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MitchTech Station Logistics

Summary - X3:Commodity Logistics Software (CLS Mk2) style station traders for X-Rebirth

+++++ ANOUNCEMENT +++++
2016/07/31 - v1.34 - Fixes multi-cargo type ships not able to assign waypoints at warehouses

2016/07/11 - v1.32 - Update now allows warehouses to be selected as waypoints + some other minor fixes.

2016/06/27 - v1.31 - long awaited fixes for issues introduced in XR v4.0 - all credit to lenjoj

2015/04/03 - v1.30 - New features - Much improved waypoint add screen, improved tracking display now shows current waypoint and updates properly. See Ego Forum for details[forum.egosoft.com]

User manual now available for download[www.dropbox.com]

== Introduction ==

The folks in the R&D department at MitchTech Corporation went on the internet and found this[forum.egosoft.com] They got to thinking: "How hard could it be?" Well, after many hours, gallons of spacefuel, lashings of pizza and some pancakes, MitchTech Corporation is proud to present its second update for the Pride of Albion user interface.

As usual MitchTech focuses on improvements that enhance the lives of budding empire builders and this mod is no exception. Unhappy with the ad hoc way trade was being conducted in the known galaxy, MitchTech has produced a trade ship orders system using the latest state-of-the-art communication and encryption technology, ensuring traders go where you want and sell what you want. No more cargo going missing (ever wondered why crew where quite happy to work for nothing? - they were "losing" cargo quite often weren't they!!) - No more dumb captains and dumb managers trading stuff that suited them because they were too lazy to analyse routes and buy what the station needed as opposed to what made a quick buck close to the best bars and nightclubs. Unfortunately, the Teladi trader's union got wind of this innovative technology close to release and we had to modify the software to guarantee pilots being paid a wage as they would no longer be able to "pay" their own wages out of "your" profits. Having threatened to go on strike and *cough* bring the galaxy's economy to a *cough* halt we decided it was better to meet their demands than attract the adverse publicity of a trade boycott on launch.

== Features ==
- Plan a series of waypoints for a station trader - set location, ware, buy, sell, amount and price
- Trader follows waypoints in order, skipping those that are not valid allowing complex supply chains to be set up
- Higher skilled crews can fly further from homebase and have more waypoints
- Crews earn experience points as well as a salary and can be trained using experience points and a small cash sum
- Highest level crews are paid commission on sales to NPC stations in addition to salary based on flight time
- Logs for each trader, an admin log and crew member logs including crew rank increase with XP earned (also a feature to rename crew members!)
- Extensive UI checking to prevent invalid entries e.g. ensures only ware types that can be carried are available to select on waypoint edit screen
- Uninstall command for removing mod from savegames

== Getting started ==
1. Subscribe to the mod on steam and it will automagically be added to your game.

2. Press enter to get the sidebar menu --> select the trade icon --> select MT Station Logistics

3. Highlight "Administer Trade Ships" in the list and click on "Select" button

4. You will be presented with a screen with a list of unconfigured ships. Expand the list and select a ship that you want to trade with. Note that ships will only appear in this list if: i) They have a captain, ii) they are not in your squad, iii) they are not assigned to a station or another ship, iv) they have at least 5 cargo lifter drones onboard.

5. Highlight your chosen ship and click the "Add" button - this adds your ship to the trader list

6. Select the ship again and click "Homebase" - select the station you want the trader to work for from the map (Yes you need to own at least one station!)

7. Now click on the "Configure" button and add some waypoints (you need at least two waypoints before you can start the trader)

8. The next screen allows you to manage a list of the ship's waypoints. You can add, edit, re-order, cut and paste waypoints.

9. Click on the "Add Waypoint" button to bring up the waypoint add/edit screen. Here you'll need to select the station to trade with, the action (buy, sell etc) the ware type, and the minimum amount required to fly the waypoint (you can also set a maximum/desired amount) and of course price limits.

10. Once all the required information is added you will be able to click the "Save" button to add the waypoint and take you back to the waypoint list screen.

11. Repeat steps 9 and 10 until you have a route defined (note that the software will help prevent you making invalid choices but it will not stop you making dumb choices - e.g. if you give a ship 5 sell waypoints and no buy waypoints it will not do anything because it has nothing to sell!)

12. Once your waypoint list is complete, click on the "Save" button to return to the ship list.

13. Click on the "Start" button to set your trader off on its chosen route.

Note the following:

1. Active traders are assigned to their chosen homebase and will show up under the station's tab in the vanilla property menu.

2. All transactions for sales by the trader and wages/commission paid will be conducted using the homebase station's account. (except for crew training)

3. You can see what the trader has been up to in the reports section.

== Uninstalling the mod ==
Backup your savegame!!
Select "Configure" from the first menu screen then select "Uninstall" from the next screen.
Now save the game and exit the game.
Unsubscribe from the mod on steam (if you wish you can also delete the folder in the extensions folder)
Start the game again and load the most recent save. Save this game again and you should now have a squeeky clean save file!

== Known issues ==
If you rename crew then uninstall the mod you are stuck with the new name
minor glitches in row selection when moving between menu screens
(you're all going to find lots more aren't you :D )

== TODO: Suggestions and bug reports are most welcome ==
Fix row selection glitches
Load and save waypoint lists
Apply some love to the UI for joystick and gamepad users
DONE - Detailed instructions/manual
Allow trade with player owned construction vessels
Do something similar with miners (the vanilla ones are fine to be honest but it would be nice if they could sell to NPCs when the station doesn't need stuff they mine)

== Technical ==

Text ID Page 150402
Patched vanilla script - trade.station.player <- to prevent manager using logistics ships


== Credits ==
Lucike - for the inspiration and the "Original" CLS trader concept
Mad Joker - lots of bits from MJ's library and UFO mod used here