Passive Black monk gunship

[Ark]

I have the feeling that black monk gunship has been a little bit passive those days. It did not fire with its main weapons unless someone fires upon it (the player or the victim) and even then it fires only one shot and stops. Also if I remember correctly in the past it had 3 laser weapons and now it has only 2. Is that intentional?

Right now I am playing in 1.72 with the shader version of black monks

[LittleBear]

As Griff had built the stunning new Ships and Stations, we realsed the new version featuring the Shady Monks and Stations. However, they are still using the same script and AIs, written for 1.65. Monks are not pirates though so it is intended that they will only attack debtors without provocation. The code for Black Monks really needs a complete re-write in JS. I plan to rewrite it to give them the same sort of "inteligence" as the Characters in Random Hits, a word generator for the monks hails and mission text displayed at the Stations, ability to borrow variable ammounts and more subtle responses by the Monks to defaulting. Still finishing off the 1.4 Version of R_H ATM though. Basicly their AIs are very primative compared to their shiny new graphics. On my to do list after fininshing the re-write of R_H.

[Ark]

so it is intended that they will only attack debtors without provocation.

Even in this situation they follow the debtor ship but do not fire it. When the debtor fires against the gunship then the gunship answers for a second and stops continuing to follow the debtor ship without firing unless the debtor ship fires again.
Strange!!!!!

[LittleBear]

They are trying to fire but are out of range. We've reduced their-fire power to make them less absurdly uber, but I've not yet given them the smarts to realise this!

In the old version they had 3 Military Lasers (Range 25km). Now they have 2 Beam Lasers (Range 10 km). However in AI they still act like they have Military lasers. Their AI tells them to go straight to attack when they see a debtor or when they are attacked. This works with Military Lasers as they can nail any target on the scanner. With Beams they need to be smarter (but arn't yet). I need to change their AI so that rather than going straight to attack whilst out of range, instead they intercept by hitting their injectors and only attack when at 10 km of the target, rather than trying trying to dogfight a target that they cannot actually hit! This is why they seem to break off quickly. The AI just tell them to performAttack, which they can't do as the target is out of range of their beams. This needs changing so that when out of range they instead perform and intercept, lighting up their injectors to close to less than 10km and then attack.

This is why they seem less aggressive. Actually their AI is the same, but a tatic that works with Military lasers is a very poor tatic for Beams. Those two Beams will cut a target to ribbons, but only at closer range, so their AI needs changing so that the piolts know they have beams. ATM the Monks still 'think' they are packing Militarys. As a tempory fix you could switch their lasers back to Military by editing the shipdata.plist and you'll find they are much more deadly. I'd like to make them dangerous by virtue of their piolts skill really though then just by giving them an uber weapon. A good piolt with twin beams will still cut a trade ship in two very quickly, if he uses them correctly. ATM the Monks don't!

[Ark]

That explains it !!!!!!
Thank you LB

[Cmdr Wyvern]

Looking at the weapons code in the source, two beam lasers pack more punch than a single military laser. The military has twice the range, though.

Code: Select all

		case WEAPON_PLASMA_CANNON :
			weapon_energy =			6.0;
			weapon_recharge_rate =	0.25;
			weaponRange =			5000;
			break;
		case WEAPON_PULSE_LASER :
			weapon_energy =			15.0;
			weapon_recharge_rate =	0.33;
			weaponRange =			12500;
			break;
		case WEAPON_BEAM_LASER :
			weapon_energy =			15.0;
			weapon_recharge_rate =	0.25;
			weaponRange =			15000;
			break;
		case WEAPON_MINING_LASER :
			weapon_energy =			50.0;
			weapon_recharge_rate =	0.5;
			weaponRange =			12500;
			break;
		case WEAPON_THARGOID_LASER :		// omni directional lasers FRIGHTENING!
			weapon_energy =			12.5;
			weapon_recharge_rate =	0.5;
			weaponRange =			17500;
			break;
		case WEAPON_MILITARY_LASER :
			weapon_energy =			23.0;
			weapon_recharge_rate =	0.20;
			weaponRange =			30000;
			break;

Packing two or more military lasers would make a ship Death Incarnate, though.

Hehe, and look how weak the Thargoid laser is! The pulse lasers on Tharglet fighters is more dangerous!

[JensAyton]

Hehe, and look how weak the Thargoid laser is! The pulse lasers on Tharglet fighters is more dangerous!

Yes, but not having to spend time lining up a shot is pretty valuable. :-)