In fact this is already in-game and used with the Trader random contacts.

Yes, exactly. I just want other ships to say something when the mothership comes within range. Can this text be chosen randomly from a list? I haven't really looked at this part of scripts.

It's delay due some minor additional tweaks

I'm feeling sufficiently annoyed with my frustrations on the other scripts to take a break and tackle these instead. However, I haven't looked at missions at all so I'll need some starting clues:

1) \Data\Scripts\Quests\mission_1\ seems like the first place to look, yes? The Dialog files also seem to correspond to the conversations which happen at the start of the game. However... why is there a huge 85kb script ReturnHero.script inside mission_1 folder?

2) Even though the scripts are in that folder, the text appears to be in a different path altogether, \Data\LocData\English\Quests\mission_1\. I can match the various start_message_name (in the script xml) to the corresponding L_D1_msg/ans# (in the FILETYPE DYNAMIC dialog loc). This is correct, yes?

The encoding probably won't be simple but after a few comparisons we'll know. But even if we can't decode them, I'll just try replacing the loc files with custom written FILETYPE STANDART using plaintext and see if it works.

Edit:
There's a chance that will not work, however, according to the German modder Tech who posted at the Elite-Games forum about 3 years ago. Looks like he was trying to mod SW2.

Update:
Well call me Cirno's uncle, that was unexpectedly easy. I decided to forgo deciphering the text first (mainly because each line of dialog was crammed onto one line, like 1,300+ characters) and simply do the FILETYPE STANDART replacement test (screenshot 2). Looks like it worked (screenshot 1).

For reference, this is the original line:
#L_D1_msg00=755C292929292828285C2929285D285B285C2C 5A2C2D2929292F282C285C292E292D285B292F29292C5C2C2D 2B292928292F285C2C2D285B282B282B2C2D295D285B292829 2F2C2D2828285C282A285D285C2828292E2C2D282C285C2829 2C2D292D292F2828292D282C292F28282C2D282B285B292F2C 2D2828295E282C2859285D285C282C2929285D285B285C2C5C 5A5C5A2F592F292C656E0B07
(There aren't supposed to be any blank space in that gunk, I think the forum inserts them to avoid breaking the display.)

That translates into "Attention, transport. Turn off your engines and prepare for examination."

encoded: 312 characters
decoded: 72 characters

Well, didn't say it was gonna be easy. Any crypto guys here feel like taking a crack at this? :D

Tracking down the pilot was easy. Dialog xml file gives <pilot_name>, which you look up in \Data\Game\Pilots.xml, which points to a string in \Data\LocData\English\m_pilots.loc.

In this guy's case, just match the blue stuff:
1) Dialog.xml: <pilot_name> --> VksOfficer
2) Pilots.xml: <GamePilot name="VksOfficer">; and callsign --> #M_pilot_Name_VksOfficer
3) m_pilots.loc: #M_pilot_Name_VksOfficer = MSF lieutenant (whom I renamed, as seen in the screenshot)

The pilot's icon, perks, and all other crap are in Pilots.xml so if you feel like changing more stuff it's all in there.

Changing perk trees is a helluva rollercoaster, considering that you have to also edit pilotdefinitions.script as well as the texture file for the Pilot perks. Although I did make a perk tree with practically every perk in the game on it.

You can also change the pilot face icon for the pilot perks.

This is actually true. Not only active dialogs are affected. It's hard to explain because not each dialog is displayed wrong. From time to time you'll see "#string_name String not found".

Hmm, the definitions are in \Data\Scripts\include\PilotProperties.script, you mean, not "pilotdefinitions.script"? couldn't find that.

I understand what you mean about the UI. \Data\TEXTURE\Interface\Pilot\PerkTree\ pretty much tells me each pilot has to have their own graphic, and the .ini file to show which perk slot goes where.

But this doesn't tell us the prerequisites perks, right? E.g. to learn skill X, skill Y must be learned first <-- where is this determined?
Edit:
Hmm, is it those ugly properties_<pilot name> = { ... } structures inside PilotProperties.script? That does look likely but I don't understand the { numbers } stuff. Wait, I think I got it... the number is the perk's cost in exp points, then anything following that in the nested {} are the prerequisites. Ok, I think I understand.

Yeah, I must have been half-asleep when I originally typed that.

Pilotproperties.script.

Lets grab an example.

F_Weapon_Laser = {50,{"Gunnery_2"},{"F_Weapon_HC","F_Weapon_AC"}},

F_weapon_Laser is the perk.
50 is the amount of skill points required to purchase the perk.
{"Gunnery_2"} is the skill required to purchase the perk. You can have multiple pre-requisites.
{"F_Weapon_HC","F_Weapon_AC"} is rarely used in most perks (usually blank), and it means that if you purchase either F_Weapon_HC Perk, or F_Weapon_AC Perks, then you cannot get F_Weapon_Laser perk.

Haha, edited while edited. Thanks, looks like I got it.

Hmm, it looks like { exp cost, { pre-req1, pre-req2, ... }, { choose one of these1, choose one of these2 }.

The third {} appears to be used only by the gun specialisations (choose HC / AC / Laser). I wonder if we can put other perks in here as well. E.g. choose between Criticals_1 or Hard_to_Kill.