Truga, could you post your area_battleships.ini, faction_prop.ini, formations.ini and li01.ini?

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I know that:
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*formation_by_class lines in area_xxx.ini refer to "formation =" lines in faction_prop.ini (instead of directly to formations.ini)

*formation lines in faction_prop.ini refer to ??? in ??? and formations in formations.ini

*npc_ship lines in faction_prop.ini refer to nicknames in npcships.ini

*npc_class lines in npcships.ini refer to members in shipclasses.ini

*ship_by_class lines in area_xxx.ini refer to nicknames in shipclasses.ini

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I don't know:
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*what those question marks stand for (example: "formation = fighters, fighter_wall" ==>> where in the world does the term "fighters" point to?)

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*why the encounter below spawns EIGHT battleships when it should only produce four ("density = 12", "max_battle_size = 24", BUT! "density_restriction = 4, unlawfuls" ):

[EncounterFormation
ship_by_class = 1, 1, sc_battleships
pilot_job = assault_leader_job
make_class = wanderer
ship_by_class = 3, 3, sc_battleships
pilot_job = assault_job
make_class = wanderer
formation_by_class = battleships
behavior = wander
arrival = cruise
allow_simultaneous_creation = yes
zone_creation_distance = 0
times_to_create = infinite

[Creation
permutation = 0, 3

in case you're wondering, here's my faction_prop.ini:

[FactionProps
affiliation = fc_n_grp
legality = unlawful
nickname_plurality = plural
msg_id_prefix = ignore
jump_preference = jumpgate
npc_ship = MSN13_Nomad_Fighter_Populator
npc_ship = fc_n_no_fighter_d19

npc_ship = fc_n_no_gunboat_d19
npc_ship = fc_n_no_battleship_d25

mc_costume = mc_fc
firstname_male = 229608, 229608
firstname_female = 229608, 229608
lastname = 229608, 229608
rank_desig = 197140, 197140, 197140, 10, 15
formation_desig = 197808, 197820
formation = fighters, fighter_wall

formation = gunboats, gunboat_wall
formation = battleships, battleship_wall

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*Why THIS encounter DOES spawn no more than four Nomad fighters at any given moment (the zone data I've taken from hi01.ini):

[EncounterFormation
ship_by_class = 1, 1, fighters
pilot_job = assault_leader_job
make_class = wanderer
ship_by_class = 3, 3, fighters
pilot_job = assault_job
make_class = wanderer
formation_by_class = fighters
behavior = wander
arrival = cruise
allow_simultaneous_creation = yes
zone_creation_distance = 0
times_to_create = infinite

[Creation
permutation = 0, 3

[zone
nickname = Zone_Hi01_outcast_burial_grounds
pos = 27325, 0, -7711
shape = SPHERE
size = 2200
damage = 50
visit = 128
interference = 0.500000
sort = 99.500000
toughness = 19
density = 3
repop_time = 25
max_battle_size = 4
pop_type = Background
relief_time = 35
faction_weight = fc_n_grp, 10
encounter = area_nomads, 19, 0.250000
faction = fc_n_grp, 1.000000

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*what "sort = 99.500000" and "faction_weight = fc_n_grp, 10" mean.

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*why this formation is so highly prone to crashing:

[Formation
nickname = battleship_wall
pos = 0, 0, 1000
pos = 0, 0, -1000
pos = 1000, 0, 0
pos = -1000, 0, 0
pos = 0, 1000, 0
pos = 0,-1000, 0
pos = 1000, 1000, 1000
pos = -1000, -1000, -1000
pos = 1000, 1000, 0
pos = -1000, -1000, 0
pos = 1000, 0, 1000
pos = -1000, 0, -1000
pl_pos = 0, 0, 0

Hmm... I think I'll stick to fighters and gunboats for now... at least those NEVER crash, LOL

Edited by - Nephilim on 29-03-2003 15:44:15

*what those question marks stand for (example: "formation = fighters, fighter_wall" ==>> where in the world does the term "fighters" point to?)
fighters is a nickname which you made for your fighter_wall formation... just like nickname = no_battleship

the one with the 8 battleships... you have allow_simultaneus creation... i think that's the problem...
faction_weight i think is which faction is most commonly seen in the zone
and last i think that you only get 4 nomad fighers because you have max_battle_size = 4... i found out that this times a constant is max military ships in area... you should raise it a bit because there are some outcasts in the area and are eating up your battle_size

hello
we is experts

Edited by - Truga on 29-03-2003 17:54:04

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fighters is a nickname which you made for your fighter_wall formation... just like nickname = no_battleship

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Aha! So "formation_by_class = BlahBlah" points to the nickname BlahBlah, which in turn is the first component after the = character of
"formation = BlahBlah, formation nickname" in faction_prop.ini? *dazed and confused*

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the one with the 8 battleships... you have allow_simultaneus creation... i think that's the problem...

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Well... the regular area_nomads.ini has "allow_simultaneous_creation = yes" too, yet you never see more than four of their fighters pop up... do you think the amount of ships spawning in an <encounterformation> is dependent on max_battle_size?

Now that you mention it... I did set allow_simultaneous_creation to NO once, which made only one battleship spawn... exactly the number that should have appeared (via ship_by_class = 1, 1, sc_battleships).

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you should raise it a bit because there are some outcasts in the area and are eating up your battle_size

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Yeah... but you are always attacked by four Nomads... no more, no less. It doesn't matter how many Outcasts are in the vicinity... strange huh?

Edited by - Nephilim on 29-03-2003 18:45:23

ok
syntax
formation = formation_nickname, "formation type set up in formations.ini"

useless you could as well use that nickname... DA seems to complicate things for no reason.

the max_battle_size and density... i'm not getting that i'd need some pro modder to figure that out

hello
we is experts

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syntax
formation = formation_nickname, "formation type set up in formations.ini"

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Let me get this straight once and for all.

area_xxx.ini:
formation_by_class = Blah

faction_prop.ini:
formation = Blah, <nickname for formation type from formations.ini>

Phew, another mystery solved.

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useless you could as well use that nickname... DA seems to complicate things for no reason.

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Tell me about it... LMAO

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the max_battle_size and density... i'm not getting that i'd need some pro modder to figure that out

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A software development kit would be nice too.

Now, to prevent battleship encounters from crashing FL...

Bump, tired of seeing all these get lost into the abyss and seeing the same stupid questions asked over and over.

Ya wee needs a SDK!!

i'm going to kill M$ until they die from it. this is al their fault! and now these phreakin Windows Xtreme Problems are crashing every 5 mins... i really need to get win2k back

hello
we is experts

These crashes... I experienced the first of them when I raised the number of the transports spawning in an encounter. I think if you mod 'em too bad the game crashes (MicroSoft quality )

Hmm... I can't decipher Killermatrix' post.

@Killermatrix
Schreib mal den dt. Text hier hin, mit dem kann ich mehr anfangen

Edit: Possibly the battleships are only bases with other models. Ever saw a battleship moving?
Edit 2: Are there possibilities to make an encounter with different cruisers?
Edit 3: I can't get it work! They just don't spawn. I checked everything. Formations, Enc params, ship settings. I found nothing wrong. Could you post your inis here or mail 'em to me?
Edit 4 : n00b question: What means serverside? Do I need anything to run it, ie. another mod? I tried it on MP with my own server but there were no b-ships.


Edited by - Baal on 02-04-2003 06:15:56
Edited by - Baal on 05-04-2003 13:38:10
Edited by - Baal on 05-04-2003 13:56:03

Edited by - Baal on 05-04-2003 13:57:08

hehe back home from sarajevo
yes i've seen a bship moving. 3 of them actually.
encounter with different cruisers? yes would be possible but lots of editing.. will try that soon
serverside means that you don't have to edit anything and you are able to play on a server with this mod with all the features it has to offer

Inis for this ecnounter
note that you have to find and replace the files in here... make backups!
the encounter is in ny system at norfolk i think.. or at manhattan? not shure
the inis will be up asap

Well, through trial-and-error-and-elimination, I have sorta been able to track down the cause of the crashes to one specific culprit: fc_n_grp in faction_prop.ini. There's nothing wrong with the Nomad battleship itself, as I previously thought, but with the group that it is affiliated with... because I can add the thing to ANY other faction (the Bretonia/Kusari/Liberty/Rheinland Navies for instance) and define encounters featuring DOZENS of them without so much as a hitch! This stinks, though. "Military - Nomad Battleship - RNC Zugspitze" just doesn't sound right.

Edited by - Nephilim on 13-04-2003 18:56:16

so thing is you must put nomads as another faction?
well then i'll put in other battleships... they look cooler so i'm just going to tweak those... give them lots of hull

btw that link for inis is not working because geocities is down or smth.. will be online asap

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so thing is you must put nomads as another faction?

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Exactly. Fighters and gunboats run smooth as silk, but npc battleships (of ANY house) inevitably crash FLS when placed in fc_n_grp. The plot thickens...

Haha, can someone put this in FL Mod Manager form so I can take a look at it? I may be able to help out. Thanks, the other .ini link failed.

Steve

Quick question, is there any way to make an if/then statement based on levels? thus an encounter could be 4 VHF's if level < 20 and 6 VHF's and a battleship if level = 20+?

Never knock on Deaths door, ring the doorbell and run...he hates that.