Q-Bomb warning message for AI

skypatrikelite · Post by **skypatrikelite** » Sat Nov 08, 2008 12:16 pm

Someone can program a Q-Bomb warning message like "missile incoming" or "Q-Bomb incoming"? Maybe it's fun to watch the other ship run away from the sphere....

Wiki pages · Post by **Thargoid** » Sat Nov 08, 2008 2:04 pm

Missile warnings are already in place. Eric's Missile Analyser OXP does that (unless the missile is a standard one, which gets ignored) and my Anti-Missile System (which I'm just final-testing, for release probably sometime next week) will do it for any incoming missile, and fire off an interceptor dart to try and destroy it.

Q-Bombs are usually quite obvious when they go off, the big blue sphere is a bit of a clue

But I guess to detect their actual launch would be a possible extension to MA (and perhaps AMS) too, although it would have to be done in a different way (by timed scan). Both MA and AMS use an existing event for missile detection, which doesn't cover Q-bombs.

LittleBear · Post by **LittleBear** » Sat Nov 08, 2008 2:59 pm

Just adding a conslemessage or comms message to the ENTER state of the timebombAI would do it. The bomb sends a message "Warning Q Bomb Active" or whatever and 5 seconds later it blows. The q-mines dropped by victims in random hits send a randomised taunt before exploding. If you wanted to replace the native timebombAI with the randomhitstimebombAI then all mines in the game would do this.

Wiki pages · Post by **Thargoid** » Sat Nov 08, 2008 9:00 pm

Wouldn't that risk rogue console/comms messages if an NPC decides to drop a Q-bomb anywhere in the system though?

LittleBear · Post by **LittleBear** » Sat Nov 08, 2008 9:27 pm

Think it would be OK as the bomb only has the default scanner range of 25km so the player only recives the comms message if the bomb is on his scanner (which would be when you want the warning). I think the bug with Thargoid death cries appearing from ships the player can't see and with no ship IDed on the Comms Log is due to Bugs having a scanner range of 50kms. So a dying thargoid out of scanner range still sends the player his last words! Not 100% on this though. I'll just switch it on my system and see what happens.

I guess it will mean your own bomb also warns you its about to explode. Damm the Galatic Heath and Saftey Executive with their stupid mandatory warnings!

Post by **Eric Walch** » Sun Nov 09, 2008 9:47 am

LittleBear wrote:
I think the bug with Thargoid death cries appearing from ships the player can't see and with no ship IDed on the Comms Log is due to Bugs having a scanner range of 50kms.

No the but with thargoids was that they used

Code: Select all

this.shipDied = function ()
{
	player.commsMessage(expandDescription("[thargoid_curses]"));
}

to broadcast its message. By doing it this way, it is always the player hat broadcasts the message. And than it is very logical the player alse received it always. With 1.72 you can use:

Code: Select all

this.shipDied = function ()
{
	this.ship.commsMessage(expandDescription("[thargoid_curses]"));
}

I would have thought the thargoid script would have also been changed this way. But it is not, the bug with the thargoid messages is still in!

Post by **another_commander** » Sun Nov 09, 2008 10:14 am

Eric Walch wrote:
I would have thought the thargoid script would have also been changed this way. But it is not, the bug with the thargoid messages is still in!

Not anymore.

Cmdr Wyvern · Post by **Cmdr Wyvern** » Mon Nov 17, 2008 9:08 pm

As it is, dropped mines are silent, the red/yellow flashing blip on the scanner being the only warning before they go off, except for the Random Hits mines cussing you then going off.
I'm thinking maybe a dropped mine - ANY mine, not just q-bombs; there's some mines in the M&B OXP, after all - should sound the ships alarm and flash a HUD warning, same as missiles do. Sort of like:

Vroop! Vroop!
"DANGER! Live mine detected!"

It's likely that can't be done just by modifying the AI.

Wiki pages · Post by **Thargoid** » Mon Nov 17, 2008 9:11 pm

The only problem with that is a lot of recent equipment (including a lot of my own) uses a mine as a method of triggering. Examples being fuel tank, probe, drones, ECD (from my energy equipment). We'd need some way around that as NPCs can also use some of these too.

Cmdr Wyvern · Post by **Cmdr Wyvern** » Mon Nov 17, 2008 9:21 pm

hmmm....
Maybe a not_weapon key for the equipment.plist, to be used on those non-explosive mines, ie droptanks, ECDs, drones, ect?

Post by **Eric Walch** » Mon Nov 17, 2008 9:26 pm

Cmdr Wyvern wrote:
As it is, dropped mines are silent, the red/yellow flashing blip on the scanner being the only warning before they go off, except for the Random Hits mines cussing you then going off.

I think that is the purpose of most mines: Stay undetected until it is to late while missiles try not to hide but surprise their target with speed. (In that definition are cruise-missiles not fitting as missiles but as mines.)