VoiceAttack-profiles/docs/EliteDangerous.md

EliteDangerous

This is my personal VoiceAttack profile for Elite: Dangerous. It started out ages ago as a modification of MalicVR’s public profile, then looked less and less and less like that and I added and cleaned up a lot of things while removing the stuff I didn’t use anyway. By now it would have probably been simpler to start from scratch.

Some of it has grown to a state that it might be useful to others in its own package, so I’ve separated the neutron jumping and Seals stuff into their own profiles.

The rest is a random conglomerate of all things VA and E:D; from various voice commands and some buttons that are now being handled by VA to lots of EDDI event handlers.

Speaking of EDDI; it has become in integral part of my Elite experience, especially the plethora of information it extracts from the game’s journal and presents to you via lots and lots of status variables and by firing various events that can then be handled through VA commands. It’s great. Check it out. (You might want to make it talk a lot less in it’s personality options, or disable the speech responder entirely like I have.)

Requirements

In addition to the bindED and EDDI VoiceAttack plugins, this profiles needs my Python elite-scripts to do everything properly. The release page here includes a compiled version for Windows that does not need Python installed. Just download the zip file from the release page and extract into your VoiceAttack directory.

Settings

Because Elite’s keyboard handling is … weird you’ll have to set the key to use for pasting text into Elite:Dangerous. If you are using a “standard” QWERT[YZ] layout, you will have to change it back to v. It’s defaulting to p because that’s the key that is in v’s place on my keyboard layout, Neo2.

For other settings, see the Configuration Variables section.

Including the Profile In Another Profile

This is meant to be a standalone profile, including the others in this repo (and a couple more). It was never designed to be included into your existing profile. Nevertheless, it should work properly if you follow some guide lines:

• Run the startup command. You will need to have a startup command in your profile (= one that is run on profile loading) and call EliteDangerous.startup by name from that one.
• Set configuration options. In the same startup command of yours, overwrite all configuration variables you want changed; after the EliteDangerous.startup call. See below.
• Make sure all EDDI events that EliteDangerous needs are correctly handled. For all events used in EliteDangerous that you already have handlers for in your profile, you’ll have to include a call to EliteDangerous.<event name>. E.g. for “EDDI Jumped”, call EliteDangerous.EDDI Jumped by name from your ((EDDI Jumped)) command.
• Initialise the bindED plugin correctly to read your Elite keybinds.

Usage

Chat Commands

There’s a bunch of commands in here to send certain things to chat. Unless stated otherwise, they will only work with the comms panel active, and you should be in the edit window ready to send. They will not hit Enter on their own.

• announce my services: Gives a rundown of my refuel&repair services. I usually post that in system chat coming into the waypoint systems of an expedition.
• clear [chat;text]: Clears the chat window. Use from outside the comms panel.
• [local;squad;system;wing] chat: Puts you into the chosen chat channel.
• paste text: Pastes your clipboard into Elite. Works outside the comms panel too, e.g. on the galaxy map inside the search field.
• salute; oh seven: Will put “o7” into the chat.
• send fuel rats p.s.a.: Sends a fuel rats PSA. Duh.
• send high gravity p.s.a.: Warns about (a) high gravity planet(s) being in the system. I use that on expedition waypoints, too – if it applies.

Events

The main point of this profile is to react to Elite’s journal events (powered by EDDI). Each of the events listed here will trigger a ((EDDI <event>)) command in VoiceAttack which in turn triggers EliteDangerous.EDDI <event> and all included profiles’ similar commands, e.g. SpanshAttack.EDDI <event>.

The actual ((EDDI <event>)) command will only be executed once by VoiceAttack, the first one it can find. Keeping it separate from the actual code to be run makes it easier to handle (multiple) included profiles.

Body Mapped

Announces remaining mapping candidates as given by EDDI.

Body scanned

Announces any interesting body traits found when scanning:

• scan data worth >300,000 cr (this translates to roughly 1.5 million cr including bonuses)
• landable and >5 g
• semimajor axis <1.5 ls (only really interesting for planets, but there’s no proper way to separate them from moons, sadly)
• radius <300 km

Feel free to suggest more!

Commander Continued

Auto-sets my nick in the FuelRats IRC. Probably largely irrelevant to you.

Discovery Scan

Announces the number of bodies (and non-body signals) found in the system. Also compares the number of bodies to the amount reported by EDSM (requires Python scripts).

Last but not least tells you about planets worth scanning if you are on the R2R.

Docked

Automatically gets your ship into the hangar and opens station services.

Docking Denied

Tells you the reason for docking denial.

Fighter Launched

Orders your ship to hold position so it doesn’t chase after you immediately.

Jet Cone Boost

Sets your ship to full throttle immediately after you have supercharged.

Jumped

• zeroes throttle
• gets the system’s body count from EDSM (requires Python scripts)
• if you hvaen’t visited the systems, starts a discovery scan (see the discovery scan command)

Liftoff

Retracts landing gear for you. Seriously, is there any occasion in which you don’t immediately want to retract it after takeoff?

Low Fuel

Warns you when you reach 25% fuel.

Message Sent

Checks any message you send for a chat prefix and sends it to the proper chat window. Probably largely useless to you without modification.

• .dt: Actually doesn’t send anything, but runs the RatAttack.announceNearestCMDR command with the system given in the rest of the message.
• .dc: Sends the message to the Discord window.
• .tc: Sends the message to my twitch channel window (IRC #alternerdtive).

There are similar event commands in RatAttack and SealAttack handling other chat windows.

Ship FSD

This event actually is several different events in one. Currently the following are handled:

• charging: Warns you if your target system’s main star is not scoopable, including an extra warning at low fuel levels. (Note: This is currently kind of bugged, not sure if it’s EDDI’s or Elite’s fault.)
• cooldown complete: Announces FSD cooldown if you are currently in normal space.

Ship interdiction

Tells you when you are interdicted by a player. Is also supposed to target the interdictor automatically, but that randomly sometimes just doesn’t work. Yay!

Ship targeted

This currently doesn’t do anything. I was fiddling around with automatically targeting a certain module on ship targeting, but it was more hassle than I had thought.

Shutdown

Changes my nick back to default in FuelRats IRC. Probably largely useless to you. If you are using FuelRats IRC you need to change/deactivate this (see below) or you will start impersonating me by accident :)

SRV Launched

Toggles SRV lights off after launching. Might not work if you drop particularly far after deployment because it works off a timer. Conversely might take a second to turn your lights off on a short drop and/or in high gravity.

System Scan Complete

Lists you all bodies EDDI considers worth mapping in the current system.

Undocked

Retracts landing gear for you. Seriously, is there any occasion in which you don’t immediately want to retract it after takeoff?

HOTAS Buttons

These commands are all bound to keys on my throttle to make them do different things on tapping and on holding.

• docking request key: Well, that one just sends a docking request using the proper command. No secondary function.
• FSS key: Well … that one too just opens/closes FSS. And sets throttle to 0% so you can enter it.
• jump combo key: Jumps on tap, executes the jump command on hold.
• plot combo key: Targets next system on route on tap, plots to the thing in your clipboard via the galaxy map on hold.
• sc combo key: Goes into SC on tap, executes the cruise command on hold.

Main benefit of using the jump/cruise commands instead of the buttons would be automatically retracting everything.

Misc

The commands in here do random more or less useful things.

• bind keys;reset key binds: Reloads your key binds through the bindED plugin. You should do that after changing anything in the controls options.
• copy current system: Copies the current system name into the clipboard.
• distance [from;to] […]: Tells you the distance from your current position to the other thing you mentioned and is supported in the command. (requires Python scripts)
• do a barrow roll: WHOOOOOOO!
• fix window dimensions: When you start the game in VR, it forces into windowed mode with weird resolution. This changes it back. Hover the “PLAY” entry in the main menu, then run this. Will need adjustment for different graphics cards/drivers and the resolution you want.
• neutron [jump;trip] time: Shorter version of the same thing in SpanshAttack.
• neutron jumps left: Shorter version of the same thing in SpanshAttack.
• open copied system on EDSM: Opens the system in your clipboard on EDSM in your default browser.
• open [current;] system on EDSM: Opens your current system on EDSM in your default browser.
• open EDDI options; configure EDDI: Opens the EDDI configuration window.
• open [the;] miner’s tool: Opens https://edtools.ddns.net/miner in your default browser.
• [start;stop] [EDISON;navigation]: Hits CTRL+ALT+E which just so happens to be the start/stop hotkey I have set in E.D.I.S.O.N.
• [what’s;what is] left to [map;be mapped]: Tells you which bodies EDDI thinks are worth mapping in the system that you haven’t mapped yet.

Ship Controls

Basically anything that is related to directly doing something with your ship.

• [abort;cancel;stop] jumping: Stops a currently charging FSD jump.
• [buggy;exploration] power: Sets your PD to 0/4/2 or 2/4/0 respectively. Works in SRV too.
• check next [star;hop;jump;system]: Will quickly engage and disengage your FSD to show you the star class of the currently targeted system in the info window (top right).
• [close;deploy;extend;open;retract;] […] [up;down;]: Overly complicated command to handle everything related to Cargo Scoop, Hard Points, Landing Gear. You get the gist, I guess. Works in SRV too.
• [disco;discovery scan]: Executes a discovery scan. To work properly, you’ll have to set the Discovery Scanner to your first fire group, secondary fire.
• [dis;]engage silent running: Turns silent running on and off.
• [head;spot;] lights [on;off]: Turns your lights on and off. Works in SRV too, kinda; turning lights off there relies on the state updating fast enough, which sometimes leads to weird results.
• [jump;engage;get me out;punch it chewie] [and scan;] [when ready;]: Retracts everything that might be protruding from your ship, then jumps to the next system. If the FSD isn’t charging within 1s, it gets you into SC instead (e.g. if your target is obstructed). If given “and scan” runs a discovery scan. If given “when ready” waits for mass lock to clear, your FSD to cool down and you to leave scoop range before jumping.
• night vision [on;off]: Toggles your night vision on/off. Works in SRV too.
• power to [engines;shields;systems;weapons: Sets 4 pips to the thing you told it, 1 to the others.
• rapid fire lights: Flashes your lights 5 times in a row.
• retract [all;everything]: Retracts, well, everything.
• [start;stop] [firing;mining]: Starts/stops holding down primary fire. Mostly useful when mining. When triggered with “mining”, also deploys the cargo scoop.
• [super;] cruise [when ready;]: Retracts everything, then jupms to SC. If given “when ready” will wait for mass lock to clear and your FSD to cool down first.

SRV controls

Things revelant to your SRV, but not your ship.

• [recall;dismiss] ship; Recalls or dismisses ship. Currently does the same thing regardless of the state of your ship. I wish it would be possible to restrict it to doing one thing each, but that’s currently not possible sadly.
• [toggle;enable;disable] drive assist: Handles all your drive assist needs!

Targeting

Well … targeting stuff, I guess. Not really sure why I made that it’s own category, but oh well :)

• target <list of subsystems>: NYI. Way too fiddly and buggy to be reliable.
• target next system: Selects the next system on your route.
• target wing man [1;2;3]: Targets your wing men.
• target’s target: Targets your target’s target.
• wing man [1;2;3] target: Targets your wing men’s target.
• wing man nav lock: Toggles wing man nav lock on the selected wing member.

UI Commands

Everything handling stuff that’s not related to controlling your ship, but manipulating some UI element(s).

• controls options: Opens the controls options menu.
• docking request;request dock[ing;]: Sends a docking request.
• [enter;leave] F S S: Opnes/closes FSS.
• galaxy map: Opens the galaxy map.
• [main;game] menu: Opens the ESC menu.
• plot course;[target;] next [waypoint;way point]: Plots a course to the system set in ~~system or the one in your clipboard. The former way is usually used by other commands to not interfere with your clipboard.
• [relog;reset] to [open;solo]: Relogs to Open or Solo mode, respectively.
• set […] filter: Sets a nav panel filter setting. See the command or just try different things for what is possible. You need to clear filters and hover over the filter button, then run this.
• system map: Opens the system map.
• take [high res;] screenshot: Takes a (high res) screenshot.
• target […]: Targets the given system on the galaxy map. There’s a bunch in there, the list is easily extensible. Drop me a note if you want something included.
• toggle orbit lines: Toggles the visibility of orbit lines.
• [toggle;show;hide] interface: Toggles the cockpit interface (CTRL+ALT+G). Probably needs to be adjusted if you are not playing with Neo2 keyboard layout :)

Configuration Variables

These are set in EliteDangerous.startup and can be overriden from your profile if you have included EliteDangerous.

• Elite.pasteKey (string): the key used for pasting into Elite. On QWERTY this is v. Default: p.
• >announceMappingCandidates (boolean): whether to announce mapping candidates when they are scanned. Default: true.
• >autoChangeFuelratsNick (boolean): whether to change the FuelRats IRC nickname automatically when changing commanders. Probably largely irrelevant to you. Default: false.
• >enableR2Rannouncements (boolean): whether to announce planets worth mapping when jumping into a known system. This is useful for doing some R2R on the side. Default: false.
• >flightAssistOff (boolean): whether to automatically toggle FlightAssist off on liftoff. Default: true.
• >targetSubsystem (string): the default target subsystem. Unused. Default: “drive”.
• python.ScriptPath (string): the path you have placed the compiled python scripts in. Default: “{VA_DIR}\Sounds\scripts” (the “\Sounds\scripts” folder in your VoiceAttack installation directory).
• >bindingsFile (string): the bindings file bindED should use for your key binds. Default: mine. You should really change this setting.