Advanced Navigational Array - Progress

[another_commander]

More good news on the AdvNav. It is in a working state now and can instruct the commander on the fastest route to any reachable destination. See the screenshots to get an idea of what this is about:
1. When you press '!' on the Galactic Chart, all available routes flash up. If you have not selected a destination or your destination is unreachable, like the cluster of planets on the lower left hand side, you will see this (the example is from Galaxy 7 - yes I am on Assassins at the moment )

Releasing the button will return the map to normal.

2. Here I have selected Geteve as my destination. Pressing '!' again brings up now the shortest route, superimposed on the connectivity map. Planet names that are on the route are plotted as well:


3. Nah, Geteve station is under attack by Thargoids, better change my destination to Vebian. Select it and press '!' again:


That's all really. ATM it comes as a standard feature. I see people like the idea of it being an upgrade, so I will try to do that next. But you would think that galaxy traversing spaceships on the 34th century would really have something like this fitted as basic equipment, right ? Also, there is the idea of having the computer calculate the safest route instead of the fastest as an option, but I am not so sure I can get this right at the moment.

Acknowledgments to cmdr drayton for the original idea, initial work and name of the gadget. If anyone would like to playtest this, a modified executable is available on request.

[JensAyton]

The idea of adding this to the mainline has been raised on the developer list. The Man has not yet weighed in on whether it would be too un-Elite.

The idea that encouraging someone to keep poking around in the code would be a nice side-effect has also been raised. ;-)

Incidentally, after changing all the copyright notices to reflect the GPL switch, I have accidentally kept poking around at the code and am in the process of revamping one of the least sexy aspects of the game: the logging. The trunk now allows (some) messages to be enabled and disabled by category.

Edit: as for the should-it-be-equipment thing, a lot of the add-on equipment is stuff you’d expect to be standard. That’s just the nature of the game. Oh, and don’t forget to ensure that the equipment isn’t available in strict mode.

[Captain Hesperus]

All hail another_commander! You rock, dude!

Captain Hesperus
"Damn straight! You've just done my Navigator out of a job! One less cut from the profits to calculate."

[Cmdr. Maegil]

Selling just the hulk and charging for everything else as implements is not an unknown business model...

"Don't get lost! Get your advanced navigational array NOW for only Cr499.9"

[Captain Hesperus]

"Okay crew, as you all know as part of our cost-cutting drive, some of our crewmen have been laid off for automated replacements. The two lads in the cargo bay who used to off-load cargo were replaced with cargo cranes, the cook is now a series of automated vending machines dispensing all varieties of nameless sludge and the ship's exotic dancer is now a range of grubby and well-paused Betamax porn flicks. I'm afraid the Navigator's been laid off, so we can buy the new SOonto Galactic Positioning System. Now the hard bit, would you mnd digging deep into your pockets, for old times sake. Yeah, I'm a little short of the 2000Cr to buy the ruddy thing...."

Captain Hesperus
"Ain't it so true."

[drumz]

I noticed that the route for the 3rd map is the shortest distance, but not the shortest time. Stopping at the planet between Ismaan and Bilain would cut the travel time down significantly. Of course, this is only important on passenger/cargo transport missions. As the time to travel between planets is proportional to distance squared, as long as a 3rd planet forms an angle of greater than 90 degrees between the 2 you're concerned with, it's faster (game time, not real time, obviously) to stop at the 3rd planet.

Not trying to minimize your work, you did a great job, I'm just pointing out some additional features people might want.

[JensAyton]

Weighting the arcs by travel time instead of distance shouldn’t be hard.

[JensAyton]

Oh, for the “safest route” idea: you might get an approximation of that if you weighed arcs by something like (7 - government) ** 2, possibly with distance also weighed in.

[another_commander]

I noticed that the route for the 3rd map is the shortest distance, but not the shortest time.

You are absolutely right there, I had only considered minimum jump number when I was referring to shortest route. So, this goes in the todo list and thanks for bringing this to my attention.

For now, it has been implemented as a piece of equipment.

Cost is set to 2250Cr and required Tech Level for obtaining it is set to 7 and above. Disabled for strict gameplay.

Oh, for the “safest route” idea: you might get an approximation of that if you weighed arcs by something like (7 - government) ** 2, possibly with distance also weighed in.

Thanks for that, when I get some time I will try to see if I can apply a formula of this type to the route search function and make necessary modifications for travel time and government level.

[dajt]

Very cool. Well done that man :)

Things are crazy around here and I have passed your changes onto Ahruman.

Thanks for taking the time to play with the Oolite code - it badly needs some new devs.

[JensAyton]

Things are crazy around here and I have passed your changes onto Ahruman.

…but I don’t have the equipmenty bit. Or, strictly speaking, permission to check it into a GPLed repository.

Thanks for taking the time to play with the Oolite code - it badly needs some new devs.

What he said.

[another_commander]

I sent also the equipmenty bit to dajt a little earlier. I will have to take a short break for a few days, as I have to be away for work, but, with the last changes sent, we should be in sync now.

[Killer Wolf]

that's fricking cool that. though given some reports of routefinders. i think it should have a random percentage of sending you via the worst Anarchy in the galaxy, like sending artic lorries down 5' wwide country lanes

if you select your destination, does it automatically lock your hyperdrive onto the next step of the chain when you come out of Witchspace?

[another_commander]

if you select your destination, does it automatically lock your hyperdrive onto the next step of the chain when you come out of Witchspace?

Not really. That could on one hand be nice, but, on the other hand, I fear it could interfere with the way the player wants to plan his trip. IMHO, it should be the player deciding the destination, not the computer.

You may have to wait for Advanced NavArray Service Pack 1 to see this implemented.

[TGHC]

IMHO, it should be the player deciding the destination, not the computer.

I agree.