Release Trade Computer Extension Mk.II

[eventure]

Got it. Was not clear what it was doing. I somehow assumed that it set the center location for the next time you started the program, you could then create a new database from that point. Otherwise there is no way to create a market that is not centered where you are.
It may seems strange why you would want to do that. From what I recall, it is usually when I start Elite knowing that I want to go somewhere (for example visit an engineer, or faction wants missions run out of a system), so I know the current database does not have the markets close to the goal but I can't change the center until I go there, so I have to run TCE, travel to the destination, shutdown TCE, start TCE and create a fresh DB. I know, hard times!

Yes, you cannot rebuild the database on the fly, would take far too long. Some things I have been thinking about, so I am just going to throw them out there:
1. Have a button above the EXIT in TCE called LAUNCHER. Clicking will close the main TCE GUI and show the launcher. The center star system will be the current system.
2. As all the launcher update buttons (trade, star, faction) take time to process, would it make more sense for them to be check boxes with a single UPDATE SELECTED option? What would be fantastic would be an automatic prompt to update on start. Mock-up below. Selections would be stored, so you have the choice of updating manually, or automatically at start.

View attachment 203871

3. Something else that would be useful as a complete rebuild on the fly is not possible, is the ability to add single market in-game. The data files are already downloaded from EDDB from the last update. So for example, If I am visiting an engineer and I have plotted the route, I could add those markets on route, even though they are outside the current sphere.

Side topic, I saw your update to the wiki on the Spansh neutron plotter import. Looking forward to that. I had been working on something similar for the Spansh Road to Riches. I have started editing the Spansh Router plugin for EDMC so that it can read the R2R file from Spansh and generate a TCE exploration file you can import to TCE. I could have written in C#, but that is more work to distribute. I also wanted to learn some Python. The plugin actually does basic route plotting as well, but I prefer TCE for that. What is cool though is that the plugin tells you what bodies to scan when you arrive at the system, the bodies are based on the filters you used to create the route on Spansh. This is what it looks like at the moment. Pretty rough, this is the first time I have messed with Python. This would be a helpful side tool for TCE as everyone has to have EDMC anyway. Of course, if it became a feature of TCE...

View attachment 203872

My first goal is to try to make it possible to update the databases on the fly and what it takes on resources. Next step will be an optimisation of that feature. There will be some new parameters to choose from (e.g. number of assigned cores) , others would be removed (e.g. data age). I will post a progress update of the work from time to time.

Actually, there is a TCE patch in the pipe, but parts can't be tested until EDSM is back online. So I focus on the database update in-game.

Your suggestion about the R2R (planets to scan) will be included somehow in the following updates of TCE, but it is the last part I am focus on.

For a live updating database I'd want a sphere only 1x jump range and only 5,000LS or less from the primary star, (both numbers configurable to be larger for those with extremely high end systems) but constantly updating every time you jump. Ideally in addition I'd like data for any systems on my currently plotted route even if they are more than one jump away, (again optional depending on CPU power, maybe only include final destination to further reduce required data.) That should limit the required data to a reasonable level.

You'd always have the processing time from the start of a jump till arrival in the new system, and most of the time you'd also have processing time while the player travels from the entry-star to the port they chose before their jump so it should have enough time to parse the data. The system you jumped to, (and a lot, but not all of it's neighbors) would still be in the previous sphere's data so you wouldn't have any time without data available. Once the new data is parsed, the current database is swapped out for the new one. You could also keep a bunch of the old data when re-calculating as anything near both start and end systems would remain unchanged.

Unfortunately this live-updating system would probably require a ton of updating to the code to accomplish.

Good hints!
You can already have a bubble of 10.000 LY's radius with 1.000.000 LS distance on each star system, which gives about 67,5k trade markets in your database.
The key to not let your PC explode is the Trade Range limiter, which defines the bubble of star systems around you and it updates accordingly,
when moving through space to other star systems.

The only disadvantage is the time required of updating all markets from EDDB. Here is an overview:

• Creating a market database (only a one time job): 6-7 mins, 11 MB registered market database size.
• Updating trade stations with all options selected (trade, outfitting and shipyard data): 7-8 mins, 98 MB commodity prices database, 335 MB outfitting database.
• Updating star systems: 1,5 mins, size is nearly the same as before (15 MB).

With a Trade Range about 1-3x your jump range you are good to go, but you have to spend nearly 10 mins. each day updating TCE before launching.

 

[Stumpii]

My first goal is to try to make it possible to update the databases on the fly and what it takes on resources. Next step will be an optimisation of that feature. There will be some new parameters to choose from (e.g. number of assigned cores) , others would be removed (e.g. data age). I will post a progress update of the work from time to time.

The ability to add/update/remove one system on the fly would open up a lot of possibilities. As all the files for the day are downloaded from EDDB at the start, you can pull data in as needed; system by system, or in groups rather than all at once. Even updating the current systems in the background would be nice. It could update in order of closest system to furthest. Keeping the GUI in sync might be an issue unless all the controls use data bindings.

Looking forward to it though. Thanks for the hard work.

 

[Beregor]

Hello all, i do love the plugin but one thing i just dont get the hang on is, Does the local database automaticly update new places you visit?, there is a video of how to add new places you visit to the database but from what i understand its for an old version becouse i dont have the box "ad station"

 

[Stumpii]

Hello all, i do love the plugin but one thing i just dont get the hang on is, Does the local database automaticly update new places you visit?, there is a video of how to add new places you visit to the database but from what i understand its for an old version becouse i dont have the box "ad station"

If you refer to this section of the wiki, it details the DB and manual addition: Database_panels
To be honest, I have never manually added anything. I usually quit and create a new DB at the launcher so it has all the systems and markets local to where I am.

 

[Beregor]

If you refer to this section of the wiki, it details the DB and manual addition: Database_panels
To be honest, I have never manually added anything. I usually quit and create a new DB at the launcher so it has all the systems and markets local to where I am.

well i dont want tocreate a new database, i want to have it keep growing, and store info from all places i visited so i dont have to check eedb website for everything

 

[Stumpii]

well i dont want tocreate a new database, i want to have it keep growing, and store info from all places i visited so i dont have to check eedb website for everything

According to the wiki, yes, it will automatically add new systems and markets. You can test by travelling to a new market and seeing if there is any trade data in the program (for example click on TRADE and see if the left side has data.
On the launcher, you can also use the option to keep visited markets which should keep those markets you visited that are outside the range sphere.

 

[Beregor]

so the video about database is obsulete?

 

[Beregor]

According to the wiki, yes, it will automatically add new systems and markets. You can test by travelling to a new market and seeing if there is any trade data in the program (for example click on TRADE and see if the left side has data.
On the launcher, you can also use the option to keep visited markets which should keep those markets you visited that are outside the range sphere.

That meaqns video is obsolete?
aswell the checkbox "include visited star system" seem to be unchecked everytime i launch tce even thought i had checked it when i created the database,

 

[Stumpii]

so the video about database is obsulete?

Can you provide the link. There is a good chance it is out of date.

That meaqns video is obsolete?
aswell the checkbox "include visited star system" seem to be unchecked everytime i launch tce even thought i had checked it when i created the database,

The check box only takes affect when you click the CREATE button, so if you don't click CREATE, the checkbox does nothing.

 

[Beregor]

Can you provide the link. There is a good chance it is out of date.

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VO4F7o7JTpk&ab_channel=FranticUploader


thats the one in wiki

So what u say i have to create a new database and check that one then. how will i know if an place is added, becouse when i p+ress database in the upper corner in the overlay it doesent reaqlly show anything

 

[Stumpii]

So what u say i have to create a new database and check that one then. how will i know if an place is added, becouse when i p+ress database in the upper corner in the overlay it doesent reaqlly show anything

Looks like the interface is old, but I think the operation is the same.

I think there are 3 ways to get the data in:
1) Create a database of local data from the launcher
2) Visit new places and they will be added automatically
3) Add places manually

I usually do #1 because I setup a bubble and trade around it. You don't have to do it that way. Sounds like you want to use method #3 which I don't think I have every used. I will play around with it tonight. I know some of the screens in the wiki are a little out of date. What I like about this tool is that they are so many ways to use it, but that does make it difficult to use.

You should see something "like" this in the database panel, that you can click NEW and add a market. I think it will pull in the trade data after you enter it.

 

[Beregor]

Looks like the interface is old, but I think the operation is the same.

I think there are 3 ways to get the data in:
1) Create a database of local data from the launcher
2) Visit new places and they will be added automatically
3) Add places manually

i would love the system "2" of what u wrote, but im not sure how to see if it actually adds it when im visiting outside the 30LS bubble, i try to keep an eye of the db size in folder but i have no clue if it actually add the places ive been to

 

[Beregor]

Btw do TCE have an discord channel? if not anyone ever considering creating one? =)

 

[Stumpii]

i would love the system "2" of what u wrote, but im not sure how to see if it actually adds it when im visiting outside the 30LS bubble, i try to keep an eye of the db size in folder but i have no clue if it actually add the places ive been to

Best way to check would be in the navigation panel and/or trade panel. In the navigation panel, you can filter by name, so you can see what systems and markets are there. If you click on the trade panel, your current (docked) location will be selected. If there is data on the left, then you know it is in the DB. You should be docked, that is important.
If you are a new user, I would recommend option #1 until you get a hang of how everything else works. I found it easier to use when there way data pre-populated for all the automatic tools to do their stuff like recommended routes for trade, etc.

I don't know of a discord channel. I think Eventure prefers this forum for communication.

 

[eventure]

The ability to add/update/remove one system on the fly would open up a lot of possibilities. As all the files for the day are downloaded from EDDB at the start, you can pull data in as needed; system by system, or in groups rather than all at once. Even updating the current systems in the background would be nice. It could update in order of closest system to furthest. Keeping the GUI in sync might be an issue unless all the controls use data bindings.

Looking forward to it though. Thanks for the hard work.

Yeah, but the problem is, when you have started the game with TCE, you want all data in your Trade Range immediatly, so the journey can begin,
not wanting to wait some mins until they are there, that's why you do updating your database before launching TCE.
It's actually easier to handle it at the launcher and not in game, because of the required PC resources.
Otherwise there must be an update of your databases while launching TCE.
So the solution could be, as you suggested, that the update of all databases coming in waves.
I'am thinking of the 1st and initial wave is a sphere of the radius of your current jump range, the second two time your jump range and so on.

Hello all, i do love the plugin but one thing i just dont get the hang on is, Does the local database automaticly update new places you visit?, there is a video of how to add new places you visit to the database but from what i understand its for an old version becouse i dont have the box "ad station"

Yes, TCE will automatically add the station you visit, no longer need manually add those stations. To update the station with real time data, you have to install the EDMC app.
Thereafter you will see a connect button at the top-middle of the UI, where you can manually update the station data and the commodities,
shipyard and outfitting data of the station. It is done automatically, if you have checked the option 'Auto Connect When Docked' at the General tab of the Options panel.

 

[Stumpii]

One feature request:
Is it possible to add the free cargo space to the cargo and/or mission panels? If I am doing a bunch of delivery missions, I either work out how much free space there is in my head, or in calc to see which addition missions I can do without a second trip.

 

[eventure]

One feature request:
Is it possible to add the free cargo space to the cargo and/or mission panels? If I am doing a bunch of delivery missions, I either work out how much free space there is in my head, or in calc to see which addition missions I can do without a second trip.

It's already in, check at the Cargo panel the second column header 'Cargo [xx/xx]'.

 

[Stumpii]

It's already in, check at the Cargo panel the second column header 'Cargo [xx/xx]'.

Nice, thanks!

I am also loving the copy buttons. I have CTRL+V tied to a HOTAS button, so I can copy and paste without the keyboard at all.

 

[Moginheden]

I'm currently about 1,400LY away from the bubble and have this program open to tell the value of planets I'm scanning. Is there a way to add an audible alert if the value of a planet is more than 100,000? (ie it's worth doing a surface scan because it's teraformable, a water/ammonia world, or earthlike.)

Also when I tried to go into control > options > sound > text-to-speech it seemed to turn on fine, but the next system I entered gave me a LOT of the smaller error message and a couple of the larger error message I've attached. The voice was also saying "new star system detected" over and over again. This continued until I turned off text-to-speech.

Even after I turned off text-to-speech, I'm getting the larger message when I use the FSS to scan a planet. Restarting TCE fixed it.

 

[eventure]

I'm currently about 1,400LY away from the bubble and have this program open to tell the value of planets I'm scanning. Is there a way to add an audible alert if the value of a planet is more than 100,000? (ie it's worth doing a surface scan because it's teraformable, a water/ammonia world, or earthlike.)

Also when I tried to go into control > options > sound > text-to-speech it seemed to turn on fine, but the next system I entered gave me a LOT of the smaller error message and a couple of the larger error message I've attached. The voice was also saying "new star system detected" over and over again. This continued until I turned off text-to-speech.
View attachment 204376 View attachment 204377

Even after I turned off text-to-speech, I'm getting the larger message when I use the FSS to scan a planet. Restarting TCE fixed it.

Please send me a bug report via the Report A Bug button and attach the ErrorReportFiles.7z to the report, so I can recreate the errors, you had.
Thanks for the report.