Hard Light Productions Forums

Modding, Mission Design, and Coding => The FRED Workshop => Topic started by: CommanderDJ on September 02, 2010, 01:02:45 am

Title: AI allocating power to engines
Post by: CommanderDJ on September 02, 2010, 01:02:45 am
It's me again, soliciting your help once more!
Is it possible to tell an AI-controlled ship to allocate more power to its engines? Because I have a mission where three ships (including the player) need to make their way to a distant asteroid field (about 8K away). The player and one other ship are Erinyes fighters, while the third is a Perseus. And what happens is as that the player, allocating full engine power and using the afterburner as much as possible, can pretty much keep up with the AI-controlled Perseus. However, the other Erinyes lags behind a ****load and ends up getting there many minutes later. Whilst the mission can go on, the Erinyes doesn't arrive until after a fairly important battle is over, and I don't exactly want to hold up the whole mission by preventing the battle from starting till the Erinyes gets there.
Thanks,

CommanderDJ
Title: Re: AI allocating power to engines
Post by: karajorma on September 02, 2010, 01:10:06 am
You could use the autopilot and avoid those headaches (while probably creating a bunch of new ones. :p)
Title: Re: AI allocating power to engines
Post by: Sushi on September 02, 2010, 01:27:45 am
Another trick to force the AI to use their afterburners is to give them a target to attack... not sure if you'll be able to use that or not.
Title: Re: AI allocating power to engines
Post by: Enigmatic Entity on September 02, 2010, 02:13:25 am
Another trick to force the AI to use their afterburners is to give them a target to attack... not sure if you'll be able to use that or not.

An invisible one about 3km behind the "meeting point" that departs or vanishes as the AI comes within 3km. Most weapons aren't able to go the 3km, so hopefully the AI doesn't look like it's attacking nothing. The AI will probably just follow you around after its target disappears.

You could also have it set to "defend or cover Alpha 1" until it gets to the waypoint/has a new objective. I think that gets them going as well. :)
Title: Re: AI allocating power to engines
Post by: Solatar on September 02, 2010, 09:00:41 am
Isn't there a stay near ship SEXP/order?
Title: Re: AI allocating power to engines
Post by: Qent on September 02, 2010, 09:04:07 am
Maybe make a copy of the Erinyes table entry with a boosted top speed. It still wouldn't use its burners but it could at least keep up.
Title: Re: AI allocating power to engines
Post by: General Battuta on September 02, 2010, 09:07:14 am
Maybe make a copy of the Erinyes table entry with a boosted top speed. It still wouldn't use its burners but it could at least keep up.

Shouldn't be necessary; the best option is to tell the Erinyes to attack an invisible nav buoy at the destination. Call it something like 'commencing'.
Title: Re: AI allocating power to engines
Post by: CommanderDJ on September 02, 2010, 08:41:48 pm
After playing around with some of the stuff you guys suggested, I've simply set both ships to guard the player and although they still lag behind somewhat, I've added in some banter before the fight which gives them enough time to catch up before the enemies come in. Thanks for your help.