[MOD/Script] LI Freight Distribution Network (FDN) - v7.2 21/11/2010

[Romulet]

Yea thats what I am not seeing in the control Interface. Is there a specific one that I am looking for? My AL is turned on to Yes. NM I found it, under plugin configuration.

[apricotslice]

Yes, hotkey for plugin configuration menu system. FDN menu is on there. (I keep forgetting what that thing is called).

Remember you need to configure the node and each station.

[Romulet]

WOOOOO, alot of things to do in there. Ok I just need to know 1 thing and I should be good. So it works like this. My complex has the items and the items goes to the FDN and the FDN spreads my items to what ever stations needs it? And it can store it and sell it aswell correct? and if so how do I set it up for my silicon mine get the Ecells with out setting up a ship. Thanks Apricot

[apricotslice]

The node can sell, but I recommend you dont sell from there. Complicates things.

if your going to sell, put in an FDN trade dock and send what you want to sell to that. If you want to sell excess of what your stations use, I'd tranfer the excess manually so that the node never has to have complicated settings. If you get the node setup wrong, it sells too much and your stations stop working. Better to transfer only product to the trade station automatically, and manually move any excess resources. That includes ecells. You oversell ecells and your up sh*t creek keeping your stations running.

Your mine is the same as any other station. You add it to the node. You turn it on. You make sure silicon is a ware listed on the node. The node sends it ecells, and takes back silicon.

If the node cant see the mine, make sure there is a adv sat where the mine is. Thats the usual reason why stations dont show up on the menu. The other reason is too many jumps away from the node.

[Romulet]

Hey Apricotslice, Just need a little help. Can I send from node to trading post without doing it manually? If so how do you do it because nothing is being trasfered over the trade post. I'm not seeing anything in the options. Now if I have to do it manually that's fine, I'll just send a ship back and forth.

[apricotslice]

You need to add the trade dock to the node, then add the ware you want to sell there to the trade dock, with a (high) storage value. (I'd put a higher storage value on the trade than the node, so in theory, then node knows its all supposed to go to the trade.)

But the storage value on the node is important as well. Sometimes you have to limit the node, in order to force it to send.

Anything thats a resource to any station, that you decide to sell, is better handled manually imo. No risk of overselling.

[feygan]

Hey Apricotslice, Just need a little help. Can I send from node to trading post without doing it manually? If so how do you do it because nothing is being trasfered over the trade post. I'm not seeing anything in the options. Now if I have to do it manually that's fine, I'll just send a ship back and forth.

If you are selling a ware that you also use in factory production it requires careful use of the storage figures. Your node has 3 entries for each ware:

Maximum storage amount
Remote access above
Sell ware above

To make it effective in both supplying your factories AND your trade dock you need to make sure your maximum storga amount is resonably high, also you need a value in your remote access above entry of around 60-75% of your max storgae amount. This prevents you from suddenly having no stock for your factories because you sold it all.

Of course if you start doing things like this you absolutely need to be using GPR so you can monitor your hourly production and useage for all wares.

[MattPenfold]

I have installed LI.FDN as per the instructions, I think.

I can see the new shipyards, but there are no stations listed for sale at these shipyards.

Can someone take pity on me and point me towards I might being going wrong ?

[apricotslice]

I have installed LI.FDN as per the instructions, I think.

I can see the new shipyards, but there are no stations listed for sale at these shipyards.

Can someone take pity on me and point me towards I might being going wrong ?

The usual issue with no stations is that the LI-Mod isnt installed in the game correctly.

Are you selecting it as a mod ? Or installed it as a false patch ? If the latter, which game are you using and where and what number did you put it ?

[MattPenfold]

I initially selected it as a mod, and when that did not work I tried the false patch method.

I will try the mod method again.

[apricotslice]

Which game and where did you put the mod ?

[MattPenfold]

Which game and where did you put the mod ?

The game is X3TC 3.2

I put the mod in a directory called "mods" in the root X3TC directory. I can select the mod from the options menu.

[apricotslice]

The game is X3TC 3.2

I put the mod in a directory called "mods" in the root X3TC directory. I can select the mod from the options menu.

Have you turned FDN on in the AL menu ?

[MattPenfold]

The game is X3TC 3.2

I put the mod in a directory called "mods" in the root X3TC directory. I can select the mod from the options menu.

Have you turned FDN on in the AL menu ?

Yes.

[MattPenfold]

I have done some testing, and it seems it is a problem with the saved game. If I start a new game there is no problem.

Guess I need to begin again.

[DrBullwinkle]

I can see the new shipyards, but there are no stations listed for sale at these shipyards.

The various Logain Abler threads are peppered with discussions about this bug. As far as I can tell from the threads, LA never got it entirely fixed. He made several posts similar to this one; from the LI 7 Mod FAQ:

FAQ:

Buying LI_Modv7 Stations:

There is a potential issue adding custom stations to existing race Shipyards, by which tradable items become unavailable to the player and the Shipyard show no items for sale.

To overcome this issue if LI_Modv7 is installed two new Shipyards are created for each Major race and all LI Stations are added for purchase as normal by the player. This removes any requirement to modify and existing race Shipyards

LI Stations can be bought as normal via these outlets.

Logain Industries:

Spoiler

Show

Argon - Ringo Moon & Treasure Chest
Bororn - Rolk's Drift & Hollow Infinity
Paranid - Emperor Mines & Priest Refuge
Split - Thuruk's Pride & Njy's Deception
Teladi - Greater Profit & New Income
Terran - Saturn 3 & Neptune

[Logain Abler]

It’s been a while and my time has been, and will be limited but I hope to start up my scripting days!
I’ve been mulling over FDN and looking at how I can move it away from requiring modded docks which causes all kinds of compatibility issues, so this is my idea

Virtual storage!

FDN will run on any dock, to do this once the FDN local storage is full wares will be held virtually until called upon by FDN, or via other scripts.

Pros:
- No comparability issues with the wealth of great mods out there
- Will work on any dock

Cons:
- Will require scripted processes to manage virtual stock
- As the majority of stock will be held virtually it will not easily be available to the vanilla game mechanics

I plan to remove the range limitation between FDN “Nodes” making it slightly easier to manage, but I’ll keep the range limit on supplying factories.

I’m in the planning stage at the moment, looking at the current (if somewhat older) FDN, what can be recycled, what needs to change and what can stripped out. FDN is inherently complex, and due to what it does I’m not sure how easy it will be to make it easier without dumbing it down.

FDN name may even change and for cleanness I will probably start a new post. If it works I plan to make similar changes to PM.

As always thoughts, ideas and inputs are welcome.


LA

[apricotslice]

I've been thinking about how to do the same thing with marines.

Yes, do it.
Yes, start a new thread for it.
Yes, give it a new name.

Personally, I'd prefer to see the range limitations removed completely. They never made sense to me.

Simple would be you build 1 single dock (like a trade dock or EQ dock, or even Military Base or Outpost.), that connects to all stations that you assign to use it, and they are all connected by the gate network and adv sats.

Then the whole thing is virtual, attached to a single controller script on a single dock, turned on by the AL. The controller script controls timing, calling the scripts that do the station checking and array handling.

Back in the day, its the sort of array handling that I loved, but the SE is just too cumbersome for me to try it.

Please dont build it needing hotkeys. In AP hotkeys are bugged. It would be better to use station commands on the node dock. (Station command calls a custom menu, not hotkey calling menu).

The AL turns on the controller timing script. Station Commands activate the menus to add and subtract stations (and automatically add all resources and products to the arrays), and the controller timed movement scripts add and subtract things from the arrays as each station is checked for what it needs and what it has. The whole thing should then be low maintenance on the computer and game.

The main issue is how to build the arrays and maintain them.

Go to it, good luck

[Logain Abler]

Personally, I'd prefer to see the range limitations removed completely. They never made sense to me.

Simple would be you build 1 single dock (like a trade dock or EQ dock, or even Military Base or Outpost.), that connects to all stations that you assign to use it, and they are all connected by the gate network and adv sats.

I like this idea, the “Node” (I need a new name for that) integrates into the existing Gate Network. It also removed a lot of overhead on the script side checking closest “Node”. “One Node to rule them all and in the dark of space supply them”

Then the whole thing is virtual, attached to a single controller script on a single dock, turned on by the AL. The controller script controls timing, calling the scripts that do the station checking and array handling.

This was how FDN worked in the early days but it some became an issue with a large number of factories. I then moved the monitor and supply task to the factory which will request resources as and when they need them

Okay, if FDN goes back to a central supply script, some thoughts/ideas on the logic…
Factories are added to an array which also captures the time of the next cycle. The control script cycles the array every 30 seconds (for arguments sake) and skips any factory whose completed cycle time is greater than the next check time, if not it start the supply script on the Factory and moves on.

Please dont build it needing hotkeys. In AP hotkeys are bugged. It would be better to use station commands on the node dock. (Station command calls a custom menu, not hotkey calling menu).

Thanks for the heads up.

Go to it, good luck

Ta

[Stealth17]

Hi All,

Great mod! Will really save me hours and hours of work constructing complexes.

I've installed the mod and built my first node but I can't find how to enable FDN on factories. I read the FAQ, I read the guide, I tried Google to see if I was missing anything but I don't understand how to enable FDN. What am I missing?

- I have a node constructed
- I have 2 factories (not complexed) in the same sector
- I have the AL plugin enabled (obviously)

Hope anyone can help me!

Thanks,
Stealth