Epic: Middle States bug reports

Thanks for the added information. I think your "crazy" theory is correct. If you try a "start new game" two times in a row, the game will not give you the proper amount of money. You must quit to windows. I will add this to the known bugs list.

It is an issue with how saving the game happens.


I tested the Autopilot blocker last night, and it lets me approach Lpoints in the same system without error. Can someone who has had this problem write down the steps you take to cause the error? How do you select the lpoint. Which system are you in. Which autopilot are you using? Thanks!

At first I have adjusted the jumping location for the L-Point in the starmap. After you have done this there isn`t any chance to autopilot to this L-Point without using the Navigation-Menu. This means even if you select this L-Point in your starmap you will get the warning "Out System Location" by starting the autopilot. This problem appears with the Autopilots F8, F7 and F6. I have tested that in the System Huang but i think it will also appear in all the other systems.
It's not a big bug and so I think we all can live with that.

At last I have to thank you and your Team for this really good mod. Some months ago I thought I-War is dead. And now it is the best competitor to X2 and maybe X3. The best advantage to X2 is that it makes fun to fly the ship and that you know why you are earning the money (for bigger guns).

Two things…

I got a CTD is the Emerald system. I had two Freighters a Venice and a 10 Pod one that I just hired. I went to one of the Heavy Manufacturing Stations and grabbed a load mining gear, I had a few spaces left for pods so I go to the other station to buy some more, I get a CTD approaching the 2nd station (about 400 km). It happens with either station.

Ok second thing, not sure it’s a bug. I went to Bumpy’s Star and when those Outlaws told me to pay a tax to pass through the system I chose the ‘Delay’ option and then used the L-Point normally with no ill effects (angry Outlaws ETC). Seems strange to me, I wonder if it works with the cops...


"But I don't wanna explode!"
-Jayne Cobb, Serenity

Ok second thing, not sure it’s a bug. I went to Bumpy’s Star and when those Outlaws told me to pay a tax to pass through the system I chose the ‘Delay’ option and then used the L-Point normally with no ill effects (angry Outlaws ETC). Seems strange to me, I wonder if it works with the cops...

Careful with that...It can backfire on you. I did the same running across the cluster. Then, when in the Sultan's territory I dodged a group by using the L-point to travel to another within the same system. Unfortunately there were tax-men there also, and they attacked immediately.

So you can dodge it... but don't get caught.

Captain Newb reporting in.

I last played EoC a couple of years ago, and am therefore rusty to say the least. I never played online, and actually only went through the campaign once (although I took my time); I was certainly never an "elite" player. For the record, however, I was a big fan of I-War and appreciate the universe and its spiritual successors.

My experience with TMS:

I found the immediate barrier to entry to be quite high. The game dropped me in a command module without any clue as to what I should do next. It was challenging enough to try to refamiliarize myself with the command system without having to guess what the new commands might be. Suggestion: the game would benefit from a brief readme file that explains the first few steps needed so that you can at least find the tutorial.

I like the new environmental sounds, by the way. I know there is a thread here describing them, but I forget who I should be thanking. Thanks, you.

I forget... is the first wingman group always "0" in EoC? That took me by surprise and caused 15 minutes of confusion as I tried to figure out why my newly hired ship wouldn't respond to group "1" commands.

I haven't gotten far enough into things for faction relations to be a huge issue, but I confess that I found the sliders to be unintuitive. I now know that left=bad and right=good, but that is certainly not obvious.

On the Sell screen, it is claimed that my equipment inventory consists of (among other things), Light PBC 1 & Rapid fire PBC 2. That seems wrong. My only equipment change so far has been to purchase an extra Light PBC for my Tug, and both LPBCs are currently mounted (light hardpoint + pylon hardpoint).

Finally, here's an observation that I am sure reflects my foolishness rather than any design issue. At the beginning of the game, after hiring a Util, docking, and buying a Tug, I inexplicably had 4 cargo pods (dark blue) in the area after undocking. No matter how many times I tried to get the Util to pick them up (0, 9, 9), the order was ignored. I was, however, able to sell them for scrap. Later, in a different system, I purchased 5 pods of lithium. When I ordered my util to pick those up, he only docked one of them. At the time, he was already carrying 5 pods. Can they only carry 6 (rather than 12, as in EoC) in TMS?

Thanks for an intriguing game!

P.S.

I just noticed that wingman freighters will *flee* after being banged too hard by pods attempting to dock. This seems inappropriate.

P.S.S.

I have now preyed extensively upon utils approaching stations and have been dismayed by the fact that the stations have no interest in their (reappropriated) cargo. The AI appears to be shipping coals to Newcastle. Additional experience has also convinced me that the 12-container limit no longer applies to snrvs or whatever the basic carrier is called.

Hi PantsOnFire,

Thanks for the extensive feedback. It is really nice to get. I appreciate the time you took to write it. And I am glad you are enjoying the game.

I agree about the starting information. I tried to help that by publishing the tutorial as a seperate file you could download and print. But I think the real solution is a little in game walkthrough, similar to the one Clay does at the start of EoC. The walkthrough being in game would solve all issues of learning the wingman commands and knowing which freighter to first approach to hire. This wingman command system is unique to Middle States, so it deserves some time in a walkthrough as well.

I also agree about the faction GUI. Color coding the factions (to be simiar to what you see on the contact list) would have really helped make that screen more intuitive. I will add that to the list.

Your right, the SNRV only carries 6 pods. The 12 pod version was special to Jaffs (and the cause of his many collisions).

Your also right about the inventory. For whatever reason EoC never removes weapons from the inventory when they are placed onto the ship. So you can have your ship destroyed, but not lose any weapons. In EoC you could never see your inventory outside of the base, so it never mattered. Now it is revealed. Should we manage to rewrite the loadout system, it will be corrected.

In Middle States, legal stations will not handle stolen cargo. It is part of the effort to make pirates feel more... criminal and outsider. Once we have the custom traffic scripts running, that feeling will become more... like hunted.