Freelancer Path Generator *Alpha*

Here is the info you requested:
SOLARARCH
[Solar]
nickname = hypergate_jumppoint
ids_name = 60211
ids_info = 66146
type = JUMP_HOLE
DA_archetype = solar\dockable\jump_hole.3db
material_library = solar\Solar_mat_misc02.mat
mass = 10000.000000
jump_out_hp = Hporient
solar_radius = 600
shape_name = NAV_jumphole
docking_sphere = jump, HpDockMountA, 150
hit_pts = 999999961690316250000000000000000000.000000
phantom_physics = true

ST03B
[Object]
nickname = St03b_to_Io01_hyper
ids_name = 261383
pos = -18412, 9500, 18955
rotate = 0, 140, 0
archetype = hypergate_jumppoint
msg_id_prefix = gcs_refer_system_St03b
jump_effect = jump_effect_hyper
ids_info = 130311
visit = 0
goto = Io01, Io01_to_St03b_hyper, gate_tunnel_hyper

IO01
[Object]
nickname = Io01_to_St03b_hyper
ids_name = 261383
pos = -35000, 9500, 40000
rotate = 0, 140, 0
archetype = hypergate_jumppoint
msg_id_prefix = gcs_refer_system_St03b
jump_effect = jump_effect_hyper
ids_info = 130311
visit = 0
goto = St03b, St03b_to_Io01_hyper, gate_tunnel_hyper

example from SHORTEST_ILLEGAL
[SystemConnections]
Path = io01, io01, io01
Path = io01, st03b, io01, st03b
Path = io01, io03, io01, io03
Path = io01, io02, io01, io02

(as you can see io01 does connect to st03b, but NOT to the rest of the world - it seems that nomad gates are “legal” entries)

example from SHORTEST_LEGAL
[SystemConnections]
Path = io02, io02, io02
Path = io02, io04, io02, io04
Path = io02, io05, io02, io04, io05
Path = io02, io06, io02, io04, io05, io06

(seems to be ok, tho it still doesn’t connect to the rest of the world. Makes sense tho, jump holes are not “legal”. The hypergate jumppoint has a jump_hole type, so it is righfully treated as “illegal”. Btw, there is a jump hole connection between Io01 and Io02 - also, Io01 does not appear in the shortest_legal file at all.)

in SYSTEMS_SHORTEST all these systems DO connect to the rest of the world.
It appears that the “hypergate_jumppoint” is automatically treated as an “illegal” way of travelling. Whereas I have no clue exactly how FL chooses the file to base its path calculations on, I get a no best path when trying to plot a route from, for example, Io01 to Li01. (makes sense for the fact that there is no “legal” jump possibility - it appears that shortest_legal is used.)

CONCLUSION: The primary problem with this is that some systems, like Omega-41, even in 1.0, have path information, whereas the only way to travel through them is via “illegal” means. In case of the files generated by the app, Omega-41 gives a “no best path” error too, and everything “beyond” it, which is “unreachable via legal means”. This is not a fault of the path generator, the 1.0 shortest_legal, for example, does not contain Ew03 at all - but then, why does it work there, and why doesn’t it work here? ???

(My question on jump objects has been answered:p it is the solararch entry for them that determines legality. Nice touch ;))

Edit: Oh, you said you lost your bini.exe - well, I do have a bini.exe and an unbini.exe; if you are interested. They work perfect, except for probaly the only thing that unbini.exe decodes the files in a way that strings are marked with " " and paths use \ as delimeter - and bini.exe expects that format as well.

;D Mike you haven’t lost bini, it’s hiding in Evo lmao ;D

I am surprised that my first run worked and seemed very good, so I don’t think you are very far away Chips.

The second run with unencrypted ST03b may have incurred errors after the first path that included St03b perhaps?

I’ll zip up my files and post them somewhere and give you the link here, but need some time as my upload is very slow.

thanks pal.

I didn’t want to drive you down either, was just trying to help spot a possible cause for no-best-path…

I’m happy enough if I can understand the source, let alone modifying it; but if I can be of any help, feel free to ask - I only have two exams for the next 4 weeks, the rest I finished before their time, so I should be fairly free.

Chips,

I sincerely hope you will continue with this, bud, I’m waiting on your success.

It’s nearly there, as I said the first run, with St03b still accidentally encrypted, gave me good paths from a totally remote system that I had not visited back to the systems I had visited, and it was generating good paths from anywhere to anywhere. And I’m running it on my mod, with many new systems.

The second run after I decrypted St03b gave me always “No Best Path” even to the next system, and even between adjacent systems that I had already visited.

I spent a couple of days writing a sort macro (in Excel, its the only way I am capable) and sorted the path files from both runs to look for differences - but there are hundreds!! So I can’t see the wood for the trees!

Even from the first system, Br07, to Br01, the first (good paths) run took the following path (valid):
Path = br07, br01, br07, bw05, rh04, rh01, rh03, bw03, bw01, br03, br01

The second run took the following route (also valid):
Path = br07, br01, br07, bw05, ku04, ku01, ku03, bw09, bw10, br04, br01

and other paths to other systems showed the same bias, good paths went via Rh04 and faulty paths via Ku04.

What mechanism decides which of two equally valid paths will be followed? Both paths have the same number of system jumps in each case.

I really hope you will continue, but I do understand RL gets in the way, I’m a prime case! lol

Whereas I could and am very willing to spend time to pick up some of the pieces, I doubt if I will understand enough to design the method to continue it to a conclusion any time soon.

Well I thought to start about a tool for path generation and i would have used the distance for weighting of routes. And i would have used the TSP for getting the routes…

Should be possible - but i firstly need still more information to start with…

Just a note here that Chips has released a Beta version of this path generator with fixes for some of my problems.

So please follow that thread from now.