Release Trade Computer Extension Mk.II

[Prolak Grey]

Have spent the last week trying to get TCE to show me a trade route of any kind, but all it says is 'No route found within the given filter settings".

I have tried to set all the filter settings, but still nothing.

I am in Robigo, it shows me 4 markets, all within The Robigo system, but apparently none of them sell or buy anything.

I can't change my max Range in the Nav panel, there are no red buttons, or anything else on that will let me change that setting from the default 50Ly/221 systems.

I have it set to 'show all systems'

It took a couple days to get past the EDMC 'update needed' Since EDMC did not think it needed an update.

There needs to be a much clearer Starting Guide for this program.

 

[Stumpii]

Have spent the last week trying to get TCE to show me a trade route of any kind, but all it says is 'No route found within the given filter settings".

I have tried to set all the filter settings, but still nothing.

I am in Robigo, it shows me 4 markets, all within The Robigo system, but apparently none of them sell or buy anything.

I can't change my max Range in the Nav panel, there are no red buttons, or anything else on that will let me change that setting from the default 50Ly/221 systems.

I have it set to 'show all systems'

It took a couple days to get past the EDMC 'update needed' Since EDMC did not think it needed an update.

There needs to be a much clearer Starting Guide for this program.

Have you looked at the wiki? There is a bunch of info on how to set the program up: https://trade-computer-extension-mkii.fandom.com/wiki/TCE_Launcher

 

[Prolak Grey]

Have you ever had a useful reply?

Yes I've read the wiki, repeatedly and it's wrong. It says use this or that button, which don't exist. it skips over major steps leaving you lost.

It doesn't say anything about various parts of the set up.

 

[Stumpii]

If you followed the TCE set up instructions, it might be useful to post a couple of screenshots of your settings and the error you are seeing. You could also send a bug report through the options panel, including the debug zip. Eventure can probably determine the cause from that.

If there is wrong or missing info in the wiki, update it or post the details here and it can be updated.

 

[Stumpii]

@eventure, for the route planner, would it possible to add a column with distance to the 'center' system? If I an trying to travel from A to B and trade on the way, it is difficult to know which markets from the current position are closer to B and which are farther away as the distance shown is the distance from the last market. This may be confusing, so there may be a better way to accomplish this.

 

[Prolak Grey]

'No route found within the given filter settings"

The instructions aren't wrong, per se just really really long, and it is very hard to find all of the silly things you have to do without parsing the entire thing.

1 install
2 update EDCM, if necessary (TCE doesn't say to update EDCM exactly it just says 'update needed' but gives no clue as to what needs to be updated.
3 run the verification on all the database files
4 fly somewhere where there are actually trade routes less than 50lyrs across, since you can't change the maximum range of 50 lyrs.
5 ignore the 'use the two red buttons' or 'use the red button at the top of the navigation pane to change max range' because there are no red buttons on the navigation page.

 

[eventure]

@eventure, for the route planner, would it possible to add a column with distance to the 'center' system? If I an trying to travel from A to B and trade on the way, it is difficult to know which markets from the current position are closer to B and which are farther away as the distance shown is the distance from the last market. This may be confusing, so there may be a better way to accomplish this.

That requires TCE to know, what your destination is. And this requires an UI upgrade of the panel to enter/select the station A and B and afterwards displaying selectable stations inbetween if I correctly understood your request. I will check this out, how it can be achived with the current setup.

'No route found within the given filter settings"

The instructions aren't wrong, per se just really really long, and it is very hard to find all of the silly things you have to do without parsing the entire thing.

1 install
2 update EDCM, if necessary (TCE doesn't say to update EDCM exactly it just says 'update needed' but gives no clue as to what needs to be updated.
3 run the verification on all the database files
4 fly somewhere where there are actually trade routes less than 50lyrs across, since you can't change the maximum range of 50 lyrs.
5 ignore the 'use the two red buttons' or 'use the red button at the top of the navigation pane to change max range' because there are no red buttons on the navigation page.

Let' see:
2. If EDMC requires an update, open the Extension tab and click the button at the top to open the download page of EDMC to get the newest file. Download and install the .msi file. Afterwards close EDMC (which opened in the installation process), return to the launcher of TCE and the update message will be gone.

4+5. If you have activated the EDDB-Relay web service, the Trade Range is controlled either at the Launcher (Extension tab) or Options panel (Online tab). Stop the service, change the range and start it again. Otherwise the red button is shown at the Navigation panel.

Before finding a route at the Route Finder panel, you must have at least two trade stations in your database which have some data of available commodities included.
This can be achived by flying to a couple of stations in your region of space or by using the EDDB-Relay service, which transfers the data of all stations in your neighborhood into your database. This crowdsourced data coming from the EDDB nightly dumps.

Please check also the filter settings of the Route Finder panel again and look at the Data Age parameter. Change it (if not already done) to 1 to 3 days or more. After that, you should find plenty of routes. The data age parameter controls, how old the commodity data of stations can be to be included in the finding process. Because TCE is using the nightly dumps of EDDB, this data isn't always actual for all stations.

If you having again trouble finding any route and you have followed my hints above, please send me a bug report and I will check your files to find the issue.

 

[eventure]

Version [1.8.7.0] released

• Version [1.8.7.0] installer (82.5 MB): https://bit.ly/3uVkYmd

Changelog:

• Added the last missing french translation phrases to the Language database.
• Added a planetary points of interest option to the EDDB-Relay web service (Launcher And Options panel) to add known special locations and what materials/commodities can be found there to the Location database.
• Added the ability to scroll through the list of active and completed missions by mousewheel to the Mission tab of the Personal panel.
• Adjusted the Note panel treeview to handle the increased number of notes through adding special locations by EDDB-Relay.
• Upgraded the Location database so it can store more than 256 letters for notes.
• Fixed an error when the player balance wasn't updated or is null at the Personal panel.
• Fixed an error when clicking onto a mission of the mission history at the Mission tab of the Personal panel.
• Fixed a possible bug of missing cargo after launching TCE at the Cargo panel.

Notes:
Either download the version above, install and transfer your old database, or use the auto-update function of the launcher.
Click the 'new version' notice at the bottom of the launcher.

Reminder:
If you want to play Odyssey and you played Horizons before (or vice versa), change the game path at the Settings tab at the launcher, because Odyssey and Horizons has it's own game folder.

If you find an error, please report and use the Report a Bug button at the launcher and don't forget to copy the error details and ErrorReportFile.7z archive.

I like to remind any user, who want's to use TCE in french, spanish or russian to help in translating the
latest interface phrases, common commodities and rare commoditiesat OneSky. Thanks in advance.

 

[Stumpii]

That requires TCE to know, what your destination is. And this requires an UI upgrade of the panel to enter/select the station A and B and afterwards displaying selectable stations inbetween if I correctly understood your request. I will check this out, how it can be achived with the current setup.

I think you understand and what you say makes sense if you wanted to redesign with a lot of effort. If you do that, fantastic, however what I was thinking was an 'easier' workaround. If I am flying from A to Z, let me enter Z somehow and show the trade location to Z distance. The selectable stations would then include the distance to Z. While at A, the selectable stations are in a sphere around A, but I can see which stations are closer to Z and which are farther, so I pick B being a good trade closer to Z (B to Z < A to Z). Now B is selected, the distance from B to Z is displayed and the list of selectable stations show their distance to Z again. Again, I can see which stations are closer to Z and which are farther. I can then select station C (C to Z < B to Z). And so on, as long as the next station is closer to Z than the last, I will get there in the end.

Hopefully that makes sense. You could also filter out those where C to Z > B to Z I guess or do other things. You know the code the best.

 

[eventure]

I think you understand and what you say makes sense if you wanted to redesign with a lot of effort. If you do that, fantastic, however what I was thinking was an 'easier' workaround. If I am flying from A to Z, let me enter Z somehow and show the trade location to Z distance. The selectable stations would then include the distance to Z. While at A, the selectable stations are in a sphere around A, but I can see which stations are closer to Z and which are farther, so I pick B being a good trade closer to Z (B to Z < A to Z). Now B is selected, the distance from B to Z is displayed and the list of selectable stations show their distance to Z again. Again, I can see which stations are closer to Z and which are farther. I can then select station C (C to Z < B to Z). And so on, as long as the next station is closer to Z than the last, I will get there in the end.

Hopefully that makes sense. You could also filter out those where C to Z > B to Z I guess or do other things. You know the code the best.

View attachment 237075

Reworking the panel currently. I have moved now all filters to a separate window, like the filter window at the Route Finder panel.
So I got new space to fill.

 

[eventure]

Here comes an first UI design of my taste for the reworked Route Planner panel. It's not coded yet, only an illustration.

I have spitted the old design into three parts: Route Summary, Route Filter Settings and Station Selection.
This saves overall space and the new height of the panel is 33% smaller.

1. Route Summary

The new summary showing all selected station data in a more handsome way, no longer showing small rows.
First, you have to select a start and an end station, so that TCE can calculate all stations inbetween of these two stations.
By clicking the encircled plus button, you can add a new station between the clicked station and the next (via the right sided button) or last (via the left sided button) station in your current list.
The classic station selection will appear above the summary.

2. Station Selection

It's mainly the same list of the old design, but added some new columns.
The list showing all stations between these two stations (selected/previous or selected/next) of the summary. For selecting the start or end station, all available stations in database will be shown.
The list could be filtered as like the old design, but in a visual style of the Route Finder filter page.

3. Route Filter Setting

Here you can change many filter settings to find only these station, you are interested in. All filter handling will be the same as the Route Finder panel.

So now it's your turn to make suggestions if you like and help me to enhance the panel to be more usable and mainly to be easier to create a trade route in ED.

 

[Stumpii]

Here comes an first UI design of my taste for the reworked Route Planner panel. It's not coded yet, only an illustration.

I have spitted the old design into three parts: Route Summary, Route Filter Settings and Station Selection.
This saves overall space and the new height of the panel is 33% smaller.



So now it's your turn to make suggestions if you like and help me to enhance the panel to be more usable and mainly to be easier to create a trade route in ED.

Looks good. I have some thoughts, but it will take a few days for me to have time to look in detail and note them down.

 

[Abil Midena]

In regard to the route planner...I admit I find most of my trades through the round finder, so I have less experience with the route planner.

This might be a question for Stumpii, but Eventure might answer as well.

Is the use case for the route planner that you're going from point of origin to some star X LY away (multiple jumps), and you want to trade along the way? How would you know in advance what you want to trade? Can TCE route planner help with that...some sort of column that populates when you click on station #2, what the best trade is from station #1 already selected?

Or is the use case that you already know where you are going to dock AND sell/buy along the way, and you're just setting up TCE to show you as you go? If this is the case, then that's cool and I have no questions/input.

I feel like there should be some sort of integration between the route finder/planner, but that sounds complex just saying it, let alone having to code it. Maybe it's more of a case of using the "trade" button and then trade advisor. Like if you're doing "route planning", the "trade" button (top middle of UI) and trade advisor (middle of trade overview panel) picks up the two stations from your route planner, and you can see what the best trade would be, then select the commodities at the planner.

I also noticed that the "sort by distance" button in the planner didn't seem to sort properly, and you could not sort by data age.

 

[eventure]

In regard to the route planner...I admit I find most of my trades through the round finder, so I have less experience with the route planner.

This might be a question for Stumpii, but Eventure might answer as well.

Is the use case for the route planner that you're going from point of origin to some star X LY away (multiple jumps), and you want to trade along the way? How would you know in advance what you want to trade? Can TCE route planner help with that...some sort of column that populates when you click on station #2, what the best trade is from station #1 already selected?

Yes, so it works actually:
You select the first station (which is most of the time your current one) and TCE showing you, what commodities have a high discount (avg. price - current price). Most of the time, you select the commodity with the highest discout.
After that, TCE is looking, what stations in the vicinity want to buy the commodity. After selecting a station (mainly close to your current star system), TCE showing again the commodities with the highest discount.
This continues for every station you add to the register until you have reach a point, that your can return to the origin station (loop route) or a system, you want to travel.

Or is the use case that you already know where you are going to dock AND sell/buy along the way, and you're just setting up TCE to show you as you go? If this is the case, then that's cool and I have no questions/input.

This is hardly to project, i think.

I feel like there should be some sort of integration between the route finder/planner, but that sounds complex just saying it, let alone having to code it. Maybe it's more of a case of using the "trade" button and then trade advisor. Like if you're doing "route planning", the "trade" button (top middle of UI) and trade advisor (middle of trade overview panel) picks up the two stations from your route planner, and you can see what the best trade would be, then select the commodities at the planner.

That's is partially in, when starting a route from the Route Finder panel, you could review the route at the Route Planner panel too. Both panels sharing the same variables.

I also noticed that the "sort by distance" button in the planner didn't seem to sort properly, and you could not sort by data age.

The sort by distance is working here, but if you have many many stations in database, it can require some seconds to update the list of stations. The 'Update' column hasn't a sort function yet, which I will add with the update of the panel.

The true problem of the route planner is, that you have no control, where the route come to an end, you only following the best prices of commodities.
With the change to select the 'End Station' directly after the 'Start Station', TCE would now take care of stations, which lie between these two stations.

How is that done?
TCE spans a bubble around these two stations with a radius of the distance of the stations. Stations, that lie in the intersection of both are moved to the pool of stations, which come into consideration for TCE to make a suggestion to the player.
This reduces the number of possible stations to select from and could lead to a better performance of the panel when it comes to displaying/sorting thousands of entries. That's my hope.

 

[Stumpii]

In regard to the route planner...I admit I find most of my trades through the round finder, so I have less experience with the route planner.

This might be a question for Stumpii, but Eventure might answer as well.

Is the use case for the route planner that you're going from point of origin to some star X LY away (multiple jumps), and you want to trade along the way? How would you know in advance what you want to trade? Can TCE route planner help with that...some sort of column that populates when you click on station #2, what the best trade is from station #1 already selected?

Or is the use case that you already know where you are going to dock AND sell/buy along the way, and you're just setting up TCE to show you as you go? If this is the case, then that's cool and I have no questions/input.

I feel like there should be some sort of integration between the route finder/planner, but that sounds complex just saying it, let alone having to code it. Maybe it's more of a case of using the "trade" button and then trade advisor. Like if you're doing "route planning", the "trade" button (top middle of UI) and trade advisor (middle of trade overview panel) picks up the two stations from your route planner, and you can see what the best trade would be, then select the commodities at the planner.

I also noticed that the "sort by distance" button in the planner didn't seem to sort properly, and you could not sort by data age.

This is my understanding. There are 3 trade options/features:

• Auto Trade Destination (trade at the top of the screen) - This is the destination with the best profit from your current location. It ignores what you can buy at the destination, so you might find yourself ending up at stations that don't sell anything worth buying. In this case, you need to fly out to somewhere else are start trading again. This is good if you want to do some trading/delivery missions/source missions mix.
• Trade Finder - The most profitable A > B > A routes, most likely not starting from your location. This is good for grinders that want to repeat the same trip again and again for the most profit.
• Trade Planner - This gives you a list of the most profitable stations based on the sell and buy prices at the destination station so you can build up a A > B > C > D > E route. The final destination is not important. Think of starting at a tree trunk and picking one of many attached main branches, and from that branch picking one of attached branches and so on. Each choice will change the future choices that are available. So this is good for finding profitable routes, not good if you want to end up at a particular branch, as you don't know what choices you should make in advance to get there.

So the feature I am asking for helps with the planner to try to steer you in the direction you want to go (if you want a destination), buy helping you chose those stations closer to the destination with having to select every station for you. You can take a direct route with little profit or a longer route with more profit.

Hopefully helps somewhat.

Eventure just beat me to it!

 

[Stumpii]

You select the first station (which is most of the time your current one) and TCE showing you, what commodities have a high discount (avg. price - current price). Most of the time, you select the commodity with the highest discout.

It always confused me that your current station is not automatically the first line in the planning route as it is hard to know what commodity to buy from your current location. Your current station is not in the list because there is no profit trading at your current location, so I never add it, I have to remember what I should buy from where I am. Also it is not in the list, if you export/import the route, will that also not be included (not tried it)?

 

[Stumpii]

Here comes an first UI design of my taste for the reworked Route Planner panel. It's not coded yet, only an illustration.

I have spitted the old design into three parts: Route Summary, Route Filter Settings and Station Selection.
This saves overall space and the new height of the panel is 33% smaller.



So now it's your turn to make suggestions if you like and help me to enhance the panel to be more usable and mainly to be easier to create a trade route in ED.

Not had much time, but initial thoughts.
The graphics looks is nice but I dont know if it really adds anything to the functionality.
If it is possible to select more than one commodity, that would be nice. I know that would affect other areas of the code as well. Maybe not easy.
For the station list, I think it tricky to add stations in the middle. If A to B has a good,profit, it would be hard to find a station to insert in the middle that gives good profit for both. How do you show the A to new B profit and new B to old B profit? It makes sense to add the destination and then stations after the last station entered. Example if I buy ore at industrial and sell at high tech, what station could be added in the middle? Likely none. Hope this makes sense.
As before, I think your current location show be shown by default.

 

[mearmortal]

Eventure,
After my last bug I sent you, I've just returned to the game and have 0% on all 3 ranking progress bars, may be you could take a look. All the reputation ratings come up to 75% and the Power ranks are both 100%

 

[eventure]

Not had much time, but initial thoughts.
The graphics looks is nice but I dont know if it really adds anything to the functionality.
If it is possible to select more than one commodity, that would be nice. I know that would affect other areas of the code as well. Maybe not easy.
For the station list, I think it tricky to add stations in the middle. If A to B has a good,profit, it would be hard to find a station to insert in the middle that gives good profit for both. How do you show the A to new B profit and new B to old B profit? It makes sense to add the destination and then stations after the last station entered. Example if I buy ore at industrial and sell at high tech, what station could be added in the middle? Likely none. Hope this makes sense.
As before, I think your current location show be shown by default.

My plan and how it should work:
1. Selecting the start station (current station is default) and a commodity to buy from that station.
2. Selecting the end station and a commodity to sell (any commodity) at that station.
3. Each selected station inbetween is checked (and then displayed in the list), if one of both commodities can be bought or sold there. Maybe I will add a button to switch between the stations to sell or buy a commodity, so the user can select, what station action is done at the following station. But at each station between start and end, it will be requested to select a commodity to buy and sell.

I have reviewed multiple selectable commodities in the past when the Planner was introduced, but the most profitable way is to transport only the commodity with the highest profit (as like the Route Finder is doing it).

Eventure,
After my last bug I sent you, I've just returned to the game and have 0% on all 3 ranking progress bars, may be you could take a look. All the reputation ratings come up to 75% and the Power ranks are both 100%

Have reports of an issue with the 'Rank' event at the journal, showing sometimes invalid or wrong data. It is a bug in ED.
Each time you start ED, the event is rewritten and TCE is updating the displayed values of the journal.

@Here is the event from the log you sent to me:

{ "timestamp":"2021-06-05T13:34:58Z", "event":"Progress", "Combat":0, "Trade":0, "Explore":0, "Soldier":0, "Exobiologist":20, "Empire":100, "Federation":100, "CQC":0 }

'Progress' event may be bugged too.

 

[Stumpii]

My plan and how it should work:
1. Selecting the start station (current station is default) and a commodity to buy from that station.
2. Selecting the end station and a commodity to sell (any commodity) at that station.
3. Each selected station inbetween is checked (and then displayed in the list), if one of both commodities can be bought or sold there. Maybe I will add a button to switch between the stations to sell or buy a commodity, so the user can select, what station action is done at the following station. But at each station between start and end, it will be requested to select a commodity to buy and sell.

For #1 and #2 does it make sense to pick a commodity first? In the current program, you don't pick a commodity first, you pick the station first, so you have a list of all stations each of which could have a different commodity with the best profit. By picking the commodity first you filter out all the stations that don't trade well with that commodity, so you have no know the trade profits to pick the right commodity instead of the right commodity being selected by the profit. Same for the end station. If you select a commodity to sell, then somehow you have to pick a station before that sells it. I would highlight the end station in the selectable stations list so that once you get within the trade range of the station, if there is a profitable trade and you see it in the list, you can select it, finishing the chain. Or you can ignore it and keep going if there are further trades. If there is no market at the destination, or no good trade, once you are within the trade range, you can just leave the end destination with no commodity exchange. You will make no profit on the last jump, but will end up at your destination.

For #3, I think my comments above apply and the code you have already actually works just fine. I think that adding stations in the middle is problematic, adding a station in between two stations with high profit is likely to have a low profit. Buying ice from the arctic and selling in the desert is high profit. If you add a middle man in the middle, you won't get a better profit by selling something to the middle man and buying something else from the middle man to sell to the desert.

It would be nice to have the option for no end station if you want to go where the trail leads you, like now.

Markup below, purely personal preference of having the distance/travel data together, the system state info together. Given I am assuming how the code works, feel free to throw suggestion in the trash!