reactToAIMessage not working?

[Zieman]

Using Trunk 1.75.4.4621 on WinXP pro 32 bit.

I have this bit of code in the ship script of a pirate ship I'm working on:

Code: Select all

this.shipTargetAcquired = function(target)
	{
		if (target.isPlayer && player.bounty > 0) {this.ship.reactToAIMessage("TARGET_LOST"); this.ship.commsMessage("Oho.")};
	}

In my test setup I get my bounty increased by 10 whenever I jump to another system and these ships are added around witchpoint when emerging from witchspace. The ship script also contains a part that causes those ships hail me if I have a bounty.

I always get those aforementioned hails, no problem there.
But, one or more blips turn quite soon red and they attack me.
At this point this.ship.commsMessage("Oho.") works, but this.ship.reactToAIMessage("TARGET_LOST") seems to do nothing. I even added a commsMessage to pirateAI.plist's "TARGET_LOST" handler of the state "ATTACK_SHIP", but that message is never displayed and the ships keep attacking me.

Is my code defective or why the buggers won't try to find other targets?

[Capt. Murphy]

Mmm, I think this probably because although your sending the AI the "TARGET_LOST" message the player still actually remains the pirates target and the AI is eventually looping back to attack mode without your handler being fired again, because the pirate is not acquiring a new target.

Try manually nulling the pirate's target rather than sending the AI message. That way if the player is re-targetted your code will fire again. I don't think you need to send the "TARGET_LOST" aswell.

Note that in the pirateAI the target acquisition happens in states "LURK", "TRAVEL_TO_LURK_AREA", and "CLEAR_STATION". Not all of these have actions assigned to "TARGET_LOST" anyway. As your code is firing at target acquisition the pirate isn't I think in the state "ATTACK_SHIP" when you are asking it to react to "TARGET_LOST".

E.g.

Code: Select all

this.shipTargetAcquired = function(target)
   {
      if (target.isPlayer && player.bounty > 0) {this.ship.target = null; this.ship.commsMessage("Oho.")};
   }

[Zieman]

Thanks Capt. Murphy, your fix works!