Drones OXP

[Eric Walch]

I noticed reportAIMessages was also mentioned as property on the wiki JS page about ships. (always overlooked it)

But you don't need to set it in the console. Problem with the console it that you first have to look for the ship that you want to examine. It is probably easier to add two temporary scriptMessages to the AI:

sendScriptMessage: traceON and sendScriptMessage: traceOFF
and in the ship's JS script you define:
this.traceON = function(){this.ship.reportAIMessages = true}
this.traceOFF = function(){this.ship.reportAIMessages = false}

This way the AI will log exactly the AI part you are interested in, even when you were not aware the ship was added at all. You don't need the console for this.

[JensAyton]

But you don't need to set it in the console. Problem with the console it that you first have to look for the ship that you want to examine. It is probably easier to add two temporary scriptMessages to the AI:

A good idea. On top of that, I’ve added some facilities to make finding ships in the console easier. Since they’re console macros using existing JS methods, they work in 1.71 and 1.70 too.

[Eric Walch]

On top of that, I’ve added some facilities to make finding ships in the console easier. Since they’re console macros using existing JS methods, they work in 1.71 and 1.70 too.

Great macros. Biggest problem with above AI dump was getting the drone targeted before I could start the dump. I always missed the start of the AI execution with the old method.

[Thargoid]

With immense thanks to Eric for his work on this OXP in my short absence, I've made available a second beta-test version (from here).

Updates are a new scanning script and a much more streamlined and clever sharing of launch and pick-up scripts (all courtesy of Eric) from which I've learned an awful lot. I've also brought the drones pricing down more in line with an ECM hardened missile.

Anyway as before feedback appreciated, before I go for a full version release.

[Eric Walch]

I just want to add that these drones are a pure offensive weapons. No targeting and it only selects a target from one of the orange blips. I just don't get why Thargoid added an anti-thargoid drone. Did he switch sides? Or is it a Trojan horse that can be controlled by thargoids and loads the whole ships database and than sneaky delivers it at the thargoid side once launched?

The biggest difference I noticed with hard missiles is that missiles only chase away one pirate but when a drone attacks his target, all other pirates from a group switch their attention to the drone. (Only when the pirates belong to one group, what often is the case.)

[Thargoid]

I just want to add that these drones are a pure offensive weapons.

If I may correct slightly, they're defensive rather than offensive. They only target ships hostile to the ship that launched them (plus ships which fire on the drone itself), rather than actively seeking targets to fire at (as my previous version did, that's the genius of Eric's new scanning script).

And as to why there's an anti-Thargoid drone, it's a counter-balance to the new wave of Tharglets and Thargons which will be coming along in my next OXP, to be titled "To Catch a Thargoid"

[Thargoid]

Now all feedback is in and testing complete, I'd like to announce the full launch of the Drones OXP.

-- Click here to download, or via the wiki--

[Thargoid]

OK, drones is now also updated for v1.72 v1.73.

Drones v1.10, or via my wiki page.

[Thargoid]

And now updated to v1.10, to allow compatibility with Ooilite 1.73. Also removed compatibility for Oolite 1.71, as that's a bit redundant now.

Download from the link above, or those in the sig below.

[Thargoid]

Small update to v1.11, as I found a little bit of 1.72 depreciated scripting hidden away, which will stop working in 1.74 (and doesn't work so well anyway under 1.73).

But in any case this OXP in this form will change under 1.74 anyway, as I've got another plan for it (and a few others).

Download from the links below...