[SCRIPT] Ship/Factory Hijacker v1.02

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mailleweaver
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[SCRIPT] Ship/Factory Hijacker v1.02

Post by mailleweaver » Tue, 14. Dec 10, 06:51

Pirates (and wannabes) everywhere,
  • If you don't want to read (or don't know how), skip to the second post and start hijacking.

    Ever wondered why System Override Software (SOS) is illegal? You think it's because it lets its owners claim abandoned ships from the comfort of their pilot seat? Pffff, peanuts. If that was all, it would make as much sense for the Boron to outlaw water pistols.
    * No, SOS is much more powerful than that.

    System Override Software can be used in conjunction with a Transporter Device and a few computer components to actually hack an opponent's ship and take control -- ejecting the current pilot and crew before they even know what's happened. It can even be used to take over factories since they generally have no security personnel on board to worry about contesting control after the computer systems have been hijacked. The workers don't care who they're working for as long as they get to keep their jobs. (What's the difference between working for pirates and working for the government, right?)
    **

    After a ship's (or factory's) shields have been reduced to the point where your transporter device can gain access to the target's interior, it can transport and install the specially programmed computer components into the target's expansion slots where software extension modules are usually installed. The computer components then begin bypassing the ship's communication system to give your SOS access to internal systems. Then as long as you stay within communication range, the SOS goes to work on the mainframe computer, surreptitiously gaining control of each system until the point when it can suddenly assert that control and eject the occupants before they have a chance to counter. Unfortunately, marines and mercenaries are trained against such attacks and thus must be dealt with differently. To thwart any attempt at sabotage, the SOS momentarily disables the ship's cargo life support systems when it asserts control.
    ***

    It isn't a foolproof method, though. Because it is an automated hacking program, there will be occasional failures that result in the target system becoming aware of the alien components and disabling them.
    ****Advanced Firewall Software also provides extra protection against internal hacking and thus greatly reduces chances of success when it is installed in the target's system. And Xenon targets are especially difficult for the SOS to disable as the Xenon are the ships themselves and much more intelligent than the SOS can safely be. (Wouldn't want it smart enough to decide to take over your own ship, now, would you?)

    On a more positive note, drones are no problem and don't even require the remote installation of computer components. They are not controlled by internal systems, but rather via command signals from their host ship; SOS can hack these signals and take control of the drones without much difficulty and without the need to physically attack them.

    But who wants fortune without fame? Not to worry, continued hijacking success will also gain you the respect of your fellow gentlemen (and women) of fortune.
    *****You can also avoid unwanted attention from authorities by installing Software Signature Scrambler. (Now available at Anarchy Ports everywhere, thanks to successful negotiations with Duke's Buccaneers!)******

    As a limited time offer, for a mere
    (SALE!) 0 credits you can download this script and immediately start your leisurly carreer as a real privateer! Just click the SPK download link below to get started.*******
Legal/Disclaimers:
*Private Ear Advertising LLC ("WE") does not insult Boron intelligence.
**WE do not promote piracy or encourage disloyalty to any government.
***WE do not accept any responsibility for any loss of life directly or indirectly arising from the use or attempted use of this information.
****WE do not accept any responsibility for any damages or loss of property directly or indirectly arising from the use or attempted use of this information.
*****WE do not accept any responsibility for the loss of notoriety or damages to reputation directly or indirectly arising from the use or attempted use of this information.
******We do not promote smuggling. WE neither make business arrangements with pirates, nor do WE have any communication or contact with pirates.
*******Some installation required. WE do not sell or promote the sale or purchase of illegal goods or warez. System Override Software not included. Requires Plugin Manager Lite v1.30 RC1 and Hotkey Manager.
Last edited by mailleweaver on Wed, 15. Dec 10, 07:07, edited 3 times in total.

mailleweaver
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Post by mailleweaver » Tue, 14. Dec 10, 06:51

Description:
  • Allows you to set a hotkey to hijack the targeted ship/factory. Requires that System Override Software, Transporter Device, and Computer Components are onboard the playership and the target's shields are very near 0.

    :!: Requires: {Features}
    • -Ships, factories, drones, and lasertowers can be hijacked.
      -The target's shields must be below 1200.
      -You must be within 5km of the target to start with and then stay within 25km while the SOS does the hacking.
      -A Computer Component is beamed out of the playership and installed into the target to allow a route for the SOS through the communication system. Once it is installed, it is part of the target and cannot be removed.
      -Hijacking drones does not require that their shields be down and does not require a Transporter Device or Computer Components. Thus, initiation distance is also extended to 25km.
      -It doesn't always take the same amount of time to hack the target's system, and there is almost always a small chance of failure -- in which case, the target will become hostile.
      -Hacking drones is always successful.
      -There is only a 50% chance of success against a target that has Advanced Firewall Software installed.
      -There is only a 20% chance of success against Xenon targets.
      -A successful hijacking will cause you to lose notoriety with the owning race based on what class the target is (ie. M1, M5, TP, Factory, etc.)
      -If the same race owns the sector and the target, notoriety loss will be 4x in border sectors and 7x in core sectors, and the player will lose the Police License for that race.
      -If the target was owned by Pirates, notoriety loss will double. Pirates really don't like their software turned against them.
      -A successful hijacking will also gain you a little positive notoriety with Pirates (unless the target was a pirate) based on what class the target is.
      -Hijacking pilotless ships (such as drones or lasertowers) does not result in any notoriety loss or gain since there's nobody left to report it.
      -If you accidentally attempt to hijack an abandoned ship, it won't take any time for the SOS to hack the mainframe after the Computer Components have been installed; it will immediately turn control over to you. (You still lose the Computer Component, though.)
      -All marines on the target ship will be neutralized by the deactivation/reactivation of the Cargo Life Support System. If the ship design prohibits deactivation of Cargo Life Support, such as in TP class ships, then each marine will be able to do some damage to the ship before the ship's internal defense systems neutralize him.
      -After a successful hijacking, the previous pilot and crew (except for marines) will be ejected into space.
    {Error Conditions} These are the errors and what happens for each error. Unless otherwise stated in their description, they are all errors before hacking can begin.
    • -The target is already being hacked:
      • You hear: *beep* "Command rejected"
      -You don't have System Override Software:
      • Subtitle: Malfunction. System Override Software not installed.
        You hear: "Not installed" *beep* "Malfunction"
      -You already own the target:
      • You hear: "This object is owned by you" *beep* "Malfunction"
      -The target is not valid (i.e. not a ship or factory):
      • You hear: *beep* "Malfunction"
      -The target (drone) in outside comm range:
      • You hear: *beep* "Malfunction"
      -You don't have a transporter:
      • You hear: "Transporter device not installed." *beep* "Malfunction"
      -The target is outside of transporter range:
      • You hear: "Target outside transporter range. Teleportation impossible." *beep* "Malfunction"
      -You don't have any computer components:
      • You hear: "Computer components not available" *beep* "Malfunction"
      -The target's shields are too high:
      • You hear: *beep* "Malfunction"
      -After hacking successfully starts, the target is destroyed or leaves comm range:
      • Subtitle: Communication interrupted, hijack aborted
        You hear: *beep* "Target lost"
      -After hacking successfully starts, hacking fails (because of basic 1% failure, 80% Xenon failure, or 50% Advanced Firewall failure):
      • The target becomes hostile (if it's not already.)
        You hear: "Computer components destroyed" *beep* "Malfunction"
Installation:
  • [ external image ]<---download

    Click the SPK link above to download the file.
    Open Plugin Manager, click on "install package," browse to the file you just downloaded, click "ok," and click "install."
Permissions/Thanks:
  • See the 3rd Party Permissions Index topic for permissions.
    Thanks to mark_a_condren, h2o.AvA, LV, djrygar, and s9ilent for helping me develop this. And thanks to Nividium for the original idea and permission to post my own take on it.
Changelog:
  • 1.0 - First Release.
    1.01 - Fixed bug with reputation script thinking you are always in a sector owned by the target.
    1.02 - Okay, I obviously didn't bugtest the repuation part; it was totally screwed. I think it's fixed now.
Last edited by mailleweaver on Sat, 9. Apr 11, 21:27, edited 5 times in total.

mailleweaver
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Post by mailleweaver » Tue, 14. Dec 10, 08:41

Feedback is encouraged and appreciated. Especially about bugs.

I may or may not implement requests for feature additions/alterations, it just depends on how I like the ideas since I mainly wrote this script for myself.

h2o.Ava
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Post by h2o.Ava » Tue, 14. Dec 10, 09:25

I like the idea. Swoop in on a battle, wait for a carrier or destroyer to start limping away and start hacking it. :)
Bwahhahaha.

Just my opinion:
Marines wear space suits and are trained to 'spacewalk' towards a hostile capital ship and then board it.
If a ship is abandoned the marines will get bored/hungry/annoyed if they sit there. I think that they would abandon the ship at the same time. There must have been a good reason to abandon the ship, "big botta boom." Thus, in my opinion, there should never be any marines on an abandoned ship.

Unless the abandoned ship has a timer which reactivates the ship and gives it back to the losing race. (The marines might be able to fix things.. they are called Jarheads.. which implies they can retain something.)
Last edited by h2o.Ava on Tue, 14. Dec 10, 11:18, edited 1 time in total.

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Ikaruga
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Post by Ikaruga » Tue, 14. Dec 10, 10:23

So, you get close to a M2, reduce its shields to 0, beam a computer component inside, and if the ship has no firewall, you have more than 50% chances to get it ?
Isn't it a bit too easy ?
If brute force doesn't solve your problems, then you aren't using enough

h2o.Ava
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Post by h2o.Ava » Tue, 14. Dec 10, 11:17

getting it to less than 1200ish shield and then beaming the chip over in and of itself seems to be pretty tough.
that is practically less than a 1 second window vs anything with a good shield regen rate

mailleweaver
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Post by mailleweaver » Tue, 14. Dec 10, 15:45

h2o.AvA wrote:I like the idea. Swoop in on a battle, wait for a carrier or destroyer to start limping away and start hacking it.
That's just what I used to do with Nividium's Ship Hijacker and LV's RRF. Hang out during a battle and beam in a computer component just before the damaged cap ship got jumped out. Now, at least, you have to stay within comm distance to get the ship; if it jumps out before hacking is complete, error: "Target lost."
h2o.AvA wrote:Marines wear space suits and are trained to 'spacewalk' towards a hostile capital ship and then board it.
If a ship is abandoned the marines will get bored/hungry/annoyed if they sit there. I think that they would abandon the ship at the same time. There must have been a good reason to abandon the ship, "big botta boom." Thus, in my opinion, there should never be any marines on an abandoned ship.
The ship is not abandoned; the pilot and crew are forcefully ejected. The marines are trained against forceful ejections and so stay on board. They die for this though, as the Cargo Life Support is then turned off.
Ikaruga wrote:So, you get close to a M2, reduce its shields to 0, beam a computer component inside, and if the ship has no firewall, you have more than 50% chances to get it ?
Isn't it a bit too easy?
Maybe for some, but I never liked the vanilla boarding system, either. To each his own.
For a computer component to successfully get into a cap ship, it is necessary to beam it over while the ship is still taking damage. The shields reload in chunks and it seems the first chunk on these huge ships is usually larger than 1200.

wagawaga
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Post by wagawaga » Thu, 10. Feb 11, 22:34

I installed Hotkey manager and the script, but it seems to do nothing to my game, I checked several times in ship commands and keyboard settings but can't seem to find any new hotkey.

schultz427
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Post by schultz427 » Fri, 11. Feb 11, 02:10

I'm with wagawaga on this one... Installed it using plugin manager lite and i have the hotkey manager installed. But, when I start the game, no new option to assign a hotkey shows up in the menus... The only other script I'm using is improved boarding by cycrow. Any help would be great!

*EDIT: Actually, once I installed the beta of script manager it appears to be working! Gonna try it out now!

mailleweaver
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Post by mailleweaver » Fri, 11. Feb 11, 09:09

wagawaga wrote:I installed Hotkey manager and the script, but it seems to do nothing to my game, I checked several times in ship commands and keyboard settings but can't seem to find any new hotkey.
Like schultz427, make sure you are using the correct Plugin Manager (as linked in the OP.) It was packaged with 1.30 RC1 so that is the only version that can successfully install it right now.

The new hotkey control will show up in Menu->Controls->Interface->Extensions and is named "Hijack Target."

wagawaga
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Post by wagawaga » Fri, 11. Feb 11, 14:55

Oh, so it requires the beta version, sorry for overlooking the link you posted, now it seems to work fine, great script!

EDIT: ok, it works fine, but enemies spawned by convoy protect missions seem to be bugged: I capped a Gladiator and tried to order it to land, but it kept getting reassigned the command to attack the convoy.
Eventually the freighter was destroyed (and the mission failed), and its command changed into attack all enemies, which i was able to stop to finally get full control of the ship.

EDIT2: found another bug, I used the script to hijack a mammoth, ordered it to go to pirate sector, shot down its shields with hornets, pressed hotkey and apologize letting the hijack to its work.
I noticed two things:

First, my reputation with the Argon didn't drop at all, while in a previous failed attempt I overused hornets and destroying the Mammoth brought me from rank 10 all the way down to rank -2.

Second, the four fighters that resided in the Mammoth are still in it (and still neutral blue), and they still show up as possessed from the Mammoth (in the menu that shows ships with the Mammoth as base).
I've yet to cap anything with hangars using marines but I don't think this was what would happen with vanilla cap.

EDIT3:
I also just noticed that the Mammoth retains the (At your orders) tag in the name, which is appended after the name so it cannot be removed by renaming. However, it doesn't seem to be taking credits from my account every time it passes a portal.

schultz427
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Post by schultz427 » Tue, 1. Mar 11, 04:49

So, I discovered something interesting.

*Spoilers*

I was doing the goner plot at the point that you need to cap the true-light seeker and I used this script to cap the ship. At that point, I got the notification that I needed to continue with the plot. Anyway, after I finished the whole plot I noticed that the true-light seeker was not in my inventory. I went back to Belt of Aguilar and the ship was still sitting there. So, I capped it again for myself and what do you know? It's invincible! It won't go below 93% health. Sweet. Perfect for all my capping needs!

mailleweaver
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Post by mailleweaver » Tue, 8. Mar 11, 06:44

@wagawaga: Sorry for the late reply, apparently watching a topic doesn't give notification of edits.
  • RE: EDIT: I've noticed this behavior myself and haven't yet found a way around it. Those ships are spawned by the mission director and apparently get their orders from the mission director as well. I don't know anything about the mission director, and I've asked others about this problem but haven't gotten a solution yet. Be sure that if I find one, I'll include it.
  • RE: EDIT2: Do you mean you hired the mammoth then ordered it to the pirate sector and commenced hijacking? Hijacking a ship outside of the owning race's sectors will have only a minimal effect vs doing it in a sector owned by the same race (1/7th the effect if i remember right--I'd have to check back over my code to be sure. Accidentally destroying the ship should have only the default effect on rep because I set checks in the script to make it terminate before altering reputation if the target is destroyed -- I'll doublecheck to be sure, though.
    I'll also see if there is a way to force docked ships to be ejected in the event of a successful hijacking. I think their homebase setting should already have been cleared automatically by the game engine, preventing them from redocking, but then again they should not still be listed as owned either. I'll check into it.
    RE: EDIT3: I never noticed ship names changing during hiring as I don't usually bother to hire them. :wink: I'll check into that, too.
    Thanks for the feedback.
@schultz427: Mission ships can do some weird stuff. The true-light seeker immediately reverts ownership back to the Goners regardless of the method used to capture it during the mission since you're repossessing it for the Goners. I guess there's no code in the mission director to do anything with it after that stage of the mission so it just sits there indefinitely with its vanilla, mission-critical invincibility. I may just run through the mission again to be sure that my script isn't causing the ship to persist.

Ash Axiom
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Post by Ash Axiom » Tue, 8. Mar 11, 11:44

Looks sweet! Can't wait to try it. I've been looking for a boarding alternative that didn't feel like cheating and this seems to have the right balance of challenge (surviving 5km from a cap ship while hacking it) and simplicity (no complex marine training and/or maneuvering). Going to have to set up a Computer parts fab as well!

EDIT: After some wheeling and dealing to actually get the software, I just gave it a test run. I wanted to take over my friendly neighborhood Snail farm, so I whacked it a good one with my IBL-armed Panther and started hammering my new hotkey. At first it just made a little beep and said 'malfunction'. So I swapped the software over to my personal fighter to get closer, but no luck - same message. Finally I tried shooting while I hit the hotkey and after a few 'command rejected' messages, I got the one I was looking for: 'computer components transferred, working'. What followed were some anxious moments as I wasn't sure what to do next or if a Paranid patrol was going to pop out of the nearby gate and blast me to bits. Luckily, it didn't take too long and the factory flipped over from red to green.

Great script. I can imagine taking a cap ship this way could be terrifying. The only change I'd recommend is some kind of progress meter once the components have been transferred, just so you have an idea of whether your success is coming or you've already failed and if it's worth it to stick around.

Why do you think I failed the first few attempts? Shields weren't low enough?

mailleweaver
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Post by mailleweaver » Tue, 8. Mar 11, 18:43

-The shields probably were too high. They have to be very low (less than 1200) for this to work, and with factories and cap ships this usually means you have to start hacking while the hull is still taking damage. If the target only has a 1MJ shield there's no need to take it down further, but any more than that, you must knock them down.
-In a few days I'll try to remember to post a list of the failure messages and what they mean so people can have some idea what is going on. I can't do it now because I'm traveling and don't have time.
-If the hack fails any time after it says "computer components transferred.....working," then the target will turn red.

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Locksley
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Post by Locksley » Sun, 13. Mar 11, 11:12

If that was all, it would make as much sense for the Boron to outlaw water pistols.
My thoughts exactly. Why it entered my mind to try to make it more effective, but luckily I did not try to make something myself but started out searching the mods here instead.

EDITED POST

---My ideas before I found this was that using SOS on a ship would hamper it's overtunes and rudder, maybe lowering of the pilots fightskill to simulate a loss of control of ships systems.
The idea being that a sluggish ship would be easier to handle and make it to bail.

---Taking over stations. You might have seen uberex plug-in where one uses marines? That is a nifty idea I think. If you have to take over a station you'll need to beam over 10 marines/mercenaries (that will be lost to you since they will stay and police the station).
If the hacking attempt is unsuccessful they are lost due to station security not being neutralised (laser sentries and such).

Might borrow some code or ideas from uberex script maybe?



Thank you for making this nice script, now it makes sense why the SOS system is outlawed :thumb_up:

EDIT - For my game I think I'll edit the script so I'll need either one of Lucikes Technicians onboard, or a Marine/Mercenary with Hacking skill.
Only small ships can be hacked.
Un-piloted ships needs no wares or technician, like the original SOS.
I always edit scripts to become harder, almost never easier - must be something wrong with me :P

----> I sold myself on my own idea. Gonna adapt the script to lower aggression/fightskill of pilot and remove engine tunings and rudder. That will make the pilot bail easier or just make the ship easier to defeat.
Big ships will be harder to hack and will ofcourse not bail; maybe Big ship hacking will need onboard personal on player ship.
If one can use Cycrows SOS script simultaneously then I'll use that too as a legal way to claim un-piloted ships.


Stations, guess I'll stay away from that until I know what I am doing...
----> I'll use Uberex script for station takeovers. Might adjust it to make it harder. Users have noted it is quite easy taking over stations.

END EDIT
Projects:
Onhold..... time time....

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Post by hankbender » Thu, 24. Mar 11, 09:52

so i download and istall this script (witch sounds like a bit of genius) with the beta and try it out on a duke carrier. couldent get it to go first i get a beep software fail and nothing after that i tried wile knocking down the hull tried while not fireing hell even tried upside down :idea: but i got a insane amount of loot even some stuff the duke ship couldent have carried (ka gear)
anyway when i hear back to my factory in midnight star i see that the argon titan is paying me a little visit. now ive always been a friend to the argon never take a crap in your backyard my gran used to say. i figure must have been my patroling dragons so i reload last save i skip the duke attack send my patrol to the nerest trading station and follow the titan from wasteland. and we're all buddy buddy till he jumps into midnight the goes all monkey apeshit on me .
just wondering if this is a game glitch or maybe the script told the argon millitary of my bad intentions?

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Post by Iceciro » Sat, 23. Jul 11, 14:40

I've noticed the script seems a little finnicky, but if you mash the button and meet the requirements, it usually takes.

I have however, noticed a rather severe/annoying bug when it comes to this script and missions; unlike a bail forced by damage, the pilot/crew that ejects from the ship do not become the new mission target; it remains targeting your ship. At least, in my most recent use of it to snag a pirate m6.

This means your options are either keep the ship and suck up the mission failure, or blow up the ship.

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Post by Killa17 » Sat, 30. Jul 11, 04:32

Iceciro wrote:I've noticed the script seems a little finnicky, but if you mash the button and meet the requirements, it usually takes.

I have however, noticed a rather severe/annoying bug when it comes to this script and missions; unlike a bail forced by damage, the pilot/crew that ejects from the ship do not become the new mission target; it remains targeting your ship. At least, in my most recent use of it to snag a pirate m6.

This means your options are either keep the ship and suck up the mission failure, or blow up the ship.
Sell it. Shipkilled fires and you still get a gain.
XenTech Industries: Currently engaged in corporate warfare with The Phanon Corporation.
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Iceciro
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Post by Iceciro » Sun, 31. Jul 11, 03:06

I actually wanted to take the ship in that case, though; it was a corvette. So the selling it at a shipyard thing doesnt help there.

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