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[Taverius]

The 0.7.1a thread was getting derailed a bit, so here we are.

• Autofire settings - Enforcer with 2 Hypervels, a Mauler and 2 Flak Cannons. HVels & Mauler both get put on autofire. Hellbores autofired against shields.
• Distance judgement on Burn Drive ships - see Onslaught/Dominator/etc ramming ships repeatedly. Then they flame out and die.
• Closing of distance - Dominator, Mk. IX and Hephaestus, 3x Pilum and PD in all other slots, Cautious officer, ITU. Spends most of its time in knife-fighting range. I'm not sure how else I'm supposed to tell it to stay at range. There's gotta be a was to have sufficient PD and not have ships move into biting range to hit hull with it.
• Anti-fighter missiles - these need to work more like normal PD, in order to hit fighters while fighting something else I have to untarget. I should be able to just put it on autofire and not have them get shot at cruisers, especially when using ones that don't regenerate ammo.

[Alex]

• Distance judgement on Burn Drive ships - see Onslaught/Dominator/etc ramming ships repeatedly. Then they flame out and die.

Hmm. Haven't seen this one myself - I mean, I have on occasion, but not as a "happens frequently" thing. Most often it's if it starts the burn before it sees an enemy due to fog of war, and said enemy *also* starts  burn, and they meet in the middle. When/how often are you seeing this happen?

• Closing of distance - Dominator, Mk. IX and Hephaestus, 3x Pilum and PD in all other slots, Cautious officer, ITU. Spends most of its time in knife-fighting range. I'm not sure how else I'm supposed to tell it to stay at range. There's gotta be a was to have sufficient PD and not have ships move into biting range to hit hull with it.

Another odd one! Can't reproduce this in the simulator - it stays away as it should. Are you sure it's not just being chased down by faster enemies? I mean, a Dominator is one of the slower ships in terms of being able to back away from anything.

Not saying that what you're describing doesn't happen, obviously you're running into it. Just want to figure out why we're seeing different things, what the discrepancy is.

[Taverius]

I see these relatively often yeah - it doesn't do it against all ships in the simulator, but against those it does it 100%. Seems to be related to PD, because when it does occur, its always moving in close enough to hit the enemy's hull with PD.

Spoiler

[close]

Now with a Tiandong Heavy Industries Mauler Battery (1200 range to go with the Gauss)

Spoiler

[close]

Notice its moving forward.

I can replicate this behaviour 100% vs the Support Dominator SIMship, and the Aurora. Against the Elite Eagle with HVels, it stays at sniping range correctly.

[Megas]

It is probably Burn Drive.  AI backs off, but instinctively engages Burn Drive when enemy is about 1200-1500 units away, and gets close as a result.

As an aside, Timids would probably make terrible captains for any warship with Burn Drive because AI cannot help themselves from using it if an enemy is within a certain range.  This is just a guess.

This is how ships with systems that force the ship to go forward defeat corner abuse by accident.  My Gauss Dominator met its doom at the corner by Onslaught forcing itself into the corner with burn drive, when non-fighters do their best to avoid the corner (and get picked off by my corner abusing sniper flagship).

[Taverius]

It is probably Burn Drive.

AI needs to learn to vent-cancel ;p

[Alex]

Hmm, yeah, it probably is the burn drive.

[Az the Squishy]

Speaking of the burn drive... I've had Cerberus  hulls, and other ships with burn-drives. Not use them while retreating. Even when set to retreat. I tell them to run, they don't run. I'm not sure if it's just that particular battle or not, but... I'll try a few games and see if it's replicated, or if it's in only Civilian ships that use the system to escape (EG the Tarsus).

But it's something I've noticed in my games recently... I'll give it another look before I say for sure that they don't use it to run.


Correction: They do activate it, when they are going to be surrounded or have many vessles on their tail. Though the AI still doesn't activeate it ASAP when they're free to do so (EG open space and I'm distracting majoirty of the ships and the nearest ones to them are slow buggers. *lashers, brawlers etc etc*) Doesn't make a lot of sense to me. But, it's something I've noticed...

[Taverius]

Hmm, yeah, it probably is the burn drive.

Though in the last screenshot, its accelerating (without burn drive) towards the target even though its at 400-range, so its not only the burn drive.

[Megas]

I tried a Vigilance armed with Pulse Laser and Pilums, and piloted by Cautious officer.  Ship drove up to an enemy to shoot with pulse laser.  Seemed indistinguishable from Steady.

Timid officer in Vigilance always avoids ships and spams Pilums as expected.

[Vind]

AI tries to use all non-PD weapons. Aggressive ones will try to use even PD weapons to basically in melee range. So only all ranged weapons and good speed will make AI to maintain range. If AI ship slower than enemy one it will rarely even try to maintain range for some reason. AI too often stops maneuvering once ship is overloaded and just coast without any movement until overload status is off -this often lead to disabled ship.

[Alex]

Hmm, yeah, it probably is the burn drive.

Though in the last screenshot, its accelerating (without burn drive) towards the target even though its at 400-range, so its not only the burn drive.

Right - the ship is venting, and still has a bit of venting to do, so that's probably why. Made a note re: burn drive use, though.

I tried a Vigilance armed with Pulse Laser and Pilums, and piloted by Cautious officer.  Ship drove up to an enemy to shoot with pulse laser.  Seemed indistinguishable from Steady.

A cautious officer should try to stay just outside enemy range, but will occasionally move in for an attack. Generally better off with long-range weapons, since they'll be able to put on consistent pressure when they outrange the enemy.

AI tries to use all non-PD weapons. Aggressive ones will try to use even PD weapons to basically in melee range. So only all ranged weapons and good speed will make AI to maintain range.

This is true, but not for "cautious" and "timid".

If AI ship slower than enemy one it will rarely even try to maintain range for some reason. AI too often stops maneuvering once ship is overloaded and just coast without any movement until overload status is off -this often lead to disabled ship.

Made a note re: first one. Second one, I haven't seen this myself - that's very strange, hmm. Will definitely keep an eye out.

[Dri]

My only cautious officer is in a Gryphon with 2 Light Needlers and a Dual Flak up front. She is extremly aggressive and often plows right into a fierce dogfight between 5+ ships. Honestly, I feel like the cautious AI has been swapped with the aggressive one; the other weapons on the Gryphon are dual machine guns and it seems like shes trying to get into knife range with them.

Are the Light Needlers causing a change to the AI here? Does the AI think the Gryphon is now a "brawler" type ship due to them? The LG missile is a Locust.

[Alex]

Can you post the exact loadout? I'll check it out.

[Dri]

I'm @ work right now, but I'll screenshot the officer and the ship when I get home in 3ish hours.

[Taverius]

Hmm, yeah, it probably is the burn drive.

Though in the last screenshot, its accelerating (without burn drive) towards the target even though its at 400-range, so its not only the burn drive.

Right - the ship is venting, and still has a bit of venting to do, so that's probably why. Made a note re: burn drive use, though.

I can take another screenshot for when its not venting, if you want - but if I give a ship 1200 range weapons, an ITU and a cautious officer I would much rather it not move into hitting-them-with-pd range. That's how I would expect it to act anyway.