[Feature request] Discard items stored at inaccessible station.

[FotonCat]

I play EL since february 2016, so, there were a lot of stations in my life which was been used to store the cargo or the equipment. Since months those stations can become non-accessible for some reasons, including:
1) The MP server with the station is not available anymore (like DarkStar server);
2) The station was simply destroyed by someone;
My "hangar details" log is so big now and that's frustrating.
I need to remember which stations are still available and which I should ignore.
There should be an option to clear unuseful parts of "hangar details" log.

[Vice]

This condition was discussed during development and it was decided to provide an element of 'insurance' to such items involving such stations. So if you rebuild a station you lost because of destruction or because it was on a different server, there's a decent chance they will be restored after the rebuild. So give it a try and see if you can recover such currently 'inaccessible' items to make them accessible again.

[FotonCat]

This condition was discussed during development and it was decided to provide an element of 'insurance' to such items involving such stations. So if you rebuild a station you lost because of destruction or because it was on a different server, there's a decent chance they will be restored after the rebuild. So give it a try and see if you can recover such currently 'inaccessible' items to make them accessible again.

Thank you for the reply, but this method doesn't work.
I've tried to rebuild two different stations with the same names and in the same sectors which they were in before, but hangars of those stations were absolutely empty.

[Vice]

You would generally need to rebuild them quickly, so it's possible the time difference was a cause. Plus the option doesn't exchange between multiplayer and single player.

It may not be feasible to clear out old listings without losing legitimate/existing ones (since the data is synched with the server in multiplayer, which may vary by server and not be available everywhere all the time since it is retrieved on demand for local conditions). It might be more practical to have some kind of additionally protective retrieval system. If you send me your profile saved at a location where hangar details report items should be available, but a command module isn't there (or perhaps is there if you tried to rebuild it), I can try to look into it further.

[Marvin]

Realistically, if you store items at a station and that station is destroyed ... well, it's like the court house burning down and there goes your only proof of birth.

[Vice]

It is a little strange though that the items would remain displayed in the hangar details queue, but not be retrievable at all. If something is listed there, it should be theoretically possible retrieve them by building an allied station at the location specified in the details... which is what FotonCat is reporting is not working for him.

[DaveK]

A bureaucratic hangover?

More to the point ... if the hangar actually stores your equipment then when it goes boom so does your equipment but if the hangar is more akin to a virtual insurance policy then even if the hangar goes boom then if and when the hangar is recreated then the equipment would be still available - do we want hangars to be actual storage or do we want them to be virtual stores.

The first option is more like storing stuff in player stations in EM - which was always risky and warned against - whilst the second option is a bullet proof way of having access to your gear regardless. In terms of how the gameplay has changed in EL, no station is safe for storage since all stations are destroyable and so logically when a station goes boom so should your gear.

Not sure whether its worth the hassle but perhaps there could be two levels of charging for storage - cheap would store your actual gear but if you pay a premium you also insure it.

[FotonCat]

Thank you for attention to this problem. I've sent my profile file to Vice's e-mail.

After reading your answers I have some additional questions:
Could this problem appear if station was originally built by another player before being inaccessible? For example, one station was created by my friend (Shermanda) on the DarkStar Server and I've used this station to store my items. Then, I've rebuilt this station (similar name, similar sector coords) on the Orion Sigma server, and here is no cargo because this new station was built by me, not my friend?

And one more question to Vice.
Why you are saying that "If something is listed there, it should be theoretically possible retrieve them by building an allied station at the location specified in the details.." ? Theoretically? What is the possibility of items appearing at new station and which factors can affect this possibility?

Thanks.

[Vice]

Could this problem appear if station was originally built by another player before being inaccessible? For example, one station was created by my friend (Shermanda) on the DarkStar Server and I've used this station to store my items. Then, I've rebuilt this station (similar name, similar sector coords) on the Orion Sigma server, and here is no cargo because this new station was built by me, not my friend?

No, that shouldn't be a factor. But what could be a factor is the 'similar sector coordinates'. The sector coordinates must match exactly, not just be nearby. If the sector coordinates don't match exactly, then there would be no chance of item renewal.

Why you are saying that "If something is listed there, it should be theoretically possible retrieve them by building an allied station at the location specified in the details.." ? Theoretically? What is the possibility of items appearing at new station and which factors can affect this possibility?

There are mechanisms in place to attempt to restore items lost in stations that are destroyed, but it may not always happen (as you may have observed here) if certain conditions aren't met. So if conditions are right, there should be a chance of item restoration. Conditions of time, location (as listed above), and faction status can all be factors.

[Marvin]

Okay, I'm confused. I thought that, if you stored stuff at a station on one server, you could retrieve it at the same station on another server ... assuming the same station existed on both servers. And, if the station was destroyed on one server ... but not the other server ... you could recover your stuff on the still-existing server. If you can't, then (as Vice said) the stuff should no longer show up in your inventory list.

[Vice]

Items will be persistently displayed in multiplayer for stations that may or may not exist, giving the player information on where they can build to try and recover items lost in a station that was destroyed. It's part of the recovery process and an incentive to rebuild lost station assets. But if that isn't work, then I' need to hunt down what may be causing it. However, it could be something as simple as not rebuilding a station in the same sector location as mentioned above. I'm in the process of testing things now...

[Marvin]

I suspect it depends on the accuracy of the re-build. I know that some options in the quest engine require fairly precise build/deploy locations. So it wouldn't surprise me if the same thing goes for re-building a command module in order to recover stored stuff.

[Vice]

Ok, I've tested the various systems and here are some specifics on restoring lost items under the current setup:

1 - You'll need to rebuild a lost command module immediately if it is destroyed and you are in the same sector to restore lost items.
2 - If some time has passed, you can still recover lost items if you have an allied player build the replacement command module while you are away, then you later return to the new command module to recover the items.
3 - The name doesn't necessarily have to match, but the sector location must be identical.

I will work to expand this capability for the next update so that items can still be recovered if you rebuild a lost command module later.

Edit: If you'd like early pre-release access to the test build with these changes applied, send me a quick reminder e-mail (starwraith.com > contact) and I can e-mail you the details once the test build is available.

[FotonCat]

Ok, I've tested the various systems and here are some specifics on restoring lost items under the current setup:

1 - You'll need to rebuild a lost command module immediately if it is destroyed and you are in the same sector to restore lost items.
2 - If some time has passed, you can still recover lost items if you have an allied player build the replacement command module while you are away, then you later return to the new command module to recover the items.
3 - The name doesn't necessarily have to match, but the sector location must be identical.

I will work to expand this capability for the next update so that items can still be recovered if you rebuild a lost command module later.

Edit: If you'd like early pre-release access to the test build with these changes applied, send me a quick reminder e-mail (starwraith.com > contact) and I can e-mail you the details once the test build is available.

But even under given conditions it doesn't work. I've just tested this myself.
1) I've built a command module "FotonCat R" in Rucker near asteroids
2) Docked and bought some stuff and transfered it into the station hangar
3) Immediately flew out and destroyed command module
4) Immediately started mining for another 250 metal units at nearest asteroid not leaving the sector
5) Built new command module "FotonCat R" and hangar is empty again

[Vice]

Yes, that is correct. If you yourself destroy the station you stored the items in, then the hangar items are destroyed along with it. If someone else destroys it while you are away or it's on a different server (both of the contexts of your thread and request), then the restore option is available. But again, if you yourself destroy the station you stored the items in, they will be lost.

The changes to the item restoration system will apply to the contexts of this thread/request, namely events that are primarily outside of your control (ie other players and other servers) resulting in the loss of a command module where you had items stored at.