Stationeers Trader Finder Script build

With the new trade update, finding traders has become even more tedious. To make it bareable, let's make a script to automate the finding and contacting of traders so that you are free to do something interesting.
There was a lot of getting it wrong in this and I had to edit most of the scripting out because it changed so much. But the development and thought process is still there.
Workshop link: steamcommunity.com/sharedfile...

[@pvstiphout]

Mick, what is happening with you? Trade???? All kidding aside, I love that you are giving it a try. Who knows maybe you will like it.😂

[@cowsareevil7514]

I will try it, I will automate it to the point where I dont have to touch it again, then I will enjoy it.

[@pvstiphout]

@Cows are evil great way of thinking. Find a pleasant solution to avoid having to use an uncomfortable problem. And still have the useful benefits. I salute you, sir.

[@toxicbubble5]

Also that spinning around behavior mid runway seemed to be caused when it's not quite long enough. Note: the threshold doesn't count towards the 20 needed, nor does the landing pad tiles. Only the pure "runway" tiles count. So your runway might still be short depending how you counted. Yes you need a crazy stupid amount of tiles now to make it work now.

[@cowsareevil7514]

I made the runway out of landing pads instead of taxi lanes. My bad. although the taxi lanes do have corner pieces. Can I build a zig zag runway? That might help when there are mountains everywhere.

[@lionllew8459]

I love your honesty! Get seeds and pull it down, exactly what I did!

[@macattack_uk2709]

Hey Mick, awesome content as always but your Audio level in this and the previous video you published have been very low compared to your normal level in past videos.

[@lange1815]

Thank you so much for this lovely tutorial!!!

[@acanadianderg4035]

Fun Fact, all the ships have a cargo section you can walk around and all of them have proper collision.

[@cowsareevil7514]

But you cant get to the toilet in the large plane.

[@GamingGuy256636]

You can use the console command by pressing F3 then typing trader contacts, it will print ID of nearby or far away Traders.

[@GamingGuy256636]

The above comment use to be able to read now when you do the command its prints the following for each trader Name: Name of The contact Tier: Far Type: Large, Medium, Small Angle: X,Y,Z value --> example -0.66, 0.07, -0.75 Lifetime: Value --> Example 1252.09 EndLifeTime: Value --> example 9086.938 Initial Lifetime: Value --> Example 7834.848 HumanTradingSteamID: Valve --> Currently ( 0 ) Currently Trading: a True or False Value ConnectedPad ID: Checksum: Example 6A1B361F

[@firstlast9923]

The tiers of dish can see one tier of trader above their own, so: A small dish can see the small and medium traders but not the large ones. A medium dish can see small, medium and large. A large dish can see small, medium and large. Just because you can see it doesn't mean you can contact it, for example large traders can sometimes require more watts to contact than a medium dish can output. The more watts you output the larger the window you can see the trader and the output watts can be changed via script, so you could potentially figure out roughly where the trader is without waiting for the slow loading bar.

[@AnonNopleb]

Man, that is a genius idea to vary the power to indicate the rough distance!🤯 Hope the devs will not nerf that hack

[@firstlast9923]

@@AnonNopleb Thanks and me too

[@cowsareevil7514]

The logic doesnt register anything until the loading bar is complete. So changing the watts only works for manual operation. Thanks for the dish tip, I have managed to find some traders above 7500W to contact so I think a setup with the medium dish that can pass to the large dish when required might be the optimal setup. I was hoping to not need the large dish. The model is a little clunky and difficult to fit into a base.

[@firstlast9923]

@@cowsareevil7514 Not true you still get the signal ID and contact status, you can lower the power until the ID changes then add 1 and you now have the lowest power you can use to see the trader. This can be made even faster by doing a higher or lower search and dividing the search space by 2 each time.

[@cowsareevil7514]

I will have to take another look at that. If you reduce the power until it disappears then turn the dish, if you find it again you should be closer to the target, repeat the process until you cant find it again meaning you should be pointing right at it, so turn up the power and chat.

[@LargelyUnemployed]

The new Trade system has got to be my least favourite update. "Tedious' and 'boring' aren't really words you want associated with your game! I'm just waiting for some brave soul to make a workshop patch that reverts it. At least with the old system I could offload all my scrap rocket junk onto whichever poor robot landed first hahaha

[@cowsareevil7514]

I had to bleed every trader dry of funds to eventually afford the chicken.

[@LargelyUnemployed]

@@cowsareevil7514 I just got my eggs from the scrap rocket! Turns out space isn't all that cold I guess 😂

[@AnonNopleb]

I also consider the medium dish the jack of all trades (unintended pun) Haven't tried out the large one though, but it seems super slow. Maybe having the medium dish pass far trader contacts on to the large dish is worth considering? I.e. have the medium dish pass any contacts that require more than 5 kW resolving power, so it does not spend ages trying to contact them

[@cowsareevil7514]

I dont know if the larger dish will contact them faster. But I have found some contacts requiring over 7500W so medium-large might be the winner.

[@JPMistic]

seems like the next series is going to be build a sky port, for every trader

[@cowsareevil7514]

LOL, I hope that was sarcasm.

[@sgt_retiredcharlie4102]

@Cowsareevil, what chip did you put in your PDA in order to see what's going on with the Sat dish? I can't figure it out! Thanks for the great video and the script!

[@KaedysKor]

If case you're still wondering (or anyone else), the cartridge is called "Configuration", electronics printer. And ya, just "Configuration", no "cartridge" or "card" or anything _useful_ in the name to help ID it >.< I found it just by scrolling through the list and looking for icons that matched the cards I already had for the tablet. Really wish they'd start putting unique keywords in these, like they did with "motherboard" for all of the computer ones and "display" for the console chips.

[@toxicbubble5]

Your thoughts on Venus about not being able to get any oxygen in any reasonable way without the huge traders\hangers which you need oxygen to setup was exactly my experience starting a Venus playthrough. The gas traders are kinda useful, but tedious compared to being able to setup something self sustaining.

[@pvstiphout]

Although I really want to use trade in my bases on Mars and Venus. Using an ice rocket is just more effective and fun to get gasses.

[@cowsareevil7514]

You would think that someone who can afford a giant spaceship could also spend a little more to get a spacesuit to come outside. I think the assets are oversize for their usefulness and it is a massive investment you need to make early on to get the seeds you need for basic survival.

[@bob1117]

The whole system of communicating and trying to lock onto a trader is tedious, frustrating, and quickly loose interest in this whole set-up of communication. I think the old way was much better, we were able to get instant tracking info, not having to wait for the dish to stop before we can see it we moved in the correct direction, it's ridiculous, not fun at all. I really hope the dev's fix this and come up with something better to contact traders. Your program is awesome and really helps, thank you.

[@chadpyle]

holey moley, there's a sleep command?! was looking in the wiki and elsewhere for weeks

[@cdm96247]

💫💫💫

[@zed28t]

Mate Life saver!!!! Great work!!! Can you put up your code?

[@budwilliams7908]

57:45 the medium dish on the roof is not switched on it couldn't be fed information from the small dish 1:02:51 the 1200 credits you indicated were you available funds...not the traders.

[@firstlast9923]

The traders have seemingly unlimited funds but instead have an extremely limited inventory they're willing to buy.

[@inneedofmedication]

@@firstlast9923 That is frustrating. I have an abundance of coal and was going to use it to sell, but since I haven't found a trader to buy it, I've started setting things up on coal power so I don't get overrun with it.

[@cowsareevil7514]

The dish should still move even when turned off. It might be luck but I havent seen a tier 2 trader requiring more then 200W yet so I expect that nothing was passed over. Quite right, that is my wallet. Although unlimited trader funds will be handy if you can find one to buy uranium.

[@Vaydin_Gaming]

Hey dude i dont know if you are going to read this but i also dont know if this is the right person but im hodnfkn if you are the person im looking for we use to be best friends and you stopped playing roblox please reply back

[@dunravin]

tumbleweeds roll past to the sound of crickets, fade to black, the end.

[@lionllew8459]

I think this has to be the worst update in recent game update history. It is needlessly complex, cumberdsome, and boring. Just what every gamer wants, right? The fact there is very little scope to actually make money from them makes it even more bothersome.

[@cowsareevil7514]

If you could buy things that you couldn't make, then trade might be more enticing. RTG perhaps, nuclear station battery?

[@erre89]

When I get to the end of everything that I can build or code, so it will be boring for me. So I would have liked what @cows are evil is talking about things that you couldn't make from traders. There are few opportunities in the game yet.

[@dunravin]

@@cowsareevil7514 have you ever seen the catalytic filters for sale from a trader? I'm messing about in creative looking for them but nothing turned up yet, I'm guessing I'll need a breathable 9x9 hanger, large dish and runway to get them.