Pirate captains can buy/sell contraband - though the other pirate may try to pull a double-cross.[/li]
[li] #14 a smuggler (scan and destroy/capture)[/li]
[li] #15 a wanted pirate (scan and destroy/capture)[/li]
[li] #16 an out-and-out hostile, eager to attack you (capture or destroy them, again they may have a saboteur aboard your ship)[/li]
[li] #17 a spy vessel (scan, plant a security team aboard their vessel, then they may try to flee or fight)[/li]
[li] #32 a pirate base, which needs to be eliminated[/li]
[li] #33 a suspected black marketeer - your officer will give you instructions after scanning them. Pirates can sell most of their troops, parts, bombs, etc at outrageous markups, although they could try to double-cross you.[/li]
[li] #38 you're invited to drop your shields and come aboard the legendary Riverboat Casino ... is it worth the risk? [/li]
- A monster[li] #18 harmless, but will fight back if attacked (scan and release)[/li]
[li] #19 aggressive (scan and destroy)[/li]
[li] #35 fight a swarm of tiny annoying foes [/li]
[li] if you happen to draw a monster in a starbase/homeworld hex then you might find yourself facing an intruder or large sunglider attacking your base/homeworld (a variant of the #34 shoot-on-sight)[/li]
- A terrain feature [li] #20 determine where the strange readings are coming from (scan and log)[/li]
[li] #21 there may be a wreck on the surface that needs to be salvaged - this may be just a couple of items you can directly beam off with transporters, or it may be a more time consuming process where your officers ask you to go into orbit around the asteroid/planet while they carry out salvage operations[/li]
[li] #22 there may be survivors on the surface who need to be evacuated - like #21, this may simply be beaming an injured party off the asteroid/planet, or it may be a more time consuming evacuation process[/li]
[li] #25 you may need to recalibrate your weapon systems, done by blasting away at an asteroid and letting your lab and weapons crews analyze the results[/li]
[li] #28 you may need to conduct terraforming operations, done by landing a team on an asteroid and following their directions to blast it into appropriate pieces[/li]
[li] #42 crossing a storm barrier - you are just coming out of a nasty belt of ion storms and dust clouds (even worse if you draw this in a nebula hex) and you find an enemy waiting for you on the outside... [/li]
- Scientific experiments (your mother and I have to sell the lot of you...)
[li] #39 your scientists want you to investigate Kirk's time warp maneuver -- survey a local sun and then go to high warp as close to it as possible... (i.e. use the warp disengagement, plotted to skim the sun) [/li]
[li] #41 your scientists have captured an Andromedan displacement device and installed it on your ship. You get to fly around while they try to figure out how to control it. Unfortunately, an enemy may show up while you're experimenting...[/li]
- A rogue minefield[li] #23 you'll need to destroy the minefield (actually a combination of defsats and listening posts) [/li]
- Asteroid base missions [li] #24 you may be called in to restore order at a prison where the inmates are rioting: you'll need to capture (NOT destroy) the facility before the inmates gain control of its weaponry[/li]
[li] #26 you may be called in to help put down a mutiny at an asteroid base, again by capturing (not destroying) the base[/li]
[/list]
Note that firing on innocent vessels causes you to lose the scenario, and firing on a potential hostile before you've confirmed they really ARE hostile can earn you a reprimand, so verify your target before attacking!
Calling for help and jamming communicationsThe size of enemy vessels will be randomly determined, but with a curve making CL-CA class ships the most likely opposition. (I.e. the enemy strength won't be based on your strength.) As such, it may be necessary for you to call for help and wait for it to arrive -- if you're forced to disengage before help arrives then the enemy is assumed to slip away into your space and you lose.
Calling for help is currently done automatically, I may replace that with a dialogue box eventually)Needless to say, the enemy will attempt to jam your communications. Similarly, in a number of the scenarios listed it helps if you can jam their communications.
(Jamming is also handled automatically at the moment, you're just informed if it's taking place.)Each ship is assigned a jamming capability, based on their lab space, control stations, and scout channels (again, scouts will be much better at this than other vessels). Based on the relative abilities of the two sides, there will be a probability of success in jamming each other's communications.
Piracy and Privateering Blackmail, finder's fees, and protection rackets In various scenarios, the pirate captain will have the opportunity to rescue someone (for a fee), charge someone protection fees, salvage or capture valuable cargo, protect someone who
has paid their protection fees, try to smuggle items past naval/customs vessels, etc. Most of these scenarios operate under the same mechanism as the naval scenarios in the new mission pack.
Pirates can carry contraband All pirate vessels, but only pirate vessels, can carry a certain amount of contraband.
You can carry one item of contraband per hull box, and ten items of contraband per cargo box.
Contraband items carry over from mission to mission, and are transferred over when you buy a new ship (if there is sufficient space in the new ship)
Contraband items are lost if your ship is captured or destroyed.
LimitationsI've had to add a couple of restrictions in the contraband rules to handle limitations in the scripting api:
- If there is a "host left" situation the script will not do any cargo updates, due to the possibility of mis-identification
- If there are
more than two humans in a mission only the player who initiated the mission will receive cargo updates.
I might simply set up the storyline so that if more than one human is in a mission then the black market opportunity falls through (there are too many witnesses or some such thing)
Carrying contraband makes you a smuggler Many of the scenarios you encounter will involve naval vessels from the different empires, and they will want to scan your vessel to make sure you aren't smuggling anything.
Sometimes they won't detect the contraband even when they do scan you (you put a lot of effort into masking it).
Sometimes when they detect it you'll have the opportunity to put a team aboard their vessel with a hefty bribe, and they'll let you go.
Sometimes you'll be forced to either fight or run away.
Fighting with or running from the cops makes your vessel wanted If you run away, or pick a fight with the navy and don't finish them off, then they will issue a warrant for your vessel, and in subsequent scenarios you will automatically be assumed guilty. How badly you are wanted increases every subsequent time this happens, but goes down in missions where you manage to bribe the naval officer. At some threshold a shoot-on-sight order is issued. (Hmmmm .. I should probably set this up so that each different navy has their own classification of how badly wanted you are.)
The warrant goes with the vessel - if you sell the ship most of the grief goes to the new owner. Of course, when you buy a new ship there is a chance you'll inherit its history.
Acquiring contraband You can acquire contraband in three different ways:
(1) salvaging wrecks: if you destroy a vessel carrying contraband then 10-20% of the contraband survives and can be salvaged if you have space available
(2) capturing vessels: if you capture a vessel carrying contraband then 30-60% of the contraband survives and can be transferrred to your vessel if there is space
(3) the black market: when you encounter non-hostile pirates, civillians, bases, and planets there is a chance you'll be able to purchase contraband from them (you quartermaster knows the going rates, and will ensure you don't get ripped off)
Selling contraband You can sell contraband on the black market when you meet a non-hostile pirate, civillian, base, or planet.
The prices at which contraband items are bought and sold depends on the type of item and the race, inidicated here as High/Medium/Low. I haven't put any rhyme or reason into who pays well for what (I'll rework that later) but each commodity has an equal price distribution across the races, and each race has an equal price distribution across the commodities. I've also rigged it so that, using traditional alliances, each side has an equal distribution of prices/commodities.
| Race | DilithiumCrystals | NovaMines | RomulanAle | Tribbles | AlienArtifacts | WeaponSchematics | MedicalSupplies | MedicineJars |
| Federation | High | High | Med | Med | Low | Low | Low | Low |
| Gorn | Low | Low | Low | Low | High | High | Med | Med |
| Hydran | Low | Low | High | High | Med | Med | Low | Low |
| ISC | Med | Low | Low | High | Med | Low | Low | High |
| Klingon | High | Med | Low | Low | High | Med | Low | Low |
| Lyran | Low | Low | High | Med | Low | Low | High | Med |
| Mirak | Med | Med | Low | Low | Low | Low | High | High |
| Romulan | Low | High | Med | Low | Low | High | Med | Low |
| BeastRaiders | Low | High | Low | Low | Med | Low | Low | Low |
| Camboro | Low | Low | Low | High | Low | Low | Med | Low |
| Korgath | Low | Low | Low | Low | High | Low | Low | Med |
| Orion | High | Low | Low | Med | Low | Low | Low | Low |
| Prime | Med | Low | Low | Low | Low | High | Low | Low |
| Syndicate | Low | Low | High | Low | Low | Med | Low | Low |
| TigerHeart | Low | Med | Low | Low | Low | Low | High | Low |
| Wyldefire | Low | Low | Med | Low | Low | Low | Low | High |
dave
Topic: Beta version: a more patrol-like patrol...(now includes piracy and privateering) (Read 57001 times)