performAttack and Missiles

[metatheurgist]

Not sure if this should be in Expansion Packs, it's really more of a general script question.

I was playing around with scripting, and I created an object that would shoot ships and beacons.

When I set the target of the object to a missile, it would track the missile but wouldn't attack, no laser fire at all.

Is this behaviour by design?

[submersible]

Not sure if this should be in Expansion Packs, it's really more of a general script question.

I was playing around with scripting, and I created an object that would shoot ships and beacons.

When I set the target of the object to a missile, it would track the missile but wouldn't attack, no laser fire at all.

Is this behaviour by design?

Interesting - I cannot really tell you, however i noticed something earlier today playing 1.77 - enemies targeting my missiles with their missiles. Which is odd - or at least unusual and not something I had seen before.

[Cody]

... however i noticed something earlier today playing 1.77 - enemies targeting my missiles with their missiles. Which is odd - or at least unusual and not something I had seen before.

No, I've not seen that before either - interesting!

Welcome aboard, metatheurgist.

[cim]

Is this behaviour by design?

No, they shouldn't have anything against firing at a missile, and I've seen it happen before. (Though, it's a small fast-moving target, so they may well not be tracking it well enough to actually get a hit, so not opening fire)

[Mad Dan Eccles]

... however i noticed something earlier today playing 1.77 - enemies targeting my missiles with their missiles. Which is odd - or at least unusual and not something I had seen before.

No, I've not seen that before either - interesting!

Woah. That changes things. Probably not worth having a pylon for a soft missile just in case, but when you're out of fuel and low on shields and somebody chucks a hard head at you…

[Cody]

... but when you're out of fuel and low on shields and somebody chucks a hard head at you…

Laser it!

[Mad Dan Eccles]

I've managed that exactly once!

[submersible]

Is this behaviour by design?

No, they shouldn't have anything against firing at a missile, and I've seen it happen before. (Though, it's a small fast-moving target, so they may well not be tracking it well enough to actually get a hit, so not opening fire)

Might the AI launch a missile at another missile ? Particularly if unable to laser it?

[cim]

AIs low on health will often launch a missile at their current target. If a missile has been launched at them recently, they could certainly try to counter-missile it.

Doing it deliberately because it's a good idea? No, not yet.

[Rorschachhamster]

Doing it deliberately because it's a good idea? No, not yet.

Depends. What if your missile misses the other missile and follows it...

[metatheurgist]

No, they shouldn't have anything against firing at a missile, and I've seen it happen before. (Though, it's a small fast-moving target, so they may well not be tracking it well enough to actually get a hit, so not opening fire)

This may be the answer. I reconfigured the object to target cargo containers and, erm, "opened" a couple of Pythons. When I flew the object into the mass of cargo it didn't start shooting until it was well into point blank range (<1 km). If it's having that much trouble locking onto stationery cargo it's probably not going to successfully target missiles. *sigh*

[cim]

This may be the answer. I reconfigured the object to target cargo containers and, erm, "opened" a couple of Pythons. When I flew the object into the mass of cargo it didn't start shooting until it was well into point blank range (<1 km). If it's having that much trouble locking onto stationery cargo it's probably not going to successfully target missiles. *sigh*

Hmm... they should generally be getting a lock - or at least a "worth a try" - before that sort of range. I wouldn't expect them to necessarily hit the missile/cargo very often, but I'm surprised they aren't even trying. A few questions:
- what Oolite version?
- what is your typical frame rate? (Shift-F to display)
- have you set "accuracy" in shipdata.plist, and if so, what to?
- what are the max pitch/roll rates of the ship?

[metatheurgist]

Oolite version 1.76.1
FPS 74-75
Accuracy for the object is set to 10
Max Pitch and Roll are set to 25

It does track the target object, I can see it changing orientation to face it, it just doesn't seem to shoot until it's close. I repeated the test with cargo containers today and got a better result. It started shooting cargo between 2-3 kms. I may have changed the laser setting between tests.

I have the object tethered to the top of my Cobra (via some ugly code to force its position). It's pretending to be a CIWS (close in weapons system). It's free to choose it's orientation, just not to move away. Don't know if that would affect it's aim.

[cim]

Max Pitch and Roll are set to 25

This is probably the problem. Spins a full circle in a quarter of a second, but terrible for precision aim. Start at around 2 roll and 1 pitch (which is typical for a ship, so what the AI is optimised for) and then slowly increase them.

Oolite version 1.76.1

It would probably work a bit better in 1.77, since the accuracy of 10 would then enable some additional precision aiming routines that didn't exist in 1.76, but this is probably not the main problem.

[metatheurgist]

OK. Tried pitch and roll at 1,2 and went to 5,6 increasing both by 1 each time. The range for shooting cargo is still within the 2-3 kms range, though at pitch 2 roll 3 it did take a shot at 5kms and hit. I'm waiting for a stable release before comitting to an update.