Can I get me station supply/sell transports to use jumpdrives?

[Wedge598]

I've got some transports set up just to trade from my factories but can''t get them to use a jumpdrive to save time or escape a hostile situation. My sector traders and universe traders do this but that I believe is built into the trade command Mk3 software. Any way to get the factory assigned transports to do this?

[Joe McCracken]

Do you traders have energy? Are they set up to use jumpdrives? You can set those up in the command screen. Scroll down some and you will find the options there as long as they have a jumpdrive.

[terryokc2]

And don't forget to put in enough jump fuel energy for the jump there and back for the station jump distance. For instance, if you leave it with what you start as...9 sectors...the ts will need at least 180 energy for 9 sectors out and 9 sectors back. This would be 20 (200 e-cells) for that since 15 (150 e-cells) would be short by 30 energy.

As for not jumping from enemies...I'm not certain that is part of the software for the basic "best buy ware" and "best sell ware" options for station based ts's.

I have one left in my game...keeping him around to see how long he lasts against all the cag's from the same station. I downloaded and installed the bonus pack for the cls and cag options to better manage the wares of each station. They work out very well versus the old option.

[Alan Phipps]

@ terryok2: To jump a TS 9 sectors away needs 200 e-cells (a refuel of 20) because you forgot to count the fuel to cross the sector you start off in.

The refuel setting formula is a minimum of 2x (max one-way jump +1). Jumping = yes, Min jump = 1.

The worst-case max one-way jump is the home station trading range for station traders but you might also need to carry a bit of extra fuel for emergencies when the Player has to intervene to save the ship from hostiles. I personally would set traders from stations with trading range 9 to a refuel setting of 30 jumps (300 e-cells). I usually manually give the ship a return refuel worth of fuel (300 e-cells) before I order the trading command.

[Wedge598]

What I was hoping for is some way that those transports would operate self sufficiently like the ST/UTs do. I don't have to give my UTs energy, they collect it on their own. I was looking to just let these station traders go about their business unattended like my other traders.

[Alan Phipps]

They will crack on by themselves, after you properly set them up once and then set them going. The reason that I always give fuel before setting them off the first time is that they usually do not refuel until after they get back from their round-trips and unload if necessary. The only time you might have to intervene on their behalf later is if any get into trouble with hostiles or you want to change their role.

[Wedge598]

For the record I did load one up with e-cells and set it off to sell for best price but it wouldn't use the jumpdrive. I'm thinking that the trade Command Mk II software just doesn't do that sort of thing and it's specific to the Mk III only. Unless I need to outfit these transports with Navigation software or something.

[Alan Phipps]

Autojump = yes and Min jump range = 1 set as well?

[Snafu_X3]

For the record I did load one up with e-cells and set it off to sell for best price but it wouldn't use the jumpdrive.

Loading it with jump fuel creates a problem for the (prettty basic) script: does it do things intelligently & use some of its cargo for jump fuel, or does it do a dumb GIGO computer-intelligence thing & try to do exactly as ordered. It's left as an excercise for the reader to pick which option was chosen

So, if you're determined to continue using Trade2 scripts rather than the vastly superior CAG method:

* Ensure the ship has a JD onboard. Neither Trade2 or CAG will buy/fit one automatically

* Ensure autojump (for whichever script you're using) is set to Yes

* Ensure the ship autofuel level is set appropriately, according to the formula given above (or linked in my sig, if you care). Leave a bit of leeway for emergency jumps (whether player controled or otherwise).
i) The /first time/ a Trade2 vessel makes a round trip you will need to provide it with ecells 'manually' (actually leaving cargo space free for this first time); after that it should refuel automatically from its home station. Remember to leave the space free!
ii) Don't forget a CAG won't (re)fuel from anywhere but its home station or somewhere on its (internal) trade list that sells fuel as a (product, not secondary or primary resource in the case of your own 'plexes)

* IIRC Trade2 'Emergency Jump' is broken in TC, but it's useful to set if I'm wrong (again), & it ony applies to certain ships (M6 up & TM up IIRC). Either way, again IIRC, Trade2 'Pilots' are only dumb software & won't react to situations like CAG will so expect losses, even if only from random pirates

That'll do for the moment; I'm sure I needed to add a couple other points but they were lost from my synapse while I sorted formatting (