Oolite Bulletins

Ok, somewhere in the tutorials or manuals or Wiki or God-knows-where there was a mention of the principle of symmetry: everything that you, as a player, are allowed to do, is also available for the NPCs. So my question is: how on Earth (and beyond) is it possible for five bastards to hold a steady aim on me for more than five seconds if I'm frantically curving up and down, left and right, all at maximum speed? And how can incoming ships in mid-range, that are just points in my viewscreen, do the same while I'm also doing wild evasive manoeuvres? How do they manage to keep an aim on me? Answer, anyone, please? Is it because of the code that simply says "if they've got you, they've got you" or is the AI that good?

And something unrelated to the topic, but I'm too lazy to open a new one, do all of you have problems with lousy visibility? Meaning, it's very hard for me to see the bastards until they are really close to me, or approximately opposite the sun. Is it a resolution issue?

Corbeau wrote:

And something unrelated to the topic, but I'm too lazy to open a new one, do all of you have problems with lousy visibility? Meaning, it's very hard for me to see the bastards until they are really close to me, or approximately opposite the sun. Is it a resolution issue?

Try the clearskies oxp. That should make things a little easier for you. It worked for me.

Using a flat screen not a CRT makes a huge difference.

TGHC wrote:

Using a flat screen not a CRT makes a huge difference.

People still use CRTs? Not even my employer (the National Health Service)
is that cheap.

Bringer of torture wrote:

TGHC wrote:

Using a flat screen not a CRT makes a huge difference.

People still use CRTs? Not even my employer (the National Health Service)
is that cheap.

...huh... ...mine is!! ...but then I'm in education...

Teaching history?

By the way, I just donated a computer with a 17" CRT. The wife sure was happy to gain back all that space.

Corbeau wrote:

Ok, somewhere in the tutorials or manuals or Wiki or God-knows-where there was a mention of the principle of symmetry: everything that you, as a player, are allowed to do, is also available for the NPCs. So my question is: how on Earth (and beyond) is it possible for five bastards to hold a steady aim on me for more than five seconds if I'm frantically curving up and down, left and right, all at maximum speed? And how can incoming ships in mid-range, that are just points in my viewscreen, do the same while I'm also doing wild evasive manoeuvres? How do they manage to keep an aim on me? Answer, anyone, please? Is it because of the code that simply says "if they've got you, they've got you" or is the AI that good?

As far as I’m aware, the AIs always fly using roll and pitch maneuvres. While attacking, I believe they roll to keep their up vectors parallel to yours, so that they can immediately pitch to follow you.

There was a discussion recently about the uselessness of missiles. One interesting thing about missiles, though, is that they cause an attacker to break off – even if he’s at a distance and has an ECM. The attacker will then often go into a mode where he tries to get directly above you before attacking again, which can take quite a while and is generally quite ineffectual. (This mode really needs a timeout, and/or the ability to detect a wider range of good firing opportunities. In this mode, a ship can fly straight at you without shooting.)

Corbeau wrote:

And something unrelated to the topic, but I'm too lazy to open a new one, do all of you have problems with lousy visibility? Meaning, it's very hard for me to see the bastards until they are really close to me, or approximately opposite the sun. Is it a resolution issue?

Resolution seems likely. I can often spot NPCs at about 20 km, although it depends on their size – ships are only drawn when they span a certain angle, regardless of resolution.

For visibility, if you have a CRT, try setting up the screen properly.

This site will help:

http://www.normankoren.com/makingfineprints1A.html