X: Rebirth

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MegaJohnny

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== Tactical Map Readme ==
Author: MegaJohnny
Egosoft Forums Thread: https://forum.egosoft.com/viewtopic.php?t=396379

Requires the Sidebar Extender.

This mod adds a new menu to the game which replicates many of the behaviours of the vanilla map, but adds some new ones besides. Most importantly, you can select your ships on this map and right-click on the holomap, and a command will be issued based on the context. For example, clicking on a point in space issues "Fly to Position", clicking on an enemy issues "Attack Object", and so on. For less "obvious" commands a grid of buttons on the bottom right is used to make them available.

This mod does not come with any commands of its own, but instead has the capability to load commands in from other mods (see readme_api.txt). Keeping the two separate makes it easier to accommodate full overhauls of the player-owned ship AI where the normal command signals may be interpreted differently or be ignored entirely. Unless you're using one of these, you'll probably want to download the Vanilla Commands addon to make full use of this mod.

My ultimate goal is to replace the vanilla map menu in every use-case, but there are still some holes to be plugged. Known missing things are:
- No button for economy statistics next to header
- No jumpdrive support
- Probably several missing hotkeys
- No support for different modes of operation (which the vanilla map uses for "select a zone", "select a player-owned object", etc)

For these reasons the tactical map is not opened as a replacement for the vanilla map, but instead as a Sidebar Extender plugin under the Navigation category (apologies to radial main menu users). Alternatively, experimental support exists to use the map as a replacement for the "normal" map mode. If you want this, or really don't want to install the Sidebar Extender, find md/MainMenu.xml.old and remove the .old extension (leaving it as MainMenu.xml). This will make it so that the "normal" map mode refers to the tactical map, and the vanilla map will be used when a different mode is needed. If you do this, be aware that you will not be able to jump using the map until I get that integrated!


== Usage ==

Most things are similar to the vanilla map, but just under the header of the right-hand list is a row which shows you the current "command selection". The ship that will receive commands is different from the one that is highlighted on the right-hand list, because not every ship you select is able to receive a command. In the usual AI, only ships which are in your squad or have no commander can become the command selection. These are marked on the right-hand list with a yellow ">" before the name. Selecting any other player-owned ship will have the map scan the command tree that ship is in, and set the command selection to the ship at the top, if applicable. Once set, a ship remains the command selection until you set a new one or it becomes ineligible (probably by being blown up).

When you have a command selection showing on the top right, right-clicking anywhere on the map will try to issue an appropriate command to the command selection based on the context. More specifically, it will look through all the available commands and try to find exactly one that is applicable. If it finds none at all, or finds more than one (i.e. a conflict) a "not possible" sound will play. Otherwise, the "throttle set to full forward" sound will play, and the command will be issued.

The bottom-right command buttons are used for commands that don't fit into the usual right-click. Some commands don't require a target (such as "Hold Position") and will be issued as soon as you press the button. Others, such as "Patrol", do need a target/destination. In this case, when you press the button, it will be highlighted until you give a target for it by right-clicking. While a grid command is highlighted, the normal right-click behaviour is suppressed. You can click the same button again to cancel it, instead of giving a target, if you like.

== Changes ==
2017-09-16: Initial release