Does mass traffic actually do anything?

This forum is the ideal place for all discussion relating to X4. You will also find additional information from developers here.

Moderator: Moderators for English X Forum

User avatar
Axeface
Posts: 2939
Joined: Fri, 18. Nov 05, 00:41
x4

Does mass traffic actually do anything?

Post by Axeface » Mon, 2. Aug 21, 12:57

I would appreciate an official answer to this because I need to try to improve my performance in the game. Does mass traffic actually fulfill any role other than eye candy/fluff? There was anecdotal evidence I read a long time ago that they might move wares around but I dont think thats correct.

Falcrack
Posts: 4929
Joined: Wed, 29. Jul 09, 00:46
x4

Re: Does mass traffic actually do anything?

Post by Falcrack » Mon, 2. Aug 21, 13:32

Besides providing a chance to cheese your reputation by providing criminals to blow up and improve your reputation, no I do not think they do anything.

Ezarkal
Posts: 1610
Joined: Wed, 22. Apr 15, 02:27
x4

Re: Does mass traffic actually do anything?

Post by Ezarkal » Mon, 2. Aug 21, 15:20

They did move ware around, although inconsistently. The rules for these trades were never clear either.
I think this has been removed a couple of version ago, though. A dev would have better info than me.
Humans are deuterostomes, which means that when they develop in the womb the first opening they develop is the anus.
This means that at one point you were nothing but an asshole.

Some people never develop beyond this stage.

Malchar
Posts: 395
Joined: Wed, 7. Apr 21, 00:56
x4

Re: Does mass traffic actually do anything?

Post by Malchar » Mon, 2. Aug 21, 21:39

Mass traffic turkey shot provide easy loot (drop) if you can find a safe place or make it safe destroying defense around. Last time I tried mass traffic was -- vomitted-- continuously.

Falcrack
Posts: 4929
Joined: Wed, 29. Jul 09, 00:46
x4

Re: Does mass traffic actually do anything?

Post by Falcrack » Mon, 2. Aug 21, 22:01

Malchar wrote:
Mon, 2. Aug 21, 21:39
Mass traffic turkey shot provide easy loot (drop) if you can find a safe place or make it safe destroying defense around. Last time I tried mass traffic was -- vomitted-- continuously.
This is especially exploitable around SCA pirate bases. Since their rep is locked at -5, you can shoot mass traffic around their stations all day long, and as long as you do not ding the station itself, you will suffer no consequences.

jlehtone
Posts: 21801
Joined: Sat, 23. Apr 05, 21:42
x4

Re: Does mass traffic actually do anything?

Post by jlehtone » Tue, 3. Aug 21, 08:18

Malchar wrote:
Mon, 2. Aug 21, 21:39
Mass traffic turkey shot provide easy loot (drop) if you can find a safe place or make it safe destroying defense around.
That is what I did at the very start of my game. Endless drones, easy to kill, and plenty of drops.

However, after couple sudden The End I chose a different path, so in practice I got nothing.
The station was Xenon, bombarded by HOP, and I had no idea at the time that stations have turrets ... :roll:
Goner Pancake Protector X
Insanity included at no extra charge.
There is no Box. I am the sand.

Incinerator
Posts: 132
Joined: Thu, 27. Jul 06, 13:56
x4

Re: Does mass traffic actually do anything?

Post by Incinerator » Wed, 4. Aug 21, 12:01

All those tiny ships clump together near docks get stuck and start to lag the game.

Alan Phipps
Moderator (English)
Moderator (English)
Posts: 30368
Joined: Fri, 16. Apr 04, 19:21
x4

Re: Does mass traffic actually do anything?

Post by Alan Phipps » Wed, 4. Aug 21, 12:03

I think we are rather getting off the topic of the OP's question.
A dog has a master; a cat has domestic staff.

DocAce
EGOSOFT
EGOSOFT
Posts: 638
Joined: Sun, 22. Feb 04, 16:26
x4

Re: Does mass traffic actually do anything?

Post by DocAce » Wed, 4. Aug 21, 13:12

There are multiple kinds of mass traffic. What you see most of by far is the decorative kind, which has zero functionality beyond occasionally dropping loot when destroyed. The config setting changes the density of this type of traffic.

Then there is the transport traffic. It uses the same technical system, and in some cases even the same lanes as decorative traffic, but the unit count is much smaller. There used to be station-to-station transport traffic if they directly trade with each other, but that was turned off due to two problems:
1) It only works if they are in the same "zone", a distinction that X4 does not expose to the player so it was not possible to tell while placing a station whether it would be able to trade with one that is right next to it.
2) Due to the slow movement speed and potentially large distances (well over 100km in some cases) this kind of trade could take unreasonably long, even triggering an internal timeout logic.
Stations can still use it to exchange wares with their own build storage and docked capital ships, but that's it.
The transport traffic amounts are based on actual units sent by the ship or station, the density setting does not change this.

Finally there is "welding" traffic, which you see when certain things are being built or repaired. As with transport traffic, the amount is based on used units and does not scale with the density setting.

Alan Phipps
Moderator (English)
Moderator (English)
Posts: 30368
Joined: Fri, 16. Apr 04, 19:21
x4

Re: Does mass traffic actually do anything?

Post by Alan Phipps » Thu, 5. Aug 21, 10:10

Further to the above. For station mass traffic to transfer wares between station and build storage, the station has to sell that ware and the build storage has to be making offers to buy that ware. It would not happen 'just in case needed in future'.
A dog has a master; a cat has domestic staff.

User avatar
Axeface
Posts: 2939
Joined: Fri, 18. Nov 05, 00:41
x4

Re: Does mass traffic actually do anything?

Post by Axeface » Thu, 5. Aug 21, 13:18

DocAce wrote:
Wed, 4. Aug 21, 13:12
Stations can still use it to exchange wares with their own build storage and docked capital ships, but that's it.
The transport traffic amounts are based on actual units sent by the ship or station, the density setting does not change this.
Thanks for the info, that clears most of my questions up. As for trading with capital ships, you mentioned 'transport traffic', I assume as you said they use their 'actual units' you are referring to cargo drones? (And building/repair drones).
For trading with build storage I dont think i've seen this myself, would the wares in this scenario be listed as an incoming trade?

Overall, my takeaway is that I can reduce the density of masstraffic or even set the density to zero and this would not effect the trading with capital ships or build storage as they use their own stock of drones, if I understood correctly.
Further to the above. For station mass traffic to transfer wares between station and build storage, the station has to sell that ware and the build storage has to be making offers to buy that ware. It would not happen 'just in case needed in future'.
As above, do you know if this would show up as an incoming trade in 4.1?

Eyeklops
Posts: 329
Joined: Tue, 23. Mar 21, 17:58
x4

Re: Does mass traffic actually do anything?

Post by Eyeklops » Thu, 5. Aug 21, 15:28

Axeface wrote:
Thu, 5. Aug 21, 13:18
For trading with build storage I dont think i've seen this myself, would the wares in this scenario be listed as an incoming trade?
I've had my station send wares to it's build storage recently. The incoming trade can be seen in the station build menu. The station name will be who the trade is from.

Ezarkal
Posts: 1610
Joined: Wed, 22. Apr 15, 02:27
x4

Re: Does mass traffic actually do anything?

Post by Ezarkal » Thu, 5. Aug 21, 15:40

Eyeklops wrote:
Thu, 5. Aug 21, 15:28
Axeface wrote:
Thu, 5. Aug 21, 13:18
For trading with build storage I dont think i've seen this myself, would the wares in this scenario be listed as an incoming trade?
I've had my station send wares to it's build storage recently. The incoming trade can be seen in the station build menu. The station name will be who the trade is from.
I've had instances where no senders were listed. I always assumed it was sent by the station.
It was a while ago, though, so maybe it's a bug that's got fixed or a feature that's got improved. (make your pick XD)
Good to know you can now see the station as the sender.
Humans are deuterostomes, which means that when they develop in the womb the first opening they develop is the anus.
This means that at one point you were nothing but an asshole.

Some people never develop beyond this stage.

Eyeklops
Posts: 329
Joined: Tue, 23. Mar 21, 17:58
x4

Re: Does mass traffic actually do anything?

Post by Eyeklops » Thu, 5. Aug 21, 15:51

Ezarkal wrote:
Thu, 5. Aug 21, 15:40
I've had instances where no senders were listed. I always assumed it was sent by the station.
It was a while ago, though, so maybe it's a bug that's got fixed or a feature that's got improved. (make your pick XD)
Good to know you can now see the station as the sender.
It very well could have been a bug. I was using 4.10 beta 4 when I saw this occur and it may have been fixed in that build. What I saw was "--:-- Mars Wharf" in the station build menu.

Ezarkal
Posts: 1610
Joined: Wed, 22. Apr 15, 02:27
x4

Re: Does mass traffic actually do anything?

Post by Ezarkal » Thu, 5. Aug 21, 18:19

Eyeklops wrote:
Thu, 5. Aug 21, 15:51
Ezarkal wrote:
Thu, 5. Aug 21, 15:40
I've had instances where no senders were listed. I always assumed it was sent by the station.
It was a while ago, though, so maybe it's a bug that's got fixed or a feature that's got improved. (make your pick XD)
Good to know you can now see the station as the sender.
It very well could have been a bug. I was using 4.10 beta 4 when I saw this occur and it may have been fixed in that build. What I saw was "--:-- Mars Wharf" in the station build menu.
It could've been. But then again, when I say "a while ago", I think it was somewhere around 3.0. Stuff changed since then. :)
Humans are deuterostomes, which means that when they develop in the womb the first opening they develop is the anus.
This means that at one point you were nothing but an asshole.

Some people never develop beyond this stage.

aurumgallente
Posts: 121
Joined: Sun, 14. Jun 20, 14:45
x4

Re: Does mass traffic actually do anything?

Post by aurumgallente » Sun, 8. Aug 21, 19:43

there are missions to kill criminals, without mass traffic it would be impossible to complete it. Also there is police mass traffic, it can scan you and drop reputation if you have illegal wares or messing with station in space suit.

DocAce
EGOSOFT
EGOSOFT
Posts: 638
Joined: Sun, 22. Feb 04, 16:26
x4

Re: Does mass traffic actually do anything?

Post by DocAce » Mon, 9. Aug 21, 09:16

If you scale down mass traffic it doesn't go below 1 per station, so you'll always have the random criminals. And the additional ones a mission adds are not affected by the scaling factor at all.

User avatar
oddible
Posts: 919
Joined: Sun, 12. Feb 12, 20:33
x4

Re: Does mass traffic actually do anything?

Post by oddible » Tue, 10. Aug 21, 01:25

Is there a way to increase or decrease the amount of random criminal traffic? I find it too temping to use it as a simple way to boost my rep.

DocAce
EGOSOFT
EGOSOFT
Posts: 638
Joined: Sun, 22. Feb 04, 16:26
x4

Re: Does mass traffic actually do anything?

Post by DocAce » Tue, 10. Aug 21, 09:27

Not without modding.

snwboardn21
Posts: 236
Joined: Sun, 13. Nov 05, 02:08
x4

Re: Does mass traffic actually do anything?

Post by snwboardn21 » Wed, 11. Aug 21, 22:42

DocAce wrote:
Wed, 4. Aug 21, 13:12
There are multiple kinds of mass traffic. What you see most of by far is the decorative kind, which has zero functionality beyond occasionally dropping loot when destroyed. The config setting changes the density of this type of traffic.

Then there is the transport traffic. It uses the same technical system, and in some cases even the same lanes as decorative traffic, but the unit count is much smaller. There used to be station-to-station transport traffic if they directly trade with each other, but that was turned off due to two problems:
1) It only works if they are in the same "zone", a distinction that X4 does not expose to the player so it was not possible to tell while placing a station whether it would be able to trade with one that is right next to it.
2) Due to the slow movement speed and potentially large distances (well over 100km in some cases) this kind of trade could take unreasonably long, even triggering an internal timeout logic.
Stations can still use it to exchange wares with their own build storage and docked capital ships, but that's it.
The transport traffic amounts are based on actual units sent by the ship or station, the density setting does not change this.

Finally there is "welding" traffic, which you see when certain things are being built or repaired. As with transport traffic, the amount is based on used units and does not scale with the density setting.
Damn feels like it was a missed opportunity to only use this traffic to load an unload XL type ships or use them as decoration when constructing a new station only.
"It is better to keep ones mouth shut and be thought a fool, than to open it and remove all doubt"

Post Reply

Return to “X4: Foundations”