Need help with Player HQ supply/trade (X3AP)

manollette · Post by **manollette** » Sat, 1. Mar 14, 13:28

Ok, so I've been playing X3TC and AP for quite a while now...and there's a few things that I figure it's high time I learn how the heck to do. I tried spaceflies, but that frustrated me to no end, so I'm going with this...

I have my player headquarters now. I have the officially supported bonus pack (Commodity logistics, turbo, etc), and a series of freighters and other ships. Now, there's no way to say this without feeling stupid, so I'll just say it...I have no idea what the hell half of the commodity logistics stuff means, nor any clue how to use it.

So basically, what I'm trying to figure out is how exactly to set up a series of freighters that constantly fly around purchasing products for my HQ, automatically supplying it for any reverse engineered production needs I happen to have. Any chance anyone could break down how to do that Barney style for me?

Sabrina Bergin · Post by **Sabrina Bergin** » Sat, 1. Mar 14, 14:10

Try timsuptonothing guide he is an expert on this sort of stuff.

manollette · Post by **manollette** » Sat, 1. Mar 14, 20:44

Where would I find that? Can't find anything in google.

Taylor2008 · Post by **Taylor2008** » Sat, 1. Mar 14, 21:47

Type " CLS Guide site : egosoft " in Google.

Lorric · Post by **Lorric** » Sun, 2. Mar 14, 23:33

Let me describe the CLS and CAG very briefly:

CLS mark 1: Moves stuff between your own factories, for instance energy cells that you produce in one complex to another complex that needs energy cells. Only for your own factories/complexes, cannot do anything involving non-player factories.

CLS mark 2: This one follows a "recipe" that you write for it. Go there, load this, go there, sell if the price is better than X. You can use this for any factory.

CAG: The Commercial Agent will try and handle the needs of a factory or complex, as in buying resources and selling products at the best prices.

It sounds like you need a CAG, just make sure to tell him to be a shopper only (Trade Duties in the CAG command). He will go and buy the products you have at your HQ and fill it up, so make sure your HQ has money.

WhizzB · Post by **WhizzB** » Mon, 3. Mar 14, 02:17

At a slight tangent, if you are only using the PHQ for reverse engineering and not for buy or selling other goods, I find it easier to board and recycle M1's, M2's and M7's.

Ship building works on ratios ~96 Energy Cells : 4 Ore : 3 Silicon Wafers, Teladianium : 2 Rastar Oil, Microchips : 1 Cloth Rimes, Crystals, Quantum Tubes, Computer Components.

Recycling works on the same ratios, so if you do it this way you will never have the products in the wrong ratios and end up with too many Silicon Wafers and not enough computer components, for example.

It's also a darn site cheaper, if you already have the marines.

Spoiler

Show

The Yaki Akuma is the 3rd most expensive ship in the game, after the Valhalla, which can't be re'd because it requires too many resources and the Aran, and as the amount of products you receive are based on the cost of the ship. You can actually build 4 Boreas for every 3 Akuma's you recycle.

manollette · Post by **manollette** » Tue, 4. Mar 14, 05:36

@Lorric Thanks much! I'll set a mistral to shopper only, set his home base to the PHQ, and see how he does.

And whizz, also good to know - I've gotten to the point where I board for fun fairly frequently, so recycling ships sounds like a solid plan as well. Is the ratio affected by hull integrity, or will a 50% hull M1 give me the same as a 100% one?

manollette · Post by **manollette** » Tue, 4. Mar 14, 05:38

Also, while a bit off topic...is there any way without mods to acquire an orbital weapons platform? And short of that, is there a mod outside XRM that would allow it? Friend installed XRM a while back, but I had to take it off as it affects the balance a bit too much for my tastes. Would like to be able to defend my frequented sectors a bit better though.

manollette · Post by **manollette** » Tue, 4. Mar 14, 06:25

And for an update on CAG: Set a trader to one of my facilities (2GJ Prod) to do a test run of it. Started up commercial agent, set duty to shopper...added a couple sectors to the exclusions list (because they've been hell on my traders) and hit 'go.'

He's been on CAG standby for an hour now. Hasn't done anything else. Everything else was left at default settings.

manollette · Post by **manollette** » Tue, 4. Mar 14, 06:28

Increased jump range to 12, enabled use of jump drive, added the wares from the facility to his list (not blacklist)...still nothing.

manollette · Post by **manollette** » Tue, 4. Mar 14, 06:46

I managed to get it to work with External logistics, but I had to manually enter each station for him to buy goods from, and even with that he's not jumping to his destinations (Auto jump is on both in his control center & in the logistics settings, with a min. jump distance of 1. He does have cells).

Crellion · Post by **Crellion** » Tue, 4. Mar 14, 08:52

manollette wrote:I managed to get it to work with External logistics, but I had to manually enter each station for him to buy goods from, and even with that he's not jumping to his destinations (Auto jump is on both in his control center & in the logistics settings, with a min. jump distance of 1. He does have cells).

I believe we may have hired the same commercial agent...

WhizzB · Post by **WhizzB** » Tue, 4. Mar 14, 10:28

Yes I believe a 50% hull will give 50% resources, so try not to put to much of a ding, in them.

As for the CAG/CLS2 I believe the problem is, they need to take a training course in order to use the jump drive, they will do this after a certain amount of time, if you use the change name setting you will know when they have completed the training.

Also, with a CAG I believe he needs to know what the prices are at the selling station before he leaves, this means having some kind've satellite, in that sector, unlike a UT or LT he does not appear to magically know.

manollette · Post by **manollette** » Wed, 5. Mar 14, 01:19

I have satellites in nearly every sector in the game (Bare minimum the ones my CAG would be trading in). Still can't get him to do anything but sit there. Would really like to know what I'm doing wrong; having to manually input all the waypoints for a couple of external logistics traders per station (for 40 stations) would be pretty annoying...

manollette · Post by **manollette** » Wed, 5. Mar 14, 02:29

Ok, so if I have him set up with ALL of the default settings, and change him to 'shopper' he works as a CAG. The second I try specifying a few wares (even if it's every ware he'd be buying anyways), or blacklisting a sector, he doesn't do anything. Just sits on standby.

Lorric · Post by **Lorric** » Wed, 5. Mar 14, 19:25

This is one of the questions that get asked a lot

CAG pilots have a level (a bit like sector- and universe traders). Yours is probably Apprentice. An apprentice will only buy resources for your station. I guess this is your problem.

There are two ways to fix this. One is to get your pilot some flying time, since he will level up every 2 hours until he reaches his max. Alternatively you can hire a better pilot (some people think this is cheating, but it is a part of the CAG script, so there

). If you send your ship to the free argon trading station in herrons nebula and start CAG from there, the pilot will have a random level, up to the 4th one, iirc. I usually go there, start external commodities and have a look at trader settings (it shows the pilot's rank). If you're not satisfied, you can fire the pilot and the start the software again. There are advantages and disadvantages to each solution.

You can get more info on CAG from here: http://forum.egosoft.com/viewtopic.php?t=275924
That's the thread on the bonus pack version of CAG for X3:AP.