Freelancer Path Generator

it’ll make sure jumpgates have a destination to go to - if there isn’t the object there, it’ll tell you

Downside is it doesn’t do encrypted files. I think I could put it in, but can’t be arsed at present

Timmy51m wrote:
When you say FLServer does this for you, does that mean path files are not necessary in multiplayer but are necessary for single player?

What i mean is that if you have no path files (i.e. delete them) and start FLServer…they are created.

I do not know whether FLServer generated path files obey locked gates, or generates paths for impossible jumps (i.e. the jumpgate in one system that is missing the corresponding jump object in the supposedly connected system) as I haven’t investigated.

Timmy51m wrote:
So you do need accurate path files for singleplayer? Your tool is hardly obsolete if that’s a true statement.

Well, you do, yes. However, if you make a mod - then you would distribute the files with the mod - so players don’t need it. It’s a mod making tool basically.

If someone makes a mod and they’ve added systems though - they don’t need to download this and Java (although most PC’s have it installed anyway now), instead they can just run FLServer and let it generate the files for them and then copy them into their mod (i.e. Activate mod in FLMM, delete the shortest path files in the Freelancer Directory, then run FLServer, copy the files generated to desktop, deactivate mod, and then copy/paste the files over their mod files in FLMM).

Actually, that almost sounds like more work I’m happy if people do use it, and hope it is perfect in how it functions.

However, although path files were a major headache and I was lazy (to not want to create them by hand) - I made it after I finished modding - so it was simply because I enjoyed programming

It is actually very simple, you could remove 95% of the code as only a few lines really do the work… the rest is just to reassure users and make a nice usable interface
So the program itself is a little bloated, but meh

That message is bloody useless I should have made it display the errors it has found - whoops blushes

I think it’s an easy fix for me, but… unfortunately timing is everything, it’s silly’o’clock in the morning and I’m off to bed. In 24 hours I am flying off to Vienna for a week skiing in Austria

If it’s an RC I cannot download to check the mod.

edit Well, apart from having an issue with two versions (whoops, so clumsy of me) on my PC and being unsure which I was working upon - I’ve uploaded the current release with a small fix to hopefully display the errors window.

I did a preliminary test by just renaming Ku02.ini to Ku02a.ini - it throws an ioexception, but displays in the errors window afterwards “missing file KU02” - so whilst I dunno what your error is, I hope this will allow for some clarity in displaying the errors window

Try downloading the original link (file should be 102kb or so).

It will give exception still, BUT hopefully the errors window will then appear saying wtf it is Let me know

A note for “completeness”.

Alex sent me a link to the Flak mod, and the paths generated perfectly fine on windows XP - no issues.

Alex is on Windows 7 - which I currently do not have installed, so cannot verify 100% that this is the cause of his issue - or whether “run as administrator” (or whatever the usual fix is) allows the program to work as normal.

BUT

without further feedback about whether it is working, or installing Windows 7 here (I’ll see if I can get it within the next few days, I get a free copy under the academic alliance) I’m going to say that was the cause and therefore the solution should be “run as admin” :-? :-?

I also noticed that I uploaded a badly out of date source code version - whoops. I have therefore uploaded the latest source as well. See the first post.

Again, you don’t need the tool as FLServer apparently generates the path files if they are already missing

StarTrader wrote:
Yep - but it’s not as complete as yours, Chips.

So I’m glad you made it, and I use it by preference.

One query: now you understand more about it - my mod loves jumpholes, and there are no gates in my outer worlds, so for the main part there is no path plotting possible.

What’s your feeling about plotting through jumpholes, if you could/would plot them as legal paths, would FL generate a proper path through them?

What would be the bad side where there are both jumpholes and jumpgates ot the same destination system?

I’ve not tested this but if I am with a pirate faction would I get plots through jumpholes?

Hmm, good question - the program parses solararch.ini and identifies things as illegal if

type = JUMP_HOLE

Logically change one jumphole type to

type = JUMP_GATE
```to have it included as a legal path.

I haven't tested, but logically having multiple jumpgates in one system to another system makes zero difference to the program.

What I definitely do not know is what happens if no illegal paths are in a mod at all (i.e. no type = JUMP_HOLE in the mod). Guess an empty file, or maybe just a Current System, Current System, Current System entry?

Now onto Freelancer - and how it plots paths. If there are multiple options from one system to another, I guess it selects the object in the order it appears in the file (i.e. faced with plotting path from A to B, where A has two jump gates to B, which has two receiving jump gates, it selects the jump gate in A which is first in the file).

With regards to legal/illegal, I assume it plots the path via objects which are defined in the Solararch.ini as type = JUMP_GATE - but I haven't tested this, so I really do not know.

If you wish for a mixture of jump holes / jump gates, then I suggest making duplicate jump hole entries in solararch which are (obviously nick-named different - such as jumphole_green2) defined as Type = JUMP_GATE. Since jump holes don't appear in course plots, you can replace existing jump holes with these types (i.e. archetype in the system goes from jumphole_green to jumphole_green2) and run the application.
Illegal shortest path may be differently generated as this will no longer be an illegal jump object, but I don't quite know what the game uses the illegal path file for. I assume this would then let you plot paths through "jump holes" (to the players eye. Obviously check NPC behaviour is as expected if you make these changes).